Lonesome Bob’s NYC Guide for Homesick Texans
A whirlwind tour through the Lone Star State without leaving Gotham
Walk down any street and you’re likely to see orange Longhorn t-shirts accessorized with Stetson hats and Tony Lama boots. Texas expats here — including me — have much to be proud of, including a unique culinary culture that features barbecued beef brisket, fajitas, chili con queso, breakfast tacos, and chicken fried steaks, as well as such sweet specialties as sopapillas, pecan pralines, and kolaches. Over the last decade, these distinctive vittles have become fads here.
In alphabetical order, here’s a round-up of 14 establishments that offer us an authentic glimpse of the Lone Star State.
Brooklyn Kolache
The fruit-filled sweet rolls known as kolaches have been a Central Texas thing ever since Czech immigrants settled there. Well, those kolaches have made their way to Bed-Stuy thanks to Austinite Autumn Stanford, who fills the kolaches with fruits like spiced apples and apricots, and savory beef sausage and scrambled eggs. On sunny days the backyard becomes a sort of Texas embassy. 520 DeKalb Avenue, Bed-Stuy
Cowgirl
Since 1989 Cowgirl has been dishing up Frito pie, smoked pork ribs, chicken fried steaks, fried catfish, and a dip of black-eyed peas known as Texas caviar. The restaurant doubles as a Western museum, and it may be the only place in town to see the fabled jackalope. 519 Hudson Street, West Village
Hill Country Market
Its interior plastered with pictures of Lockhart, Texas, Hill Country is almost unfailingly wonderful. Fatty brisket, pork ribs, beef sausages, and the epic beef rib are the things to get. Some of the sides are actually edible, too, and there’s also Blue Bell ice cream. 30 W 26th Street, Flatiron
Hometown Bar-B-Que
Lifelong Brooklynite Billy Durney studied smoking at the knee of Wayne Mueller, pitmaster of Louie Mueller Barbecue in Taylor, Texas, and the result is the city’s best Texas barbecue. The mac and cheese, beef brisket, pastrami, and smoked turkey are not to be missed. 454 Van Brunt St, Red Hook; Brooklyn, (347) 294-4644
Javelina
This pair of bistros mount baby peccaries on the premises and reach for some of the more obscure Tex-Mex dishes, including Bob Armstrong dip, a specialty of Matt’s El Rancho; and puffy tacos, which rarely make it out of San Antonio. 119 E. 18th Street, Union Square; 1395 Second Avenue, Upper East Side
Kellogg’s Diner
This iconic diner became perhaps the best in town when Brownsville native Jackie Carnesi signed on as chef. The menu boasts lots of Tex Mex fare, including wonderful cheese enchiladas in red chili gravy, huevos rancheros, and chili con queso. The chicken fried steak is great, too. 518 Metropolitan Avenue, Williamsburg
King David Tacos
What started out as a breakfast cart in Wall Street has grown to an empire, but the mother ship in Brooklyn, with its sunny side yard, is the best place to go for the nine breakfast taco choices, which come wrapped in foil on flour tortillas, Austin style. My favorite: migas. 611 Bergen Street, Prospect Heights
Kings Kolache
Kings refers to Kings County, though this small, breezy spot teeters on the Ridgewood, Queens border. It offers a beguiling combo of breakfast tacos, kolaches (including one with sausage imported from Elgin), vegetarian chili, espresso beverages, and a Frito pie . 321 Starr Street, Bushwick
Mighty Quinn’s
Pitmaster and Houstonite Hugh Mangum has found a way to clone his Texas barbecues with little diminution in quality, and his brisket remains supremely smoky and fatty at whatever location you get it. Some swear by the quirky sides; any of the sandwiches are spectacular deals. Multiple locations
Morgan’s Brooklyn Barbecue
Prospect Heights is perhaps the last place you’d look to find solid Texas barbecue, but there it is, on bustling Flatbush Avenue, with a corral out front. Enjoy beef sausages, beef brisket, pork ribs, smoked chicken, and the gargantuan pastrami beef rib, a sometime special, in a tip of the hat to its Brooklyn location. The sides are strictly Southern. 267 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn
Three Decker Diner
Like Kellogg’s Diner, this fusty old corner institution has added a Tex Mex section to its menu, slinging hard-shell tacos, huevos rancheros, and some delectable pastrami nachos with black beans, jack cheese, sour cream, and pico. 695 Manhattan Avenue, Greenpoint
Wayne and Sons
This newcomer is basically a postage-stamp-sized beer bar with some laudable tacos, quesadillas, and chip-salsa combos. My favorites are the beef picadillo crunchy tacos, chili fries, and the breakfast tacos, the last served only at Sunday brunch. 221 Second Avenue, East Village
Yellow Rose
The queso is made with Lone Star beer, the barbacoa with beef cheeks, and the flour tortillas fresh daily, at this swinging bar and café that effectively channels the food of San Antonio, with references to Texas rock’n’roll. 102 Third Avenue, East Village
Robert, has Hill Country gone back to flying in sausages from Kreuz Market? their own were a sad substitute but if I knew they'd gone back to the Kreuz ones, I'd head over there ASAP. thanks!!