What is it about Chicken Fried Steak that causes my stomach to make a funny noise and my lips to begin smacking all by themselves?
One can't travel without eating, and when traveling around Texas you have to order a staple, Chicken Fried Steak (CFS). The only problem is if you have too many of these, you may have to staple your stomach.
Okay, so here's the challenge. Who makes the best CFS? Now don't tell me it's your uncle Bobby Joe Robbie. I want my CFS from a Café, an Inn, a hole in the wall. Somewhere that even with a good cleaning the place looks like it was dipped in CFS batter. And PLEASE don't tell me it's a chain. I'm not a chain eater.
I'm just beginning my journey and my first stop was in Lincoln, TX in Lee County, outside of Austin at the Elm Creek Café. Before I tell you how good it was, I beg you not to order the LARGE. It has its own zip code. The small is bigger than any human should be allowed to eat. My eyes popped out of my head and gave me that look. No way is all that going into our mouth. Well I put my eyes back, picked up my fork and knife and began my journey. Before you could spell hardening of the arteries, it was done. It was crunchy, seasoned to perfection and tender. Now that was after I ate enough fried green tomatoes to make Paula Dean jealous. Oh did I say I finished it off with a piece of Coconut Custard pie? That was a mistake in many ways.
So where to next in my quest for the best CFS? Tell me where to go, I know you want to.
Hey are you going to be in there much longer?
History of CFS as seen on Wikipedia
The precise origins of the dish are unclear, but many sources attribute its development to German and Austrian immigrants to Texas in the nineteenth century who brought recipes for Wiener schnitzel from Europe to the USA. Lamesa, the seat of Dawson County on the Texas South Plains, claims to be the birthplace of chicken fried steak, as does Bandera, Texas
Check out this Country Fried Steak Recipe video (other parts of the US call it Country, but since we invented it we call it by it's correct name Chicken) Go ››
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They have a place in Sweetwater and Merkel also