Feedstore BBQ ~ Southlake, Texas

Latest visit: Oct 2015 (Keller - closed)

First visit: sometime in 2003 (Southlake)

The Keller location is now closed.

---

Well it's barbeque, so it gets down to how they do with the marinates and the smoking. To date, we've tried the ham, hot links, beef brisket (chopped and sliced), turkey, pork ribs, chicken, and pulled pork (though it appears their hamburgers are popular as well). We've been pleased with most of these selections, and at this point, I think the chicken and pulled pork comes the most recommended. They have a nice variety of sides, including what I think to be the best dirty rice I've had at a barbecue place. The Feedstore also has two sauces, one spicy and one mild... the former has a small kick to it. On a January, 2014 visit, I noted: "On this visit I tried the smoked chicken and pulled pork in addition to the hot link. The chicken didn't quite measure up to the Cousins/Back Forty standard, but it was still very good. The pulled pork is some of the best I've had in a long time. And the dirty rice and spicy beans continue to be amongst the best sides served in all of DFW. Mrs. RJG had a chopped brisket sandwich, and it too was quite good." While I really enjoy Feedstore, there are better barbecue joints in the area. But definitely worth a visit now and again.

The Feedstore location on White Chapel Rd could not be any better. On a winding two lane stretch, with magnificent estates on either side, comes a wide place in the road that houses an old wood store, circa 1950. These aren't the typical McMansions that dot the area, but rather opulent palaces, many of them a visual definition that the TV show Dallas portrayed in the 80s. Add to that a large open grazing land for cattle, and you have the picture perfect setting for an outdoor BBQ roadhouse. In this setting, the Feedstore BBQ is as anachronistic as one could possibly fathom. It really was an old feedstore, that served the local ranches and farms that for many years were predominant in the area. And major credit should go to the owners, and the town, for having the foresight and vision that an old barbecue stand sitting in a field of stately mansion ranches is an attractive feature. If you have guests from out of town, and they are looking for some place "distinct and local", I would make a beeline over to Southlake and its historic Feedstore BBQ.

6/29/08 (new entry); 1/22/14; 10/19/15

Burrito Jimmy ~ Irving, Texas

This is interesting. It looks like they reopened this location, but closed the others. It was one of our favorites so good news it seems. Reviews seem positive.

Last visit: Oct 2015

First visit: Sep 2013

As I write this in July of 2015, Burrito Jimmy remains our favorite burrito place in DFW! We go often since the Las Colinas Beverages store mentioned below has become a regular destination for the RJG when he seeks new beers to try (also now closed).

---

I was looking for a new place to stock up on craft beers, and noticed that Irving has a cool new store called Las Colinas Beverages. Since it's on the other side of the Great Divide, Mrs. RJG and I decided to make the area a lunch destination. After lunch, the plan was to drop her off at the TJ Maxx (apparently this location has far more stuff than the usual) and I would drive a few miles south on MacArthur to the beer store. Now we haven't been to Cavalli since last year, but I had remembered they were closed for lunch during the weekends. So off to Urbanspoon I went to look for places nearby - and right next door is Burrito Jimmy, a name I hadn't run across before. As soon as I saw "Home of the Smothered Burrito", I knew this was the place to go. Smothered burritos are a staple of the Denver diet, and it's a concept that hasn't really taken hold here in DFW yet. As well, Mrs. RJG and I tried a couple of cool burrito chains while in Northern California this past week, so we are in a "burrito mood".

From the beginning, you get the feeling that Burrito Jimmy is more Freebirds than Chipotle, as they ask you what kind of tortilla you would like. I settled on a large burrito with jalapeno cheddar. Then added rice, pinto beans, chicken, cheddar jack cheese, chives, diced jalapeno's, and lettuce. Now comes the key component: The smothering. I chose the hottest one (of course I did) which is the green tomatillo (one day I hope we'll see "smothered in green" where green equals spicy Hatch Green Chile). As a bonus he added a little heated super creamy queso on top. All this was laid out on a metal pizza tray. After I cut into my first bite, I knew this was going to be my favorite burrito place in DFW to date. This is definitely better than Freebirds (which I do like). The sauce was spicy and flavorful, the chicken was peppery, and the rice was absolutely cooked to perfection. Oh, and it was HUGE too. Mrs. RJG went with a Burrito Bowl, as she typically doesn't like flour tortillas. Her selection was similar to mine, except she was convinced to try the steak. It was super tender, and overall was a huge hit with her as well. Apparently they are known for excellent breakfast burritos as well!

Apparently Burrito Jimmy has a heritage that goes back to the Bronx, but this is strictly a Dallas area chain for now. How about that next planned location comes over here to Northeast Tarrant? One sure would look great in Grapevine/Southlake/Keller/NRH :-)   We'd be regulars, that's for sure. Their website still shows 7 locations, but Im not sure how accurate that is. But we do know the Irving one is still here! By the way, Las Colinas Beverages has an excellent selection and Mrs. RJG did confirm that this TJ Maxx was indeed superior to our local one. Of course, it cost me a new handbag to find that out...

9/1/13 (new entry); 10/17/15

Campisi's ~ Fort Worth, Texas

Latest visit: Oct 2015 (Fort Worth)

First visit: 1992 (Plano)

Campisi's is still going strong with 9 DFW locations, including the landmark Egyptian. The Fort Worth location would have remained our closest in NE Tarrant.

Continuing on with our annual meeting, Campisi's was selected as our next lunch. The Garland Troublemaker (TGT) and I consider Campisi's the perfect local institution to take out of towner's, but in a casual QSR type setting. Thus not ideal for clients and vendors, but perfect for internal lunch meetings. Ideally we'd be able to dine at the original Egyptian, but of course the distance isn't practical. But their other 8 outlet shops are ideal for a quick lunch. And, I should highlight, at a great price.

I'd actually covered Campisi's before in this blog, way back in the summer of 2008. It was the downtown location, and I had just met a former co-worker there. But inexplicably I never linked it to Urbanspoon. As such, I'm going to wipe the record clean, and start fresh here. And for my most astute observers, you may recall we took our new employee SoCalGal here at the Richardson/Far North Dallas location for a lunch last year.

For any old timer from Dallas, Campisi's Egyptian is an institution. Prior to the 1970s, the Campisi's on Mockingbird (still there) was one of only a handful of places in town to get EYE-talian food. According to Mr. RJG's Mom, her and Dad made a beeline there immediately upon moving to the Dallas area in 1967, being the recent transplants from the New York City area that they were. Apparently it was a thumbs down affair, and they vowed to never return (I was all of 2, so of course have no recollection of the event). To this day, the RJG has never stepped foot into the original Egyptian (not because the parents wouldn't go, but because I keep wandering a bit further south to Pietro's when I'm already that close to Lower Greenville). And the irony here is that if I was traveling from out of town, it is highly likely this would be my first Italian experience in the DFW area (the old institutions are an RJG magnet).

Fast forward to sometime in the early 1990s and Campisi's was just beginning to expand, with a more casual / quick service format. I had music friends up in Planet Plano, and they decided we should dine at Campisi's one evening. One taste of their salad and pasta entry - and I realized I missed a lot growing up. Delicious. It's completely old school red sauce Italian. Yuppies, or those into authentic Italian, can check their noses at the door. Real deal here folks: New York styled American Italian.

As mentioned in the prelude, we introduced SoCalGal to Campisi's last year. Her mother is Italian, and she said that she's always on the lookout for a great homemade meatball when she dines out. She's the same age as the RJG, so she's a bit of an old schooler herself. After one bite, she said the meatballs were awesome, just like she remembered from her youth and immediately earned her seal of approval.

And with this visit, everyone had a fantastic experience. I stayed traditional and went with the spaghetti and meatball with a side salad. TGT had a meat pizza that he devoured faster than anyone you know (for context, he's the size of an NFL offensive lineman). The Boss (who's basically been my supervisor for the last 6 years) went with the Bolognese. Even though he lives in Phoenix now, he grew up in Washington DC proper - and stated that Bolognese was his favorite dish as a kid. Huge thumbs up from him. We had one gentleman with us who resides in St. Louis, and those in the know will recognize that St. Louis has some of the best Italian restaurants in the country (especially on The Hill, from which the RJG has had many memorable meals). All in all, we couldn't have picked a better choice.

Unfortunately for us denizens of NE Tarrant, Campisi's, despite having some 9 locations, have traditionally eschewed anything this side of DFW airport. However, they have finally broke down and opened a Ft. Worth location. So perhaps Northeast Tarrant is in the cards soon?

