The Vitals:
the spot: H3 Ranch 105 E. Exchange Ave Fort Worth TX 76164
the eats: Chicken Fried Steak
the bucks: $19.99
the full nelson: affordable steak joint in the heart of the tourist friendly Fort Worth stockyards
Back in March I was invited by my pal Trey Chapman of Trey’s Chowdown to judge a burger competition down in the stockyards of Fort Worth. I was joined by Celebrity Chef John Tesar and Trey at the judges table. It was a day of eating but you know what? A picture is worth a thousand words so . . .
We judged these burgers like true professionals. A first round of judges eliminated 30+ burgers to just three. Then each were quartered up. The shocking truth? I walked out of a burger competition a touch hungry. So yes, after a burger competition I went hunting for Chicken Fried Steak.
You can try out their food at Red Booger Saloon. The menu is the same and if you’re on the Cheap Eats hunt like I was, you will wisely forgo the pricier steaks for the chicken fried steak. Priced at $19.95, the chicken fried steak comes in at half the price and includes sides. Now about that chicken fried steak . . .
I skipped the fries and made it more of a meal with H3 Ranch’s beans and corn on the cob. I liked the contrast of these sides vs grabbing a fistful of fries. Now a fact about chicken fried steak: great texture comes from a freshly pounded steak. The Country gravy wasn’t half bad either. Mostly I loved that this meal fit the surroundings of the Fort Worth Stockyards and didn’t break the bank. And it paired well with a bottle of cheap domestic beer; a whole other category of dining if you ask me.
Have you ever had a game changing chicken fried steak? A version that makes you think twice about getting a proper steak, regardless of cost? Can’t say that I have and yet I believe it’s out there. Until I find that, a $20 version of H3 Ranch’s Chicken Fried Steak and a couple longnecks of American Domestic will just have to do.
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