Rick & Carolyn's Burgers and Fries (and homemade steak fingers too) is popular with a lot of folks!

Rick & Carolyn's Burgers and Fries has been in Abilene for a very long time. They once had several locations in town but are now down to only one located on S. Pioneer Dr. between S. 1st and S. 7th streets. They are a real hometown spot with some devoted customers.

Steak finger dinner with onion rings ($2 upcharge)

As the name indicates they have burgers and handcut french fries but the items that most people rave about are the steak fingers.

The parking lot was full at 12:30pm when I arrived. It looked like a lot of "regulars" were enjoying their lunch. Orders are taken at the counter and they will bring out your food when it is ready. Service was extra friendly. Also, even though it was the lunch rush, the food came out fairly quickly. The people working were on the ball. 

My friend and I both ordered the steak fingers dinner which comes with fries. I substituted onion rings for the fries which was a $2 upcharge. They are also made on the premises. The steak fingers are huge! They are not the pre-made frozen ones you get a most fast food places.

The steak finger dinner also comes with Texas toast, white gravy, and a drink. The meal also come with ice cream but I did not have room for it at the end. I paid just over $20 for my lunch but it will easily be two meals for me. The fingers are basically a chicken fried steak cut into thirds.You can also just order a chicken fried steak if you do not want it cut up. I doubt anyone is still hungry if they finish the entire plate. It is a lot of food.

The peppery batter is thick but there was still plenty of meat. The meat was tenderized well but could have used a bit more seasoning. The same batter was used on the onion rings, which did kind of overwhelm the vegetable a bit. The slice of onion could have been a bit thicker to stand up to the batter. All that being said, I was only able to eat one piece of meat and three onion rings before I was completely full.  

By the way, the hamburgers are pretty good as well, so the next time you are in the mood for some old-fashioned homestyle fried food or a burger, give them a shot. 

Rick & Carolyn's Burgers and Fries

302 S. Pioneer Dr.

Abilene, TX 79605

325-793-2706

Hours:

Mon-Sat 11am-8pm

https://www.facebook.com/RickandCarolyns/

Niko's Greek Gyros and Subs--something a little different to enjoy

Niko's Greek Gyros and Subs has been around for quite a while in Abilene. I have eaten there several times. It is located in the shopping center that is on the corner of Ridgemont and Rebecca Ln. 

The place is family-owned so you are eating local when you go there and they deserve our support.

Chicken gyro and fries

I often suggest it to friends who need to avoid gluten because you can get salads, falafels, and fresh hummus there. I am also unaware of any place in town that currenty serves dolmas (stuffed grape leaves). 

Service was friendly and expedient. Order at the counter, and they will bring it out. The place was very clean.

In the past, I have had both the traditional meat combo of lamb and beef and the chicken for a gyro. The chicken is well-seasoned but a bit dry, probably because of the cooking method since it sears the skin on the meat. The lamb/beef is also tasty and is more tender. Either option will give you more than enough for a meal. I usually eat half and have the other half later. 

The tzatziki sauce is house-made with sour cream or very thick yogurt, cucumber, garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice with dill.  I think the herb I was tasting was dill. It is a great compliment to the meat.

Recently, I ordered the special which was a gyro, fries, and a drink for $12.00. I did get an extra side of tzatziki sauce for the fries and an additional drink for my mom but the total was still very reasonable. The vegetables on the sandwich were fresh. I am a very big fan of the seasoned fries and the falafels as well. The only time I have ever been disappoionted there was when my fries did not come out hot once. 

Do not miss the baklava for dessert but there are other options as well, such as cheesecake. 

While we were eating in, I noticed people who had called in an order for pick-up but several others were eating in the restaurant on a Saturday at lunch time. 

I highly recommend you give Niko's a try, especially when you want something a bit different than the usuals in Abilene.  

Hours:

Sun and Monday CLOSED

Tuesday-Saturday 11am-8pm

Check their Facebook page for potential hours changes.

Address:

3354 Rebecca Ln.

Abilene, TX 79606

325-701-9902

Online presence:

https://www.facebook.com/p/Nikos-100051088793547/

Website address listed on FB was a dead-end.

Bill's Burger old fashioned drive-in burger joint that I've been going to since childhood

 Bill's Burger is a long-time Abilene burger spot. They keep things simple--only open for lunch, relatively small menu so that the food is done in a timely manner for folks who only have an hour for lunch, and local owners that treat their customers well...you can tell there are "regulars" that get there fast food fix at Bill's. They are only open for lunch from 10:30am-2:30pm Monday-Friday. They take cash or card.

