Calabrese ~ Southlake, Texas

Latest visit: Dec 2014

First visit: Dec 2012

fka Il Calabrese and also Patrizio Osteria. Il Calabrese is no longer part of Patrizio's in Dallas.

OK, where were we? I thought I was going to have a slow week at work, but I should have known better. Now I think it's going to slow down. So let's get back to that RJG Restaurant Week, shall we?

In my European backpacking days 20+ years ago, I quickly learned that Osteria is Italian for "beyond my budget". I find it interesting to read that the term obviously has evolved, since technically it should be just the opposite: A small place with locally grown ingredients carefully cooked to order. And apparently Highland Park based Patrizio agrees with my personal assessment. In fact, this place could be called Patrizio's Ostentation.

For anyone who commutes up and down 114 in these parts of NE Tarrant, you no doubt saw the palatial villa going up near the Southlake Town Square. There was a tremendous amount of buzz surrounding its opening, and the restaurant frequently suffers from long waiting times. This makes for a lot of hungry, and potentially grumpy, diners-in-waiting, which may explain some of the bad mouthing the place has already had bestowed upon it. But the RJG is smart (on rare occasion that is). We don't go at 7:00 on a Friday night without a reservation. We go at 11:00 in the morning on a Monday. When we arrived, we had the place to ourselves. When we left over an hour later, a line was beginning to develop. Ah, the sweet joys of planning.

Of course, the other aspect of the critique comes naturally to a place that charges a lot of money, and sits in such glorious surroundings. It's easy pickins'. And the RJG concurs with this philosophy as well. I want a restaurant to put their money into the food, not the ambiance. I'll go to a fancy hotel lobby for that, and pretend I'm staying there. And drink their free coffee. While it's tempting to diss places like Patrizio, one must ignore all the window dressing and focus on the main reason we're all here (or the main reason we all should be here): The food. And it is on this latter point, Patrizio delivers a high quality product.

We've spoken at length about the dearth of original Italian restaurants in NE Tarrant. Which is not the same thing as saying a lack of Italian restaurants. It's just that they're all about the same. They have roots in the Balkan countries, and they use a similar cookbook. I wouldn't call these places a chain per se, because they have a great amount of latitude - especially around their nightly specials. And this is not a complaint - they do a fine job at traditional Italian cooking. But it gets boring when one is looking for perhaps some original recipes, especially around the basics. There are exceptions of course, places that we've blogged about already, like Oliva and Italianni's. And then there's the chains like Macaroni Grill and Brio. Now we've never spoken about the Ohio based Brio before, but we have been a couple of times (once in Southlake, once in Denver), and I have to admit they are quite good at what they do. Patrizio Osteria is a local response to Brio - and perhaps not surprisingly the location of our local Brio sits in the Southlake Town Square - literally a hop, skip and a jump away from our featured restaurant today.

One of the RJG's rules about fancy restaurants is that if you can't cook the basics, why should I trust you with something more intricate? If a restaurant can't make a decent red sauce, or a good salad dressing, or bolognese - then I'm not going to bother to dig further. We started with an Italian sausage appetizer, since they stated they make their own (good sign). And sure enough, an absolutely delicious sausage was delivered, with the right texture and bold flavor that we prefer (though not overly spicy, but that's to be expected). The salads were excellent, with crisp field greens and an excellent vinaigrette. Mrs. RJG settled on the Conchiglie con Spinachi which is shell pasta with bacon and spinach in a creamy cheese like sauce. She loved it. I had to go with test dish #1: Chicken Parm. With a side of angel hair. Now angel hair is tricky - and in the hands of mere amateurs will almost always come out mushy. Nope, it was al dente. Bravo! The red sauce is very much a tomatoey taste. I think I would have preferred something a bit more hearty but it was still great. The chicken parm was crispy with high quality white meat chicken breast (oh how I tire of those super thin chicken parms with a mushy bread coating). So they scored big on the basics!

Their beer selection was a bit disappointing, though I admit to preferring red wine with Italian food. Didn't matter too much, because on this visit we stuck with water (a rare sober moment I guess...)

I'm all in now, and cannot wait to try some other dishes. Of course, we'll need to plan that visit right?

12/22/12 (new entry); 12/3/14

Frezko Taco Spot ~

Latest visit: Nov 2014 (Southlake - closed)

First visit: Sep 2014 (Southlake - closed)

Looks like the Southlake location is gone, but they still exist in far north Fort Worth and The Colony. The former would have been our NE Tarrant primary location.

Like Arezzo, another somewhat-new concept arrived in Southlake this summer that we're quite fond of. We first tried Frezko back in late September, and it's a place we've gone to a couple of more times since.

Food: Frezko is definitely a traditional taqueria in the sense that it uses only fresh ingredients, and keeps things simple with a small menu of primary tacos and burritos and there are no alcoholic beverages. You choose a protein (steak, chicken, pork (carnitas)), toppings (onions, cilantro, cheese, lettuce, tomato, etc..), and that's about it. As mentioned, the food is freshly prepared, and the steak and chicken have a wonderful charbroiled taste (asada). The tortillas are fresh. Of course, no taqueria worth its chile pepper doesn't at least have one salsa to squirt all over the tacos or burritos with. They have both a red and a green (fresh and refrigerated), each with a slight kick, and a taste more similar than you might imagine at first - which is a good thing since it's an excellent blend (though I do wish for a spicier option). As for prices, they more or less hold to the $2 a taco verse $1 in the barrios.

Drink: No alcohol. Bottled soft drinks and water are available.

Location: Fresko's biggest challenge I think is its location. I imagine most people reading this didn't even realize it was there! So... Frezko sits on the south side of Southlake Boulevard, just before the 114 on ramp. Where the old First Financial Bank used to be pre-construction. Except tucked back a bit. If you're heading westbound, it's very difficult to find, but basically the first time you can turn left past 114, do so and U-turn back. It's much easier heading eastbound. Still, for those of us heading back home, we basically have to take a loop around via Hwy 26 as there's no outlet back west. This can't be a good thing for repeat visitors. But it's worth the effort. Once inside, I would call it "upscale" in the sense that the interior has a fancy post-moderne steel/chrome look, plays dance/electronica music, and most certainly doesn't have lingua and sesos on the menu. All of this of course befits the neighborhood, and thus the potential clientele it sits amongst. I would say this concept would seem a better fit in a hipster area like Deep Ellum or Uptown, rather than an upscale suburban warehouse district. But we'll see...

Notes: There is no place like Taco Frezko in NE Tarrant (that I know of), and if you're craving a more traditional taqueria, but in a more comfortable setting, then this comes as an easy recommendation. Mrs. RJG, native of Sonora, Mexico, loves it. Perhaps I could have kept the entire review as pithy as that, and served my purpose here.

