Regular Joe's Guide

Saviano's, Italian, Euless-TX

2012-01-30T14:14:00.004-06:00

I tend to forget about Saviano's when thinking of Italian restaurants in NE Tarrant. I had just mentioned a few days ago about restaurants that we frequent the most, and that we're struggling to settle on a great Italian joint in the area. I don't think Saviano's necessarily solves that dilemma, but they're definitely part of the equation. One potential reason we don't think of them is their location at the far southeastern edge of our primary coverage area. By being situated on Euless Main and 183, Saviano's is further for us than many places in Ft. Worth proper or Arlington even. No matter, as Saviano's has proven to be very popular with the locals and was again packed to the rafters on this particular evening. Incidentally, it was on our way here that we first discovered the Mexican Inn in Bedford had shut down.

Last visit: January 2012

First time listing

Other location: Ft. Worth (Sundance Square)

Saviano's has recently opened a second location in downtown Ft. Worth, that has also proven to be very popular. And why not really, as Saviano's is truly old school Italian, something that isn't as common in DFW as you might think. St. Louis, Chicago and Philadelphia we are not. And speaking of which, Saviano's originally came to DFW with a 20 year resume of cooking in Long Island, New York where food like this can be found on every corner - or so it seems.

All the meals come with garlic knots and salads. The latter is a simple mix of iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, celery and a delicious red wine vinaigrette dressing. The garlic knots are very chewy, buttery, garlicky and subsequently very tasty. The dishes here have a focus on the southern Italian regions, but they also have a wide variety of other entrees to choose from including Cacciatore, Alfredo, Marsala, etc... I appreciate their baked dishes, as the meals come out in those heavy duty "blackened" dishes (I love those), with bubbling cheese holding down the sizzling red sauce (and their sauce is delicious). Bury a homemade meatball or sausage in there for extra enjoyment. On this visit, the ziti was a little overcooked, so that's a bozo no-no. I'll let it slide, as everything else was well executed. These places need to learn how to cook al dente pasta earlier in the day. We passed on dessert as is our custom.

Saviano's is not BYOB, so we bought a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon for a little under $20.

We've been coming to Saviano's since about 2005 or so, but it's been a few years since we last visited. Since that time, they've made the place more welcoming with dimmer lights throughout, as well as adding a full bar with a large flat screen to enjoy some sports. Parking is hard to come by up front, so you may need to pull around to the back. Dinner is traditional dining and served by a wait staff. It used to be that lunch was counter service. It appears that might still be the case, but I'm not certain. On our last visit in 2008, it was. But that was a long time ago.

Have a hankering for some Old School Italian? Try Saviano's

Website

Mexican Inn Cafe, Mexican, Ft. Worth area chain

2012-01-29T13:00:00.003-06:00

OK, moving this one forward as we have some updates to share. First, I regret to inform you all that the Bedford location is now closed. It appears it may been a victim of eminent domain, with concern to all the construction in the area. Or it may just have lost its customer base - folks who didn't want to deal with the 121/183 mess.

So we decided to try the "next closest" location which technically is on Lancaster Avenue just east of Beach. Though honestly, the one on Henderson or Camp Bowie is probably just as quick to drive to. None of these are around the corner, that's for sure.

And what did we learn, that most of you already know? The 4 Ft. Worth locations and one Lake Worth site have much smaller menus than the Bedford one did! If we want Chicken and Shrimp Ole, we're going to have to haul much further south to Burleson or Mansfield. We were told that the old Bedford location may open in the Precinct Line / 183 area in Hurst near the NE mall (probably close to the new In-N-Out Burger I would presume). All speculation at this point.

Anyway, the small menu is not a huge deal, as the chips (fried fritos), salsa and margaritas are the same. So I tried the arroz con pollo, which is chicken and Mexican rice covered with a chili cheese sauce and a few slices of jalapenos thrown on top. Mrs. RJG and I still enjoyed our respective meal immensely. Mexican Inn is flat out just a good old fashioned Tex Mex place. And this location was very nice and clean on our visit.

Last visit: January 2012 (Ft. Worth - Lancaster Avenue)

First listed in the RJG: November 16, 2011

NE Tarrant locations: none (see above - hopefully they'll be back soon!)

Current Locations: Ft. Worth (4), Lake Worth, Burleson, Mansfield

It's been 6 years since our last visit to the Mexican Inn Cafe, a place that originally didn't make an impression one way or the other. And thus it continued to fall further down the stack in the database, and eventually was forgotten. But the RJG is trying to revisit places that were promising at one time and we just haven't bothered to go back. Such is the case with the Mexican Inn.

And in this case the promise was fulfilled. My original notes said something like "great chips, excellent margaritas, so-so tacos and enchiladas." And you know what? I'd still say something like that. BUT... there's more to the story this time. The RJG is no different than most of you I presume - it's all about finding the right dish. My greatest hesitation about writing off a restaurant is that I may have just missed the meal they do get right. And on this visit, already knowing that their Tex-Mex offerings are decent, but not great, I went for the Chicken and Shrimp Olé. Olé indeed! Now this is worth driving many miles for. The shrimp was buttery and delicious, while the tender white chicken breast is covered in a sublime chipotle barbecue sauce. The rice soaked up the shrimp butter, and was perfectly cooked. And the charro beans had a strong bacon flavor. Really.... wow, it was absolutely great. The kind of dish I could see craving. I have no idea if its consistent time in and time out, but I'm certain to find out. The Mrs. went for a more traditional Tex-Mex of a ranchero covered beef enchilada (she ordered chicken and got beef - eh, it happens - we didn't make a fuss) and a beef taco. The ranchero sauce had a nice kick, and she really enjoyed the dried ground beef. For me, the only drawback is the ground beef itself, which seems to be a bit bland to be honest. Which probably explains my original notes from 2005. And speaking of those notes: The frozen margarita (and the Mrs. had one on the rocks) was still excellent. And perhaps best of all - the chips themselves, which are entirely unique. They're fried corn strips that look like fritos basically - and taste delicious on their own even without sauce. I'll be honest here, the chips are seriously greasy. Crispy, but oily. I know plenty of folks that wouldn't eat these. But not the RJG! We don't run 4 miles a day for fun you know. Rather it's so we can enjoy food like this. And live to tell the tale. Oh, and finally the hot sauce is very good - a pureed tomato blend with a medium kick. Only downside is they don't have a "hotter one" for the RJG - oh, pobrecito :-(

Mexican Inn is a storied Ft. Worth legend that traces its roots to 1936. Like many places from the Depression era, the restaurant was founded by a colorful character, who also ran a gambling den upstairs - ensuring profits one way or the other. The original location was torn down only a few years ago. We've only been to the NE Tarrant representative in Bedford, but I suspect they're all well run. The closer you get to the heart of Ft. Worth, the more authentic it will get. The vibe that is. The Bedford location is Disneyland styled Old Mexico. I mean, what else could it be right?

Olé!

Website

Removing Bedford locale for Urbanspoon and adding Lancaster Ave. (for now).

RJG's most frequented NE Tarrant restaurants

2012-01-25T16:38:00.006-06:00

As we have a break in the action, I thought it would be a good time to recap some of our most frequented places (not the same thing as listing our favorites). But first a few comments on how we got here.

If you follow this blog on a regular basis, you could come away with the impression that we only go out for our meals. We actually eat at home more, especially for dinner. Still, we do manage to get out on most days, usually for lunch. The main reason for this is that I work from home. In fact, I've been doing this for close to 13 years now. When I first started with this arrangement, I did what I think most folks would do in my shoes - eat at home for lunch. I'd give myself 15 minutes to gobble down a sandwich, and back to work I went. That's not a healthy way to live. And Mrs. RJG was working back then too (on location), so even if I did go out, it would be a lonely pursuit. In the last few years, I finally got smart and started scheduling lunch, and made sure no one plopped a meeting on top of it. That's one thing you learn when you have the privilege of working out of your house - everyone thinks they have access to you 24/7. So it's really up to you to put the boundaries up - just like going to an office. And now that Mrs. RJG is home with me - it's a great opportunity to sample the many restaurants in the area. We need to eat anyway, and lunch portions are more suitable to our diet. And usually the prices are more reasonable than at dinner. So we're taking advantage of the situation as much as possible. But since I am still working, I can't take too long for lunch, and so we try to focus solely on the NE Tarrant area.

As such, I definitely try to plan for a mix of places we love and restaurants we have only tried a couple of times, or are new to us. Just about everything is up for consideration with the exception of sushi (sorry folks, that's just not appealing to either of us).

So I thought I would list places we frequent at least once a month in NE Tarrant. There aren't that many, and even some of the restaurants we really like do not see us on a monthly basis. For example, I love Clown Burger, but only get there a couple of times a year.

This "routine", as it were, changes frequently. For example, if I put out a similar list back in October, you would have seen Fuzzy's Taco Shop and My New York Pizza. Now that's stopped. No particular reason - we still like them! Some, like Sea Siam , Anamia's and Bangkok, have remained on the list for 5 years and going!

The current list of most frequented (all are in the blog):

Sea Siam (Thai)
Bangkok Cuisine (Thai)
Everything German (German) NEW!
Anamia's (Mexican)
Abuelo's (Mexican)
Fresco's (Mexican) ehh - maybe once every 2 months. Love it though.
Funky Baja's (Taqueria/Fresh Mex)
Panchita's (Mexican) NEW!
Chapps Cafe (Hamburgers)
Yu's Gold-In (Chinese)

Some of the chains like Jersey Mike's and Whataburger will usually see us at least once in a two month period. Del Taco is a current favorite because it just opened locally. Palio's Pizza Cafe is starting to see us more and more, so maybe I'll add that in next time.

The one major food category that we just cannot settle on in NE Tarrant is Italian. We really like Oliva's and Italianni's and the many Eastern European run establishments we've posted about here (Cafe Italia, Cafe Sicilia, Oggi Italian, Niki's, etc...). But none are a clear favorite like Pietro's in Dallas (which we sadly only get to about once or twice a year).

And then there's the hypothetical's - as in the "What if such and such were here, I'd go all the time" debate. I think the big name for me would be Flying Saucer Draught Emporium. Certainly the Southlake Town Square would look better with one right?

Chencho's, Mexican, North Richland Hills-TX

2012-01-24T12:13:00.003-06:00

First visit: January 2012

Chencho's sits in a former Italian restaurant location that was a 3 time loser. This location originally housed a Ferrari's, a place that had more notoriety via the news than it did amongst diners (never a good sign). We never sampled the place ourselves. This was followed by the Bella Cafe. Mrs. RJG and I dined there a couple of times. It was decent, but very typical of the Italian food found in NE Tarrant. And finally Mia Cafe went up and was well on its way to closure, when the final owner wised up and said "You know what? Maybe this isn't a good location for an Italian restaurant." Ya think? So he wisely found another partner, from nearby Alvarado's in fact, and launched a Mexican restaurant. I'm usually hesitant to be "first" to try a restaurant, but we were in the area, and said why not? We added it to Urbanspoon, and it still hasn't garned much attention to date. But it should - it's definitely worth a try. Looks like someone matched our positive with a negative. Who's right? You tell us.

Chencho's is not just a typical Tex-Mex place with warmed over enchiladas and soggy tacos. It's really somewhere between a taqueria, Tex-Mex and a New Mexican place. And I'm not going to tell you this is a Santa Fe styled restaurant - because it is absolutely not - but they do have delicacies typically only found on our Western frontier. They offer adobada as well as green chile sauces, which are more associated with New Mexico or Colorado. And they have rolled tacos, which of course are more southern Californian. Chencho's has a wide range of dishes to choose from, and we actually ventured only to Tex-Mex just to ensure a certain standard, before trying any of the New Mexican or tacqueria options. And they did a great job on the tacos y enchiladas - both in the texture and taste of the meat, as well as the spicy salsa they poured on top. I opted for grilled chicken, and it was delicious - and not something many places are willing to stuff your enchilada with - for the same prices as shredded chicken. Rice and beans were good as well.

The chips were standard but the salsas were not. BOTH salsas that came out were on the spicy side, which endeared Chencho's to us right away, and did not require me to ask for a hotter option. And they tasted like no other sauce I've ever had. Unique chile salsas with a kick are going to score points with the RJG.

As of last week, they stated to us they were going to start serving free beer and margaritas. For those that know the Texas law, if you don't have a liquor license, then you can't sell alcohol, but there's nothing to stop them from giving it away. I don't know if they implemented that yet or not, so don't hold me to it. I suspect they are working on a license in the meantime.

Caution here: We've only been once and we liked it. There aren't any reviews to corroborate ours, so you'll be pioneering like we did. But based on our one visit - I think it's worth a shot. The decor is very humble, so this isn't exactly a night on the town kind of place. But for local grub, it's very good and we're likely to try it a few more times in the near future.

Cool River Cafe, Steakhouse, Irving-TX

2012-01-23T08:59:00.004-06:00

Last visit: January 2012 (Las Colinas)

First time listing

Other locations: Austin, TX; Denver, CO

The RJG first visited Cool River in Denver (on business) sometime around 2001 or so. After that, all the visits have been at their Las Colinas location, starting in 2005. We had an office nearby, and this was a popular place to take clients, vendors, partners, etc...

Cool River is clearly geared towards the male business traveler. And on this business visit last week, the four of us dudes fell in lockstep. We started at the bar for cocktails, frozen margaritas, beer (nice selection of micros) and wine. Then we headed over to the billiards room and shot a few games of stick. Then off to dine where we feasted on large mounds of red meat. And finally a trip to the cigar bar to puff on some stogies, while being served drinks by cute girls in slinky cocktail dresses. Now on this later point, the RJG doesn't smoke, but having grown up with it, I have no objection to sitting in the room and polishing off a Chimay (Rouge) while they smoke away.

Personally I think their steaks are some of the finest in the area. And the sides are excellent as well (I tried the basmati rice this time). As you can see from the Urbanspoon box below, 69% is a pretty low score. Most of the gripes seem to stem from the high prices, but it's not near as expensive as some of Dallas' finest steakhouses as you will find on the North Tollway. And it's somewhat a given that you come here on an expense account - and it's location on MacArthur in Las Colinas only underscores that point. Definitely not a fun for the whole family kinda place!

Simply put: A great place to meet or host clients.

Website

Cafe Italia, Italian, Grapevine-TX

2012-01-20T13:29:00.006-06:00

Last visit: January 2012 (Grapevine - NW Hwy location)

First time listing

Other location: Grapevine (Hwy 26)

Cafe Italia is probably the epitome of the type of Italian food you're likely to run across in NE Tarrant. And one can argue that it may be the best of the Eastern European owned Italian eateries in the area. We've been going to Cafe Italia almost since we moved to the area in 2003, though not on any kind of regular basis. All the same, it's surprising that we're just now getting around to posting about it. In the early days, because of its popularity, there was usually a line out the door. So they further opened a second "overflow" location a few miles south near the Grapevine ISD football stadium. This overflow site eventually became a full-blown restaurant unto itself, and now they enjoy full crowds (with lines) at both locations - especially on weekend nights.

Cafe Italia is a hybrid of northern and southern Italian cooking with white, red, pink and wine sauces to choose from. They have some ambitious specials, so if you're looking for something beyond the tried and true, definitely consider a visit here. I've talked about other such Italian restaurants in the area previously, so not a whole lot of other things to discuss here. It's BYOB as is the norm, and the service is generally impeccable. Their pizzas look good but we haven't tried them. Both locations are well decorated, and offer a warm welcome. Cafe Italia can be a destination as a date restaurant or a good place to bring friends.

To the best of my knowledge, the Grapevine Cafe Italia's are not related to any other restaurant with that name in the DFW area.

Website (for Hwy 26 location) Though the menu is the same for both locations.

Jersey Mike's, Sandwiches, National chain

2012-01-17T12:42:00.001-06:00

Glub, glub, glub goes the RJG as he can barely keep his head above water. Lots going on in my corporate life... and yet eating out still goes on. Trying to keep the momentum here. Time for a Jersey Mike's update, probably our favorite "cold sub" dining option. Last week was our first revisit in awhile.

Last visit: January 2012 (Southlake)

First listed in the RJG: May 28, 2008

NE Tarrant locations: Southlake, Watauga, Hurst

Total Texas locations: 27

Jersey Mike's is an excellent example of a national / corporate chain that is actually quite good. IMO, Jersey Mike's is considerably better than others in the same corporate category such as Subway and Blimpie's.

The RJG first ran into the name Jersey Mike's from an obscure lonely Dallas location not far from where I grew up in Northwest Dallas, in the Tom Thumb shopping center on Forest Lane near Marsh. It was a favorite place to have lunch with Dad. In those days lunch with Dad meant we had a choice of going to a sub sandwich place - or - going to a sub sandwich place. "I have an idea, Dad - let's go to sub place!", "OK - either Great Outdoors or Jersey Mike's" he'd generously offer as my two choices. And so we did just that on a regular basis. I'm pretty sure it was in the 1987-1989 timeframe, as Mr. RJG was just getting his career started. They closed not long after they opened and I never heard the name again for many years. In fact, I thought they were a little independent at the time. They didn't have locations in Colorado through 2002 (they do now), and I didn't hear the name again until we moved back in 2003 and they had opened their "first ever DFW location" on Greenville Avenue. Apparently the Dallas Warning News also forgot about the NW Dallas location. Am I the only one who remembers? Maybe it was all a dream - seems to be the thing to do in Dallas (esoteric TV reference).

I'm guessing not long after, they opened the 2nd DFW location in Las Colinas (on MacArthur just north of 114), which was perfect as I had one of 'dem nice offices in one of 'dem big buildings in Las Colinas. So it became a regular once a week routine, reminding me fondly of my much missed Dad. The RJG no longer works for Big Software Company You've Actually Heard Of, and now works for Big Telecom Company Everyone Has Heard Of. Except now I work exclusively from home here in NE Tarrant (or Denver), so going to Las Colinas is pretty rare anymore.

As an aside, Mrs. RJG says that Jersey Mike's is her favorite sub sandwich place as well (note that down ladies, as Mrs. RJG has decidedly feminine tastes).

(3/4/10 note: I want to leave what I said here from the original 5/28/08 post, as it was definitely prophetic): "As I said in the C&A Italian Family Deli post, finding a good sandwich in NE Tarrant is pretty tough, so if I was RegularJoeFranchise, I'd give serious thought to opening one in Southlake, Keller, Colleyville or North Richland Hills." And indeed it came to pass that Jersey Mike's opened in Southlake not long after.

The problem with any corporate chain, is that you can't count on one location being as great as another, but I can say the Las Colinas and Southlake locations are uniformly good. The managers are usually there, and they do a great job of cutting the meat at the slicer, and assembling with the usual fresh toppings. One thing the RJG likes about Jersey Mike's is the heavy use of Italian meats (Cappacuolo, Proscuittini along with the usuals like salami and pepperoni) thus separating them from the national competition.

Website

For Urbanspoon, I'll add just one location - and I'll make it the Southlake one, since we now frequent that the most.

Tolbert's, Texana, Grapevine-TX

2012-01-11T11:30:00.001-06:00

Still a favorite local place of the RJG. A great restaurant to take out of town guests!

Last visit: January 2012

First listed in the RJG: July 3, 2008

The Love and War in Texas post had me thinking about Tolbert's, and as timing would have it, my neighbor Mr. SS and I agreed to meet there for lunch soon after.

Simply put, Tolbert's is my favorite place to bring out of town guests who are looking for something uniquely "Texan". Originally started by Frank X. Tolbert, the legendary journalist who co-founded the Terlingua Chili Cookoff. In 1976, Tolbert opened a chili-themed restaurant in Dallas that eventually closed down. Fast forward a few years later, and his daughter and her husband reopened the place, but in a far more appropriate locale: Downtown old Grapevine.

The setting simply could not be more perfect. The restaurant is set as the cornerstone of one of the many old buildings lining the old town, this one from 1911. Tolbert's is a large space, with a fireplace, full bar, multiple open rooms, and now a concert stage (though I personally preferred the old closed room, which presumably was for rehearsal dinners, conference gatherings, and the like - guessing business for this wasn't brisk). One can just imagine riding in on horseback, roping it to the post out front, slamming through the saloon doors, ceiling fans whirling above... and demanding some chili and a beer.

The food, naturally enough, has a traditional Texas focus with chili, Tex-Mex, chicken fried steak, beef steak and hamburgers dominating the menu. I always get a bowl of red, and ask for it 5 alarm. Sometimes it really is spicy and other times it's medium. Today's chili was a bit mild for me, but it's always delicious. As well, I'll get a Henderson County burger. Mrs. RJG will tell you that Tolbert's has the best burgers in town, and while I might not go that far, it does underscore how good they are. Mr. SS went for a bowl of 5 alarm red and a chicken fried steak. We both enjoyed a couple of rounds of Shiner Bock, the perfect Texas beer complement. Though for a time they used to have $1 Lone Star's, and while it's a yucky industrial beer, there was something highly appealing about it considering the setting. But those days are gone I'm afraid...

Have family from out of town, and not sure where to take them? Start right here with Tolbert's. You'll be known as the family know-it-all who has the "in" on all the good places in town.

Website

Yu's Gold-In, Chinese, Keller-TX

2012-01-09T08:11:00.001-06:00

Yu's Gold-In remains our favorite Chinese take out in NE Tarrant - though we've hardly tried them all.

Last visit: January 2012

First listed in the RJG: November 23, 2009

As mentioned in the September entry, it had been my goal to group similar restaurants for a more comprehensive and useful post. But when it comes to Chinese food in NE Tarrant, we've only found one we like to date - and we really like it - and that would be Yu's Gold-In.

While we certainly haven't been to them all, we have tried many Chinese joints in NE Tarrant including: Golden China (Southlake), Hong Kong Express (Keller & North Richland Hills), New China (Watauga), Pearl (Grapevine), Ying Cafe (Watauga), Bo Bo China (Grapevine) and Szechuan (Hurst). Most are pretty good, with the nod going to Bo Bo China as the best of that lot. But none inspire us to make a special trip, nor have I written about any of them in this blog. Yu's is the clear leader to date.

You won't find the name "Yu's" on the outside, just "Gold-In". From what I can gather, Gold-In was once a small hamburger joint, that eventually evolved into a Chinese restaurant. When I first located the restaurant on Urbanspoon, it was listed as Betty's Gold-In and I later made the correction for them. You may recall our reference to this restaurant in the Little Joe's Pizza post (which is now closed), where we stated "Behind an ancient combo gas station/Chinese restaurant (and, yep, the two sure do go together), is another strip mall, that looks like an afterthought of planning." This is that Chinese restaurant.

Even though Yu's isn't really that close to where we live, we always get the food To-Go. And that's because by the time we get it home, the food is merely blazing hot. Apparently Yu's cooks on the surface of the sun. Most places don't serve the food this hot right out of the kitchen, much less after a long drive home. And what does Mr. RJG like to get? Chicken fried rice. As basic a dish as they come, and yet few do it right. Not only does Yu's nail it, but they may have the best fried rice I've ever had. It's a more seasoned mix, and I believe it's the Szechuan way of making it. And what a bargain - the portion is easily two full dinners PLUS they throw in a skewer of barbecue chicken just because they feel like it. Their wonton soup is of the beef broth variety, with big chunks of pork - and is also outstanding. Mrs. RJG has tried other items on the menu, generally of the vegetable variety, and they've all proven to be worthy.

Absolutely recommended. A classic Regular Joe's Guide kind of place - in both atmosphere and taste!

Website

Oscar's, Mexican, Haltom City-TX

2012-01-08T10:02:00.006-06:00

And speaking of places that are long overdue for the RJG, how about Oscar's? We've been going here for close to 8 years, back when they were further up Denton Hwy in a more modest structure. Now they reside in some fancy digs. Despite the upgrade in appearance, the food quality hasn't suffered a bit.

Last visit: January 2012

First time listing

For our money, Oscar's is the best Mexican "interior" styled restaurant in NE Tarrant. Oh sure, they have tacos y enchiladas, but that's not what they excel at. Sample some of their specialty dishes, and I think you'll agree that Oscar's has some very unique recipes and flavors, which distinguishes them from other restaurants in the area. My favorite dish is the chicken breast smothered in a creamy ancho chile wash. Has a slight kick and is delicious. The rice and beans are well prepared and it also comes with a small salad. Mrs. RJG has a similar dish except she prefers the green poblano sauce. Chips and salsa are fairly standard, but they do have an excellent creamy jalapeno sauce if you ask for a spicier option.

Oscar's is a "destination" Mexican restaurant, with a full bar and beautiful surroundings. Give it a try if you want an alternative to the standard Tex-Mex.

Website

Oliva Italian Eatery, Italian, Keller-TX

2012-01-06T13:37:00.005-06:00

I think I just heard someone yell "Well it's about time!". I know, I know - we're way late in writing about Oliva. Strange that we haven't discussed it before, only in that we've been a few times since they opened. But it was right at the time I stopped writing for the RJG. But we're back, and it's time to give Oliva their proper due.

Also please note the restaurant is technically in Ft. Worth. As you can see in the comments, someone felt very passionate about that - so I figured I should mention it.

Last visit: January 2012

First time listing

You've heard the RJG grouse about the fact that almost all the Italian restaurants in NE Tarrant are the same. The antidote? Oliva. The menu is a mix of old school red sauce Italian and newer, more trendy options. Though the balance is definitely tilted towards the traditional. Oliva does the basics right like cooking the pasta al dente, while providing a good (not great) tomato based sauce. They also have a fantastic meatball, that Mrs. RJG really has a taste for. I had the chicken parm on my last visit, and the chicken was a little bit tough - the first real complaint I've had in multiple visits. So they're human - it happens. We're working our way through the menu, though we haven't attempted anything adventurous here yet. The house salad is of the "backyard" variety with a tasty vinaigrette and plenty of field greens, olives, tomatoes, etc... I need to try their Caesar. And the warm seasoned soft bread is most welcome. Despite the nice surroundings, and overall popularity of the restaurant, the prices here are very reasonable.

The owner of the restaurant has a long history in the business, and is also an accomplished sommelier. As such, she offers a variety of high quality wines at very good prices. I admire her willingness to not take an enormous profit on alcohol, as so many places tend to do. As well, they have a nice beer selection including at least two Texas micros on tap.

Is Oliva the best Italian food we've ever had? Oh no - not even close. Is it the best in NE Tarrant county? Probably. A little better than Italianni's for our money, which would be in second place I guess. Now while I said most of the restaurants are similar in the area, I will also add most are very good. We've written about many of them here: Cafe Sicilia, Oggi Italia, Niki's, Italian Bistro and a few others. It's not hard to find good Italian food in NE Tarrant. However, it has proven to be difficult to find great Italian food as I find in other parts of the country. But there's always Pietro's or Prego's in Dallas if I'm determined to have the best.

Oliva is justifiably very popular (#26 on Urbanspoon), so be aware of that on weekend nights. Given its setting in an all residential area, Oliva is nearly empty for lunch, so if you have any flexibility on your schedule, definitely try to go then.

Website

Taco Bueno, Tacos, Regional chain

2012-01-05T10:34:00.009-06:00

You just knew I was going to cover Taco Bueno didn't ya? I feel somewhat obligated to, even though it may seem to folks here in DFW that the chain is as ubiquitous as McDonalds. In reality, it's actually a localized regional chain that continues to outwardly expand. In that way, it's somewhat like Whataburger - a place you might take for granted because it's always there. Leave the Southwest United States however, and they are absent. According to their website, Taco Bueno was founded in Abilene in 1967. I can remember them as far back as the mid 1970s in the DFW area.

Last visit: September 2011 (Keller)

First time listing

NE Tarrant locations: Look out your car window

States served: TX, OK, KS, AR (1), NM (1), MO

Taco Bueno was the original RJG "late night taco" place with buddies. We had one near my high school in the early 1980s (W. T. White for the three people who might care), and we'd wander over in the late evenings (8? 9?) and grab a handful of crunchy tacos. Hey, we were growing teenagers with enormous appetites! Taco Bueno has always been a "mild" option in the fast food taco market. They have one salsa, and it's tasty but not spicy. They used to serve the sauce in syrup bottles on each table (right from the fridge!), but nowadays you'll find it in the "salsa bar" that has become the standard in the last 20 years or so. As far as I know, they've never opted for a "volcano", "fire" or "inferno" sauce. The meat has a nice flavor, and their tacos have traditionally been small - where you need many to fill you up. As such, I moved to their ground beef burritos later on just so I could get a full meal out of the visit.

Today, I'm very much an infrequent visitor to Taco Bueno, with a rare stop to my local store - and generally then only with a free taco coupon from the Rangers or Mavericks game. With Taco Casa, and now Del Taco, in the area - there's less reason for me to go to Taco Bueno. Obviously I don't eat as much fast food as I once did, so my fast food dollar is more focused. For me to reconsider, I think the chain needs to add a little more zest to their sauces and offerings. But to date, they have chosen to play it straight down the middle.

