Last week I found myself passing through Grandview Texas. I wasn’t really interested in anything specific in that town.  It was midday though and I was hungry.  Out of the corner of my eye I spied, the word burger on a sign above a shop along the highway.  After careful and considered consultation with my wife, which took about 3 seconds, I made a 180 turnaround and whipped into the parking lot.

With these small town places you never know what your in for.  There were several cars in the parking lot.  That’s a good sign, usually.  When I got inside, the place wasn’t at all what I was expecting.  Everything was clean and shiny.  The ceiling was high and the dinning room was this warm open space.  In one corner of this large space was the food prep area.  Completely in the open.  Kind of like a cooking demonstration kitchen, with stools around to sit at and watch food preparation.  There were also tables scattered around the room.  The place was at the same time classy and casual.

This burger joint I had stumbled upon was actually the Burgundy Boucherie, storefront for Burgundy Pasture Beef.  Boucherie: that’s French for butcher market, by the way.  Burgundy Pasture Beef specializes in free-range grass fed beef.  Owners Wendy and Jon Taggart raise cattle, process and sell beef at the boucherie, and they also sell other meats produced in an environmentally conscious way.

And, they cook one heck of a burger here at the boucherie.  Actually, I think they have more than burgers on the menu, but I’ll let that be for you to discover.

From their web site:

Now serving the BEST BURGER you ever tasted!  Our freshly ground 100% Grass Fed Beef on a specially baked bun – toasted just right With Organic Romaine Lettuce, Local Red Ripe Tomatoes & More.  Only 35 minutes South of Downtown Ft Worth.

ENJOY WHAT A BURGER SHOULD BE!

Yes the burger was good.  The quality of the beef does translate to a better burger.  Wendy Taggart was talking up customers in the dinning area, and she told us that they had been featured in an article that appeared on the front page of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.  Just about the time I was thinking wow that’s amazing, she brought over an issue of Time Magazine with an article about the “Grass-Fed Revolution” in which Burgundy Pasture Beef, the Taggart’s and their cattle ranch was the central subject.

Now that I’ve spoiled the surprise for you, still go visit the Taggart family and their boucherie.  See their web site, Burgundy Pasture Beef for more details, driving directions and the like.  Also see my related  post on Grandview Texas Driveby Destinations for other interesting things to do in Grandview.

Location

Burgundy Pasture Beef
800 McDuff Ave
Grandview, Texas 76050
817-866-2247

More information

The Grass-Fed Revolution – Time Magazine June 12, 2006

County: Johnson

Copyright © 2008 by Sam Fenstermacher
All rights reserved

Grandview Downtown

First Impression and Brief History

Grandview Texas is a tiny town along I35W. It’s something like 10 or 11 miles north of Hillsboro Texas. Use the map link at the bottom of this post for an exact location. I like this one red-light town. That light is at the intersections of highways 4 and 81. Farm Road 4 takes you to Cleburne and 81 to Hillsboro, if you go the right way.

The early history of Grandview courtesy of the Texas Historical Commission Atlas:

Settled in 1850 on land grant from Governor Elisha M. Pease. Supplies were hauled by ox wagon from Houston. A visitor exclaimed, “What a grand view!” Which gave community its name. Church organized 1853. Post office opened in 1856. Masonic lodge (county’s first) founded 1860. Town moved to this site, on Missouri-Kansas-Texas rail line, in 1883. Incorporated in 1891. Home of Grand View Collegiate Institute 1897-1907. Devastating 1920 fire razed 135 homes, schools, churches, and businesses. Town name changed to Grandview (one word) in 1925.

Grandview has a population of about 1500, based on U.S. Census data. They also have a significant Mennonite community. Mennonites operate several businesses in the town, so if your interested in getting to know more about their culture and faith, then the opportunity is there.

Watts Chapel Methodist Church and Cemetery

Watts Chapel Historic Church is a couple miles west of Grandview on Farm Road 4. There’s a Texas Historical Commission sign on the main road and after that the church and cemetery are on the right side of the road.

The rural Watts Chapel community was named for the family of Nathaniel Franklin Watts (1851-1919), who settled in this area of Johnson County in 1872. Watts married Rachel Ann Bennett in 1875, and they bought a small farm near this site. Nathaniel and Rachel Watts were the parents of twelve children, five of whom died at an early age. The Watts Chapel Cemetery began as a family burial ground in 1879, when their infant daughter Sallie died and was buried on the family farm. Over the years other family members also were interred here, as were friends and neighbors in the community. In 1892 the Watts family deeded three acres of land to the Methodist church.

The Watts Chapel United Methodist Church is an active church and still very much a part of the local community today.

JavaTaza Coffee Shop—Finding Pleasure In The Daily Grind

The Javataza Coffee Shop had been open in Grandview since 2006. This is an outstanding coffee shop. I can tell you from personal experience that often as not stopping at coffee shops in small Texas towns ends up being a bad experience. That is, unless you were stopping for conversation or to use the bathroom or something like that. Javataza Coffee ended up being the exact opposite.

Their espresso-based drinks are outstanding. The food was also good, the atmosphere was casual and quiet, prices real reasonable, service very good. Unlike that popular coffee shop most of us have visited, they don’t hound you the moment you walk in the door, and there’s no quirky attitude to deal with. Besides the coffee shop, they roast coffee. Javataza is a self importer of coffee and they also roast their own coffee on site in Grandview. They specialize in Costa Rican coffees, and they sell their fresh roasted coffees in the Grandview store and also through third parties. They also develop private label coffees for businesses and restaurants.

The fresh roasted coffee definitely makes a difference in the quality of their coffee and espresso based drinks. They offer some very tasty light roast coffees. Dark roast coffees have become pretty standard in American coffee bars. Truth is that light roast coffees can be very classy. Even in Italy, espresso is made from light roasted beans in the North and from dark roasted beans in the South of Italy. Javataza offers both light and dark roast coffees. For something different try espresso made from their light roast coffee.

The Javataza store is located on Farm Road 4 just a little out of town heading towards Cleburne. See their web site or the map at the end of this article for directions.

Burgundy Pasture Beef

Burgundy Boucherie, storefront for Burgundy Pasture Beef.  Boucherie: that’s French for butcher market, by the way.  Burgundy Pasture Beef specializes in free-range grass fed beef.  Owners Wendy and Jon Taggart raise cattle, process, package, and sell beef and other meats produced in an environmentally conscious way.  They also serve burgers at the Boucherie.  Highly recommended.

Grandview Cemetery and Original Grandview Town Site

Also on Farm Road 4 heading towards Cleburne is the original town site and cemetery. If you like old cemeteries this is one. Otherwise, just stop to read the Texas Historical Commission Medallion sign.

Browse the gallery below for pictures and more destination information.

More Information:

http://www.cityofgrandview.org/

County: Johnson
map

Gallery

Copyright © 2008 by Sam Fenstermacher
All rights reserved