Recent revisits

We're back in DFW, and chowin' down! The following are all places we've been since returning in late October. Well, the C&A visit happened while sneaking back into Texas in the hot summertime of late July.

Lina's still makes some of the best enchiladas and toasted burritos in NE Tarrant. And be sure to get the spicy green!

Cafe Sicilia keeps getting better as the years go by. And the restaurant is packed, demonstrating that the residents of Bedford and the neighboring communities know they have a winner nearby. Next time, try her arrabiata sauce, which has more spicy kick than most!

We still maintain that Fernandez Cafe has the best enchiladas in DFW. We haven't tried them all - not by a long shot - but if you're in the mood for enchiladas, and you're anywhere near Ft. Worth, then give it a try. We gladly make a special trip from NE Tarrant.

C & A's Italian Family is still getting it down right in Roanoke. And the good news is that they have a new location in NE Tarrant. Located in Keller and goes by the name of Tirelli's Deli. We've been once, and on our next visit - we'll report about it.

Taking stock of the blog

So we've been noticeably silent for the last few months, at least for the 3 of you who check back on occasion. The big event is that we did pick up a summer townhome in Denver this summer, so that Mrs. RJG could be closer to her family. And Mr. RJG can get out of the Texas heat. We lived in Denver from 1994 through 2002, and we visit every year, so why not actually spend the whole summer here? And because I run a national practice for a large telecom company, we can live anywhere. And so it came to pass. For the immediate future, we're in DFW from mid-October to mid-May, and the rest in Denver. And Mr. RJG has to go back once in awhile to DFW during the summer for business anyway, so it works out all around.

But what about this blog? I think the idea that we write about every restaurant we eat at is, while a noble concept, not sustainable for long periods of time. One, I'm not that creative of a writer. Two, the reviews and restaurants begin to blend together. Three, I'm not a food reviewer nor do I want to be (as discussed in the original post).

A blog has to have a purpose. And the more narrow the focus, the better it serves the intended audience. Just as in school when you were asked to write a term paper, your teacher would ask for a topic. I was the kid who would say "I'll write about baseball". And the teacher would say that I had to narrow it down. "OK - the Majors". I was a dumb kid... and not much as changed. But as someone who also writes music blogs as well, I do know that a specific focus gives it meaning. And the music blogs I maintain are successful, and easy for me to maintain.

So what is the purpose of this blog? Mainly to continue the legacy of the restaurants of yesteryear. They can be new establishments, but in the old style of cooking. Finding reviews of new restaurants with new concepts is not hard. Your local newspaper does that. As do many foodie blogs. This is a defined sub-culture. They have their rock stars as it were (chefs), and their rabid followers (groupies). Most of these restaurants rarely stay in business for more than a few years, because of the mercurial nature of the chefs behind them. They are artists, and like musicians, tend to be very creative, capricious and temperamental people. Few have good business acumen. Before someone writes in all half-cocked, I said "few" - not NONE.

But I was inspired again recently when I saw what I consider a now VERY typical comment in Urbanspoon. It was in regards to a high end Italian "fusion" place here in Denver. She stated something along the lines of "If you're looking for spaghetti and meatballs, don't come here. This is for people with more sophisticated palates". What an absolute snob. And I see comments like this way too much. That somehow one is more sophisticated if they take a veal chop, and put two asparagus stalks on top like a tee-pee. Or that going into the backyard, and picking the weeds and throwing them in your salad is somehow more genius than a good bowl of romaine or iceberg, with an excellent dressing. And they charge three times more too! Now who's the stupid one? I'm not against new foods, new ideas and new creations. I think that's great, and we'll eat at places like that too. Sometimes for business, I have to. And generally I'm satisfied (though knowing the place probably won't be there the next time I'm in town). When I'm in the kitchen, I like to play around with ingredients too. It's fun. But don't think it makes one more "sophisticated". There are few things better than a really good, homemade meatball, or sausage - mixed in with a red or white sauce recipe handed down for generations.

So with that, I'll probably move to more general postings. Like "some good places to get old school red sauce Italian in Denver", or "Tex Mex in DFW", or "Green chile in Denver", etc... I'll avoid "Best of" lists, only because it implies an exhaustive search, of which I probably haven't done. My ultimate goal is to ensure these places have some recognition since the food snob press completely ignores, or as is sadly the case, derides these places that have been enjoyed for two to three generations. Or new places that emulate them. The key is always "Is it good?". If the answer is yes, then I'll mention it. Otherwise, sometimes an old place is just OLD, and needs to board up and retire.

The other thing I'd like to mention is the comments I receive. If you have an axe to grind, don't use this site as your bully pulpit. I'll delete it without publishing. I'm OK with a negative review, as long as it's well stated and professional. What I'd rather see is encouragement.