OK, this concludes our taco run. Don't worry, the RJG sees no reason to cover Taco Bell. But I do hope at one point to cover some favorites around the country. And Taco Mayo isn't far over in Bridgeport, so we may cover them soon.

Website

I'll add the Keller store as our representative for Urbanspoon.

Del Taco, Tacos, National chain

2012-01-04T15:21:00.004-06:00

As alluded to yesterday, we did manage to get over to NE Tarrant's first Del Taco location in Hurst. This location off of Precinct Line is, not surprisingly, close to the new coming-soon In-N-Out that is going up near 121/183.

Last visit: January 2012 (Hurst)

First time listing

NE Tarrant location: Hurst

Other DFW locations: Dallas (South), Plano, Irving, Denton, McKinney

Though I have them listed as a National chain, their presence is almost entirely in the Western half of the US (especially California where they are based). Texas is limited to DFW for now, and they've just recently expanded to a 3 state area in the Midwest and 3 state area in the Southeast. It's clear they are getting ready to compete on a national level with Taco Bell (who have pretty much dominated this space for three decades).

We announced back in October that Del Taco was going to be opening in the area. And I'll quote what I said there: "For those of you who lived in the DFW area in the early 80s, you may recall Del Taco was here before. But like many chains, they grew too fast and eventually shuttered all across the state. It would be nearly a dozen years before I ate at a Del Taco again - on Sunset Blvd in Los Angeles! Fast food tacos are a guilty pleasure for me, so I try to sneak a couple in everywhere I travel - and I would run into Del Taco's in various California locales. Until they finally ended up in Denver." And since we occasionally live in Denver, we no longer felt the need to have a quick snack at Del Taco while traveling. And now, we have one in our home base of NE Tarrant County.

For such a large chain, it's truly remarkable how well managed their stores tend to be - at least the ones I've been too (I'm sure there are exceptions - no need to write in and tell me). It seems they learned their lesson back in the early 1980s, and now they are growing very slowly while not giving up on quality for profit's sake. And perhaps best of all - they're willing to push the envelope a little bit. You want a spicy salsa? OK, they'll give you one. We both love their tacos and at 59 cents a piece, they're a bargain. The hot sauce is dispensed in metal containers similar to how the burger chains now offer up ketchup, mustard, etc... It's a great idea, and very sanitary. As well, Del Taco has just introduced two more traditional salsas - including a truly spicy variety. The latter reminding me quite a bit of Baja Fresh's most fiery option. I love the flavor of their meat, and you can get that in a number of their menu offerings.

I can only offer up superlatives here. It is what it is: A fast food crunchy taco place. But in that category, Del Taco is one of the finest.

Website

FasTaco, Tacos, Ft. Worth area chain

2012-01-03T09:51:00.011-06:00

First visit: January 2012 (North Richland Hills)

NE Tarrant location: North Richland Hills

Other locations: Burleson, Crowley, Joshua, Cleburne, Ft. Worth (Hulen Mall)

In light of Del Taco opening in the NE Tarrant area, the RJG thought we'd do a quick taco run around the area. We've already covered Taco Casa, and I think it's worth following that link so you can see where the RJG comes from regarding crunchy fast food tacos. We first noticed FasTaco going up on our visit to Malli's and after some quick research, knew it was a place we'd want to try as soon as possible. And that day arrived early in the new year.

For the RJG, a taco place is only as good as its core product: The crunchy ground beef taco (and accompanying hot sauce). So it doesn't matter to me that they might have a killer quesadilla or a chicken burrito if the taco is not up to snuff. If it does make the grade, only then will we dive further into the menu. And so, did it pass? No.

I doubt anyone is more disappointed than we are at drawing this conclusion. I love old fashioned crispy tacos that I can take away in a greasy bag. Especially from a small local chain. But the fact remains that the ground beef at FasTaco has way too little seasoning. It's not a mush-meat classic nor is it finely spiced. They also skimped on the cheese and lettuce. I understand why this happens at Taco Bell - a public company where workers are not incented to do anymore than the bare minimum. But this is a local place - show some pride! The tacos are very small, and at 99 cents a piece, they are a poor value. The salsa bar has two homemade sauces: a tomato based red that tasted a lot like the salsa served at Taco Bueno, and a spicier green which was good, though I wish it had more kick. They also offered up a package sauce that was made by.... Heinz. Euwwww really? C'monnnn.

Conclusion? Worse than Taco Bell. Oh it pains me to say that. I truly wanted this place to rule and to compete with the best of the Kansas taco stands. It's not terrible, and only a borderline thumbs down on Urbanspoon. But all the same, it didn't make the grade for us. Any other taco heads (fast food, not taqueria OK?) out there care to contradict? We'll reconsider if you think we're off base.

Website

Thai Thippawan, Thai, Hurst-TX

2012-01-02T10:14:00.003-06:00

Happy New Year everyone! We had by far our most active quarter on the RJG to close out 2011. I hope to maintain the pace throughout 2012. Though it won't all be Northeast Tarrant County focused - as I really do hope to add in some restaurants from around the country, and in particular Denver. But we also have plenty of archival material for DFW as well. And if Mr. Music can get on a roll, we should have plenty of Dallas-Ft. Worth content for months to come.

Last visit: December 2011

First time listing in the RJG

We've received a few comments at the RJG to consider Thai Thippawan. And for us, it's actually a reconsider position. We did try Thai Thippawan not long after they first opened in early 2008, and we were not overly impressed. So we were reticent to return, especially considering we're more than happy with Sea Siam, Sweet Basil and Bangkok Cuisine - all featured prominently on this blog. But the RJG feels it only fair to try (or retry) all the restaurants that fit our tastes. And Thai food is at, or near, the very top food group for the RJG. And the fact that the restaurant is still open with a whopping 92% approval rating on Urbanspoon tells us that Thai Thippawan must be doing something right.

And indeed they are. What a difference 4 years makes. We went for lunch, and the specials come with a house soup, an egg roll and a small-ish entree. The soup is delicious, a simple recipe of chicken broth with rice, garlic and pieces of chicken. The egg roll is also very good - fried crispy with a bit of meat in it, which the RJG appreciates. And perhaps best of all is the RJG Thai sample dish: Basil Chicken. And they do it Thai style - that is with ground (minced) chicken, basil leaves, and bell peppers. I asked for it "Thai hot" and that's what I received - no blue-eyed treatment for the RJG, even though I would probably prefer one more notch higher (apparently 3x Hot in the Thai Thippawan vernacular). The sauce is delicious and the small dollop of rice was perfectly cooked. Mrs. RJG had the same dish, though she only went medium and stated it was spiced correctly. She usually prefers regular chicken to the ground variety but was pleasantly surprised by the flavor.

So for the good folks of NE Tarrant county, the RJG now claims we have FOUR really great Thai restaurants. And if you also include Thai Riverside, Magic Springroll and Nipa Thai, then we have no choice but to conclude that we live in a Thai food mecca. Especially considering we haven't really found one great Thai restaurant in all of Denver (some good ones, but nothing great)

Website

Flying Saucer Draught Emporium, Beer Tavern, Regional Chain

2011-12-30T10:56:00.009-06:00

Last visit: December 2011 (Addison)

First time listing in the RJG

NE Tarrant locations: none (boooooooo)

DFW locations: Addison, Ft. Worth (downtown), Garland

Region: Southeast US. Other locations in TX, AR, MO, TN, SC, NC

There was a time when the RJG had very little use for beer. Unlike many college students, I pretty much eschewed guzzling cheap beer for a cheap buzz. In the 1980s, the US beer industry was all about price. Pale lagers and light beers was all there was to quaff. And at Texas Tech, Coors was the clear winner followed by Budweiser. I didn't dislike the stuff, but I just didn't understand what the big fuss was. Once I started going to Europe later in the 80s, I began to realize what a good beer can taste like. Then my move to Colorado in 1993 opened my eyes up to the craft beer industry. Unfortunately I didn't take advantage of it as much as I should have back then, with only an occasional foray into a brewpub. And I didn't take notes, and I'm rather certain I tried some beers from breweries that are extinct. I finally got serious about beer about 6 years ago, and I've been making up for lost time (especially while in Colorado during the summers). According to my beer database, I've now tried 770 different beers and rapidly consuming more. And, as it turns out, beer is in my blood. My great grandfather on my Dad's side (Irish) was once an executive at the Hanley Brewing Company of Providence, Rhode Island (this was in the late 1800s!) The brewery remarkably survived Prohibition, only to be gobbled up in the 1950s brewery consolidation years. And on my Mom's side, which is entirely German, my Uncle was a huge beer drinker. I can remember him drinking both Olympia and Rainier on our family trips to Seattle in the early 70s, prior to them cheapening their product.

So with that background out of the way, it should come as no surprise that Flying Saucer is a favorite destination of mine. Flying Saucer specializes in having on tap, or in bottles/cans, numerous beers from around the world. And perhaps more importantly, they carry local microbrews, which can be different depending on what location you go to. I love when a chain localizes their selection and product. It gives each one a uniqueness about them. And Flying Saucer has the added benefit of providing a food menu - similar to a brewpub - and for that we can feature them here on our blog! For this visit, I was joined by my friend who lives in Garland. A perfect meeting place. We were here for 4 hours.

I'll start with the food, because even if you don't care for beer, I think it's worth going at least once for that. Sandwiches, sausages, soups and appetizers are what Flying Saucer's menu is about. We each had our favorite appetizer: The Saucer Bratzel, which is one large soft pretzel with chopped up bratwurst buried in melted swiss cheese and a side of spicy mustard. It's really just too good for words. And we also each tried their beer cheese soup made with a brown ale, and is surprisingly very spicy (seriously!). It's served in a bread bowl in case you didn't get enough of that from the pretzel.

As for the beers, I like to try local beers first and then branch out. And I always want something I haven't had before. For this visit, I started with the Lagunitas Fusion VII, which is a seasonal IPA. Lagunitas is from northern California, and is fast becoming one of my favorite breweries. In fact, I'd place them in the Top 5. Next up was the Franconia Winter Wheat, which is a weizen bock (a strong dark wheat). We've talked about Franconia (McKinney, TX) before, as they are one of only a handful of truly local breweries (though more breweries are coming folks - the beer revolution is finally here in DFW! For more info, check the excellent Texas Beer blog). I've liked all of their beers to date that I've tried (only about 4 though). This was followed by the Live Oak Primus, another weizen bock. Live Oak is from Austin, and I don't think they bottle or can their beer (same with Franconia). So you have to get it on draught from places like this. I'm sure they're more common in central Texas, but it's rarely seen otherwise. And finally I wrapped up with a black IPA from Southern Star called Pro-Am 2011, a seasonal competition beer. Southern Star is based in Conroe, outside of Houston. They're one of the newer microbreweries that can their beer rather than bottle. You can find their product at a good World Market store (some are better than others - the one in Grapevine is excellent). This particular Southern Star is only available via draught. I quite like their brewery as well.

Included with all this good beer and food, you also get a cute waitress (well... usually). The girls dress up in Catholic prep school skirts (though with shorter hems of course). So it can be a bit of a male fantasy overload considering the whole. There's also a Twin Peaks right next door, so definitely a magnet area for traditional males. Mrs. RJG likes these places too, though she was still entertaining one of our official nieces that day. Oh, one other comment on the girls. They go through rigorous training on beer - so they should be able to answer most questions. Our gal had no problems keeping up with my questions.

I really wish we had a Flying Saucer in NE Tarrant (or a similar place).

Website for Addison location

Yucatan Taco Stand Tequila Bar & Grill, Fresh Mex, Ft.Worth-TX (Magnolia)

2011-12-29T11:00:00.001-06:00

Well... so much for that. While reviewing my Urbanspoon news feed, I noticed the Southlake location was closed. And, as it turns out, the Frisco one did too. I just called the original Ft. Worth location and they're still going. Website is down as I write this.

Closed: December 2011 (Southlake and Frisco)

Last visit: November 2011 (Southlake)

First listed in the RJG: November 23, 2011

In the early days of the RJG blog, Yucatan was the most requested place for us to visit. This place was all the rage in 2008. A quick check over to the excellent Fort Worth Hole in the Wall blog shows that no less than 38 comments were left for his post. I don't think the RJG has seen 38 comments combined. We never did make it over to the Ft. Worth location on Magnolia, and dallied around long enough for one to show up right here in NE Tarrant. Typical RJG - always a day late and a dollar short. We're sooooooooooo not hip.

This trip represents our second visit, the first was earlier this year. Yucatan is a relatively new "Taco Stand" concept along the lines of Fuzzy's Taco Shop and the various "Baja" designated places. These are gussied up taco trucks, and when you get the final tally, you realize that this isn't your typical Tio Juan's Taco Hut. But it's an easy out to say this place is just for yuppies, and if you want real tacos, you need to hit the bricks in the barrio. There's room for both kinds, and for what Yucatan does, they do it very well.

So high end tacos are the order of the day (they also have burritos and specialty Mexican platters). I think their Tempura fish is outstanding. A large crispy crusted slab of delicious fried batter lay in the layered flour tortillas with cabbage, onions, and a few other goodies. The Tequila Lime chicken is also quite good - all white meat chicken shredded very finely. We had the ground beef on our first visit, but it was kind of bland to be honest. Their tacos are quite large, especially compared to a place like Fuzzy's, so two is plenty if you also get chips and salsa. The chips are lightly dusted with chili powder, and the roasted salsa is delicious with a mild kick. Of course, the RJG insisted on having the "stupid sauce" (habanero) on the side for his tacos. I like that it comes out heated (temperature) - though it's debatable how spicy it really is. It's hot, but hardly "stupid" hot. Believe me, no one knows stupid like the RJG... both figuratively and literally. I also had a frozen margarita to wash it down with. A very potent mixture, and a good deal at $6 (on this front, they destroy Taco Diner).

The downside is this: Yucatan isn't cheap. For the meal I described above (wife had the same two kind of tacos but with a water), it was $25. That's without tip. I mean seriously, it's only a fast food place. A QSR in restaurant speak. I feel funny paying $25 for two at the cash register. I guess I spent a wasted youth at Taco Bell, pulling dollar bills out of my front pocket to cover the $3.50 it cost for 6 tacos and a soft drink. I know, it's hardly the same, but it has a surreal effect when the lady says "That'll be $25". Really? Now to be fair, it's more expensive than Fuzzy's because the tacos are much larger. Are they double the size, like they are in price? No. But they are very good, and dare I say, worth the money.

Maybe Yucatan is not the kind of place we'd go on a regular basis, but it's worth stopping by a few times a year.

Website

Weinberger's Deli, Chicago Deli, DFW mini chain

2011-12-29T10:00:00.002-06:00

Managed to squeeze a visit to one of our favorite deli's earlier this week. They have tons of different sandwiches, so it's always difficult to just pick one. On this visit I tried the Wallstreeter, which is a hot pastrami with Russian dressing - and quite good.

Last visit: December 2011 (Grapevine)

First listed in the RJG: January 12, 2009

NE Tarrant locations: Grapevine, Westlake

Other location: Denton

The Weinberger legacy goes back to the early 1950's and a rejuvenated old chicken parts store in Homewood, Illinois. At its zenith, Weinberger's grew to 5 stores and covered the south Chicago suburbs as far as Indiana. A few years after the last store closed, the second generation picked up the name and opened a Chicago styled deli right here in Northeast Tarrant - specifically in old town Grapevine. And we're all the better for it. This was in 2003, coincidentally at the same time the RJG relocated back here from our 10 year stint in Colorado.

Finding authentic Midwest and Northeast deli's of any sort are difficult to find in DFW. It shouldn't be this way, living in such a large metropolis as we do. Of course, the hardest part is using authentic ingredients from locally made produce. Most deli's rely on specific meats, cheeses and breads, of which many of them aren't exported beyond their own city limits, and in some cases, their product may not even be available within the same city! We're not used to this concept here in DFW, where we're used to getting our meats, cheese and bread at the grocery store from national brands. It's our loss. But inroads have been made. Billadelphia's imports product from Philly. And Weinberger's does the same with vendors from Chicago. It's a bit more expensive to do business this way, but it's worth the premium for us consumers.

We've been regular visitors to Weinberger's since about 2004 or so, and nothing has really changed. That is to say, it's always excellent and remains so. Weinberger's offers a range of goodies from sausages to cold and hot subs and "dagwoods". And, of course, they offer that most recognized of Chicago sandwiches: The Italian Beef. Or as it is so proudly painted on any decent Chicago storefront worth its salt -- "BEEF". That's it - just beef. Personally I think Weinberger's is exceptional in all areas, except one, and that's the signature beef sandwich. Maybe it's just a fantasy, or I'm just plain stubborn, but it doesn't remind me of the beef sandwiches I've had in Chicago. It's either the bread or the flavor of the beef, but something is just a little off. That's not to say it isn't good - it is. Just not the same. And maybe that's for the better, as it gives us something to call our own, while giving me a perfectly good excuse to continue to go to Chicago. I could eat in that city for 50 years, and not discover the half of it.

On this visit, I devoured the "Italian" sub, with additional "sport peppers", which were pretty hot actually. And while I was enjoying my sandwich, I spilled mustard all over the Fort Worth Weekly where they apparently just discovered Fernandez Cafe. Are they sneaking a peek over here? That I doubt, but they did a great job actually - and I learned a few things about the Fernandez family. They were also going on about how "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" will be featuring Fred's Cafe in a soon to be aired episode. Is it just me, or is the Regular Joe in fashion now? Perhaps no longer can one afford $45 meals that include a thimbleful of meat and a nice presentation of arugula? Don't forget the $65 bottle of wine...

Back to the topic at hand, Weinberger's comes wholeheartedly recommended. For awhile, they attempted expansion in Watauga and Westlake. The Watauga location, which we visited a couple of times, closed down quickly. It was pretty sterile compared to the original if truth be told. Weinberger's is the kind of place that's worth driving long distances for, so if they do decide to expand again, they should think about Arlington, Dallas or Ft. Worth first.

The Grapevine location is on Main Street, on the primary drag through old town. Definitely an essential stop for deli hounds!

Website

ZuRoma Sicilian Kitchen, Pizza-Pasta, Keller-TX

2011-12-27T13:10:00.005-06:00

First visit: December 2011

Other location: North Richland Hills (in the Ice House)

A few years ago, sometime in the 2004-05 range, the Mrs. and I had dined at the original ZuRoma location in Grapevine near 121. We thought it was good Italian food, and had returned at least once. A couple of years later, while planning a return visit, I reviewed their entry on Urbanspoon, and it was clear a major event had taken place. Best I can tell the original owners sold the place, and the new proprietors subsequently ran the place into the ground. I never sampled this debacle, but as is foreshadowed by now, they did close down shortly thereafter. Meanwhile the original owners opened up in the Ice House in North Richland Hills. We never did go to the hockey arena, but now they also have a to-go only place in Keller, so I decided to try their pizza on a recent evening that Mrs. RJG and one of our official nieces had something else going on. "ya on ya own" in Mrs. RJG speak.

ZuRoma specializes in the "Sicilian" styled pizza, which I sometimes refer to as "Dallas style" as first championed by Campisi's Egyptian or Prego Pasta House and further popularized by the I Fratelli pizza outlets. It's an oval-ish pizza that's looks like an outline of a small football. I went for the Hite's Cabin Special which is a combo of Italian sausage, salami, jalapeno, and extra cheese. The sausage is crumbled and non-distinctive, while the salami is finely cut small pieces of Genoa (and again, difficult to discern any flavor). The extra cheese, however, was very apparent and quite excellent in its gooeyness. The crust is uniquely flavored, but decidedly not crispy. Like having a pizza on the crust of old bread from Macaroni Grill. Even after throwing a few slices in the toaster, I couldn't get the crust to change its stale disposition. The flavor of the pizza is very good, but the texture left something to be desired. As well, I tend to like a saucy pie, and this was definitely dry. I'm giving it a thumbs up on Urbanspoon, but I won't be a regular visitor for their pizza. However, they also have a full array of Italian dishes. I'm most curious how they prepare them from the small kitchen. I'll try ZuRoma again just for that.

Even though the restaurant name implies a full service establishment, ZuRoma is strictly a take out joint with nowhere to sit except to wait for your pizza.

Website

Best Tex Burger, Hamburgers, North Richland Hills-TX

2011-12-26T09:07:00.006-06:00

First visit: December 2011

Best Tex Burger is in the same Shell station that once housed a Billadelphia's** location, and if I recall right was originally a Chester Fried Chicken.

Best Tex Burger arrives with a feel-good story, that one has to admire. This is the American spirit at its finest.

Onto the food we go. Their website talks about a variety of gourmet burgers and a chicken sandwich option. However, they have recently reduced their menu significantly. All they now serve are hamburgers, cheeseburgers (with a double option on each) and fries. And that's it. As you all know, the RJG is very much in favor of the small menu. So my expectation was set to a high level, figuring that they only do one thing - so it will be awesome. I kept it simple and ordered a double cheeseburger and a small drink. The burger comes out with the condiments on the side and include fresh romaine lettuce, pickles, onion and tomato. They also bring a variety of sauces to put on your burger. But other than the usual suspects (mustard, mayonnaise and ketchup), there was only one that appeared unique - a chipotle mayonnaise if I'm not mistaken. So then.... was it the best burger? Absolutely not, I'm afraid to say. Was it good even? Sure, it was and I rated it a thumbs up on Urbanspoon. But the honest truth is the burger is too ordinary to get excited about. The meat was lightly seasoned, the standard bun was barely toasted. The chipotle mayonnaise was decent. Compared to places like Kincaid's or Chapps, Best Tex doesn't cut it (IMHO). Still, I would encourage you all to see for yourself. With the great story behind the restaurant, places like this deserve at least one chance. Maybe I'm just plain wrong? And I'm always up for a revisit if you all disagree. This would be one case I would like to be wrong. But for now, my opinion holds.

As an aside, technically the restaurant is know as Best Tex Burger, rather than Best Texas Burger (despite the website URL name). I did confirm that with the owner.

Website

** A quick word on Billadelphia's: They're still around and will be reopening soon. You can follow update's on Bill's Facebook page (which is public facing - as I don't have an account). They say: "Kathy and I just signed a 3 year lease in N Richland Hills. We took possession yesterday and it will take about a month to renovate the place. No partners, no fancy surroundings, no multiple locations. We will re-launch Billadelphia's in January at 5750 Davis Blvd. This former hamburger stand is quite similar to Bedford's building. "The shack is back."We are going to add breakfast to the menu and still operate 7 days a week." If I'm not mistaken, that old shack used to be a Kountry Burger, so Billadelphia's will be a great improvement!

Jalapeno's Mexican Cuisine, Mexican, Keller-TX

2011-12-25T05:00:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas everyone! No new restaurants today of course, but we did manage to try (or revisit) three places over the course of the last week that we have yet to writeup here on the RJG.

Last visit: December 2011

First time listing in the RJG

If you live around Keller, the name Jalapeno's can be a bit confusing. There's a taqueria by that name in the old town, with the exact same logo, and yet it's entirely different than this restaurant found on Keller Parkway. Apparently there's different ownership, but obviously they are related in some way. So if you too were confused, as the RJG perpetually is, then I do recommend you try both. We'll cover the taqueria at another time, but today's post will reflect the restaurant only. To the best of my knowledge, this is their only location and not related to other Jalapeno's in and around DFW.

Jalapeno's sits in the old Keller Pizza place (itself no doubt once a Pizza Inn). Upon entry, there's a cavernous space filled with booths and tables - and even an old fashioned 1980s styled video game area. I was pleased to see the frozen margarita machine cranking away to my left, so I ordered one. Only to be met with the now familiar "it's not frozen yet" response (it was around 11:30 for lunch). Ya know, I've been biting my tongue on this issue, but this is the third Mexican place in a relatively short time frame that each sprung this excuse. Turn the dang thing on once you get there! We also heard this excuse recently at El Paseo and Tres Jose's on our recent visits. Each time, I ended up settling on water. Anyway, I can honestly say we've never had this problem at Anamia's and we've been there at least 50 times. Alright, with that annoyance out of the way, let's focus on the food. And here, Jalapeno does a very good job - and a bit different, which we always appreciate here at the RJG. The entry level salsa is a chipotle blend. Quite good, but way too thin, and thus it tends to roll off the chips. We asked for the hotter option and we received the hottest (apparently the have a medium heat as well). This one was better textured, with a dark green color. Definitely a jalapeno based sauce, perhaps with some serrano's, and very spicy. So now our palette was set for the main course. The Mrs. went for cheese enchiladas with vegetables and covered with a tomatillo sauce. She says the cheese was very good, velvety in texture, with crisp veggies and the tomatillo was just right, not too bitter. I had 2 chicken flautitas and a ground beef taco. The flautitas were delicious with all white meat chicken crammed into slightly plump, but small crispy fried tortillas with melted white cheese on top. The beef taco was a bit different, the meat being somewhat like a chili mixture, rather than the traditional crumbled beef. One reviewer angrily called it dog food on Urbanspoon, but that's not fair at all. Actually I thought it was delicious and a unique take on a common recipe. The fresh green lettuce and yellow cheese were piled high on the side for me to load up. We both loved the rice, even though I'm not too fond of peas and carrots, but the flavor was excellent. And the charro beans were good, but a bit too fatty on the bacon.

This was only our second visit here, and our first in nearly 2 years, but we should go more often. We give it a thumbs up! Though a friendly reminder to the owners, please turn on the margarita machine earlier....

Website

El Paisano, Taqueria, Dallas-TX

2011-12-24T09:21:00.002-06:00

Our first Mr. Music review!

2 locations in NW Dallas - Bachman Lake area (Lombardy and West NW Hwy)

I took a trip to El Paisano last Weds with my friends. I’ve been going to El Paisano regularly for over a decade now. I usually don’t go to any single restaurant that often, but I really love this place! It was the first place that really opened my eyes to what are commonly known as “street tacos”. No matter how many I try, El Paisano consistently remains my favorite place for them. Now I won’t say I’ve tried every place around; there are hundreds of them, but I’ve been to dozens. My friends and I meet on Wednesdays for a night out and make El Paisano at least 3 times a month. Tacos are a pretty simple; you’ve got a tortilla, some meat, toppings and the sauce. All of them are important, but for me the sauce is the key! Of course the meat is very important too, but the sauce can propel a “really good” taco to “OMG!”.

At El Paisano there are 3 types of tortillas: maiz which is a factory bought corn tortilla dipped in manteca (pig lard) for $0.99, then there is harina or flour for $1.15 and if you don’t mind paying a bit more you can get handmade corn tortillas (maiz heche a mano) for $2.00. I love them all, but usually opt for the harina because I don’t want so much lard and don’t want to shell out 2 bucks a pop for heche a mano when you can get an order of 4 fresh made corn tortillas for $1.00. I order mine “con todo” (with everything) which basically means I want fresh diced onion and cilantro on my taco with a slice of lime on the side. I think most taco stands offer this these days but El Paisano also includes some nicely caramelized fried onions as well. There are 3 basic meat choices: pollo, fajita, or al pastor (chicken, beef, or pork). To me, the al pastor is by far the tastiest and although I don’t think the pork is cooked on a spit as is done traditionally, the meat is very nicely seasoned. The chicken and fajita are also very good, but at El Paisano it is ALL about the sauce! They serve 3 varieties here; two in squirt bottles and one that comes hot off the grill in a mocajete. In the bottles are a green sauce which is a very creamy sauce made with green chilies that seem to be something like Hatch chilies (not tomatillo) and a red which is a brutal mixture of dried red chilies teeming with seeds, water, cumin and a dash of salt. Both are delish and can vary from medium to blazing but the real star is the steaming salsa in the mortar. I’m not sure what the exact recipe is (if I did, I’d bathe in it regularly!) but I’m pretty sure they take tomatoes, jalapenos, jalapenos, some sort of chicken stock and oh, some more jalapenos and grill them until they completely break down. This stuff is what dreams are made of! My friends and I shovel this stuff in with basket after basket of chips and reminds me of a shark feeding frenzy; then we smother our tacos with it glopping on as much as we can on each bite. When we are so full, salsa is leaking from our belly buttons, we hunt for cups to take the rest home for our scrambled eggs in the morning (or sometimes pay for a pint to go)! I’ve also tried their gorditas which are awesome, their guacamole which is so simple its beautiful and their rice and beans which are solid. They have a big place (on Lombardy just East of Denton Drive) with 2 sides. To the East is the old, run down side with decrepit bathrooms and on the West is a cleaner, cozier place with very clean bathrooms, table cloths, etc. I go to the West with my wife and kids and to the East (where we know all the waitresses) with my buddies. The food is just as wonderful on either side. If you want to eat outside in front of the original metal shack they started in, you can do that too because it still sits in front of their building.

El Paseo, Mexican, Ft. Worth area mini chain

2011-12-22T10:30:00.004-06:00

And here's the other place we managed to get to last week. You can tell we're slowing down as the year closes. We're pretty much eating at home most of the time, with an occasional foray to one of our favorites that we've already updated. But, as always, we have a couple to add from the last week!

