Jeffrey Yarbrough was sitting in Mary’s Cafe in Strawn, a small town just off I-20, when the question came to him. Mangoes had their own holiday. Why didn’t chicken fried steak?
Today is October 26, which makes it Texas Chicken Fried Steak Day. That’s Yarbrough’s doing, and fifteen years after the state made it official, he’s still the one pushing it.
Continue readingFiled under Steven Doyle
Christmas has hundreds of songs. The Fourth of July has a few that can still shake a stadium. Texas Chicken Fried Steak Day, which lands on Monday, October 26 this year, has exactly one, and it came from a Dallas guy who figured the world might get along better over a plate of cream gravy.
The song is “Peace, Love & Chicken Fried Steak,” written by Jimmy Baldwin, a Dallas singer-songwriter who spends his days in advertising and his nights with a guitar. By the blessing of the State of Texas, it is the official song of the official holiday. Not many anthems can show paperwork.
Continue readingFiled under Steven Doyle
Texas Chicken Fried Steak Day lands on a Monday this year, Oct. 26. There are good chicken fries all over Dallas, but if you want to mark the day properly, get on U.S. 377 and drive out to Stephenville. Jake & Dorothy’s Cafe has been frying them there for 78 years.
Jake and Dorothy Roach opened the place on June 12, 1948. They built a one-story masonry building at 406 E. Washington St. and named the café after themselves. It caught on fast, and by 1953 they had already added on to the building three times. The café is still in that same building today, and it has never stopped operating.
Continue readingFiled under Steven Doyle
Texas Chicken Fried Steak Day is Monday, October 26, and if you want to celebrate it properly, consider a road trip to a convenience store in Belton. The woman behind one of the most talked-about chicken fried steaks in Texas has a secret, and it is a good one. She does not eat it.
Ailehs Gaines owns Expo Quik Stop, a family-run gas station and convenience store at 308 W. Loop 121, about two hours south of Dallas on Interstate 35. We told you about its chicken fried steak back in July. Since then the legend has only grown, and in a new profile in NACS Magazine, the convenience store industry’s trade publication, Gaines revealed the twist. She is a vegetarian.
Continue readingFiled under Steven Doyle
Monday, October 26, is Texas Chicken Fried Steak Day, and yes, it is official. In 2011 the Texas House of Representatives passed House Resolution 1419, sponsored by state Rep. Ralph Sheffield of Temple, recognizing the date. The push came from Dallas hospitality veteran Jeffrey Yarbrough and singer Jimmy Baldwin, who figured a state that has a holiday for nearly everything ought to have one for its signature plate. The resolution notes that restaurants were already celebrating the second annual observance that fall, so the tradition actually started in 2010.
Continue readingFiled under Steven Doyle
In a land where cookie-cutter chains and quick-service concepts seem to dominate every corner, Lounge Here rises above the noise with style, soul, and a menu that feels both nostalgic and fresh. Found in a mid-century building at 9028 Garland Road in East Dallas, this locally owned gem is the brainchild of Julie Doyle — known for her work with Tripping Daisy, The Polyphonic Spree, and Good Records — and it carries that same creative energy into every corner. It’s a restaurant that feels curated rather than constructed, with the warmth of a neighborhood hangout and the polish of a retro-cool supper club.
Continue readingFiled under Steven Doyle
Street’s Fine Chicken is a Dallas institution with family roots that run deep in Texas dining history. The Street family name has long been synonymous with comfort food, thanks to Gene Street, the legendary restaurateur behind beloved brands like Black-eyed Pea, Dixie House, and Good Eats. His nephew, Marco Street, and the next generation have carried that torch with Street’s Fine Chicken — a place that feels both nostalgic and fresh, blending family tradition with French-inspired finesse. Every dish tells a story, every plate feels like home, and the vibe is equal parts Southern charm and modern comfort.
Continue readingFiled under Steven Doyle
Texas has its own day to celebrate the almighty chicken fried steak and it is on October 26. The day was created by seventh-generation Texan and local entrepreneur, Jeffrey Yarbrough in 2010. A few years back there was an addition of “Peace, Love, and Chicken Fried Steak” by Jimmy Baldwin as the day’s statewide anthem performed and filmed at Allgood Café . Jimmy will be performing at AllGood Cafe in Deep Ellum Saturday night, October 26th.
Texas Chicken Fried Steak Day came about when Yarbrough realized one of Texas’ beloved food groups was not receiving the recognition it deserved. With the assistance of several other restaurateurs such as State Representative and Las Casas Restaurant (closed) owner Ralph Sheffield, Yarbrough was able to get the resolution signed on May 2, 2010 for Texas Chicken Fried Steak Day. Continue reading
Filed under Crave, Steven Doyle