11/24/14 (new entry)

Arezzo, Italian Street Food ~ Southlake, Texas ***CLOSED***

Last visit: Oct 2014

First visit: undocumented

If I were to name a restaurant - or perhaps a concept - I'm most excited about, it would have to be Arezzo. They describe themselves as "Italian Street Food", and I think that's an apt portrayal of exactly who they are. Named after a beautiful city in Tuscany, Arezzo tries to emulate the village experience as best as possible for the modern upscale automobile culture we live in. On the few visits I've been, the restaurant has been fairly empty. I hope this is a concept that doesn't fly by without notice. Definitely give it a shot and report back. The price is right, and the food is great. One of these days, I'll have to try something else, but it's really hard for me not to have a big ol' heapin' bowl of pasta. Especially on cold weather days.

Food: Somewhere between Fazoli's, any pizza-pasta shop, and a modern Italian cafe, is where you'll find the food of Arezzo. It's setup somewhat like the burrito places, where you order a type of food, and then start down the assembly line. I can't get past the pasta bowl myself, but they do have Italian Wraps (PaDeena), panini's, salads, and pizza. So the concept is unique (for America anyway), but that's not what has drawn me back multiple times already. It's the pasta, and the pomodoro sauce. Makes me once again ask the question: Is it really that hard to do this? No, it's not, but shockingly few do it as well as Arezzo. The pasta has been al dente on all of my visits. I presume they make sure that's a big deal - and I hope they do - because it is! The pomodoro is delicious. Not the usual overly sweet or sour marinara, but a true light colored red sauce that is absolutely delicious, despite it's relative simplicity. Now they'll bury the pasta in it if you let them. They give 3 full spoons per order. That's way too much. One is enough, and then ask for the same sauce as a dipping mechanism for the free bread sticks they throw in. That way you can add a little more if needed. Now their much ballyhooed meatballs were a great disappointment to me. Too soft, and not a favorable flavor. I didn't get the spices of Italy that's for sure. On the other hand, the Italian sausage is divine. It has to be homemade, or at the very least, they have found a wonderful local vendor. This is not the usual Lisanti's off-the-truck stuff. And you get plenty of sliced goodness per each bowl. As well, you can add veggies, cheese, and other toppings to your bowl. To top off the meal, you can help yourself to the soft serve ice cream machine. Mrs. RJG's only complaint is they give you plastic utensils, which isn't ideal for pasta. I have to agree with her. I think it's worth the expenditure to use real knives and forks.

Location: Arezzo is in the old Aleda's pizza place, next to Jersey Mike's near Bicentennial Park in Southlake.

11/22/14 (new entry)

Pho Asian Star ~ Corinth, Texas

Time to blow the cobwebs of this blog, and let's see if we can get the engine cranked again! The holidays are coming, which should give me much more time, and I have a raftful of information for everyone. Which would make sense, since my last post was in January (Mr. Music had one in August for us). But we didn't stop eating out! OK - speaking of Mr. Music, he has once again given us a new review to see if this blog still works.

Take it away Mr. Music!

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Mr and Mrs Music have resided in the Denton area for over 10 years and have been dreaming for a really good Vietnamese restaurant. A few places have come and gone, but none have really been that great. Recently, I was in Corinth and happened to drive by a place that used to hold a takeout Chinese food spot and noticed a new sign, Asian Star. What really got my attention is that when I got closer, I noticed pictures of Pho and Goi Cuon (Spring Rolls) on the window! And although the big sign just says Asian Star, on the door the sign reads Pho Asian Star!

I was getting a little giddy by then at the prospect of a good Pho shop 5 minutes from us! We decided to go there a few days later to celebrate Music Junior's birthday. Yes, at the tender age of 10, it was her idea! All of the Music clan enjoys Vietnamese food. The place is very typical of a Vietnamese restaurant - sparse decor with a few pictures on the wall. The place was clean, and tables each full of the ubiquitous condiments: Srirachi, Soy Sauce, ground chili paste, hoisen, dried ground chilies in oil, and fish sauce! Makes my mouth water just thinking about it!

We started off with some spring rolls and we all really enjoyed them. They were fresh and filled with all the goods: vermicelli, cilantro, bean sprouts, shrimp and pork. Mrs. Music usually doesn't care for the pork in the roll, but she said this pork was great and was glad it was there.

Music Junior had the wide stir fired noodles with chicken (a little like chicken chow fun) and loved it. I tasted and agree that it was yummy. Baby Music had Pho Ga (chicken pho). The broth was light and had a rich chicken flavor and the chicken itself was very moist - not always the case with Pho Ga! Mrs. Music had the Hieu Hu Tieu My Tho (seafood pho with glass noodles) with pork broth. I had a similar dish, my new favorite combination Hieu Hu Tieu (fixed per comment) which is the same thing but has pork in the soup as well as seafood. Both bowls were delicious. The broth was very tasty and light; no sugar and surprisingly not too salty. The glass noodles were toothsome with a nice chew. LOTS of hunks of pork and seafood (shrimp, fish balls and squid). The prices were on par with most Pho shops i.e. very reasonable. A few days later we decided to go again although Mrs. Music was not able to go. Music Junior and Baby Music had Pho Ga and I had Pho Bo (beef) with well done flank and brisket. Once again the food was great. The beef broth followed suit - rich with flavor and had plenty of meat. I will say that I didn't order the brisket and flank as they are really not my thing nor is well done meat of any kind, but it was still good. Once the owner realized they made me the wrong item, they offered to bring me a new bowl, but I didn't need them to.

The service is exemplary. The owner, a Vietnamese woman, takes care of all her customers and is very attentive and friendly. Her husband and son, man the back (so to speak)! Both times we visited, the owner offered Music Junior a free desert: Her favorite slush made with flavored gelatine, crushed ice, and coconut cream!

Pho Asian Star is on my return and "bring friends" list. The Music family is looking forward to checking out more of the menu! 

- Mr. Music

Kirby's Prime Steakhouse / Mickey Mantle's ~ regional chain : Southlake, Texas

Latest visit: Oct 2014 (Southlake, Texas)

First visit: Feb 2003 (Mickey Mantle's - Oklahoma City)

Apr 11, 2022 update: Kirby's continues to operate 5 locations including Mickey Mantle's in Oklahoma City.

Like many local restaurants, Kirby's got its start as a neighborhood steakhouse, a place to meet friends for a casual meal. Kirby's was an institution in the Lower Greenville district of Dallas, and lasted from 1954 to 1987, when the owner decided to retire and close up shop. Though my parents and I would occasionally head down to Lower Greenville for Italian food throughout the 1970s, we never once stepped foot in Kirby's (Dad was a big fan of the Steak and Ale near Bachman Lake), though I remember driving by it each time.

