Every once in a while, making a U-turn to check out something that catches your eye can lead to a very satisfying lunch, and that, friends is exactly what happened today.
We had some business in Helotes and needed to kill an hour so naturally, the thought of where to eat came to mind. We consulted Garmin and started to head for a restaurant with a name we had never heard of, when it occurred to us that it was taking us to Bobby J's. Not a bad choice at all, but not what we were looking for.
I made a U-Turn with the idea that we would head back toward Leon Valley, and perhaps try the new Babe's that opened just a while back when something on Old Bandera Road caught my wife's eye.
So, I made another U-Turn and off were were to look at the various craft shops and hardware stores along Old Bandera Road. And that was when I remembered John T. Floore Country Store.
Now if you listen to radio in San Antonio, you might hear advertisements for bands playing at Flores Country Store, but in fact, they are saying Floore's. I know, the first time I drove by the place, years ago, I was wondering if the Flores people knew about the Floore's people.
Anyway, John T. Floore is rich in history and tradition - check out the website for all that. What I didn't expect was an excellent lunch to go with the great atmosphere.
We walked in and there were only 15 or 20 people in the entire place, but it seemed dead considering the size. As soon as I looked at the menu and saw Catfish, my choice was done. My wife on the other hand looked over the menu for several minutes trying to decide from the really large selection of choices. The gal at the register suggested the Chicken Fried Chicken and let me tell you, she was right on.
The catfish basket came with a portion of Cole slaw, some burnt hush puppies, a generous serving of fries and a fair portion of catfish. I was not thrilled at the appearance of the breading, but in fairness, it was good. The Cole slaw was served dry (not a bad thing) and had a nice taste to it. I cleaned the cup! The catfish was hot, had a mild taste and the tarter sauce was acceptable. Give it a try if you'd like, but on our next visit, I'll try something else.
The Chicken Fried Chicken was out of this world! My wife cut me off a small portion (way too small) and within a few bites announced that we would not require a Doggie Bag. The plate came with two sides - she took the "tater salad" which was just okay, and the mac & cheese. The M&C was outstanding, and more than made up for the tater salad. The meal also came with one of their home made rolls. Again, nothing but wonderful.
In spite of the less than stellar catfish presentation, John T. Floore gets an unexpected Tasty Treat, and we can't wait to go back and try the BB King Sized Burger, the chicken fried steak, the brisket or pulled pork sandwiches.
If you just want to see some local history, check out the place just for all the good stuff to look at. Indoors, there is a stage and the ceiling is covered with mostly boots and hats along with numerous humorous signs.
I don't know who Frank and Lupe are, but they have a reserved table.
Outside, the real concert action takes place with a larger stage and row upon row of picnic tables. It's pretty clear that these folks like to party.
And if ya gotta pee, they have some auxiliary pissers at the ready.
A recent visitor to the Blog left a comment suggesting that we try The Lords Kitchen over off of I-35, south of Ft Sam Houston. That person didn't leave a name, but to whoever you are, thanks!
This little restaurant has been up for all sorts of local awards for awesome burgers and such. But the thing is, if you don't know where it is, or don't have the use of Garmin, you could simply drive right past it. And that would be a shame because tucked inside this tiny place sitting just feet from the railroad tracks, is a whole lot of yummy goodness.
TLK is small with limited parking, but once you get inside, you'll get the feeling of Little Hips or some other tiny burger joint.
The place is covered with pictures of regulars and there are several display cases of old toys and model cars and such, giving you lots to look at - and I like that in a place.
If you are worried that the name, Lords Kitchen, means you'll be dining in church pews and such, you won't. In fact, the radio played oldies from KONO and aside from the name, there is nothing to make The Lords Kitchen stand out as anything more than just a good place to eat.
And if you like Bobby J's burgers in Helotes, I can tell you you are going to love the freshly made jumbo sized burgers here. TLK hits on all cylinders with awesome onion rings, incredible French fries, and burgers that are made perfectly. I love it when someone is not afraid to put a little mayonnaise on a burger!
Our neighbors Gus and Ruby ordered up the 1/4 pounders and a large portion of onion rings for us to share. If you have any concerns about grease in your diet, don't get the onion rings. But if you love that flavor of a perfectly golden fried onion ring that simply melts in your mouth and explodes with sweet onion goodness, you are welcome to join the rest of us on the un-healthy heart diet. I love onion rings and these are some fine rings. If you go, you must get them.
The 1/4 pound burger is going to be sufficient for your normal dining visit. If you figure in the generous portions of fries or onion rings, you are not going to go hungry, I assure you. These are fresh ingredients and the important thing is, the fresh buns are grilled so when you get your burger, you feel as though it is something from the fifties, before the days of processed, pressed patties and assembly line burgers.
