The Good, The Bad, and then there's Texas.

Pat Green has a song called Texas on My Mind. Well Texas has been on the mind of most Hog fans all summer. 

Texas. Just the mention of the word makes most Razorback fans who are 40 plus years old blood boil. Heck. Let’s be honest just seeing burnt orange does the same thing. That color is not allowed to be used in my kids drawings. Just kidding…kinda. 

My real first introduction to Texas was December 6, 1969. The "Big Shoot Out" in Fayetteville. #1 Horns vs. #2 Hogs. Richard Nixon flew in for in for the game on a helicopter. Mom and Dad went and said it was cold and sleeting. Mom was 6 months pregnant with me and said I kicked her when Texas scored to win 15-14 after Hogs had a 14-0 lead. She and Dad knew that was where my obsession with the Hogs truly began. :)

My first introduction to Texas after I was born was October 17, 1981 when #1 Texas came into Fayetteville. They had just blasted Oklahoma 34-14 the week before in Dallas in the Red River shootout. They came to the hill riding high and a 6 point favorite. 

The Hogs were coming off a loss to TCU and Lou Holtz was not excited about going back home to play Texas. I’ll never forget the quote he had in the Arkansas Democrat. 

“Coming home to play Texas is like coming home to your wife with lipstick on your collar,” Holtz was quoted as saying. “Sometimes, you might be better off not coming home.”

My memory of this game was being at Lowe’s in Pine Bluff picking up some things with my dad. I remember the store being a buzz about how the Hogs had jumped out to a lead quick after Texas fumbled the first snap of the game and Billy Ray Smith recovered. The Hogs scored quick and often. I remember listening to it on the radio as dad and I drove home and could not get home quick enough to watch. The turnovers just kept coming from the Longhorns and the Hogs scoring never stopped as they rolled to a 42-11 legendary victory over the Horns. And the field goal posts and party went to Dickson.

My first in-person introduction to second ranked Texas was October 15, 1983 at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. This was Holtz’s last season as the Head Hog.  I remember our tickets were in the southeast corner corner of the stadium. We were right next to the Texas band. I was 13 and remember how annoying their band was as they talked trash across the chain link fence between us and them. It was the first time I remember having a hate towards another team. After hearing the “Texas Fight” all day, after they rolled us 31-3 ,there is no doubt this is the game where my passion to hate the Horns began. 

October 17, 1987 at War Memorial.  The one that hurt the most. Arkansas came in 4-1 and ranked #15. Texas unranked, 2-3, and not very good. We had seats on the 25 yard line on the east side. Hogs were up 14-10 with 1:48 to go. Texas had 56 yards to go for the win. I remember Steve Atwater put a Steve Atwater hit on a Texas receiver early in the drive and the ball came loose. Four Hogs jumped for it and a Longhorn. All the Hogs were pointing we had the ball and the center for Texas came out with it. Somehow he was down field to get in the scrum. Texas used their last timeout in the middle of the drive and I’ll never forget this with :4 left and the clock stopped on a incompletion Coach Hatfield called a timeout. It gave the Texas time to draw up a play instead of hurrying against the play clock. They used Eric Metcalf as a decoy and Texas QB Brett Stafford found Tony Jones over the middle between Atwater and two other Hogs as he threaded a needle for a 16-14 win. In :4 seconds the ear splitting deafening crowd went to stunned silence.  I’ll never forget standing there in shock with the other fans and then walking out in dead silence with my dad and neighbor. Hatfield opened his coach’s show the next day with scripture. “Jesus wept.”

October 21, 1989  in Fayetteville. It was homecoming on the hill my sophomore year. I had a date with a Razorback soccer player for the game. Don’t remember her name or anything else just the game. Hogs came into the game ranked #7 and undefeated. We led 14-13 and then the Horns scored 11 straight to go up 24-14. We scored on a Barry Foster run to make it 24-20 in the third quarter and that’s how it ended. I think my biggest memory from that week was we went down to Little Rock the next week and beat Houston in one of the best games and shootouts I’ve ever seen in person 45-39. Game was not on tv because the Andre Ware led Cougars were on probation. One of the loudest atmospheres in WMS history.

October 19, 1991 - WMS

The game was dubbed the last shootout with the Hogs leaving the SWC for the SEC the following year. The Jack Crowe led Hogs were not very good but the crowd was. I was sitting in the north end zone. Gardnere was the QB for the Horns and had #10 on just like Stafford did in 1987 for Texas. But there would be no magic this time as the Hogs held on 4th and 10 from the 50 with :30 left for a 14-13 win.

Quick recaps of later years in games I attended:

January 1, 2000 - Cotton Bowl - Dallas

Insane alumni party at the Adams Mark the night before with my brother and his wife. The next morning came early and hangovers were everywhere but the thumping the Hogs put on Texas was the best cure 27-6.