So it seemed yet another classic place from DFW that was dead, gone and buried. Except 6 years later, in 1993, a group of neighbors decided to go into business together and reopen the landmark. This time as a "high end" steakhouse. Kirby's is an ideal place to take business clients or to celebrate a special birthday or anniversary.

Because of my business, I've had the opportunity to try many of these so-called "high end" steakhouses all over the country. In general, I'm usually disappointed with the experience. I generally mumble to myself that I could do better at home with my cheap outside gas grill cooking Kroger steaks. But I never say that about Kirby's. Their steaks are of a better quality, very tender and they know how to cook them. I don't think I, or anyone I've been with, has ever sent a steak back, and everyone leaves happy (except for, perhaps, the person who paid the bill).
As with most of these places, everything is served ala carte (with the exception of soup or salad). Potatoes, vegetables, mushrooms, risotto, etc... are all extra, but one serving is usually enough for the table. All are exceptional, especially the mashed potatoes. I'm also fond of their dinner salad.

If I have a complaint, and Kirby's is hardly alone in this racket, it's the exorbitant prices of the wine list. Three to ten times markup is what you can expect. Very few wines are available for under $75, and you can just feel the squeeze being put on. Fine if someone else is paying for it, but I don't like being fleeced. I love wine with my meal, but it's time to move to beer when at these kind of places. As the Regular Joe's Guide tagline suggests, I'm no food snob. But I'm even less of a wine snob. Maybe that's what keeps these places in business, I don't know.

Kirby's in Southlake is at the SW corner of Texas State Highway 114 and Southlake Blvd.

2/19/03; 9/10/05; 12/30/08 (new entry); 10/22/14

Oklahoma City; Southlake, Texas

Palio's Pizza Cafe ~ Texas chain : Keller

Apr 11, 2022 update: Palio's is now up to 38 locations, which is down from 45 a year ago. But still a long way from their humble beginnings when we first covered them (one of our very first posts!). Both locations that we mentioned below are still operating.

Latest visit: Oct 2014 (Keller, Texas)

First visit: Mar 2008 (Colleyville, Texas)

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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.

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.

3/30/08 (new entry); 10/2/04

Taco Diner ***CLOSED***

Last visit: Aug 2014 (Southlake - closed)

First visit: Nov 2006 (Las Colinas - closed)

Last location closed in Jan 2024.

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.

11/04/06; 11/18/11 (new entry); 8/29/14

Tex's Star Grill ~ Watauga, Texas

Latest visit: Aug 2014

First visit: Mar 2005

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 their Chicago roots - adding many more regional delicacies such as beef and sausage sandwiches, 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 some 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, since you do order up at the counter 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!

Northeast 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.

--- Original review

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."

3/25/05; 11/24/09 (new entry); 8/22/14

El Gallo de Oro ~ Granbury, Texas

Hi everyone! We're back from an extended break, and hope to update the blog and catch up soon. In the meantime, Mr. Music just sent this one in to get us rolling again.

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The Music's spent the day in Granbury over the weekend.  With a herd of 10+, a round at the local disc golf course, a stop at Revolver Brewery (another great experience in itself) and then some lunch at a local Mexican restaurant. What else could one want in life?

El Gallo de Oro is a cute little place right off the Brazos River.  It is a small, free standing building serving authentic Mexican dishes.  They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. I was originally attracted to it by the name - recalling one of my long gone favorite little places in Dallas on Maple just off Wycliffe owned by a couple from Guatemala.  No relation, but the food here is great.  They serve a wide variety of dishes including enchiladas, quesadillas and street tacos!  Nothing else needed to be said, when I saw it on the menu - and when I saw the picture of the spit aka trompo, I was sold!  Our friends had quesadillas to their delight. Music Junior had chicken tacos with crema and loved them. Ms. Music opted for fresh made (yes, that’s what I said) corn and flour tortillas with fresh made guacamole.  Yeah, she loved it.  Baby Music ate her weight in handmade tortillas (“heche a mano”) with mantequilla (butter). Of course I had the Al Pastor with rice and beans as did 2 of my other buds.  Their Al Pastor was a little different than what I’ve had before, something I can’t quite put my finger on, but they were excellent! The meat was well seasoned and tender.  Oh, did I forget to talk about the chips and salsa?  Well well, they have 4 salsas served with warm, yummy chips. The main salsa they serve is a warm red salsa containing green chilies and had a decent amount of heat although I can tell it is toned down for the masses. The flavor is very good although we all agreed it needed some salt.  Upon request, we received a tomatillo salsa (also warm), and 2 squirt bottle salsas (verde and rojo) much like many of the other good taco places I’ve been to.  My only complaint is they all lacked a little salt (but was easily remedied). The verde in the squirt bottle was a tomatillo avocado salsa which was my favorite and also the fave of a few of the others.  The warm, red (rojo) originally served came in 2^nd for me.   Of course I’d like them a bit hotter too. All in all it was a great experience and I WILL be back.  I heard the breakfasts there are great and they are just about to start serving alcohol. I saw a sign that said free margaritas will be available in August.

- Mr. Music

Cavalli Pizza ~ Irving, Texas

They also have a second location in McKinney.

Latest visit: Jul 2014

First visit: Dec 2012

The RJG has been on an artisan pizza craze of late. We've written about some of them like the declining Campania, the always excellent Coal Vines, and the super INZO. We have a couple of others to talk about, but since we're on the RJG Restaurant week, here was our next lunch, with Mrs. RJG back in the fold after a day of deliberatin'.

Cavalli's is proud to claim that they are the first pizza place in DFW to be certified by the Verace Pizza Napoletana association. Campania also once held that designation, but have since fallen off this most sacred of pizza organizations. The RJG suspects they didn't want to pay the annual fees rather than being removed due to close inspection and a failed audit. All the same, Cavalli feels it's important to be certified by the VPN, and so we'll leave it at that. For what it's worth, the only other DFW pizzeria to obtain this certification is Il Cane Rosso in the Deep Ellum section of Dallas. We haven't been, but Mr. Music has recently tried it and reported back that it is indeed a must try place. So we for certain will embark on that journey at some point.

Certifications might give one bragging rights, but all we really care about is the flavor and texture of the pizza. To save you time of further reading, the answer is a profound YES. There is no harsher critic of pizza than Mrs. RJG, but she's already asking for the next return visit. The key to artisan pizza is the flavor and texture of the crust. And here Cavalli scores quite well. Now all isn't perfect, and I think the consistency of their crust doesn't quite penetrate the middle of the pie near as well as the outer portions. Mr. Music in fact had said on his one visit there was a puddle of grease in the middle. Obviously had we faced a similar fate, we wouldn't be recommending it. So it does appear great improvements have been made. But they have a little bit further to go. As for the ingredients, I tend to sample pizza with the most simple toppings as possible to ensure I'm evaluating it on a level playing field. So I tend to go with a Margherita (aka cheese pizza) with Italian sausage added. The sausage was very good, if not very distinctive. Mrs. RJG went with the Vegetarian, signaling to me that our future is inching closer to the crops than the ranch (sigh). On that same theme, I definitely recommend the side salad as well, with its excellent homemade vinagrette dressing.

