Czech Stop - West, TX

At Exit 353 between Dallas and Austin straddling I-35 lies a small Czech community which contains perhaps the best snack in the state of Texas.

For a small town touting several authentic Czech bakeries, the single best item is at a gas station, right off the interstate.

I give you...

...drum roll please...

...the Hot Chubbie with Cheese

Don't even get me started on the name.  It's one of the reasons, but not the reason, that you order it with cheese, so that you don't have to say to the girl behind the counter, "give me a hot chubbie"...which may leave you wondering..."IS IT, OR ISN'T IT"?

These things used to have a name you could be proud of, Czech Stop Hots, which were nearly identical to the Chubbies, but the sausage was cut in half lengthwise, so you just got half.  Somewhere along the line, the old Czech ladies making these things got lazy, stopped cutting them, upped the price, and changed the name to something quite ridiculous, despite the fact that the CSH's half-sausage made that kolache the perfect size, gave it the perfect meat to cheese to pastry ratio (M:C:P), and helped the whole thing stay together better.  (I've raised this with them, and it was very, very clear that they didn't give a damn what I thought)   Anyway, sorry...the real reason you order it with cheese is because the cheese is the some of the most perfect processed American cheese that I've ever had.  I don't know whether it's Velveeta, Land O'Lakes Extra Melt Yellow, or some top secret government cheese that they've gotten their hands on, but it stays melted once heated and provides the perfect flavor and texture to go with the sweetness and softness of the buns and the snap and the heat of the sausage (WHOOOOAAAA!  IS IT, OR ISN'T IT?)

And the cheese isn't the only great part of these things.  One of the things that really makes a Chubbie are the sweet, soft buns (what?), which despite being melt in your mouth soft, do really well in contain the spicy sausage (huh?).  The sausage is homemade, and has great flavor and pretty substantial, but not overbearing, heat.  These ingredients come together perfectly, and it's the ultimate road food too.  This Chubbie is self-contained, not messy at all, and fills you up.  If you're going to eat it on the road, ask them to heat it up, but you can also get them boxed up to go, or even frozen.  They're all great, and allow you to have a Chubbie at home!

Now, as many times as I've stopped in this place, I've had a chance to try most of their kolaches.  Here's what they've got:

From a traditional fruit kolache point of view, I'm guessing you're going to get more authentic and probably better kolaches a half mile away in town, as well as some of the traditional non-fruit kolaches.  Try them here if you want, but don't come here for them.

Simply put, when you stop here, get the Hot Chubbie with Cheese.  There are other ones that are pretty good, and which I still sometimes get in addition to a HCwC...poppy seed, sausage swiss and kraut, jalapeno sausage with cheese, sausage with cheese, and breakfast sausage with cheese (runner up to the HCwC, and one I get on morning drives)...but I always come back for a Chubbie, which stands much taller than all the rest.

Summary

Atmosphere:  gas station, bakery, cleaner bathrooms on the bakery side, better drink selection on the gas station side

Food:  kolaches, pastries, sandwiches

When to Go:  every single time you get to exit 353 on I-35

Crowd:  it's a gas station, does it really matter?

What to Order for the First Timer:  Hot Chubbie with Cheese, or two