An hour north of Dallas, on the Texas-Oklahoma border along the Red River you’ll find a small town called Denison. It’s a small blue collar town where my girlfriend, Amy, grew up.
Over the past two years, I’ve spent quite a bit of time there and every visit always includes trip to neighboring Sherman for a requisite stop at City Limits for dinner and drinks. It’s the kind of place where clouds of cigarette smoke billow indoors and beards, rhinestone belts, and camouflaged clothes are the norm.
Red checkered tablecloths top the crowded tables and local high school sports memorabilia lines the walls. It’s a great spot for a night out with family or a gathering of friends and always feels like a sort of reunion because nearly everyone there went to either Sherman or Denison High School.
If you’re in the know, you’ll be sure to make some off-menu selections like Denny-ritas which are super-strong frozen margaritas served in a nondescript salt-rimmed white mug. These cheap, frozen drinks go down easy and will throw you on your ass just as easily if you’re not careful.
After you put down your first Denny-rita, I’m sure you’ll want something to munch on and City Limits has plenty of finger-food to offer. You’ll find City Limits is at its strongest with hearty, deep-fried foods.
For me, a trip to City Limits is never complete without an order of Jalapeño Strips. For this dish, they slice fresh green jalapeño peppers into long, thin strips which are then battered and deep fried to order. They come out golden brown and are served with some of the most incredible buttermilk ranch I’ve ever had. They make the sauce themselves and I’ve heard that one little cup of it is over 600 calories!
These jalapeño strip are ridiculously delicious. They are a bit spicy, very crunchy, and I always find it incredibly difficult to not eat the whole basket myself. This is absolutely one my favorite foods in the world.
Another off-menu option you won’t want to miss is their Hand-battered Chicken Tenders. These massive pieces of chicken are battered to order, fried fresh, and come out extraordinarily crisp. The meat inside remains miraculously moist and flavorful though I still enjoy giving each one a hearty dunk in the buttermilk ranch.
This local eatery is certainly not a spot for the faint of heart or, well, heart conscious. But, for strong margaritas, perfectly executed deep fried dishes, and a ton of ridiculously delicious buttermilk ranch dipping sauce, City Limits never fails.
Got another place in north Texas that I should check out? Let me know in the comments below.
City Limits
4521 Texoma Pkwy. Sherman, TX 75090
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