Mac & Ernie's - Five-Star Eatery - One-Star Prices

Mac & Ernie's Roadside Eatery
I'm a big fan of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives on the Food Channel. My wife and I have visited one of the San Antonio restaurants to which host Guy Fieri had given rave reviews and found it to be a good, but not great place to eat. When I saw the segment on Mac & Ernie's Roadside Eatery that took cash only, no credit cards or checks, I was a bit suspicious, but after watching the entire show, I knew that I had to find out more about this out-of-the-way diner.
What I learned from the TV segment was that Mac & Ernie's Roadside Eatery was a tiny shack in Tarpley, TX., (population 56) that looked about the size of a large backyard storage shed. If we wanted a drink to go with our meal, we would have to go next door to a neighboring country store to make our purchase. I also noted that the dinnerware was paper plates and plastic utensils, and we would more than likely be sitting at an outdoor picnic table with strangers who might be from anywhere in the northern hemisphere.
So why would anyone bother visiting this quirky restaurant? I was still a little leery about the whole setup, so before my wife and I took off on our journey to Tarpley, Tx, I checked on some recent reviews of the restaurant.
"The lamb chops--they're so good they'll make you want to cry!" was the first review I read. Another visitor commented about the restaurant, "You would never expect (gourmet items) like Chili Honey-basted Quail, Yellow Fin Tuna with Wasabi Mascarpone Sauce, or Pork Tenderloins with a Vietnamese dipping sauce." Additional favorable reviews from the Fort Worth Star Telegram, and Southern Living Magazine convinced me that this very unusual restaurant was worth the drive to Tarpley, TX. I also learned from a review in the San Antonio Express-News that the owner/chef, Naylene Dillingham-Stolzer cooked only what she liked to eat, and that although she had no formal culinary training, she had previous cooking experience at two prominent local restaurants, The Alsatian Inn in Castroville, and Grey Moss Inn in Helotes, TX. When I learned that Texs Monthly had recognized Mac & Ernie's as one of the best places to eat in the Hill Country, I knew it was time to fill up the gas tank and hit the road!
Google maps let me know that it was a fifty mile drive from my home in San Antonio, TX. Doing further research I learned that the drive was along some very picturesque country roads, not far from Lost Maples Natural area, one of the Hill Country's most picturesque tourist attractions.
The hours of operation were: lunch on Wednesday from 11 AM - 2 PM, and on Friday's and Saturday's from 11 AM - 4 PM, with a limited menu of Hamburgers, Cheeseburgers, Catfish Basket, Sausage Wraps, French Fries and Cabrito (goat meat) Burgers, which I've been told was the signature menu item Mac & Ernie's opened in 1999, and has been featured on another Food Network Show, Bizarre Foods, hosted by Andrew Zimmerman. In the evenings they're open on Friday & Saturday only from 5 PM - 9 PM. A recent sample menu, which changes weekly offered the following entries:
Salmon with Mustard Caper Butter, Lamb Chops with Cucumber Yogurt, Pork Rib Chop with Serrano Cream, Ancho Chile Honey-basted Quail, Fried Catfish, Fried Shrimp, Combination Fried Shrimp/Catfish, 12 oz. Ribeye Steak. If you wanted more, you could add six shrimp or a quail to any order.
I'd been forewarned that there might be in excess of 100 customers on any given Friday or Saturday evening, so my wife and I left home early, arriving thirty minutes before the 5 PM opening. Owner/chef Naylene took our order when we arrived, but politely informed us she wouldn't start cooking until 5 PM.
I ordered the ribeye steak. I wanted to compare Naylene'e preparation of a menu item I'd been served often in high-class restaurants. My wife had the combination catfish/shrimp.
While we waited for our meal to be served, others arrived. Five or six biker couples, an RV, and a few others who appeared to be local residents parked their vehicles wherever they choose, and placed their orders from the chalkboard menu in front of the restaurant shack. So far it was exactly as advertised on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. As our meal was being served, we were joined by a couple from Tennessee, who had driven over 100 miles out of their way to eat at Mac & Ernies' Roadside Eatery.
The final verdict; it's a surreal experience. Imagine a 3/4 inch (or thicker?) juicy, ribeye steak, cooked to perfection, with baked potato and salad, all served on paper plates with plastic utensils, being classified as a gourmet meal! But the dinnerware notwithstanding, I can honestly say my ribeye steak was the tastiest, juiciest, best cooked steak I'd ever been served in a restaurant. It was a $60 plus meal (varies upward according to how heavy the silverware is in whichever fancy restaurant you visit) for less than $20! My wife was equally pleased with her catfish/shrimp combo plate.
We've been back to Mac & Ernie's four times since our initial visit, taking guests with us on three occasions to show off this hidden treasure we'd found in the Texas Hill Country. And we'll be back again, but at a different location.
When I pulled up their website prior to writing this review, I was shaken by a notice that the restaurant had temporarily closed. But it was only because they had found a better location, less than 1/2 mile from the current site, and they would re-open in Marchl 2010.
In a way, I was a bit disappointed. Gone would be the uniqueness of their original location, which I have to believe had a lot to do with their success. But, I'm sure the menu will remain as inviting as it has always been, and sometime in early April, we'll be back at Mac & Ernie's Roadside Eatery. And as always, we'll arrive early.
For a full review of Mac & Ernie's Roadside Eatery, visit: www.MacandErnies.com
You can read additional posts about San Antonio, TX by Ed Barrett at: www.EdBarrettHomefinder.com