Regular Joe's Guide

First visit: Sep 2015 Benito's is a legendary Mexican restaurant in Fort Worth, having come around before such establishments were commonplace. We'd never actually been, until very recently. I see places such as this as a good barometer to see where the RJG fits in the local dining culture. Because of its institution status, much ink has been spilled over the years on the pluses - and minuses - of the food and ambiance. Some say it's the ultimate late night dive to cure a hangover (or conversely to tie one on), while others say they have the best breakfast around. One aspect you will constantly read about Benito's is that it's not Tex-Mex, but rather more authentic south of the border fare. Mrs. RJG, born and raised in Sonora, agrees that it certainly feels like a place from the homeland. The food, on the hand, isn't quite as convincing, but it's definitely not Tex-Mex, this she agrees with. This foreshadows our entire experience I'm afraid. They can...

May 13, 2022 update: Gloria's is one of the few chains that have actually expanded in the last seven years. They currently have 17 in the DFW area, 3 in Houston, 2 in Austin, and 1 in San Antonio. Latest visit: Sep 2015 (Colleyville) First visit: 2003 (Addison) You may recall recently that the RJG's official boss was in town from New Jersey and we went to Trulucks in Uptown. Well that same week my former boss, and now good friend, from Phoenix was also in downtown Dallas (I sense a conference here). He's been in these pages before, but I'll rename him Danny Huston since he's a spitting image of the actor. And my friend and peer The Garland Troublemaker (who is also in a few of these posts) was on hand as well. We decided to meet at the Gloria's in Dallas (on Lemmon near Oak Lawn). I had intended on writing about that experience, when I recalled that we have a Gloria's here in Northeast Tarrant as well. The RJG's Official Mom was wanting to take me out...

Latest visit: May 2023 First visit: Sep 2013 And finally we have arrived to our beloved Santa Fe for a full week of work and play. That is - Mr. RJG works and Mrs. RJG plays. Especially this week as it turned out to be hellacious. I really need to retire... But it's still a holiday night and I was optimistic for a slower week that went unfulfilled. This time we stayed at the Hyatt Place, a hotel we inexplicable missed in the past. Last year we rented a casita through Airbnb. Mrs. RJG had some issues with it, and so rather than chance another place, we stuck with a hotel chain. The Doubletree and Courtyard were too expensive, but the Hyatt Place was reasonable. And it proved to be our favorite place to date (though we both missed the balcony that you get at the Doubletree). I had a separate work area, which ended up being quite fortuitous. We decided to repeat exactly what we did last year, and start our Santa Fe dining week at Second Street. And, yes, back at the Rufina location. ...

Last visit: Sep 2015 (North Richland Hills) First visit: sometime in 2006 (Bedford) All locations were closed as of 2016. Here's a place I probably should go to more often than I do. it's just a little far off for a quick lunch, but certainly close enough for a weekend visit. Lately I've been allocating Friday's for places like this. Let's see how long that lasts. What it says on the sign above, "Authentic Philly Foods". Billadelphia's is all about the food of Philadelphia, including their signature cheesesteaks. My first visit to Billadelphia's was in 2006 (while still in Bedford), and my interchange with owner Bill went something along the lines of: "I'll have a wiz wit", and he immediately struck up a conversation along the lines of " You from Philly? ". Nope, but been there a few times for business I said. He then went on to explain that he imports almost everything from Philadelphia including the Amoroso rolls, T...

There are now 3 locations in the Santa Fe area as of 11/29/24. First visit: Sep 2015 We've driven many times past The Pantry as we go up and down Cerrillos, and it is a rare time of the day when there isn't a line around the building. The Pantry is one of the big names for breakfast and lunch in Santa Fe (they also serve dinner until 8:30). It's time for the RJG to venture in. We took a chance on a mid-week brunch hour of 10:30 and got seated immediately. Woohoo! Planning wins again. Food: Traditional American and New Mexican breakfast is the primary draw at The Pantry. They also have a full menu of burgers, sandwiches, Mexican entrees, and comfort foods. There was no question at all what the RJG was going to have: A smothered breakfast burrito with Christmas chile. And it comes with "pantry fries" (potatoes in the vernacular). Out comes this wonderful and large skillet, with a steaming fat burrito and incredible looking cheese and chile staring me in the face....

