» Armadillo Palace, The

Part honky-tonk and part Texas history museum, Goode's Armadillo Palace gets the mood established right off the bat thanks to the towering armadillo sporting longhorns and breathing smoke right out front.

Enjoy the sounds of live music. Grab one of the (real) pistol door handles, pass under a thicket of antler horns, and find a huge saloon-style bar with tooled leather barstools under a tin ceiling. One whole wall is lined with antique saddles; there's a stuffed longhorn, deer head, or cow skull on every wall; and an antler chandelier hangs over the pool table. Display cases with Robert Earl Keen on the PA complete the honky-tonk heaven.

The menu is not extensive, but the Texas-style dishes all have the Goode flavorful touch, like the venison chili, rich with guajillo chilis from New Mexico, and the green chili pork empanadas.