Of the many things I really love about traveling Texas, bluebonnets and wine are among my favorites.
Rolling pastures of vibrant blue dotted with patches of pink buttercups and blazing Indian paintbrushes are a traditional celebration of springtime. 
Toss in a bottle of velvety red or a nice local Chardonnay and you’ve set the scene for an enjoyable afternoon like no other east of Sonoma.
That was the sort of afternoon my wife and experienced recently while traveling the first leg of the Texas Bluebonnet Wine Trail north of Houston. Meandering from Waller to Montgomery, the trail led us from one winery to the next where we sampled wines with handles like Independence and Desert Rose.
From the Pleasant Hill and Windy Hill Wineries in Brenham, then along Highway 105 to the east we drove, passing less than spectacular arrays of color along the way. Occasionally we’d round a curve to spot a field of flowers in a sea of pale green, but the lack of rain and an uncommonly cold winter looked to have sucked the life out of springtime along the trail this year.
For whatever reason, as we turned onto FM 362 near White Hall the grass was noticeably more vibrant and the towering evergreens on either side of the truck were fuller. The roadside was a splattered with spots of bright colors, a canvas of nature’s best in a gallery of green.
As we turned into the winding drive of Retreat Hill Winery in Navasota the image was made complete. To our right acres of bluebonnets filled a gently sloping field next to the winery. The pride of Texas wildflowers swayed in the afternoon breeze by the thousands, corralled by a rustic split rail fence running as far as the eye could see. It was an iconic scene and we were happy to share it.
Though relatively small in size the winery and tasting room at Retreat Hill was filled with bottles of award winning wine, oak barrels and large stainless steel fermenting tanks. Outside was the covered patio that overlooked a new vineyard still years from producing.
There on the patio is where we were thoroughly entertained by a table of tipsy women on a “girl’s day out”, the Aggie antics of vineyard owner, Billy Cox, Jr., and a pairing of wines and cheese; Blue Heron Farm Mediterranean Goat Cheese on toast points paired with award-winning Retreat Hill Vintner's Blend, and venison sausage Mac-N-Cheese cups prepared with Blue Heron Farm Chevre paired with award-winning Retreat Hill Reserve Cabernet Franc. The Mac-n-Franc was totally unexpected and totally incredible for this southern boy.
What had started as a somewhat disappointing day along the Texas back roads had turned into a memorable experience for two wine lovers driving the Texas Bluebonnet Wine Trail. It was a day of nature beating the odds, and a day of tasty Mac-n-Franc in Navasota. Couldn’t ask for much more than that. Good job Retreat Hill!
This is a great looking restaurant with great food and service, overlooking Lake Houston. They have a fantastic Sunday Buffet Brunch for $17.95. Not to be missed.
As you can see by the picture, I forgot to get the gravy on the side. They serve it on a bed of average mashed potatoes and top it with a Tasso ham gravy. They top that with fried onion strings. The portion is 5 ounces and that’s plenty.
I’ve passed by the Hofbrau for several years but never ate there until now. Great looking interior with several old Texas license plates, fun signs and stuffed animal heads on the walls.
Also, Monday – Friday they have the Chicken Fried Steak as a special for $9.99. You have a choice of 2 sides and it comes with great buttery hot soft rolls with a cinnamon butter. I chose the garlic mashed potatoes and their house salad which was a combination of mixed lettuce, tomatoes, olives, some thin fried onion rings chopped in a lemon oil dressing. It was just okay. The garlic mashed potatoes where excellent and adding the white gravy was a plus. 
The next time you find yourself in downtown Humble, make sure you leave time to eat at the Humble City Café. You'll have a great meal. It’s as local as local can get. The building dates back to 1914 and once housed a pharmacy, post office, bus stop, and grocery store. The Humble City Café opened in 1995.
$13.39 or “only half” which is 4 ounces at a cost of $11.39. I got smart and ordered the “only half” (it’s a shame the cost wasn’t “only half”). The meat was thin, juicy and very tender and only had a little grease on the bottom. The white gravy needed help. It was thick, but lacked pepper. Once I added the pepper it was better. The breading was crispy and covered the entire steak and didn’t fall apart when I dug in. The breading could have been more seasoned. You get 2 sides (from a choice of 19 sides) and I chose mashed potatoes which were not worth the calories. I even put butter, salt and pepper on the mashed and it still didn’t help. 
