Bacio Mia ~ Southlake, Texas ***CLOSED***

Nov 29, 2008 update: Bacio Mia is no longer in business. Too bad, as they were a unique Italian restaurant in an area all too dominated with the same recipes and formulas.

First visit: Apr 2008

--- Original review

So we've already talked about, in past postings, the Albanian / Yugoslavian heritage of most of the Northeast Tarrant county Italian restaurants. Bacio Mia is one of the rare exceptions. We first ran into Rocky, who is from New Yawk, when he was a partner in a restaurant called Joe's (the most overused named in DFW, but this one was not related to any other) in Farmers Branch. Farmers Branch (or FB as many call it) is near where Mr. RJG grew up, so it was a natural place for Mrs. RJG and I to take Mr. RJG's parents. FB is another tough place to secure a liquor license, so the restaurant was always BYOB. Even better, especially in my Dad's view, is they offered free glasses of red wine (the law doesn't say you can't give it away, just that you can't sell it). Eventually the owners sold out to raise enough cash to start Michael Anthony's, a high end steakhouse in the high end suburb of Southlake. And now, perhaps not surprisingly, Rocky (who also runs Sofio Grill in Flower Mound) has opened an Italian restaurant down the road, in a pretty swanky strip mall, taking over the former Classic Cafe and Red Sage spot.

Despite the obvious expensive overhead, prices are very reasonable, and Rocky has eschewed a liquor license in favor of BYOB. In other words, Bacio Mia is a great deal, especially given the locale!

Everything at Bacio Mia is different from just about any other Italian restaurant in NE Tarrant. From the soft bread, to the tangy vinaigrette to the entrees, rest assured you will experience a unique Italian meal. We did notice there were differences in flavor from one visit to the next. The bolognese sauce on one visit had a strong wine flavor, while on another it was too salty. The chicken parm is good, though it's not as crisp as I'd like - but Mr. Jose understands what he likes in chicken parm is not the norm. The baked dishes could use a little more sauce as well (and we're into dry - but not BONE dry). So a little inconsistent, but we'll chalk that up to being a relatively new place, and getting the chefs to master the recipes at hand.

The Star-Telepoop made a big deal of how great it is that there's a daycare right across the sidewalk. In a peculiar way, I kind of agree. Nothing funnier than watching a bunch of "pretender" Mom's drive up in their Hummers and yak on the cell phone while dropping off the precious ones. It does provide entertainment, if you subscribe to Mr. RJG's warped view of life.

ANYWAY, Bacio Mia is definitely worth a visit. If they can make any kind of margin, given their low prices, then this place will be around awhile. Maybe the best deal in Southlake.

4/29/08 (new entry)

Keller Pizza ~ Keller, Texas ***CLOSED***

First visit: Mar 2005

There was nothing spectacular about Keller Pizza. In fact, I only went once a couple of years ago, to reminisce about the way Texas pizza buffets were in the 1970s and 80s. My college Sunday afternoons in the mid 1980s were dominated by trips to Pizza Inn. When else can you eat 21 slices and still not be full? Or where else really. 21 slices of cracker crust equals about 4 slices of a large gooey NY pizza. So with college nostalgia on the brain I waltzed into Keller Pizza and had a go at their buffet. I rarely do buffets anymore. I would rather have a specifically cooked meal (though realizing that doesn't always happen anyway) and buffets are a sure fire way to overeat. Not to mention the germs being thrown around at a public feast. Pizza is one area I'll make an exception, though I rarely go to a buffet more than once a year. The nostalgia of my youth was furthered by the fact that Keller Pizza was an ex-Pizza Inn. Well I don't know that for a fact, but it had the exact look on the outside and inside of the 1970s era Pizza Inn (still based in Dallas I believe). It sat in a strip mall next to a convenience store / gas station. While ubiquitous only 10 years ago, these kind of brown brick strip malls seem somewhat antiquated in their cheapness. Since the arrival of Cici's, most of these type of pizza buffet places quite simply can't make a profit. I think the lunch plus a drink was less than 5 bucks. And for that I could eat all the pizza and salad I wanted. Trouble was, for the place to have any chance at a margin, they weren't about to put out the freshest greens for the salad bar. And, funny, but I don't remember waiting around for a new pizza to come out of the oven in the 1980s. So if there was one slice sitting there at the bacteria bar, then somebody better eat it if you want to see a new pie. And with that, I knew it was only a matter of time. "For Lease".

4/13/08