September 13, 2003

Ambush in Austin is what KATV dubbed it on vhs tape they sold of this game. I was there with some friends and sitting in the corner with our fellow Hog fans. It was an early afternoon game with a heat index well over 105 degrees. Texas came in ranked #5. Hogs got down 7-0 early and then went up 21-7 and never looked back on their way to a 38-28 upset. We partied on the famous 6th Street til the wee hours Sunday morning. There was not a lot of Texas fans out that night. But Matthew McConaughey was. I saw him leaving as we were walking into a bar. Hog fans that were there said he was rude and pissed off. Awesome. 

October 11, 2004

#8 Texas vs. unranked Hogs. Nutt vs. Mack Brown. Vince Young vs. Matt Jones

Sitting in my south end zone seats. Hogs down 22-20. 3rd and 8 with 2:48 to go and just needing a 20 yard field goal to possibly win. Matt Jones did his famous scramble. Fumble. Enough said.

December 29, 2014

With my Tusk to Tail crew. I had great club seats with my dad. Hogs all day 31-7 and “Borderline erotic.” 

September 11, 2021

One of Tusk to Tail's best tailgates of all-time. All day right up until the early evening kickoff. Grayson and I say on the 30 yard line next to the student section. He got to hear close to every bad word there is. It was rowdy. Two Texas fans next to us asked if it is this loud at every SEC stadium and I said besides Vanderbilt yes it is. He said it's not like this in the Big 12. Hogs rolled 40-21 and me and Grayson rushed the field with the students and most of the stadium. 

Do I have to say it? Hell yes I do.. Beat the hell out of Texas!

The Grove - Kitchen and Cocktails - Rogers, AR

Two blogs in three weeks? What?? Yep. Never happens. The Grove in Rogers is a new restaurant that has been open less than a year. Owned by a buddy & local businessman, Dave Bass. Some of you may remember Dave from his Dave's on Dickson days which was a great music venue off Dickson Street back in the day. He also owns a few bars still on Dickson Street. This new place is very modern and just a cool atmosphere with great food and plenty of televisions for your sports viewing pleasure.

My Friday lunch buddy crew and quite of few from my Tusk to Tailgate crew went up recently to try out their chicken strips. I must confess I had gone before to try their hamburgers and saw they had hand battered tenders on their kids menu so of course I had to try them. So I ordered them as a "side." Ha. They were fantastic. I told Dave you have got to put these on your regular menu as an appetizer or entree and he said he would think about it. Well just a few short months later he added them as a appetizer. He has received great reviews and is now one of his favorite new items.

One more thing. Dave recently added Kids eat free everyday to the restaurant with an adult purchase entree. A great thing to see that Grub's, Allen Brumett at Sassy's, and Jody Thornton with JJ's also offer this option.  Kids eating free is the best thing you can do in marketing in the restaurant world. Because how many of my fellow parents don't actually think about that for a minute when you are considering going out to eat with the kids? Well done guys.


The Tenders

Eight juicy tenders came out. It's an $8 appetizer and they are very good.

These are marinated in buttermilk overnight close to 24 hours. Seasoning is garlic and onion seasoning, salt, and pepper.

Hand battered strips of heaven.

9.5 out of 10 clucks


The Fries

These are fresh cut fries. Cooked evenly throughout. No sogginess here at all. Sea salt and parsley sprinkled over them.

8.5 out of 10 fries.

The Grove. Huge menu and great selection of popular american dishes. Worth the trip north.

2600 W. Pleasant Crossing Drive, Suite 60 Rogers, Arkansas

https://www.facebook.com/thegrovekitchenandcocktails

Until next time. Happy Holidays!

Razorback Pizza - Springdale, Arkansas

Hello fellow tender lovers. I'm back. Razorback Pizza in Springdale. You probably are saying to yourself uh that's a pizza place Todd. And yes you are right but I discovered at a pizza outing they have more than just pizza and one of those items is hand battered chicken strips.

My buddy Chadd Claybrook and I went for lunch there recently to check these out.

3 large hand battered chicken strip and a big portion of fresh cut fries for only $6.99. You can't beat that price.

Strips were lightly battered and juicy but did not have any seasoning whatsoever. But when dipped in a sauce very good.

7 out of 10 clucks

The Fries

Fresh cut and evenly cooked but no seasoning whatsoever again. Deja vue. Add that and they would be great. 6 out of 10 fries.

Oh by the way they have great hamburgers as well.

Til next time! Hopefully not 3 months. But....it is football season.

Dugan's Pub - Little Rock, Arkansas

It's been such a long time fellow chicken strip lovers.

The family and I went down to Little Rock one weekend and we tried out an Irish Pub downtown in the River Market district. My step father Rich and my mother had recommended it and said they had fantastic chicken strips. Naturally that's all I needed to hear and we were there within 10 minutes. :)

The place is called Dugan's Pub.

These are beer battered chicken strips. Not heavy coated.

Very juicy and had a hint of a seasoned salt in them that gave them a nice flavor. You get four strips in the basket along with the fries.

