Steak N Shake -

Steak 'n Shake



Steak N Shake is a new chain burger joint just south of the UT Tyler campus off of University.  They are well known in north country (I have been a number of times up in Yankee land) and opened up not too long ago here in Tyler.  The outside looks like a updated burger joint chain.  They have been outrageously busy a number of times when I wanted to try them out, but I finally tried them out a few weeks ago in the drive through.

The spread:  It has been a while since I tried out Steak 'n Shake and the first thing that struck me is that many of their combo meals are fairly cheap.  They get you because most of the combo meals don't include a drink. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.  I've never been for breakfast.  They offer "steak" burgers of varying size and cost, chili (with spaghetti), sandwiches (grilled chicken, fried chicken, turkey club, etc), salads, fries, and of course shakes.

The verdict:  I am to say I wasn't excited to try Steak 'n Shake, but my wife really wanted to give it a try, so we stopped by one day on our way out of town.  The service was friendly and they lived up to "fast" food.  We got our order and hit the road.  The burgers were surprisingly good for the money.  Very good bun, fresh veggies and tasty burger patty (although pretty flat and definitely well done).  They also had the option to add a 'flavor' to your fries and I very much enjoyed the Parmesan cheese addition.  We didn't try the shakes that day, but they do their shakes right.  They use real ice cream, milk and they are good.

Edible Tyler Roses:  3.5 out of 5, solid fast food.

Mama's Cafe - Mama I'm coming home!

Mama's Restaurant

Mama's cafe is a place off of 5th street near the loop in a little strip center.  It isn't much to look at from the outside, with somewhat limited parking out front.  I love the entrance, it has a unique feel to it, an elevated dining area and bar to the right and more elevated eating space to the left.  They have a beautiful mural in the bar area.

The spread:  You can check out their menu on their facebook page. Their menu is dichotomous with typical Southern diner fare (T-bone, chicken fried steak, pork chops, pot roast, etc) and typical Tex-mex selections (enchiladas, tacos, burritos, tamales, nachos, fajitas, etc.), and they have a breakfast menu and a dinner/lunch menu.  I stopped in for breakfast and tried a couple of tacos and the huevos rancheros.

The verdict:  I really like this place.  The service was friendly, there was an older group reminiscing about the good old days at the table next to me.  The mural was a nice touch.  The food did take a little longer than I would have anticipated, but when it arrived, it was hot, fresh and generous.  The eggs were cooked perfectly in the huevos rancheros and the beans were nice and creamy.  The chorizo and egg breakfast taco was a meal unto itself with a nice spicy chorizo and plenty of egg crammed into a flour tortilla.  My only criticisms were that the tortillas were not made fresh and the salsa was also not a fresh salsa (very ketchupy). 

Edible Tyler Roses:  4 out of 5; very good breakfast, worth a try for lunch/dinner.

La Michoacana - Cana get a pig toe? Yes you cana.

La Michoacana



La Michoacana is a Mexican supermarket just off of North Beckham and Line.  It is right in the middle of what I consider the "hispanic" part of Tyler.  There are always day laborers looking for work in the parking lots of various adjacent businesses.  La Michoacana is a chain that specializes in serving the hispanic community.

The spread:  In addition to a very good meat market, good prices on fresh veggies and plenty of Mexican/Latin American specific cooking ingredients, there is a little taqueria inside the place.  You have to order at the cash register, then bring your receipt over to the taqueria where they make your order.  BE PREPARED, you will most likely have to speak a little Spanish and have a working understanding of the menu to get what you want.  They offer a tacos with varying kinds of fillings, pozole (pork and hominy soup), Menudo (on weekends), tortas, pupusas, etc.

The verdict:  Well I ordered some pozole and a couple of tacos - one with barbacoa and one with cicharones.  The barbacoa was tender, juicy and great.  The cicharones consistent of cooked down fried pig skin and some sort of WICKED HOT sauce/gravy.  I took one bite and then just about cried for five minutes.  If you like pain, give it a try.  The pozole was the star of the show with tender chunks of pork and hominy floating in a rich spicy tomato based broth.  The only odd thing is that occasionally I would pull out a little piece of pig hoof/toe, which disturbed my gringo sensibilities.  Overall, it is worth grabbing a bite to eat when you are shopping for the special Latin American ingredients.

Edible Tyler Roses: 4 out of 5, don't be afraid, Hable some espanol and get some good food.

Bistrolls Contemporary Fusion - Coffee shop + sushi bar = huh?

