Posted: Aug 28, 08 5:44pm
Howdy,
Have any of ya'll ever heard of the term "East Texas Plate Lunch?" When I was growing up in Sour Lake, TX, an East Texas plate lunch was a euphemism for a pound of bologna and a loaf of bread.
This got me thinking...there used to be lots of cafes throughout Texas that would serve great plate lunches, what I'd call "meat and three" joints. (Modest entree and three sides)
My favorite meat and three was chicken fried steak, smothered in cream gravy, with mashed potatoes, more cream gravy, green beans that had been cooked in bacon grease, and either blackeyed peas or fresh corn. Or turnip greens. Add a piece of cornbread and some sweet tea and...sigh...heaven.
Two favorite "meat and three" places growing up, neither of which exist today, were the Rebel Inn in Sour Lake, and "Mom's," which was a couple of sisters who ran a boarding house in Bryan and fed all the Aggies that would come for dinner each night. No sign at Mom's--you just had to know where it was. One of the ladies would sit in the living room and you would drop your money in a basket going in.
What are your favorite "meat and three combos?" Places you got 'em?