No changes to the below review. Mrs. RJG really likes their tortilla soup. El Paseo is a good place to go for straight Tex-Mex, and little else.

Last visit: December 2011 (Keller)

First listed in the RJG: July 5, 2008

NE Tarrant location: Keller

Other locations: Ft. Worth, Azle, Mineral Wells

When the RJG first started discovering Mexican restaurants in the 1980's, one of the logical axioms was that the more fancy the place seemed to be, the more bland the food proved to be. I felt this to be 100% true until sometime in the late 1990s, and suddenly one would find themselves in restaurants you would feel comfortable taking anyone to, and also would feel completely satiated. Such were my thoughts when I entered and exited El Paseo for the first time in 2003. And ever since...

Like many such nice Mexican restaurants, El Paseo possesses a heritage that is far more modest. In fact, the Keller location seems to be the pinnacle of achievement for the local chain, that also has locations in west Ft. Worth, Azle and Mineral Wells. With multiple large rooms, a Spanish courtyard, a full bar area, and windows overlooking a city pond with views to Keller City Hall, it would seem that El Paseo will be an anchor of the community of Keller for some time. I haven't been to any of the other locales, but have driven by the Ft. Worth one on Jacksboro Highway, and the outside appearance seems night and day.

As mentioned in prior posts, one can usually get a read on a Mexican restaurant based on the quality of their chips and salsa. Here the chips are excellent, very crisp, with a strong taste of corn while the salsa had more of a kick than expected. It's a tomato based sauce with garlic and chiles, reminding me most of the Herrera's chain in Dallas, though not quite as fiery. El Paseo seem to excel in the basics, and we here at the Regular Joe's Guide always admire that. Tacos, enchiladas, tamales and fajitas are all excellent, though not exceptional. They claim a wide variety of spicy dishes, but none so far have proven to be that hot, though still good. As for drinks, the frozen margaritas are very good, typical of the area.

With Mi Pueblo, Anamia's, Cristina's and El Paseo all within a few miles of each other, the northern sectors of NE Tarrant have little to complain about when it comes to Mexican food for the whole family.

Website

Panchita's, Mexican, Keller-TX

2011-12-17T10:22:00.004-06:00

Another crazy busy week at work. But we did at least manage to get to one new place for lunch and one revisit (also for lunch). We'll start with the former.

First visit: December 2011

Panchita's is a new restaurant that opened its doors this August. It's housed in the former Windy City Deli location, and is a couple of doors down from Niki's (featured on this blog somewhere). They are a husband and wife run establishment, and you can tell that they use only fresh ingredients. No large platters of enchiladas here - each meal is individually handcrafted. The food is a mixture of Tex-Mex and Mexican from the interior. There's even a hint of New Mexico, and not surprisingly there's a family heritage from there.

The chips are crispy corn and the salsa served is what we typically see in Colorado: A mixture of tomatoes, chilies, onions and cilantro. It was good with a nice kick. As such I wasn't sure they would have a "hotter" one, but indeed they do. It's a tomatillo based green sauce blended with jalapenos and/or maybe serrano's. Definitely contains more heat and thus smooths out the bitterness typically associated with tomatillo. And, as it turns out from a second visit, they also have a blazing spicy butterscotch colored habanero sauce that is outstanding. As for an entree, I went with the super bargain $5.75 lunch special (Tue-Fri only) and had a cheese enchilada, a chicken enchilada and a ground beef taco. The cheese enchilada featured a delicious chili con carne sauce. For the chicken I asked what their hottest sauce was. They said to try the guajillo sauce. The chile itself isn't very hot, but their reddish orange blended sauce had some punch, though I wish there was a bit more of it. The beef taco featured a homemade crunchy shell and the ground beef was well seasoned. The charro beans were delicious with the right amount of bean and bacon flavor. The rice was a tad mushy and the only mistake of the meal, but it tasted good all the same. Perhaps better for the RJG, was the Mrs.' reaction. She had a cup of the tortilla soup which she said was delicious. Perhaps even better was the carne asada gordita, which came in a crispy "pocket". Best she's ever had other than at home, she claims. So a huge hit from our Lady of Sonora.

The restaurant layout has two distinct settings - a darkened lounge with TV screens and a full bar, and then secondly a regular dining area with some natural lighting from outside.

Panchita's is very good and I think it could use more exposure. This is a cut above your usual Tex-Mex restaurant and this is a young couple putting everything they have into it. Tired of the same ole' place? Give Panchita's a try.

Mi Pueblo, Mexican, North Richland Hills-TX

2011-12-13T11:00:00.001-06:00

Like yesterday, we won't have a new place to report on, so back to the archives we go.

For whatever reason, we've had some service troubles at this Mi Pueblo location. As you know, the RJG doesn't mention service as a rule. However, if we see a trend, then we'll talk about it. On our last visit, the manager ended up giving us a free meal. That's the last thing we really want, but he was trying to solve the issue the best way he knew how. But the better solution would be to let go of the poor help, and/or the owners should look at the management issues they're experiencing. It can be so damaging to a restaurant. We're not talking small stuff like making a mistake on the order, but rather larger issues where the servers and hostess are purposely rude and act like they'd rather be anywhere else but working there. It doesn't speak well for the management either that they have such a poorly motivated workforce. Again, this isn't one incident, but a series over a period of 2 years. As such, we almost never go here anymore. And that's too bad, as we genuinely like the food and the margaritas.

Last visit: September 2011

First listed in the RJG: May 6, 2008

Other location: North Richland Hills (by the NE Mall)

Strange that we've gotten this far without a Mexican restaurant entry. As stated in a prior post, our most visited food category is Thai. And even though Italian is probably Mr. RJG's favorite food, I'd say we end up in Mexican restaurants about as often. Both Mrs. RJG and I would probably rank Mexican our 3rd favorite style behind Thai/Italian.

In the Oggi Italia Cafe thread we discussed the landscape of North Richland Hills. Going from Oggi Italia Cafe, on the other side of the massive Wal-Mart, you'll find Mi Pueblo, sitting pleasantly in a large space, anchoring one of the handful of strip malls in this vicinity. They have two Mi Pueblo locations, the other also in North Richland Hills, considerably further south, on the north side of I-820, directly over the freeway from the Northeast Mall in Hurst. As we said, NRH covers a lot of land. They also own a 3rd location in far north Ft. Worth (west of US 377 and north of 820) called Los Molcajetes.

And, also like Oggi Italia Cafe, Mi Pueblo is probably the Mexican restaurant we eat at most, though that is not the same thing as saying it is the best Mexican in DFW. Far from it. But it's consistently good and relatively close to where we live, so it tends to be the Mexican restaurant of choice when we're in the mood.

There are a couple of distinctive characteristics of Mi Pueblo, that make it a recommendation for those that don't live in the area. One is the margaritas. I'm always dubious when someone recommends a restaurant based on their alcoholic drink selection. Mr. RJG has found that the restaurant that serves the most alcohol content per drink, is generally referred to as "the best". At which point the half-in-the-bag claimant will also mention they have "the BEST food". It's a skewed viewpoint. Well, I'm here to say that Mi Pueblo does indeed have a great frozen margarita - something that when Mr. RJG travels, he realizes that many of the DFW restaurants do better than their counterparts across the nation.

More important than the booze, though, is that Mi Pueblo has unique combo platters. Mr. RJG has always wondered why most Mexican restaurants only serve variations on the taco, enchilada, burrito, tamale and tostada when making up their combos. Mi Pueblo will also throw in items like quesadillas and flautas. I mean why do flautas have to be an expensive, one-food-only option on the menu. They also have a pork and rice dish I like quite a bit (Al Pastor Platter). Mrs. RJG goes for the green enchiladas.

Another important aspect of the Mexican dining experience is the salsa (RJG prefers the old school term Hot Sauce himself). They have two - the milder red one is quite tasty. Sometimes they'll bring out a small cup of their hot green sauce. Ask them to bring you a bigger one... it's super - and the heat adds up!

Mi Pueblo has 3 dining areas, and I think they try to the separate families from the others, but sometimes it just gets too crowded. One of the 3 rooms is a sports bar, with multiple screens, and... SMOKE. Mr. RJG doesn't mind smoke while eating having grown up with a father who refused to eat anywhere that didn't allow him to fire up. Mrs. RJG, on the other hand, usually hates it, but for some reason Mi Pueblo's bar doesn't bother her. Go figure. Maybe it's the alcohol content in the drinks?

Website

Oggi Italia Cafe, Italian, North Richland Hills-TX

2011-12-12T09:00:00.001-06:00

No new places today, so let's pull this one down from the archives. We visited somewhat recently, and it's still quite good in our opinion.

Also note that the old Dal Italia is now Oggi Italia. New owner, but same cooks, recipes and menu. They changed the look and feel of the restaurant (for the better), but otherwise the below review still applies.

Last visit: September 2011

First listed in the RJG: April 13, 2008 (as Dal Italia Cafe)

North Richland Hills is NE Tarrant County's largest and most diverse suburb. Stretching from the working class areas near Haltom City to the south, through the ostensibly middle class of Hurst and onto the McMansions of Colleyville and Keller that make its northern border. There is no similar theme that runs through NRH, nor do they sport an authentic, or even made-up, old town (though I suspect the area where the Cottonbelt BBQ stands will one day be just that, and with any luck at all, a stop on the proposed railway from DFW airport to Ft. Worth). The utmost northern reaches of NRH is where you'll find Oggi Italia Cafe, sitting quietly in a new, but small strip mall, overlooked by the gargantuan Super Wal-Mart and Super Target (yes, regrettably, they built them back to back).

Me and Mrs. RJG frequent Oggi Italia Cafe often, probably more than any other local Italian haunt. Some of this has to do with convenience, but more than that, Oggi Italia Cafe is a consistently good place to get Regular Joe style EYE-talian food. Oggi Italia Cafe is not the first restaurant owned by the couple (who names I've forgotten - and they have since sold this restaurant as well), and they once owned the Cafe Sicilia restaurant in Bedford. Oggi Italia Cafe are clearly an offshoot of the Moni's empire, right down to the similar menus and tomato based vinaigrette salad dressing. While there are no surprises at Oggi Italia Cafe, we've found it to be one of the more consistent of this particular breed of Italian restaurant. After sampling a variety of their dishes, I personally feel they excel at baked dishes. The food is uniformly hot, the ingredients fresh and the taste excellent. Service can be inconsistent, though there is at least one waitress there who is always prompt and friendly. Also recommended is their pizza, which is a NY style thin crust. It's fold down the middle style, with gooey cheese and a tasty sauce.

Website

Tres Jose's, Mexican, Ft. Worth-TX (Cultural District)

2011-12-11T17:05:00.002-06:00

Last visit: December 2011

First time listing in the RJG

Situated at the edge of the tony River Crest neighborhood, Tres Jose's seems an unlikely place to find an authentic Tex-Mex restaurant. We first visited a few years ago while visiting some museums at the nearby Cultural District. And while we await the renovations (and new ownership) to be completed over at the RJG's favorite Ft. Worth Mexican food destination - Fernandez Cafe - we decided to revisit Tres Jose's since we were over in Ft. Worth anyway.

While Tres Jose's is a reliable neighborhood spot, it's not extraordinary. We both enjoyed the blue corn enchiladas with the heavily seasoned chicken doused in a sour green tomatillo sauce. The rice was well prepared, and the charro beans had the right mix of chile's, beans and bacon. The chips are homemade and crispy, while the standard salsa is tomato based with a mild kick, and includes black pepper (something the RJG likes in his hot sauces). We asked for the hotter one, as we often do, and out came a very creamy habanero green sauce, likely mixed with avocado's. It definitely had a nice heat level, though it was far too creamy for my liking. It appears Tres Jose's has a full bar, though we just settled on diet sodas for this lunch visit.

Really not much else to say, other than if you're craving some Mexican food after immersing yourself into some high culture, then Tres Jose's is likely to hit the spot. Much better in our opinion than the Dos Gringos you are likely to have seen on University.

Website

Everything German, German, Bedford-TX

2011-12-10T14:39:00.003-06:00

First visit: December 2011

Two of the most popular posts from the RJG were about German restaurants. The first post was when we took a trip up to Muenster and visited Rohmer's. But even more so was our visit to Gerhard's in Roanoke. We went there not long after it opened, thought it quite good, and wrote about it here. We haven't been back since, but not because we didn't like the restaurant, rather we just haven't taken the time to do so. Just by reading the comments on Urbanspoon, it appears the restaurant is hotly debated amongst those that seem to passionately hate it - and those who love it. Much of the "discussion" revolves around service issues, which quite frankly the RJG feels gets too much attention in today's world. Believe me, service in Europe is far less attentive (note I didn't say worse). We're just a very restless society I'm afraid. We've had a couple of outrageous examples of poor service that we've reported on here as well. But it really has to be bad for us to mention anything. Anyway, we're looking forward to a revisit to Gerhard's sometime in early 2012.

All that said, I feel rather confident in saying that Everything German should not hold much controversy at all. Hands down, this is the best German place we've been to in DFW, and compares well with the RJG's all-time (in the USA, that is) favorite German restaurant: House of Gerhard in Kenosha, Wisconsin (I hope to one day feature some of the RJG's favorite restaurants in the US based on extensive travels / work sites). Now I should caution we've only been once to date, but this is going to be a regular stop for the RJG. If anything changes, we'll report back quickly. We want to do everything we can to keep this place in business. I feel we need good German restaurants in the area, and they are so seldom around. And almost never this good either. It's a food concept still waiting its audience.

Everything German is housed incongruously in an old Taco Bell (and almost next door to the Al Wadi cafe we spoke about recently), which the RJG once knew as an Uncle Joe's Italian place a few years back. Everything German has further renovated it by removing the fast food window (where Uncle Joe's displayed their pizzas), and applied the familiar dark Bavarian timbers. So there's less light and it's very cozy actually. On our visit they were playing soft Christmas music - sung in German.

For our one lunch visit we each opted for the Weinerschnitzel, which comes with pan fried potatoes and a dinner roll. Yes, yes, yes! This is how it's done, just as we know from our various trips to Germany. No sweet sauces or crazy gravy (they have those too, but accurately applied to other dishes). A heavily pounded lean pork loin cutlet, breaded perfectly and came out crispy. And it covered most of the large plate. It had that perfect blend of subtle flavors (and we prefer to put a pile of black pepper on it which is perfect for the dish). The potatoes were cut finely, sauteed in butter and parsley and were delicious. I doubt the roll was homemade, but who cares as long as it was baked correctly. We washed it down on this visit with a Coke Zero. But here's even better news: It's BYOB. We're going to head over here for dinner on a frequent basis, and bring a bottle of Riesling or perhaps a few Warsteiners or Paulaners. Oh, and the lunch price was a complete bargain at $7.99 each (+ the drink). We can't wait to try many of the other dishes here.

Obviously we were very impressed with our first visit. It's a small family owned place. Give them a chance if you enjoy German food like we do!

Note that they are CLOSED on Monday and Tuesday, so file that away.

Website

Princi Italia, Italian, Dallas-TX (North)

2011-12-09T10:28:00.007-06:00

First visit: December 2011

While browsing the main DFW page on Urbanspoon, a little blurb caught my eye from the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram: "Homemade Italian sausage". The RJG is always on the lookout for good, high quality, homemade Italian sausage, whether from a restaurant or a local grocer. Unfortunately for us folks on the Ft. Worth side of the house, almost all of the great Italian sausage to be found is in Dallas. And even though it was the Startlegram that brought it to my attention, sure enough the restaurant is in Dallas. Preston Royal to be exact.

I spent a lot of my youth in the Preston Royal area. Not that I grew up here (I wish!), but many times my folks and I would "head east" for a weekend dinner out. While still in high school in the early 1980s, there was a great Italian restaurant called Rodolfo's Colosseo that we frequented often (anyone remember it?). He later dropped the Colosseo moniker, and I can recall my last meal being after college sometime in 1988. I suspect he closed shortly thereafter (there's a sushi place there now). In any case, I had some business to attend to in Dallas and figured the Mrs. and I could try Princi Italia. This would be my first meal to enjoy in the area for some 23 years.

So let's talk about Princi Italia shall we? Nice decor. Very nice decor. Too nice decor. Once in, we saw a large table of middle aged, nicely dressed and well-to-do ladies. Clearly a place for ladies who lunch - and have a spare coin or two. We were stuck in the corner so as to not intrude (not really. Well maybe...). Time to order. I went for the Penne Arrabbiata which they describe as a "spicy tomato sauce, garlic parmesan, basil & chilies." And given the premise for our visit, I asked for a side of sausage. I was informed that it was crumbled, rather than in a tube, which was disappointing to hear, but yes, please mix it in. Mrs. RJG settled on the Tagliatelle Bolognese described as thus: "Classic bolognese sauce, reggiano parmesan, basil". Mine arrived first, due to a mixup in the kitchen (no problem) and my wife immediately blurted out "that's a child's portion!" 'Tis true I'm afraid. The RJG agrees with many that most restaurants serve too much food (though we just take home what we can't eat ourselves). And because we workout everyday, we tend to eat like truckers. But I still prefer a normal portion. This was dinky. How about the food? I thought it was quite good, though terms like spicy and chilies are ridiculous to even consider. Their spicy won't fire up even the most tame of taste buds. But it was a very good light red sauce with basil and the added ground pork sausage was much needed to fill me up a tad anyway. The sausage was indeed very good, but it's sort of cheating. Personally I wouldn't call this homemade Italian sausage. For a great example of what I mean, head over to Pietro's on Lower Greenville (search the RJG, and you can read my love letter there). When Mrs. RJG's food arrives, it was greeted with a frown. She was already bumming about the portion, but when the bolognese came out in a brown gravy sauce, that pretty much soured her for good. There's nothing traditional at all about it. We've spent many weeks in Italy over the last 20+ years, and we never saw anything like this. She just flat out didn't like it. I thought it was good myself. It wasn't a bolognese, but I did like the interpretation. Nice blend of flavors. As well, the pasta was slightly undercooked in places. Tagliatelle is a thin flat noodle (like fettucine but not wavy), and it can clump easily if not stirred properly.

So how to rate Princi then? At the time of this writing Princi has a whopping 4 votes on Urbanspoon and a poor 25% approval rating. One is positive. The other 3 are not. And we're in that latter camp I'm afraid. The problem here, at least for me, is quite simply value. I rarely consider that when rating or evaluating a place, because I have a very large +/- error ratio on that front. But this was a pretty outrageous example. Mine was $10+$3 and hers was $12. For a VERY small portion of food. Ridiculously so. It wasn't an appetizer. The tossed salad was an additional $6, which was about $3 too much (I didn't mention the salad, but we did both enjoy it, and it featured a nice light red wine vinagraitte). I also had a Birra Moretti. That plus tax and tip: $44. And we were still starving when we left.

So it's with mixed emotions, we give Princi a thumbs down. I really wanted to like it. But honestly it looks like another mercurial chef-driven place that will be out of business within the next year. I'm sorry to say :-(

Website

Babe's Chicken Dinner House, Fried chicken, DFW chain

2011-12-08T10:46:00.008-06:00

Last visit: December 2011 (Roanoke)

First time listing in the RJG

NE Tarrant locations: none, but the RJG has adopted Roanoke as part of NE Tarrant, even though it's technically in far South Denton county.

Other DFW (area) locations: Carrollton, Arlington, Frisco, Garland, Sanger, Burleson, Granbury, Cedar Hill. Also they own a Bubba's in Dallas and a Sweetie Pie's Ribeyes in Decatur.

This is only my second visit to Babe's, the first being about 7 years ago with a former co-worker from my days at Lockheed-Martin in Denver in the late 1990s. Mrs. RJG had been curious about what the fuss was, so we took this day to head over for lunch and get us some fried southern food.

Babe's is a now legendary place in the DFW area and it's not an uncommon sight to see large lines on weekend nights. Babe's first opened its doors in 1993 in old town Roanoke, long before anyone else was there. Due to its increasing popularity, Roanoke is now the town that never was, and is a re-creation of a classic old Texas settlement as one might find at the turn of the last century. Lots of independent restaurants and local chain legends line the streets. It's quite an awesome sight to be honest. I think few would argue against the notion that Babe's popularity was the impetus behind the entire development.

Like many truly legendary places, Babe's offers an extremely limited menu. That is to say, "Wat' you want? Chicken Fried Steak or Fried Chicken?" That's it, though some of the other locations have a slightly extended menu. As we talked about with the "& more" moniker in a prior post, and our general dislike for the term, the RJG loves it when a place focuses solely on what they do best. If you don't want fried chicken, then don't come to Babe's - that's basically the message. Fair enough.

So what do two people typically do when they go to Babe's. One orders chicken fried steak, the other fried chicken - and proceed to split it. It's $12 a person, and along with your main meal it comes with a variety of sides. For openers there is the tossed salad, which is nothing more than crisp iceberg lettuce and a sweet vinagrette dressing (oh and a cucumber and tomato...). Just the way the RJG likes it. Simple but good. Then comes some buttermilk biscuits, which are awesome really, but fortunately they start you off with one each so you don't stuff yourself on bread. Then out comes the half chicken (leg, thigh, breast and wing) and the slab, and I do mean slab, of chicken fried steak. This is not the best fried chicken the RJG has ever had my any stretch, but it is indeed very good - juicy with a nice flavorful crust. I'll be perfectly honest and state that chicken fried steak isn't our favorite meal - but this is a very good rendition of the classic dish. The cream gravy is served on the side, and we sampled a few pieces in it. Good peppery flavor, though not something I'd want to dump on the steak itself. As for sides, you get "Grandma's corn" which is cream corn and whipped mashed potatoes. The potatoes are top tier, so smooth and tasty. I prefer whole corn to cream, but it was good all the same. You can wash all that with a Royal Crown Cola (not something you see everyday).

Babe's is in an old historical brick warehouse with table and chairs that are a mishmash of styles.

A great place to take out of town guests if they're looking for some southern food with a Texas twist.

As of this writing, the original Roanoke location is the #6 highest rated restaurant in all of DFW according to Urbanspoon.

Website

Freddy's Frozen Custard, Hamburgers, Regional Chain

2011-12-07T10:30:00.000-06:00

The original plan for this day was to visit Burger Island, a local DFW chain that we'd been to once, and liked quite a bit. It's the third consecutive burger place in this exact spot in Colleyville, on the NW corner of 121 and Glade. Prior to that there had been a Ken's and an Old Engine No. 9. Both were also very good. And now, burger place #3 is out of business. The RJG advises all restauranteurs out there that if you have a good tasting burger, do not open up in this shopping center!

So... now what do we do? Well, Freddy's is on the other side of the freeway in Euless, and we haven't been in awhile. At least here in DFW. Freddy's has expanded rapidly since we first posted here, and they opened one close to our summer place in southeast Denver - so that's been our go-to Freddy's location.

Everything below still applies, though on this visit I tried their chili as well. There's a bit too much masa in it for me, but otherwise it was flavorful.

Last visit: December 2011 (Euless)

First Listed in the RJG: January 10, 2009

NE Tarrant location: Euless
Other DFW locations: Highland Village, Frisco

Freddy's Frozen Custard is exactly the type of regional chain the RJG loves. Started only a few years ago in Wichita, Kansas, the chain has slowly expanded in a circumference, with a stronger market penetration to the south and west, naturally enough since it's following population trends. Texas has been a key focus area for them starting in San Antonio and working their way up.

Freddy's seems to have modeled their chain after two different, but iconic, Midwest concepts: Steak & Shake and the proliferation of Custard stands in Kansas and Missouri (Sheridan's, Fritz's, Ted Drewes, etc...) This blend has proven to be a hit, and Freddy's continues to grow at a rapid rate despite a deep recession. And its no surprise why: The food here is great, and offered at a good value. One reason for both of these qualities to remain true is that Freddy's is still a relatively small independently run chain, where the owners maintain full control. Let's hope it stays that way. Steak & Shake was once like this, but they lost their way years ago when they went to the public markets, and thus had to answer to the demands of shareholders and Wall Street - none of which has to do with food and all to do with profit. The RJG fondly remembers visiting Steak & Shake's in Missouri when it was still a small chain, and the quality was considerably better in years past. Oh, one other difference between Freddy's and Steak & Shake: Freddy's is traditional fast food, where you order up at the counter, rather than at a table with waitstaff.

So what is Freddy's signature burger called? A "steakburger". Does that sound familiar? And it's very similar to the Steak & Shake creation, as it's a very thin and crispy burger with a wonderful seasoned taste. Based on the price alone, I figured a double would be the right size, and it was, though I could even imagine having a triple, the patties are so thin. The last time I had a triple burger, I was a teenager with an endless appetite! Anyway, if you're a fan of thin burgers (you notice the RJG is a fan of ALL burgers), then Freddy's is a must stopover. On a second visit, this time with the Mrs., I tried the recommended California Steakburger. Presumably this is Freddy's answer to In-N-Out Burger, since it contains fresh lettuce, tomatoes, gooey American cheese and "Freddy's sauce", generally known as a variation on Thousand Island dressing. In the end, it tasted like a Freddy's burger with different toppings, rather than a copycat of the In-N-Out Burger. And that's a good thing. The Mrs. tried the fries, and these are some of the best the RJG has encountered. As the reader suggested, these are "shoestring" fries, with a very crispy texture. And the taste is out of this world. Freddy's has mastered the french fry.

And for dessert, of course I had to have one of their concrete's! A concrete (invented at Ted Drewes in St. Louis if I'm not mistaken), is a frozen custard mixed with other ingredients and blended so thick, that when you turn it upside down, nothing moves. The strange thing is - it's actually very smooth, and eventually it begins to melt into a creamy texture. I love 'em myself. Like most custard stands, they have two basic flavors (chocolate and vanilla) and you can add any one mix-in or flavoring for free. I had chocolate with a coffee flavor. Mmm-mmm-mmm, I'm going over there right now....

The Northeast Tarrant location is at TX-121 and Glade, which is a massive shopping center, with all 4 corners stocked full of shops and restaurants. And you need a map to know which suburb you're in. Basically if you're south of Glade, it's Euless. The NE corner is Grapevine and the NW is Colleyville. Freddy's is on the service road of TX-121, on the SE corner, thus it's Euless.

Website

Fresco's Cocina, Mexican, Watauga-TX

2011-12-06T10:30:00.001-06:00

Still a favorite at the RJG household. Maybe #2 behind Anamia's in the NE Tarrant Mexican restaurant sweepstakes?

Last visit: December 2011

First listed in the RJG: December 27, 2008

Other location: Burleson

When we first visited Fresco's, I think it was sometime in 2003, they were some sort of a hybrid between a QSR (Quick Service Restaurant) and a full service establishment. To say it was a confusing concept would be an understatement. We never knew what we were supposed to do. Order up front, but they would bring you the food. You were on your own for the chips and salsa, but they got you the drink. In a nutshell, it was a mess. And we vowed not to bother for a second visit. Fortunately for us, we don't listen to our own rules...

About a year later, Mrs. RJG was with a group of neighbors who had a girl's night out over at Fresco's. Not surprising since they have excellent happy hour specials and live music (or they used to at least - they may still, I'm not sure). And my wife reported back that they had wisely dumped the counter service and committed to a full service concept. So we waltzed back up there the next Saturday... and have been regulars for the last 4+ years and counting.

There are a few things that make Fresco's special, and worth the journey to Watauga, if not already nearby. Foremost is their "trio of sauces" that you can request to supplement the salsa that comes out with the chips. Actually, even if you didn't know about the "trio", the primary sauce is a medium heat level chipotle concoction that is unique and quite excellent. Amongst the trio, they offer a fiery chile de arbol,a honey jalapeno and a blazing hot habanero. The latter is a new addition, replacing a tomato based mild sauce. As you probably know by now, the RJG loves it spicy, and the chile de arbol made us happy enough. But the habanero clinches the deal. This may be the hottest salsa I've ever had at a Mexican restaurant - at least of those that weren't custom designed for me by a sadistic, angry chef. The flavors for everything I tasted were flying everywhere. My senses were alive. The Mrs. couldn't go on with the habanero - too much she said, and settled quite nicely with the other two.

Another aspect of Fresco's that we both enjoy is the high quality of the enchiladas. Their sauces are uniquely flavored, and aren't "run of the mill" tasting. And while I have no delusions that each enchilada platter is homemade, I will say that they are exquisitely prepared each time, and they're always ready for the large crowds they seem to get. The rice and beans are both superb as well.

And finally, and this is in their signature line, they really do have great margaritas. As I've said many times before, us denizens of DFW are spoiled when it comes to margaritas. Travel anywhere else in the US, and the frozen margarita is almost always a disappointment.

If you have friends in town, who like to drink and eat quality Tex-Mex, Fresco's is as good as any place to take them. Give them enough margaritas, and they'll be your best friend. Or, if you don't want them on your doorstep... take them to El Chico instead.

