Dear sweet friends David and Sheila invited us to lunch.  Love lunch invitations.  Thank you very much.  Then they suggested we do lunch in Denton, Texas.  Fantastic.  I love road trips, and the short drive to Denton up I 35 is easy.  There were three things we wanted to do on this pretty spring day – eat hamburgers, shop around the square, and eat ice cream.

While the boys attended North Texas University, The Denton County Independent Hamburger Company was a favorite.  It was on the square, and served delicious burgers.  For years it was chosen “Best Burger” in Denton.  With that in mind, we had our tasters set for a good juicy hamburger.  Wrong!

When we got to downtown Denton, DCI Hamburger Company was gone.  What happened??  It was voted “Best Burger of 2013” by the local newspaper – The Denton Record-Chronicle.  I found a restaurant review for DCI Hamburger Company as recently as Feb. 2013, but – we are here to tell you – The Denton County Independent Hamburger Company is no longer on Hickory Street across from the square.  Just thought you should know.

Plan B:

Another family favorite was Sweetwater which is just off the square.  In case you do not know, Sweetwater, Texas is the home of the yearly Texas Rattlesnake Roundup, and this restaurant appears to have a Sweetwater connection.

A rattlesnake is painted on the side wall of the restaurant.  “Snakes.  Why’d it have to be snakes?”

We chose to eat on the enclosed patio.  This area is lighter and brighter than inside the restaurant.  From what I understand, local bands fill Sweetwater with music each weekend.

For a local non-seafood eatery, the gumbo was very tasty.  The roux was dark and flavorful.  Even the Virginians (David and Sheila) declared it good.  Sheila knows good food, so take her word.  The gumbo was good.

Sheila ordered a chicken fried steak sandwich, which was fine.  But…  Be still my heart.  The sweet potato fries stole the show.  They were wonderful, fantastic, the best ever.  They were crispy on the outside and soft inside.  Honestly, most times I am not a fan of sweet potato fries because they are limp and gummy.  These fries were the exception, and I would order them again.  (I wonder how they make them?)

Ever-Lovin’ had a hamburger and it was delicious.  (He ordered sweet potato fries (their bad).  No problem.  He soon had his own sweet potato fries, and his were as good as Sheila’s.

David had a shrimp and bacon sandwich, (New to me.) and he declared it very good.

The shrimp and chicken fajitas were great.  I did not realize the fajitas came with rice and beans.  What a huge meal.  It was sharable.

While having lunch, we smelled gas.  Then we heard the waiters talking about the gas being turned off.  Made us a little nervous.  Too many things have blown up recently.  Fire engines came, and the situation appeared to be under control.  Never-the-less we thought it was time for us to walk and shop.

The antique malls are junky, but there are treasures to be found.

The guys are contemplating the meaning of this sculpture November Devil by David Iles (2008).  You feel the art influence in Denton.  I like that.

A memorial to “Our Confederate Soldiers” stands on the entrance to the courthouse.

Finally the walking and shopping worked, and we were ready to eat ice cream.  Beth Marie’s has been on the square for many years.  The ice cream at Beth Marie’s is homemade  (“as in really made here!!”) and delicious.  They sell the ice cream for .59 cents an ounce.  Be still my heart.  It is fantastic.  FYI: You can Beth Marie’s ice cream at Central Market.

This was called a sampler cone – You choose three junior scoops for the cone.. On this day, there were over 40 different flavors of ice cream offered, so it was difficult to choose three.  To my way of thinking, this was a deal.  The ice cream is creamy and full of fruit and flavorings.  How fantastic.

This sign caught my eye.  Friend BB is from Merkel.  I thought she needed to see this. What  is the connection of an ice cream shop in Denton, Texas to Merkel, Texas.  Inquiring minds want to know.

Yummy, yummy, yummy in your tummy, tummy, tummy.  It does my heart good to see miracle man eating ice cream.

What a wonderful afternoon.  Loved seeing the beautiful architecture of the old courthouse.

In about four hours, we enjoyed being with precious friends, had the best sweet potato fries (+ a good lunch.), shopped, and had creamy delicious ice cream.  Life is good, and we are blessed.

Blessings to you and yours,

Thank you David and Sheila.  It is always fun to be with you.