Dave Peterson asked for a lesson on Sweet Tea. I can explain it, but you really have to taste it in the South on a hot Summer day to understand it.

The two syllables in the phrase “Sweet Tea” should be pronounced quickly. It rhymes with BB, as in BB gun. There is no pause between the word sweet and the word tea. It’s also called Baptist Tea and Potluck Tea because that’s often where the best stuff is served from repurposed, gallon milk jugs.

Sweet Tea should not be confused with sweetened tea. Sweetened tea is an abomination and should never be discussed in polite conversation. Sweet Tea is served cold, usually over ice and the ratio of sugar to tea and water is significant.

The preferred brand of tea bags is Luzianne, but Lipton is okay too.

To make a jar, you need 3 family size tea bags, 1 1/3 cups of sugar and a jar (or pitcher). Boil 3 cups of water. Add the 3 tea bags. Stop the heat and let the tea steep for 15 or 30 minutes. Dump it in a gallon jar (or pitcher), dump in the sugar and the fill up the jar with cold water. Put it in the refrigerator and keep it cold.

A person might add lemon, to their glass, but if the lemon juice is added to the jar, it isn’t Sweet Tea. Â

In-N-Out Burger is legendary. Burger aficionados make annual visits to the West coast just to get a fix of one of the best fast-food burgers anywhere for any amount of money. In-N-Out is a regional chain and those of us out of the region are usually left to just long for the next time we’ll be near enough to drive through and use our secret menu ordering skills.

Mooyah Burgers and Fries in Texas is the closest thing to In-N-Out I’ve ever tried, and it’s pretty clear why. They use the same high quality ingredients. The burgers are fresh and never frozen with no additives, fillers or preservatives. The fries are made from potatoes cut fresh the same day. The buns are baked fresh every day and the shakes are made from 100% pure ice cream. When you visit a Mooyah, it even looks a little like an In-N-Out. The employees are friendly and the menu is almost as simple as the published In-N-Out menu.

The regular Mooyah burger, the one I always get, comes with a default of two patties that are also very reminiscent of In-N-Out. My standard order is a Mooyah Burger with swiss cheese, bacon, onions (sometimes raw and sometimes grilled), and mustard. Burgers are thoughtfully wrapped upside down, so when you turn them over to unwrap them, they are ready to eat, right side up.

When we go to Mooyah, we rarely order fries. It isn’t because they aren’t good. They are. We just don’t have appetites large enough to accommodate more than a Mooyah burger. Mooyah fries are cut from fresh potatoes and served in cups. When we DO spring for fries, a regular order is plenty for two. Mooyah gets extra points, from me, for including Malt Vinegar as a condiment beside the ketchup dispenser. A carny once told me, when I was little, that Canadians put vinegar on their fries, and I’ve preferred them that way ever since.

I wouldn’t dare proclaim a Mooyah burger to be as good as an In-N-Out burger, but it’s so close I no longer miss In-N-Out when I’m in Texas. The thing missing most from Mooyah, apart from years of history, is a secret menu!

Mooyah Burgers and Fries
2626 Howell Street, Suite 100
Dallas, TX 75204
214.999.0059 / fax: 214.999.0049
Hours: Sun-Thurs 11am-9pm Fri-Sat 11am-10pm

We’re on a roadtrip, so there are frequent opportunities to try new places. Taco Time is mass-market fast-food chain and we stopped at in Ontario, Oregon. Because of Carnivore.TV, I felt obligated to order a burrito, so I chose the Chicken BLT Burrito with low expectations. I always expect mass-market fast-food burritos to be heavy on re-fried beans and light on non-bean flavor.

The Chicken BLT Burrito from Taco Time was surprisingly good. It blends bacon, fresh lettuce, tomato, guacamole, real cheddar cheese, ranch dressing and all-white meat chicken. The flavor blend was excellent and refreshing. It’s a larger burrito, but it felt light.

The Burrito I had suffered from engineering problems. The bottom burst open about half-way through consumption. Other than that…very nice!