Feedstore BBQ ~ Southlake, Texas

Latest visit: Oct 2015 (Keller - closed)

First visit: sometime in 2003 (Southlake)

The Keller location is now closed.

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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).

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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