If you didn't know any better, you could be forgiven for thinking Fresco's is a national chain. They have the corporate signage, big restaurant and huge crowds that screams corporate. But once you sit down, it suddenly seems more local. This is clearly run by someone who cares about your experience, and not from some office tower hundreds of miles away, with a disgruntled manager running the place into the ground. I believe Watauga is their flagship, and they've recently opened one up in Burleson. If they continue to operate as they have done so far, there's no reason to think that Fresco's couldn't be one of DFW's most known Tex-Mex establishments.

And to think, we had never intended on going back. Looks like their shift from quick casual was a life saving one indeed.

Website

San Diego Tacos Shop, Cal Mex, Taqueria, DFW mini chain

2011-12-05T10:14:00.006-06:00

First visit: December 2011 (Richland Hills)

NE Tarrant location: Richland Hills

Other locations: Valley Ranch, Irving, Dallas (Southeast)

San Diego Tacos Shop proclaims to be the "best Cal-Mex fast food in DFW". I'm not quite sure who the competition is, but based on our one visit, I'm willing to give them the title (for now)!

Set in a day-glo mustard colored old fast food taco joint*, San Diego Tacos provides a wide array of every day Mexican fast food, as one would find in southern California. So what's the difference between Tex-Mex and Cal-Mex? Their website provides one chef's view, to which he articulates the various nuances of the two regional food cuisines. The website also describes their menu in detail - and in English. You may want to familiarize yourself with some of it before heading out, because the restaurant itself does not. However, pictures of the food line the wall for gringos like me.

Mrs. RJG, native of Sonora and a two year resident of Los Angeles, went straight for the Sopes which San Diego Tacos describes as "a traditional Mexican dish which at first sight looks like an unusually thick tortilla with vegetables and meat toppings. The base is made from a circle of fried cornmeal soaked in lime then deep fried. It is then topped with any of the below ingredients. The pinched sides of the sope are its most distinctive characteristic. " What's interesting to me, is the sope is exactly what their family refers to as a gordita. I've been eating "gorditas" almost since the day we started dating 16 years ago. Basically they look like fried ashtrays, with a refrito "soil" base, meat (chicken or grilled beef), lettuce, tomatoes and a Mexican white cheese. Here, that's called a sope. Not sure if it's just a "lost in translation" situation or rather different regions of Mexico interchange the terms - it's anyone's guess.

Whatever they're called, she thought they did a great job with them. The beans in particular she called out as being outstanding. And they used a Mexican cream as well. However, she said those two items dominated the flavors too much to truly appreciate the flavor of the meat.

I went for a carne asada taco, an adobada taco and an order of 3 rolled tacos & cheese. I asked for the hottest salsa they have, and out came the generic red ketchup squeeze bottle right from the fridge. I'm not sure what it is, but I love when salsa come out like this. I can just pour as much as possible onto my unsuspecting tacos. And as Mr. Music says when evaluating taqueria tacos, it's all about the seasoning of the meat and the flavor of the hot sauce. The asada was pretty standard, but I could taste the grilled meat. Good. The 3 rolled tacos are really flautitas by any other name. They came out super crispy, with a fine tasting beef inserted into each. And loaded on top with shredded yellow cheese. And at $1.65 for an order of 3, it's a super bargain. These were excellent. But the best of all was the adobada taco. You don't see adobada much in Texas (or even Colorado), but they're a staple in New Mexico, and it's something I seek out when there. Their menu describes it as "Pork marinated in adobo (chile) seasoning then roasted on a spit." Oh my goodness, it was outstanding! And the red salsa had a really nice kick (not too hot), but with great flavor. And when combined with the abobada seasoning, the flavors went crazy in my mouth. I loved it so much, I had to order another one. This is the kind of food I get cravings for.

I'm all in.

* - I'm almost positive this was originally a Taco Plaza. Do you all remember them? We had one in NW Dallas (on Forest) when I was a kid in the 1970s. My Mom didn't care for them much, so we only went for a couple of times (my Old Man wouldn't go near places like that in the 1970s - "place smells like a fart" he'd grump between puffs on his cigar...). Taco Plaza was bought out by ConAgra in 1977 and later bought out by Taco Bell in the early 80s. Most were converted (as I'm sure this one was).

Website (the photo shown is not the Richland Hills location)

Red Dog Right, Sports Bar, American, Southlake-TX

2011-12-04T11:14:00.003-06:00

First visit: December 2011

Like many folks who live in NE Tarrant, if I have to go to the airport or to the other side, then I must get on Hwy 114 East. Many times I'll do that via Southlake Blvd, and when you do, you'll see on your right a Kirby's Steakhouse, and then Red Lobster and then... whoa... hold up there. What happened to the Red Slobster? It's gone baby. In its place - Red Dog Right. The RJG doesn't shed a tear when the publicly traded company gets replaced with a more local option. In this case, it's still a (local) chain, but I'm guessing Red Dog Right still isn't ringing a bell. And it won't either, as this is a new entry from the folks at Front Burner Restaurants, founded by a Rockfish Seafood guy (guess he knew Kenny too right?).

Front Burner is behind Ojos Locos, Whiskey Cake, The Ranch at Las Colinas... and their most famous brand is Twin Peaks. The name is a wink-wink deal, and what was originally supposed to go into the Red Slobster spot. But hold on there young feller, the good kindly folks of Southlake ain't havin' none of 'dem near nekkid girls here. Oh for crying out loud, really? You have to love uptight people. Anyone who's spent more than a day with gorgeous women will realize that it's less about exploitation and more about the celebration of beauty, confidence and fitness for the ladies. Look, there's a huge difference between a stripper club and a sports bar with scantily clad women. I understand that heavy levels of testosterone, topless estrogen, lots of alcohol and 3 in the morning is a lethal combination. We don't want that either. Contrast that with 8 at night, the Cowboys game and servers that look like the models from Hee-Haw. So what does a enterprising company do - fight it? Naw, too much effort and why bother. How about a new logo? So Red Dog Right was born. Apparently the restaurant is named after the technical name of a football play. Sounds good to me.

The food is upscale bar food. Like our favorite brewpubs in Colorado (where are they in Texas? Oh don't get me started - I know why...), the food is actually quite good and better than you might imagine. Chef's and cooks all over the country are migrating to taverns such as these to create high quality variations of sandwiches, salads, pizzas and burgers. Rather than chips and salsa, the free opener is a box of buttery popcorn. That's a good idea I think! I went with the basic cheeseburger, which was excellent and stands up well against the specialty burger houses in the area. Mrs. RJG went with an individual Hawaiian pizza (always a risky proposition with the wife). But they nailed it - with the right amount of crispness on the crust, tasty sauce, gooey cheese and excellent ingredients.

Red Dog Right also maintains a robust Texas microbrew selection including the Franconia Lager that I just mentioned on the Love & War blurb. First time I've seen it over here. Good frozen margaritas too.

Oh, I should mention that they provide an assortment of board/parlor games to play, including a fully stocked old-school video game area.

I like this place. Though both Mr. and Mrs RJG wish they stocked it with the babes as originally planned. C'est la vie.

Website

Cantina Laredo, Mexican, International chain

2011-12-03T11:36:00.006-06:00

Wow, what a week at work. And the RJG has fallen behind again. I'm determined this time not to be defeated, and I'm back on my feet ready for some quick restaurant notes for the blog.

Last visit: November 2011 (Far North Dallas)

First time listing in the RJG

NE Tarrant location: Grapevine

DFW locations: 9 including the airport

Earlier in the week, we once again had a new project kicking off in Plano, so we had employees all over the country fly in for the start. Sounds like a team event to me! As noted last month, we recently went to Pappasito's, and this time we selected a very similar place with Cantina Laredo. Old time DFW citizens know Cantina Laredo well, as it was one of the first "upscale Tex-Mex" places in the area. I can remember going to the one in Addison as far back as the 1980s.

I've always found Cantina Laredo to be reliably good. On this visit I tried the Tacos Cascabel which they describe as "Sautéed chicken with cascabel sauce on soft corn tortillas with cilantro, marinated onions and queso fresco." I wasn't sure what a cascabel sauce was, but once I heard the words "chipotle" I was in. Whatever they're called, I thought the seasoning and the chicken were great. As for the opening, the chips were restaurant-chain styled light and crispy and comes with two sauces, one heated and one room temperature. They're both chipotle/garlic laced, but I preferred the caliente one. Unfortunately nothing spicy for the RJG. Thumbs up for the frozen margaritas too. I had 4 of them, so yea, I guess I did like them!

A little research shows that Cantina Laredo is part of the Dallas based Consolidated Restaurant Operations chain, the same outfit behind Cool River, Good Eats, Lucky's Cafe, III Forks, Silver Fox... and... and... and... El Chico (euwww, icks!) You don't need a Mensa test to know which restaurant doesn't fit in that group. Oh well. For Cantina Laredo, you will find their restaurants in multiple states as well as foreign locations in the UK and UAE.

This was my first visit to the Dallas Parkway location (near Briargrove). As befits the area, this location was a bit more formal than others around town. It does feature a nice bar / television area to relax in.

Website

For Urbanspoon purposes, I'll add only this location for the blog, even though we've been to the Grapevine location (once back in 2004).

Whataburger, Hamburgers, Regional Chain

2011-11-30T17:30:00.000-06:00

Last visit: November 2011 (Keller)

First time listing in the RJG

NE Tarrant locations: 16

Whataburger stays strictly in the south - west to east, other than California. They serve 10 states: AZ, NM, TX, OK, LA, AR, MS, AL, GA, FL

I know, I know. "Gee RJG, where do you find these obscure restaurants anyway?" To Texans, Whataburger is family. They're the little brother we pick on. We call them gross, stinky, dumb, and goober. But we don't mean it. Now that In-N-Out Burger is here, suddenly we become all protective, and yell back that Californians don't know what a good burger is. Hell, if they could only eat a Whataburger then they'd know!! But it's really two entirely different burger experiences. Whataburger's are Texan BIG. In-N-Out's are Californian fresh.

When I was kid in the 1970s, it was always a treat when my Mom would take me over to the closest one to our house, which was on Walnut Hill in Dallas (an old A-Frame building of course) near the UPS depot. They were also there in Lubbock when I attended Texas Tech in the mid 1980s. I loved them then, and I still do. Though they suffer from the same problems that most large franchises do - inconsistency. But if I'm looking for a quick burger at lunch while working, I tend to wander over to my local Whataburger (which is definitely one of their more consistent franchises) and get a double meat with cheese. It's quick, relatively cheap and usually very good. We don't have them in Colorado, a good reminder for me at least that we take them for granted. They're far better than the publicly traded companies in this space like McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy's, Carl's Jr/Hardees, etc...

When I first started going to Whataburger 35-40 years ago, they weren't much more than a small Texas chain from Corpus Christi. Today they are ubiquitous throughout the south region. For Urbanspoon purposes, I've included the Keller location, which is the one we frequent the most.

Stop by your local branch if you haven't been in awhile!

Website

Italianni's, Italian, Hurst-TX

2011-11-28T11:11:00.003-06:00

We won't be going to a new restaurant today, so time to dip into the database for a place we last dined at a couple of months ago.

Last visit: September 2011

First time listing in the RJG

Italianni's started life as a chain concept from Carlson Restaurants (most known for TGI Fridays). Carlson no doubt wanted a piece of the Italian chain dollar and went head to head with Brinker's Romano's Macaroni Grill and Darden's very popular Olive Garden. But the market was already saturated, and they eventually decided to shut down the concept here in the US. The Hurst store however still had a loyal following, and was purchased locally, and has been run independently for close to 10 years now. Interesting to note that the chain is still operating in Mexico, Korea, Colombia and The Philippines - so there's been some discussion about Italianni's needing to change their name. Bud Kennedy on Eats Beat recently reported that was actually going to happen imminently. But on our last visit, they told me that wasn't a concern anymore - and so the name lives on.

Italianni's is one of the few Italian restaurants in the area not owned by families from the former Yugoslavia or Albania. As such, the recipes are all unique, and is in fact a chef driven place. We've tried a variety of dishes, primarily the southern/central Italian classics along the lines of chicken parm, angel hair bolognese, spaghetti and Italian sausage, farfalle rustica, etc... Excellent salad and bread starts the meal off right. And the wine and beer selection is quite robust, and I like that they typically feature one microbrew from Ft. Worth's own Rahr & Sons brewery. Probably the closest restaurant in terms of overall ambiance and menu choices would be I Fratelli in Las Colinas.

Italianni's is a place we go far too infrequently, and surprisingly I have yet to feature it on our blog. It's consistently good - and a great choice for lunch. We've gone probably once or twice a year for about the last 5 year or so. Not sure why that's been the case, but we have every intention of visiting Italianni's more in the future.

Website

Antonio's Mexican Restaurant & Bar, Mexican, North Richland Hills-TX

2011-11-27T15:00:00.001-06:00

As you can see from the below, we've covered Antonio's already. We've vacillated back and forth on our opinion about this establishment. We've even gone so far as to state Antonio's is the #1 best Mexican in NE Tarrant. But times change, as do opinions, and Antonio's has fallen from the top spot (Anamia's in Southlake is the current owner). However, it's still a favorite, though maybe not the favorite. I've taken the liberty to rewrite many sections of the original review, based on recent trips. On this visit, I tried the baby chimichangas with ground beef. The queso topping is declicious as was the perfectly textured rice. The charro beans (which, as usual, I substituted the refried beans for) were a bit too soupy and "bean-like", lacking the yummy bacon flavor I crave - even though there were bits of bacon in the dish. The ground beef was servicable but ultimately lacking in rich flavors. The wife went for the tilapia, served in a tin foil bag, with loads of veggies and peppers on top. While the toppings were great, the tilapia itself lacked seasoning. Even still, she walked away happy with the dish. The margaritas were uniformly strong and excellent tasting (mine frozen, hers on ice). And for starters, the salsa comes out very hot (temperature), like it had just been cooked. And the hot sauce has a nice spice kick to it, while preserving a wonderful chile and garlic flavor. Perhaps even better, is the "Diablo" sauce, which they now serve in a ketchup dispenser. Great taste, seriously spicy.

If I could make a recommendation to the owners of Antonio's: GET RID OF THE SMOKING! They have a bar section that is not separated from the main dining area. The place smells like an old bowling alley, right from the moment you walk in. Clean the smell up and say Non-Smoking like just about everyone else in today's world. Look, I'm sympathetic to smokers (my Dad pretty much had a ciggy in his mouth until his last breath) - but the fact remains, it stinks. Save it for the pure bars and clubs - and leave it out of the restaurants. It does effect the popularity of a restaurant, and there's no way it helps Antonio's in any shape or form.

Last visit: November 2011
First listed in the RJG: April 15, 2010

(Much of the original review has been snipped - here's what's left).... The enchiladas come with a variety of sauces, which you can choose, including one that is designed to blow your head off (always a temptation for Mr. RJG). It's a nice chile d'arbol, and isn't really too hot for those who are already indoctrinated into the fine arts academy for pepper heads.

Originally there was a Las Lomas in this location, which was also quite good, though we think Antonio's raised the bar.

Despite what may appear to be a typical dreary strip mall restaurant, the interior competes with some of the more suave eateries in the area like Anamia's and El Paseo. Dark mood lighting, and a full bar with flat screen televisions define the interior.

Antonio's is on Bedford-Euless Rd. along a "nightmare's row" of boring chain eateries (with a couple of exceptions) that dot I-820 near Davis and Hwy 26. As the crow flies, it's right across the "street" from Northeast Mall in Hurst. That street is the interstate.

Website

Red Barn Bar-B-Que, Barbecue, Colleyville-TX

2011-11-26T13:57:00.004-06:00

Last visit: November 2011

First time listing in the RJG

Nestled in a quiet corner of the very busy Hwy 26 and Glade Rd, Red Barn is a throwback to the rural country barn styled Texas barbecue place. No doubt 35 years ago, this stretch of Hwy 26 was just that - rural country. Once in, you'll notice the all wood interior decorated with signs from the past, and country music blaring from the radio. You order up fast food style and off you go to your wood bench or chairs to savor your meal. The folks working here are consistently nice and will throw in an "extra" if they feel that rib you ordered is a little slight.

We've only been a few times over the years, and to be honest, Red Barn has never wowed us much. I've tried various meats over time, because unfortunately they don't offer a meat sampler platter. The flavors just aren't very bold here, but that's just the RJG's preference. Some folks like their barbecue straight down the middle. No question though, the meats are cooked properly with the right amount of tenderness. The sides are traditional (corn, beans, salads, etc...), but uniformly good. The spicy sauce (I just can't do sweet) is a nice recipe, and doesn't overpower the flavor. Bottom line for the RJG: It's good, and we vote it "Likes it" on Urbanspoon. But it's not a favorite for us, even in the NE Tarrant vicinity.

In reading various reviews from folks more qualified than us, it appears Red Barn has a very loyal following - though there are plenty of detractors as well. Metroplex BBQ, gives it a 5 out of 5 (and linked so you can see a really positive experience), while Full Custom gave it only a 2 out of 5. Based on their scales, we'd be probably 3.5 out of 5.

Malli's Authentic Mexican, Mexican, Hamburgers, North Richland Hills-TX

2011-11-25T12:39:00.004-06:00

First visit: November 2011

Malli's is a pleasant little Mexican restaurant situated on a busy stretch of Rufe Snow, north of I-820. It's colorfully decorated, and as you may have noted already, their focus is on authentic Mexican food. Based on the menu alone, it would appear they have Tex-Mex offerings, but we didn't try them (though I will next time). They have a lunch and dinner menu, and we didn't ask if they serve them at all hours.

However, they do serve breakfast all day, and Mrs. RJG decided to go hardcore Mexican today (after all, that is where she's from) and ordered the Huevos con Nopalitos. That is to say, eggs with cactus. Seems like that would hurt don't it? I mean, pulling the needles out of your mouth and what not. No silly, says the wife, it's actually quite delicious and she went on about the process on to which you "harvest" cactus. Whatever you say, dear. Well anyway they were a hit with the wife, cooked with onions and tomatoes and served with either homemade flour tortillas or "out of the bag" corn tortillas.

Now Mr. RJG did something he never does in a Mexican restaurant: Ordered a hamburger. Malli's has a small reputation for making a great Dr. Pepper glazed hamburger, so why not? It ended up being a great choice, though at first I was a bit unsure. See, instead of a bun it comes out between two pieces of toasted white bread. I'd rather see a unique bun of some kind, but we'll let that pass. Otherwise the burger came out well-done (it would be unusual to need to mention this in a Mexican restaurant - they almost always cook ground beef well done) and it was flavorful and juicy due to the seasoning and DP marinade. Best of all is that it comes with two kinds of melted cheese and super crispy bacon. It sort of melts in your mouth. Very, very good.

There are a number of burger bloggers in the DFW area, and I'd be curious what their take on it would be. I'm no expert, but I sure did enjoy it!

Perhaps best of all, is how the meal starts. And that of course would be the chips and salsa. The chips are homemade and crispy. They reminded us of the Mexican restaurants we have in Colorado - especially that they use red corn sometimes. But the salsa was the true highlight. A wonderful roasted chile taste permeates, and it had enough fire in it for me not to ask for a hotter one. It's not overwhelmingly hot though, so I think most everyone can handle it. It's flat out delicious and we finished a rather large bowl of it and a second bowl was delivered without asking.

We'll be back to try their more traditional enchiladas and tacos next time. So far, so great.

Love and War in Texas, Texana, Grapevine-TX

2011-11-24T09:00:00.000-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Today we'll be visiting friends in Keller for lunch and then picking up the RJG's Mom and journeying over to Allen to have dinner with some second cousins we haven't seen in about 7 years. It's the only family left in the DFW area for the RJG household (most are now in Denver or Phoenix because of Mrs. RJG's rather large family).

And speaking of Phoenix, that's we're my boss is also from. He's taken a shine to Love and War in Texas, so this has become our go-to spot when he's in town. Since the team's demographics have shifted towards Richardson / Plano, this is the location we now frequent. We've been 4 times, the last only a couple of months ago. Since today we're not going to a restaurant for turkey, this is a good time to pull out Love and War in Texas from the archives. I just realized I never published this in Urbanspoon. An oversight for certain.

On this last visit, the Plano location featured Franconia beer on tap, a neat little brewery from McKinney. They have a very small distribution area, and is rarely seen outside of Collin County. I've never seen it on our side of DFW. I believe it was the pilsener they had when we were there, and it's delicious!

Last visit: September 2011 (Plano)
First listed in the RJG: July 1, 2008

Other location: Plano

Restaurants that sound like 19th century novels is a dicey proposition at best. When I first heard that our team dinner meeting was at Love and War in Texas (LWT) , my first reaction was "what the hell is that?". I had visions of a touristo trappo, with slide shows, dancers, costumes and other annoying gimmicks. But much to my surprise, the only gimmick here is that LWT focuses on the various culinary traditions of the diverse regions of Texas. And not only that, but everything is grown or made here, including the wine. And my response quickly went to "what a great idea!"

The five regions LWT define are: The Border, Texas Gulf Coast, Hill Country, The West Texas Plains and East Texas Piney Woods. And that's a pretty good designation, especially considering that the Texas state constitution has a provision to break into 5 different states. Each one naturally has a culinary theme: The Border focuses on Tex-Mex; West Texas is steak; Hill Country mixes wild game with German food; East Texas gets the BBQ, burgers, catfish and the like; And finally the Gulf Coast has a seafood focus - of course. I went with the Border menu and tried the Spicy Chicken and Shrimp Platter, which was served fajita styled on a bed of sizzling onions. Everyone at our table had something different including what looked to be some fascinating habanero tacos. Mine was excellent, and I heard similar sentiments around the table.

LWT is located near the Grapevine Mills outlet mall (Gravepoint Wills) and housed in the former Trail Dust Steakhouse. And according to the bartender, they've been there for 3 years. I'm always looking for places to take out of town guests, including business associates, and I'd rank this along with Texana in Arlington (now sadly closed) and Tolberts in Grapevine as a truly Texan experience.

Website

I'll add both locations since we've been to both and there are slight deviations between them.

Anna's Chicken, Fried Chicken, North Richland Hills-TX

2011-11-22T13:35:00.004-06:00

First visit: November 2011

As promised in the Raising Cane's blurb, the RJG is going to make a solid effort at trying the variety of fried chicken houses in NE Tarrant. Today's visit takes us to Anna's Chicken on Rufe Snow Rd. in North Richland Hills, not far from another RJG haunt - Lina's Mexican Cocina.

Anna's is a classic old convenience store that has been converted into a very bright, fluorescent lighted fast food chicken and seafood joint - where they emphasize that they are a super clean place. Good to know!

Anna's is Asian owned and operated, and they allowed us to try a sample of their butterfly shrimp, which reminded us both quite a bit of the appetizers we've had in some Thai restaurants. For lunch, I chose the 3 piece chicken special with corn and fries while the Mrs. settled on the 2 piece with corn and green beans. Each came with a roll, a pickled jalapeno and a small drink that they dispense for you.

The chicken batter recipe is standard, but they execute it to perfection. Each piece was crispy, hot and the meat juicy throughout. No dryness anywhere nor was it super greasy. The batter was quite light actually, and didn't require an immediate visit to the clinic afterward. The small corn cob was absolutely delicious - clean, crisp and tasty. The fries, beans and roll were standard fare but good all the same. Mrs. RJG really enjoyed the pepper (I didn't try it).

Anna's is a step up from your standard country owned place like Chicken Express, and I presume far more consistent than Church's. But that's the type of fried chicken we're talking about here. No mysterious 11 herbs and spices for Anna's.

Anna's is a good choice if you're hankering for some good old fashioned fried chicken. Stop on by if in the area.

Website

Fuzzy's Taco Shop, Fresh Mex, National Chain

2011-11-21T11:00:00.001-06:00

I finally caught up from October and November, and when I have days like today, I'll tackle the backlog. First up is Fuzzy's, a place that interestingly enough we were going on a weekly basis after returning from Colorado in September. But we just haven't been since.

Last visit: September 2011 (Southlake)
First listed in the RJG: April 14, 2011

NE Tarrant locations: North Richland Hills, Southlake, Grapevine, Euless, Roanoke (close enough).

While DFW and Texas remain their main focus, Fuzzy's can now be found in 8 other states with two more on the way.

Fuzzy's Taco Shop first opened near TCU in Ft. Worth and was an instant hit. Our first experience with Fuzzy's was a visit to the North Richland Hills location on Rufe Snow about a year ago. This location used to house the RJG's original favorite DFW Thai restaurant - Top Thai (they moved to Las Vegas in 2005). Later it was a Bar-B-Cutie, which we never got around to trying (they're a Nashville, TN chain and they still have two locations in Allen. They also have 3 stores in Valencia Spain!). However, once it became Fuzzy's, the original pizza place (at least we think it was - according to the Top Thai owners) has finally found its popularity.

Not long afterward, Fuzzy's took over a two time loser Chinese restaurant location (Blue Fish being one of them and something with Eden in the name) in Southlake. And once again, the place is packed to the rafters. And it's at this location that we tend to frequent most.

So while I've been asleep at the wheel, Fuzzy's has gone crazy with new openings: For NE Tarrant, in addition to the two mentioned, they added a Euless location. Other DFW area expansions include: Two more Ft. Worth locations, two in Arlington and Carrollton, one each in Lewisville, Denton, Farmers Branch, Burleson, Richardson, Plano, Dallas, Garland, Weatherford, and McKinney.

But that's not all. Now they're beginning to expand nationwide. They have at least 5 more locations in Texas, plus one in Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Wisconsin. They also have plans to expand in Colorado, Missouri, and Arizona (their webpage is a bit hard to navigate, and needs an upgrade)

What you're seeing here is the beginning of a food empire.

And why not? Basically this is upscale Taco Truck food, and the public is clamoring for it. Why worry about health code violations, when you have an established name brand behind you?

Their tacos are excellent and feature a wide variety of choices from grilled or tempura shrimp to shredded pork and onto more traditional offerings like shredded beef, chicken and spiced ground beef. Soft or hard corn shells are offered. They also have breakfast, burritos, tortas (called grilled sandwiches here), salads, and soups. Be sure to try their habanero sauce - it's definitely got a kick. And the RJG really appreciates their beer selection. Not just the standard crappy Bud and Miller, but they have a wide selection of regional and microbrews (on draught too, including Ft. Worth's own excellent Rahr & Sons Brewing). Nothing beats a good Moose Drool (a brown ale from Big Sky Brewing of Missoula, Montana) with a shredded chicken taco and habanero sauce!

Website

Chef Point Cafe, American, Italian, Watauga-TX

2011-11-20T09:36:00.003-06:00

First visit: November 2011

So here we sit in DFW's most highly rated restaurant (according to Urbanspoon). Chef Point Cafe has been featured by both Guy Fiori (DDD) and Paula Deen, as well as numerous DFW area foodie magazines, guides and blogs. The location itself couldn't be more unassuming - a new roadside gas station placed anonymously on a near empty suburban stretch of Watauga Rd. (aka Mid Cities Blvd). A wide expanse of Texas nothingness. A place even Hank Hill would consider dull. And there's no sign to let you know you've arrived. Only a delivery truck sits outside with the name Chef Point. It's an oft told story nowadays: The founders of Chef Point weren't able to secure a loan for a new restaurant, but they could get financing for a new gas station. So up goes a multi-pump / convenience store Conoco with the sole purpose of adding a chef driven restaurant inside. The American can-do spirit thrives once again! The decor could be most politely described as "industrial minimalist" with its bare gray cinder block walls encompassing the red & black interior. Honestly it feels like we're eating at a Firestone Auto Care store. Perhaps that's the point of it all - the surroundings themselves aren't what matters - it's solely about the food.

The menu is a strange bedfellow mix of Southern cooking, Cajun and Italian - along with traditional favorites like hamburgers, sandwiches and pizza. Some folks like their chef driven places to be plat du jour, but not the RJG. We prefer the menu, as this way if we do like a dish, we know we can get it over and over again. Mrs. RJG went for one of Fiori's choices - the Blackened Stuffed Chicken which they describe as "hand stuffed with pepper jack cheese & fresh crab meat, smothered in asiago sauce served over angel hair pasta. " The cheese sauce is sublime and the fillings recall some of New England's finest stuffed fish dishes. The cajun element only adds points to an already great idea.

I've seen many reviews that state Chef Point's fried chicken is the best they ever had. So I figured I'd go Italian and try their chicken parmesan, which would most likely have an excellent crispy breading. I was more than pleased when the round dish came out with a crispy chicken breast sandwiched between bubbling cheese on top and al dente angel hair on the bottom. A very good interpretation of a classic dish, and proved to me they could operate solely as an Italian restaurant if they had wished.

The portions were quite large, and we ended up taking at least half of each home for dinner that night. And the lunch price of my chicken parm was $9, so very competitive I think. I also had a glass of the house chardonnay, reasonably priced at $5.

Since we've only been once, and the menu is quite extensive, we cannot comment much beyond our one meal to date. But we look forward to multiple visits over time. And given its popularity, it appears Chef Point is going to be with us for a long while. They've already expanded the restaurant through the back of the gas station. On our weekday visit, we arrived before 11:30 and the main dining room was half full. It was entirely full when we left, but the new extension hadn't yet seen any diners.