First visit: Sep 2015 Here's another new restaurant for the RJG. And our first experience was a thumbs up! Though BBQ is in the name, barbeque is only one portion of their rather large menu. They also have steaks, burgers, seafood, and yes, New Mexican cuisine. We went here to add a bit of diversity to our diet, and so I settled on the Pulled Pork BBQ sandwich. Apparently the smothered in Salsa Diablo was featured on the "Heat Seekers" show. They brought mine on the side, and it's definitely a sizzling red chile blend. But nothing overwhelming. In fact we thought it was quite tasty, and I dipped my wonderfully cooked fries into it throughout the meal. Couldn't really tell you if the Pulled Pork was any good on its own, because it was completely drenched in the chipotle barbeque sauce - just as advertised. The brioche bun is perfect for handling the moist sandwich, and managed to stay firm. Overall, an excellent barbeque sandwich. Mrs. RJG, despite the premise o...

Latest visit: May 2023 First visit: Sep 2015 Wednesday ended up being my workday from hell (there's some irony in that sentence, but I'll leave out the details). I could barely get away to eat. I knew lunch was the only option because if I did have any spare time, I was supposed to be sitting in an all day meeting that started at 8 in the morning. That's not realistic. Anyway, we escaped for an hour so I could eat something. We skipped going to Shake Foundation last year, and my notes from the 2021 visit were nothing more than it was still good. I guess I could write the same thing, but we have come to the conclusion that this might be our last visit here. Part of it is the employees that work here. They clearly aren't interested in having paying customers. That means they have to do their jobs, ya know? So the attention to detail is severely lacking. I thought the green chile cheeseburger was good, but Mrs. RJG said it lacked seasoning, perhaps salt. Even the soda was...

Last visit: Aug 2021 First visit: Sep 2015 We've been back to Casa Chimayo twice in the last 6 years (the other was in 2016). Sad to say, neither visit lived up to our review below. While I'm willing to state it's still very good, Mrs. RJG has been more critical. We just don't go to Santa Fe enough to warrant another visit. ---original 9/11/15 review Food: Casa Chimayo's fare is solidly in the New Mexican camp. Perhaps a bit more upscale than the usual New Mexican breakfast/lunch hybrid house. Casa Chimayo offers complimentary chips and salsa, which isn't always a given in New Mexico. The chips were very thick and crisp, clearly homemade, and taste fantastic on their own. The salsa is a thick and smooth red, with garlic and chiles, and very satisfying. For entrees, we both settled in on the Blue Corn Enchiladas, which they proudly state were featured on Fiori's DDD. We weren't feeling diverse this evening, so we both went with the chicken and Christm...

Latest visit: Jun 2023 First visit: Sep 2013 Looks like the "power outage" has been settled lol. No matter, we were looking for something more American than what we'd been eating, and this Jewish Deli has been a favorite of ours for years, I went back to have hot pastrami on rye with brown mustard. Pickle and chips on the side. And a big glass of orange juice. That's all I need! I did try a small piece of Mrs. RJG's bagel. Delicious. Mrs. RJG switched omelet's to the Baja, and she loved it. Excellent green chile (even the Jewish Deli's have a good green in Santa Fe) that wasn't super spicy but possessed excellent flavor. She said the avocado was really good too. New York Deli continues to be our favorite divert-from-New-Mexican breakfast/lunch place. --- 4/12/22 update First time back to the New York Deli since 2016, we decided on an early breakfast versus our usual brunch hour. Because of this I decided to pass on the pastrami sandwich and go with 2 ...

Latest visit: May 2023 First visit: Sep 2015 The day from hell continued into the night, with frantic calls while eating dinner. Like I said, time to retire. Before jumping into the review, this would be a good time to let you all know that yes, Mrs. RJG and I ran over 3 miles every morning while in Santa Fe. We like the La Tierra Trails for that. It's about a 15 minute drive each way from the hotel. The weather was very pleasant, with a little bit of rain, but mostly sunny and cool in the early mornings. This allows us to eat more food than usual. For whatever reason, Fire and Hops seems to be the place that reminds us we're not young anymore. I was thinking of ordering something else other than the Cubano. The hamburger sounded good, but doggone it if that isn't what I had for lunch. And for a gastropub, their offerings are awfully static. I would expect some menu rotation, but that doesn't happen here. The food is exactly what it was last year, and I just can't ...