And that concludes this annual meeting as far as new entries go. For dinner that night, we went to Casa Milagro, which continues to be the RJG's favorite Mexican restaurant in DFW. And for lunch next day, we went to The Boss' favorite hangout: Love and War in Texas. This was followed by 24 hours of exercising straight through....

8/1/08 (new entry); 3/14/13; 10/3/15

Benito's ~ Fort Worth, Texas

First visit: Sep 2015

Benito's is a legendary Mexican restaurant in Fort Worth, having come around before such establishments were commonplace. We'd never actually been, until very recently. I see places such as this as a good barometer to see where the RJG fits in the local dining culture. Because of its institution status, much ink has been spilled over the years on the pluses - and minuses - of the food and ambiance. Some say it's the ultimate late night dive to cure a hangover (or conversely to tie one on), while others say they have the best breakfast around. One aspect you will constantly read about Benito's is that it's not Tex-Mex, but rather more authentic south of the border fare. Mrs. RJG, born and raised in Sonora, agrees that it certainly feels like a place from the homeland. The food, on the hand, isn't quite as convincing, but it's definitely not Tex-Mex, this she agrees with. This foreshadows our entire experience I'm afraid. They can't all be good right? I don't always publish mediocre or negative reviews, as we don't wish to hurt struggling establishments. But our review won't put a dent in this steel juggernaut, I can assure you of that. Nor do we want to. But I think it's good for you, our readers, to see where we stand on such places of notoriety. On occasion anyway.

The first area of much dispute you will read about Benito's is the topic of chips and salsa. Apparently they resisted serving them at all for many years, and now they do so - but at a price. This doesn't sit well with current diners who are used to them being complimentary, and excellent at that. When they sit you down, they bring pico de gallo to the table - for no apparent reason. Then they ask if you want chips. Regulars know the routine of course, but it's an odd regimen for outsiders. When we first saw the salsa, we thought it would be great. But it barely had any flavor at all. And I fear to say, the entire dining experience could only be described as bland. Not terrible by any means - certainly good enough - but bland never left my mind as we continued through the meal. The pico for its part is good, with a nice spicy kick. So I spent more time dipping the chips (also ordinary - likely from a local distributor) in that bowl rather than the salsa. I ordered a trio of chicken items, and Mrs. RJG went with Huevos Mexicana. My meal came with a complimentary soup, which in reality was a consomme with strips of raw tortilla. And again, no flavor. Then this big plate of goo came out, and here were the results: The Mexican rice was good, nothing special though. The refried beans were excellent, with a nice smoky taste. It was the best part of the meal. You don't want the refried beans to be the best part of the meal. The chicken taco is a waste of time - nothing more than boiled chicken inside of a raw flour tortilla. The chicken enchilada had the same boring chicken smothered with an odd sour cream green and heavy cheese sauce. By the looks of it, I thought it would be flavorful at least. No such luck. The chicken flauta, on the other hand, was much better. Crispy and with a better cut of white meat chicken. My only gripe is they smothered it in sour cream, which I don't personally enjoy (and it wasn't mentioned on the menu as such, which is annoying). So I had to rub that off. Mrs. RJG had the exact same reaction regarding the rice and beans. The eggs were well done per her request, but still a bit oily (in her words). Not bad she said. The corn tortillas were from the bag as well.

Drink: They are known for their frozen margaritas, and it's easy to see why. We ended up with large ones (though had intended on ordering regular). Oh well, had to take one for the team right? Out came this globe of lime green goodness, overflowing the rim. No matter what my reservations on Benito's is, one cannot deny they give you all they can for your money (chips aside). At first I thought the margarita to be too sweet, but ultimately grew to love it. Of course, it helped that they tilted the tequila bottle in the right direction. The margarita on the rocks was met with a similar response from the spousal unit.

Location: In a wonderful standalone building off of the lovely street of restaurants known as Magnolia (Benito's is between Fairmount and 7th Steet - north side). Technically in the Near Southside neighborhood, and across the street from the Fairmount neighborhood. The restaurant itself is brightly decorated with the local flavor of real Mexico. It reminded me of the restaurants on Maple in Dallas when I first started getting into Mexican food in the 1980s.

Notes: Benito's first opened in 1981, and has been gathering local awards ever since.

9/27/15 (new entry)

Gloria's Latin Cuisine ~ Texas chain : Colleyville

May 13, 2022 update: Gloria's is one of the few chains that have actually expanded in the last seven years. They currently have 17 in the DFW area, 3 in Houston, 2 in Austin, and 1 in San Antonio.

Latest visit: Sep 2015 (Colleyville)

First visit: 2003 (Addison)

You may recall recently that the RJG's official boss was in town from New Jersey and we went to Trulucks in Uptown. Well that same week my former boss, and now good friend, from Phoenix was also in downtown Dallas (I sense a conference here). He's been in these pages before, but I'll rename him Danny Huston since he's a spitting image of the actor. And my friend and peer The Garland Troublemaker (who is also in a few of these posts) was on hand as well. We decided to meet at the Gloria's in Dallas (on Lemmon near Oak Lawn). I had intended on writing about that experience, when I recalled that we have a Gloria's here in Northeast Tarrant as well. The RJG's Official Mom was wanting to take me out someplace nice for my belated birthday dinner, so I suggested Gloria's. We haven't been to this location since 2006, and quite frankly, I just forgot about it. So off the 3 of us went for a recent dinner....

Gloria's is in reality a Salvadoran restaurant, but serves up Tex-Mex as well, for those who would prefer something a bit more familiar. Veterans of the Maple Avenue/Little Mexico (Dallas) area of the 70s and 80s will recall when Mexican food was still somewhat "cutting edge" for most Americans. There was one restaurant in that area called El Gallo de Oro that pioneered the food of El Salvador. This is the environment Gloria's started with back in 1986 (in Oak Cliff). Today, you would think Gloria's was a corporate creation, rather than one with a humble beginning. I bring this up, because it explains the menu and its backdrop. So while you can get that "same old enchilada", I highly recommend trying something a bit more upscale. I've taken a shine to the Pollo Asado Salvatex, which hedges the bet a little bit I guess. The charbroiled chicken breast is very tender, and wonderfully seasoned and charbroiled. The enchilada (chicken again) allows an opportunity to try their two sauces - the Ranchero and the Tomatillo. Can you tell we just got back from Santa Fe? I think I ordered it Christmas to a confused look... In any case, the Ranchero is a more thick saucy red than the usual thin-and-chunky and is delicious. And the Tomatillo has a tangy rather than tart flavor and is better than most I've had. The rice is very good as are their refried black beans. The Official Mom followed my lead and had the same thing and she lapped up every bite. Mrs. RJG had the salmon which was divine. She claimed it was the best salmon she's ever had. A nice big thick slab of grilled salmon (Salmon Costeno) and it comes with veggies and Gallo Beans - which is a mix of black beans and rice. Going backwards (here I go again) the chips are homemade and flavorful. Each comes with two dipping sauces. One is a traditional tomato and cilantro based red sauce, that has more kick than usual. And they also bring out a black bean dip, which is very similar to the beans that came with our meal. Overall, an excellent dinner for all of us!

Drink: Now this is a frozen margarita! So smooth with plenty of tequila and a great flavor. Were I not driving, I would have had two. Mrs. RJG had a margarita on the rocks, and she was very happy with hers too. The Official Mom had a Shiner Bock, since she can't drink margarita's anymore. They also have wine and a full bar.

Location: Gloria's is in the rather large shopping center on Hwy 26 that houses a movie theater and a Market Street grocery. The restaurant is cool, hip, and elegant. This is a good place for business and special occasions.

Notes: As mentioned in the Food section, Gloria's traces their roots to Oak Cliff in the 1980s. Currently they operate 15 restaurants, primarily in the DFW area, with two in Austin and one in Houston. Our first experience with Gloria's goes back to 2003 and the Addison location, nearby to where the RJG used to office.

10/27/06; 9/22/15 (new entry)

Billadelphia's Authentic Philly Foods ~ North Richland Hills, Texas ***CLOSED***

Last visit: Sep 2015 (North Richland Hills)

First visit: sometime in 2006 (Bedford)

All locations were closed as of 2016.

Here's a place I probably should go to more often than I do. it's just a little far off for a quick lunch, but certainly close enough for a weekend visit. Lately I've been allocating Friday's for places like this. Let's see how long that lasts.

