“That’s what this kind of reminds me of. Having a restaurant is like having a get-together, every day.” That’s what Nathan told me, and that’s the vibe you get when you come here. Nathan Beck along with his mom, Mary Helen, and step-father Charlie, own and operate the Cochran Grill in Bellville, Texas.
Nathan attended culinary school, but he didn’t always utilize that education. He was a mortgage broker for nearly 10 years, then in 2008, the industry tanked. Another broker in his office, a friend, and himself decided to take what little they had left in savings and make a leap of faith. They opened a wood-fired pizza place in Downtown Dallas, Texas. He described it as a cool little 1,000 square-foot place, where the wood oven was in the center of the room and people sat around it, eating pizza and drinking wine - okay, well that sounds pretty amazing! Then in 2010, he and the guys franchised it, and later they were bought out.
He said he was kind of bored at that point, and his mom decided that she wanted to open a restaurant. So he moved back to the Brazos Valley to help her out.
When he was little, his dad worked a lot, so he spent a lot of time with his mom. She enjoyed entertaining and had a lot of get-togethers; looking back now, he sees that’s where his love of the restaurant business comes from.
Cochran Grill is the third restaurant they’ve opened together, one in Hempstead, one in Round Top, and now this one in Bellville, where Mary Helen and Charlie have a ranch.
Mary Helen told me that she’s had customers who have followed her, each time they’ve opened a new restaurant, and that doesn’t surprise me after experiencing this one.
When you walk up there’s a big ole porch on the outside, and then open the old creaky door and walk in, and it’s like walking into my family’s house. Eclectic furniture, all sorts of stuff hung on the walls, red checked tablecloths, and a tin ceiling, country as country gets. You order at the counter, Nathan and Mary Helen do all the prep and cooking, and then Charlie brings it to your table. That’s it -they’re the team.
Charlie’s a good ole boy who’s happy to visit with you and tell you stories about the place; he’ll even walk you around to the pictures on the walls and tell you all about them.
It’s a slower pace here, between the stories and the laughter floating around, to the fact that they don’t cut the meat, or batter anything until an order comes through. “If you’re in a hurry, don’t come here,” Mary Helen says. They don’t use anything out of a box; she doesn’t like premade stuff. Because it’s only the three of them, you’re going to have to be patient - but I can guarantee that it’s worth the wait.
But if you like fresh, hand-made, high-quality, and consistently good food, then this is the place to go.
“I do it because I like to do it. The day that it becomes work, it gets frustrating, then it’s time to get out of it because then it shows in your food,” Mary Helen told me.
First to come out, was the fried shrimp and fried mushrooms appetizers. The shrimp were large and hand-batted, in a chicken fry batter. A light and crispy batter, that complimented the delicate texture of the perfectly cooked shrimp. Then drizzled with a remoulade; sweet, a tiny bit tangy, and a kick of spice. On the same platter, were two enormous fried mushrooms. These guys were fried in a golden crisp tempura batter wrapped around juicy mushrooms. Served with a side of homemade ranch.
Historically, crab cakes are not something I would order, but the one that came next, well I guess it changed history. This whole dish did really. The crab cake was meaty and firm, flavorful, and well-seasoned. It was topped with a fried green tomato, again, not usually one of my favorite things. This one was outstanding. It was tender and juicy. It lacked the typical green tomato flavor and woodiness. Both were drizzled with the house-crafted remoulade and absolute perfection.
The burger nearly took me out though, if you order yours like this, make sure you don’t miss your blood pressure pills for a few days. Hamburger patty topped with bleu cheese (already a winner in my book), a slice of grilled ham, bacon, crispy pork belly, and freshly made aioli. Oh, and some lettuce too - for health! This was HUGE, hearty, and incredibly delicious. The meat was dripping with juice, and the punch from the bleu cheese was perfectly dreamy.
This is it. This must be what heaven tastes like. The chicken fried ribeye. That’s right, you heard me. Chicken. Fried. Ribeye. The succulence and flavor of a fresh-cut, medium ribeye, wrapped in a blanket of hand-battered chicken fry. So tender you can cut it with your fork; and snuggled up next to a mound of golden mashed potatoes. All smothered in gravy so homemade that it doesn’t even know what a packet is.
Right then and there, I could have died a happy woman.
Butttt, then I would have missed out on dessert and would’ve been pissed.
I was so full, but when Nathan told me he was going to send me home with something sweet, what was I supposed to say, no? Pftt We know rule #1 of Eat Club - always say yes to dessert when you can.
The strawberry pie was phenomenal. I’m already a huge fan of strawberries, so I was pretty confident going in, but the flakey pie crust and luscious filling, sealed the deal. He rounded out the whole experience with the Dr. Pepper cake though. A rich, moist, and incredible chocolate cake. Trust me, you want to have a cup of coffee and a piece of this cake. Birthday? Get the cake. Anniversary? Get the cake. Tuesday? Yep, get the cake!!
Listen to me though, check their hours before you drive out there. They’re not open every day, and I don’t want to hear you crying if you didn’t check, ‘cause I will not feel bad.
I can’t emphasize enough how amazing this little place is. I have a top-five list of my favorite restaurants that I've eaten at in my lifetime, and this one now ranks in there. From the people, the decor, and the vibes, to the down-home cookin’ - Cochran Grill has my heart. This was my first trip out here, but it certainly won’t be my last.
If you want something fancy or fast, this ain't it. If you want something with heart and some of the best food you’ve ever eaten, you need to take the backroads on over to Bellville, Texas to Cochran Grill. Tell ‘em I said hi, and order one of everything. You’ll be glad you did!
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10711 Highway 159 East Bellville, TX, 77418
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