worth pondering
Last night, my friend Myron and I went to my favorite place on Earth - Ponder, Texas. Ponder is a little town with a population of less than 500 (up from 179 in the 70's), but may be best known for the Ponder Steakhouse, also more properly known as Ranchman's Cafe. On my first visit to Ponder in 1996, it seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. In recent years, the drive there has become more developed because of the International Speedway built nearby, but Ponder itself doesn't seem to have changed much (thankfully) aside from a new glaring and ugly Ponder ISD sign. The Cafe is the same: warm, cozy, and incredibly friendly. It isnt large - one intimate front room next to the kitchen and a long additional room in the back. The steaks are amazing, but so is everything else. And if you go, you have to leave room for the pies and cobbler that the're best known for. If you go on a weekend, you may also find live music. That the food is so amazing isn't my favorite part though - to me, the experience is quitessentially Texas - more about the setting and the people, with the food an added bonus.