Tomball’s famous Goodson’s Café is just about becoming as much of a stalwart on television these days as the 5 o’clock news.

For the second time in two years, the iconic eatery will be featured on a Travel Channel special feature, this one titled “America’s 101 Tastiest Places to Chow Down.”

The show debuted on Jan. 3 and will air a new episode each Sunday at 9 p.m. central time. The first show counted down the first 21 eateries, down to 80.

“What we don’t know is what number we are,” Goodson’s General Manager Jimmy Fogarty said.

Goodson’s was not featured in the series’ initial episode and the Jan. 10 show aired prior to press time last week. So, Goodson’s ranks at least in the top 80.

Fogarty said producers of the show contacted one of his managers at the restaurant to let him know they would once again be featured on one of the station’s programs.

However, Fogarty was skeptical.

“They called about four weeks ago and I thought, ‘We’ll wait and see on this deal,’” he said.

A week later, Fogarty said, he was sent a letter and poster to display in the store announcing Goodson’s inclusion.

“That’s when I thought, okay, it’s legit now,” he added. “At first I thought, this sounds real good, but let’s see what really happens.”

This time around, however, film crews were not dispatched to Tomball. Fogarty explained that the original crew that appeared last year shot “a lot of footage” when they filmed and would likely use the extra film they have from their previous visit for the new show.

Fogarty said the new show will likely focus on “the larger portions, the good prices and the home style atmosphere” Goodson’s provides.

Above, Goodson’s Jimmy Fogarty shows off a plate of the restaurant’s famous chicken fried steak, which will be featured on the Travel Channel’s “America’s 101 Tastiest Places to Chow Down.”

Photo by Holly Dutton

Last year, a Travel Channel film crew made the trip from California to Tomball to film an episode of “Food Paradise.” Goodson’s was featured in the fried food episode where producers highlighted – what else? – the famous chicken fried steak.

Making brief cameos and comments in the segment were Tomball Mayor Gretchen Fagan and Tomball Area Chamber of Commerce President Bruce Hillegeist.

More than a decade ago, ABC Channel 13’s long running program “The Eyes of Texas” visited Goodson’s and announced the restaurant was “Home to the Best Chicken Fried Steak in Texas,” a claim the restaurant still touts today.

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