Miguelito's ~ Hurst, Texas

Last visit: Oct 2011

First visit: 2003

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 deal breaker, 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.

6/25/06; 10/29/11 (new entry)

Agave Azul Mexican Kitchen & Tequila Sanctuary ~ Carrollton, Texas ***CLOSED***

Closed in 2016.They had a second location in Flower Mound that also closed.

First visit: Oct 2011

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.

10/24/11 (new entry)

Kenny's Wood Fired Grill ~ Addison, Texas

First visit: Oct 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!

10/21/11 (new entry)

Austin Taco House ~ Southlake, Texas

First visit: Oct 2011

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!

10/20/11 (new entry)

Prince Lebanese Grill ~ Arlington, Texas

Latest visit: Oct 2011

First visit: Oct 2008

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!

---Original review

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.

10/19/08 (new entry); 10/16/11