Mo' Fish ~ Keller, Texas ***CLOSED***

First visit: Feb 2013

Mo' Fish is the latest concept restaurant coming from the same folks behind Baja Mex Grill, Peace Burger and Dive Bar, Funky Baja's Cantina, and Baja's Bar and Grill. In fact, this restaurant sits on the opposite side of the same shopping center with Funky Baja's. They've taken over the old Vietnamese restaurants such as the Green Bamboo and later the infamously named Pho King Way (Pho is pronounced "Fu" as in Fudge. Ohhh... I get it now!).

Perhaps the best news coming from this small collective of restaurants is their decision to focus on local craft brews - more so than any other restaurant or pub in Northeast Tarrant. On this visit I tried the Revolver Bock from Granbury. And it's an excellent example of the style.

As for the food, Mo' Fish specializes in Southern Louisiana and Texas seafood. Cajun seasonings abound, with traditional favorites like Po' Boys, oysters and crawfish all on the menu. Shrimp, mahi mahi, tilapia, and chicken are the mainstays for protein. Sides includes some yummy waffle fries, veggies, mac&cheese, fried okra and other southern items. Appetizers include ceviche and Mexican-styled shrimp cocktail. I tried the blackened shrimp Po' Boy. And even though it came on a huge toasted french roll, it was not heavy at all. The popcorn shrimp featured a nice blackened seasoning blend. Mrs. RJG settled on the mahi mahi (blackened) with veggies and fried okra. The fish was steak like, and was also delicious.

With a full bar scene, similar to Funky Baja's, and excellent comfort seafood to eat / local artisan craft brews to drink - Mo' Fish is clearly a winner. A must stop if you're in the Keller / Southlake / Watauga/ NRH area.

2/21/13 (new entry)

Piccomolo Italian Ice Cream ~ small regional chain ***CLOSED***

Apr 7, 2022 update. Southlake location closed since 2015. It appears the entire franchise is now gone too.

Last visit: Feb 2013

First visit: undocumented

In 2009, the RJG made a conscious decision to trade in ice cream for beer. I was getting deeper into the craft beer hobby, and I felt something needed to go in its place. Generally Mrs. RJG and I would enjoy a small dish (or cone) of ice cream after dinner. Now we enjoy a beer for dessert - preferably a nice milk stout or something similar. We both exercise hard as it is, so we couldn't afford to add more calories. So we switched them out. For awhile, we were starting to do both, and that was too much of a good thing I'm afraid.

But yesterday, we knew we were meeting friends for dinner (at the Ojeda's in Dallas. It is one of now 27 2013 Updates we've made to the blog - so I'm continuing to hold my promise). And these friends eat later than we usually do, so we had to be creative on keeping ourselves from getting too hungry. And we also weren't going to have our customary wine and cheese around 5:00 at home, since we had a long drive ahead of us.

Therefore the Mrs. suggested we go to Piccomolo for some gelato around 3 in the afternoon. I haven't been there in probably 5 years. We strolled around the lovely Southlake Town Square while lapping up our gelato's. We each had small cups (or maybe regular's, I can't remember their nomenclature now). I went with coffee and chocolate; she with pistachio, amaretto, and tiramisu. I've always enjoyed their gelato, super creamy and tasty. There's not much else to say really.

It seems the chain has fallen on hard times. Their website is non-functional and many of their stores have shuttered, including one in Colleyville that we also used to frequent. So I'm not really sure how many Piccomolo stores there are at this time. But the one in Southlake is still doing a land office business!

2/17/13 (new entry)

Mi Familia ~ Seymour, Texas

Apr 7, 2022 update: Still open with mixed reviews. They still have their location in Haskell as well.