"Baby" burger

They are located on the corner of S. 11th St. and Oak St. whichi is a couple of blocks to the west of Treadaway Blvd. You order at the window or can call in for a take-out order. The building may not look like much on the outside but they proudly display their "A" rating health inspection which if you follow such things is consistant for them. 

I put in my order and it was ready in less than 10 minutes. Service was efficient and friendly.

The "baby" burger that I ordered was the size of a Whopper Jr. or Whataburger Jr. but with a thicker patty than either of those. There are also regular and large size burger options, and you can get double meat too. I got the combo which included fries (they were using Ore-Ida crinkle cut ones today) and a small soda. It was more than enough to fill me up for $9 plus tax ($9.74 to be exact.) The lettuce and tomato on the burger were fresh, the lettuce had a crunch to it. The bun had been buttered and put on the flat top so it had a nice toast on it which always adds to the taste. There were pickles but I had them leave off the onion. Mustard is my condiment of choice on a burger. The meat was juicy and seasoned but could have used a bit more flavor so I put some black pepper to jazz it up a bit. I also appreciated that the fries were crispy. Sometimes restaurants rush the frying process and the fries come out underdone and wimpy.

There are also hot dogs, corn dogs, steak or chicken fingers, a blt, nachos, tacos, tater tots, onion rings, as well as shakes and malts on the menu. Even a taco salad or tossed salad if you want more greens.

Baby burger combo

All in all Bill's is a great classic drive in burger joint and I am happy they are still in business though I think there is not a "Bill" anymore. If I worked closer to where they are located, I would probably go there too much for my waistline to handle. There are not many places to get a quality lunch for less that $10 nowadays, and I do not mind eating it in my car or sitting in a park enjoying some mild fall weather. 

 Bill's Burger

834 S. 11th St.

Abilene, TX 79602

325-677-8442

Hours:

M-F 10:30am-2:30pm

 

Licks and Links- hot dogs and ice cream that are worth the small effort to find

Licks and Links is a new spot in town that has been getting a lot of positive word of mouth lately.

Bare dog with ground mustard, sauerkraut, relish

They are located off of S. 14th and Danville Dr. in the strip center. The same one that has Tokyo and Little Italy. The business offers escape room games and only just recently added food as an option in addition to the games.

The menu is small. There are several types of gourmet style hot dogs, loaded tater tots, and Frito pie on offer. There are also about 8-9 different flavors of ice cream, sorbet, and gelato, all made in house. 

You can order a "flight" of ice cream if you want to try small portions of more than one flavor. 

My mother and I stopped by for a late lunch on a Saturday. Both of use ordered a bare dog ($4) which you could dress by adding up to three condiments which included the usual options of mustard, ketchup, mayo, cheese, relish and onion. I had stone ground mustard, sauerkraut, and dill relish on my hot dog. My mom got regular mustard, shredded cheese, and sweet relish on her dog.

The bun was fresh and soft but frank was the star of the show. All beef with a nice snap to it and the flavor was quite tasty. It certainly satisfied the craving for a good old fashioned hot dog. The meat is cooked on one of those rolling machines with a little oil which browns the outside nicely. 

The menu includes several special hot dogs with lots of interesting toppings which increases the price up to $8, depending on which one you choose. Currently, you can get a chili dog, a "popper" dog, a Thai dog, a Sonora dog, a Mediterranean dog, a slaw dog, or a Jersey shore dog, in addition to the "bare" dog that we ordered. I bet they will have a rotating selection moving forward. 

The loaded tots sound like a meal in themselves and will be on my list to try next time. There is the option to make you meal a combo and add chips and a canned drink for a reasonable upcharge. Currently, there is not a soda fountain.

Bare dog with mustard, relish, and cheese

There were nine options for ice cream. We were too full to indulge but the orange creamsicle flavor sounded good to me. There was also chocolate, strawberry, pistachio, lemon, coffee, and mango. I think other flavors rotate in as well.

My mom and I had lunch of a hot dog each and bottled waters for under $11 with tax, which is pretty unusual nowadays. Service was friendly and attentive. The owners were on site and willing to answer any questions I had about the food. Everything was very clean.  The restaurant part of the location is not really big, about 10-12 tables. The game area takes up the other half of the location. 

Licks and Links is open for lunch Sundays-Thursdays, 11am until 3pm. Open longer hours, until 7pm on Friday and Saturday. The restaurant is a little bit hidden since you cannot see them from either S. 14th or Danville, but they are will worth the effort to find them

Licks and Links

1401 S. Danville Dr.

Abilene, TX 79605

(325) 627-8467

https://www.facebook.com/p/Licks-Links-61577774292909/

Hours:

Sunday-Thursday

11:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Friday & Saturday

11:00 AM - 7:00 PM

Maria's Mexican Kitchen in Odessa, TX, elevated Mexican food with magnificent mole sauce

Maria's Mexican Kitchen only opened in Odessa this summer but it is already a hit judging by the crown at 1pm on a Saturday afternoon. I traveled with my companion to Odessa just to eat at this restaurant as a birthday treat. 