Cavalli is located in NW Irving near Las Colinas, just south of 635 near Belt Line.

As it turns out, I was able to revisit the following week, as I met an old high school chum who now lives in Murphy. Seems like a good half-way point to me! We both tried the Texas Heat, where the heat part comes from jalapenos and Sopressata, which is a  type of spicy salami. I thought the texture wasn't quite as crisp as our first visit, though I suspect that may have to due with the amount of ingredients. The more you pile on the top, I think the harder it is for them to gauge the crispness. They should account for this, but just a quick observation on two visits. I'm not deterred though, and this seems like the ideal meeting place for anyone I know who lives on the Dallas side of the house and would like to meet in the middle. And there are a few other pizzas I'd like to try from here. And word on the street says their panini's are fantastic as well. Besides Mrs. RJG wants to go again!

Oh, it's BYOB for those who like to bring their own jug of wine to the party.

12/31/12 (new entry); 7/22/14

Taco Bueno ~ regional chain : Keller, Texas

Last visit: Jun 2014 (Keller, Texas)

First visit: 1979 (Dallas - N. Inwood Rd.)

Locations (as of May 2022): According to Wikipedia as of 2019 there are 150 restaurants in 6 southern states, and I'm sure the majority of them reside in Texas. They made a go at the Colorado market, but pulled out just before we moved back. In fact there were signs up for two northern Colorado Springs locations when we first moved here in 2018.

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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 part of the 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.

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 o'clock?) 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.

1/15/12 (new entry); 6/22/14

Texadelphia ~ Texas chain: Las Colinas

Latest visit: Jun 2014 (Las Colinas)

First visit: Aug 2004 (Las Colinas)

Locations (2/3/24): 5 in Texas + 1 in Oklahoma City. The Las Colinas location below is closed and there are none nearby to our old stomping grounds of NE Tarrant.

Everything you need to know about Texadelphia can be derived from the name itself. As a base, they put forth the Philly cheesesteak concept, but with a Texas infused twist. They start with the soft hoagie roll and finely chopped and seasoned beef, just as in Philadelphia, but you also get chips and salsa on the side. And a host of toppings like BBQ sauce and Mustard Blend. No cheeze whiz or even provolone, but rather mozzarella is used. The salsa reminds me of Pace, so nothing special, but a nice accompaniment all the same.

So as you can see, it's not "authentic", and that's just the point. That's why they refer to themselves as a "Texas Cheesesteak". And the RJG will always reward a new fast food concept.

We first started going to Texadelphia when the RJG started to work for Software Company You've Actually Heard Of at the beginning of 2005. Nowadays the Mrs. and I visit a couple of times a year, as it's a convenient stopping point on the way to see the RJG's Mom in NW Dallas.

Texadelphia is a regional chain with roots in Austin, and the decor and atmosphere is very much that of a Hill Country bar, with dark lighting, beer signs and TV's tuned to sports. It's still a relatively small chain, consisting of only 18 stores, with 8 in Austin and a handful spread throughout the major metropolis areas of Texas: Houston, DFW and San Antonio - and one location in the arch enemy territory for any Austinite: Norman, Oklahoma.

According to their website, the chain has recently (Sept. 2008) been purchased by a "group of investors" with mucho Publicly Traded Company experience. Nothing good usually comes of this, but we'll keep our fingers crossed here, as the Texadelphia concept is a winning one. Maybe these investors are tired of the Wall Street game too? They've moved their headquarters from Austin to Dallas.

In the mood for a Philly Cheesesteak? Try Texadelphia and compare the difference. The RJG recommends it!

8/7/04; 1/18/09 (new entry); 6/8/14

Peace Burger ~ Grapevine, Texas

Latest visit: Apr 2014

First visit: Nov 2008

The beer revolution continues here in DFW, and the whole Baja "chain" has gone all in for local craft brews. Hooray, hooray! Mr. Music and I visited Peace Burger this past weekend, and now I can say they really will be part of a "burger rotation". We each tried a local-to-Texas beer - I had the Peticolas Royal Scoundrel, while he had the Real Ale "Devil's Backbone" (which I've had in the bottle but not on tap). Like their Funky Baja's location in Keller, they feature gigantic $5 "Freaking" Burgers. Mr. Music had the Hell Burger and I tried their chili cheese dog, which is about the biggest one I've ever had. Sloppy goodness. This chain has evolved so much, I'm not even sure how much of the below is worthwhile to read. I've struck out items that are no longer true

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 and 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...

--- Original review

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 just say all those bands out loud?

11/14/08 (new entry); 4/16/14

My New York Pizza ~ Keller, Texas

Latest visit: Apr 2014

First visit: Apr 2010

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.

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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.

4/18/10 (new entry); 7/7/12; 4/15/14

Taqueria Guanajuato ~ Denton, Texas

Latest visit: Mar 2014

First visit: Aug 2013

Saturday was a day of music, beer, and dining with Mr. Music and family. After absorbing a few vinyl albums, Mr. Music and I plotted our lunch and afternoon activity. We decided to go to Taqueria Guanajuato for some tacos, followed by a stop at Oak St. Drafthouse for a local craft beer or three (more on that in another post), and then we'd stop by The Taco Lady for some more tacos. And then off to hit Denton's record stores, and perhaps another bar or two. Back to Casa Mr. Music for tunes, and then to dinner with the whole Mr. Music brood (which turned out to be Dough in North Dallas. I'm not ready to write about it though. Need another visit). That was the plan anyway, and for the most part we stuck to it.

I'm not going to write about The Taco Lady. It was definitely good, and I gave it a thumbs up on Urbanspoon, but we weren't wowed. But we were both absolutely floored by how good the upstart Taqueria Guanajuato is. This is exactly how a taqueria should be. We each settled on 3 small tacos. I went with a basic trio of carne asada, pollo, and carnitas. Mr. Music had asada, pastor, and tinga. I started with the carnitas, as that seems to always be the riskiest of the offerings. Best carnitas I've ever had. Or close to it anyway. Crispy, tender, and extremely flavorful. I could eat 10 of 'em easily. The carne asada was no less mindblowing. So tender was the meat, with a wonderful charbroiled taste. And the chicken was icing on the cake - tender chunks of seasoned white meat chicken. No rooster strips here! Mr. Music raved about the tinga and al pastor. We also decided to get chips, as we had to sample the mortar and pestle red sauce staring us in the face. Fiery and delicious. The green bottle sauce was no less fantastic.

