Most of the time, I eat pretty reasonably. I'll cook myself various roasted or oven-baked things, watch my portions, ensure I've consumed enough fiber, that sort of thing. But when I elect to eat out for something that's tasty and affordable, I go for things I know I'll love. The following are five of my choicest, most reliable local food selections, all of them easily affordable on nearly any budget.
1. Bill Miller's fried chicken (see picture)
Quite simply my favorite thing to get at a fast food-type establishment, period. I crave it to the point where if I don't get it at least once every two weeks, I crack. The combo that I always get is a two-piece, my choice one that consists of one breast and one thigh, capped off with a large glass of that tasty iced tea of theirs (and sometimes a brownie if I'm especially hungry). I am seriously considering getting that for dinner tomorrow, now that my refrigerator has stopped working.
2. Two breakfast tacos from La Cocinita
La Cocinita, a cafeteria-style casual Tex-Mex eatery located in the shadows of the Medical Center (see link for photo), is not an especially "special" type of place to go to. Truth be told, its interior would cause many neophytes to run. But when they serve breakfast (which is only until 10:30 a.m.), it is quite simply the best place to get breakfast tacos outside Loop 410. My favorite selection is one potato & chorizo taco with beans (a special combination my mother started me on) and one picadillo taco. And they both have to be topped with their perfectly spiced green salsa. You can have your Denny's feeding trough of greasy, eggy blandness. I'll choose this instead.
3. The hot & sour soup from Taste Of China
Those who know me well know that Taste Of China is my favorite Chinese restaurant ever. It's a buffet establishment that serves all manner of yummy Chinese goodness. I usually insist on their szechwan chicken, served over rice noodles, szechwan green beans, little bits of fried chicken, a spring roll, and a fried dumpling, but to me the highlight of any visit there is at the beginning, when I serve myself a cup of hot & sour soup. One sip of it quells any nastiness resident inside my stomach and starts my appetite going for some tasty Chinese deliciousness. I could quite happily lunch on the hot & sour soup any day of the week, especially if it's paired with their little fried won ton strips. Some may say it's not "authentic" Chinese food, but it's authentic enough for me.
4. The patty melt, half-order of fries, and half-order of onion rings from Jim's
Any aware Texan knows that Jim's Restaurant, a diner chain, is as ubiquitous as scrub grass and oak trees in the Great State Of. And, like any good diner would, they serve all manner of expected greasy spoon specials. Sometimes I like to stop by just for coffee and a serving of their homemade peach cobbler. Other times I just have to have their patty melt. Served on grilled seeded rye bread along with a pickle and your choice of either a full order of fries, a full order of (the most delicious) onion rings, or a half order of both (my personal favorite), it is something I savor whenever I eat it up. I don't often stop by Jim's -- indeed, I might order this particular delight once every other month -- but when I do and it's not just for dessert, I know already I'm going to order this.
5. The fried chicken salad from Babe's Hamburgers
That's right -- a fried chicken salad. Let me go over the ingredients: lettuce (of course), tomatoes (of course), some bacon crumbles, some cheese, some crumbled hard-boiled egg, and the pièce de résistance, the fried chicken pieces. So obviously this is a healthy salad (like everything else mentioned is "healthy"). It's more than just a salad, it's a meal, and one has to consume it with the honey mustard dressing the restaurant (which does not have a web presence) provides. (I simply do not understand the contingent who eat it with ranch dressing.) One might view it as Cobb salad on steroids, and this is not to be ordered every day if one is to be sensible, but it is so good, and such an affordable thing to be viewed as a special treat.
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