Brewery Bar II / III / IV, Mexican, Denver, CO

For any long time resident of Denver, you don't need the Regular Joe's Guide to recommend the Brewery Bar. It was an institution when we first moved here in 1995, and is even more so now - especially given the fact they've opened two more locations in the last 6 years.

The BB II (bee bee eye eye) is everything that the RJG looks for: Local, kind of divey, popular but definitely not hip, unique food, friendly and consistent service, and most importantly, great taste. This is the place where the cops, politicians and mobsters share a meal together - and maybe make a deal on the side. Where local sports celebrities may show up at the bar, and be treated with all the spectacle of a local neighbor. Where the lazy journalists hang out all day and get more scoop over a bowl of green chile, than a whole day of pounding the pavement. Judges and councilman plot the future of the city right here - over a smothered chile relleno. One time we were with a friend who locked his keys in the car. Two minutes later someone was walking by that just "happened to have" his lock pick kit with him. Gee, what luck! Yea-huh.

The original location was in the old Tivoli Brewery near downtown (thus the name), and when they shut it for renovations to add yuppie stores and shops, the exceedingly low budget Brewery Bar needed to move on. The "II" was born. They could not have found a better spot - an old closed down tacky strip joint just west of downtown in a seedy section known today as "Baker", but what locals would have called a "no go area". From the parking lot, you can see a grain elevator, warehouses and the railroad. Hardly the picturesque mountain scenery of your travel brochure. Jack Kerouac would've loved this place. This is the real Denver......man.

So what's all the fuss about anyway? Green Chile. Bowls of it. And hot enough to blow your head off. You will sweat and you will cry. And you love every minute of it, as the flavors become more vibrant with each bite. You can smother your burrito or chile relleno with it. Hell, you can smother anything in it. It's not even really a green chile at all - it just happens to have lots of very hot green peppers buried in there. No one in New Mexico would recognize their state dish. This is the real Denver.....man.

I don't think you can have a bad meal at the Brewery Bar. Even the crunchy ground beef tacos are world class, loaded to the top with tasty meat and cheese. And you get a yummy unique taco sauce to go with it, not just the chips table salsa. And make sure you wash everything down with a Colorado beer. A "big bowl of green, two beef tacos and a tiny Fat Tire" is my idea of heaven. (tiny = 24 oz).

Fussy yuppies complain that it's "dirty", that it's not like Chili's or any other pre-fabricated corporate dining experience. Well so sorry Amber, but the Brewery Bar wasn't designed with you in mind. It was made for Bill and Alice - and they don't give a rats poop what you think. Bill and Alice don't know how to ski either, and you're ruining their Denver.

Over the years, The Brewery Bar became too popular for its own good and getting into the place for lunch was near impossible unless you showed up before 11 or after 2. So they surveyed the folks on where they came from. No surprise that the Denver Tech Center (DTC) was a main source of the crowds. Hell, me and a few friends alone probably contributed to that. Not a week would go by where the blue shirt, tan pants, beeper (pre cell phone days) crowd would make our weekly pilgrimage. The locals even liked us - sort of. So they opened the BB III in the DTC. Only the Brewery Bar could open a new place that looked like a dive. Surrounding by corporate restaurant hell, the Brewery Bar III is a beacon for all that is good with the world.

Finally they opened the BB IV (eye vee) - now how apropos is that? Because indeed one does feel the need to I.V. the chile after awhile. This location is in Aurora near the intersection of Arapahoe and Parker (Hwy 83). And again, the Brewery Bar sits amongst the Publicly Traded restaurants - and once again it has become the most popular restaurant in the area. This is the location we go to, out of convenience more than anything else. Besides, it still looks and feels like a dive.

Funny enough, they did capitulate a bit on the heat levels for their new restaurants. And they now offer a mild and a half and half. Oh pu-leeze. Just go for it.

Want the real Denver? Go to the BB II, and have a bowl of green, and don't wimp out on the heat. John Elway may be the guy sitting next to you at the bar. And no one cares - he's a regular.

City Pub, Tavern, Denver, CO

Ah, the neighborhood tavern. A relic from a bygone era, when one would stop by after a hard day of work and share a brew or two with old friends before heading to the chaos of home. The tavern's death knell were the sprawling suburbs, where driving distances to and fro work were long and time consuming. Drinking and driving laws became more strict, and the suburbs were rarely served by public transportation. My uncle, who lived in the inner burbs of Seattle, loved taverns. He knew them all within a 5 mile radius, what beers they served, the bar flys, the food, the waitresses, the bartenders and the patrons. It gave him a reason to live. When he died a couple of years ago, they were all gone and bulldozed - had to make room for one more Olive Garden, a Home Depot and a Starbucks.