This is a typical taqueria, so it sits in an old building, and is very small with only a few tables. You order at the counter. For hardcore taco eaters, they do have lengua and sesos. Also gorditas and sopes and many other authentic offerings from south of the border.

OK, taqueria heads: Head to Denton, and tell me what you think! Are we wrong?

8/11/13 (new entry); 3/29/14

Grapevine Subs and More ~ Grapevine, Texas

Latest visit: Feb 2014

First visit: 2003

These photos are from the old Cero's Heros, but as noted below, the quality has remained the same. On my last visit, I had the Italian with the spicy mixture. Grapevine Subs exclusively uses Boars Head meats. Now to me, a sandwich is only as good as the toppings and the bread. Anyone can put Boars Head meat between two slices of bread. And here's where Grapevine Subs exceeds. The soft chewy French Roll and the spicy mixture are very good, adding the right amount of tartness to the sandwich.

Apr 2011 update: Cero's Heros is now called Grapevine Subs and More. It's the RJG's opinion that the sandwich is pretty similar to before, though not quite as large and messy. One reviewer on Urbanspoon has already expressed their disappointment (though they hadn't tried the original to be fair). We still give it a thumbs up!

--- Original review

Since we're on a roll (so to speak) with Grapevine destinations, I thought this would be a good time to slip in Cero's Heros, a Regular Joe's Guide mecca if I ever saw one.

You may recall that Mr. SS and I were bemoaning the dearth of quality submarine places in NE Tarrant, which gave us the perfect justification to head up to Roanoke and go to the wonderful C&A Italian Family Deli (now closed). In that post I mentioned Weinberger's and Cero's Heros.

Cero's Heros sits at the entrance to old town Grapevine at the corner of Northwest Hwy and Main St. The place is over 40 years old, and looks every bit of it (see photos). The building is nothing more than an aluminum siding circumference, with a window in the middle. A rickety awning sits over it to protect customers from the oppressive heat and other weather, and there are a smattering of old Grapevine Independent School District desks to sit in. You of course could take it to your car, but that will require an extra trip to the carwash afterwards. Yep, the sandwiches are that big, and that messy. They only offer a handful of sandwiches, all piled high with meats, lettuce, tomatoes, dressings and condiments. I usually end up with the spicy Italian, which lives up its name. And ensures garlic breath the rest of the day. The bread is thick and chewy, the ingredients all top notch, and the flavor is distinctly Cero's Heros. This place is a must for you followers of the Regular Joe lifestyle. I try to journey here at least once a month during the work week, but usually fall short. This is not a Mrs. RJG kind of place, so while in this part of town, Tolbert's gets more of our attention during weekends and evenings.

7/4/08 (new entry); 2/7/12; 2/13/14

The Burger and Philly Shack ~ Watauga, Texas

Latest visit: Feb 2014

First visit: Feb 2013

As I write this, The Burger and Philly Shack has a phenomenal 98% approval rating on Urbanspoon, with close to 215 votes. That is incredible. And why is that? Because The Burger and Philly Shack has some of the best burgers in town. In fact, this may be the best in all of NE Tarrant, and that's saying something considering the competition. The flavor of the meat is outstanding, and it seems they use a higher grade of beef than most. A high quality bun holds it all together, and they cut it in half to make consumption an easy task. The fries are thick cut, and delicious. I haven't tried their Philly yet on my two visits, but next time I will. Word on the street says their Philly's are excellent. Mrs. RJG wants to try the burger, so that will be my chance.

The owner of the place is a sharp witted wisecracker, who is a whole lot of fun to rap with. And I've seen him do nice gestures such as offer delivery truck drivers a free drink. There's a lot of character displayed here. Which explains why a line begins to go out the door around Noon. They emphasize that they are NOT fast food, and it can be an easy 10 minute wait from time of order to delivery to your table. Fine with me! In case you get bored, there are a couple of flat screen TV's around to keep you entertained.

I had a hard time finding the restaurant on my first visit last Fall. Basically it's on US 377, about a 1/4 mile south of Watauga Rd. Look for Joe's Pizza, then the white sno-cone stand, and it's right behind that.

2/27/13 (new entry); 2/13/14

Bottlecap Alley Icehouse Grill ~

Mar 31, 2022 update: Looks like the Bottlecap Alley Icehouse concept has taken off some. They have 5 DFW area locations, though mostly on the fringes, excepting their flagship Grapevine shop. The Keller store has closed however.

Latest visit: Feb 2014 (Keller - closed)

First visit: Feb 2012 (Keller - closed)

Here's the second in our series of Keller-goes-bar-and-burgers. Bottlecap Alley originally started in Grapevine, in a former Sonic location (a rare indoor locale, not one of their familiar drive-ins). I like to stock up on microbrews at the World Market store in Grapevine, which is in the same shopping center, so I've passed it many times. But I never did stop by for lunch or dinner. Apparently they've been successful, as they've now opened up a second location in downtown Keller.

The way it works at Bottlecap is once you enter, you are instructed to fill out some paperwork. Remember that term "paperwork"? Who does that anymore right? Everything is online. I bought some Forever stamps a few years ago, and I still have almost all of them. I'm sure the post office will be long out of business before I finish them. That's going to cost me $5.24! Those dirty dogs... Where was I? Ah yes, the worksheet. It's the Mooyah/Which Wich system where you check off what you want from the meats, cheeses, toppings, extras, sides, etc... (though no infusions). It's a highly efficient system though somewhat daunting and labor intensive. Then you pick up a beverage from the cooler, and head to the counter with your order sheet. Out comes the flashing ashtray. When your order is ready, the ashtray buzzes wildly, and you go back to the same counter and walk away with your meal. Work for you? Works for me.

I went with a quarter pounder with cheese, and a cup of "Earl's really meaty chili" (not for the timid they allege). The burger was served wrapped in tin foil, which kept it steamy hot. YEA - this is one doggone good burger. One of the best new burgers I've had in a long time. They crisp the edges of the meat, and the flavor is delicious. The bun, like at Yourway, was still a bit too doughy and the only flaw I found. Otherwise, this is a real winner. The chili, too, is excellent. It reminds me a lot - and I mean a LOT - of the chili served over at Tolbert's. Meaty, and heavy on the chili powder. Comes topped with jalapeno slices - though they were rather tame on my visit.

Bottlecap Alley features a bar area, but unfortunately all the taps are your standard corporate macros. Better is the ice cooler, where they feature a number of bottled beers, including a nice selection of Ft. Worth's own microbrewery Rahr & Sons. So I selected a Buffalo Butt, whose tag line is "Everything it's cracked up to be". LOL. It's a nice Amber that I've had plenty of times before. Ratebeer says it's the same as their Texas Red, but I have my doubts about that.