Chef Point Cafe is an excellent place that deserves its recognition. Not surprisingly, a lot of naysayers are coming out of the woodwork to claim "it's not all that great... overrated, only clueless people think this good, bla bla bla". This resistance is to be expected when you're at the top. Like the impetus it took to get the restaurant off the ground, it's the American way.

Website

Campania's, Neapolitan Pizza, Italian, Southlake-TX

2011-11-19T11:02:00.002-06:00

Since I wrote the below, it appears Campania have lost their Vera Pizza Napoletana certification. Whether that's due to an authentic lack of consistently meeting standards, or Campania just didn't want to pay the fees, is anyone's guess. The RJG thinks certifications in the business world are nothing more than a racket, so it doesn't matter to me one way or the other. But worth mentioning all the same. On our last visit, I felt the pizza was slightly undercooked, and this is the second disappointing visit in a row for me. I'm concerned it's "not the same as it used to be." Mrs RJG had the penne arrabiata and the sauce was very good - and spicy as it should be.

Last visit: November 2011
First listed in the RJG: January 28, 2009

Other location (and the original): Dallas (Uptown)

Sometime back in the late 1980s, when the RJG first began to backpack through Europe, one of the great pleasures in life was to devour an individual Italian style pizza. Not to mention that it was very affordable for a budget-conscious backpacker, usually costing no more than $5 even in the most expensive places like Sweden or Norway. These were not the big sloppy gooey cheese creations, like at home, but rather a more simplistic, but no less delicious, pizza pie. And like most Americans, I didn't know pizza was meant to be eaten with a knife and fork.

While in the 1980s this kind of pizza might have seemed a novelty, today it is more accepted. Whether it's due to the fact that many Americans have now traveled through Europe, or just the notion that we should be eating things more "authentic", is anybody's guess. No matter, as we're all fortunate to at least have the opportunity.

The Southlake location of Campania's is one of 26 pizzeria's in America to be certified by the Vera Pizza Napoletana, an organization committed to "producing authentic Neapolitan style pizza according to the guidelines of the Verace Pizza Napoletana Association based in Naples, Italy."

We've been to the Southlake location multiple times now, and each time the memories of Europe raced through my mind. The thin crust is durable and slightly chewy but not crispy. The ingredients are all top notch. I still get a kick out of ordering the salami pizza, with the huge round slabs covering the pie.

Also recommended is the salad, once again a simple variety, as you'll find in Europe. Fresh greens with a vinaigrette dressing that I could eat all day.

They also have pasta, which we haven't tried, though I'd expect nothing but the best. Probably a drier version than what we're used to here, if authenticity continues to hold court.

There's a tendency amongst food reviewers to state that places like Campania are "much better" because they are "more authentic". Phooey I say. I'm proud of the "Italian American" style and consider it almost an entirely different food from what you'll typically find in a Tuscan village or a major metropolis like Rome. For me, they're both wonderful, and I'm glad we have the options to eat at both here in America.

The original is in Dallas in the Uptown/West Village section, though we've only been to the Southlake location. To get here, go to the Southlake Town Square and park by the East garage. You'll see it directly across from the garage.

Website: http://www.campaniapizza.com/

Taco Diner, Taqueria, Dallas area chain

2011-11-18T09:50:00.001-06:00

Last visit: November 2011 (Southlake)

First time listing in the RJG

NE Tarrant location: Southlake
Other locations: Dallas (2, Uptown and Park Cities), Las Colinas, Plano, Addison. 2 more Dallas locations are to be added in early 2012.

It feels kind of funny to label Taco Diner as a "taqueria", as this is about as far away as possible to the classic little humble street vendor as you can get. But essentially Taco Diner is in fact a taqueria. A high end, upscale taco truck. With chairs... and frozen margaritas. The diners' themselves are laid out in the classic 60's googie architecture style mixed with a tres hip late 90s ambiance. So if you feel so compelled, wander in alone with a newspaper tucked under your arm and instead of waffles, order up a taco la parilla... and a frozen margarita. Speaking of which, actually don't order a frozen margarita. They're average at best, and at $8 for a small glass, a ripoff to boot. And there ends my complaints about Taco Diner.

Because the food is quite good, and perhaps a bit surprising given the relative blandness of their flagship Mi Cocina tex-mex franchise. Taco Diner is yet another wing of the "M Crowd" (to me this sounds like a late 90s electronica group - which definitely fits their persona). The chips are homemade tortillas, hand broken, and comes with two mild salsas (one green, one red). If you ask for more a spicy alternative, you will be brought a creamy green serrano and an orange-ish chile de arbol sauce. The latter is pretty hot, but lacks flavor. The former is the winner of the group, with the same level of spice, and a fantastic pepper flavor. I tried 4 tacos on this visit: chicken and pork al pastor, bistec and fish. Funny enough I had trouble discerning between the pork and the chicken, but the pastor is very good - though not as yummy as Tres Casas in Keller. The carne had a fine grilled meat flavor. And the tilapia featured the most seasoning, though the achiote citrus marinade was a bit too sweet for my liking. All and all a fine selection - and priced well at $10 for the 4 (you'll pay more at Yucatan). Mrs. RJG settled on the Tacos Cancun, and I think her tacos were even better than mine. Excellent shrimp and spices.

Our first experience with Taco Diner was at the Las Colinas location (~2006), but shortly thereafter they opened the one in Southlake Town Square. Along with Five Guys and Snuffers, this is your best bet for lunch if shopping in the area.

The Southlake location is Taco Diner's lone venture across the Great Divide. So I'll label it a Dallas area chain for now.

Website

Ted E's Burgers & More, Hamburgers, Ft. Worth-TX (Far North)

2011-11-17T16:03:00.005-06:00

Last visit: November 2011

First time listing in the RJG

Mrs. RJG told me that I was on my own this day, so that usually means pizza or burgers for moi (as the Mrs. doesn't go in much for those choices). The original plan was to visit CJ's Burgers in Keller. But unbeknownst to me, or Urbanspoon for that matter, it is closed and is now an Asian restaurant (incidentally right next to a Thai restaurant - no imagination I tell ya...). So I decided to revisit Ted E's which was only a couple of miles south from where I was. The RJG has been to Ted E's only once prior to this visit, sometime in early 2010. I thought it was good, worth coming back, but not sure if it was going to be Top 10 crave kind of place. After this visit, I will say that it's good, worth coming back, but not sure if I need to anytime soon.

I've never been a big fan of the "& More" moniker, as it loudly proclaims that this particular establishment doesn't really specialize in something. I prefer the In-N-Out model - basically we serve hamburgers, fries, hamburgers, shakes and hamburgers. Don't like it, go somewhere else. What they call in the business world, in fancy consulting speak, "focusing on your core competency." So with that in mind, Ted E's has a dizzying array of choices for what is essentially a fast food burger joint. As to compare apples to apples, I decided on getting a simple Ted E's Original cheeseburger. Maybe the dish they do best is the fish taco wrap or perhaps the teriyake glaze chicken sandwich? I don't know, and I'm not sure I'll ever find out. As you know, the RJG likes his spice, so I may opt next time for their Mike T's Hot & Spicy Burger, though the only ingredient I can see that has a chance to make an impact is the chipotle mayo. Sliced jalapeno's are fine to add, but they are what they are - nothing homemade about them.

So how is the burger then? Good. Yep, good about covers it. The bun is like an oversized Johnny B's, and in similar fashion, slightly sweet. It's more fluffy than toasty. The meat has a nice favor, a bit unique, but it didn't wow me. Kind of a chewy burger I guess. The "signature sauce" is another variation of the thousand island dressing theme, which is fine. I don't usually get the fries, but the lunch special is a great deal for $5.49 including fries and a drink. So why not? They were hand cut and chewy (there's that word again). I like my fries thin and crispy, but these were... well, ya know... good.

The decor is fast food like, with an overt sports theme and a few flat screens to watch whatever game is on. There's no alky-haul, so not much reason to stay really. It's all pleasant enough*. *Southern speak for dull.

So if you live in the area, Ted E's is worth a regular visit. But I'm not sure it's worth going too far out of your way for. There are definitely better burgers in NE Tarrant. Maybe it's their Monterrey Club that brings down the house. Who knows? & More?

A better review than mine can be found here.

Website

Al Wadi Cafe, Middle Eastern, Bedford-TX

2011-11-15T17:31:00.006-06:00

First visit: November 2011

On the Prince Lebanese Grill post, I asked if there were any good Middle Eastern restaurants in NE Tarrant? I basically fed that question into Urbanspoon, and out came Al Wadi Cafe - a place that seems to be immensely popular judging by the high rating and number of raters, which as of this writing makes it the #90 most popular restaurant in all of DFW (again, according to Urbanspoon). In fact, the only other restaurant labeled middle eastern in the area is Cafe Medi in Hurst, a place we visited many years ago and need to try again (read: it didn't wow us the first time).

Al Wadi is a classic Regular Joe's hole-in-the-wall. On Brown Trail, just south of Harwood in a shopping center that time forgot, or perhaps it never was remembered - Al Wadi sits patiently awaiting its expected crowd. Next door sits a chocolatier and a middle eastern grocery store. They did everything they could do to spiffy the place up, including adding a charming front patio area for outside dining. Inside is clean and pleasant - not ostentatious as middle eastern places are sometimes wont to do.

The menu features dishes of the middle east and, as is common for places such as this, Greek fare is offered as well. I usually like to try Lebanese dishes first. For a first visit, the results were hit and miss - but definitely good enough to warrant a second try and earn our recommendation. I had the beef and chicken shwarma combo dish. The beef was a bit tough, and there was an ingredient standing out that I just didn't care for. I cannot put my finger on it - almost like when food is cooked in red wine. Obviously that's not the case here, but I cannot describe the flavor any better. The chicken, however, was delicious and perfectly tender. Despite being the same dish with separate meats, the results were completely different. The rice had a great taste, but was unfortunately a bit mushy. This can be the death knell for the RJG, but the flavors were too good to ignore. We'll just give them the benefit of the doubt that it was an off-day. The salad was perfect, with an excellent homemade Greek dressing - exactly as expected. Mrs. RJH opted for the kofta kabob, and it was a definite home run. The perfectly spiced balls of ground beef were some of the best we'd tried. She also tried the hummus, which she said was great. Oh, and she wanted you all to know the vegetables on the kebab were excellent as was the pita bread (I agree). Otherwise her comments echo mine in regards to the salad and rice. So not perfect, but the potential is obviously there. We'll be back.

Website

Cuco's Sandwich Shop, Cuban, North Richland Hills-TX

2011-11-14T16:52:00.007-06:00

Last visit: November 2011

First time listing in the RJG

For over 20 years, Cuco's has been serving Cuban food to the citizens of NE Tarrant county. The RJG has always liked the Cuban sandwich: Roasted pork, ham, salami, cheese and mustard - then hot pressed. It's basically the same as a classic panini from Italy, though there are some minor differences which I won't get into here. I think the key to a great Cuban is the bread itself, so that it remains crispy, hot and tasty throughout the life of the meal. And Cuco's Cuban is outstanding, maybe one of the best I've ever had. Now to be fair, I've spent zero time in South Florida sampling Cuban sandwiches - but of the few I've had around the US, Cuco's scores well. Mrs. RJG had the same dish but with sweet plantain's on the side, which she said were delicious.

Cuco's is a quaint little deli, painted bright pink, with a few tables and serves breakfast (starting at 10) and lunch only (closed Sunday). They also sell specialized Latin American grocery products, so it operates on two levels. According to my database, we'd only been to Cuco's once - back in January of 2005. So nearly seven years later, we make our grand return. Obviously Cuco's is surviving without us and will continue to do so. Even though we live close to the northern reaches of North Richland Hills, Cuco's is on the southern side very close to Haltom City. It really underscores just how large the land mass is for NRH. It's quite a haul for us to just get a sandwich for lunch, which is the primary reason we haven't been back sooner. But that Cuban sandwich is great and we both would like to try some of their other pressed selections. We're going to make an effort to come back more often. If you live nearby, consider yourself lucky, and be sure to stop on by!

Tex's Star Grill, Chicago Deli, Greek Diner, Watauga-TX

2011-11-13T09:38:00.006-06:00

I had originally posted about Tex's in a longer Burger update, but it really should have its own write-up. And since that time, Tex's has really played up his Chicago roots - adding many more regional delicacies such as beef and sausage sandwiches and Vienna hot dogs and "Polishes". With that has come a "sub-name" as it were: Tex's Chicago Connection. The RJG, along with many others I'm sure, had called out confusion about the original name. And the owner wrote in to tell me that he knew he missed out on the name game. Tex's is run by a very conscientious owner, and there's a reason why he's ranked # 4 in ALL of DFW. As for my own designations, you'll see I put Chicago Deli and Greek Diner. Well it's not really a diner in the sense that you do order up at the counter (technically known as a quick service restaurant (QSR)) and they even have a drive-through. But the food is very much like the Greek diners found throughout the Midwest. And on this visit, I tried the beef and sausage sandwich - definitely the best one I've had since my last visit to Chicago!

NE Tarrant has made a few tries for the Chicago tastebud, but other than Weinberger's in Grapevine (and Westlake), none have managed to stay in business. But Tex's is here for the long run, and is one of the most popular places in town. Funny enough, Tex's isn't even the #1 place (according to Urbanspoon) in Watauga - that designation goes to Chef Pointe Cafe (which is #1 overall in DFW - and a place we hope to try soon). For such a small, humble, out of the way suburb like Watauga, it is indeed very odd they have two of the most popular restaurants in DFW. Something I hope their chamber of commerce is all too willing to exploit. "Come to Watauga - DFW's #1 Destination for Foodies". It doesn't even seem possible.

The original review is below.

Last visit: November 2011
First listed in the RJG: November 24, 2009

Perhaps the most misnamed place in DFW. When I first saw the place as we were driving down Rufe Snow some 4+ years ago, I thought it was a new burrito place, or perhaps a fast food Tex-Mex joint. Well it's really none of those, but rather a good old fashioned Greek diner or, in this case, fast food establishment. So why is it in the Burger section you ask? Those who've spent more than 15 minutes in Chicago already know the answer - the Greeks make some of the tastiest hamburgers in America. And you can get a Greek Salad with that too! And gyros. And souvlaki. And Baklava. You get the idea. I personally love the Golden Burger with pastrami on top! Places like this exist in every village, hamlet, burb or mafia center in Chicago, which is why it's America's greatest eating town. And now we have one in NE Tarrant too!

The owner made a comment on the original post, which I will include here: "RJG,I'm honored that you have added Tex's Star Grill to your long list of restaurants reviewed. You're right, we missed out on the name game. When I moved to this great state from Chicago, my buddies back home gave me the nickname Tex - and it stuck. Oh well...we're just glad that our customers have done a super job of spreading the word on what we are all about."

Website

Tres Casas Mexican Grill, Mexican, Keller-TX

2011-11-12T12:47:00.004-06:00

Last visit: November 2011

First time listing in the RJG

In a small white house, nestled away in old town Keller, you can find the flavors of Old Mexico. About 3 years ago, Tres Casas took over the old Enriques place, spiffed it up just a little bit, and brought some recipes back from home. Tres Casas is not another Tex-Mex joint, but rather the cuisine of central and western Mexico, as you might find in Sonora or Jalisco. Mrs. RJG, who is from Sonora herself, noticed the similarities with the rice, beans, and shredded beef flautas - all highly recommended from her. For me, Tres Casas has the best al Pastor tacos I've had since my last visit to Puerto Vallarta (interesting to note that Al Pastor itself was brought to Mexico by Lebanese immigrants). And it would appear the restaurant knows they have something special here as they named the dish Tres Casas. Now I'll admit that I didn't see the spit (though it may be in the back), but however they make it, it's a very good facsimile.

We've been a few times, but only for lunch, and the plates are relatively small - which is fine by us. The chips are clearly homemade, and excellent tasting on their own. The salsa they bring out is of a chunky tomato variety, and is decent - but not great. Ask for the hotter one and out comes a delicious thick orange habanero sauce. The only other place I've had a salsa like this is at Fresco's in Watauga.

Despite the awesome hole-in-the-wall setting, Enriques was always disappointing to us, and I wasn't surprised to see them go. Tres Casas, on the other hand, is well worth the stop. It's one of the better homespun Mexican cafe's in NE Tarrant. And it's BYOB if you're so inclined.

You'll find Tres Casas on Hwy 377, just north of 1709 (Keller Parkway), on the east side of the road.

Website

Chapps Cafe, Hamburgers, Ft. Worth area chain

2011-11-11T10:30:00.001-06:00

Chapps continues to be an excellent burger joint, and a place we frequent at least once a month.

Last visit: November 2011 (Keller)
First listed in the RJG: May 27, 2008

NE Tarrant locations: Keller, North Richland Hills

Other locations: Arlington (2), Ft. Worth, Burleson, Grand Prairie (2), Cedar Hill

Chapps is a great example of a local chain, that feels like an independent. They have 9 locations, primarily all in Tarrant county with a couple of stragglers in southern Dallas county. There are now two in NE Tarrant: One in North Richland Hills and the one being reviewed here in Keller. As I stated in the Chains section, I tend to list local chains by location rather than as a chain grouping, as they tend to be independently focused as a rule. I can't say that Chapps isn't uniform across the board, as I don't know the owners and haven't had any discussion with them at all. Just going by a general rule of thumb.

The Keller location is on Keller Parkway (aren't they all?), in the "Keller Town Center". This latter designation is a laugh, as it's really just a strip mall with a fancy designation. While Southlake was putting up a real town center, Keller tried to pull the wool over everyone's eyes with a strip center. Only now, with the completion of the Art House condominiums, is it starting to feel like an enclosed community. But there's a long way to go. Having City Hall across the street helps, but it still feels like separate areas. The shopping center is anchored by a Tom Thumb grocery story and there's the usual Starbucks, Quizno's, Pizza Hut, Radio Shack, banks, cleaners and nail salons in the area. There was once an Ice Cream Station, an excellent homemade ice cream palace, with a cool railroad theme. They went out of business, stating publicly that the "town center" concept was a farce. Basically folks would come over, shop at Tom Thumb, and rush home to get their frozen goods in. This didn't allow much time for foot traffic, as there's no reason to meander. Southlake's town center can support two independent ice cream places, and it's easy to understand why. Today there's the mega-chain Carvel in there (actually it took over an independent wine seller, while Quizno's took over the ice cream spot), and it's good, but it's not near as unique or as great as the Ice Cream Station was.

OK, no fair to Chapps here. The RJG gets irked with suburbia shenanigans that's all. In reality, Chapps is the only place that really DOES make it feel like a hometown community.

Chapps has the right recipe for burgers, that's for sure. Good seasoning, on the salty side, with plenty of fresh ingredients as toppings. Mr. RJG breaks from the norm and asks for raw onions over grilled, but other than that, I pretty much get it the way it is. A single cheeseburger is more than enough, and I don't even think they offer a double (that would be too much). They have a smaller version called a Baby Chapps, and naturally Mrs. RJG goes for that, plus the Baby Chapps comes with fries as part of the price. I usually eschew fries in general, and eat a handful from the spouse's plate. They also have good hot dogs and chicken sandwiches. They keep the menu simple, as they should. The only issue we've ever had with Chapps is the service at times can be a bit surly. That's not always the case, and it seems that lately the problem has been addressed. Hopefully it will last.

Website

Pappasito's Cantina, Mexican, Texas chain

2011-11-10T14:23:00.004-06:00

Last visit: November 2011 (Dallas)

First time listing in the RJG

NE Tarrant locations: none
Tarrant locations: Arlington, Ft. Worth
Texas locations: Houston, Dallas-Ft. Worth, San Antonio (and one in Marietta, GA)

Pappasito's, as many of you probably know, is part of the much larger Houston-based Pappas group of restaurants, and most known for its flagship Cajun-styled Pappadeaux's. Beyond those two, they also own Pappas Burger, Pappas Bar-B-Q, Pappas Bros Steakhouse, Pappas Seafood House, Dot Coffee Shop, and Yia Yia Mary's Pappas Greek Kitchen. Many times you will see these restaurants clumped together, as is the case with the Pappasito's we visited on Lombardy and Northwest Hwy in Dallas. A few of these concepts are only found in Houston.

This particular Pappasito's is inside an ample "restaurant row" area, situated between Loop 12 and I-35E, and serves the Stemmons Freeway business sector. Plenty of hotels and office buildings are nearby guaranteeing a non-stop lunch and dinner crowd. And to the west of Loop 12 is the seedier side of the entertainment industry with plenty of strip clubs, massage parlors, pool halls and liquor stores. Makes for a colorful drive if coming from NE Tarrant along Northwest Hwy (exiting from TX-114).

So why are we here anyway? Well, the RJG mentioned that I Fratelli's is where we tend to meet our business partners and vendors. Those get-togethers tend to be more intimate settings with rarely more than 4 at a table. But what about when we have our employees in town (they're consultants) visiting clients? Sometimes we'll have over 10 folks. Well, for that, we've begun to settle on Pappasito's. It's still half-way for us logistically and it's roomier, more festive, and they serve a mean margarita. Works for me!

There aren't too many surprises at Pappasito's. But it's definitely a cut above "big chain" food. They're mainly a Tex-Mex shop, and for that they're reliable, if not necessarily newsworthy. I've tried a couple of other "upscale Mexican" dishes here, and once again they were good. But it didn't make me forget about Oscar's (Haltom City - review coming one of these days) either.

The one area where Pappasito's really does shine, however, is where you might least expect it. And that's in the hot sauce for the chips. The chips themselves are typical, pretty similar to what you'd get at Chili's. And the sauce they serve you is also standard - a chipotle based recipe that is delicious, but somewhat typical. You know the RJG right? You guys have a hotter one? I honestly thought the answer would be no. I mean, you don't come to Pappasito's looking for a hole-in-the-wall experience. You're there for good times, drinks, sports and laughter - and some bar food to go with it. But he said "yes". But I figured they'd cut up a couple of jalapeno's and throw it on top or something (we've all witnessed this before). Wrong again. Out came this blended sauce with habanero's mixed in! It was outstanding. Brilliant in fact. I don't know if that's standard at Pappasito's or I just got lucky - but that sauce is a MUST! Of course I was the only one of our party (this time we had 6) who could eat it - so maybe not for everyone. But I was happy anyway...

Good Mexican place to go for a group.

Website

Esparza's, Mexican, Grapevine-TX

2011-11-09T18:34:00.006-06:00

Last visit: November 2011

First time listing in the RJG

We recently mentioned that Miguelito's was one of our go-to places from 2004-2005. But our very first regular Mexican food fix in NE Tarrant was Esparza's. An old Dallas neighborhood buddy first recommended the place to us, and it was an instant hit at the RJG household. From 2003 to 2004, I'd say we went here more than any other Mexican place. But, as with Miguelito's, the Mrs. began to sour on the place for a variety of reasons. That left Mr. RJG going solo, or with neighborhood friends, on a very infrequent basis. But now the Mrs. wanted to go for another try at the behest of moi.

Now it's interesting in reading the various other reviews out there about Esparza's. The consensus is, if I'm allowed to interpret, that Esparza's has a great bar scene, with excellent margaritas - and mediocre food. The RJG disagrees with this assessment, at least the food part that is. What Esparza's excels at is good old fashioned cheap Tex-Mex. You start dabbling in the fancy, and you're in unchartered waters as far as we're concerned.

And that's exactly what we did on our last visit - try other dishes. I went with the "spicy" green enchiladas. One has to wonder why on Earth the word spicy even crossed their minds. Mine was a very bland dish, with little taste at all. The rice and beans didn't exactly propel the platter to enormous heights either. Meanwhile the wife tried the chile relleno. Guess what? It was great! She loved their unique take on the classic dish - with loads of unique vegetables (zucchini, mushrooms, onions, raisins and nuts), cheese and ranchero sauce. And the charro beans were delicious with plenty of that yummy bacon flavor. So Mrs. RJG found her dish! Which means we may be going back again on a regular basis. So what will I get? Oh, I know better now - Tex-Mex! I love their puffed tacos, with a wonderfully seasoned ground beef. And doused with their trademark excellent hot sauce, that comes out with the warm crispy chips. The salsa itself is a pureed delight, with a nice kick to it (sadly missing in their green sauce).

Esparza's features an awesome former-home setting, tucked away in the back streets of old town Grapevine. The open patio guarantees a lively party scene - and the full sports bar in the back seals the deal.

Oh, and yes, for a place that calls itself the "Margarita Capital of Texas", they do a mighty fine job backing that claim up!

Definitely a must try for the Regular Joe crowd out there.

Website

Bangkok Cuisine, Thai, Haltom City-TX

2011-11-07T13:30:00.000-06:00

As of this writing, Bangkok Cuisine is Mrs. RJG's #2 behind Sea Siam and Mr. RJG's #3 behind Sea Siam and Sweet Basil in NE Tarrant County. It's a very close race. All 3 are wonderful. Give them all a try!

Last visit: November 2011
First listed in the RJG: July 6, 2008

Before Jam and Eddie moved in from California and opened up Sea Siam in Keller, our previous favorite had been Bangkok Cuisine in Haltom City. And we still make a point to visit on occasion, as no one prepares Thai food quite like Bangkok Cuisine. From what I can gather, Bangkok Cuisine is the granddaddy of Thai restaurants in the Ft. Worth area, and most certainly for NE Tarrant. Reviews on the wall point to a heritage that goes back to 1986, when they first occupied a place further south on Belknap.

We haven't really talked much about Haltom City, but it's a favorite destination of the Regular Joe's Guide and there are quite a few places that dot the area that have become RJG favorites. It's the classic "inner ring" suburban community that we've mentioned before and will continue to do so; the town or village that represents the first migrations out of the big city immediately after World War II. Haltom City is a textbook example. Most of the homes are vintage 1940s and 50s, small in size, and are simple wood frame places with some brick accents. Prior to the development of the Interstate system, the US Highways were the "main drag" for motels, restaurants and all other forms of entertainment and shopping. Haltom City's main drag is US HWY 377, known as Denton Highway and further south (where it meets State Highway 183) as Belknap. As folks began to move to the newer suburbs, and traffic was diverted to the limited access interstates, the area would begin a slow decline. But unlike at the city core, where "Great Society" housing projects breeded an all-out ghetto, the inner ring suburbs became a destination for newly arrived immigrant families, who couldn't afford the newer housing, but were hard working folks willing to sacrifice everything for their children's future. And fortunately for us, many brought their home cooking with them. Today, Haltom City is a thriving community made up of Asians (primarily Vietnamese), Hispanics and old time residents who refused to give up on their hometown. This makes for a great stew of Vietnamese, Thai, Mexican, and long established Southern restaurants and hamburger joints still going since the 1950s. A living museum of post WW II Americana. Today, gentrification is just beginning in this area, as the old motels and used car dealerships still exist, but are slowly being removed from the landscape. Fortunately the restaurants continue to be a destination for many from all over the Ft. Worth area.

Bangkok Cuisine graduated from the crowded Belknap area and moved up to Denton Hwy, and shares a strip mall with the Hofbrau Steakhouse, just south of I-820 (the "ring" loop).

As for the food, it's just simply exquisite. The owner, Manit (who is always there), will make it as spicy as you want, and all the dishes we've tried are excellent. He cooks with more of a syrupy (but not sweet) texture than most Thai places, so the dishes tend to be sauce heavy. Mrs. RJG and I both don't typically go for that, but Bangkok Cuisine is an exception. It's that good. Oh, and it's BYOB, so another savings there (and he'll open the bottle and provide chilled wine glasses for you). There are few people as nice as Manit, and you will enjoy the experience.

The setting is very simple, with about 15 tables. It's a pretty bright place, with a TV in the corner. It feels like a casual lunch cafeteria, but we typically go for dinner, and always enjoy the experience. The parking lot is always crowded, but 95% of the people are at the Hofbrau next door. And that's a good place too (we've been), but it's a shame more folks don't venture in to Bangkok Cuisine and give it a try.

The RJG adds Mr. Music as an author!!

2011-11-06T12:36:00.003-06:00

I'm very excited about this announcement. We've referenced Mr. Music in these very pages multiple times. And now he's going to be a contributor to the blog! I've known Mr. Music for over 20 years. He's the only person I know who has been to more restaurants AND he has a larger LP collection than myself. Plus he's a great writer. Mr. Music has been a positive influence on my life, and I hope you all will see that as well.

Mr. Music lives in central Denton county, and also spends quite a bit of time in the North Central Dallas suburbs like Richardson and Plano. So it's great to have coverage on the other side of The Great Divide (DFW Airport).

Welcome Mr. Music!

Kassandra's Mexican Kitchen, Mexican, Keller-TX

2011-11-06T09:00:00.000-06:00

There seems to be two kinds of Mexican restaurants: Destination places with a full bar (Anamia's, El Paseo, Abuelo's, Mi Pueblo, Miguelito's etc...) and homespun family cafe places, with usually (not always) no alcohol. Kassandra's fits the latter mold to a "T". In this sub-category, Kassandra's is becoming our favorite family diner styled Mexican in NE Tarrant county. Otherwise, the review below continues to hold serve.