Grayson had them also. Like father like son. :) He gave them an official thumbs up!

9 out of 10 clucks. Good stuff.

On to the fries................

I loved the fries. They were a thicker cut fry and absolutely delicious. Evenly cooked throughout and not over crispy.  I even had to steal a few from Grayson. Had Bay seasoning on them and were fantastic.

9.5 Fries

Grayson was so pleased with the chicken strips he had to do a little dance with his Grammy. He put on a nice show for the other guests of the restaurant.

8.5 out of 10 stars for the two getting their groove on.

Dugan's is located at the corner of 3rd and Rock in the River Market district in downtown Little Rock..
http://www.duganspublr.com/Duganspublr/Welcome.html

Until next time....

FRICKIN CHICKEN - FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS

It's been about 18 months since may last review. I'm so bad. And so sleep deprived. We have a new leader in the clubhouse for the best chicken tenders in Northwest Arkansas. The place....Frickin Chicken. The location....just off Spring Street in the Laundry Building in the old Feltner's first location. Frickin Chicken started as a food truck off College Avenue about two years ago. They opened up a brick and mortar location just this year. When they first started it was just fried chicken and waffles and the dreaded frozen crinkle cut fries. But just recently they debuted their hand batter chicken tenders and they now have fresh cut fries!

For some odd reason they are called Wimpy Strips. There is nothing wimp about them. I got the Wimpy 4 piece Strip Combo. It came with 4 jumbo strips, waffle, and a nice amount of fresh cut fries. All for $9.25. Not bad.

The Tenders

The chef told me they were Tyson jumbo tenderloins which made me happy. :)
They were very juicy and lightly breaded with a great kick to them. He said that he dips them in egg whites for a bit and then into their seasoning. When asked about the seasoning, the only thing he would give up was that they use onion garlic powder. They were unlike anything I had tasted before and were amazing.

I then wrapped a waffle and devoured it. Delicious.

The best I've ever had. And I've had lots as you know. Even better than Raising Caine's. Words I never thought would come out of my mouth.

10 out of 10 clucks. Maybe even 10.5.


The Fries

Fresh cut. Cooked crispy and cooked right. He said they blanch them and they were cooked evenly throughout. Very good.

9 out of 10 taters (yep new terminology)


Grayson give them a thumbs up!

So don't wait. Get down to Frickin Chicken and try these fantastic tenders.

509 West Spring Street Suite 210
Facebook link:
https://www.facebook.com/FrickinChicken?ref=br_tf

Apple Blossom Brewing Company - Fayetteville, AR

Apple Blossom Brewing Company. New brewery and restaurant that just opened off Zion Road in Fayetteville. Great layout. Nicely designed. Only question we had was parking. It's built in a office/shop complex which means as more offices open less parking. Customers have already been having to park around the block due to full lot already. Enough on that. Onto the tenders......
ABBC offers Tempura Chicken Fingers as appetizer. Tempura recipe is a recipe from Japan. It's basically flour, egg, water, and vegetable oil stirred until a thick batter is formed. This gives the fingers the thick coating that you will see below.

I'm not a big fan of thick batter fingers but these were not bad at all. Had some type of seasoning added to it to give it a nice flavor and some parsley on top. You get five fingers for $5.95 which is not bad these days.

8 out of 10 Clucks




The Fries

They nailed it on the fries. Fresh cut. Evenly cooked throughout and crispy. Parsley again on top and some light seasoning. Could not get enough. You got a decent amount as you can see surprisingly for only $1.95. You don't see that very often under $2. Even soft drinks were $1.95. Most places are $2.49 now. So thumbs up to Apple Blossom for those prices.


9.5 out of 10 Fries

Make Your Own Homemade KFC Original Recipe Tenders

 Hello strangers. I'm back after a 16 month hiatus. Just enjoying trying to be a good father to my son and and a good husband to my wife. Time flies.  I wrote 7 in 2010, 8 in 2011, and a total of one in 2012. I've missed doing these. I even have one I'm going to post that is 3 years old that I forgot to post. So you will get two this week. Going to try and write more than every 16 months going forward. :)

Remember when Kentucky Fried Chicken used to taste pretty darn good? That great original recipe that is still known world wide but just doesn't seem to be like it was back in the day? Well my wife came across someone who posted a recipe that says they found a blend that is close to the original recipe as you can get. We tried it out recently and I gotta say it's really good and very close to that taste. Here's how they turned out.........

They were fantastic. My wife says that they are the best I've ever done and taste better than most restaurants tenders that we have had. I'm blushing. I lightly breaded them and have to admit I almost doubled the amount of seasoning on all ingredients and it really made a difference between the first and second round. Would you like the recipe? Well here you go.....

1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon of All Seasoning
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup flour
2 teaspoon paprika

Like I said I almost doubled the above except on the flour. Try it and give me some feedback on how your tenders turned out and what you thought.

Just for the record. 10 of 10 clucks. But I'm bias. :)

Enjoy!!