Not too long ago, a writer from Austin and her Texas friend, who has lived in New York since he was a teenager but still calls himself a Texan, scouted out places in the Big Apple that had the feel of the Lone Star state for The New York Times.

"Texans make the best New Yorkers," Robert LeLeux told the writer Ruth Pennebaker. "It's because we're bred for size. New Yorkers appreciate that — our extravagance. We wouldn't play so well in Indiana."

It was a funny article until it got to their selections, which made me cringe. The duo visited Bergdorf Goodman, since it's owned by Neiman Marcus, the Russian Tea Room, because it reminded LeLeux of the opulence of Dallas, and a multiplex to seeTree of Life, a movie partially filmed in Houston.

The list made some of my Texas friends with New York ties laugh out loud.

"Unless the movie was Paris, Texas or Giant I cannot imagine.... I mean a cineplex is a cineplex is a cineplex!!!!!," emailed Neal Hamil, who lived in New York for 20 years as a head honcho at the Eileen Ford Agency and Elite Models before returning to Houston last year.

It was such a lame list that the Times editors felt compelled to buttress it with a sidebar of other more Texas-centric choices, including The Cowgirl Hall of Fame, Hill Country, Rodeo Bar and Rub BBQ.

I knew my Texas friends in the Big Apple, most of whom work in the fashion industry, could up with better options. And they sure did.

Dennis Gleason, an account executive at Company Agenda who hails from Houston, recommends these places:

• Fette Sau — It's a Williamsburg BBQ joint where you buy the meat by the weight and it's served on a tray with sides
• Pinche Taqueria (Soho) — Decent taqueria-style tacos, horchata, etc.
• Molé (locations in Lower East Side and now in Williamsburg) — Good margaritas and Mexican food

"My benchmark for good Mexican food is not the salsa, not the tacos (I've given up on finding good queso) – it's the tortilla chips or the refried beans. I think more than anything, refried beans are a distinct comfort food that reminds of home – even if it's not a terribly glamorous side dish. It's the cheap stuff, you know? Like the tortilla chips... That – and Lone Star beer. That will get me every time," emailed Gleason, who recently celebrated a decade in New York.

Other friends emailed these recommendations, with comments:

• Antiques Garage Flea Market (112 W 25th St.) — "Very unexpected/not New York. Could be the New York version of Round Top."
• Market Table (54 Carmine St.) — "This place reminds me of my favorite restaurant in College Station, Café Eccell. Good food, nice evening out, no frills."
• Village Tavern (46 Bedford St.) — "After 1 a.m. you will hear Texas country on most weekend nights. It’s a spacious bar with a homey feel. Something you might find on a college campus."
• Frying Pan (Pier 66) — "It reminds me of being at Abel's on the Lake in Austin. But really, is there anything that actually compares to Texas??"
• Manana (61st and Madison) — "Order the queso with sausage (off the menu)."
• Rosa Mexicano (First Ave and 58th Street) — "The margaritas are potent and have the same effect as a Ninfarita or a margarita at Armandos or Club No Minors and the Mexican food is absolutely divine."

They all sounds like good choices for the homesick natives. But if you're a Texan visiting New York for a short period of time, why would you want to stop by any of these places when you know that before too long you can be back home and have the real thing?