Home to several well-established BBQ eateries, Lockhart calls itself the “BBQ Capital of Texas.” After eating at Chisholm Trail BBQ, I have to agree that Lockhart is an oasis for BBQ lovers. A co-worker who lives in Lockhart recommended the place, and I’m so glad the hubster and I listened to her recommendation when we were craving BBQ this week. The food was delicious, there were lots of sides to choose from and the price was extremely reasonable!

BBQ chicken, cucumber salad, black eyed peas and green beans

The BBQ chicken was moist and tender and had a delicious smoked flavor.

BBQ beef and sausage, fried okra, cucumber salad, cornbread, and fried squash

The delicious beef was moist and tender. The home-made sausage was flavorful.

So many choices!

The food is served cafeteria style, but you get to dish out your own vegetables and/or salads. And there are lots of choices.

Chisholm Trail BBQ in Lockhart, Texas

The selection of delicious-looking sides included:

• cucumber salad
• carrot salad
• potato salad
• broccoli salad
• lettuce salad with a variety of dressings
• macaroni salad
• cole slaw
• pickles
• lots of different peppers
• green beans
• black eyed peas
• macaroni and cheese
• hash browns
• corn on the cob
• fried okra
• chicken and dumplings
• fried squash
• pinto beans

Should Have Left Room for Dessert

The only thing I regret is that I didn’t save room for peach cobbler and ice cream!

Chisholm Trail BBQ in Lockhart, Texas

About Chisholm Trail

Website: www.chisholmtrailbbq.com

My dad played baseball in Cuba in the 40s, so I’m fascinated with anything Cuban—especially the food. Fortunately for me, there’s a wonderful family owned cafe and bakery a short distance away in Round Rock, on 79/Palm Valley Rd, on the way to Old Settler’s Park and the Dell Diamond. Cuban Bakery and Cafe has sandwiches and pastries to take out or eat there. I really love their cafe Cubano con leche, so I always find the time to sit and enjoy a cup with their delicious flan cheesecake and a meringue cookie.

Meringue and Flan Cheesecake

The pastries are filled with a variety of fruits or meats. My favorite is one with a cream cheese filling. I also like the meringue cookie dipped in chocolate.

Pastries from Cuba Cafe and Bakery

Cream-filled pastry.

Sandwich Cubano

Sandwich Cubano

Large slices of bread in Cuba Bakery and Cafe’s traditional Sandwich Cubano are layered with roast pork, glazed ham, Swiss cheese and thinly-sliced dill pickles.

About Cuba Bakery and Cafe

So many yummy pastries, so many yummy choices!

Menu

Cuba Bakery & Cafe’s Facebook group page

Because Taste of Ethopia sits in a small, unexciting strip mall on Grand Ave. in Pflugerville, you might pass it by without even noticing it. If you stop, though, you will experience a meal full of wonderfully exotic and unique flavors. Taste of Ethiopia is so much more than the food, though—it’s about breaking injera (bread) with friends. Ethiopian food is served family style in a mesob (woven basket) with a large hat-like cover. Diners break off pieces of the spongy injera to scoop up bite-sized portions of food. No utensils required.

The food at Taste of Ethopia is like nothing I’ve ever tasted. I can’t wait to go back!

The food at Taste of Ethiopia is a feast for the eye as well as the palate.

Taste of Ethiopia – the Food

Taste of Ethiopia - the food is flavorful and full of exotic spices.

We ordered three different dishes to get a range of tastes—one beef dish, one chicken dish, and the vegetarian sampler. Washed down with iced tea flavored with cardamom and cloves, the meal is perfect.

• Kitfo – finely chopped beef seasoned with mitmita (a spicy powdered seasoning made from ground African bird’s eye red peppers, cardamom, cloves and salt).
• Doro Wot (the national dish of Ethiopia) – chicken with diced red onions, simmered for hours with Berbere (a seasoning made from red chili peppers, garlic and other spices) Served with a hard-boiled egg.
• Gomen - steamed chopped collard greens, flavored with garlic, jalapeno peppers and traditional spices.
• Fesolia - mixed vegetable stew of string beans, carrots, tomatoes and onions, seasoned with garlic, ginger and turmeric.
• Yemisisr Wot – zesty lentils cooked in berbere sauce with red onions and a blend of traditional spices.
• Tikil Gomen – cabbage, carrots, onions and tomatoes.
• Ater Kik – split peas simmered in a mild and flavorful herb sauce and turmeric.
• Ibe - cottage cheese made from buttermilk.
• Injera -a yeast-risen flatbread with a slightly spongy texture.

About Taste of Ethiopia

Taste of Ethiopia in Pflugerville, Texas.

Taste of Ethopia is bright and colorful, and the staff is friendly and helpful.

Website: http://tasteofethiopiaaustin.com

Eating out and sticking to my diet is always a challenge. I usually try to find a restaurant that serves salads, but I recently discovered that Panda Express has entrees that are less than 250 calories. That’s great news to me because I absolutely love Chinese food.

The staff at the Panda Express on Parmer Lane was extremely helpful and patient with all my questions about the food. I chose the black pepper chicken with white rice. They were especially nice to give me some broccoli as a side from the broccoli beef entree. Everything tested fresh and cooked just right.

Black Pepper Chicken with broccoli and rice at Panda Express

About Panda Express

http://pandaexpress.com/

After walking around Marble Falls in the 100+ degree Texas heat, the Treehouse Bar & Grill is the perfect place to stop and have a cool refreshing beverage and a relaxing meal. That’s just what I did last week.

With bar stools covered with cowhide and Hawaiian-themed decorations, the Treehouse Bar & Grill is a fun and casual mix of ranch and tropical island.

The Menu

For those watching their calories, the menu has several delicious-sounding salads. I was extremely pleased with my choice of the Treehouse salad—grilled chicken in a fresh salad mix with crisp apples, glazed pecans and bleu cheese crumbles, served with a balsamic vinaigrette and oil dressing.

The menu also features burgers, sandwiches, wraps, nachos, fajitas, steak, chicken and seafood. Save room for dessert—cheesecake drizzled with raspberry and chocolate or skillet apple pie or skillet brownie with cinnamon vanilla ice cream and butter brandy sauce!

Treehouse salad—grilled chicken in a fresh salad mix with crisp apples, glazed pecans and bleu cheese crumbles, served with a balsamic vinaigrette and oil dressing.

About the Tree House Bar & Grill

Website: http://www.thetreehousegrill.com