TWO VALLEY BBQ RESTAURANTS HONORED BY TEXAS MONTHLY
New customers are flocking to Teddy’s Barbecue in Weslaco and Vera’s Backyard Bar-B-Que in Brownsville ever since they made Texas Monthly’s 50 Best BBQ Joints list in 2021.
Vera’s, on 2402 Southmost Road, opened in 1955 and is the last location in Texas to cook its meat in an underground pit. Pitmaster/owner Armando “Mando” Vera uses mesquite in an underground brick-lined pit.
“The real draw…is the barbacoa de cabeza,” TM says.
Teddy’s Barbecue, on 2807 N. Texas Blvd., opened in 2019, with brothers Jesse and Joel Garcia “dishing out Central Texas-style barbecue that is a study in pepper,” according to TM.
The Rio Grande Valley siblings have worked in several well-known Austin barbecue restaurants and their mom makes their tortillas.
For the complete TM listing, visit texasmonthly.com.
SYLVIA’S RESTAURANT MAKES THE NEW YORK TIMES 2021 RESTAURANT LIST
Life changed for Sylvia’s Restaurant, in Brownsville’s Southmost, once The New York Times published The Restaurant List for 2021, declaring: “Sylvia’s stands apart—not just for the sheer volume of Dallas Cowboys paraphernalia papering the walls, but for dishes like the machacado con huevo a la Mexicana.”
Check out Sylvia’s Restaurant at 1843 Southmost Road in Brownsville.
MOONSHINE, IN PORT ISABEL?
Master distiller Jerrod Henry has moved his Rio Grande Distillery from Los Fresnos to Lighthouse Square in Port Isabel and it is open for business. He sells 100-proof straight and flavored moonshine under the Magic Valley Moonshine label. Henry also offers gourmet hot dogs, paninis and pulled pork.
A native of the Missouri Ozarks, Henry in 2019 won the top prize in the mezcal category of a Master Distiller competition on “Moonshiners,” on the Discovery Channel.
Rio Grande Distillery is located at 110 N. Garcia St.
2F AKAUSHI BEEF WINS 2021 H-E-B’S QUEST FOR TEXAS BEST
Humbled and incredibly grateful is how the producers of 2F Akaushi Beef felt after they won first place in H-E-B’s Quest for Texas Best!
Felo and Stephanie Martinez are the owners of Rancho Santa Fe located south of San Isidro, Texas. The family owned and operated ranching business has been breeding, producing and raising commercial cattle since 1984.
In 2018, a beef processing plant opened at Rancho Santa Fe, making it the only federal and state inspected plant in the Rio Grande Valley. The Martinez family sells premium 2F Wagyu beef locally to restaurants and households and ships it nationwide. In March, look for 2F Akaushi Beef on H‑E‑B shelves. Visit its website, 2fakaushibeef.com.
DOWNTOWN BROWNSVILLE ON THE 2022 TEXAS BUCKET LIST
The January issue of Texas Highways magazine has put Downtown Brownsville on its 2022 Travel Bucket List.
Highlighted were Terras Urban Mexican Kitchen, Dodici Pizza & Wine, Las Ramblas Cocktail Lounge, and 7th & Park Bike Shop and Cafe.
SERVING UP SUPPORT FOR WOMEN-OWNED RESTAURANTS
Congratulations to Raquel Rivera of BONHOMÍA restaurant of McAllen and Sylvia Ann Olivarez of Monte Carlo Cafe of Donna.
They were awarded $2,500 grants from the Texas Conference for Women. More than 100 women-owned Texas restaurants that have managed to stay in business during the pandemic received the grants. The Texas Conference for Women awarded a total of $267,500 to 107 restaurant owners. The grants were administered in partnership with the Texas Restaurant Association. Visit txconferenceforwomen.org to meet the other grant recipients.
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