Last visit: November 2011
First listed in the RJG: January 17, 2009

Roughly four years ago, the Mrs. RJG and I visited Kassandra's one Sunday for lunch, enjoyed it immensely, and.... inexplicably never went back. I cannot put my finger on any one reason why. It had been suggested from time to time. "How 'bout Kassandra's?" either of us would ask."Maybe next time". Finally one recent evening I put my foot down, and said "We're going to Kassandra's". "OK". No explanation what our hesitation was, especially considering how good it is - as we found out again.

Kassandra's is a typical hole-in-the-wall you find in worn out suburban strip centers from the 1980s and before. The kind that breeds the non-denominational start-up churches and a handful of other small businesses. For any dedicated RJG follower, this is where you have to look to find the gems.

Once you walk in, it feels like an old diner somewhere in small town West Texas. It's a family restaurant, where the lighting is a bit too bright and the whole brood is there, screaming babies and all. Not the place for a romantic dinner, but that would be obvious from the parking lot. Kassandra's is best for lunch, but if you do have dinner in mind, it's BYOB - and that's always a good thing!

The ritual:

Chips - Oh, these are good. Taste like real corn. Crispy. You could eat these without salsa and be satisfied.

Salsa - The sauce they bring is a tomato, onion and cilantro mix. Something the RJG is very familiar with from our days living in Colorado where 80% of the restaurants serve this kind of salsa. We haven't seen much of it in Texas, so it's kind of a treat.

Hot salsa - We never settle for the table sauce unless it's very spicy. So we asked for the "hotter one". Oh... oh.... oh... this is ridiculously good. Spicy and very tasty. I've never tasted one quite like it, but somewhere deep in the recesses of my mind (between Gilligan's Island and The Love Boat) there was a recollection. And we come to find out it's a mix of Japanese hot peppers and jalapenos. That's it! There's an incredible dish at a restaurant in Manitou Springs, Colorado ("The Loop") called the "Burrito from Hell" that has a similar mix. We could just stop at the chips and salsa and be happy.

The enchiladas are offered with a number of sauces, so we tried three of them:

Green - this was recommended, but it's.... too green if that makes sense. It's a tomatillo and cilantro mix and it ended up tasting minty. Unique for sure, but not for us.

New Mexico - To us, New Mexico means a spicy green chili concoction. But they mean tomatoes, red peppers, cinnamon and chocolate. Again, very unique, but.. a... no this wasn't a hit either.

Chile sauce - Standard Tex-Mex, but Kassandra's does it (cue Wendy's) waaaay better.

We tried Cheese, Chicken and Beef.

The cheese enchilada was a bit boring and wasn't hot enough, so the cheese had already started to harden. It got stuck with the New Mexico sauce - so it was a total loss.

The ground beef had a unique seasoning and could be eaten alone and still be wonderful. Excellent.

The chicken was the real hit - charbroiled and seasoned BEFORE entering the tortilla. So even the green sauce couldn't overpower the contents. Not chicken-y at all. Super.

So you know what we're thinking for next time? That's right - chicken tacos! And ground beef tacos too...

Rice and beans - The Mexican rice was perfectly cooked and tasty. The beans were light and smooth, with a great taste. Both come up aces.

With all the references to New Mexico and Colorado, I have to think the family has some history from that area - or at least maybe West Texas, given the feel of the cafe itself.

A great find, and recommended to all of the RJG Nation!

Kassandra's can be found at the NW corner of Keller Parkway and Pate Orr Rd. behind the Taco Casa.

La Scala, Italian, Westlake-TX

2011-11-05T15:40:00.005-05:00

First visit: November 2011

The evening plan was to head towards Westlake and go to Diego's Tex-Mex, a place we first started going to earlier this year. But the bar scene there was definitely happenin', and you know what that means right? Cigarette smoke. Heavy. And it carried to the next door restaurant - and even though the bar is sequestered behind closed doors, it didn't matter. Now Mr. RJG grew up with that unfortunate smell from his parents, so I tend to ignore it, though even I admit it gets harder as the years go by. But Mrs. RJG would have none of it. Plans scrapped - now what? Well, I said, there's an Italian restaurant right around the corner by foot, so let's just go there. And here we are at La Scala.

La Scala is adjoined by a Joe's [Pizza][Pasta][Subs] fast food place. I put that in brackets because Joe's is a loose franchise (with various combination of the names provided) somewhat like Ray's in New York City (and famously sent up in a Seinfeld episode). So La Scala shares the same kitchen with Joe's, and despite the fancy surroundings of the restaurant, just know it's window dressing to the same place. As folks in DFW know, if you've been to one Joe's, you most certainly have not been to all the Joe's. I think they start out with a standard recipe book, but each franchiser can do what they want after that. There is no denying this is one of the many Albanian owned Italian restaurants in the area. At least they don't hide from that fact - their website is proud of it. And good for them, they should be. I'm not Italian either, but that shouldn't stop me from enjoying the food.

The meal started off with a delicious toasted bread roll, combined with a decently priced glass of house Cabernet (most NE Tarrant Italian restaurants offer BYOB, but not here in alcohol / business friendly Westlake). The salad was a fresh, crisp lettuce and tomatoes with the familiar tomato based vinaigrette - though this was definitely lighter and more pleasant than usual. I ordered the Penne Arrabiata with Italian sausage. It's amazing how many restaurants get this simple dish wrong. Arrabiata means angry, and it's meant to be a spicy marinara sauce. I've been to places that cook it with anchovies and all other sorts of ingredients that don't belong. I mention this because La Scala gets it exactly right. I only wish it was a bit more spicy, but I'm pretty hard to please in that category. The sausage was definitely not homemade, but I do like they served it sliced and spread throughout the dish. Mrs. RJG went with another test dish - chicken parmigiana. Unfortunately it wasn't very crispy, though the flavor was quite good. The side of spaghettini, however, was a disaster. It was overcooked and mushy! (my penne however was fine). That's a bozo no-no in the RJG world. They should have thrown it away and started with a new batch. I'm sure they had a pile sitting on the counter waiting for the hot water. But overcooked spaghetti is like serving a raw hamburger. Gross. Sooo... it was the only real misstep of the meal, so I'm cautiously giving it a "likes it" on Urbanspoon, but it's not a place that we plan on going to much in the future. Hopefully next time Diego's bar will be empty. But that's for another time in the RJG future...

If you're out of town on business and staying at the nearby Marriott, this is a good place to walk over to and enjoy a nice Italian meal.

Website

Aleda's Pizza, Pizza, Southlake-TX

2011-11-04T16:32:00.007-05:00

Last visit: November 2011

First time entry into the RJG

This visit represented only my second time to Aleda's, the first being right after Christmas last year, not long after they opened. Or "reopened" as it were. See, Aleda's has a built-in cult following since they previously owned a place in Arlington called Barry's Pizza Pub, which closed in 2004 after the family relocated to Southlake. Apparently fans of the place begged them to reopen, and in 2010 they gave it another whirl.

I would say that Aleda's style of pizza is definitely unique, and that's a good thing in the RJG's book. The crust is ample on the side and very thin and crispy on the bottom - somewhat like a classic dessert pie. The ingredients are stacked up from there, almost giving it a deep dish like appearance. It's heavy pizza to be sure - this is miles away from the Napolitana wood fired oven pizza craze (which the RJG is a big fan of). I like the sauce taste and the cheese they use is classic for pizza. I went for a 7 inch "carnivore" which was loaded with Italian meats. This is the perfect size for one individual. They have a decent beer selection, so I went with a Sierra Nevada to wash it down. Overall, not my favorite style of pizza, but certainly wouldn't hesitate to go back. Thumbs up from the RJG. (The Mrs., generally speaking, doesn't care for pizza - so I go to these places when she tells me "you're on your own").

Aleda's is a nice little place, with flat screen TVs, a few alcoholic beverages, and even a pizza buffet for lunch (I usually pass on buffets). I suspect a big portion of their business is take-out. Aleda's is just west of Bicentennial Park on FM 1709 (Southlake Blvd).

Website

Lina's Cocina Cafe, Mexican, Watauga-TX

2011-11-03T18:30:00.002-05:00

One of the hazards of doing a restaurant blog is that a place can change in a heartbeat, and suddenly your recommendation is met with scorn by those who trusted you, and credibility is thrown out the window. This is what happened to the RJG with Lina's. This is the primary reason why we insist on updating the blog and making sure you know when we last visited. Lina's has undergone dramatic shifts since we last were there. Not least of all is a complete move to a larger location next door. It's now all spiffied up with flat screen TVs and new tables and booths (though fortunately the old bowling alley ones remain). If they're going to go to this much trouble to make you want to stay, then they should offer up a full bar. It's still BYOB - which I like in Italian and Thai restaurants, but not so much in Mexican (perhaps the RJG likes his frozen margaritas? And I like wine with Thai and Italian, where BYOB is more preferable). And they ditched the serving carts!! (a comment below says they still use them occasionally - whew!) Even though Lina's still has the same menu as prior, everything seemed cheaply made - from the rice to the enchiladas. Even the salsa was more chunky-tomato rather than a smooth textured hot sauce. Now the food was still GOOD, but it wasn't great as I implied below. So we vote "likes it" on Urbanspoon, but maybe not enough to go back on any kind of regular visit. Unless someone convinces me different.

I wish Blogger featured the "strike through" font that is available on Microsoft Word, as I would like to demonstrate in the below review what no longer applies. So if you wouldn't mind, please consider everything below that is in italics to be NO LONGER APPLICABLE. Is that cool?

Last visit: October 2011
First featured in the RJG: December 14, 2008

In September, I mentioned that our favorite Mexican place for enchiladas in the DFW area can be found at Fernandez Cafe in Ft. Worth. That's quite a haul for us denizens of NE Tarrant. If you're looking for a reasonable facsimile of same, then look no further than Watauga and their favorite daughter, Lina's Cocina Cafe.

Mrs. RJG and I have been visiting Lina's, somewhat infrequently, since about 2004 or so (not too long after they opened). Hidden in one of those unfortunate 1980s strip centers, where 75% of the space is now available for lease, Lina's provides just the kind of hole in the wall we love. It's clean, colorfully decorated, friendly, and most importantly features great food. In fact half of the booths, in their soft blue and white swirled pattern, look like they were lifted from a bowling alley circa 1962 (I'm sure they were actually). You get mucho points for that.

We notice that everytime we go, there are dozens of regulars and the waitresses chat happily along about their life events as if catching up with old friends. In an earlier era, Lina's would be the town diner.

As if the time warp references already mentioned weren't enough for you, they also bring the food out via the two tiered wheeled cart. This lost invention needs to be brought back - pronto. Years ago, someone thought it was a wise idea to stack dozens of plates and glasses on a tray, held up precariously by someone's nervous hand. Presumably they delight in the occasional dumping of said contents on some random diner. Oh the laughs. The RJG is right now calling for the return of the wheeled cart. We shall petition! We will hit the streets! We will...

...eat enchiladas! Which is why we're here in the first place. Everything here is cooked to order, and the plate is sizzling with melted cheese, the refried beans and rice come out just right and steaming hot. Their chile con carne is seasoned perfectly. Mrs. RJG loves the Enchiladas Verde, a spicier than normal concoction that also happens to taste great. In fact, just ask for the spicy green and let the games begin! Beef, chicken, cheese - it's all good.

Oh, and the chips/hot sauce ritual: The salsa is slightly hot, but has a unique combination of spices that makes us want to keep piling the crispy chips in.

Restaurants come and go, but I get the feeling Lina's will be here for a very long time. It's that kind of place.

You can find Lina's on Rufe Snow between Hightower and Chapman.

Raising Cane's, Fried Chicken, National chain

2011-11-02T06:43:00.005-05:00

First visit: November 2011 (Hurst)

NE Tarrant location: Hurst
Total DFW locations: 13
Total Texas locations: 25

So this represents the first entry of a chicken place into the RJG. Mr. and Mrs. RJG definitely enjoy fried chicken, but it's something we pretty much eliminated from our diet over the last few years. But we're slowly adding it back, and we hope to add a few similar entries in the next year.

A buddy of mine who used to own a franchise of 14 Taco Bells, once declared to me "the real money is in chicken!" Of course he had a front row seat to that general ledger, as Taco Bell is part of the Yum Brands, which also happens to own Kentucky Fried Chicken. And this might explain why there's a proliferation of chicken chains throughout the country. Not to mention it's incredibly tasty food, though hardly on any dietitians recommended consumption list.

Raising Cane's started in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1996, and is the latest success story in fast food. The website has a full story behind the restaurant chain, and it's yet another inspiration tale of a "if there's a will, there's a way".

As for the chicken itself, we've had better, but it's definitely good. Their gimmick is all white meat chicken fingers - so no bones to get in the way. The chicken came out hot and juicy, but I didn't detect any unique flavors beyond the usual. They make a big fuss out of their dipping sauce, but honestly it wasn't an earth mover. It's a mayonnaise based concoction with mild spices mixed in. So mild in fact, you can barely taste it with the chicken. So I dipped the out-of-the-bag Ore-Ida fries into it instead to try to discern the flavor. The Mrs. said the cole slaw was disappointing - too saucy and sweet. The soda selection is lame with only Diet Coke on offer for those who avoid the sugary drinks. Prices were reasonable, considering how expensive chicken can get.

Have a hankering for some white meat chicken fingers? Definitely give Raising Cane's a try. I doubt, however, that it will be a regular stop for the RJG. We rate it "Likes it" on Urbanspoon.

Website

Peace Burger Dive Bar & Grill, Hamburgers, Sports Bar, Grapevine-TX

2011-11-01T18:00:00.004-05:00

The below review represented the RJG's first visit. And now some 3 years later, we have gone back for only the second time (despite my false claim below of a mythical "burger rotation"). There have been significant changes since Mr. SS and I were last here (and, as mentioned in an earlier blog entry, Mr. SS is now munching his way through Manhattan). Perhaps most notably thay have moved into a new setting around the corner - but still in the same strip mall. And they went from a fast food burger joint to a full-scale sports bar with an expanded menu that includes tacos (since they're owned by Baja's, this makes sense), appetizers, sandwiches, and of course hamburgers. Gone are the album covers - in its place, sports memorabilia and flat screen TVs.

To start with, I was disappointed with the bar aspect. The draught beer selection was limited to strictly mainstream US & Mexican macro swills. At least throw in a couple of micros or a European import! So I settled on a frozen margarita, which was pretty good actually, though somewhat generic. As for the meal, I zeroed in on the "Hell Burger". You know Mr. RJG, always looking for some fiery spice. You all seen that show Heat Seekers? I could hang with those guys all day - they're a lot of fun, and I love their idea of a good meal. So the Hell Burger is pretty much a regular size patty with a habanero sauce, sliced jalapenos and Monterey Jack cheese. Was it hot? Sure, but not overly so. I didn't taste the habanero honestly - seemed more like a paprika/cayenne blend (and suspiciously looked that way too). The sliced jalapenos were mild, though that could be a seasonal situation. They also threw a fat roasted jalapeno on top. I'm not fond of "fat" peppers, but I got about half-way through it. It was pretty weak to be honest. So in the end, I loved the concept, but wasn't blown away by it. I'm saying thumbs up to Peace Burger, though personally I'm finding it hard to come up with a reason to be a repeat visitor. Maybe I'm just not getting what they're really good at. It could be another 3 years for me...

Last visit: October 2011
First time listed in the RJG: November 14, 2008

Drugs, sex and hamburgers? One could argue that hamburgers ARE narcotics, and based by the crowd we saw on our first visit, the sex will need to be Viagra fueled.

On this lunch visit, I was accompanied by my neighbor Mr. SS. Apparently we were with the Youth Group. That is, until a bunch of woolly looking characters came walking in, with oval patches saying "Billy" and "Fred". OK, we're in the right place.

Peace Burger is actually a side business for the good folks who run the Baja Mex Grill / El Taco H, which happen to be conveniently next door. They decided to occupy a former wings place, and since they already had a circle as a logo, in the name of efficiency they just painted in the peace sign. Good idea!

Their signature burger is the "The Peace Burger", loaded with Mexican ingredients they grabbed from the adjoining kitchen no doubt. Also "The Hippie Burger" which is, predictably I suppose, a vegetarian option made with a black bean patty. Hmm, might need to drag Mrs. RJG here.

We both stuck to traditional items like cheeseburgers, fries and onion rings. The cheeseburger is huge - and has a certain thickness that some find appealing, while others (like my wife) think it appalling. Many times with a burger this size, the ingredients don't penetrate, leaving the taste of plain ground beef. Not Peace Burger. A nice, salty ingredient mix tunneled it's way throughout. And the fries also included a delicious seasoning. The rings weren't to our liking, tasting like fried batter and little else. Still, Peace Burger will now be part of the NE Tarrant Burger Rotation, that includes Johnny B's, Kincaid's, Chapps Cafe, Five Guys, Clown Burger and a few others.

You can find Peace Burger on William D. Tate in Grapevine, just east of TX-114, right across the street from the Silver Fox steakhouse.

As for the rock and roll, Peace Burger could probably use a primer on 1960s music. Sorry guys, Guns N Roses, Rainbow and Mahogany Rush weren't residents at the corner of Haight and Ashbury. Nor a part of the sunshine pop psych of LA. Or any psych movement. Let's see, better we view posters and covers of The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Strawberry Alarm Clock, The Doors, Iron Butterfly. Or perhaps we should dig deeper with The Beat of the Earth, Wendy and Bonnie, Music Emporium, Dragonwyck, The Plastic Cloud, Fifty Foot Hose, The United States of America... OK, I'll stop. Did I say all those bands out loud?

Website

My New York Pizza, Pizza, Keller-TX

2011-10-30T10:37:00.004-05:00

When the RJG first wrote the below review, we also added the restaurant to Urbanspoon and was its first rater. A year and a half later, 207 votes are in, with a 90% approval rating. That's pretty amazing when you consider how remote My New York Pizza really is. It's definitely a neighborhood pizza place. On the downside, of the 10% that don't like it, some have left vicious reviews. I think folks need to take it easy when they're negative. There's some bad karma out there and it usually comes back in the same manner. Be careful out there. Try to be kind even when things don't go your way.

One other note, the guy who runs My New York Pizza is a bit quirky (and very nice). Sometimes he opens at a 11, sometimes not until 12. So to avoid disappointment, I'd suggest not going here for an early lunch.

Last visit: October 2011
First listed in the RJG: April 18, 2010

In Part 1 of our pizza overview, we discussed the New York pizza phenomenon, and my own personal history with it. Finding a place that makes a pizza in this most beloved of styles (NY) is not too difficult anymore, but finding a place that makes a slice - now that's a whole different story. As we mentioned in Part 1, the RJG loved to sample as many pizza joints as possible while working in Manhattan (and many subsequent visits since). There's an art to making a good slice, and very few get it here in North Texas. But when I first walked into My New York Pizza, I knew instantly they got it. Sitting peacefully on the counter top were two pies, one pepperoni and the other cheese. If he had called the cheese a "regular slice", I would've probably passed out. But OK I can live with the name "cheese". So I dutifully ordered one of each, and 3 to 5 minutes later out came two perfectly heated slices - spread appropriately across two paper plates. That's right, this is fold down the middle, lift the tip up, old fashioned NY pizza. Crispy, chewy, pliable, greasy (in a good way)... delicious. I've gone many times since, and it's spot on every time. The wife has started to join me of late, and she likes to get one slice with a salad, which is loaded with fresh greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, and his own dressing. Remember the cheese pizza serves two purposes - one to be eaten by itself, and the other to add any ingredient you want with a little extra cheese thrown on top for good measure. Want a quick slice? Come to My New York Pizza. They're located on North Tarrant, just east of Rufe Snow and across the street from Niki's.

Website

Miguelito's, Mexican, Hurst-TX

2011-10-29T11:03:00.006-05:00

Last visit: October 2011

First time entry into the RJG

Miguelito's is another restaurant that the RJG discovered via a coupon book I bought in 2003, which helped us discover many of the restaurants in the area (we had just moved back from Colorado). I would say that from 2004 to 2005, Miguelito's was perhaps our favorite Mexican restaurant in NE Tarrant. But then Mrs. RJG soured on the place, and according to my database, we last visited in the summer of 2006. And finally we have returned after a 5+ year exodus, after a complete fall from grace.

The restaurant is a pleasant place, a combination of 60's Tiki and Mexican beach resort. A welcome retreat on this tired segment of Bedford Euless Rd. For the food, the chips are very good, warm to the touch and served in small metal bowls. A server is never too far away to ensure a new bowl is ready when you are. The salsa is stored in a jug on the table, and they provide little serving bowls to pour into. The RJG has always liked this concept, since he tends to over eat on chips and uses an excessive amount of sauce. This way I don't constantly look around for a server to bring more. Oh, and the sauce is delicious.

While Miguelito's does a fine job with combo Tex-Mex platters, I think they do a better job with more upscale dishes. On this visit I tried the chicken diablo, which are cubes of white meat chicken marinated in a very spicy sauce on a bed of Mexican rice. I only wish the chicken itself was charbroiled rather than just boiled. Now Mr. RJG loves to seek out places that have dishes with the word "diablo" (or diavolo in Italian). That always infers extra spicy and that's what I want to hear (and taste and smell...) Years ago, when Mr. RJG was with coworkers in California, we dined at a Mexican restaurant where I made a beeline for the Diablo dish. One of the guys started calling me "Doctor Diablo". The name stuck. Anyway... Mrs. RJG did go for a Tex-Mex plate, and it was lukewarm temperature. Ugh! Now it looks it will be another 5 years before we come back.

As an aside, the frozen margarita I had was weak and watered down. That was unfortunate. Not a dealbreaker, but I need reasons to go back. Maybe the diablo will make that happen. We'll see. Thumbs up from Mr. RJG, thumbs down from the Mrs.

Miguelito's also features a full bar and has flat screen televisions all around.

Website

Kincaid's Hamburgers, Hamburgers, Ft. Worth area chain

2011-10-27T15:00:00.003-05:00

Nothing more to add to the below review. We still tend to go a few times every year to get a fix.

Last visit: October 2011 (Southlake)
First listed in the RJG: December 31, 2008

NE Tarrant location: Southlake

Other locations: Ft. Worth (Camp Bowie - the original!), Ft. Worth (Hulen), Alliance, Arlington, Weatherford

What better way to end the year than a writeup about one of Ft. Worth's most endearing institutions? Officially known as Kincaid's Grocery Market and Hamburgers, the Gentry family has been delighting visitors with their unique blend of seasoning for over 40 years. Kincaid's opened in 1946, and as the name suggests, as a local grocery. Starting in 1965, O. R. Gentry began grinding up excess beef and cooking hamburgers for a few cents each. The legend began.

You don't need the Regular Joe's Guide to learn about Kincaid's, and this is one reason I haven't rushed to write about it, even though we eat here at least once a month. Everyone from Texas Monthly to Frommer's to numerous newspapers have recommended Kincaid's to travelers and locals alike who visit Ft. Worth. It is frequently mentioned in Top 10 lists for Best Hamburger - sometimes in National polls. Sometimes as "#1 Best in the USA".

And I'm sure my Ft. Worth readers are aghast that I highlight the Southlake location when, after all, it is a Ft. Worth icon. But since the RJG is based in NE Tarrant, we're quite proud of our local branch. The Southlake location was the local chain's first excursion beyond the original store, opening in late 2004. They did a great job of simulating the original, with shelves of canned goods, long picnic style benches, and the walls painted like a 1950's Chevy Mist Green color. And the "ego walls" are filled with accolades and awards from all corners of the world. It's a large place, and the line moves fast. They even take credit cards now.

And there's good reason why Kincaid's is so popular - it's just flat out a great hamburger. Is it the best we've ever had? Well, maybe not, but it certainly deserves consideration. It's a thick burger, with plenty of unique seasoning that seeps through the entire patty, which is no small feat. The Ore-Ida style fries are also a big favorite.

Since the Southlake location has been such a hit, they've opened two more: One near Hulen Mall in south Ft. Worth and the other in the new Arlington Highlands shopping center in Arlington.

The Southlake location is at the NW corner of Southlake Blvd. and Kimball. Hard to imagine this corner shopping center once housed a humble (not Super) Wal-Mart and its parking lot.

Website

Excellent detailed review of original location

Sweet Basil, Thai, Hurst-TX

2011-10-26T12:55:00.002-05:00

Mr. Music was in NE Tarrant recently and was looking for some good Thai food. He'd been to Sweet Basil before with us, so we headed over there for our first visit since returning from Colorado for the summer. Sweet Basil remains Mr. RJG's #2 Thai place behind Sea Siam in the NE Tarrant area, primarily because of the outstanding traditional spicy basil ground chicken. Mrs. RJG has backslided from the below review and can't seem to find her dish here. She ranks it below many others, so there you have it. Mr. Music also rates Sweet Basil very highly.

As of this writing, Urbanspoon ranks Sweet Basil as the #8 best Thai restaurant in all of DFW and #2 in NE Tarrant behind Sea Siam.

Last visit: October 2011
First listed in the RJG: March 2, 2009

For those of you who read my blog from last summer and before, you will recall that Mrs. RJG's favorite food is Thai, so it may be a bit surprising that we haven't written of any since then. And the answer to that puzzle is quite simply because we tend to always eat at Sea Siam or Bangkok Cuisine, places we've already covered. There are others in NE Tarrant we've been to, that we think are pretty good, but haven't been to in the last year. These include Thai Chili (Southlake), Magic Springroll (Watauga), Belknap Thai (Haltom City), Thai Riverside (Grapevine) and a few others I can't recall off the top. I don't think there's any Thai restaurants in NE Tarrant we haven't tried.

But there's a third place I've been pushing the Mrs. to add to the rotation, as I've been a fan for a long time, but she's been surprisingly hesitant to go back for reasons unknown - and that's Sweet Basil in Hurst. Now, after this visit, she is finally ready to make this a regular RJG stop.

Not long after the RJG relocated from Denver to NE Tarrant in 2003, we discovered a place in North Richland Hills called Top Thai. It quickly became our favorite, and remained so until they closed sometime in 2005. To set the stage, my first exposure to Thai food came in San Francisco sometime in the early 1990s. It was love at first taste, and most of the Thai restaurants I tried on the Left Coast were of a similar taste. Unfortunately Denver seemed a wasteland for Thai food. Oh sure we had Thai restaurants, but none reminded me of the flavors of Northern California. Then we found Top Thai and that was it! The taste I had remembered so fondly.

Of all the Thai restaurants in the area, Sweet Basil reminds me most of Top Thai. That is, what I would consider more traditional Thai cooking. Thai style means ground chicken, not cut up chicken breast. Spicy means spicy, not "are you sure?". Thai style means simple ingredients, not stir fried with whatever you can find in the garden. Sure, Sweet Basil has those kind of dishes as well, but you have the option here. And the spice levels here are serious. They say 4 stars is "super spicy" and indeed it really is! I've gone hotter than that in the past, but 4 stars is enough for even the most adamant of fire seekers (which includes me).

We've been going to Sweet Basil on and off for nearly 5 years, and that includes a change of ownership. The new owners did away with the bar, and that means BYOB - which is great news for those with an eye on the budget! The new owners also brought about more consistency, and I've always been happy with my meals here. And now I have the Mrs. on board too, so we have a third place for our "Thai rotation".

Sweet Basil is also one of the nicer Thai restaurants in the area. Mood lighting and sleek furniture add a sophisticated ambiance, rather than the usual divey fast food feel. That is, a good place to take a date or have a romantic dinner with a loved one. Just don't forget to bring your own wine!

Sweet Basil is on Melbourne, near Pipeline, tucked into a small strip mall, near Northeast Mall.

Website

Agave Azul Mexican Kitchen & Tequila Sanctuary, Mexican, Carrollton-TX

2011-10-24T09:28:00.007-05:00

First visit: October 2011

Other location: Flower Mound

Interesting that we were just in this area during the week, and here I am again. As mentioned in the Kenny's Wood Fired Grill post, the RJG lived in Addison from 1988-1991. That same summer of 1991 I moved about 4 miles north to Carrollton and lived there until the end of 1993, before shuffling off to Colorado. Since I rarely visit the area anymore, I always return with a sense of nostalgia. Mrs. RJG is attending a wedding in Carrollton next week, and she wanted to know how to get there (we have do a reconnaissance with Mrs. RJG so she doesn't get lost). And that's the perfect excuse to add a new restaurant to the Regular Joe's Guide!

