Cajun French: le coteau (lu kō-tō) – hill
In the middle of the Texas Hill Country in German Fredericksburg, you can’t get much more German. We were searching for good German food which eluded us (maybe three years in Germany had something to do with not finding what we were looking for). But take heart, this was Texas. And in Texas you are never far from good BBQ! Then we see an ad for Cranky Frank’s BBQ.
It was another of those places that list the hours then states “or sold out”. This statement seems to be common in these parts. Okay, why not try Cranky Frank’s. Are we ever glad we did!
The place is not much to look at, as they say, but don’t judge a book by its cover. Get past your first impression of the place, walk past the half-outside seating area, around the door with a sign that reads, “This is not a door,” find the one that says enter and stand in line — it’ll be worth it.
We shared a plate of ribs with coleslaw and potato salad. The ribs fell off the bone and melted in our mouths. They had a great smoky taste and smell. Yes, they were that good. Cranky Frank’s knows how to do ribs!
Laurie is not much on restaurant potato salad. This one was different; it was homemade or at least tasted that way. It had flavor of something other than mayonnaise. The potatoes were chunked so you knew what you were eating. The cole slaw which is always a favorite of Laurie’s got high marks.
Thank you Cranky Frank’s, we found the Texas BBQ we had been searching for. It is worth a trip or two! If ever you’re in Fredericksburg, take a break from wurst and brotchen and head to Cranky Frank’s. You’ll be glad you did.
