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Showing posts with label amarillo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label amarillo. Show all posts

April 20, 2015

Best Steakhouse in Texas

UPDATED: Link at bottom of post.



I've been to the #1 steakhouse but I wouldn't say it's the best. It's an experience and a unique place, but best?


If you don't want to view the entire video, the winner was The Big Texan in Amarillo. The last time I was there, I took my British friend elle when she was here for one of her visits. We had the multi-meat appetizer and I talked her into trying the "calf fries" (which were about the worst I'd ever had, much worse than the ones I've eaten right off a branding iron stove w/ no salt except for what dripped off me on that long ago hot Texas afternoon) but she wouldn't touch the rattlesnake, which was pretty good.

I took an ex-g/f and her kiddos there once after an evening at Wonderland Amusement Park.  My g/f's little girl was happy with her burger; her mother and I had chicken fried steaks which were good, but not the best I'd ever had. (the best one of those I ever had was at a crossroads cafe near Balko, Oklahoma.)  Her 16 yr. old son sulked the entire time we were there because I wouldn't let him have a try at eating the 72 oz. steak. (he was already angry because we left the park after "only" four hours)  I was doubtful that he'd eat it, but I knew he wouldn't even touch the other things you have to eat, such as the baked potato, the shrimp cocktail and especially not the salad that has to be consumed along with the meat and bread in under an hour.   It certainly wasn't worth risking having to pay $72 if he DIDN'T finish it all in time.

(Her daughter was a sweet little girl, born on Feb. 29th, a Leap Year baby.  She made me regret not having a little girl of my own.  The boy, OTOH, made me glad I didn't have kids, at least having one like him. If he'd been MY child, I'd have sold him to the gypsies for less than $72.)

They have one of the steaks on ice in a display case as you enter and trust me, that's a huge chunk of meat.  Just the weight - 4.5 lbs. - doesn't put the massive size of it in perspective.   If you go to The Big Texan website, you can view a list of those who have successfully completed the challenge; I didn't see the information on the site (I'm sure it's there somewhere) but I once read a 70-ish grandmother scarfed one down and there has been at least one person who ate two!  The site also has webcams that show a real-time view of anyone taking the challenge.

(EDIT to add:  I found the Free 72 oz. Steak Facts page:  the grandmother was 69, the youngest to eat it all was an 11 yr. old boy, and the fastest time by a human was 8 minutes and 52 seconds. I say "human", because a 500-lb Bengal tiger consumed the meat in less than 90 seconds.  They didn't try to make him eat the potato or salad.)

4.5 lbs. of steak.  I haven't had four and a half pounds of steak total in four and a half years!


UPDATE:

Eating champ Molly Schuyler devours 3 72-ounce steaks

September 21, 2009

Pit Stop in Amarillo

The space shuttle Discovery, piggyback atop a specially modified 747, makes a stop in Amarillo to refuel the plane carrying it.



Video at Amarillo.com

Some great photos at Panhandle Skies.

June 13, 2009

ToTG News is Old News

Welcome to the new news. (in the right-hand column)

I've decided to change the news feed from KFDA, the Amarillo CBS affiliate, to KVII, the Amarillo ABC affiliate.

The reason? CBS is the home of David Letterman, the gap-toothed, bitter old grouch who has a late night show on that network. Letterman recently had a Top Ten list lambasting Sarah Palin, the Alaskan governor and recent VP candidate. (article) Jokes at Palin are all fair game, even if he did say she looked like a slutty airline stewardess (you should see HIS wife; unattractive would be kind), but he also made the "joke" that Palin's daughter was knocked up by A-Rod during the seventh inning stretch when Palin and her daughter recently attended a Yankees game.

Now, I'm sure he meant Bristol, the oldest/18 yr. old daughter who had a child out of wedlock (and Dave had a child out of wedlock, too), but the problem was it was Palin's younger daughter Willow who attended the game with her mom.

Willow is 14.

The "joke" wouldn't have been funny even if Bristol had been the one attending the game, and although Letterman issued an obviously insincere apology, the damage has been done.

I quit watching Letterman years and years ago; I used to be a huge fan, getting up earlier than I usually would before my evening tour shift on the rig to watch his morning comedy show and after he moved to nights, hurrying home to watch. Shortly after he switched networks from NBC to ABC, I changed shifts and rarely got to see his show, then managed to catch a few back during the start of this decade and found him to have turned hateful and mean and into a left-wing tool.

What's astounding are the posts I've seen defending Letterman. I'd like to know if jokes about Obama's daughters getting raped would be all right?

Of course they wouldn't.

I've seen thousands of cases of hypocrisy from the right-wing, especially from the "Religious Right" but the MSM never, ever points out the many instances of that same sort of hypocrisy from the left. How can they defend the indefensible? Don Imus was forced to resign because of his remarks; I think CBS should do the same and cancel Letterman. Imus' remarks were bigoted, but Letterman was joking about rape. Which one is worse?

If you have a single functioning brain cell, you'll know which one.

Sure, my action won't affect the network one iota, nor will there be a molecule's worth of difference to the local station, but it's a stand on principle.

I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I recognize a real bastard when I see one.

October 30, 2008

The Addams Family Theme



Addams Family on Wiki

Carolyn Jones, who played Mortitica, was born in Amarillo.

August 8, 2008

Beatle on the Road

PhotobucketPaul McCartney on Route 66

Sir Paul and new girlfriend stop in Amarillo on his Route 66 tour.

Glad he found someone to cook him a vegetarian meal here in Beef Country.

I'm not so sure Ru Paul would've gone as relatively unnoticed.

I like McCartney, and loved the Beatles' music, but....

I'd rather have met Ron Paul, though.

November 12, 2007

Cheeseburger Challenge

From My High Plains:

AMARILLO -- The German film crew for the show "Galileo" found themselves in Arnold Burgers today asking "where's the beef?" They ordered the #241 which is the 24" cheeseburger. After eating a small portion of the burger, it proved too big for the hungry host who couldn't finish it all. Even though they handed out leftovers, the crew said it was worth the trip to see this Panhandle pattie.



I've been to Arnolds a few times while I was going to TSTI in Amarillo. The first time I went, I was warned to get the "Junior Cheeseburger", so for once in my life I took some advice and was glad I did because I couldn't finish it and the heaping mound of fries that came with the burger.

The 24" burger is often served to parties and is probably enough for 6-8 people. They turn the beef patty with a spatula that looks like it's been made from a large snow shovel.

Makes me hungry just thinking about it.