Matt and Rachel's Travel blog: The BIG Texan

The Big Texan, home of the 72 oz steak challenge! Rachel insisted that we divert a bit to hit Amerillo, TX to stop because I asked her to use the Roadside America app and it was worth it but funny enough, neither of us got steak. I was expecting a tourist trap with near microwave quality, I was wrong and a new Big Texan fan, I am big enough to admit it.

As we walked to the complex, we noticed the kitchie charm of a tourist trap blended with an old west musical set. Rachel took a special pic of Lily Hotel which we included below. I am sure this is where Pixar took their inspiration from for Woody. The whole complex both defined and was defined by the era it portrayed.

The atmosphere felt very much like a old western saloon with a time worn decor. We were greeted but a full size stuffed grizzly in the lobby and continued into the restaurant to find, animal heads mounted on the walls, period but electric lighting fixtures, furniture and pictures. It looked like they could push the tables aside and just as easily host a square dance as they could serve you a meal. The wait staff were dressed in cowboy outfits complete with hats and wore badges that all said Fred. We ordered a flight of beer and a couple of waters. I knew that their flight had nine beers in it but I did not anticipate the quantity. They gave us each a 4 oz serving of each beer. In case you are as quick with mental math as I am at the moment, that is 36 oz of beer on a Monday afternoon less the 8 that Rachel drank, yikes. Needless to say, I paced myself and we still took a little longer stop than I expected.

Rachel eventually ordered the chicken fried chicken breast and I ordered the rib/brisket lunch special. Both were surprisingly good. Rachel's was hand breaded and definitely not made ahead and the green beans and mashed potato sides she got were also very good. I got a combo plate of ribs and brisket with cowboy beans (think baked bean but more brown) and a sweat potato. The ribs were very tender and fell off the bone while the brisket was firm enough to stab and dunk in the bbq sauce while being tender enough to fall apart in the mouth. The beans were also very good but I cannot comment on the sweat potato at this point because there was not enough room because of the generous portions they gave us.

Going back to the beer for a moment, I did eventually get to drink almost all of the flight less the really hopey IPA they had that must have been 200 I.B.U.s, (beer joke, the IBU scale only goes up to 100) and was definitely enough to give me the willies. My favs were the the the whiskey barrel stout (big surprise;) and Rattlesnake IPA which was a real surprise because I don't enjoy IPAs. The The funny think on this one was that I felt the tasting profile was inaccurate on this one as I got a caramel flavored coffee flavor with a hint of chocolate. Perhaps I just happened to get an exceptional batch but either way, it was so good that I got a growler of it to bring home for Kim, I just hope it keeps well in out cooler and that he gets the same profile I got and that it does not go flat before I get it home.

The rest of the building was a step up the rediculo-meter from the typical tourist stop (they will pick you up from your campsite or truck stop) and definitely worth the stop in themselves but in combination with the food, it is worth a 2 hour detour. On our way out, Rachel noticed the 72 oz steak meal that they must put on ice everyday on ice and OMG, it looked more like a roast than a steak. It looked good enough but I am not a big enough Texan to handle that.

As I said, it is worth the stop if you are anywhere near Amarillo.