Of course the Carrollton I left in 1993, is not the same one that exists in 2011. Incredible improvements have been made, especially to the Old Town. In line with other such renovations, like NE Tarrant's own Grapevine, the Old Town has been gussied up, with new lofts, boutique stores, and nice restaurants. There's now a light rail stop here, which gives the place a European meets Texas feel. And the old grain elevator that once touted the Word of Faith megachurch, now more politely invites you to visit old Carrollton. You can read all about Word of Faith and the crackpot Robert Tilton here. It boggles my mind how people can use the name of God to make a quick buck. There has to be a special place in hell for folks like that. Even if you weren't a believer, I wouldn't want to tempt fate like that. Anwway, after lunch we wandered around the stores, and visited the fantastic and fully stocked antique mall - where Mrs. RJG found a few new decorative things to take home.

There aren't any of my old haunts remaining from Carrollton to revisit (except Herrera's), so it was time to try a new place. So off to Urbanspoon I went - and we settled on Agave Azul. Mr. RJG likes a good frozen margarita, and since it was highly rated, I figured it was a worth a shot. And, as it turned out, it was an excellent recommendation. Agave Azul is amongst the new style of Mexican restaurants - upscale decor with a mix of Mexico City styled creations and old school Tex-Mex. Generally when I go to places such as this, I try one of the Mexican Interior dishes. So I had the beef tenderloin tacos, which featured a wonderful spiced marinate. The rice and charro beans were delicious as well. The Mrs. went for the chicken flautas, which were deliciously crunchy with a nice ingredient mix for the meat. She also enjoyed the rice and the refried beans. The opening chips were crisp and flavorful. The chipotle salsa comes out steaming hot (temperature), always a plus for me. I asked if they had a spicier salsa, and they came back with the same concoction but with finely diced serrano's mixed in. Works for me, as that definitely tripled the heat component. Somebody forgot to turn on the margarita machine I think, as I had to wait a few more minutes to get mine. And while slightly frozen, it probably could have used another 10 minutes or so cycling through. Mrs. RJG goes for on the rocks, and she stated hers was great. As it should be, given that the place features multiple tequilas. The RJG knows squat about tequila, preferring to deep dive with beer and wine. However I asked Mr. Music, a tequila connoisseur, if he's been here. And indeed he had, and said the tequila selection is "awesome". And he's spent some time sampling various ones. So there you go.

Website

Taco Casa, Tacos, Texas chain

2011-10-23T08:00:00.002-05:00

Since we just mentioned the opening of Del Taco, I thought it might be a good time to run over to our favorite regional fast food taco chain: Taco Casa. They've experienced considerable growth even since I wrote the below over 3 years ago. Their business model seems to stick mainly to smaller rural areas that are close to the city. Even today, they've pretty much have ignored the Dallas market, preferring to stay north, west and around Ft. Worth. Though recently they've made quite a push in East Texas as well.

Last visit: October 2011 (Keller)

First listed in the RJG: May 1, 2008

NE Tarrant locations: Watauga, Colleyville, Keller + 1 in Roanoke

Total locations: 45 (43 in Texas + 2 in Oklahoma)

Mr. RJG likes his tacos. We mentioned in an earlier post that while Italian and Thai probably constitute my favorite restaurant experiences, taco places represent my favorite fast food excursion. And I'll boldly admit that it isn't even the authentic Mexican taco / taqueria stand that has been in vogue these last 20 years (though we like those too!). No, I like the good old fashioned American styled, crunchy taco. Taco Bell may be its iconic image, and the only true national chain (and, even worse, publicly traded company). However, it is close to dead last in the taste category. Fortunately most taco chains are of the regional variety. And I've been to many of them in the great States of America.

I've liked tacos since I was a little kid. There are few pleasures in life better than walking off with a sack of tacos, knowing the great taste sensation that comes with the meeting of spiced mush meat, lettuce, cheese, crispy shell and taco sauce (for some reason, I don't like tomatoes in my tacos). If the bag doesn't have a hole at the bottom with orange grease, then you may have gone to the wrong place...

Taco Casa is a classic regional chain. They are based in Gainesville, TX, in far north Texas at the border of Oklahoma. They finally put a website up in the last month, and from that I learned they have 33 locations, 32 of which are in Texas. I suppose it's strange then, that I first discovered Taco Casa in Durant, their solo Oklahoma location. In the early 1990s, my Dad got the bright idea of journeying up to Durant, which is located just over the border from Texas, about once a month, to buy cigarettes from the Indian reservations. Gas was cheaper then, of course, and he apparently saved a bundle (God knows he smoked like a chimney). I'd tag along on occasion, especially on lazy Saturday mornings (there was no Mrs. RJG back then). My deal in the bargain? He had to pay for my tacos. One stop at Taco Mayo (we'll get to it someday) and one at Taco Casa. So the RJG has always been an eccentric, what can I tell you? I am my father's son that's for sure.

So when we moved to NE Tarrant in 2003, I was thrilled to find out there was one in Watauga (on Watuaga/Mid-Cities), a much shorter drive than Durant at least! Since that time, NE Tarrant grabbed two more: Colleyville (Hwy 26 - where else?) and Keller (Keller Parkway - again, where else?).

Taco Casa isn't the best taco chain I've been to, but I'd put them in the top third. Their store in Keller, in particular, is super clean and the health department usually gives it a perfect score. They load up the tacos, so a bag of 5 really fills you up. Lots of cheese and lettuce, and of course meat. The wife likes them too, but depending on her mood sometimes says they have too much meat. For regular RJG readers, that's a recommendation right there! The meat is a bit saltier than most chains, but is extremely tasty. Another crucial element of a good taco stand, is the quality of their sauce (in the bottle or packaged). And they have a simple, not too hot, but very good red taco sauce. I would prefer some hotter options, but it's not a show stopper.

So if you're in North Texas, heading towards the Ft. Worth side of things, then have a go at Taco Casa. Good fast food and a nice diversion. And a whole lot better than Taco Bell.

Also a word about their signage: Taco Casa has a retro cornball look, with the big sombrero and handlebar bigote. Awesome.

Website

Categorically, I'm separating Tacos from Mexican, as it's two entirely different experiences. Similar to how Pizza is different from Italian.

For Urbanspoon, I'll add the Watauga, Keller and Durant, Oklahoma locations as I've been to all 3 of these quite a bit. Though we mainly only go to the Keller location anymore

Abuelo's, Mexican, National Chain

2011-10-22T09:08:00.004-05:00

We first visited Abuelo's in the summer of 2004, but for whatever reason Mrs. RJG didn't care for it, and we didn't return for a half-dozen years. Then one day last year we were talking with our neighbors about Mexican food, and they said their favorite place was Abuelo's. I figured that may be because they're hardcore West Texas folks and the chain is based in Lubbock. But we gave it one more try shortly thereafter... and we've been going back ever since. In fact, I'd say the consensus at the RJG household is that Abuelo's has moved into the #2 spot behind Anamia's for the Mexican restaurant crown in NE Tarrant. Pretty amazing for a national chain!

Last visit: October 2011 (Hurst)

First time entry into the RJG

NE Tarrant locations: Hurst
Other Tarrant locations: Arlington
Other DFW locations: Lewisville, Plano (2)

The first thing you notice about Abuelo's is how stunning the restaurant looks - on the inside and out. It's like a Mexican vacation resort. Generally that's a red flag for the RJG. When the money is put into the decor, we fear that's at the expense of the food budget. But that's definitely not the case at Abuelo's. And in fact, Abuelo's offers some pretty unique items that one may only find in a dive. For one they may have the best habanero salsa I've ever had. It's a blazer, but extremely tasty, with that fire roasted chile taste (I just got that feeling in my tongue - I feel like going there right now!). They also have a chipotle medium hot and a tomato based mild. Both are very good, but do not compare to the habanero. Funny that they serve it in a tiny little tin with the other two other salsas in larger bowls. But I'm sure most folks would rather only have a taste. But not the RJG - he asks for a BUCKET of it. And the chips are tasty enough without salsa. The Tex-Mex dishes here are a mix of staples and more authentic Mexican (for example, you can get fried eggs on the enchiladas, that sort of thing). I liked their baked overstuffed burritos, loaded with melted cheese, tasty con carne and whatever meat filling I'd like. Mrs. RJG says their crunchy tacos are the best! Oddly enough, I haven't got that far down the menu yet... Rice and beans are delicious and beyond the norm.

Abuelo's has a full bar, and their margaritas (frozen & au natural) pack a punch.

This is a good place to take guests, or business associates. Though for the many times we've been, it's just been the wife and I. Overall a great Mexican restaurant.

Website

According to their website, Abuelo's started in 1989 and is now in 15 states.

Urbanspoon lists the restaurant as Abuelo's Mexican Food Embassy, but it doesn't appear they still use that tag.

Kenny's Wood Fired Grill, Steakhouse/Seafood, Addison-TX

2011-10-21T15:53:00.006-05:00

First visit: October 2011

Just as soon as I mention that I Fratelli's has become our go to spot for business, here I am at Kenny's for just that reason. One of our partners was in town, and since he was already in Addison visiting the mothership, we just agreed to meet him there. The RJG once lived in Addison from 1988 to 1991, and later I had an office nearby from 2003-2004. So I'm always glad to drive over to my old stompin' grounds. Nowadays I doubt I get there more than 3 times a year. It's always been a hotbed of activity, primarily because they were the only suburb in the area to have modern alcohol laws. The others are finally catching up.

We started the evening with beers and appetizers over at the Flying Saucer Draught Emporium , one of the RJG's favorite watering holes. I've been debating this for some time, but I think I'll have a end of month roundup on the beers I try. For the last 5 years, I've been on a mission to try as many beers as possible. Anyway, after downing a couple of draughts and a yummy soft pretzel with sausage, we got back on Beltline across the Dallas North Tollway to Kenny's Wood Fired Grill. If you are going that same route, Kenny's is on your left (south side) in a newer strip mall.

According to their website, Kenny's describes themselves as a "1940’s Chicago style chophouse with a classy, relaxed and warm atmosphere featuring the finest wood grilled seafood and meats." That sold me on the place, and it is indeed true. A perfect spot for a business dinner. There's no detail on the web page, but based on what I read in the newspaper review clippings that were hanging on the walls, I get the impression Kenny was heavily involved with the Rockfish Seafood restaurant (A Brinker owned chain - and very good in its own right).

Typically when I go to a "Steak and Seafood" place, I tend to opt for the latter. I'll be honest here, but rarely have I gone to a steakhouse where the steak was any better than what I grill at home. And you haven't lived until you've had an RJG habanero steak! Don't get me wrong, I do like the steaks they have at these high end places - but if they do also specialize in seafood - then that's what I'm going for. And given the Rockfish pedigree, I felt it necessary to go that route. I had the New England Style Baked Stuffed Fish which they describe as "Ritz cracker, crab, shrimp, scallops, tilapia, lemon butter". It was indeed excellent, just as it sounds - a mix of various fishes with the cracker mix. The RJG and wife just returned a month ago from a vacation to New England, and had plenty of meals very similar (Legal Seafood anybody?). My business associate had the meatloaf, made with filet mignon. And our business partner went for the Chilean Sea Bass - which is his staple dish for places like this. For starters they have a wonderful flaky and puffy pastry - hot out of the oven and tastes great with butter (as is usually the case right?). We all left Kenny's fat and happy...

Typically there is a wait, so you may want to call ahead with a reservation. We didn't, arrived at around 7:00 and waited only 15 minutes.

Apparently he also runs an Italian place as well as a burger joint. We'll need to try those someday too!

Website

Austin Taco House, Taqueria, Southlake-TX

2011-10-20T17:50:00.004-05:00

Last visit: October 2011

First time entry into the RJG

And while on the topic of tacos, how about this little out of the way place in Southlake? We spoke of the 3 kinds of tacos in the Funky Baja's post: Crunchy fast food (Del Taco for example); Higher end grilled meat tacos (like Funky Baja's or Fuzzy Taco Shop - which I refer to as "Fresh Mex"); and finally the street taco or taqueria. And it's this latter category that Austin Taco House fits in. It's pretty hardcore, right down to the television being tuned into Univision, and Spanish being the lingua franca. Mrs. RJG, who grew up in Mexico, said it reminded her of home.

Grilled meats are the order of the day, with plenty of pork and steak choices. Breakfast burritos, tortas, chorizos, etc... round it out. I usually try a variety of tacos, and on this visit I went for the carnitas, al pastor and ground beef. They have flour and corn tortillas, as well as wonderful homemade crunchy corn tortillas. They have a variety of salsas, including two hot ones - red and green. They were out of the green on this visit, but the red is fiery and delicious.

The Austin Taco House first started inside of a Fina station on the NW corner of Randol Mill and Southlake Blvd. They have since bulldozed that area to put in a strip mall anchored by a Sprouts grocery store. So they moved catty corner to the Albertson's shopping center (the namesake store now gone). We've been a few times, and Austin Taco House remains in the regular circuit of places we visit for lunch.

There aren't that many taquerias and/or standing taco trucks in this part of NE Tarrant. So if you have a craving for some street tacos, stop on by!

News: NE Tarrant to get a Del Taco

2011-10-20T17:40:00.005-05:00

As I was driving down Precinct Line in Hurst today, I noticed a new fast food place going up. And no, it wasn't In-N-Out Burger, but rather a Del Taco. And that's welcome news for the RJG. Del Taco is reemerging in the area. For those of you who lived in the DFW area in the early 80s, you may recall Del Taco was here before. But like many chains, they grew too fast and eventually shuttered all across the state. It would be nearly a dozen years before I ate at a Del Taco again - on Sunset Blvd in Los Angeles! Fast food tacos are a guilty pleasure for me, so I try to sneak a couple in everywhere I travel - and I would run into Del Taco's in various California locales. Until they finally ended up in Denver while we still lived there. And now they're here at our main home in NE Tarrant!

Welcome back.

Schlotzsky's, Sandwiches, International Chain

2011-10-18T14:04:00.006-05:00

Last visit: October 2011 (Southlake)
First listed in the RJG: March 4, 2010

NE Tarrant locations: Southlake, Euless, Bedford (2), Watauga, Haltom City, Grapevine + 1 in Alliance which is close enough.

Texas locations: 164

Schlotzsky's is a well known sandwich chain that started in Austin circa 1971 and has grown exponentially to include 35 states and four foreign countries. But by far their largest presence remains in Texas.

Being relatively close in proximity to Austin, Dallas was an early expansion city for the then small chain, and so I first enjoyed them at their Northwest Dallas location in the early 1980s while still in high school. And they followed me to my college years in Lubbock throughout the middle 80s. And now today, we'll still stop by on occasion and enjoy the "Original" on jalapeno cheese bread. Mr. RJG prefers the "Original Deluxe" because he's a pig who enjoys extra meat. What makes Schlotzky's so good is their bread, and the toasted concept. Long before Quizno's came around, Schlotzsky's was burning (ok, toasting) great tasting sandwiches through the mechanical oven.

Schlotzsky's is one of those chains you miss if you don't live near one. We've been fortunate that in both Texas and Colorado, they are well represented. But it's not something we take for granted, and they would be sorely missed if suddenly they were shut down due to something like bankruptcy. If you haven't been for awhile (or ever), support your local franchiser and give it a shot!

Website

For Urbanspoon purposes, I'll only include the Southlake location, as that's the one we frequent the most.

Prince Lebanese Grill, Middle Eastern, Arlington-TX

2011-10-17T12:30:00.004-05:00

A major event has happened since we last wrote about Prince Lebanese Grill - the appearance of one Guy Fiori from Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. It should come as no surprise to my readers that I love that show. He basically has the same attitude and concept I use here but taken to the highest level. Of course, he's a chef himself, and is very much qualified to review what each kitchen is up to. He reminds me of my very good friend Mr. Music, in his attitude, gregariousness and even his physical shape. Sometimes on a slow Saturday, especially during the summer, Mrs. RJG and I will watch a few hours of his show on the Food Channel consecutively. And get really hungry. You know, come to think of it, he also went to another RJG recommendation: Avila's in Dallas. Could Fiori be a fan of the RJG?

Because of Fiori's visit, Prince became wildly popular (though it already had a loyal local following). On Urbanspoon, it is rated as the 84th most popular restaurant in all of DFW (and 3rd overall for Middle Eastern restaurants). The former Sonic continues to be made over, and there's more seating than ever. An awesome example of urban renewal. Prince is a real American success story.

I would also add to the below review that I really love their Gyros plate. The meat is delicious, as is the rice and Greek salad (as mentioned in the review).

While on the topic are there any good Middle Eastern restaurants in NE Tarrant? I've been to one "Mediterranean" place in North Richland Hills, which was more Greek/European. I haven't done my homework here, but if you know of a place, please don't hesitate to write a comment. Thanks!

Last visit: October 2011
First listed in the RJG: October 19, 2008 (wow, almost exactly 3 years ago!)

A few years ago, Mrs. RJG and I discovered a place in Arlington called Rama's Mediterranean Grill (based on a Star Telegram weekend review), in a renovated old Sonic drive in. As mentioned in the Hatam Persian restaurant blurb, we our both big fans of the spices of the Middle East, combined with the sumptuous grilled meats and bed of rice. But since it's in Arlington, it's a bit out of our routine range, and we only managed to go once. One of the partners of Rama bought the other out, and renamed the place Prince Lebanese Grill, and we noticed no downturn in quality. In fact, it was even better as the current owner was clearly the driving force of the older establishment.

And another year has passed. We had dropped Mrs. RJG's Mom at the airport one late morning and decided to head south instead of north, and revisit a place for lunch that we always love to go to, but just never think about it. And time has been even better to Prince. The place is now crowded with people. In fact, this is the first time there we didn't eat alone. It's also changed to a sitdown place, rather than an order up / serve combo. And... the prices have gone up - way up. But there's a reason for it, and it's legitimate. See, Prince has upgraded the quality of all their products, as well as upped their portions. While it used to feel like a fast food place, it now feels appropriately enough like a restaurant. And it should.

I had the kofta kabob (two large patties of seasoned ground beef), with rice and a Greek Salad. Mrs. RJG had the beef shawarma (a variation of what Greeks call gyros or, um, Californians call wraps) and a Greek Salad as well. We both adore the salad, as the dressing is absolutely delicious. The kofta is heavily seasoned, the way Mr. RJG likes it. And the rice? Oh, the rice. Long grain rice pilaf with just the right ingredients.

Looking for excellent Middle Eastern food in Tarrant county and not sure where to go? Or at least a place you can go without 1960s era belly dancers? Prince is the place. You've never had Lebanese food, but always wanted to try? Prince is the place. You will feel most comfortable in this casual establishment - the menu will explain it all for you.

You'll find Prince on Randol Mill Rd, just east of Cooper.

Website

Anamia's, Mexican, Dallas-Ft.Worth mini chain

2011-10-16T20:00:00.003-05:00

At one point, the RJG recommended Antonio's as perhaps the best Mexican restaurant in NE Tarrant. It seemed from the moment we did that, Antonio's went slightly downhill and Anamia's kicked it into high gear. As it stands today, Anamia's is now our #1 pick for Mexican food in NE Tarrant. There's a lot of competition out there in this space, but Anamia's is up to the challenge. We'll see if they can maintain the RJG trophy!

I would also like to mention that the service has been uniformally excellent. That wasn't always the case, but in the last two years we've noticed a distinct uptrend in the quality of the personnel.

Last visit: October 2011 (Southlake)
First listed in the RJG: October 27, 2008

NE Tarrant location: Southlake
Other DFW locations: Coppell, Flower Mound

Surprised we've gone this far into the blog without a feature of Anamia's. Mrs. RJG and I have been frequenting the Anamia's in Southlake somewhat regularly ever since we moved back to Texas at the beginning of 2003.

Like many of the Mexican restaurants in the northern sections of Tarrant County (El Paseo, Cristina's, Mi Pueblo), Anamia's is a long way from a hole in the wall, and is in fact a very nice place to dine. And if you go during primetime (Friday night dinner especially), be prepared for Mr. RJG's personal nightmare: The long wait and the black ashtray buzzer. However, most nights you can get in with no wait, and lunches are generally safe any day. The popularity is driven by location, setting and, most importantly, quality of food. Anamia's does not skimp on quality anywhere. Whether it's the enchiladas, tableside guacamole, margaritas or fajitas - the ingredients are all top notch, the meals well prepared, and the food is, almost without exception, very tasty. As well, the service is extremely conscientious. Chips and salsa are never more than a minute away, and they stop by frequently to ensure your dining experience is as expected.

Mr. RJG personally recommends Rickey's Tacos - charbroiled white meat chicken in a homemade soft corn tortilla, heavily seasoned, that is served with rice and many condiments - perhaps most satisfying is the unique, and fiery, chipotle sauce. It's the rare kind of Mexican dish that is not only delicious but also relatively less fattening than the usual plate of goo. While Mr. RJG is currently avoiding margaritas for diet reasons (ED: And now that I'm fully back in shape - I down one of these pleasurable drinks each visit - reason enough to run 4 miles a day!), Anamia's was one of my favorite concoctions - they aren't afraid to actually add some tequila in there!

Mrs. RJG gets a monthly craving for their shrimp enchiladas, which she says are the best she's ever had - any city, any place. And the few times she's let me sneak in a bite, I can see her point. One thing that Anamia's does, and it seems like such a simple concept but so few do it, is they season the meat / fish before rolling them in the tortilla. That is to say, the shrimp could be eaten ala carte and still be delicious. Most places will just add plain boiled shrimp and hope the enchilada ingredients take over from there. Doesn't work.

And to think I'm this far into the review without discussing the chips. Once again, Anamia's does not skimp on quality. Homemade crispy corn chips with a little favor added - and the salsa packs a punch with a strong chili pepper / garlic flavor. It's a one of a kind salsa - I can give no better compliment than that.

Anamia's started in Coppell in 1996 and has since branched out to Flower Mound and Southlake. The perfect local chain. Slow growth, very popular, and always delicious. The Southlake location is very easy to get to - take the Southlake Blvd exit from TX-114. Go west a couple of minutes - and it'll be on your right. It fronts a large strip mall area. Look for the Old Navy if you get lost.

Website

I Fratelli, Italian, Irving-TX

2011-10-15T15:30:00.002-05:00

When I wrote the below review in 2008, that represented our first visit. Since then, I Fratelli has become my go to place for local business. Since all of my DFW co-workers are based in the Plano-Richardson-Garland area, while I'm here in NE Tarrant - we needed a meeting place that is halfway. I Fratelli's is about 30 minutes away for each of us. As well, the DFW airport location makes it ideal when we meet with partners, vendors and clients. It's absolutely perfect for business: It's local; popular; has a nice bar; easy to get to; plenty of parking; and most importantly great food. Everyone from out of town asks if we can meet there again.

Not mentioned below, but I absolutely love their house salad and bolognese sauce.

Last visit: October 2011 (yes, for business - had a partner fly in and meet us here)
First listed in the RJG: November 28, 2008

This is their only restaurant location. They have numerous pizza outlets, which we will feature separately at some point.

Like many locals in the DFW area, we first discovered I Fratelli via one of their many pizza to-go portals throughout the area. I Fratelli makes what I'd call "Dallas styled Italian pizza". It's a cracker thin crust, cut in tiny bite sized pieces, and served via an oval plate. Closer to the St. Louis style of Imo's (though no provel cheese) than the thick gooey, but crispy, New York variety. In effect, I Fratelli is the equivalent of the Dallas based Campisi's, which we covered earlier in the RJG. And like Campisi's, the pizza outlets are an extension of the anchor store as it were. The I Fratelli restaurant on MacArthur is their Campisi's Egyptian.

In 1987 the Cole brothers opened up I Fratelli, in far north Irving, on MacArthur just south of I-635. At that time, and even as it stands today, if you wanted Campisi's, one had to go to Dallas. Why not open a similar restaurant near the airport? It was a hit, and the restaurant is enormously popular throughout the area, as evidenced by the proliferation of pizza stores. We had never been to the landmark Italian restaurant, and recently on a return back from a business dinner at the Mexican restaurant Mi Cocina, I noticed they took over the old Jack Astor's location (a better than average Canadian chain that we visited twice prior, that unfortunately couldn't compete in the area).

On this visit, Mr. RJG's Mom joined us, as she lives reasonably close over in Northwest Dallas (ED: and has since moved to NE Tarrant herself). As you enter, it becomes apparent this is going to be a trip back to the 1960s and 70s. Open the door and you get a darkened waiting room (sans chairs) with a handful of plaques containing various newspaper writeups. Facing you is another door. Open it up and there's the hostess table. Looking around, the restaurant is dark, with candlelit tables, dark woods and the air of spirited conversation. A welcoming place to be sure, and besides, everyone looks good. The RJG has long complained about restaurants that look like supermarkets with bright overhead lights. Save that for the fast food takeout joints. When I'm dining, I want to focus on food, drink and conversation, rather than noticing scars, wrinkles and spider veins for the first time - my own, that is...

The menu, old and crinkly, also points to an earlier era. And they're quick to point out that everything is homemade. That's music to my ears. Homemade meatballs, sausage, sauces, salad dressing. No reheating what they bought off the Lisanti truck. They bring out a bowl of parmesan cheese, and actually leave it there. "Go ahead and dump the whole thing on your plate, that's fine". How many times does the RJG have to wait around and ask for cheese, and after they put one tiny teaspoon on, they seem irritated you might actually want more? Regular readers of the RJG know that I like my food spicy. At best, you might get the shaker with crushed red pepper (usually the wrong shaker, with holes meant for cheese, rather than the slat top for red pepper). And the kind of filtered, tame red pepper flakes you can buy at the grocery store. I Fratelli provides freshly ground red pepper, that will light you up. And they leave a bowl of that too. "Go ahead, dump the whole thing on your plate - we'll call 911 for you".

So, what about the food taste? Absolutely delicious. The red sauce is thick and smooth, with a unique recipe, that I'm not sure I've had before. The meatballs were delicious. Old school all the way, thick, meaty and spicy. I had the chicken parm, again superb, though not quite as crispy as I like (ED: On recent visits, the chicken parm is indeed crispy!) . They didn't separate the pasta either, but so few do anymore. Honestly, I want to try everything on the menu, minus perhaps the white sauce dishes (we'll say for diet reasons OK?).

That's two superior Italian restaurant discoveries in the same month. Earlier we discussed Siciliano's - A Taste of Italy in Garland - and now I Fratelli in Las Colinas. Nice to see that the Moni's empire hasn't completely taken over the Italian restaurant scene in DFW.

You can find I Fratelli on MacArthur between 161 and I-635, on the west side of the road. Technically this area is known as north Irving, but it's close enough to Las Colinas for me. As far as I'm concerned, the spiritual heart of Irving is south of TX-114 and all around TX-183.

Website

Mooyah, Hamburgers, National Chain

2011-10-14T17:07:00.009-05:00

I first featured Mooyah in a 2009 Burger update, and figured I should give the chain its own page. Even only two years ago, Mooyah was mainly a DFW chain, but they're rapidly expanding - and apparently there are franchisers ready to open stores coast to coast. One has to figure Mooyah is a play of words on the famous Jim Cramer Booyah cheer when he's high on a stock. Looks like they ditched the Vegan Schmegan line as they try to appeal to a larger clientele. I've been to the Watauga, Southlake and Frisco (which Urbanspoon had listed in the Dallas Park Cities area - crazy! It's fixed now) locations.

Last visit: October 2011 (Southlake)
First listed in the RJG: November 24, 2009

NE Tarrant locations: Euless, Watauga, Colleyville, Southlake
Other Ft. Worth area locations: Burleson (Mansfield coming soon)

Total DFW locations: 17
Total Texas locations: 21 + 5 coming soon
Total National locations: 23 + 3 coming soon (From CT to CA)

I think the founders of Mooyah saw what Five Guys was doing in Washington DC (and their subsequent expansion), and said "Hey, we can do that!". And do that they have. Plano based Mooyah is growing fast, though still sticking to the DFW and Houston areas. I love their slogan: "VEGAN, SCHMEGAN". Followed by: "People ask us, "What's Mooyah?" We answer: Mooyah is Just burgers. Just fries. Just better. That's it. We want to make the best burger you've ever tasted. Period." Hey - that's the In-N-Out Burger way! Then they talk about the Bun to Meat ratio. These folks are great. Love it, love it, love it. And the burger taste? Excellent. Fries? Excellent. We'll be regular visitors for a long time.

Website

Palio's Pizza Cafe, Pizza-Pasta, Dallas-Ft.Worth chain

2011-10-13T19:00:00.001-05:00

This was one of the very first posts on the RJG. Palio's has since expanded to 20 locations, including Keller. In addition to the below, I plan on meeting a co-worker soon at the Coppell location (which is halfway for us) and I want to try their pasta. At the Keller location, I tried the pizza, and my experience was similar to the review below (right down to the crispness of the crust, or lack thereof). All the same, it will most likely be a regular stop in the future.

Last visit: October 2011 (Keller)
First posted in the RJG: March 30, 2008

Since there isn't one central website for the chain, it's hard to obtain exact information. The below totals are based on information gathered from Urbanspoon.