What it says on the sign above, "Authentic Philly Foods". Billadelphia's is all about the food of Philadelphia, including their signature cheesesteaks. My first visit to Billadelphia's was in 2006 (while still in Bedford), and my interchange with owner Bill went something along the lines of: "I'll have a wiz wit", and he immediately struck up a conversation along the lines of "You from Philly?". Nope, but been there a few times for business I said. He then went on to explain that he imports almost everything from Philadelphia including the Amoroso rolls, Taskykakes, Herr's Chips, and anything else that he could to make it feel like "Philadelphia in Texas". Now Tastykakes is no longer a big deal, as they are sold in local grocery stores (after the original implosion of Hostess). But at the time, Billadelphia's was the only place to obtain the yummy Twinkie-like treat. While the menu looks like something you will see many a time walking the streets of Philly, I never seem to get past the cheesesteak. And perhaps there's little reason to, as the meat is wonderfully grilled, and the rolls have the perfect chewy texture. These days I prefer their provolone offering to cheese-wiz, but honestly authentic is not always best.

I meant to look while there, but I believe Billadelphia's still serves birch beer, yet another Pennsylvania favorite. If you haven't had it, it's a bit like root beer (though as you will read in the link provided, thems fightin' words). You can read more about birch beer here.

The current location, and the most stable by far, is the little shack found on Davis (east side of the road). It's south of Mid Cities and north of 820. This used to be a Kountry Burger. Easiest thing to do is park, walk up, and order at the front. And then patiently sit on one of the benches while they prepare your food. But they do have a drive-through window as well.

Billadelphia's started in Bedford in a bright yellow and red shack, most likely an old hot dog stand, but it was a serious pain to get to (especially considering the construction zone of 183/121). At one point, Billadelphia's operated a restaurant outside the new Dallas Cowboys stadium, and filled it with Eagles gear and memorabilia (now that takes guts), as well as a gas station location off of Mid Cities in NRH. Predictably the Arlington location closed and they finally settled here on Davis. 

9/20/08 (new entry)

The Pantry ~ Santa Fe, New Mexico

First visit: Sep 2015

We've driven many times past The Pantry as we go up and down Cerrillos, and it is a rare time of the day when there isn't a line around the building. The Pantry is one of the big names for breakfast and lunch in Santa Fe (they also serve dinner until 8:30). It's time for the RJG to venture in. We took a chance on a mid-week brunch hour of 10:30 and got seated immediately. Woohoo! Planning wins again.

Food: Traditional American and New Mexican breakfast is the primary draw at The Pantry. They also have a full menu of burgers, sandwiches, Mexican entrees, and comfort foods. There was no question at all what the RJG was going to have: A smothered breakfast burrito with Christmas chile. And it comes with "pantry fries" (potatoes in the vernacular). Out comes this wonderful and large skillet, with a steaming fat burrito and incredible looking cheese and chile staring me in the face. I always start with the green chile side first (rarely do I mix the two). First bite into the fluffy egg burrito ...oh... mmmm... wow.... next bite... oh....mmmm...wow. Yes, the lines out the door do indeed signify there is "a somethin' a happenin' here" For as great as the green chile was, I even enjoyed the red more. Certainly in the same league as La Choza on that front. I also devoured the potatoes as they helped me ensure not a drop of chile was left on the plate. Mrs. RJG beelined in on the Chile Relleno Omelette. I heard similar sounds of happiness on her side of the table. By the time I looked up her plate was as clean as mine. Yes, the RJG household is actually made up of two vultures in human clothes... Doubt I need to state the obvious about coming back here again, etc....

Drink: No alcohol. Diner styled drinks, with coffee well in the lead position.

Location: On Cerrillos northeast of St. Michaels. And they actually have a parking lot! Wow, what a concept. The restaurant is very much an old school diner, with stool seating and a dining room. Places like this (the atmosphere, not the food) were dime a dozen 40 years ago, but rare to find anymore. As indicated above, The Pantry is "known" and as such, coming here for Sunday brunch will have the same result as waiting to buy tickets to a Madonna concert. Plan wisely or prepare to starve for a bit.

Notes: This is worth pasting in from their website: "The Pantry was founded in 1948 by George Myers, he set the standard of quality and excellence that has been associated with the Pantry for over sixty years now. With such storied roots in Santa Fe, it is impossible to say how many business deals, political decisions, and relationships have been started in the dining rooms at the Pantry. Since its inception there have been seven different owner operators or stewards of the Pantry, who have nurtured it and brought it to where it is today, including its current owner the Singley Family who plans to continue the Pantry tradition for many years to come." Love the reference to politics, business, and relationships. These type of eating establishments are the centerpiece to a society.

9/10/15 (new entry)

Cowgirl BBQ ~ Santa Fe, New Mexico

First visit: Sep 2015

Here's another new restaurant for the RJG. And our first experience was a thumbs up!

Though BBQ is in the name, barbeque is only one portion of their rather large menu. They also have steaks, burgers, seafood, and yes, New Mexican cuisine. We went here to add a bit of diversity to our diet, and so I settled on the Pulled Pork BBQ sandwich. Apparently the smothered in Salsa Diablo was featured on the "Heat Seekers" show. They brought mine on the side, and it's definitely a sizzling red chile blend. But nothing overwhelming. In fact we thought it was quite tasty, and I dipped my wonderfully cooked fries into it throughout the meal. Couldn't really tell you if the Pulled Pork was any good on its own, because it was completely drenched in the chipotle barbeque sauce - just as advertised. The brioche bun is perfect for handling the moist sandwich, and managed to stay firm. Overall, an excellent barbeque sandwich. Mrs. RJG, despite the premise of why we were there, ended up ordering the chile relleno with the Christmas chile. She reports that the cheese was fantastic (asadero she suspects), and both the red and green had splendid flavors and a nice kick. Our first meal here was clearly a success!

Drink: We were there before 6, and took advantage of the excellent Happy Hour specials, and each ordered two margaritas. They were small, but flavorful, with a nice punch (not overly - to be expected though). They also have 24 taps, with a nice selection of craft beers, though surprisingly a bit light in the New Mexico department. Which was the primary reason I indulged in margaritas instead.

Location: Very close to Fire & Hops that we just reported on. On Guadalupe, except south of Alameda this time. And once again, parking is a challenge. We found street parking with meters. Since we were there before 6, the cost was only about 50 cents. So bring a little change with you if you go early, otherwise it's free after 6. The restaurant itself is pretty spacious with a large courtyard for those who like to dine outdoors. The interior is decorated with Cowgirl memorabilia (vintage posters, signed autographs, that sort of thing). It's really quite cool. Oh, and they have live music (country/roots/folk/bluegrass, etc...) every night usually starting at 8/8:30.

Notes: You may be surprised to find out that the Cowgirl BBQ heritage comes from New York City ("get a rope"). It was a purposeful concept restaurant, but working closely with the Cowgirl Hall of Fame in Hereford, Texas. They opened the flagship restaurant in 1989 (or 1988 depending on which website you wish to believe) in the West Village and it's still active.  It was approximately 5 years later that one of the partners decided to open up in the "real west", and they've been in Santa Fe ever since.

9/9/15 (new entry)

Truluck's ~ national chain : Dallas, Texas

Latest visit: Aug 2015 (Dallas, TX)

First visit: Aug 2005 (Dallas, TX)

Truluck's maintains 12 locations including the 2 reviewed below. Otherwise they are in disparate areas around the county, but none around Colorado.

The RJG recently had his official boss in town from New Jersey and he wanted to meet for dinner. Since he was staying in downtown Dallas sans a car, I recommended we meet just north of there at Truluck's, which has in recent years become my go-to place for business meetings when they (yea, they) are staying downtown without wheels. It's only a $5 Uber ride according to The Boss. And the RJG has a place to park (valet though), so that's always a plus.

And speaking of which, I was completely disoriented when I arrived. This isn't where the restaurant used to be is it? And the answer is no - there's a new structure they built at the other end of the parking lot, and the old building along McKinney has since been torn down. I thought I was having a Mr. Robot moment there (yea, that's right, the RJG is hip, mannn).

