Clem Mikeska's B-B-Q, Temple

You can't miss Clem Mikeska's as you drive north on Interstate 35 through Temple -- there's a cow on the roof. That bovine is a clue to the meats that wait within this dark red building. Clem's advertises premium beef, and that's no joke. We found that the brisket here was some of the best we've had, and that's covering a lot of ground. It's tender and lean, without a tough or stringy spot on it.

Folks have been enjoying this comfortable but unassuming restaurant since 1965. Clem is one of the Mikeska brothers, famed throughout Texas for their barbecue restaurants. Each brother runs his restaurant a little differently, though, so you've got a good excuse to visit the whole lot of them. Besides brisket, Clem's serves homemade beef sausage (it's excellent -- spicy but not too hot), pork ribs, and chicken, with green beans, brown beans, hot buttered potatoes, potato salad, or coleslaw on the side. We opted for the mustard-based chunky potato salad and the beans tinged slightly red with spice. Grab a few slices of homemade bread as you go through the line to sop up the last drops of barbecue sauce from your plate.

If you can forgo the temptation of stuffing yourself with barbecue, save room for dessert. Clem's has peach cobbler and banana pudding, chock full of vanilla wafers.

You'll find a mix of Temple folks in Clem's, from auto mechanics to business and medical professionals. The dining room, filled with booths and tables done in red-and-white checked tablecloths, is packed at noon. Like the dining rooms at other restaurants owned by the Mikeska family, this one is filled with photos of Texas dignitaries and family members as well as wildlife trophies. A hammerhead shark looms overhead as you pay, and a buffalo gazes at diners at the back of the room.

Location: 1217 S. 57th (57th at Ave. M).

Tel. (817) 778-5481 or (800) 344-4699

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