First visit: Feb 2013

State Highway 114 is the direct route between Lubbock and Dallas-Ft. Worth. As such, it was the highway I originally used when going back and forth to Texas Tech after the winter and summer breaks. But there were a couple of major issues with it. 1) It's a very dull route. It lacks cute towns, and most of the drive has very little scenery; 2) Worse, in those days anyway, was that the national speed limit was 55. That was a problem everywhere of course, but on 114 the small town cops used it as an excuse for revenue generation. "I mean, who else is going to pay for Maybelle at the Olney library?" Prime target: Tech students on the way to and from Lubbock. Especially us students coming from DFW. "Caught 'cha doin' a FIFTY-SIX in a FIFTY-FIVE... BOY. You rich city kids always in a hurry". So after two years of that nonsense, I began looking for alternatives. The first one I came upon was US-380 (then northwest on US-84 to Lubbock). It was a far more pleasant drive, and the cops didn't hassle anyone. In fact, I don't think I ever saw one... except when they were getting Blizzards at a local Dairy Queen. And that's the route I maintained for the remainder of my tenure at Tech.

Now for this trip, I decided to take an even different highway - one I'd never taken, mainly because it's a little out of the way. But this time we're on vacation, and not in a hurry. So I took US-180, which is south of 380 and north of I-20. Mainly we wanted to see the Shackelford County courthouse in Albany, since it's one of the State's finest - and oldest. And it did indeed live up to its billing. And the town looked nice and well kept too. Had we different plans, I would have wanted to eat there to, as it looks like they have a fine assortment of independent restaurants. But I'd already decided on Triple J for dinner, and so we ate a quick meal before leaving our home in the late morning. Overall I found the drive very pleasant, and is a recommended excursion if so inclined.

On the way back, I was going to try another route just to do something different - maybe US-70. But it had occurred to me that Mrs. RJG had never seen 114, and I hadn't been on it since 1985, so why not take the traditional way home? The speed limit issue is long in the past, and it's mostly 70, with some stretches of 75 mph. And much of the freeway has been widened to 4 lanes, making it easier to get around the slow pokes. The one part of 114 that is very interesting is the three county-wide 6666 (four sixes) Ranch. The landscape looks like the surface of the moon. It's pretty fascinating, though there are no towns of any significance to stop in. The County Seat's serve mainly as supply centers to the ranch itself. The rest is pretty blah until you get to Seymour. Which (finally) gets us to the point of the post (I suppose it's the point. There really isn't a point to this blog. lol).

When we arrived into Seymour, I stopped in the first parking lot, and pulled out my trusty Urbanspoon app on the iPhone. (What a world we live in, eh? This was Science Fiction in 1985). I figured some place would be getting a good writeup or following. This route gets lots of traffic, and Seymour is basically the largest town since leaving Lubbock. So it stood to reason there might be a legendary place of some sort. But I couldn't find anything of note, so we just headed into town and took our chances. There used to be an old-school restaurant/diner (building was from the early 1960s I think) in Seymour that we ate at in the 1980s. It appears to be long gone - and I couldn't locate the building even. It was a pretty nice sit down restaurant, with good country/American food. Does anyone out there remember the name of it or what I'm talking about? Thanks to a reader, we learned it was called Mitchell's!

As we were getting to the final part of the town (114 carves out two doglegs), Mrs. RJG noticed a Mexican restaurant on the left. It wasn't in US, but seemed to have a good crowd, and looked nice, so we gave it a shot. From the menu we learned that Mi Familia started in nearby Haskell (nearby is a relative term in West Texas) and this is their second location. And from the manager we learned they opened in December. Well, word has gotten out to the residents of Seymour and to all the neighboring ranches and farms. The place reminded me of my high school cafeteria, with ranchers showing up, shaking every one's hand in the restaurant. "Hey, Junior, come here - saved ya a seat." Point being, this place is already a big hit with the locals, and I think it's going to be there for a long time.