High end steak and seafood. I recommended we both start with the Lobster Bisque, one of Truluck's signature items, and it once again was delicious (rich and creamy). For an entree, I decided to slum it this evening and ordered the cheapest item on the menu: The "Hot 'n' Crunchy Idaho Trout" ($27) with rice pilaf and a mango chili sauce. It was a nicely breaded trout and the rice was very good. All the same, I begin to regret not ordering the Chilean Sea Bass, which has become my favorite at Truluck's over the years. Not sure what I as expecting - perhaps something with a bit of fire and spice - but that's not what this dish about. It is good, though maybe a bit dull in the end. OK, well I tried it anyway (folks, get the Sea Bass). The Boss wanted steak (mmm... he-man want steak) and he told me that he prefers a ribeye to a filet. So he went for the 16 oz All Natural Rib Eye ($48) which he subsequently devoured with much glee. And the potatoes were gone before I noticed as well. Boss man happy. Better be in my next performance evaluation too....

Drink: For a swanky restaurant in the center of Dallas, I would expect Trulucks to offer high quality local craft beers. No such luck. Shiner Bock is their idea of a local beer. No thanks. Of course, the markups are in wine, and they are more than happy to oblige. We both settled on single classes of Cabernet, and they are pretty chintzy for $10. When it comes to drinks, Truluck's is running a shakedown operation. Maybe next time, I'll get water.

Location: Truluck's sits on the NW corner of McKinney and Maple. I find it easier to head east (southeast) on Maple and enter that way. As mentioned above, the new building is now in the back of the lot, and thus even more easy to get from the Maple side. The new structure is, as you might imagine, somewhat opulent especially compared to the diner-like neon lit building of the past. There's a full bar area, and two stories of seating. It is definitely befitting of the term "high end dining".

Notes: In addition to the two DFW locations (note link below), Truluck's operates two restaurants in Austin, one in Houston, 4 in Florida, and one in the San Diego area. Oh, one other need I need to mention. I used Open Table to make a reservation, which of course meant I left my phone number. The manager actually called me the next day to see if our meal was satisfactory. I thought that was a nice touch!

Rating: 4.0. The food here is delicious, and the ambiance is top notch. The drinks are a rip, but if corporate is buying, perhaps I won't notice?

--- Southlake review

Typically Mrs. RJG and I travel on our anniversary, but this year we decided to stay home. As such we went for a "splurge" meal to celebrate. This blog is named the Regular Joe's Guide for a reason, and that's because we both really, truly (to repeat: really truly) prefer regular restaurants to the fancy ones. So it is mainly in my business life that I will end up at these restaurants. Again, I would prefer more down-home places myself, but I'm clearly in the minority with my peers on that front. In any case, it is no surprise that my first two visits to Truluck's were for business. The first goes back to my former job in 2005 at the McKinney Avenue location - and about 3 years ago, a vendor came into town and we dined at the Southlake store. Obviously I enjoyed it enough to suggest to Mrs. RJG that this would be an excellent place to celebrate our wedding anniversary.

And Truluck's did not let me down. Though it is, without a doubt, a pocket drainer.

Mrs. RJG and I both know that ordering a bottle of wine is the real culprit at these places. The markups on wine are ridiculous. However, neither of us felt like a beer, and we usually enjoy wine with our meal - so we went "dumb" and ordered a very nice bottle of Chardonnay from Oregon (for $60 - online price $30). Certainly it was an excellent wine, and is worth all $30 (wheez). They provide homemade bread (a darker cranberry bread, and a more traditional Italian white, with sweet made butter), both of which were delicious. As an appetizer, the hot n' crunchy shrimp proved to be a good choice. A tempura styled fried shrimp with hot chile flakes in the mix.  4 huge shrimp came out, and had to be considered a highlight of the meal. For dinner, Mrs. RJG started with a garden salad - which is the classic "backyard" mix of greens and a sweet honey vinaigrette. And I had the Lobster Bisque, which was stunningly good. So rich and creamy. For entrees, we each went with the Chilean sea bass. Hers was the Miso glaze with crab fried rice, and mine was pan seared with rice pilaf. Along with swordfish, Chilean sea bass has to be at the top for flavorful thick white fishes. Both of our dishes were expertly prepared, and delicious. Since the waiter figured out we were on our anniversary, something we weren't going to advertise, he gave us a free chocolate cake with a hot cherry jubilee. It was super rich - very good - but ultimately too sweet for us to finish. But it was extremely nice of the gentleman, and the restaurant, to do that for us. Mrs. RJG finished the evening with an Irish Creme. I usually don't comment on the service, one way or the other, but our server this night was exceptionally professional. Superb.

Overall, a sublime meal. Worth $240 (after tip)? Probably not, because I'm just not sure anything at that price is. Some of the best meals I've ever had came in under $20 after tip (for one). But if someone else is paying, or you are on an elaborate (i.e. Sales) expense account - then Truluck's is a must. I consider it better than most places in this category.

4/6/05; 4/20/10; 4/7/13 (new entry); 9/4/15

Super Tortas #1 ~ Corinth, Texas ***CLOSED***

Looks like Mr. Music is back in his own graze land. And he's very enthusiastic about a local place up in the Lake Dallas area. Makes the RJG want to get in the cattle car and go north!

---

I have been meaning to go to the newest taco spot in Corinth called Super Tortas #1. I finally made my way there and was glad I did! The owners, John and Lucinda were super friendly, big time food lovers and excited to talk about it! The shop is small and in an old shopping strip facing I-35­E on the Southbound access road; just before Swisher. The décor is nice and simple; the place is spotless!

After looking at the menu for awhile and yakking to the owners, Lucinda suggested the Milanesa. Theirs is a fresh piece of beef that is pounded by hand until it is super flat and thin. It’s very lightly coated with a batter and deep fried?...oh no, they put just a little oil on the grill and cook it right there. It cooks nicely with just the right amount of crunch and keeps it from getting real greasy. It has all the goodies including tomato, onion, jalapeno, sliced avocado, homemade refried beans on a huge super fresh bread. John said I is made fresh every day by his aunt, I believe. I asked for extra avocado and at some places “that’ll be an extra dollar”; not here; just a nice portion of fresh avocado. Actually, everything on the torta was SUPER fresh. Even the cilantro leaves were perky and fragrant! They have a homemade salsa that is a greenish salsa with some fresh habanero. It is very tasty and has a little heat. OK, you guys know I am a heat fiend so it may be hot for some of you out there.

I noticed on the menu, they have barbacoa and it actually said “cheek meat” next to it. I have been plenty of places with quote barbacoa unquote that isn’t made from cachete! They gave me a sample and I mean a good sized sample – like a small molcajete filled with fresh, tender, juicy well seasoned barbacoa. Did I mention everything was really fresh? ;)

OK, on top of the dozen or so tortas they also have tacos, burritos, breakfast items (tacos, burritos and tortas with egg and yummy stuff). They also make ribs on Thursday and offer them through the weekend. I’m ready to try everything on the menu. I think my next item will be the Cubana!

John is from Chihuahua, but also spent time in Nebraska(?) and Southern California growing up and has been cooking for the family since he was young. Oh, Lucinda told me they have plans to expand the menu. The really interesting thing I’m looking forward to is a meatball soup called Albondigas de Jalisco! From what I’ve read, it looks great; I can’t wait! Maybe they will add tinga or birria!

OK, last thing – I had their homemade horchata; it was some of the best I’ve ever had; very creamy (although not too thick) and a nice dose of cinnamon!

Update: I decided to go back over the weekend and ended up there twice! I stopped in for breakfast and John suggested I try some of the dry chorizo has had. So I had a nice big burrito with eggs and chorizo mixed together with beans and cheese on a big flour tortilla. The chorizo was delicious and not greasy at all as he described. It was great, but next time I think I’ll skip the beans to make sure I get all the flavor of the chorizo! Later that afternoon I stopped in and picked up a rack of those ribs he and Lucinda were talking about. The ribs are rubbed with his secret Mexican concoction then finished with a little of his BBQ sauce. I took the ribs to a family birthday party. They were amazing with a nice strong smoke; they were tender and meaty and had an awesome flavor. John said he puts just a little de­seeded habanero in it to give a nice flavor and a little heat; it was beautiful! The ribs were a HIT and gone in minutes. My father­-in­-law, who is one of the best grillers in my opinion, absolutely loved them as did the rest of the crew. Super Tortas is SUPER and I am looking forward to more from them!

- Mr. Music review

Pollo Tropical ~ Florida :

May 13, 2022 update: It appears the chain has completed retreated back to Florida. All other locations are closed.

