Cafe 290

6am-10pm Mon-Sat, 7am-10pm Sun The average driver on a two-lane highway spends about 70% of their time looking for speed traps. If you're smart and/or hungry, you'll invest the other 30% searching for road diners. Now that plastic burger franchises have spread to most small towns, independent diners should qualify for Endangered Species protection. Anytime you see a full parking lot, pull in and help preserve a dying breed, even if it's just for a road break of pie and coffee.

If you find yourself eastbound on Highway 290, you'll get your chance when you hit the Manor Downs turnoff eight miles out of Austin. Since 1948, Cafe 290 has served fresh, old-style diner food to a mix of travelers, horse racing fans, and citizens of the burgeoning ManorPlex. On any given day, you'll see a parking lot packed with work trucks, DPS cruisers, and out-of-state Lincolns.

Cafe 290 turns out great variations of roadhouse standards -- anything grilled, chopped, or chicken-fried -- in servings so big they'll cure hiccups. Their chopped steak platter with mashed potatoes hits the table looking like an edible mountain range. The hand-dipped onion rings come light and almost grease-free, as do the various chicken-fried selections. Even cream gravy fanatics will appreciate the cafe's rich brown variation, which is so good you want to ask for a bucket. Even if there's no room left, order the homemade pie or cobbler and linger awhile over coffee. That's cultural conservation -- one blue plate at a time. --Pableaux Johnson