On a hot, muggy day in July, I drove through the tiny town of Ames, Texas (because the back roads always beat the tar out of the Interstate.)
Next to the highway leading into Ames was a small wooden painted sign on the ground – “Welcome to Ames, Texas, home of Cookie’s Soul Food Kitchen.” Soul food sounded good to me!
I found Cookie’s on the other side of the railroad tracks that paralleled the road; it was in a bright yellow welcoming building with red trim.
What was my final traveler’s criteria for a restaurant thumbs up on a Sunday in rural southeast Texas between noon and 1 p.m.?
That’s right….the parking area all around Cookie’s was jammed with vehicles. That’s a no-brainer signal to one’s Personal Local Grub Radar.
I had a lovely buffet meal for the princely sum of $8.99 – chicken, pork, ox tail, collard greens, black-eyed peas, mashed potatoes and banana pudding for dessert.
As a single, I was seated next to a delightful local guy who turned out to be a Navy veteran and a drag racing fan, just like me. Don’t you know we talked up a storm! He even gave me a story idea about a local event that I’m pitching right now to one of my favorite travel magazines.
All you need is a sense of adventure, willingness to jump at the unexpected and a well-tuned food radar.
Cookies is open 11 am – 2 pm Mon-Fri, closed on Sat and open 11 am – 3 pm on Sunday. Entrees rotate each day (things like meatloaf, fried catfish, baked chicken) and a variety of vegetables are available on the side. You can get sandwiches, too. Phone (936) 336-1954.
(Note: Soul food hits the spot, but find some coffee afterward or you may do the full-belly doze-off while driving.)
This post is included in the latest Wanderfood Wednesday on the Wanderlust and Lipstick blog.
Wow, Cookies sounds like my kind of place. Great soul food is worth driving far and wide for. I will try to dig up the name of a great place east of Sacramento that had the best corn grits I’ve ever had…. Thanks for telling us about Cookies!
Full-belly doze is right! This buffett sounds deadly to any diet and I haven’t eaten breakfast yet. Was there any cornbread with all those goodies?
Hmmm, their main menu meals include corn bread and dessert, but I’m going blank on whether I saw any with the Sunday buffet. Can’t imagine it wasn’t there….guess I’ll have to go back and see.
LOVE this. i think we need to get down to TX. that is so cheap. i love that you talked so much with your neighbor there – and got a story idea!
The whole experience was an unexpected bonus to my day, that’s for sure!
These are the only types of places I really like to eat at! They have true ‘soul’.
In Costa Rica these types of a little places are called Sodas, and in Guatemala Comedores, we try to only eat at these places!
They are indeed yummy. Thanks for visiting from Latin America!
Some might disagree with me, but having spent a lot of time in the south, I can attest that “soul” is something that we are missing here in the NW. I love little finds like this. Subtract the meat and this is just the kind of place that I’d love to check out – even if my plate was filled with only mashed potatoes and banana pudding.
Yeah, the PacNorWest is rather, er, removed from a lot of the traditions and dishes that originated in the American South. Cookie’s seemed to have a lot of veggies available (very good collard greens – did I mention that?) so any vegetarian wouldn’t have a problem, although I can’t vouch for meat-free cooking methods or seasonings.
Plenty of okra available, too, and I totally forgot to mention the watermelon, which was super-juicy and red, since it’s the height of summer here.
What a great adventure. It’s always satisfying to find a spot off the beaten path that serves excellent food at a cheap price. Thanks for sharing.
I live in Dayton, so it’s not too far..I love Cookies Soul Food!