First visit: Aug 2015 (Hurst, Texas)

A handful of these restaurants have popped up in the DFW area suddenly. We had a choice between this one in Hurst or Watauga, and it's a bit easier to go here. Let's check it out shall we?

How many of you all been to El Pollo Loco? Or for a more known local option, El Pollo Regio? Pollo Tropical is the same concept, except instead of the cuisine of Mexico, you get the flavors of the Caribbean. Grilled chicken is the primary driver here, but pork loin, ribs, and beef are also available. All with a wonderful marinate made up of Caribbean spices. And the platters come with rice (white, brown, or yellow with veggies) and black beans. On our visit, the portions were more than plentiful. The rice was oh so slightly undercooked (maybe one more minute), but still enjoyable (better than overcooked!). The bottled spicy condiment that is made especially for Pollo Tropical, is excellent when doused on the rice. And the beans were steaming hot and delicious. Worth mentioning that the chicken was very tender. I ended up with the white meat portion, and often times that can be dry. Not at Pollo Tropical. Mrs. RJG had the dark meat, and it too was fantastic. I must try the ribs and pork loin at some point.

Drink: Even though it's a fast food joint, they do sell beer, including the iconic Red Stripe from Jamaica. It was a work day for me, so I stuck to the soda fountain. Guessing alcohol is a location by location choice.

Location: Brand new standalone fast food location with a drive through. Sits on the SW corner of TX-121/183 and Precinct Line right next to the Outback Steakhouse. The whole area has been completely renovated in the last two years.

Notes: Pollo Tropical is a fast growing chain from Miami. Starting in 1988, they have about 180 locations mostly in Florida, but also Texas, Georgia, and Tennessee. They can also be found in the Caribbean and Central/South America. In addition to the Hurst locale, NE Tarrant hosts one in Watauga and one in the Alliance area of Fort Worth.

8/20/15 (new entry)

Jimboy's Tacos ~ regional chain : Yuba City, CA

Latest visit: Aug 2015 (Irving, Texas - closed) 

First visit: Jul 2011 (Yuba City, CA)

HQ: Sacramento, CA

Locations: 28 - California: 25 (in and around Sacramento); Nevada: 3 (Reno area). The Yuba City location is still open.

---

Well look at this, would ya? The RJG's only prior experience with Jimboy's Tacos was at their Yuba City, California (aka middle of nowhere) location about four years ago. Mrs. RJG and I were driving from the wine country (Windsor/Russian River) on our way to Lake Tahoe via a scenic route. I had originally picked out a delicatessen, but as we were driving through town, Mrs. RJG noticed Jimboy's, and the car beelined immediately over without me even steering it. So you can imagine our surprise when we found out that Jimboy's snuck into the DFW area without much fanfare (there's another location in Plano as well). Given their relative close proximity to the RJGs favorite craft beer store (Las Colinas Beverages - say hi to Nick!), Jimboy's Tacos is fighting for our attention with Burrito Jimmy (our favorite burrito place). Why does Irving get these places, and we in NE Tarrant don't? And why do they all have Jim in their name? Questions...

Fried tacos are the name of the game at Jimboy's. Most folks only exposure to the pleasures of this fine culinary delight is via the James Beard award winning Jack In The Box. The infamous 2 tacos for 99 cents, popular among the stoner crowd (and even advertised as such by the corporate entity). I freely admit I love those things, and have so since I was about 5 years old (late 1960s!). But they're hilarious really. They are pre-made and frozen, and then thrown into hot vats of grease. Eat too many of those and you'll be a regular visitor to the ER - or a first time visitor to your own grave. My only other encounter with fried tacos is at a delicious place in Kansas City known as In a Tub Tacos. You can guess what the "tub" is. Hot oil. Jimboy's is much more like the latter, but even better. They make the food fresh and onsite. These are not like street tacos or crunchy fast food tacos. This is a new dimension. Technically they are "grilled", but honestly they remind me of fried tacos. In fact, when Jimboy's first opened in the 1950s, they referred to them as "Spanish Tacos" as if anyone would know what that really meant. One pictures Francisco Franco stuffing his face with a fried taco while imprisoning journalists. In any event, their website describes these packets of joy as thus: "Our signature taco. A parmesan crusted grilled corn tortilla filled with lettuce, American cheese and our specially seasoned ground beef. Super classic, Super Tasty." Yes, parmesan crusted is indeed what they are! The ground beef is wonderful, as is their grilled chicken. And I love the way the cheese is melted inside, and gooey. I haven't even explored the rest of the menu. but I'm rather certain I would enjoy the other items. But these tacos are craveable. I made that word up, but when it comes to fast food, nothing can be better than craveable. In addition, they have numerous salsas at the salsa bar including a Red Hot, Spicy Green, and Chipotle, and at least 3 more!

As mentioned above, Jimboy's started in 1954 in California. Today they are based in the Sacramento area, and have roughly 50 locations, mostly in California and Nevada. So they're a relatively small chain still. However,  they are beginning to branch out, including a deal to open some stores in India (what?). According to a 2013 article, there was supposed to be 4 DFW area stores, and 11 in Texas total. I suspect the concept hasn't caught on yet. I do highly encourage the fast food nation to give this one a shot before they get away too quickly. I don't want to go to Yuba City to eat here.

7/12/11; 8/29/15 (new entry)

Texas law regarding consumption of alcohol on Sunday before Noon

Here's something I've been meaning to promote here on the RJG, and I forgot about. This probably doesn't apply to the majority of you, but for a borracho like me, I find it very important.

As a rule, we like to eat our lunch early (generally between 11:00 and 11:45), primarily because we've already run 3.5 miles and I don't feel like breakfast. Especially on Sunday's - and Mexican food is usually very high on our list of choices. Well Mr. RJG loves his frozen margaritas with his Mexican food, especially in the summer! Now comes the dilemma - will the restaurant actually serve me the drink without question before Noon on a Sunday? 95% of the time the answer is yes. And those 95% of the times, the restaurant is technically breaking the law. Not that I would ever tell...

The TABC's website is incredibly vague on the topic. They say nothing more than "Sunday: Noon to midnight. (10am-noon only in conjunction with the service of food)". Very well then, so obviously chips and salsa count as food, and that's why no one questions the situation. Right? Well...

The other day, I ended up getting into an argument with a restaurant manager who refused to serve me unless I ordered an appetizer. Like queso. OK, let me get this straight: Chips are not food, queso is? Yea. We like this restaurant quite a bit (they're in the blog), so I'll leave their name out (though Mrs. RJG is holding a grudge and doesn't want to return). I was furious (especially since they always served us before and it never was an issue), but I ordered the queso to solve the immediate problem, and we'll just enjoy our meal - and frozen margarita.

Was the manager right? Somewhat, but not entirely. I felt like he was trying to up-sell me (hence our anger), and it looks like I was right on that front. Was it ignorance or deceitfulness on the part of the manager? This I'm not sure of, but he handled the situation poorly in any event, without a clear explanation of why he suddenly wouldn't serve us. It was a $5 shakedown on a regular customer. Not cool.

Frustrated, I finally called the TABC myself to solve this once and for all. I want to know what exactly is the law so I have it in my back pocket when this situation comes up again whereever I might be in Texas (hopefully they'll repeal this law in the meantime). The gentleman I spoke with was incredibly nice and informative. I was just blown away by his customer service skills. It's not something I expect when calling a government hotline. He was very clear: You must order food when you order your drink. It is true, complimentary chips (or peanuts) do not count. And the restaurant must offer at least 8 different items if they are to serve alcohol before noon on Sunday (Prohibition Laws - don't you just love them?). So I told him my story, and then I asked "So if we had just gone ahead and ordered our meal right there, we would have been fine?" "Yes, that's correct". He went further: As long as you place your order at the same time, you are within the law. Doesn't have to come out right away - or at the same time as the drink itself. There it is. No further explanation needed. He agreed that there was no reason for a restaurant to sell an extra appetizer. But the restaurant was right too: You do have to order food.

Now we know.

Bombay Bistro ~ Austin, Texas

Mr. Music has been hanging out in Austin again, and sent this review in. I believe this is the first Indian restaurant we've ever featured in the RJG.

