Locally-Owned Eateries Hard to Beat
Published Apr 23, 2008
Like many growing areas, the Heart of Texas offers the hungry any number of familiar chain restaurants. But if you’re in search of much-loved, locally owned dining spots – from the dressy to the dusty-boots-OK variety – you’ve come to the right place.
The Cactus Grill enjoys an enviable location facing the Bosque County Courthouse square in Meridian. That means lots of lawyers – and others – for lunch Monday through Saturday.
On Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, the restaurant attracts dinner guests from Waco, Fort Worth and Dallas.
“We’re casual and at the same time a little special,” says owner Raul Contreras, who started the Cactus Grill in 2006. The popular eatery’s menu includes steaks, Cornish game hens, seafood and Southwestern cuisine, with sandwiches, hamburgers, pasta and salads for lunch.
Karlan Bielamowicz, owner of Boss Hog’s Bar B Que and Burgers, is modest, but proud, of the accolades her restaurant in the Falls County seat of Marlin has accumulated over the last 13 years, including its Texas Monthly magazine listing among the state’s top 50 barbecue restaurants.
“I get a lot of highway traffic and a lot of local people too,” Bielamowicz says. “We’re nothing fancy in here, but it’s clean and we do a good business.”
Indeed, Boss Hog’s is near legendary in the area for its Beef and Sausage Plate, three-meat Cowboy Plate and homemade cole slaw. The restaurant is open Thursday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. off State Highway 7 at the edge of town.
Sam’s Original Restaurant, another local legend, traces its roots to Samuel Augustus Daniel. Born in 1906, he quit school as an eighth grader to sell hamburgers. In 1960, he and his wife opened a barbecue stand in Fairfield, the seat of Freestone County, and later opened another.
The founder’s son, Gilbert, now runs the business with his own son, Sonny.
Located just off Interstate 45, Sam’s serves breakfast, lunch and dinner from a large menu, but the buffet is hard to beat, with choices such as fried or barbecued chicken, beef tips and rice, and beef enchiladas; side dishes including black eyed peas, okra and green beans; and peach cobbler, banana pudding and cakes.
Story by Laura Hill
Current Weather Conditions In Waco, TX (76702)
Cloudy, and 63 ° F. For more details?
Click here...
