By the time we had arrived in Texas, on the second leg of our trip, I was a wee a bit tired. However, the Mr. and I had already spent time in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the one place I really wanted to visit. It was Mr. Foodingsworth’s turn and he chose the Big Texan.
Mr. F was asleep in the middle of the day as we pulled into Amarillo. The portion I saw was so ugly, with every imaginable advertisement looming over the highway. I was considering driving on, but then I saw the giant waving cowboy in his boots and ten gallon hat and I took the exit to the Big Texan. We parked in the dusty unpaved parking lot among the brightly painted buildings fashioned after old saloons and barns. Outside of the Big Texan is a ginormous cow, which is some indication of the experience you’re about to have inside. When you walk in, you’re greeted by “cowgirls” dressed up in a variety of denim clothing, sparkly accessories, and slouchy cowboy boots and hats. It’s like a theme park inside of a restaurant with a gift shop, bar, candy shop, conference center, play area and the main dining room. It was pretty quiet at that time of day and we were seated at the far side of the dining room.
Inside of the Big Texan - Amarillo, Texas
With dozens of animal trophies looking down at us, Mr. F and I slid into a wooden booth next to the kitchen. We had a view of the high-rise table and countdown clock used for those folks that order the Big Texan specialty – the 72 ounce steak challenge. We decided to split our meal, as neither of us had room for 72 ounces of meat or the $72.00 a piece if we didn’t finish it. We ordered the 18-ounce ribeye Dallas-cut steak, with baked beans, mac and cheese, and salads with house-made ranch dressing. Mr. F ordered an Arnold Palmer and I had a sweet tea.
In review, the ranch dressing was amazing. I actually dislike bottled ranch dressing most of the time as it makes what should be a light healthy side or meal into a fat drenched entree. However, if the dressing is home-made with those little curds and herbs and buttermilk creaminess I’m all for it. The sweet tea was frankly just sweet. It tasted like tap water with melted sugar. What was quaint, however, was the plastic cup it came in, all decorated in Big Texan advertisements that came in handy later on in the trip. The steak was, of course, AWESOME … juicy and delicious, as a steak should be from a restaurant covered in stuffed dead animals. The baked beans were so-so for me, but Mr. F was a big fan. They had that typical sweet barbecue flavor with bits of onion and ham. With a very small sweet tooth, they were too sweet for me. However, I loved the mac and cheese! And how could you not? Nothing better than cheese and pasta mixed together, I say. All in all, it was a tasty meal and a better price since we split a meal supposedly for one person into (almost) halves.
After finishing our meal, we headed to the gift shop, filled with even more oddities like jackalopes, ‘coon hats, postcards, Coca-Cola memorabilia, and all sorts of products made from rattle snakes. A few postcards later, some fudge from the candy shop and Mr. F and I were back on the road!
Plush Jackalopes
Big Texan Gift Shop - Amarillo, Texas
Goodbye Texas!
