Pioneer Cafe

When I visit a small town like Sulphur Springs, I am very happy when I find a place like the Pioneer Cafe. On a recent trip to Texas, it became my home away from home for breakfast and lunch every day. It took just one meal for the staff to know me, and by the second time I came to eat, the waitress remembered that I liked sweet tea and brought it without me having to ask.

One of the great things about Pioneer Café is that it serves a genuine “bowl of red.” For you Yankees that means Texas chili con carne with no beans at all. A slice of onion and cornbread muffins are all you need. Another winner is Hopkins County Chicken Stew: an old fashioned dish of the kind you do not see very often. Mildly spiced, thick and reassuring, it is perfect comfort food.

The breakfast chicken fried steak is served with hash brown potatoes and under a sea of peppery white country gravy. Sweet tea comes in tumblers about the size of the orange plastic pails they sell at Home Depot. The luxury of more tea then you can ever drink is a pleasure I relish.