If you want to experience a restaurant that looks like it just arrived from the mid 1800’s, you’re in luck. It’s not far from Sam Houston Race Course and the building was used to build and restore buggies and carriages. There are still several around the building and inside.
Potatoes and onion rings (they were out of green beans). You receive a number and then find a seat. The salad bar, utensils and beverages are way in the back of the restaurant. The salad bar looked very basic. Lettuce, cucumber, tomato, onion, peppers, pickles, grated cheese, with several choices of dressings.
Texas Sized. Hand Battered. Beer Batter. Deep Fried or Flat Grilled. You had me at Beer Batter.
with the flat grilled Chicken Fried Steak (this is the first time I tried a grilled Chicken Fried Steak) and that was a misteak (yes I know it's misspelled). This is a 7 ounce portion and costs $10.99. It comes with red skinned mashed potatoes and you get a choice of one side. There were parts of the Chicken Fried Steak that were on the burnt side and it really took away from the taste. The meat was thick and juicy; the beer batter didn’t stay on the steak, was too big for the steak and was soft. The softness I’m sure was due to it being flat grilled. They did have a great thick white peppery gravy, but terrible tasting red skinned mashed potatoes and green beans. They had a medicinal taste to them. 
If you are in the Seabrook area looking for a Chicken Fried Steak, head to Kemah and T Bone Tom’s and bypass Seabrook. 
Now for Stuffed Chicken Fried Steak. I’m not a big fan of swiss cheese on my food so I was a little apprehensive. The Stuffed Chicken Fried Steak looked great, smelled great and yes, it tasted great. No grease on the bottom of the Chicken Fried Steak and after the first cut, the swiss cheese just oozed out. It was a little overpowering. The small side of mashed potatoes were plenty (especially after I had my fill of zucchini bread). They were seasoned perfectly and the addition of very thin sliced fried onions was a perfect match. Back to the Chicken Fried Steak. They use a flank steak which surprised me as flank steak can be tough, but, I guess if you pound it long enough it becomes tender. It was so tender that I didn’t need the steak knife. The meat was perfectly seasoned as well. The white gravy that came with the Chicken Fried Steak was referred to as a cream cheese gravy. It’s actually a béchamel sauce with cheese added. Very good.
It’s interesting how life goes to extremes. In my search for the best chicken fried steak in Texas I went from finding the worst Chicken Fried Steak to finding the best (so far) within a 24 hour period. I won’t discuss the worst (see The Angry Dog) but I have finally made it to the top of the Chicken Fried Steak mountain. This was my second visit to George’s Restaurant in Waco. I was there over a year ago but didn’t post my results, even though it was very good. This time it was Chicken Fried Steak nirvana.
Here is the recipe. Hickory Hollow had the Chicken Fried Steak as a special so I ordered it. The sign said medium. I paid at the counter got my hand vibrator and found a seat. After a few minutes the LARGEST Chicken Fried Steak appeared after my hand held vibrator went off. I just didn’t realize that their medium was HUGE. You can see by the picture how big it is and that it’s served on a pizza plate.
Here are the Ingredients
I’m saying this right up front. THIS IS A CHAIN. If you read my blog on a regular basis you know how I feel about chains, but I was taken to 
Madison’s looks like it’s a great place to enjoy a cold one after work, or watch sports, or listen to some good live music at night. Typical chain style menu items, but it’s not. It does have a very good Chicken Fried Steak, with a twist. The twist is they use fajita meat (skirt steak).
skirt steak is marinated in a great seasoning which makes the meat very tender and juicy. The breading is very crispy and stayed on the steak. There was no grease factor. The white gravy had a good texture and could have used a little more seasoning, but the highly seasoned steak made up for it. The lunch portion is 4 ounces and costs $7.99 but only comes with one side and a yeast roll. I chose the garlic mashed potatoes. Not much of a garlic taste but they were good. The regular portion (8 oz.) is $10.99 and comes with 2 sides and the roll.
Where can you find an old Texaco gas station turned Art Deco restaurant in Dallas? 
This was my 2nd visit to 
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