photo credit: DANIEL MARTY, COURTESY OF BOOT BARN

Miranda Lambert’s Favorite Spots For Classic Texas Cookin’ image

Miranda Lambert’s Favorite Spots For Classic Texas Cookin’

Five places where the country music singer and cookbook author goes for crispy beef tacos, queso, and more.

Welcome to Perfect For, an Infatuation series of ultra-specific restaurant recommendations from people around town you don't know personally, but might wish you did.

Few celebrities are as intertwined with their home state as Miranda Lambert. The Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter got her start at country music revues across Texas, and has since written nine albums describing all aspects of life in the Lone Star State. 

Her latest cookbook, “Y’all Eat Yet?, gives fans stories from her life on the road, recipes from the women that inspire her, and celebrates famous Texan classics like barbecue sauce, her Nonny’s banana pudding, and more.

In her many travels, she’s done plenty of research to find the best spots for every type of classic Texas cuisine. Here are the places she recommends to get the best taste of her home state.


Gristmill

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“Located next door to one of the most iconic dance halls in Texas, Gruene Hall, Gristmill offers just about every dish you would expect to find in the Lone Star state: South of the Border with spicy queso and quesadillas, BBQ with the pulled pork sandwich and baby back ribs, Texas beef with the top sirloin, ribeye and their famous chicken fried steak with all of the trimmings.

Don’t miss the fresh catfish, fried or bronzed straight from the lakes of Texas. In a perfect nod to the German Prince that founded the area in 1845, they offer up the Gruene Bros ‘Best’ Wurst platter. Even with all the delicious food, the best part is that the restaurant's indoor and outdoor balconies overlook the beautiful Guadalupe River. You can sit back with a great cocktail and ‘Taste of Texas’ meal and enjoy the sights and sounds of the rolling river rapids.” 


photo credit: Jordan Haro

Mexican

Clarksville

$$$$Perfect For:BrunchCasual Weeknight DinnerCheap EatsClassic EstablishmentDay DrinkingKids

Maudie’s Tex-Mex is an Austin icon! They serve the ‘real deal’ Tex-Mex. Anyone who wants a true taste of Texas’ ‘real’ Mexican food needs to visit Maudie’s. Start out with a cocktail shaker full of the Mexican Martini and serve it up next to a bowl of their fresh-made Diablo Sol Food chili con queso with farm-raised beef taco meat, fresh-made pico, and guacamole. 

Go from there to one of their dinner combo plates. My favorite is the Regular Dinner, which starts with a crispy beef taco followed by two cheese enchiladas with chili con carne, cheese and onions served with refried beans, and Mexican rice on the side. The housemade tamales are really good, too, so make sure someone at your table gets those so you can steal a bite! Everything is made from scratch and so delicious that you’ll swear that somebody’s grandma is just behind the door in their kitchen!”


"On our annual trip to float the rivers of South Texas, no trip skips a visit to the Lone Star Float House. What’s not to love about a cold beer and spot-on bar food while sitting at a picnic table IN the Guadalupe River? I’m talking an ice-cold Lone Star beer with greasy, paper-wrapped cheeseburgers, thick-cut fries, and onion rings with full paper ketchup cups on the side, or a big ol’ batch of crispy chicken tenders with paper cups of ranch dressing. And don’t forget the fried pickles to share with the table! Juke Joint bar food at its greasy finest while you watch the floaters glide by on their tubes. Ohhh… my happy place!”


Texas Music City Grill & Smokehouse

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“Located next to our Pink Pistol Boutique and Red 55’s Hemingway Tasting Room, Texas Music City Grill & Smokehouse is a must go-to when I’m home in Lindale. Talk about a tour of Texas, it’s all here. Get the Tex-Mex fix with spinach poblano dip or the Texas Twinkie jalapeños stuffed with smoked BBQ brisket and diablo cheese wrapped in bacon, or the smoked brisket and pork enchiladas served with Mexican street corn.

The smokehouse offers BBQ brisket and smoked venison meatloaf. For the biggest appetite, order up one of the perfectly cooked-to-order steaks or hand-cut chicken fried steak served with plenty of sides, plus an order of fried green tomatoes. From the Texas/Louisiana lakes and bayous comes the crispy or blackened catfish, crawfish and sausage etouffee, or Cajun-smothered catfish. Finish off your tour of Texas with the homemade peach cobbler or the skillet brownie for two served up with vanilla ice cream.”


Casa Rosa Tex-Mex Cantina

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“It’s true that Casa Rosa isn't in my home state, but when we talked about the menu, we decided to bring a little taste of Texas to Lower Broadway. Queso fundido, smoked BBQ brisket nachos, roasted corn on the cob, sweet corn fritters… and that’s just for starters! 

There are tacos filled with things I love from Texas: braised pork shoulder or short ribs, spicy ground beef or buttermilk breaded fried shrimp, and in a big ol’ nod to Tennessee, there are also tacos filled with Nashville Hot Chicken. The enchiladas, burritos, and quesadillas are loaded up with poblano peppers, brisket, marinated steak, roasted or hot chicken, or spicy ground beef. And we didn’t forget about the toppings and sides—top it off with refried or black beans, chimichurri rice, charred corn, guacamole crema, or chipotle sour cream. All this is served up with Casa Rosa’s own smoked tomato, green tomatillo, or ranchero salsa. 

Don’t forget to make a pass or two (or three) by the cantina bar where you’ll find our signature drinks: Kerosene, Gunpowder & Lead, Bluebird, Vice, and Tequila Does, to name a few. They’re also serving up plenty of cold beer and Red 55 wines along with just about any tequila you can name!”


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