Along with the first blustery cool winds of fall come the promise of sane temperatures for outdoor eating and an eerie October for our local restaurant scene.

Started by a couple of Baylor graduates to assist in serving the homeless, poor, and marginalized in Waco, World Cup Cafe serves up breakfast and lunch diner food in a bright corner building on Waco’s northside.

His frown grew deeper: “Only two?” “How many are you going to have, PopPop?” I asked. “Eight,” he replied. “Eight!!!” I yelped.

The pretzel bun appears to have been hollowed out and is graced with the perfect balance of chew and release. Rather than fighting with the bun, each bite broke away from the pack like Lance Armstrong leaving the peloton after his third dose of EPO.

My Fat City brings the boys to the Yard Bar

There is much debate over who is the taco capital of the United States, both intrastate (see Austin v. San Antonio) and interstate (see Texas v. California), but when Edgar Ulysses Rico, a native of California's Central Valley, decided to move to a place that appreciated tacos, he voyaged to Austin.

The showstopper is the umami thrill-ride named Brisket Fried Rice. The flavor is so smokey and beefy that I had to keep checking that the take-out box wasn't on fire.

Back in 1976, Jimmy Buffett had his first margarita at Lung’s Cocina del Sur on Anderson Lane which is the present location of High 5.

Two perfectly fried over-mediums topped with thick-cut bacon and a hearty salsa hugging pumpkin-colored refried beans, fried taters, and two housemade corn tortillas as thick as Kylie Jenner.

...shoo'd away from the evils of papaya, we ordered the Chive Cake (steamed and pan seared with serrano nam jim; $8), a beautiful dish made of Chinese chives and rice-tapioca flour with a crunchy soft texture served with a deep, flavorful sauce that offered a pleasantly mild burn, just enough to activate the endorphins.