... And it should be. Mi Familia serves up rock solid Tex-Mex fare. Nothing fancy or unusual, but they do the basics like enchiladas and tacos very well. The chips were excellent, with a flavor that doesn't require salsa. But the table one provided had a nice little kick to it - and with a great taste. They're open for breakfast, lunch and dinner (except no dinner on Sunday) and have a wide variety of traditional Tex-Mex, fajitas, and even American fare such as chicken fried steak and hamburgers.

If I knew I was going through Seymour, I'd make an effort to eat at Mi Familia. If you're ever passing through town - definitely give them a try!

2/16/13 (new entry)

Orlando's Italian ~ Lubbock, Texas

Latest visit: Feb 2013

First visit: 1983

Orlando's was the only Italian restaurant in Lubbock when I was a student at Tech in the 1980s. And to be honest, my recollection wasn't a very positive one. So it may seem odd that this was our final meal on this visit to Lubbock. We hadn't originally planned to go here, but after visiting another Mexican place that didn't look very alluring (in fact, it was fast food rather than a sit down restaurant), we both shifted gears and decided Italian sounded really good. Not only had I remembered Orlando's from my past, but I did recall recently reading some very positive reviews on Urbanspoon. They've been around since 1965, so they must be doing something right! I probably only went to Orlando's 3 times in my 4 1/2 year stint at Tech. We had always gone to the 24th and Q location, but I believe the south location existed back then too. In any case, we were closer to the Indiana store, and so we decided to give that location a shot. This would be my first visit to Orlando's in literally 26 years.

What's clear is that Orlando's has gone all-in for the "traditional Italian" experience: Red checkered table cloths, mafia/family references galore ("Mafia Queso"). In the 80s, there were no chain Italian spots in Lubbock, as there is now, such as Olive Garden, Carino's, or even Fazoli's. Competition has been good to Orlando's, and it's made them improve their game. In reading the history of Orlando's from their website, it appears I caught them right after their health-food stage. Which now explains to me, after all this time, why they did abhorrent things (as I see it anyway) like put bell peppers in their marinara sauce. They don't do that now (maybe green chile...). In fact, I loved their bolognese, which I had on my spaghetti (cooked al dente) that supplemented my Chicken Parm. The latter was crispy on the edges, and slathered in gooey cheese. I also liked that it came in its own tin tray to keep it searing hot. Really delicious. Mrs. RJG had "Spaghetti Alfredo" (she's not a fan of the Fettuccine noodle) with a side of mixed vegetables. She just lapped it up. Great sauce, hot and fresh vegetables, and al dente pasta. As you know, we are pretty particular when it comes to our pasta being cooked just right - and it was! We each started with a dinner salad, that featured cold crisp greens and an excellent homemade Italian. Garlic bread also accompanied the meal, but we never can eat much of that - though it was very good. We also enjoyed a liter of their cheap house chianti. Cheap in every way, but we enjoyed it anyway! We also experienced exceptional service. I'm generally happy with the waiters and waitresses we get at any place, but on this visit they were way above standard I felt.

If Orlando's was this good in 1986, I probably would've begged my Dad to send me an "Orlando's budget" so I could eat better than I was. But alas it wasn't the case. There are many things I'd love to try on the menu. They have carved out a niche that they refer to as "Tex Italian" - with such interesting looking items as Green Chile Chicken Linguine, and Down and Dirty Tortellini (with a habanero sauce!). YUM. They also make their own meatballs, and I want to try their sausage. Next time we're in Lubbock, rest assured Orlando's will be one of the meals!

2/15/13 (new entry)

Triple J Chophouse & Brew Co ~ Lubbock, Texas

First visit: Feb 2013

The RJG is a proud graduate of Texas Tech University, where I attended the school from 1983 to 1987. I  somehow managed to obtain a Bachelor's degree in Engineering. Yea, exactly. I don't know how I did it either. Anyway, I graduated in December of that year, perfectly timed to come out of school immediately after a major stock market crash. Jobs were non existent for "entry level" types, even though I had gained real experience in the field. No matter - times were somewhat similar to today's market - or really more like 2008/09. Since I'd also been trained as a computer developer, I took a software programming job - and set off on a career that was completely unexpected. I had no concept of what was in store for me when I entered the software field. And, as these things tend to go, it is with absolute certainty the best thing that could have ever happened to me. Had I stayed an engineer, no doubt you would be reading in the news about one of my miswired buildings that suddenly went up into a towering inferno. "Sources state the engineer responsible was a cow with a cigarello and distinctive scarf..."