Bottlecap Alley is a fairly large place that goes to the "back room", pool table and all. They also have an outside seating area. Flat screens are everywhere, as is expected anymore.

An excellent addition to the Keller downtown landscape. Definitely give it a try!

Tomorrow, we venture to one more Keller beer bar!

2/2/12 (new entry); 2/3/14

Lee's Grilled Cheese ~ Fort Worth, Texas ***CLOSED***

In what makes absolutely no sense, Lee's Grilled Cheese is no longer open. I couldn't find any free articles to read, but I have to expect either overexpansion or owner's unwillingness to continue on as the factors. Because for the location, they were making money hand over first. Or they should have been...

Last visit: Jan 2014

First visit: Feb 2013

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We went for lunch on a Monday and the place had a line to the door, and almost no tables available. These guys are clearly onto something here. Investors should be lining up to expand their concept. We tried the mac n cheese as well, and it's delicious. Reminds me of my Dad's old recipe.

--- Original review

When the RJG was 6 years old, grilled cheese sandwiches were my favorite meal. The RJG's Mom had one of those old 1960s metal toasters, with a tray on the bottom to make things like grilled cheese. Often the sandwich would be served along with a bowl Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup. Now that was a lunch right there! With both those items to be devoured, and a Bugs Bunny cartoon in front of me, the little RJG was a happy camper.

Of course it should be noted that the cheese used was those manufactured industrial pre-packaged slices that probably have everything but real cheese in them. Ah, but what did I care? I was 6.

Presumably Lee's Grilled Cheese is a bit more robust than Mom's metal toaster version. And indeed it is. Lee's Grilled Cheese is the latest in innovative restaurant success stories. They parlayed their success as a food truck into an actual restaurant (and the truck is still active and mobile). Food trucks are all the rage today in the culinary world. And it completely makes sense. They're mobile, and the startup costs are minimal. And it's a great way to focus on your core competency. When you're in a food truck court, you don't have to be all things to all people. If you want to serve nothing but grilled cheese, then no one is going to complain why you don't offer more items. I never visited the truck (and food trucks in general are something the RJG needs to get on board with, but just haven't found the time for), but I'm guessing the restaurant has added a bit more variety.

Lee's Grilled Cheese isn't really that much different from a Panera Bread for example, except the focus is on the variety of cheeses (9 different ones) rather than breads. The bread is pretty straight forward. Two big ole slices of white bread, perfect for grilling just right. As well they offer 6 meats and a variety of other condiments to round out the sandwich. Of course they offer some standard combinations, and as such the RJG went with the Cuban Pete which is Swiss, Black Forest Ham, Pulled Pork, mustard, and pickles. Then the employee who took our order said "it will be ready in 10 minutes". That kind of surprised me, especially since it wasn't crowded, but as I thought about it, the only conclusion is that is the time it takes to grill both sides of the bread just right. So while it's not exactly fast food, it's very clear that Lee's Grilled Cheese is taking this very seriously. And for that, I applaud them greatly. The Cuban was delicious, with the bread having the right amout of crunch, and excellent browned goodness. I was very delighted with the pulled pork. Many BBQ places can't get this right, and yet Lee's version is excellent - with the right texture and flavor. In conclusion: It is the best grilled cheese sandwich I've ever had.

Mrs. RJG was with me as well, and she had the Tomato Mozzarella which features said cheese with Basil Pesto, Spinach, and Fire Roasted Garlic Tomatoes. She had half the sandwich along with the Creamy Tomato Basil Soup. Both were delicious according to my better half.

I think it's clear at this point that the RJG will be back. I think they have a winning concept here, and hopefully they'll be able to expand. About the only thing holding me back from more visits would be the location (as in it's too far away) - but they have to start somewhere. And I'd say they're onto something big!

2/18/13 (new entry); 1/27/14

Baker Bros American Deli ~ Texas chain ***CLOSED***

Apr 7, 2022 update: The chain is now completely out of business, with their last Dallas area location closing down in 2019.

Last visit: Jan 2014 (Fort Worth)

First visit: Sometime in 2003 (Southlake)

Dec 30, 2017 update: In addition to the Southlake location closing, as mentioned below, the Fort Worth Alliance location has closed as well. We have been to the Las Colinas location once many years ago, and it's still open. We'll update this post once we've revisited another locale, but they are no longer in Northeast Tarrant unfortunately. And after two closings, it's not likely we'll see them anytime soon. They still have 3 restaurants in Dallas, Fort Worth, and Plano.

We've covered Baker Bros prior with their Southlake location, that we predicted would close due to the cost of the surroundings. And indeed it came to pass. It also seems that their plans to go national have been derailed, and they shuttered all their stores outside of Texas. However, they now seem to have regained their footing with new openings coming up in both DFW and in West Texas (Lubbock, Amarillo). And that would include this relatively new location in far north Ft. Worth, which is now the closest store to the RJG. And we recently made our first visit there.

As for their sandwiches, Mrs. RJG and I think they are some of the best in town. We love their variety of breads, and meat/veggie selections. They also have excellent soups, salads, and chili. My favorite three sandwiches are the Siciliano, Kentucky Club, and South Beach. Mrs. RJG really likes their Tuna. As I said in the original review 4 years ago, the biggest issue is I don't go here enough. And while they aren't around the corner to us, it's still close enough for me to sneak in an extended lunch once in a while.

2/18/13 (new entry); 1/21/14

Samui Thai Cuisine ~ Plano, Texas

And here's the final entry from Mr. Music's last batch of reviews. I'm not familiar with Samui, which I could say about almost all restaurants in Plano, but it appears to be a popular place according to Urbanspoon.

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My boss suggested we come to Samui Thai for lunch last Friday. I had been once before and just didn’t remember loving it, although several of my co-workers speak highly of it. I was looking forward to another visit. Samui is a nice Thai place in the Shops of Legacy. The lunch menu was reasonably priced and had all the dishes I know and love - Thai food is one of my favorite types of food. I noticed they had Lad Na, which a Thai friend of mine told me was a good sign as it is a favorite dish at home. I actually opted for the Spicy Basil Chicken and my boss and co-worked each had a fried rice dish. We could add soup or a spring roll for $1 so of course I went for the Tom Kha Gai. The bowl was a good size for a side and the soup was great. Chicken broth with galangal, lemon grass, a little fish sauce and chili flakes with coconut milk and tender chicken chunks was mixed just right. I ordered 4 of 5 stars (heat level) on the spicy basil and also got the chili flakes and a bowl of my favorite: Pik Nam Pla (fresh Thai chilies sliced into fish sauce). The portion was big and the food hot and fresh. Very tasty – and I made it a 6 or 7 on the spicy scale with the pik nam pla and chili flakes. The fried rice dishes looked great, and one was teeming with big shrimp. My opinion of Samui has changed - it is a solid Thai restaurant and I’d go anytime. I need to go more to find the one dish that makes them shine.

