Live Oak Grill in Sugar Land, TX

Some good home cooking from a laid back joint is just what you need sometimes.  Nothing fancy.  No white table clothes.  No pretentious foodies barking about cooking sous vide or using molecular gastronomy (though I am a fan of those things).  Nah.  More like come on in darlin',  sit in a booth, and eat some Texas-sized deliciousness out of a deep fryer!  

My buddy Chad and I recently ate at the Live Oak Grill in Sugar Land, TX.  A lot of Sugar Land is overrun with massive suburbanization and the streets are lined with retail dining chains.  I remember growing up there and thinking that a lunch at TGIFridays was a good meal.  Oops.  Fortunately if you know where to look, even the cookie-cutter Houston suburbs have some good finds.  Live Oak Grill looks like it is in a house with a huge Texas flag painted on the roof.  Okay, maybe that's not so cool.  I mean, is that really necessary?  Well, maybe.  There's something interesting about Texas.  No matter what, they make no mistake about boasting that they are, indeed, Texan.  I feel a similar pride in Louisiana, but we haven't learned how to express it like they do in Texas.  The lone star that is hangs from walls and car mirrors is special.  It makes me vomit in my mouth sometimes, but it is special. 

Live Oak Grill in Sugar Land, TX

Chad's wife Ashley works at Live Oak Grill.  That's really why we were there.  Well, that and because they wanted me to eat there.  Naturally, since there was food involved, I obliged. I'm always willing take suggestions and dine at places that are new to me.

While the beer selection didn't lean towards too much craft stuff, they did have some good regional and local brews out of Texas like Shiner and Saint Arnold.  Can't argue with that.  I started my meal with some huge, delicious onion rings.  The massive Vidalias were cut thick, breaded, and fried... just like any good onion ring should be.  And they were indeed very tasty.  Soft, flavorful onion inside a crispy fried coating... yes!

Then came the main course: a gigantic chicken fried steak absolutely smothered in white gravy with a side of macaroni and cheese.  The steak came out with a crunchy exterior and full of flavor on the inside.  It had been pounded out and properly tenderized, that's for sure.  The gravy was a bit excessive, but also contained enough pepper to make it a delicious accompaniment to the juicy fried steak.  The mac and cheese lacked a little inspiration, but the basic noodles and cheese sauce still hit the spot.

For dessert, Ashley brought out a couple brownies with scoops of Blue Bell's homemade vanilla ice cream.  I love a good chocolate-vanilla, hot-cold combination!  Delicious!

All in all, Live Oak Grill is definitely the kind of place I enjoy dining at when I travel.  It is authentic, local down home cooking.  It is the kind of place with character and a soul.  I like that.  And I like a good chicken fried steak every now and then too!

Tequila Night Tailgating Bites and Boozes, LSU vs Auburn

In honor of a great tradition,  I wanted to make sure to write a post on one of my favorite events in Baton Rouge: Ford Family Tailgating's Tequila Night!  For the LSU vs Auburn game FFT held their 11th annual Tequila Night at the front steps of the Electrical Engineering Building.  Before I get into the booze, I would like to give a special shout out to the some FFT desserts.

Mama Ford's Famous Ooey Gooey... One Corner Piece Left.  Dibs!

The most famous FFT dessert is Mama Ford's Ooey Gooey.  This pan of edible joy contains two layers of simple and extremely delightful sweet tooth fixers.  The bottom layer is pretty much yellow cake mix and butter while the top layer has cream cheese and powdered sugar.  I'd hate to give away all the secrets here, but you should know that Ooey Gooey is pretty amazing.  If you ever want a taste, come tailgate at FFT and I'm sure you can get some... but come early if you want a corner piece with a crispy crust around the gooey middle!

Almond Joy Brownies and Triple Chocolate Brownies

In addition to the Ooey Gooey, FFT also provided two trays of scrumptious brownies for the party.  The top brownie pan is an Almond Joy creation complete with chocolate, coconut, and almonds.  On the near side we had brownies with extra chocolate and then even more rich, creamy chocolate on top.  Both were dynamite!

An Ice-Cold Steveweiser

I know it was tequila night, but thirst must be quenched in between shots of distilled agave.  Answer: good old genuine, American (Belgian owned) hops, barley, yeast, and pure spring (tap) water all brewed together in perfect harmony, with tons of rice for filler, oops, I mean "flavor", of course.  Delicious, crisp, clear, refreshing Budweiser... still the King of Beers after all these years.

Assortment of Empty Tequila Bottles Towards the End of the Day

Tequila Night always brings out a fantastic selection of tequila.  Of course, some joker always brings a handle of Cuervo, but its ok because we can distribute it to the minions.  Jeremy Ford always brings the top shelf tequila that I just have to sample.  The shots begin at 10:00 a.m. and continue every half hour until almost game time (which in Baton Rouge is usually around 7 p.m., not noon like the silly people in other parts of the country).  Eric set a new record by consuming 21 tequila shots throughout the day while drinking beer in between and, surprisingly to most, was still standing at the end of the day.   Overall the day was a tremendous success.  Collin Ford gave me a ticket to the game, LSU beat the crap out of Auburn, I got a corner piece of the Ooey Gooey, and the tequila never stopped flowing.  I can't wait until next year's Tequila Night Twelve, the Doce!