Strange, then, that I've rarely gone back to Lubbock since graduating. I'll admit to a certain amount of Mac Davis (something about happiness and rear view mirrors...) when I originally left the dusty West Texas plains and headed back to my DFW homeland. My last visit to the campus was 1997, when I took my then new bride - known affectionately to you all as Mrs. RJG, for a walk around the Tech grounds. Much has changed in the 15+ years since I was last in Lubbock. All for the good. They've maintained the Spanish architecture, while upgrading and adding new buildings throughout. And many of the four lane roads, with their dozens of street lights, have now been plowed over with wide open and super fast freeways.

The other major improvement is the culinary selection. Of course when I was a student, I was your typical dirt poor coupon cutting fast food eater - and that was for special occasions. Otherwise it was dorm food (first 2 years) or grocery store fixins' (last 2.5 years).  But even when my Dad was in town for business, our choices were somewhat limited. The legendary 50 Yard Line Steakhouse was a regular for us (and it's still a go-to destination), as well as Jeremiah's (now gone). Now there are many choices, and across a wide variety of ethnic food types.

The other major change is the loosening of the zoning laws for purchasing liquor. When the RJG was in school, the legal drinking age was 18, and if you wanted to buy the typical crap beer (Coors, Lone Star, Pearl...) - one had to go to this awful portion of SE Lubbock known as "The Strip", which is now almost completely abandoned. So today there are liquor stores throughout Lubbock (this apparently is a very recent law change). And they're slowly joining the craft beer movement as well. A new brewery called Yellow House Canyon has started up, and in nearby Wolfforth, Wicked Beaver has brought a few beers to market. Some of which you can buy here in DFW at some of the better stocked stores.

On this visit to Lubbock, we decided to eat at two places from my college days (one lunch and one dinner), and one new place for dinner. Using Urbanspoon as my guide, along with my desire to try as many beers as possible, the obvious choice for a new place was Triple J Chophouse. In what is now called the "Depot District", on the east side near downtown, basically an area of town that was an industrial back alley when I was in school.

Since it was Saturday night, the place was already handing out the flashing cable remote controls, when we arrived not long after 6. So we took a seat at the bar while waiting for a table. While sitting at the bar, I took a picture of one of their growlers (the photo above). For the entire evening, I tried three of their beers: Raider Red Amber, Hop-to-It IPA, and the Intruder Stout. Mrs. RJG took a shine to the Raider Red and had a couple of those. All of the beers were very good. Not superb, but better than average I thought (Ratebeer disagrees with my assessment, but that site is an RJG rant for another day).

Our table was ready after the first beer, and we got down to the serious business of eating. I will just say this before starting: I loved mine, and Mrs. RJG hated hers. Since it's my blog and my Urbanspoon account, I'm giving this a favorable writeup and a thumbs up. But we should not discount my wife's opinions here, so please consider the whole. I went with the Miss Kitty Kat (ribeye), cooked medium. It was medium rare, but I enjoy it that way as well. It was very tender, and the flavor was excellent. I also went with a side of "smashed" potatoes, which were very creamy, though I couldn't possibly eat them all. Mrs. RJG, who isn't really a steak fanatic, went instead for the Green Chile Chicken. You know we both enjoy New Mexican food, and green chile is a favorite of ours. I also had a side of the green with my steak. We both thought the chile was pretty good. The chiles were nice and slightly spicy, but I think they could done more with it then just puree it. Mrs. RJG said the chicken was "chickeny" and the cheese was awful. It just wasn't her dish I'm afraid. Her side was steamed vegetables, which came out cold and stale. Unfortunately Mrs. RJG had all the bad luck this night. Meanwhile, official husband RJG is enjoying himself immensely. Those who are married already know this isn't a good situation for me to be in. Sigh. The meal opened promisingly enough (for both of us) with a nice cold crisp house salad, with a lemon vinaigrette. Honestly that sounded way too sweet, but was quite delicious actually - and not sweet at all. I enjoyed the soft rolls that came with the meal. Mrs. RJG said it was "mushy bread". Tough night for the Mrs. I'm afraid.

