Johnson City, in the heart of Texas Hill Country, has less than 2000 citizens, but it has two favorite Roadfood destination restaurants. A sign above the door of the Hill Country Cupboard boasts “Home of The World’s Best Chicken Fried Steak … nearly 3 dozen sold.” Humor aside, Texas Hill Country is where some of the best chicken-fried steaks are made and served (and possibly the place where the chicken-fried steak first took shape decades ago when European immigrants used American beef to make a cutlet similar to wiener schnitzel). In this restaurant, you don’t need a knife. Pressure with a fork will crack through the golden crust of the wide, butter-tender breaded steak. Of course, there is thick white gravy to blanket the whole shebang. Johnson City also is home of Ronnie’s Ice House Barbeque, a former convenience store whose fans like the smoky turkey almost as much as the brisket and sausage.
It seems logical that the Lone Star State's favorite comfort food, chicken-fried steak, traces its heritage back to central European immigrant cooks who found themselves in Texas but without...