---  

The Music clan is on the move again and down to Austin for a last getaway before school starts.  After a nice morning hike at the Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve, our appetites were ready for a treat! Indian food was the consensus!  After doing some research, it looked like Bombay Bistro was a good choice with a recommended buffet. Mr. Music is usually drawn towards little hole-in-the-wall spots, but Bombay Bistro is an upscale eatery.  The eight of us (the Music's and another family, the Vespas we were vacationing with) piled in the already bustling place. The Bistro is a smallish place, but very nicely decorated.  The buffet was nestled in the back with a station for salads and condiments and the back wall lined with pans of North Indian goodies.  They served some of the usual suspects like saag paneer, dal makhani, chicken tikka masala and tandoori chicken.  None of them were really exceptional, but all were very good. Everything was extremely fresh.  Music Junior and Baby Music went to town on the tandoori chicken as did young Vespa junior.  The pieces of chicken were big, plump, and seasoned nicely. Little miss Vespa wasn't feeling that great and was interested in just buying a plate of naan to munch on.  When Mrs Vespa asked the server how much it would be; they insisted that she should enjoy all she wanted from the buffet at no charge. Little things like that say a lot!  Now to the good stuff! What made this restaurant shine were the few unique dishes they offered on the buffet. The first item was the soup; they served a lemon coriander soup that was so yummy!  The soup was not thick, but not like a broth either. The lemon was very bold although you could clearly taste the coriander. I loved it for its uniqueness and combination of flavors.  Mrs Music and the Vespas really liked it, but thought the lemon was a little overpowering. The next item was a veggie dish with chick peas and kale in Indian spices.  They offered a house specialty of chicken tikka jalfrazie; chicken that is first cooked in the tandoor then finished off with a nice gravy with bell peppers and onions. Very nice! Very unique, healthy and yummy!  But the real treat was Goan Curried Mussels. They were phenomenal - drenched in a curry with coconut, tomato, ginger and lime! The mussels were big and fresh and soaked in the luscious bath; an amazing combination of flavors! None of us had every had anything like this, but can't wait to have it again!  The buffet was $10.95 for adults and $6.95 for kids. Baby Music was free!  The service was spectacular!  The staff was really tentative and kept our drinks full and table clean.  All in all it was a  wonderful experience and we plan to come back before heading back home.

- Mr. Music review

I Fratelli ~ Irving, Texas ***CLOSED***

May 13, 2022 update: Looks like they closed the restaurant. Hard to believe as the place was always packed. I'm guessing they wanted to focus on their pizza chain that is still going strong.

Last visit: Aug 2015

First visit: Nov 2008

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

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

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

The house salad is delicious - pre-tossed and mixed with just the right amount of oil, vinegar, and Italian spices. Reminds me of the salad at Prego, also written about on this blog. As for the main course, many of the dishes are slathered in an old fashioned red sauce which is thick and smooth, with a unique recipe that goes beyond the usual flavors. The meatballs are delicious. Old school all the way, thick, meaty, and spicy. I had the chicken parm, again superb, though not quite as crispy as I like (update: On recent visits, the chicken parm is indeed crispy!). Honestly, I want to try everything on the menu, though I keep finding myself going back to the chicken parm. And it's good value on the lunch menu. I've seen my friends devour everything in sight with glee, whether it's Lasagna, Fettuccine Alfredo, or anything else.

Drink: Full bar with a couple of local craft brews usually on tap, plus a real Belgian once in awhile.

Location: I Fratelli is in a fine stand alone building that once housed Jack Astor's, a Canadian chain that has since exited the market. It sits on the west side of MacArthur between 161 and I-635, in front of a massive strip mall, and has its own street light to enter to and from. As you enter, it becomes apparent this is going to be a trip back to the 1960s and 70s. Open the door and you get a darkened waiting room (sans chairs) with a handful of plaques containing various newspaper clipping and other accolades. Facing you is another door. Open it up and there's the hostess table. Looking around, the restaurant is dark, with candlelit tables, dark woods and the air of spirited conversation. A welcoming place to be sure, and besides, everyone looks good. The RJG has long complained about restaurants that look like supermarkets with bright overhead lights. Save that for the fast food takeout joints. When I'm dining, I want to focus on food, drink and conversation, rather than noticing scars, wrinkles and spider veins for the first time - my own, that is... In general, I prefer the bar area, which has full table service, and is actually more comfortable than the restaurant proper.

Notes: In 1987, the Cole brothers first opened up I Fratelli just north of where they are located now (note comment and correction from Mervis - their first restaurant was not far from Jimboy's Tacos actually!). At that time, if you wanted Campisi's, one had to go to Dallas. Why not open a similar restaurant near the DFW airport? It was a hit, and the restaurant is enormously popular throughout the area, as evidenced by the proliferation of I Fratelli pizza stores that dot the landscape. This location, however, remains their sole restaurant.

11/28/08 (new entry); 11/15/09; 8/28/15

The RJG and Zomato - Round 2

Well, folks, there's been major changes since I wrote my scathing review of the restaurant website two months ago. What I would have never imagined to happen in my lifetime, I actually received an emailed letter from Zomato and an invitation to speak with them. It did not occur because of my review above, nor because of any supposed status I may have had (or not had) at Urbanspoon. It happened because while I was testing their "spoonback" feed that Urbanspoon used so successfully, it appeared to not work (like everything else it seemed to me by that time). I figured maybe I lost my status as a blogger, so I reapplied (it turns out I was still listed as a blogger). That's when a note showed up in my e-mail box from a one Alyssa, who is what they call a "Community Director", and she has DFW as her domain. She offered to speak with me by phone, or even meet for coffee. So I setup a conference call last week, and we chatted for about an hour about Zomato. She was incredibly enthusiastic which was quite refreshing honestly. I felt like I was speaking to one of my nieces, and they are all about the same age (early 20's I suspect).

I learned a lot about Zomato and their philosophy. And while nobody questions the switchover was somewhat of a disaster, it seems the website has made great strides since then. The primary difference between Urbanspoon and Zomato is that US was "crowd sourced", meaning in effect, folks like you and I provided the data. Zomato, on the other hand, actually employs people to do just that - maintain the integrity of the data. They visit the restaurants, or call them directly. I applaud this approach, as long as the company sticks with it. I put an enormous amount of effort into Urbanspoon in the past, to try and keep their data clean, and so I was entirely frustrated that I no longer had access to do that. But the good news is, I now have a channel to Alyssa (and hopefully any other Community Director), and she will assist me in making these changes, I just sent over about 15 errors this weekend, so we'll see how effective the system works.

The fact I only had about 15 errors to send over demonstrated to me just how much they've accomplished in a short time. In June the site was a complete mess. You couldn't search it, and it just seemed completely broken. But now it works reasonably well, though I find I have to double load pages on occasion, which is frustrating, and a few other things are still in a state of disrepair. So if Zomato is really going to commit that many dollars to this project (it can't be cheap employing people all over the country), then I can at least try and help. It was always charity from me, and will continue to be so. My blog notes are now filtering through the site again, just as in the past. And that's why you'll have noticed I put back in the Zomato links on newer reviews.

I will continue on with Facebook as well. What I have noticed is that Facebook will yield me immediate results, and then it pretty much dies on the vine. This is why I liked Urbanspoon. Some of my posts have 1000's of views over the years, making it well worth the effort. With Facebook, you might get 40 or 50 out of the gate, and then it just ends right there.

OK, so we're back in with Zomato. Stay tuned. Perhaps there will be a Round 3.

In other news, I'm trying to get more disciplined around blogging on the RJG. I'm regimented in all areas of my life it seems, except this. It's too much "last minute" thinking about what and where to eat. So often times we end up going to the same places, which is good too - but perhaps not always good. And then I stop writing for the blog, and complacency settles in. The weekdays have been too volatile, because of my real job of course. And I've just given up trying to squeeze in a restaurant lunch here or there. I have a good routine for lunch at home during the week (pasta, pasta, pasta...) and it works well for my non-stop conference calls. So I think if I can commit to the weekends, or vacation days, for this blog, we might have some consistency. We'll see. Worth a try.

I Fratelli Pizza ~ Texas chain : Keller

I Fratelli now has 22 locations, mostly still in DFW with an additional 3 in Austin and 1 in Houston.

Latest visit: Aug 2015 (Keller)

First visit: Jan 2006 (Southlake)

We've previously written about the i Fratelli restaurant over in Irving / Las Colinas, and it's a favorite of the RJG household, as well as my business partners. But I haven't discussed the pizza outlets yet, which are exclusively take-out. I'd been to the Southlake location a few times since they opened, but I think the last visit was before I had this blog - or close to it. Now they have one in Keller in the same shopping center with Funky Baja's (next door actually) and Mo'Fish. In fact, I think this was a Little Caeser's prior that didn't make the grade. Anyway, that's good news for the RJG since his official Mom lives in some apartments nearby and she's somewhat of a pizza fanatic. So we did something the other night that I imagine will be habit forming: Show up to Mom's with a I Fratelli large pizza in hand! Works for me.

