Fun Things to Do

Guest Author: Holly Blackwell

If you have ever wanted a taste of true cowboy cooking but didn’t want to work all day roping, cutting and branding calves, Perini Ranch Steakhouse is the place to go. Perini’s isn’t fancy, but once you have tried it, you won’t be able to get it out of your mind. Tom Perini describes his restaurant as a joint that serves true chuck wagon cooking. But this joint is a favorite of movie stars, governors and presidents and will become a favorite of yours should you decide to check it out.

Located just outside of Buffalo Gap Texas, Perini’s does not have to try to create a ranch atmosphere, because it is located on an actual cattle ranch. The drive to the restaurant is indication that you are headed for a Texas treasure as you pass through ranch country, by Texas sized wind turbines or through the quaint small town of Buffalo Gap (worth a stop all its own). When you turn off the highway, you drive over a small bridge, down a winding caliche (that is white rock for those not from these parts) path and under some of the most gorgeous live oak trees ever seen to a Texas bunkhouse. You feel like you are walking up to a friend’s house with an herb garden out front, a huge patio out back and likely a bunch of cowboys standing around enjoying a longneck and talking about wheat and cattle prices.

Walk inside and the atmosphere is friendly, warm and rustic. In the winter, sitting indoors next to one of the roaring fireplaces is absolutely cozy, but in fair weather, outside, under the huge live oak trees, is the place to be. Like sitting on the back porch of a hacienda – it is a tranquil place to enjoy the evening. The wait staff is top-notch – quick to recognize when you need a refill, but they don’t hover so you can enjoy a relaxing meal and conversation.
It is not hard for me to say what my favorite thing to order at Perini’s is. I go for the filet mignon every time. But, I have tried most everything else and if they were out of filets (horrors!), I would be hard pressed to decide what else to order. The Ranch-Roasted Ribeye has a crust of black pepper that is divine. They also serve both chicken and fish entrees, but diners come here time and again for the beef! I have also had the mouthwatering buffet that is offered Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons, which consists of Tom’s chuck wagon finest – chicken fried steak, fried catfish, green beans, corn on the cob, mashed potatoes – all cooked from scratch.

Appetizers are not something we imagine coming out of the chuck wagons in the old west, but at Perini’s we always start out with jalapeno bites – stuffed with cream cheese and wrapped in bacon. The ribs are also unbelievable and a great way to whet your appetite for more of the mesquite cooked heaven. Each meal comes with a salad made with homemade ranch dressing. It is fresh and what real ranch dressing should taste like! The vegetables are all wonderful as well and Tom Perini is famous for several of them such as the Green Chili Hominy, Cowboy Potatoes or Zucchini Perini.
But dessert is worth the drive. As a Texas girl, I am hard-pressed to put any dessert above peach cobbler – and Perini’s serves a fabulous cobbler. But the dessert worth loosening your jeans for is his Bread Pudding with Jack Daniels whiskey sauce. I have never liked bread pudding before, even after eating some that was said to be “the best”. But I would lick the serving bowl of this concoction if that was polite! To quote Tom’s words “I mean, sourdough bread, pecans and a little Jack Daniels – you can’t go wrong.”

You can’t go wrong at Perini’s at all. It is worth going for the Texas experience, but it is worth going back over and over again for the food!

Thank you so much to my guest author Holly Blackwell, a true Texas girl who lives on a ranch of her own, but prefers someone else do the chuck wagon cooking! Follow her on twitter @hblackwell

Things to do in Texas

Website: Perini Ranch Steakhouse

Perini Ranch Steakhouse
P.O. Box 728
Buffalo Gap, TX 79508

800.367.1721

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