A 

House-made guacamole

little back story on why I wanted to got to Odessa for lunch...in the past when I would visit San Angelo, Texas, I enjoyed going to a family run Mexican restaurant there called Armenta's. Primarily because they served mole sauce with some of the dishes. The sauce was the matriarch Maria's recipe. It was a rare thing to find mole sauce on the menu of the average Mexican restaurant. The last time I visited, I found out that they no longer serve the sauce as Maria had passed away. When I read that Maria's Kitchen, which is owned by her chef son Felipe Armenta, and was named this one in honor of his mother, I had to eat there and enjoy the delicious mole sauce again. The Odessa location is new and the other location is in Fort Worth. Chef Armenta has several restaurants in Texas. 

Chips and salsa

First off, I recommend making reservations, especially on the weekend. Odessa, much like Abilene, is a town that always wants to try the newest restaurant arrivals to the local scene so that may or may not have contributed to how busy they were on a Saturday at lunchtime. We arrived a little early for our reservation and were seated about 5 minutes after walking in the door. Maria's Kitchen is not an overly expansive restaurant, which is another reason to make reservations. The decor is modern and there are very high ceilings and contemporary style furnishings. The only drawback to the building is that it is quite loud when the tables are all full so keep that in mind if  that is an issue for you when dining. There will eventually be patio seating outside but the summer heat does not make that a pleasant option at the moment.

After we were seated at our table, the server arrived quickly. The service for the entire meal was very attentive and professional. Homemade chips and salsa was placed on the table almost immediately. The flavor of the salsa was very appealing. It had a roasted tomato profile and was served warm. I thought the chips were a bit on the thick side but they certainly did not break when used to scoop up some of the flavorful salsa, which did have a spicy kick to it due to the seeds that were visible. 

Mariposa and Maple Old Fashioned

A minor critique is that the drinks from the bar were a bit slow arriving, I think there was only one bartender working, but that was not a major issue for us and the manager brought our beverages over himself once they were ready. They were perfectly balanced cocktails. 

For an appetizer we ordered the house-made guacamole ($14). It was absolutely fresh tasting and quite delicious. There was a bit of a sweet flavor to it instead of the avocado being overwhelmed with a lemon/lime, onion, or cilantro flavor, as can happen with guacamole at times. It is a guess, but I think it may have had pineapple juice in it. We enjoyed it immensely and it was consumed quickly. 

For my entree, I was torn between getting the chicken in mole sauce or the enchiladas tres colores ($22) which had three different sauces on each enchilada. The enchiladas won because I wanted to try the poblano sauce in addition to the mole sauce. The third enchilada had sour cream sauce on it. For the filling, I got the chicken but picadillo beef was another option. My companion ordered the steak fajitas ($36). 

Tres colores enchiladas

Steak fajitas

My enchiladas came out looking like perfection on a plate. Of course, I had to try the mole one first. It did not disappoint. The sauce is complex and had some heat to it, the bitter chocolate note was there but the underlying flavor was red chili. Sesame seeds were sprinkled on the top. The chicken inside was tasty and tender. It was even better than I remembered it. The poblano sauce was also yummy and almost gave the mole a run for its money. The sour cream sauce was very, very good, no complaints at all. I could not have been happier with my choice. It was well worth the 2.5 hour drive, one way, to Odessa from Abilene.  

My friend's fajitas came out sizzling and the meat was full of flavor and tender. The accompanying flour tortillas were just the right size to make the a "bite-able" fajita taco. They came with the requisite peppers and onions, with a whole grilled jalapeno and grilled pineapple as well,  which as a little surprising but not unwelcome. 

Our dinners came with rice and refried black beans, served family style. Both were non-traditional as the refried beans were made with black beans and the rice used long grain rice, which put a different twist on the staple sides. I am not a huge fan of black beans but the flavor on both was good but to be honest I was too full from the enchiladas to each much of the sides. 

Interior

As you may surmise from the price points that were annotated, Maria's Kitchen is "elevated" Mexican food. The ingredients are high quality, along with the presentation, and the service as you would expect from the prices. The menu is not huge but the choices reflected several seafood options which one would not expect to see in west Texas. My next goal is to try the Fort Worth location which has been in business longer and see if it is just as impressive. 

If you find yourself in the Midland/Odessa area, I recommend you got the Maria's Kitchen for a lovely meal. I know I will again.  