I would describe I Fratelli's pizza as "Dallas Style". It has its roots in the type of pizza served over in central Dallas since the 1950s. Namely Campisi's and Prego's. I Fratelli has direct ties to the Campisi family so this isn't all that much a surprise. Basically it's a very thin crust pizza, served in an irregular shape, somewhat like an oval - or a football. Mrs. RJG likes the crispy crust, and I like the generous toppings. Personally I wish they'd use more sauce, and a higher grade of cheese, but those are minor grumps. The official Mom is just happy to have pizza, though secretly she still desires a sloppy slice like she remembers growing up with in Long Island.

So far the Keller location has been a hit, as the parking lot was a traffic jam of pizza delivery cars! Good to see folks spending their hard earned money on the local boys rather than the national chains. I think they'll be around for a long time in this location.

1/7/06; 3/2/13 (new entry); 8/16/15

Prego Pasta House ~ Dallas, Texas

Latest visit: Jul 2015

First visit: 1984

The RJG goes from our favorite Denver Italian restaurant, to our second favorite Dallas area Italian restaurant. As many of you all know, Pietro's is our favorite Italian in DFW, and remains the RJG's all-time favorite restaurant. But for close to 30 years, Prego has been right there behind them, providing hearty competition. And like Pietro's, we're infrequent visitors to Dallas anymore, so it's a rare treat indeed when we do dine here. We may have been only a couple of times since I started this blog, so this week's visit gave us the opportunity to finally blog about it. One major difference between Pietro's and Prego, is that the latter is open for lunch. And it's just that opening that allows me to choose Prego when in the area at that time. Mrs. RJG and I were in Dallas for an emergency weekday errand, and we had a bit of downtime right around lunch. Of course we first had to visit Northpark (guess who was behind that decision?) - and then I took control of lunch. 5 minutes later we're at Prego.

According to Prego's website, the restaurant has been open since 1982 (with a building owned by the family since 1951). And that's roughly two years before we started frequenting. I was in college at Texas Tech then, which tells me that we must've first dine there while home for the summer. If truth be told, both my parents liked Prego probably more than any restaurant - including my beloved Pietro's. For a number of years, they had a new location up in Far North Dallas (Tollway and Trinity Mills) that just happened to be pretty close to where I had an office in 2003 and 2004. They had great lunch specials, and I tried to go at least once a month, if not more. Unfortunately that location closed a few years ago. But the original is where most of my dining memories of Prego occurred. It's a single room restaurant, that can get very loud when crowded (which it often is - particularly for dinner). It's hard to imagine today, but Prego, like every restaurant of the time, allowed smoking. And my Old Man made sure everyone got cigarette smoke with their dinner. Not every law the government passes is a turkey. They got that one right! As an aside, valet parking is compulsory (it's free - but with tip of course). I noticed on this visit, they tore down the building next door. Maybe they can finally get their own parking spaces?

So what's so great about Prego? Old school Italian. Done perfectly - every time. If you like a thick and smooth red sauce, with the perfect blend of seasonings, then you'll love Prego. They make their own Italian sausage. Their salad is basic but delicious (a vinaigrette with garlic and onion tops, an olive and hot pepper). Pasta is always al dente. Meat sauce is made from their homemade meatballs. Their pizza will remind you of Campisi's. I'm not a heavy cream sauce guy, but I'll bet their Alfredo is delicious. Italian food doesn't have to be fancy to be good. It's amazing to me how very few really good Italian restaurants there are. Most of the simple restaurants use too much sauce, or can't even cook pasta right. The elaborate ones are so focused on decoration and off-the-wall recipes, they can't get even put together a decent salad. Prego reminds me of everything I like about old school Italian. It's a can't miss proposition. Prego, as mention earlier, is usually very crowded for dinner. And who eats there? Lots of squeaky clean, good looking families from nearby University Park. Regular folks, but regular folks who have way more money to blow than the rest of us. And know a good value when they experience it. As for the RJG - I've been going for 30 years now, and I still look forward to dining here. If any of the above sounds appealing, then Prego is a must.

12/23/94; 4/11/95; 8/12/95; 7/14/12; 7/13/13 (new entry); 7/25/15

Cantina Laredo ~ national chain : Addison, Texas

Mar 31, 2022 update: Cantina Laredo currently is in 8 states with 19 restaurants. There are still 7 locations in Texas including 2 in the DFW airport. The Addison location remains. None in Colorado unfortunately.

Last visit: Jul 2015 (Grapevine, TX - closed)

First visit: May 1988 (Addison, TX)

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

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

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

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

5/8/88; 11/15/04; 12/3/11 (new entry); 12/20/12; 7/20/15 

Taco Mayo ~ regional chain : McAlester, Oklahoma

Apr 1, 2022 update: Taco Mayo remains an Oklahoma standby. They have 40 total locations, with 37 in Oklahoma, 2 in Kansas and 1 in Arkansas. They've since completely exited Texas even their long time Bridgeport locale. Bummer. Our old favorite stop in Durant would once again be the closest had we stayed in NE Tarrant.

Latest visit: Jul 2015 (McAlester, Oklahoma)

First visit: sometime in the late 1970s or early 80s (Oklahoma City)

The Justin location mentioned below was closed in 2015. 

It was roughly 5 years ago that I first wrote about Taco Casa, and our trips up to Durant, Oklahoma. I mentioned that one day I would write about Taco Mayo. And here we are.

Since my Dad was a traveling salesman (he sold industrial uniforms to large laundries), I spent many a time in the car with him - especially in the summers before I was old enough to get an off-school job. Oklahoma was one of his prime states, and we'd probably travel to Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Enid, or Clinton at least 3 times a summer. According to their website, Taco Mayo started in 1978, and that's within one or two years of when I recall first going here. Dad was a big breakfast eater, and felt lunch was optional. I held the exact opposite view, so on those days he didn't have a client to entertain for lunch, I could usually arm twist him into taking me to the local taco establishment (he hated tacos - as long as he was allowed to smoke, he was fine - and you could do that in those days!). And the local option in Oklahoma was usually Taco Mayo. Since we didn't have them at home, I wanted to take advantage of the situation (and some 35+ years later, I haven't changed one bit).

Slowly, but surely, they are starting to penetrate the DFW market. A few years ago, they opened one up in Bridgeport, which makes for a nice getaway drive, but is entirely too far to grab fast food. And now, starting last summer, they've entered Justin. While not exactly around the corner, for those of us in Northeast Tarrant, a pleasant 25 minute drive up 114 (and further north on 156) awaits you if you're so inclined. And on this past Sunday, with the NFL Championship games starting at 2:00, Mrs. RJG and I were looking for a light lunch as well as a bit of a country drive to pass the time. Taco Mayo was the perfect solution.

Taco Mayo is from the old school of fast food crunchy styled taco stands. They have the usual menu that also includes soft tacos, burritos, nachos, and quesadillas. For places such as these, it really gets down to two things: How is the taste of the ground beef and how good are their hot sauces? Everything else is a variation on that theme. And it's on this front that Taco Mayo makes it worth the journey. Their meat has great flavor, with cumin standing out as a seasoning. Lettuce and shredded cheese are piled on top. The shell is appropriately crunchy. Like many of the taco chains, they provide the salsa bar that includes everything from a verde to a hot taco sauce. I'm quite fond of their hot - not so much for the heat level but the overall taste. I think the overall taste of the tacos are great. They're light and delicious. And for drinks, they have one of those newfangled Coke machines that allows you to mix and match different flavors for some 125 plus combinations.

If you're looking for a traditional taqueria or one of those fancier margarita fueled taco joints, then this isn't it. If you want a better alternative to Taco Bell - then give Taco Mayo a shot wherever you see them. If Justin isn't in the cards, there are at least half a dozen locations up and down I-35, right off the freeway, throughout Oklahoma. A perfect road food.

