Diners, Drive-ins, and DelRoccos

I have regretfully neglected my blogging duties as I have been housing my parents here in Austin for the past week. These three New Jerseyans definitely ate like we were in the South (as Southern as Texas can be) or at least like we were in an episode of Diners, Driveins, and Dives.

In San Antonio, we hit up a couple spots made famous by Guy Fieri- most who proudly display his face on your way in. We started with lunch at the Cove and my very first one-on-one experience with a bison. The kind with blue cheese and bacon that is. In this little car wash/laundromat/eatery/live music hall you can find some serious Texas fare with Texas flair. The ambiance certainly reminds you of where you are and so does the food. My burger was decadent. The leanness makes a good canvas for a hunk of blue cheese and a great pairing with sweet potato fries. Special sauce is spicy as it should be here and the picnic tables and memorabilia on the walls remind you you're not in New Jersey anymore.

If my arteries weren't closing up enough as it were, dinner at another San Antonio hot spot was at the the Tip Top Cafe. Looking exactly the same as it did when it opened in 1938, you can order hot pork sandwiches and its famous onion rings and chicken-fried steak. This was also my first experience with chicken-fried steak and I'll just say that I have Yankee blood so it naturally doesn't quite mix but my onion rings, crispy fried chicken, and tangy buttermilk pie sure as heck did.

Now while I'm busy detoxing- you can check out the clips of both of these places below:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/lamb-burgers/26602.html
http://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/roast-pork-at-tip-top-cafe/23655.html