- Mr. Music

3 Parrots Taco Shop ~ Benbrook, Texas

Many of you will remember that the RJG had visited 3 Parrots Taco Shop almost exactly a year ago. We had gone to the Beach Street location. In the latest batch of reviews from Mr. Music, he'd apparently gone to the Benbrook location after some disc golf. So I'll create a new post here, and we can compare notes to our own experience. And it appears he drew a similar conclusion regarding Fuzzy's. As you can see from the link above, we haven't returned, and I don't think that we will unless I hear of significant changes.

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Mrs. Music and I were in West Ft. Worth with some friends for some serious disc golf at Z-Boaz Park. After a grueling 3 hour round, we were ready for some chow! One of our friends surfed up Three Parrots and since it was very close, we decided to check it out. I’d never heard of it and didn’t have time to look it up so I was excited to go in blind. Ryo was excited to see they had schooners of beer for $3, but if craft been is your preference, this is not the place for you. The most exciting item on the brew list was Rahr’s Ugly Pug. Aside from that were the usual suspects. The décor was interesting - it has a very commercial feeling, but featured cool tikis, beer signs with guitars and demon heads and guitar necks with skull and tiki bodies. The menu was compact. You pick a taco or burrito, salad or nachos, and then pick the meat you want for it. I decided to get 3 tacos: Grilled fish, grilled shrimp and chipotle chicken. Mrs. Music got fish and a breakfast taco with chorizo. Ryo got beer battered fish tacos and Ms. Cubana had nachos. They had a sauce on the table and offered a hotter, habanero sauce as well. We got both. The tacos all came in double steamed corn tortillas and everything reminded all of us quite a bit of Fuzzy’s - even the sauces. The pluses were the corn tortillas were a bit heartier and the tacos stuffed a little more than Fuzzy’s, although $2.29 as opposed to $1.99. The flavor of the fish at Fuzzy’s appealed to me a bit more and Fuzzy’s habanero sauce is a bit hotter, “better” Ryo chimed in. The food was pretty good and fresh. The place was clean as a whistle, but not sure I need to rush back soon. 

- Mr. Music

Revolver Taco Lounge ~

The below review was for the location in Fort Worth. It's now gone - but they maintain 3 locations in Dallas.

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Not only is the RJG back in the saddle, but Mr. Music has suddenly reappeared as well with a fresh set of local reviews. Revolver Taco Lounge is a place that has received an enormous amount of press, but we have yet to wander over and try it. Let's see what Mr. Music thinks...

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The Musics' were in Ft. Worth on Saturday and decided to check out some local tacos. A good friend mentioned he’d seen a place called Revolver Taco Lounge and had been meaning to check it out.  I saw some good reviews and thought it was worth a shot.  The restaurant is very small with nice décor and the white table cloths help make it seem upscale.  The menu is packed with very interesting items such as mole, ceviche, birria and several yummy looking tacos. Mrs. Music wanted to splurge a little and ordered the Langosta tacos which are made with a half-pound of lobster meat. I opted for Al Pastor - a favorite dish of mine.  Music Junior and Baby Music split an order of tamales.  We were accompanied by 2 nephews and a niece, but they were not interested in eating there. The tacos came 4 to an order so we decided to have 2 of each, each. Amazing handmade corn tortillas wrapped around the goods boded well. Mrs. Music expressed foodgazmic delight as she slowly took down the Langosta which had caramelized red onions, lemon zest and well-seasoned melted butter. I attacked the delicious looking pastor complete with pineapple, cilantro onion and a special salsa.  It was delicious! I think the pork was actually cooked on a spit, as it should be. The tacos were not packed but had a good amount of filling. The tamales were plump and covered with sauce. The pork had red mole on it and the chicken had tomatillo. Both had crema drizzled atop. A third tamale with shrimp would have accompanied the other two but we opted for an extra pork as the kids are not yet into shrimp. Poor things!  We ordered bottomless, homemade limeade. it was tart and slightly sweet and very refreshing! The food was as fresh as can be and everything tasted so good, but it wasn’t cheap.  After tip it was $80 and I was actually still a little hungry afterwards. It’s a very nice place and I plan to go again, but don’t think it is a good place for young kids.  The staff was wonderful and was very kind with the kids even if they did want to climb on all the stools and couches and run to and from the bathroom.  If you are in a rush, you might want to wait before coming to Revolver. It is a great place to hang out for a nice slow evening and since all the food is handmade right there, it can be a little slow, especially if the restaurant is full. I’d love to try just about everything on the menu and hope to get back soon.

- Mr. Music

TPR Burger ~ Watauga, Texas ***CLOSED***

First visit: Jan 2014

So we start the new year not with a revisit, but rather a new entry altogether. TPR Burger was getting some buzz in the local media marketplace, and since it's here in NE Tarrant, I felt I better get over there and report back.

TPR, as you can discern from the photo above, stands for Texas Patty Real. In speaking with the owner, the acronym was born when the cost to replace the sign above the restaurant was too expensive to put the whole name there. Once again it proves the old axiom: Necessity is the mother of all invention.

When I first walked in, I was expecting to see an order counter, and since no one greeted me, I wandered around aimlessly for a couple of minutes. It was clear after awhile, that it's a sit down restaurant, and I was greeted warmly by the owner and she escorted me to my table. I'm guessing they are short on help at this point. Since this is my first visit, I decided to stick with the basics and go with a cheeseburger, and that comes with a side of fries. About 10 minutes later, out comes this wonderful basket with sizzling fries, and a double aluminum wrapped big and awesome looking burger with gooey cheese hanging from the sides. Since the hand cut fries were staring at me, I started with them, and the heavily salted potatoes were excellent. All burgers come with two large and thin patties and topped with what I think is called an Hawaiian bun, which has a slightly sweet taste. It's obviously a key ingredient and impacts the flavor in a positive way. The burgers have an excellent flavor, and the bun was toasted to perfection. Given the size of the burger, plus the fries, the $6.99 price tag is a good value.

TPR replaced one of the many Balkan owned Italian restaurants that have been closing at a rapid rate around the area. It was originally built with a large open window space, and the restaurant can be very bright at the lunch hour. The location is a bit hidden, but it's in the same shopping center as Habanero's which is at Basswood and US 377 (NW corner).

Texas Patty Real Burger is an excellent addition to the DFW hamburger landscape, and complements well with Watauga's other gem: The Burger and Philly Shack. Give them a try!

