Need to find a good place to eat "half way" between Austin and Houston (College Station: houses, college)

[bpvarian]

Hello,
I'm meeting a co-worker (neither of us have been in Texas long) and we are looking to have a nice meal at a location that is more or less half way between Houston and Austin. I'm guessing it will be a steakhouse, but we are open to anything. are there any restaurants that are good that would meet this criteria? Cost is not as much of an issue.
Any help you could provide would be great!

[atxcio]

Halfway between Houston and Austin you are basically looking at LaGrange or Columbus... neither are known for their restaurant scene. If you are wanting to stay near the highway, there is Schoebel's in Columbus... it's a kind of German/Texan comfort food restaurant. Not gonna blow you away with it's food, but quiet and friendly. There is also Mikesa's BBQ in Columbus, which is a mid-tier somewhat well known BBQ restaurant. It's a little less nice than Schoebels.

Other than that, check TripAdvisor for restaurants in LaGrange or Columbus. LaGrange is bypassed by the highway, so you have to drive a couple of miles in to actually get to the city. But there might be something good there.

If you were just looking to pick up food to eat later, Hruska's in Ellinger has great kolaches and burgers. It's basically a gas station, though. There is another BBQ place in Ellinger, but I've never tried it. Ellinger is often a stop for me on the trip, since you have to slow down to 55 while driving through it anyway... but it's a tiny town, not even a stoplight.

[sanmiguel]

We always take 290 to Houston and stop for the buffet at Purcell's in Brenham. Family-run and very satisfying food. Not much on atmosphere except for the Patsy and Hank background music. Lots of seniors eat there because of the reasonable price.

http://www.purcellsbuffet.com/menu.htm (broken link)

[centralaustinite]

http://www.royersroundtopcafe.com/

Royers in Round Top!

I just ate a great dinner and just thinking about Royers has me hungry again.

[orbius]

College Station is about halfway. Theres several good steakhouses or restaurants that serve steaks in town. If you want high end try Christophers. For mid range Texas Roadhouse is good value.

[mayfair44]

What part of Houston is your coworker in? The Houston area is much greater than Austin. Usually, someone that lives further north, will come in on US-290, where someone further south or west might prefer I-10 to 71. You first might want to decide which route is easier, then pick a town or two that's somewhat equidistant to both of you.

[bpvarian]

thanks everyone for the wonderful suggestions! College Station seems too far north to be in between Austin and Texas. My coworker works in West Houston, and he said that he could come up either 290 or 10/71 rather easily.
Thanks for all of your help, I think we'll do one of the two columbus options...

[kelly katsus]

Royer’s is nice; make sure to get the pie! Geesh, I might have to drive there soon. It’s in a small town called Round Top and the food is good but the pies are wonderful. If you don’t do it this trip, perhaps the next time. Either way, have a great time!

[orbius]

Actually Katy to College Station is 63 miles and Austin to College Station is 83 miles. Pretty close to halfway.

Austin to Columbus is 87 miles and Katy to Columbus is 45 miles. Not much in it but whatever suits you.

[bpvarian]

We ended up going to Royer's last night and everyone LOVED it. It was a great time, the food was delicious, and I suggest everyone to stop by and try it next time they are going to Houston!