NE Tarrant locations: Colleyville, Keller, Grapevine
Other Tarrant County locations: Ft. Worth (Hulen) , Mansfield
Other DFW locations: McKinney (2), Fairview, Highland Village, Frisco, Coppell, The Colony, Prosper, Little Elm, Crossroads, Rockwall, Rowlett, Lewisville, Carrollton, Denton

It was a lazy Sunday afternoon and me and the Misses were in the mood for a little pizza, mainly of the individual variety. I first stumbled onto Palio's at their Coppell location, but we didn't eat there always promising to come back someday. Palio's is a mini DFW local chain, primarily based in the far northern Dallas suburbs.

We discussed Colleyville and Hwy 26 in the Bellisimo thread, and Palio's is just down the road in one of the more fancy buildings, designed in the faux-old style that's so prevalent in these parts. In fact, these guys have the FAUX idea down, as they managed to cram as many 1920s to 1950s era European paintings as could fit. All of these no doubt purchased from the local furniture wholesaler. In other words, it's a nice gathering place.

I put Palio's in the "Pizza-Pasta" category, which I like to separate from the "Italian" designation. Pizza-Pasta place focus on pizzas, of course, plus basic pasta dishes such as spaghetti, baked ziti, chicken parm and meatball sandwiches. Perfect fodder for the RJG. We went with the "small" which are slightly larger than typical "individual" pizzas, but the smallest they have. No complaints from either of us. Mrs. RJG went for the Hawaiian (too fruity for me) as I went for a traditional sausage, later regretting that I had the option for "Italian sausage". OF COURSE I want Italian sausage. Oh well, next time. If I had a complaint, it's I would prefer a little more crispness in the crust. But a minor detail, and that may change from visit to visit.

The chain has various websites depending on the franchisor.

Sea Siam, Thai, Keller-TX

2011-10-12T13:00:00.002-05:00

Not much to add to the below. Sea Siam remains our very favorite Thai place in NE Tarrant. Actually our favorite Thai in all of DFW. This is a place worth driving many miles for. Jam and Eddie (and Tanya and Tara) will treat you right. They're the nicest people you can meet.

As of this writing, it's worth noting that Sea Siam is the 99th highest rated restaurant on Urbanspoon. That's for ALL of DFW . It's rated 4th among Thai restaurants and #1 for NE Tarrant. I don't know the first 2, but we've been to Asian Mint in North Dallas (US-75 and Forest). We thought it was good - definitely a trendy place though. Not worth driving across town for, we just happened to meet friends from Dallas there. On the contrary, Sea Siam is not trendy and it IS worth driving across town for.

Last visit: October 2011
First posted in the RJG: April 30, 2008

Want to know the RJG's favorite food destination? Thai food. Why? Because that's Mrs. RJG's favorite food - and pretty close to my favorite as well. And we've been to every, or just about every, Thai restaurant in NE Tarrant (with multiple ventures into Ft. Worth and Arlington as well).

Before I get started here on Sea Siam, I want to tell a little story. A couple of years ago, I walked into a Southlake based pizza joint (that is now closed), and mentioned to the owner that "I was glad he was still here, and the food is great". His response to my magnanimous comment? "Yea, well no thanks to YOU". He didn't say it rudely, but matter of factly, with a slight smile. I was a bit taken a back by his comment, paid up, grabbed my pizza and got out as fast as possible. On the way home I realized he had been right. Truthfully, as someone who tries as many restaurants as possible, I'm not what you would call a reliable customer. If the business counted on folks like me to make a living, they'd all be broke quickly!

The two paragraphs above are there to set the stage for this important statement: We go to Sea Siam every single week. Almost without exception. If that doesn't underscore how great this place is, then I'm not sure anything else I say will.

Jam and Eddie are veterans of the restaurant industry. For years they had a similarly named restaurant in Huntington Beach, California (and, would you believe it, Mrs. RJG & I tried it recently too - and it's not nearly as good as it used to be apparently). Relocating to the Keller area, they brought their expertise in Thai cooking right here to NE Tarrant, and I think the local denizens are just now figuring out how fortunate we really are. They took over a former Wings-N-Things fast food place inside of the Kroger shopping center at the southwest corner of Keller Parkway and Rufe Snow.

For me, the battle I have at Thai restaurants is getting the heat level to where I need it - scorching hot. See, I'm a fair skinned blond, with blue eyes. Naturally, Mrs. RJG is dark haired with brown eyes, so usually on first visits she gets the hotter plate, even though I ask for it spicier than her. Preconceived notions? You bet your sweet biscuits on it! Perhaps it's because Jam ran a restaurant in southern California, but right away when I asked for it hot, I got it HOT. Thai hot - and I don't mean the menu Thai Hot, but what the locals consider as such. It doesn't take long for Mr. RJG to hear that the only other person who eats it as hot as he, is the cook himself. Yes, it makes me proud! And Mrs. RJG is no wimp either, as she's right behind me on the heat scale, maybe one or 2 notches less.

Thai basil chicken is my standard fare. It's a core Thai dish, and I could eat it every night. I prefer ground chicken, to really accentuate the Thai authenticity, but most Thai places don't have it. Sea Siam doesn't either, but they always cut the chicken very fine (on my request), thus allowing the spices to penetrate the meat better. Mrs. RJG loves her vegetables with her chicken, and her dishes are loaded with the greens. The other barometer is the rice, which many local Thai restaurants think should be mushy. Wrong! Mrs. RJG will quit going to a Thai place on the spot if they offer mushy rice. Sea Siam always has firm and fluffy rice!

We've tried many of their appetizers and they're all uniformly great. Mrs. RJG has had the Pad Thai on many occasion, and she says it's the best she's had. Prices are insanely cheap (not to mention the extra savings with it being BYOB), and the ambiance is perfect for the setting. Best of all, maybe, is that Jam and Eddie are great folks, who have a lot of fun. It reminds me of the goold old days when customer service was authentic and an essential part of the business.

If you live anywhere in the DFW area, and love Thai food, make a beeline to Sea Siam. You won't regret the trip I assure you.

Funky Baja's Cantina, Fresh Mex, Sports Bar, Keller-TX

2011-10-11T13:48:00.008-05:00

First visit: October 2011

Funky Baja's Cantina opened in May just as we were heading to Denver for the summer. The RJG's Mom has an apartment nearby, and I was very intrigued on what the place was going to be about. My guess was it would be another Fuzzy's Taco Shop type establishment that are (fortunately) popping up everywhere. And, as it turns out, I was exactly right.

Now it's interesting to note that Funky Baja's took over the old Novrozsky's place, that we wrote about well over 3 years ago. The reason it is interesting is I felt one of the reasons Novrozsky's closed was it didn't understand the space it was in. While that is also true for Funky Baja's, I will throw out a couple of addendum's. One is that Keller is growing up, as is all of Northeast Tarrant county. For example, Keller is about to add a couple of taverns to the Old Town area. Texas has always struggled with its Baptist/temperance/prohibition past, but as time has gone on more and more laws are going down in favor of those who enjoy a nice, legal alcoholic beverage in a public setting. These newer places are not the stinky dive taverns my Uncle loved to frequent - an unwelcome place filled with ne're-do-wells eyeing everyone with distrust and a cigarette dangling from their mouth. Far from it - in fact, these newer places are filled with women and children. The day we were there, it was ladies' day out apparently and the restaurant was packed - and 90% of the patrons were women. Second is that Funky Baja's took the half-baked sports bar attempt by Novrozsky's, and finished the job. It's darker, with more TV screens, and a real sitting bar. Though I would recommend that Funky Baja's get serious about their bar, and add more than one microbrew (Real Ale's Fireman #4). Offer up a couple of domestics and common Mexican beers - and fill the rest with cool imports and micros! They do have a margarita machine as well.

OK, so we have a sports bar so far. Big deal - they're pretty much a dime a dozen these days. So what's going to be the differentiator? The food of course. And here is where Funky Baja's really scores points with the RJG. To me there are three kinds of taco shops: 1) Fast food ground beef crunchy style; 2) Street tacos / taquerias; and 3) The high end, high quality ingredient taco. 3) is really an extension of 2). Honestly, I love all 3 types. So in that third category, we have a very fast growing cottage industry - especially here in DFW. Fuzzy's has become the big name, while Yucatan established themselves as a higher end alternative. I'd say Funky Baja's has the higher quality taco of Yucatan (though slightly less priced), with more of a Fuzzy's atmosphere mixed with a traditional bar. To date I've tried the Fishman taco (beer battered), the El Santo (chipotle chicken) and the Blue Demon (spicy pork adobada). Both the fish and especially the chicken were outstanding, whereas the pork was a bit fatty and tough (sigh). It wasn't perfect, but most restaurants have specialties I fall for. I can't wait to try the many others they have to offer to go with the fish and chicken above. While the tacos don't really need the extra flavor, I do wish they provided a really hot habanero sauce like Fuzzy's and Yucatan have.

Overall, we're delighted Funky Baja's is here. I can tell it's going to be a regular stop for Mr. & Mrs. RJG!

Up-N-Smoke, Barbecue, Keller-TX

2011-10-10T14:51:00.007-05:00

Last visit: October, 2011

I was first introduced to Up-N-Smoke by my former neighbor Mr. SS (who is now a full-time resident of Manhattan and enjoying the culinary delights offered there - lucky guy) in April of 2008, right at the time I started this blog actually. But for whatever reason, I didn't get back to the place until 2010, and have been a few times since. This is our initial post for Up-N-Smoke.

For Mr. and Mrs. RJG, Up-N-Smoke has become our favorite barbecue restaurant in NE Tarrant. We haven't tried them all (though we intend to), but we've done some sampling in the area (Cousins, Red Barn, Big Barn, Feedstore, Spring Creek, Red Hot and Blue, and a few others) and we prefer Up-N-Smoke so far. When it comes to barbecue, I'm not really a "sides" guy, so I tend to weight the ratings all towards the flavor and tenderness of the meat, as well as any sauces on offer. So keep that in mind when evaluating this review. I certainly enjoy the sides - especially if a place offers something unique like dirty rice, but if its the usual heavy stomach items like potato salad and mashed potatoes, then I can easily eschew them for something else. Like extra meat.

With that in mind, I appreciate that Up-N-Smoke has a hearty "meat sampler" (technically it's an appetizer, but big enough for one full meal), something not all 'cue establishments offer up (though I think they should). Up-N-Smoke's variety pack includes sliced brisket, smoked turkey, sausage, pulled pork, and St. Louis ribs. I'm a big fan of pulled pork, and theirs stacks up well with the competition. Tender and flavorful. The dry rub ribs have a wonderful blend of seasonings. The brisket can be cut with a fork. Perhaps most surprising is the turkey. Turkey is usually a somewhat generic throw-in, without much deviation from place to place. But at Up-N-Smoke, the turkey is truly delicious. As for sauces, they do provide a standard mild smoky concoction, as well as a spicy pepper sauce made by Ol' Gringo (Cousins uses the same one).

Worth noting that Up-N-Smoke has a very fine beer selection, including micros and imports.

Not that it's mandatory to gripe about something, but if I did have a beef (yuk, yuk), it's that the place could use a little makeover. But c'mon RJG, you say, it's a barbecue place! It should be a little dilapidated, right? Agreed, but this one might be a bit much. Half the restaurant is smoking - in the bar area, and it very much has that stale cigarette smell. The other half is much easier on the olfactory (and much smaller in space), but the last time we went they had the water buckets out for the leaky roof - and half the tables were closed off. Yea.... I think they could reinvest some of the profits into spiffying the place up. If they did, I think it would be cool to have a view of the railroad which runs along its western edge. Seems no restaurant in the area has ever taken advantage of the antiquated industrial landscape surrounding it. The railroad seems to run non-stop in this area, so it makes an interesting side-show.

Up-N-Smoke is located in Old Town Keller, which is getting nicer and more active by the moment with more restaurants / taverns coming. It's still dominated by antique and car repair shops, but it's slowly becoming a bit more interesting. The issue will always be that the town is divided by the much used US 377, which is a main north/south artery, and until they either build a pedestrian bridge, or provide a by-pass - the area may always struggle to gain the critical mass you need to be successful in the retail world.

Website

Nice review from the Full Custom Gospel blog, who is certainly more quaified to evaluate than the RJG.

Johnny B's, Hamburgers, Southlake-TX

2011-10-09T09:00:00.005-05:00

In addition to blogging about new restaurants, or new to us restaurants, I will also be bringing forth old favorites and altering the reviews as appropriate.

What's interesting about this post is our observation of In-N-Out Burger. Unless you've been living under a rock (and I kind of do, and even *I* know this), then you're all too aware that the legendary chain is upon us and active (and very popular - for good reason). We're still awaiting our first NE Tarrant location, presumably set for Hurst - though I suspect Grapevine will be in the cards soon as well. All the same, on our last visit to Johnny B's, the place was packed. Awesome.

Last visit: October 2011
First posted in the RJG: May 3, 2008

For Mr. RJG, one of the treats of traveling to California on business (or even Phoenix or Las Vegas) is he knows he'll have an opportunity to eat at In-N-Out Burger. To me, In-N-Out Burger is one of the finest examples of a Regional Chain. But one thing that INOB does not do is franchise. So what's a future hamburger stand owner to do? Create something similar. And if Johnny B's didn't intentionally set out to do this, then they sure did get pretty close to a wonderful original.

Johnny B's is what you want all small town / suburb fast food places to be like. They place strong emphasis on local culture, and in Southlake, local culture amounts to the Southlake Carroll Dragons. For anyone who lives in Texas, even as far as El Paso, the Southlake Carroll football team has dominated 5A High School football for most of this decade. Johnny B's, because they aren't beholden to shareholders or some corporate office, can decorate and put focus on anything they feel like (which also includes my alma mater Texas Tech). Since Southlake is the center for "high end" shopping in NE Tarrant, being an independent hamburger restaurant must be awfully tough. Chains and other DFW local legends (Kincaids, Snuffers) abound everywhere, and yet Johnny B's keeps on cooking, and was even successful in knocking out one burger chain out just across the street (Cheeburger Cheeburger - now a Qdoba). Recently, Johnny B's expanded next door to include a large space designed specifically for large parties.

So what we have here is a rare independent fast food place in Southlake, who serves up a burger in the California In-N-Out style. So what does that mean really? It means smallish patties, grilled to perfection, with only the freshest onions, lettuce and tomatoes. The condiment of choice is Thousand Island dressing (or a variant thereof). The only difference is the bun, where Johnny B's uses a unique biscuit type bread. Unlike INOB, Johnny B's has more than burgers and fries, and in particular, The RJG likes their chili. It's of the meaty type, just the way Mr. RJG likes it, and is what Wendy's probably had when they were an independent in Columbus, OH decades ago.

While the RJG also highly recommends Kincaids, we give the edge to Johnny B's as the best burger place in Southlake. Do not miss this family run establishment, and be sure to stop by. Places like this should not be taken for granted. We are indeed fortunate.

Website

Back in the saddle

2011-10-09T08:37:00.004-05:00

We returned to DFW two weeks ago, and the regular routine is settling in nice. And in the RJG's world, that usually means at least one meal a day at a local restaurant.

I've really neglected this blog over the last couple of years. I'm going to see if I can get back into some sort of regular posting, including updates of old favorites.

* CLOSED * Billadelphia's, Philly Cheesesteak, North Richland Hills-TX

2011-08-14T13:31:00.001-05:00

Closed: summer 2011

Last visit: December 2010

First listed in the RJG: March 14, 2010

We've written about Billadelphia's before, and their flagship Bedford location. And that will remain our main article about the restaurant.

However, since I recently posted a sandwich update, I didn't want to wait too long to spread the news and wanted to update everyone on their new location in North Richland Hills. They took over the Paradise Cafe (and before that a Golden Chick franchise) that sits in a Shell station at Holiday and Midcities Blvd (just west of Davis). I've been recently and it's delicious and comfortable. Some gas station restaurants do not separate space well, but this one does. It still prominently displays the Paradise Cafe sign (even the store receipt says it), but don't let that fool you. It's a Billadelphia's through and through. This is good news for the RJG, as it's closer than the Bedford locale and easier to get to for a quick lunch from my home office.

There are not too many places in DFW where you can get the real deal when it comes to cheesesteaks. Bill imports everything from Philly including the bread, meats, Tastykakes, Herr's Chips, and Birch Beer (similar to Root Beer).

I'm definitely back in Bill's corner. This was a wonderful surprise and an excellent experience all around.

RJG update

2011-07-24T20:39:00.002-05:00

Hi everyone,

Just a quick note to let everyone know we've been active on the eating front, but not doing much for the RJG blog unfortunately. I have been actively writing reviews for Urbanspoon, but they are all for restaurants outside of NE Tarrant County. Mainly for Denver, as we're in the summer place now (The RJG's Mom constantly reminds her son of how miserable the summer has been at home!). If curious, please visit my profile - and maybe gather an out of town suggestion! I'm trying to make a better effort at reviewing the places I visit. It's not always feasible, but we're making the effort.

However, I was on the cusp of publishing a Thai guide back in April, when we visited a new place in Keller called West of Asia to finish the expose. I wrote a somewhat scathing review in Urbanspoon, as I thought it was terrible quite frankly. The owner accused me of nefarious behavior, for which I flatly denied and subsequently schooled him on what the RJG - and Urbanspoon - are about. Two months later, West of Asia closed - which surprised no one, least of all myself. Still, I'd rather of not been even remotely involved with the result. The last thing we want to do here is put someone out of business. It's clear they had a poor business plan - and were not very good restauranteurs. However, I do hope they learned some valuable lessons here, and I do wish them the best for the future.

News: Freebirds comes to NE Tarrant

2011-07-24T20:34:00.004-05:00

According to Bud Kennedy's excellent Eats Beat column, we learned that Freebirds is coming to Grapevine. Freebirds of course is the famous burrito place that originates from College Station. The RJG has been to the original Dallas location (upper Greenville), Addison and Far North Ft. Worth. The latter, it could be argued, is really in NE Tarrant (at least it is by my definition). Still, the Grapevine location is closer and more convenient for us and many others. Freebirds is an excellent alternative to Chipotle's and Qdoba (both of which we heartiy recommend as well) - and they have some fiery salsas to accompany any burrito you choose.

Thai Riverside, Thai, Grapevine-TX

2011-04-29T11:04:00.001-05:00

Last visit: April 2011

First listed in the RJG: May 3, 2009

We first started frequenting Thai Riverside when the place was known as Thai Rice, sometime in the 2003-2004 era. New ownership brought improvements including an interior spruce-up, an upgraded menu and new flavors. On this visit, our first in nearly two years, we learned that Thai Riverside again has changed owners. Not so many alterations this time around, exceptions being a new menu and a handful of new recipes, though the owner assured us that most everything was "the same".

That's unfortunate, since as you may have gathered from the "first visit in two years" comment, Thai Riverside isn't one of NE Tarrant's finest. Nor is it near the bottom either but somewhere in the middle. That is to say, Thai Riverside is a "serviceable" Thai restaurant.

On this visit we sampled the Chicken Satay for an appetizer, and for entrees we had the Cashew Chicken and Chicken Basil. All of it was good, not nothing captured the imagination.

Thai Riverside is in an area that has a dearth of Thai restaurants, and is the best offering for miles around. Much better than the overpriced and overexotic Thai Chili in the nearby Southlake Town Square. If you live in the area, and have the means, I'd suggest driving to Sea Siam in Keller or Sweet Basil in Hurst. But if pressed for time, and craving Thai food, I would more than recommend Thai Riverside for to-go orders. And the interior is pleasantly decorated with mood lighting, to ensure a nice dining experience as well.

Thai Riverside is located on Northwest Highway, just east of TX-114. It's buried in a strip center (on the Park Blvd street side). BTW, the Google Map is wrong, and has Thai Riverside way east closer to the Gaylord. Just take TX-114 to Southlake Blvd/Wall. Go straight through the light, and make a right at the next light (Northwest Highway). Make a left at the first light (Park) and left into the shopping center.

Ojeda's, Mexican, Dallas area chain

2011-04-25T12:33:00.002-05:00

Last visit: April 2011 (Dallas)

First listed in the RJG: March 30, 2009

NE Tarrant locations: none (booo)

DFW locations: Dallas (Maple Avenue), Lewisville, Plano, Desoto

In the Avila's and Herrera's posts found on this blog, I spoke of the Mexican restaurants on Maple Avenue we used to haunt back in the late 80s and early 90s. The other two were Rosita's and, the focus of this post, Ojeda's.

Ojeda's is old school Tex-Mex, which is a nicer way of saying HEAVY Mexican food. These are places you don't just walk out of, but rather waddle out. Expect lots of gooey cheese, beans with lard, mush meat with filler, thick flour and corn tortillas, and as many chips as you can stuff in your face. Top that off with a few cervezas, and you have instant 5 pound weight gain. Is it worth it? HECK YEA!

No point in walking you through the meal, as Ojeda's isn't that much different from Herrera's. Both places feature spicier than normal salsa's (I detect a strong hint of Valentina Salsa Picante in the flavor), great tasting chips, and combo platters that thin the wallet and expand the waistline. No complimentary bean and bacon soup at Ojeda's though.

And, also like Herrera's, I'm not featuring the original location that we used to frequent, but one that is further out in the northern Dallas burbs. The Maple Avenue location is probably the most popular of the restaurants that dot the area, and I think that has more to do with restaurant size than anything else. Because they're ALL good.

As with all the Maple Avenue institutions, Ojeda's doesn't have a presence in Tarrant County. But the location in Lewisville isn't too far for us NE Tarrant citizens. I've been to that location a couple of times over the last year, and makes for a convenient meeting place with friends who live "on the other side". Ojeda's have 4 locations total (the other two are in Plano and Desoto). The Lewisville location is on Hwy 121, a few blocks west of I-35E.

Website: http://www.ojedasdallas.com/

Definition of NE Tarrant geography

2011-04-17T19:10:00.004-05:00

So exactly what and where is Northeast Tarrant County anyway? The obvious answer is it's all the suburbs northeast of Ft. Worth but still in Tarrant County. And while that's about 80% right, for the purposes of this blog, we define a slightly modified version.

To start, we'll go to the old Ft. Worth suburb of Haltom City. The corner of Beach and 121 makes up the SW boundary. From there we'll draw the southern boundary. Roll upward northeast on 121 to Hwy 10, and continue east/northeast to 183, which takes you to the southern entrance of DFW airport. This is Euless and defines our SE border. The airport is a natural eastern border. Going north along the airport takes up to Grapevine. By the Grapevine Mills outlet mall is the Tarrant County line, and makes our NE border. The northern boundary of Tarrant is our border with a couple of exceptions: 1) Trophy Club and 2) Roanoke. Both are technically in Denton County, but they're fairly isolated, and feel more as part of the NE Tarrant family than the towns of Denton County. I-35 W makes a convenient western border and the Texas Motor Speedway at 114 and I-35W is more or less our NW boundary. I-35W down to I-820 is our western front. 820 going east to Beach and back down to 121 completes our loop.

What's in: Haltom City, Richland Hills, North Richland Hills, Hurst, Bedford, Euless, Grapevine, Colleyville, Southlake, Westlake, Trophy Club, Roanoke, Keller, Watauga, Alliance airport area, far north Ft. Worth (north of I-820, east of I-35W).

Outliers not in: Flower Mound, Arlington, Saginaw, Coppell

We're not going to be too legalistic with all of this. But more or less, that's the area defined.

FWIW, we live near the confluence of Southlake, Colleyville, Keller and North Richland Hills - so those areas tend to get the most microscopic coverage from us.

CLOSED Molly's Burgers and Ice Cream, Hamburgers, Keller-TX

2011-04-17T11:46:00.001-05:00

Closed: April 2011

Last visit: January 2011

First lsited in the RJG: March 31, 2009

If you are a burger aficionado, then living in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area certainly has to be a contender for one of the nation's best cities. And NE Tarrant, in particular, does what it can to accommodate. We've covered many in these pages, as the RJG is a fervent devotee of a good cheeseburger.

Add Molly's to the list of great places to devour a succulent hamburger. Molly's started in Arlington and Keller was chosen as their second locale. A wise choice given the relative distance, so as to not take away from their core base. Molly's is located on Golden Triangle (aka Keller Pkwy, aka Southlake Blvd.), west of US-377 and east of I-35W in far NW Keller.

Definitely one of the best gooey cheeseburgers I've had, with a unique salty blend of spices that penetrate all the way through. And the bun is nice and toasty. And I can also vouch for the milkshake, made with real ice cream (for some odd reason, I didn't ask who made the ice cream - I'll find out). I liked it so much on one Saturday lunch visit, that I insisted Mrs. RJG and the RJG's Mom go the next day. Definitely a big hit with the ladies as well. Saturday was empty, but Sunday was jammed packed, so file that away if you plan to drop by.

If you want to die early, may I suggest the "Molly Burger": A 1/3 patty, topped with a grilled hot dog, bacon, and cheddar cheese, grilled onions, lettuce, tomato, and chipotle mayo. Yea, a real cardiologists delight that is. They also have a Veggie Burger and a "Brendan" Burger, which they shamelessly call their "In N Out" Burger (though they spell it "In and Out"). I haven't tried the latter - need to do that!

Oh, and it's BYOB for you lushes out there (like us!).

Molly's is a cool little place, seemingly dropped in from a university campus area. The decor is a nice blend of heavy woods with a distinct industrial design.

Add Molly's to the ever growing group of the burger A-list: Five Guys, Kincaid's, Johnny B's, Clown Burger, Freddy's, Chapps, etc...

Chuys, Plano location

2011-04-13T15:00:00.001-05:00

Since we pretty much lambasted the Arlington locale, I think it's only fair that I give credit where credit is due. I had met some business associates at the Plano location off of US-75 about a month ago, and my experience was entirely different, including an excellent tasting lunch. So when they say "If you've only been to one Chuys, you've only been to one Chuys" they really mean it! Their salsas with the chips are still terrible, but everything else was quite good. Thumbs up for this location!

Cristina's, Mexican, DFW chain

2011-04-10T11:57:00.001-05:00

Last visit: April 2011 (Trophy Club)

First listed in the RJG: February 4, 2009

NE Tarrant locations: Southlake, Trophy Club

Other DFW locations: McKinney, Frisco (2), Flower Mound, Lewisville, Carrollton, Garland, Murphy, Forney

Cristina's, a DFW area chain, is part of the second wave of Mexican restaurants: A determined focus on taste, but with an eye for high style. And while their primary audience is the "gringo", those from the old country won't be disappointed either. In that way, Cristina's is similar to other Mexican restaurants in NE Tarrant like Mi Pueblo, Anamia's, and El Paseo.

This is not Cristina's first venture to NE Tarrant, as they first successfully opened in Trophy Club a few years ago, and that's where the RJG first sampled the restaurant. But we wanted to try the Southlake location, if for no other reason to see how they converted the former Baja Fresh (later Buster's) fast food outlet. Unrecognizable. Whoever did the renovation, did a remarkable job with the space. It feels considerably larger, and about the only extra space they added was the enclosure of the former porch. Very nice. Cristina's has 10 locations in the DFW area overall.

The components:

Frozen Margarita: Strong and sweet. Went with the 10 oz. and felt it. Probably the 20 oz is too much. But, hey, I'm willing to sacrifice for the blog!

Chips: Traditional corn chips. Light and crispy. Large chain style. Nothing special and needs salsa, or otherwise too bland.

Hot Sauce: A variation of the tomato, onion, peppers and cilantro sauce. Not like the Colorado styled salsa we had at Kassandra's , but still good.

"The hotter one, please": Ah yes, a habanero salsa! I love the tangy taste and the slo-burn. Beautiful! We could eat this all day.

Entree hits: Carne Asada (yum... hickory grilled meat), beef enchiladas (nicely spiced ground beef).

Entree misses: Cheese enchilada (already hardened - not hot enough); Chicken Soft Taco (naturally not separated from the platter (c'mon - you can afford it!), so the whole thing collapsed into a pile of mush. Didn't care for the seasoning, and would prefer more white meat).

Refried Beans: HUGE PLUS! Both the Mrs. and I agreed, best refried beans we've had. Super smooth and with a taste that reminded the Mrs. of the state of Sonora. Personally, I tend to never finish my beans, but I was looking for more this time!

Rice: Again delicious. Perfectly cooked, fluffy, with a slight buttery taste. Wonderful!

You know, I don't think I've ever had dessert at a Mexican restaurant! Who has the room? Yet they never fail to ask/demand "Want a sopapilla?!?" Uhhh, no.

As for the NE Tarrant restaurants we've compared Cristina's to, I'd say Anamia's is first, with El Paseo and Cristina's neck and neck for second. And Mi Pueblo trails slightly in 4th. All are very good and recommended!

The Southlake location is on Southlake Blvd, about 1/2 mile west of TX-114, on the south side of the road. Currently, Cristina's has 10 DFW locations, 8 of them on the "other side" of DFW - the Dallas suburbs.

Adding the Trophy Club location as well, since we frequent that one just as often. It's located on TX-114 (exit Trophy Club Dr.). In addition to these two locations we also have been to the Frisco location (off of 121) and the Addison one, which is now closed.

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