The setting is down home Lubbock: Texas Tech memorabilia, hunting/fishing displays, a live country singer, and dark wood paneled walls. It's not a fancy place - just a good old fashioned West Texas steakhouse - with a brewpub attached. The latter would have been unfathomable in the 1980s.

2/13/13 (new entry)

Genti's Pizza and Pasta ~ Hickory Creek, Texas

We are again fortunate to have a Mr. Music review today. Some of you may recall that I put up a quick blurb about Genti's this past summer, after visiting Mr. Music up in Denton. I went ahead and removed that since we have a much better review now for the restaurant. Take it away Mr. Music!

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Genti’s Italian restaurant is a family owned placed in Corinth. Mrs. Music’s mom and step-dad live near there and since we are in Denton, we meet them there pretty regularly. It is one of my favorite restaurants in the area. There are several things to love about Genti’s aside from the food: 1) They are BYOB and there is an Albertson’s right next door as well as a couple of liquor stores across the highway in case you didn't bring your own hooch. 2) It is a cozy little place where the staff and family are very friendly. 3) It is very kid friendly. 4) The prices are very reasonable and 5) They have one large screen TV in back by the bar (that doesn’t serve alcohol) for sporting events!

What I will say about Genti’s is that this is not a completely unique place. As Mr. RJG pointed out to me, there are other small Italian spots that have very similar menus and may even have similar recipes. Genti’s is one of the best I’ve been to though, and they have a few items they do particularly well. Last time I was there, Mrs. Music and I wrangled up Music Junior and Baby Music and headed over to spend some time with my in-laws. I ordered the special, which is now available all the time and has become my favorite dish there: The Chicken Sorrentino. This is a huge dish that is made up of a eggplant parmesan stacked on top of a chicken breast and spinach, smothered with mushrooms in a pink sauce on angel hair! What a great combination of flavors and it tastes great! The entree comes with a dinner salad which is simple, but just how I like it. A bowl of fresh, dark green lettuce with some tomato slices and a little veggie garnish. I love their house dressing which is a red wine vinegar base with tomatoes, onion, herbs, spices and oil. They serve the dish with nice hot rolls that look a bit like small loaves of bread! Mrs. Music had the eggplant parmesan and loves it. I also tried it and it's great! We get the pizza somewhat regularly and it is excellent as well. It's pretty typical Italian style pizza, but that is a great thing, right? However, I don’t want anyone to get the impression it is like Grimaldi’s, Il Cane Rosso or even Campisi’s. My other favorite dish there is the Chicken Murphy, made up of pounded-out and sautéed chicken breast in sherry wine sauce with artichoke hearts, mushrooms, onion, and cherry peppers over a pasta of your choice. And it has a little kick! Baby Music and Music Junior just love the meatballs and get them with a simple marinara over angel hair. We’ve tried several other dishes and have always been pleased. When we are there, the family always comes by and we chat. There are two or three wait people that I don’t think are family members, but we get wonderful service from them too. Once again I will say that this place isn’t some ground breaking or mind boggling place -  just a great, relaxing time with solid and consistent food. Oh, and I can say consistent with conviction - I have been there dozens of times over the past 6 or 7 years. We go at least twice a month! They have another location in Ponder that we have not tried.

- Mr. Music