Bistrolls Contemporary Fusion



Bistrolls is a relatively new place that opened up in the downtown square area. It is just west of Jake's at the corner of the square.  The place looks contemporary and hip from the outside and has a nice local vibe with really just a few tables.  The sushi bar is located right in front with a small kitchen in the back.  I think they also have a decent area to sit relax and have a cup of coffee in the back.  They got a mention in "Texas Monthly" for the Tyler/Longview area, so I thought I would give them a try.

The spread:  Well, I couldn't get a handle on exactly what this place was trying to be.  They are making a concerted effort to be a hip coffee shop with a nice breakfast menu and the coffee offering you would expect.  I think this is a local place, but the menu has more of a corporate feel.  For breakfast you can make a sandwich from a variety of different ingredients (for a price each).  For lunch you can order a sushi roll to your own specifications (again each thing you add is more $$).  They also offer a variety of "fusion" dishes ranging from lamb kebabs, dumplings, wraps, to tempura, etc.

The verdict:  I was greeted warmly and promptly.  I ordered a Korean BBQ baguette with grilled pork and it came with a side of carrot tempura.  The baguette was pretty good, the pork well seasoned and flavorful, however, the bread wasn't a baguette.  It was more of a ciabatta.  I was just expecting more of a banh mi (Vietnamese style) sandwich.  The star of the day was actually the tempura prepared carrots.  They were light, crispy and delicious.  I also had a sushi roll, and I had them prepare me whatever they wanted because I don't have an extensive knowledge of sushi.  I think I got a deep sea diver/scuba diver roll?  I'm not sure.  It was spicy, tasty and a good size for the price ($12 bucks), but I wasn't blow away with the flavor profile or with the quality of the fish.  The serving dishes were also all styrofoam, which seemed a little lazy to me.  Maybe they are a primarily take out place, but I like to eat on real plates when I sit down somewhere.  Another criticism is that I don't like places that have "build your own burrito/sushi roll/dish/etc", that is just a personal preference, I don't want to make a ton of dishes and experiment in a restaurant - I can do that at home.  I trust a chef's recommendation over my own.

Edible Tyler Roses: 3 out of 5; Worth a try, but not spectacular.  I'm not sure how they scored a spot in Texas Monthly.

Star Donuts - Are all donut places the same? I donut think so.

Star Donuts



Star donuts is located just south of Bergfield park off of Broadway.  I can't imagine that the building was originally designed to be a donut place, but it works nonetheless.  You can drive through or go inside and check out the wares.

The spread:  Well they serve donuts as you can imagine such as glazed, sprinkles, chocolate, cinammon twists, apple fritters.  They also have kolaches, several styles of breakfast sandwiches and breakfast tacos.  We usually grab a variety of donuts and kolaches in the morning when we have guests staying overnight.

The verdict:  I haven't tried all the donut places in Tyler, although I have tried several.  Coming from Houston, I was a little bummed to have to miss out on Shipley's and had resigned myself to eat mediocre donuts and kolaches.  I'm not sure what the guys at Star Donuts do, but they serve the best donuts and kolaches in Tyler, hands down.  The donuts are melt in your mouth soft and delicious.  The kolaches have soft, yet chewy breading.  They are dangerously good.

Edible Tyler Roses:  5 out of 5, outstanding donuts and kolaches.

La Plazita - had a taste, can't wait to go back for more

La Plazita



La Plazita is just outside of town off of 64 heading towards Canton.  You can easily pass it up as there is a lot of foliage surrounding the place and you don't notice it until you are right up on it.  It looks inviting from the outside with vibrant colors and decorations.  There is a small parking lot out front and a larger one in the rear.

The spread:  Well I stopped by on our way out to Yesterland Farms (which is a lot of fun, but expensive) because I was craving a good breakfast taco and figured I would give it a shot.  The have a fairly large breakfast menu to include several different kinds of breakfast tacos as well as the more traditional Tex-mex fair (huevos rancheros, etc.).  I also peaked at their lunch/dinner menu and was surprised to see not only standard Tex-mex, but a few uncommon dishes on their menu that I would love to try (empanadas, mole enchiladas, and others).

The verdict:  Wow was I glad we stopped.  I got a bean, egg and cheese taco and an chorizo, egg and cheese taco.  The tortillas weren't made to order, but they were cooked well and very good.  They were also generous with the filling with a lot of eggs, cheese, chorizo and beans.  One would have been enough for a solid breakfast.  The chorizo taco was great, with a nice spicy variety that didn't overpower the whole taco.  The bean, egg and cheese also hit the spot.  If they hand made their tortillas to order, this would be heavenly, instead, they are just the best breakfast tacos I have had in Tyler.

Edible Tyler Roses: 4 out of 5; I'll reassess when I revisit the lunch/dinner menu - and I am looking forward to it.