By Dana Stubbs – Special to the Navarro County Gazette
My husband Norman and I love to get out to drive and eat, shop and eat, take scenic pictures and eat, and enjoy Texas and eat.
On those days when we have worked hard and just need an outing, we like to drive to eat at Lone Star Tavern and Steakhouse, Waco’s oldest steakhouse since 1962. It’s just an hour west over Highway 31 from Corsicana. We have been going there for years.
Norman always says if a restaurant has a good steak, it doesn’t matter how bad the restrooms are. He always gets the rib eye but he changes his veggie choices. We were there the other day and he kept saying his steak was the best steak he’s ever eaten there. That’s saying a lot.
He started going there in the late 1960s. When we met in the late 1970s, he took me there for my first time. I will admit we took a long hiatus from visiting the restaurant during the 1990s, but we started back a few years ago.
Since our return, it was like stepping back in time. The 1970s-era building has not changed much. The building they built when they opened in 1962 burned, but they rebuilt after the fire.
The food is good. I love the grilled chicken, and I get two veggies because I love the fried okra but I can’t skip their grilled green beans. They are wonderful. I always bring a box home with me and have the leftovers for lunch.
Brenda, Brooke, and the rest of the Lone Star staff are so nice and helpful. They never get the order wrong because the patron fills out the menu. But if you are not satisfied with what to order, they are there to help. Brenda is planning to retire at the end of this year. She has been there for 29 years. We are going to miss her!
It depends on the hour as to how we come home. If it is still light out, we sometimes take in the scenery of the pastureland on FM 308 to FM 744 at Malone into Corsicana. Sometimes we take the “Y” fork at Highway 84 and go toward Coolidge for our drive home. We are always satisfied!
Lone Star Tavern and Steakhouse & Catering
4713 Bellmead Drive, Waco, TX 76705 (right off Highway 31)
Wednesday through Saturday – 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
254-799-0027