1/21/13 (new entry); 7/18/15

El Gabacho ~ Arlington, Texas

Latest visit: Jul 2015

First visit: Aug 2013

Mrs. RJG and I had a free Saturday, with absolutely no obligations for lunch, dinner, or anything else for that matter. So on days like this, the RJG likes to travel outside of our usual cow pasture here in Northeast Tarrant, and try something new. We've been pretty negligent with Arlington, and so I decided to point our cattle car straight south and see what happens. We both had a hankering for some Mexican food with a beer or margarita, and so with my handy dandy Urbanspoon App at my disposal, we went digging. After a couple of minutes of research, El Gabacho looked like the perfect place to try. And it was.

The first thing you'll notice upon arrival is that it takes a couple of minutes to get your bearings. Even though the restaurant is visible from the street, and there is outdoor patio seating, the actual entrance is inside a nice mini-mall called the Brownstone Village. Once inside the restaurant, you'll be immersed in the world of the Old West - at least according to Hollywood. According to Mrs. RJG, El Gabacho means "gringo", but apparently it is also a nickname for John Wayne, who's mug adorns the restaurant in just about every nook and cranny.

To get started, I had a frozen margarita which was perfect. It's amazing to me how few restaurants can get the balance of slushy ice, tequila, and other ingredients to work. And pack a buzz while at it. Mrs. RJG had a Boulevard (Kansas City) on tap. I tasted it, and it was one of their lighter offerings, but I wasn't able to ascertain which variety they had, and our waiter wasn't sure. Hey, when you order a Bud, it's Budweiser, and when you order a craft beer like Boulevard, it could be dozens of different varieties.

The chips and salsa were also a hit. The chips were better than average homemade corn. The red salsa comes out heated (I always like that) and has a nice garlic like flavor. A bit different from any other salsa I've tried. I would call the heat level medium hot. We asked for a hotter salsa, and they said they don't always have one, but they did on this day. Out came this thick blended green and red chile sauce. Ah, it was delicious and definitely packed more heat. It's of the add-up variety, so it took awhile to kick in.

Two items leaped off the menu for us: Enchiladas Verdes and the Tex Mex Tacos. Each with rice and refried beans. Mrs. RJG got the former, which of course I tried as well. Right away, I could tell it was going to be delicious, given that the chicken looked heavily seasoned with red chile before it was even rolled into the tortilla. The chicken, cheese, and spicy/sweet green tomatillo sauce was excellent. We both agreed it was just a tad dry, so we probably will opt for more sauce on the next visit. By deduction, I of course tried the Tex Mex Tacos, which are not exactly what you might think with a moniker such as that. These are not ground beef crunchy tacos, but rather charbroiled white meat chicken stuffed into homemade fried corn shells - and loaded with cheese, lettuce and tomato slices. The chicken by itself was delicious enough, but with the fried corn shell it ended up being sublime. Add some of that spicy salsa on top for the perfect symphony. We both agreed that the rice was excellent and flavorful, as were the creamy refried beans. Perfect texture, excellent taste.

Obviously we were quite impressed with our one visit to El Gabacho. For certain we will try for an annual visit... or more, if we can get to Arlington often enough. Moo.

8/18/13 (new entry); 7/3/15

Baker's Ribs ~

May 13, 2022 update: Looks like they now have less locations than what they had in 2015. Even though we label this a DFW chain (5 locations), they still have the one location in the Minneapolis area. The Grapevine store that we reviewed below appears to be closed.

Latest visit: Jun 2015 (Grapevine - closed)

First visit: Nov 2014 (Grapevine - closed)

Baker's Ribs was next on the stack for this blog last November when the RJG decided to take a break. Bad timing I suppose for them. So here we are a few months later, and ready to report after a very recent visit.

Solid selection of barbecue meats (brisket, chicken, turkey, ham, sausage, ribs) along with a decent mix of sides. On our first visit, Mrs. RJG reminded me that the St. Louis ribs were tough, but the sausage and brisket were delicious, which all rang true with me. So on this trip, in sticking with my chicken-first theme, I tried the baked half chicken special (no sides). And Mrs. RJG went for a Smoked Turkey sandwich plate with mac n' cheese and fried okra. And of course, we went about splitting the order. The results? The turkey was a big hit, absolutely delicious, moist (how many times have we sampled dry turkey!) and wonderfully smoked and seasoned. Mrs. RJG also stated the bread to be excellent, and while not toasted, it held together perfectly and didn't become mushy. The chicken was also excellent. Baker's Ribs variety is baked, not smoked, and has a slightly sweet glaze that penetrated throughout. Again, it was perfectly tender. It's a small half chicken, but at $5.99 on the special, it was still a great value. The m and c was very cheesy, though still appetizing and creamy enough to appreciate deep into the cup. Mrs. RJG also stated that the fried okra was nicely breaded, crunchy, and fresh inside. In short, excellent (I didn't partake).

Drinks: Baker's Ribs features a bar area. Their beer taps aren't overly imaginative, but they do have Grapevine Craft's Lakefire, which is always a good choice. We passed on alcohol this visit, to try the soda fountain which features exclusively the Real Sugar Soda Company from Oak Cliff Beverage Works. I never heard of them, so that was really cool! Unfortunately, Mrs. RJG won't let me drink a sugar soda, but they do have one diet cola option and it's quite good actually! But one of these days I want to try their other offerings...

Location: A new standalone location at the NE corner of Hwy 26 and Bass Pro Dr, predictably right behind the massive Bass Pro Shop. Order up at the counter, and they'll bark out your name when your order is ready. Head to the soda fountain or to the bar to grab your beer. And then sit wherever you like. On our visit during the lunch hour, the place was quite crowded, and we did have about a 10-15 minute wait in line to order. But our meal was ready in less than 5 from there.

Notes: Baker's Ribs started in Dallas in 1988, and has grown to a chain of 10 locations, mostly in the environs of DFW. Though there is one franchised location in the Minneapolis area!

11/25/14; 6/29/15 (new entry)

Jack Allen's Kitchen ~ Round Rock, Texas

And here's the final of the latest submissions from Mr. Music. And this one comes highly recommended!

Started with complimentary homemade pimento cheese and flat bread crackers. I’ve never been much of a pimento cheese fan, but since it is homemade, I figured “what the heck”. I’m glad I did because it was very nice! The menu was very interesting and I knew I’d have trouble making a decision! Luckily the waiter came by to tell us about the local craft beers they had on tap. Mrs. Music mentioned they had Live Oak Hefe and I knew my search was over! Mrs. Music decided to check out the Thirsty Goat Amber from Austin’s Thirsty Planet. Neither of us had tried anything from them before; it was nice, but not really my thing. They have about 5 or 6 local craft beers at Jack Allen’s. They source all their food and drink from local sources in Texas. We thought that was pretty cool and decided we’d try a few things. We decided on an appetizer called “Smashed Guacamole” after belaboring the interesting appetizers like “Blue Crab Gratin” baked with artichokes, spinach and parmesan or the “Red Chile Fries”, “Spinach Gorgonzola Ravioli” or “Carl Miller’s Layered Chunky Queso” with green chili pork, queso and guacamole! Our dish was a very chunky, hardly mixed guacamole, covered in pumpkin seeds and cojito cheese. A little onion, tomato and cilantro were sparsely mixed in; just the way I like it! For an extra buck they throw in a bowl of their homemade salsa; yes please! Oh, the guacamole was delicious! I’ll be making some at home! The salsa was good and had a chipotle theme; but what made it awesome was when the waiter brought in a BIG bottle of their homemade habanero sauce which they make gallons of daily! It was yummy and mixed in with the salsa and guac, excellent! It did need a little salt for my taste, but just a dash. The chips were light and crunchy; yummy! On to the main courses. Music junior went for the 5 cheese mac n cheese and baby music opted for the hand battered chicken strips. The mac and cheese was served with amori pasta. I had to look it up, but was basically long spiraling tubes and were filled with the yummy cheese blend! Everyone loved it! Baby music didn’t love the chicken strips as much as the rest of us; she preferred the mac n cheese. But we thought the chicken strips were some of the best we’d ever had! Mrs. Music decided to check out one of the specials; a giant crab cake made with Texas Gulf lump crab in a mole verde topped with fresh relish made from local greens and corn. She loved it and from the taste I got, I did too! I ended up going with the same Mexican/Seafood/light theme and checked out the “Baja Grilled Fish Tacos”; they were stuffed with red snapper and served with avocado, a yummy fresh slaw and “veggie studded” rice smothered in black beans! Lots of their habanero sauce was used on this plate; by me! The entire thing was fantastic! Our waiter, Aryan was amazing; we talked with him all night. The prices were very reasonable too. We had a great experience and cannot wait to return!

- Mr. Music review