Maria's Mexican Kitchen

7254 TX-191 #200, Odessa, TX 79765

432-282-0240

https://www.mariasmexicankitchen.com/odessa/

Hours

Mon-Thu 11am-1opm

Fri 11am-11pm

Sat 10am-11pm

Sun 10am-9pm

Brunch--Sat & Sun 10am-3pm

Happy hour--Mon-Fri 3pm-6pm

Fuji Hibachi Express on N. 1st is serving up all your hibachi favorites

Chicken teriyaki with veggies and fried rice

On Friday, I decided to have my lunch at the new hibachi place, Fuji Hibachi Express. Not many restaurants open up in the center of town and I like to support them when possible. To my knowledge, they have no connection to the Fuji restaurant that once operated on the southside off of S. 27th.

They are located on N. First and Westwood. For the really long term Abilenians, it was once Duncan Donuts (among many other restaurants over the years), most recently a Mexican food place. 

There are only 6-7 tables inside, so a lot of their business it take-out. I was dining in.

You order at the counter. Service was efficient and friendly. I ordered teriyaki chicken with fried rice and vegetables ($9.99) but there were many other meat options and combinations available, as well as appetizers. My food came out in less than 10 minutes.

The portion sizes were generous. The only criticisms I had was that there was no evidence of any egg in the fried rice and it was a bit bland so I needed to add soy sauce to give it a boost. Also, there was a lot of onion in the vegetable mix. Some people might like that they were a little undercooked for my taste. The chicken and the vegetables had good flavor from teriyaki sauce. I certainly did not leave there hungry. 

All in all, it was worth the money and I will return to try something else on the menu in the future. Hopefully, the will stay in business. Be sure to check the hours as they close in the afternoon and reopen later on Monday-Saturday.

Fuji Hibachi Express

3514 N. 1st St.

Abilene, TX  79603

325-704-2275

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577335577713

Hours: 

Mon-Sat	11:00 AM - 2:30 PM 4:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Sun	12:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Farolito Restaurant has been in business since 1936 in Abilene--they must be doing something right!

Exterior of the building

For a true "hole-in-the-wall" Mexican food experience, you need to go to Farolito Restaurant. It is family-owned, super kitschy (orange booths, sombreros on the wall, reruns of the Price is Right on the television), difficult to find, and generally only open for lunch on weekdays. Check their Facebook to be sure they are open before you venture over since there could be a staff shortage or other issue that keeps them from opening. Farolito's is the oldest restaurant in Abilene, coming up on 90 years old. It recently reopened after having to close for a while as the owner had to recover from a serious traffic accident.  

Chips and salsa

Some things you should know...it is located on a dead end street by a bridge and the parking lot is small. You may need to be creative with your parking if the place is packed. The building is old but personally, I have never had an issue with things not being clean. There may be some dust on the decor but that generally does not bother me as long as it stays on the decor. It is also not wheelchair accessible as you have to go down two steps to get into the dining room. They do offer "take out" service as well as dine in. Remember that it is a "hole-in-the-wall" so adjust expectations accordingly. The place is vintage. 

Enchilada Salad on the lunch special

The current price on the daily specials is $9.50 and that includes the chips and hot sauce. There is a note on the menu that you cannot do substitutions on the lunch specials such as requesting a different sauce.

On to the food. I really enjoy their salsa. It has heat without being overwhelming, and it does not taste like canned tomato sauce. You can tell that is made fresh in-house. The chips are not made there but I am okay with that. They were crispy which is what matters.

There are seven options on the daily special menu but they have a large selection of other items on their regular menu if you want to venture beyond the specials. Today I ordered the #7 which is an enchilada "salad". The salad is two flat beef enchiladas with sauce, lettuce, tomato, and you get your choice of sour cream or guacamole. It is served with rice and beans. 

Interior

An aspect of what I appreciate about Farolito's is that the enchilada sauce tastes homemade. It has a very nice beefy flavor. The rice and beans were also good. The rice was not dry and I would bet they use lard in the refried beans. None of my lunch today would qualify as health food but it certainly filled me up. My only criticism is that the enchiladas did not have a whole lot of meat in them. If you have a larger appetite, you may want to go for a meal on the regular menu.

The servers were friendly and quick. Everyone I saw was enjoying their meal. As they were paying up front, I heard more then one person comment that they were pleased that the restaurant was open again.

If you are lucky you might catch actor Robert Duvall having lunch there if he happens to be in Abilene. No joke. 

Hours:
Monday-Friday 11:00 AM - 1:45 PM

Saturday-Sunday CLOSED

209 Cottonwood St. 

Abilene, TX

325-672-0002

https://www.facebook.com/Farolito.Restaurant1936/