Latest visit: Mar 2025 First visit: Sep 2014 The RJG's are back to New Mexico! This constitutes my first true road trip as a retiree. The original plan was to eat in Trinidad for lunch. Then we moved it to Pueblo. Tuesday had brought us an unexpected blizzard, so Wednesday morning traffic was a bit dicey. The weather forecasts indicated that those of us who live in the northern sections of Colorado Springs and Monument received the brunt of the storm. And sure enough, it was dry only three Interstate exits south of our house! All the same we had to wait in the morning to get out, so we decided to have breakfast at home. Because of course we knew where our first dinner was going to be at... This time the hotels were back to normal price, and Mr. RJG has tons of hotel points to use from my days traveling for work. We arrived around 2:30, went to a couple of shops, and then headed over to La Choza around 4 (see below). We were about 3rd on the list this time. After 30 minutes, the r...

Latest visit: Jun 2018 First visit: Sep 2006 ---9/9/15 When we first visited Horseman's Haven Cafe, we were on the lookout for the spiciest chile in town. And we found it! We've been regular visitors ever since. While we don't dine here every time we go to Santa Fe (there's so many great restaurants, so little time), we do try for an occasional visit. Especially when I'm hankering for their green! One aspect of New Mexican cuisine you will discover if spending much time in Santa Fe, is an almost apologetic approach to spicy chile heat. You cannot read more than one page of any local restaurant guide without running into the familiar words "it's not about the heat, it's about the flavor" . And while the RJG wholeheartedly agrees with that sentiment, what if we really do want the heat and the flavor ? Answer: Horseman's Haven. This unassuming diner on the way out of town was once a local secret. Today it's found its way onto one of the ma...

Latest visit: Aug 2016 First visit: Sep 2013 ---9/8/15 Del's has become our go-to dinner stop when on the drive from DFW to Santa Fe. This is our 3rd year in a row to visit, and it never disappoints. Well worth stopping in town if you're on I-40 and hungry. There's not much else around between Albuquerque and Amarillo, other than Tucumcari (or Santa Rosa), so it's a wise move to go into town and try them out! Word on the street says the Santa Rosa restaurants aren't up to snuff, though we haven't tried them (yet). Del's menu is a mix of roadside Americana (chicken, fish, steak) and New Mexican specialties. Given that the primary purpose for us being in New Mexico in the first place is to eat the local cuisine, we haven't ventured beyond the native offerings. It would be tempting to declare there's no way a place such as Del's can compete with Santa Fe's finest (which we will cover shortly on the RJG), but that's not really the case at ...

Last visit: Jun 2023 First visit: Sep 2013 It's been 8 years since we last waltzed into Pho Kim. We'd planned this all along, that we would close our Santa Fe dining experience here after having the big breakfast at Valentina's. So after enjoying our Rowley brew, we headed right back to where we started the morning. In the past, we would conclude our first evening here (always on a Sunday after the long journey from DFW) after enjoying a big lunch at Blue Corn, which is sadly no longer (Hidden Mountain just isn't the same). The first thing we noticed is that we are catching them on their last weekend before taking a 2 month break. Wow! Guessing, then, they're heading back home to Vietnam. Unfortunately, why they no doubt were looking forward to their vacation, the restaurant itself feels tired. As in maybe it's time to close down and call it a day. I had a chicken and rice stir fry, which is different than what I referred to below. It was surprisingly very good...

Latest visit: Aug 2015 (Dallas, TX) First visit: Aug 2005 (Dallas, TX) Truluck's maintains 12 locations including the 2 reviewed below. Otherwise they are in disparate areas around the county, but none around Colorado. The RJG recently had his official boss in town from New Jersey and he wanted to meet for dinner. Since he was staying in downtown Dallas sans a car, I recommended we meet just north of there at Truluck's, which has in recent years become my go-to place for business meetings when they (yea, they ) are staying downtown without wheels. It's only a $5 Uber ride according to The Boss. And the RJG has a place to park (valet though), so that's always a plus. And speaking of which, I was completely disoriented when I arrived. This isn't where the restaurant used to be is it? And the answer is no - there's a new structure they built at the other end of the parking lot, and the old building along McKinney has since been torn down. I thought I was havin...