1/3/14 (new entry)

Happy New Year 2014!

Happy New Year everyone! Hopefully 2014 brings happiness to all.

Especially to our taste buds.

And on that note, let's do a quick 2013 in review. We had our most productive year on the RJG to date. Not bad for a silly little project that started almost 6 years ago. I was able to stick with it all year, even though we didn't have new entries for a few months towards the end. But I kept the updates fresh, as evidenced by the 66 updates (see 2013 Update label to your right). That is in addition to the 78 new entries we added. I will leave that label alone, and we'll create a new 2014 Update category for all 2014 updates to entries prior to today. I'll be curious how they compare.

Many of the principle's of the RJG are still intact, and I don't see them changing anytime soon. Amongst those 1) We are not professional food writers and do not want to be. While that should be painfully obvious after reading only one entry, it's worth noting that we do this strictly as a hobby, and its primary function is to call out restaurants "where the regular folks eat". 2) We are not "foodies". We like to go out to eat. There's a big difference. Most restaurant reviewers, especially the professionals, are indeed foodies. That's certainly not a condemnation, as I truly respect these people. It's just not what the RJG is about. We talk about the dining experience and what's good to eat. We do not give detailed dissertations on how the meal was prepared nor hit the thesaurus for new adjectives on how it tasted. And 3) we continue to do this anonymously. The main reason for this is we do not want any kind of special treatment. I have been blessed with good paying jobs for many years now, and I want to spend money at these establishments so they stay in business. I get frequent invitations to go to "grand openings" or "can you try our restaurant - and we'll cover all expenses". No way. We don't want anything for free. We may try the restaurant but they'll never know when. I can't blame these establishments for trying to curry favor, but we aren't for sale. I make precisely $0 doing this. As you can see, I have no advertising (Google Ads) up. I won't say never - maybe one day I will need the money. But I'm working very hard now so that doesn't happen. And this blog is here as a volunteer effort to support the local community.

So what were the positives for 2013?

1. The craft beer movement in Texas has absolutely taken off. This is an exciting development that has had a profound impact on the restaurant industry as well. The most popular restaurant in all of DFW for 2013 had to be Hopdoddy Burger Bar (Dallas), that we covered last January. It's been in the "Talk of the Town" section of Urbanspoon for the entire year, And if you think it's just because of the burgers, then you only understand the half of it. It's the beer selection too. Perhaps the RJG's favorite is Jack Mac's Swill and Grill (far north Dallas), whose beer selection is entirely made up of Texas craft beers - that rotate often. And the food is excellent. Of course both of those places are pretty far from NE Tarrant, and I've only managed one visit each to date. Other similar places are going up in Fort Worth, Dallas, Plano, Frisco, and Denton. Unfortunately nothing here, beyond The Ginger Man (Southlake), which is pretty disappointing from a local craft beer perspective (not terrible, but not as exciting at they could be). They have way too many national and international macro brews to take too seriously. And their menu is an afterthought. Mellow Mushroom (Southlake) and the Baja Grill chain (under various names throughout NE Tarrant) have done an admirable job of supplanting their menus with fine craft beers.

2. Plenty of new restaurants in NE Tarrant opened in 2013 (or close to it). Some of our favorites include:

-Lupe's Tex-Mex Grill (Keller). Already established in Bedford, but the Keller location is much welcomed - and very good.

-Jet's Pizza (NRH) New outlet for the Michigan based to-go pizza chain. I love their Jet Boats and pizza sauce!

- i Fratelli's Pizza (Keller) A new outlet for the classic "Dallas styled" pizza chain. And right near the RJG's Mom's apartment.

-Back Forty Smokehouse (NRH) Perhaps our new favorite BBQ in all of NE Tarrant

-In-N-Out Burger (Hurst) My favorite California burger chain arrives in NE Tarrant

-Apeizza e Vino (Southlake) Best new entry in the Napoletana pizza sweepstakes

-Taco Villa (far north Ft. Worth) The arrival of West Texas' finest crunchy taco chain hits NE Tarrant

-TruFire Kitchen (Southlake) Best chicken parm in NE Tarrant, and it's not even an Italian restaurant. Fine menu, and reasonable prices. Impress your friends.

-Niki's (NRH) Well, hardly new - but a new opulent location right across the street from the dilapidated old one. Same good Italian food - much nicer surroundings.

-Torchy's Tacos (Southlake) Austin's famed taco house comes to Southlake and gets a license to print money. Always packed. But it's "damn good" as they say. Like the craft beer movement mentioned above, the high end "tacos y margaritas" concept continues to grow.

-Freebird's (far north Ft. Worth) They open about one new location a year around here, each about 6 feet closer to where we live. And yet none are close. Amazing. But it's still cool that we now have 5 NE Tarrant locations to choose from, where we had none only a few years ago.

-Potbelly Sandwich Shop (Hurst) After what seemed forever, the Chicago based sandwich chain finally found its way to NE Tarrant.

-Duff's Famous Wings (Southlake) The Buffalo legend expands for the first time out of New York and Toronto - and comes to NE Tarrant. Cool.

-Lee's Grilled Cheese (far north Fort Worth) Food truck gets a brick and mortar, and has created an entirely new fast food category. I think the concept has tremendous potential.

There are many more than this, but these are the ones that most excited us.

3. And with exciting openings, comes disappointing closings. These include:

-Mo' Fish (Keller). Maybe not a full closing, as they renamed it to Baja Grill (same owners). But I liked that Mo' Fish had a Bayou slant. That location has always struggled, and many restaurants there have closed.

-Daddy Jack's (Southlake) This one came and went in a flash. Looks like this location continued to struggle. Too bad as we liked their New England take on seafood.

-Planet Burrito (Southlake) They just couldn't get out of their own way. They had a good concept, but they tried too hard with other ideas and lost their core base.

-Aleda's Pizza (Southlake) The Barry's Pizza Pub legend couldn't handle the competition from the new Mama's across the street.

-Black Diamond Smokehouse (NRH) I was really bummed about this, as I was very impressed with their BBQ on one visit, and was looking forward to many tries. But the location was horrible. Who the heck would even know they were there? Word of mouth was too slow apparently.

-Yourway Burgers (Keller) Another place that abandoned their core idea, and ultimately ended up as a pool hall. And closed for good not long after that.

-Bite the Weenie (NRH) The one and only hot dog place in NE Tarrant, that had a great idea of regional hot dogs. I think it's a tough sell in this day and age of "healthy" eating - even if that's not what anyone actually does. It's just the thought. There are tons of places like this in Chicago, but they never have done well here in Texas.

I know there's more, but those were some of the more notable ones we'd written about prior.

OK, I could probably go for days, but I'll stop here. Let's see what 2014 brings us, shall we?