Cafe Sicilia ~ Bedford, Texas

Latest visit: Mar 2015 (Watauga)

First visit: 2004 (Bedford)

Watauga is now closed. They have 3 locations in Bedford, Keller, and Arlington

May 2013 update: It's been about 3 years since we last visited Cafe Sicilia. Mrs. RJG and I decided to celebrate Mothers Day here (on a Friday night prior) with both our official Mothers' in tow (imagine that?). Food quality has remained excellent, and the restaurant seems as popular as ever. Strange then, that we find out that Ms. Stoman sold the restaurant not long after our last visit. So kudos to the new owners for maintaining the high standard set forth prior. Cafe Sicilia is quite possibly the best of the NE Tarrant neighborhood Italian restaurant stable.

----Original review

Cafe Sicilia was yet another branch to the Moni's Italian restaurant empire. The original owners decided to sell out and open up Dal Italia in North Richland Hills (and they sold out again and the restaurant is now known as Oggi Italia Cafe) (May 2013: Which is now sadly closed altogether). Enter Karin Stoman, born and raised in South Africa, and who was looking for something productive to do with her time. She decided that it would be fun to run a restaurant, and she and her husband purchased Cafe Sicilia. NE Tarrant not only was able to keep a quality place, but one that was made even better by Ms. Stoman's leadership.

In demonstrating her strong management skills, she maintained the current waitstaff, chefs and recipes, thus keeping a direct link with the prior ownership. So, in this context, a visit to Cafe Sicilia will be familiar to other Italian restaurants in the area. They still even have the "Moni's Salad". But Ms. Stoman has slowly added in new recipes and she's most proud of her daily specials, which Mrs. RJG and I have have tried once in awhile, and they are indeed great.

We've been going to Cafe Sicilia since sometime in 2004, and (I think) not long after she purchased the restaurant. We typically go on average around 3 to 4 times a year. Mrs. RJG loves her Primavera dish and I tend to stick with the baked goodies. While most of the NE Tarrant Italian restaurants do this well, most notably Dal Italia and Niki's, I give the nod to Cafe Sicila in the preparation and added ingredients. And the sizzling temperature. And who doesn't love bubbling cheese? And lately we've been adding the arrabiata sauce, that classic Italian "angry dish", that gives us that special spicy kick!

As for personality, Ms. Stoman is absolutely delightful. Friendly to a fault. The restaurant has gradually improved its ambiance as well. A little bit every year, just the way it should be. Anything from a new ceiling decoration to a new sign outside, to better lighting inside, everything gets a little better. A wonderful place that's always crowded, but never jammed, and thus very comfortable. And the prices are very good, especially when you add in the BYOB aspect.

The restaurant is located on Bedford Road just off of Forest Ridge Drive (A little north of 183/121), in a time worn strip center. Cafe Sicilia is clearly the anchor and life of the area. Open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner, except Saturday, where they're open only for dinner.

9/8/08 (new entry); 5//13; 3/29/15

Los Molcajetes ~ Roanoke, Texas

Los Molcajetes has 3 locations in the Fort Worth area (Roanoke, Fort Worth, and Mansfield)

Latest visit: Mar 2015 (Roanoke)

First visit: Feb 2004 (Fort Worth)

May 2013 update: Unbeknownst to me until now, Don Taco was a concept from the same people behind Los Molcajetes and Mi Pueblo, but I think due to brand confusion, they renamed it Los Molcajetes. As stated below, Don Taco is counter service (in Ft. Worth) and Los Molcajetes is a full service restaurant (like this one).So I'm leaving it here, and just changing the name. Everything is the same otherwise (phone number, etc...) . Though they did change the menu to the same as Los Molcajetes. This now explains to me why the margaritas are so good.... We have also been to Los Molcajetes' Ft. Worth (Western Center) location within the last year.

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A few years ago I first visited the Ft. Worth location, and was somewhat underwhelmed to be honest. But as I was reviewing Urbanspoon, Don Taco continued to be at the top of the list for most recommended places to eat. So last December I was in the area for a little Christmas shopping, and stopped by for another chance. On this visit, I was much more impressed. As I was about to write the place up for the RJG, I'd recalled seeing a new location up in Roanoke. A perfect opportunity to bring along Mrs. RJG and then report back here. Since the Ft. Worth location is counter service, I thought we'd stop in, grab a couple of tacos, and be on our way.

So imagine my surprise when we walked in and saw the sign "Please wait to be seated". Huh? Well, apparently Don Taco has decided to go from fast food to full service. As such, I'll just report on this location, and eventually discuss the Ft. Worth one on our next visit.

Since my intention was to enjoy tacos, I stuck to the game plan. As did Mrs. RJG. But of course the big bonus here is the complimentary chips and salsa. The chips are excellent, with a real corn taste. The red salsa is a pretty standard cilantro, onion, and tomato recipe. The green is the spicier variety, though I would've preferred a more pureed sauce, rather than chewy chunks of green chiles. It did have a nice kick though. As well, we imbibed a frozen margarita. As with Fogata's, we were quite pleased with the drink mixture. So I'm gaining my taste for them again!

As mentioned, we stuck with tacos, rather than dive into their platters. Don Taco has their roots in the taqueria business, and I think they're quite good at it, so if you're unsure what to get, this would be my recommendation for a start. And having said that, I think their fajita tacos are splendid - both the chicken and beef. They're tender and fully loaded! I also tried their "street taco" al pastor, but it isn't their strength I'm afraid (it was tough, and I didn't care for the seasoning). Mrs. RJG had two chicken fajita tacos with the rice and beans - of which she gave a thumbs up as well. Though she did state that the charro beans were too thick. Oh - and they provide a taco sauce if you ask. Definitely better than their table salsas - it's a thick and smooth red, with a strong spicy flavor.

Don Taco is at the intersection of 114 and 377, not too far from the Speedway. Definitely a welcome addition to the "unique dining capital of Texas" family of restaurants.

2/1/04; 3/7/13 (new entry); 3/20/15