Texas Tavern: It Is What It Is ... Still

The reason most of us eat at the Texas Tavern in downtown Roanoke, I hypothesize, is that it is a landmark, an icon, a legend. Some of us--like me for example--continue to try to find what we remember from 40 years ago. And we simply can't. The food has changed, our tastes have changed, standards have changed.

On my way home from the St. Paddy's Day parade around lunchtime today, I fought the temptation to load up on TT specialties and lost. Here is my plate of a hotdog, chili (spelled "chile" on the menu) and a cheesy western. None of it tasted as I remember. The chile was thick and grainy, the cheesy western had the egg and hamburger cooked separately instead of as one unit, and the hotdog was mashed almost into an unrecognizable state (which, frankly, is not unusual in my experience).

Still, except for the chile, it was tasty, left a heavy aftertaste and will ultimately give me a bathroom experience of sorts. It's still the TT and it is still what it is.