My wife had the lunch special including the 1/4 pound burger with fries. These are the fries where they take the potato and cut it, fry it up and serve them hot and delicious. We all tried them and we all agreed they were outstanding.
I am clearly going to weigh 300 pounds if I don't change my ways. But when I saw the 1 pound Lords Burger, I simply could not resist. I felt better about myself when I saw a guy a few tables away being served the 1 1/2 pound "Get Down" burger.
This thing is nothing short of wonderful. Instead of one huge patty, it is a double meat burger, not overcooked, and served with lettuce, onions, tomato, pickles and the aforementioned mayo with mustard. And in case you are wondering, yes, I ate the whole thing.
A few things you should think about before going. First, the parking is limited (we parked along the street across from the restaurant), and the place is small. I can easily see how you could go there and have to wait for a table. Also, it does take time to make huge burgers, so this isn't fast food. But I don't think we waited any longer than we have at most other good restaurants. 
Bottom line: get ready for an extremely Tasty Treat!
Not long after our visit to Bobby J's over in Helotes, and still sensitive to our split decision, my wife and I opted to try another burger place and see if we could agree on the taste, quality and above all, appearance of the food. We were tempted by a coupon that had been stuck to our refrigerator for at least a week or two, and finally decided to try the Cheesy Jane's over on Bandera at 1604. I should tell you that we ate at and enjoyed the one up by Stone Oak a few years ago, but just never found the need to go again.
For me, the atmosphere of the place is pretty wide open and warehouse like. A series of tables and booths, you have the old diner style grill area in the back and just a few decorations. I think they are going for the Happy Days burger joint without the associated girls on skates and regular appearances by Arthur Fonzarelli.
I confess, I'm more of a Chili's or Clear Springs, and yes, even Bobby J's atmosphere sorta guy simply because I like looking at the things on the walls. Cheesy Jane's does have a train track hanging from the ceiling that goes around in circles with advertisements on it.
But we came in for a burger, not entertainment! The menu does show a Chili Burger, but my wife opted instead to try a regular half-pound burger with cheddar cheese, and all the regular fixin's minus onions. She then added bacon and some guacamole. When our plates arrived, I suddenly had burger-envy.
I opted to try something called the Pecos Burger. It is a half-pound of excellent meat, cheddar cheese, BBQ sauce and covered with something called splinters, which are fried onions and jalapeños. It came with a side of ranch, so I poured that on for good measure!
We both enjoyed the buns (slighty toasted) and the great tastes of the burgers. The little jalapeños on my Pecos Burger were not hot at all, but simply added a different taste, so if you are afraid of hot stuff, worry not. Our server kept my iced tea filled and we especially enjoyed that the manager or head cook or whoever he was, brought the meals out to each diner just to make sure everything was alright. Great service and pretty quick.
Our only disappointment was with the onion rings. We got the regular order (enough for two people, easily), and they were the perfect texture. Not over cooked and not too crisp. I'm an onion ring snob I suppose, and if I recall from our first trip to the Cheesy Jane's in Stone Oak, the onion rings did not have the same unique taste these did. In spite of their good appearance and texture, the breading had some sort of awkward aftertaste to them. At first, I thought it was the taste of a corn tortilla. Surely, that wasn't what they were going for. In the end, we decided they simply need to change the oil. It wasn't enough to ruin our visit, so when you go, feel free to order them and let me know if you get the same corny taste we got.
Apparently, if you order a full one-pound burger and finish it, they take your picture and post it on the wall with your comments on the card. Before leaving, we stood there and read a lot of them - pretty funny stuff. I'm thinking on a day when I'm really hungry, I might just put on the ol' eatin' pants and give the one-pounder a try. 
But even if you aren't all that hungry, Cheesy Jane's has a burger right for you at a fair price, good service and something my wife and I can agree on. It is a Tasty Treat and get's my wife's Eeee-Yum seal of approval.
You know this guy's face from the billboards up and down Bandera Road and you've probably read about his restaurant being a Critic's Choice for years, but for whatever reason, you haven't taken the short drive north of 16o4 on Highway 16 to Bobby J's.
I know, there are any number of valid reasons including the crappy traffic in the Bandera Pointe area, or maybe you think that Bobby J looks as creepy in person as his billboard makes him out to be. Actually, we have been before but hadn't been back for several years. Our reason had nothing to do with the food, but rather the atmosphere. On our one and only visit prior to today, we found the place to be extremely cramped.
As I recall, we had a hard time finding a table in the small cramped dining room, then felt rushed by other people waiting for a place to sit as we finished up.