And with that, City Pub is a welcome sight indeed. It's a throwback to another age. A dark, perhaps unwelcoming place - at least for newcomers. But once in the door, it seems oddly familiar. It's part of the neighborhood. And, maybe best of all, City Pub is a new addition to this southeast Denver area, an extension of the already established City Grille, which resides near downtown - the one area where places like this can still survive. And if you do decide to drown your daily sorrows, it's less than a 15 minute walk to the Dayton Light Rail station. The RJG loves public transportation - it brings the community back together.

All this is fine and dandy, but if the food doesn't hold up, then it's just another dive bar that will see its demise soon. Fortunately City Pub puts a strong emphasis on the quality of their product. They boldly proclaim "Best Burgers in Town" on the sign out front, and you know what, they may have a case here. The steakburgers, with an array of cheese choices, are delicious. Heavily seasoned to penetrate the quality ground beef. Fries are good, if perhaps not exceptional. Maybe best of all is the green chile, an award winning concoction that has exceptional flavor and a little kick to it. City Pub offers many other dishes, of which the RJG is excited to try in the future. Especially appealing is the Wednesday night special of spaghetti and sausage. We'll be there.

Keep the neighborhood concept alive, forgo the national chains, and support your local independent.

City Pub is on Yosemite, just south of Hampden, on the west side of the road.

Website: http://www.citygrille.com/citypub/

Habanero's, Fresh Mex, Ft. Worth, TX

Fresh Mex has become a euphemism for "California styled Mexican food", which in itself is a recent designation. In the 1960s and 70s, crunchy fast food ground beef tacos were prevalent. Today, unless you're the Olsen twins ('tis true my friends), most Californian's turn up their nose at such non-traditional fare.

So Habanero's, along with Grapevine's Baja Grill, offer folks in NE Tarrant a chance to sample what you would find walking the streets of San Diego.

The results are mixed, but generally good. The salsa bar does indeed carry one variation of the great habanero, though it's pretty tame compared to what it could be.

The burritos are giant - and you can get them smothered in green chile, something the RJG has enjoyed since we first lived in Colorado. The flavors are, again, a bit average. it would be nice if the owners would let loose a little. But the neighborhood it's in, far north Ft. Worth, may not be quite ready for such exotic flavors.

The wife says the fish tacos are good, but she's had better.

It's an order up - serve later kind of fast food place, and service can be spotty. They lost our order once.

Gutierrez, Mexican, Hays, KS

I'm going to start adding some quick reviews to this blog. These are ones I have/will write for Urbanspoon. The intention is to have a few quick thoughts, but not anything overly elaborate. Not to say my reviews are any great shakes to begin with - but these are even less so.

So we'll start with Gutierrez, a Mexican restaurant we found while spending a night in Hays - while moving some things from DFW to Denver.

I wish Urbanspoon offered a middle grade between "I like it" and "I don't like it". Judging from the relatively low score for Gutierrez, I'm thinking most of the "don't" votes may be more towards the middle. That's where we sit. This is fairly bland, safe, Mexican food.

Gutierrez makes a big deal out of not being a chain. I think they do that because they ACT like a chain. Give us some spicy options! Put tequila in the margarita for crying out loud! But to say we didn't like it isn't fair either, as their basic salsa's are tasty - one containing that smooth texture that the Kansas taco chains are known for. The ground beef was heavily seasoned, though not overly tasty. The chicken is all white meat, and prepared very well.

Hays is a great place to stop on the long journey to and from Denver on I-70. But I would recommend Taco Grande over Gutierrez. Next time, though, we're trying the brew pub!

New Dynasty, Chinese, Parker, CO

New Dynasty remains one of our favorite Chinese restaurants. While we wouldn't say it's anything extraordinary, or even unusual, it is rather their consistency that is both its trademark and appeal. Today, Chinese restaurants seem to come in two types: Take out dives and fancy Asian "fusion" restaurants as spearheaded by the success of P.F. Changs. Gone are the old style "Tong hangouts" of dark reds and golds, the places that may have operated a den of iniquity in the back rooms. New Dynasty is none of those, but the food quality reminds me of the old school dark rooms of yesteryear, prettied up for the suburban community in which it sits.

All the basics of Chinese food are prepared here. We both love the fried rice dishes, expertly prepared. It's a staple, sure, but our philosophy at the RJG is: If you can't make the basics, then why should we presume you can make fancier and more complex dishes? We became regulars at New Dynasty since they first opened in 2001. It looks like we'll be regulars again - at least for the summer.

New Dynasty is located near Jordan and Lincoln. Head south on Jordan and the first shopping center on your left is where New Dynasty sits.

Website: http://www.ufeedme.com/newdynasty/index.htm