So a few things you should know: Bobby J does not look creepy in person, in fact, he looks nothing like Captain Kangaroo. More importantly, the place has expanded and even though there was already a brisk business during our visit, we had no problem sitting in the new dining room.
In case you need it, they also have ample outdoor seating, especially nice on a beautiful day like today.
There are loads of Internet reviews of Bobby J's and most all are accurate as far as I'm concerned, calling the burgers excellent, mouth watering, must have and such. We only have one minor dissent, so I have to give you the bad right along with the good.My wife ordered the 1/3 lb Chili Burger. According to the official web page, they say that Bobby makes his chili with his own secret recipe. I told my wife this and she said his only secret is that he takes the labels off the cans of Hormel.
I think she was more put off on the appearance. On our last visit to Red Robin, she had seen some people at the table next to our order a chili burger and it came open-faced with obvious beans and beef, whereas her burger seemed to have more of a chili sauce, not unlike what you might squirt onto a hot dog when you stop into an Exxon for a quick lunch. Okay, so my wife won't race back for the chili burger, but don't let her misfortune stop you from giving it a try.
Instead of ordering fries or rings with our burgers, we got a family order of onion rings and fries together. You need to know two things. The fries were okay, the onion rings were outstanding. And it was a pretty good idea to offer an order of the two together.
My son was with us and he ordered up the 1/3 lb Fiesta Burger which is a regular burger but with refried beans on top of it. He loved it but opined that it would have been really good with a slice of cheddar cheese to top it off. He also wished he had ordered the 1/2 lb.
I have heard several people recommend the Jalapeño Cheddar burger, and I went for the 1/2 pounder. No complaints at all. If you recall the report on our visit to Armadillo's over off of McCullough downtown, I would be willing to bet that the folks there have been to Bobby J's. There is a good similarity to the buns that I like - grilled and smashed. Some people have described Bobby's burgers as greasy in a good way and I have to agree completely.
People, I dig me some vittles and I gotta tell you that I made serious work of that 1/2 pound Jalapeño Cheddar burger. The ingredients are fresh, there is no skimping on the fixin's and we really didn't wait that long for our order. My wife's disappointment with the appearance of her chili notwithstanding, Bobby J's gets the Tasty Treat in my book.
Every once in a while, making a U-turn to check out something that catches your eye can lead to a very satisfying lunch, and that, friends is exactly what happened today.
So, I made another U-Turn and off were were to look at the various craft shops and hardware stores along Old Bandera Road. And that was when I remembered John T. Floore Country Store.
Now if you listen to radio in San Antonio, you might hear advertisements for bands playing at Flores Country Store, but in fact, they are saying Floore's. I know, the first time I drove by the place, years ago, I was wondering if the Flores people knew about the Floore's people.
Anyway, John T. Floore is rich in history and tradition - check out the website for all that. What I didn't expect was an excellent lunch to go with the great atmosphere.
We walked in and there were only 15 or 20 people in the entire place, but it seemed dead considering the size. As soon as I looked at the menu and saw Catfish, my choice was done. My wife on the other hand looked over the menu for several minutes trying to decide from the really large selection of choices. The gal at the register suggested the Chicken Fried Chicken and let me tell you, she was right on.
The catfish basket came with a portion of Cole slaw, some burnt hush puppies, a generous serving of fries and a fair portion of catfish. I was not thrilled at the appearance of the breading, but in fairness, it was good. The Cole slaw was served dry (not a bad thing) and had a nice taste to it. I cleaned the cup! The catfish was hot, had a mild taste and the tarter sauce was acceptable. Give it a try if you'd like, but on our next visit, I'll try something else.
The Chicken Fried Chicken was out of this world! My wife cut me off a small portion (way too small) and within a few bites announced that we would not require a Doggie Bag. The plate came with two sides - she took the "tater salad" which was just okay, and the mac & cheese. The M&C was outstanding, and more than made up for the tater salad. The meal also came with one of their home made rolls. Again, nothing but wonderful.
In spite of the less than stellar catfish presentation, John T. Floore gets an unexpected Tasty Treat, and we can't wait to go back and try the BB King Sized Burger, the chicken fried steak, the brisket or pulled pork sandwiches.
If you just want to see some local history, check out the place just for all the good stuff to look at. Indoors, there is a stage and the ceiling is covered with mostly boots and hats along with numerous humorous signs.
I don't know who Frank and Lupe are, but they have a reserved table.
Outside, the real concert action takes place with a larger stage and row upon row of picnic tables. It's pretty clear that these folks like to party.
And if ya gotta pee, they have some auxiliary pissers at the ready.
