Cafe Italia ~ Grapevine, Texas

Latest visit: Dec 2016

First visit: 2004

Our last two visits are noteworthy. The last was for the official RJG's Mom's birthday. It was way too crowded. It was between Christmas and New Year's Day of last year (2016). The time before that was we chose this restaurant to celebrate the RJG obtaining his new job in Baltimore (Nov 2016). Of all places... And we haven't been back since.

Cafe Italia is probably the epitome of the type of Italian food you're likely to run across in NE Tarrant. And one can argue that it may be the best of the Eastern European owned Italian eateries in the area. We've been going to Cafe Italia almost since we moved to the area in 2003, though not on any kind of regular basis. All the same, it's surprising that we're just now getting around to posting about it. In the early days, because of its popularity, there was usually a line out the door. So they further opened a second "overflow" location a few miles south near the Grapevine ISD football stadium. This overflow site eventually became a full-blown restaurant unto itself, and now they enjoy full crowds (with lines) at both locations - especially on weekend nights.

Cafe Italia is a hybrid of northern and southern Italian cooking with white, red, pink, and sherry wine sauces to choose from. They have some ambitious specials, so if you're looking for something beyond the tried and true, definitely consider a visit here. I've talked about other such Italian restaurants in the area previously, so not a whole lot of other things to discuss here. It's BYOB as is the (fortunate) norm, and the service is generally impeccable. Their pizzas look good but we haven't tried them. Both locations are well decorated, and offer a warm welcome. Cafe Italia can be a destination as a date restaurant or a good place to bring friends.

3/21/08; 1/20/12 (new entry); 12/12/13; 12/29/16

Bellisimo Italian ~ Colleyville, Texas ***CLOSED***

Last visit: Dec 2016

First visit: 2003

Last update: Dec 28, 2017  I'll be darned, it's closed. We hadn't been in a long time as well. It's interesting to note that Bellisimo was the RJG's first restaurant post. It was never a favorite, nor a place we frequented all that much. But timing is everything, and we visited here right after starting the blog.

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On Friday night, me and my favorite dining companion Mrs. RJG, wandered over to Bellisimo in Colleyville, right off Highway 26.

Colleyville is definitely one of the more interesting burbs in NE Tarrant County. They're the "old rich" of the area, providing a stark contrast to the nouveau silliness of Southlake or the filthy rich of Westlake. And, as is typical of old money type areas, there's always a run down area or two to go slumming. Texas State Highway 26 provides this thrill. Amongst the aluminum siding plant sheds and farmers markets, there are shut down old Taco Bell's and sports bars. And, naturally enough, there are new yuppy town centers and strip malls with a Market Street Grocery store.

In the middle of all this is a neat brick building that houses Bellisimo. Like most Italian restaurants in the Ft. Worth area, Bellisimo is not run by Italians but rather from parts of the former Yugoslavia and Albania. The good news is that most of these restaurants are of a high quality, and they know their Italian cooking. The downside is many of the restaurants have similar flavors. For example, the "house dressing" tends to be a tomato based vinaigrette. It's quite good, but there's little variation with other restaurants in the area. The red sauces are very tomatoey, a thinnish texture, but tasty all the same.

One of the true benefits of dining in this area, is the advent of BYOB. Just bring your own hooch, and save a bundle. And there are no outrageous California style corkage fees.

Bellisimo does all the basics right, like chicken parm, baked dishes, meatballs (homemade), sausage, etc... They even carry that Dallas Italian restaurant dessert staple: Cappuccino Pie, which is rare in this area of town.

Decoration isn't their strong suit, and the place could use an uplift in atmosphere. I hear you thinking "But isn't this the Regular Joe's Guide?". Absolutely, and I love a dive. But Bellisimo is no dive, and it's so bare bones, that it feels I'm eating in an empty warehouse. Major plus points goes to the owners for cordoning off a special room for families with kids. This allows peace and quiet for couples/friends looking to spend an evening talking and not holding their ears while the kids crawl on the restaurant furniture.

We've been going to Bellisimo on and off for some 5 years now, and it never disappoints. They also opened up a second location in Keller on US 377, which we also ventured to a couple of times (it was even less decorated than the Colleyville store). Unfortunately it's already closed up, no doubt due to the constant construction (expansion) on the highway. That's too bad, as it appears they spent a fortune renovating the outside. Bosses Pizza now occupies the location.

First appearance in the RJG: Mar 29, 2008

3/29/08 (new entry); 12/11/16

Casa Milagro ~ Richardson, Texas ***CLOSED***

Last visit: Nov 2016

First visit: Jul 2012

The entire Company X and Y story below (from May of 2016) ended up with me being let go outright by Company X (in Nov 2016 - we went here to celebrate my new job!). The Garland Troublemaker was retained as a contractor by Company Y (and he left soon after), and The Indian Godfather becoming an employee of Company Y. He has since left as well. And we've all landed much better jobs for ourselves. Wow.

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Timing really is everything. The last time the RJG visited Casa Milagro was in May of 2013. In fact, I believe that's the last time I was in Richardson altogether. The RJG's work changed at that point, and the need to go to Richardson subsided. And yet exactly 3 years later, in waltzes the RJG just as the blog is rolling again. And for this visit, The Garland Troublemaker who graces the article below, has rejoined me. And we also had the Indian Godfather on hand. It was time for a meet. We talked about this prior in our Banana Leaf review a few years ago. This could very well be the last one too. The end of an era. Why? Well, our Monster Corporation X sold our business unit to Monster Corporation Y at the end of last year, but managed to leave out our group. An unfortunate oversight, but hard to untangle now. These are Fortune 10 companies, and Twilight Zone activity commences often (think Dilbert). SoCal Gal (below) left us late last year for New Company on the Rise, at our encouragement. The Salt Lake City gentleman has been gone since 2014. In any case, the 3 of us (and others left in our group) have an uncertain future. It is our hope we can stay at Monster Corporation X (which we all think is better than Y anyway). We'll see where fate takes us. Well enough about me...

As for Casa Milagro, everything is exactly as I remembered it. Absolutely brilliant. I do have one key update (made below) regarding a menu change. But otherwise, I won't have too many edits other than a bit of formatting.

In a very short period of time, Casa Milagro has become our favorite Mexican restaurant in DFW. Wow! I didn't see that coming. We first visited in April while conducting one of our training sessions with a gentleman from Salt Lake City who has a similar job to ours. My co-worker, The Garland Troublemaker, suggested Casa Milagro, as it is one of his favorite restaurants. And since he knows the area far better than myself, who was I to argue?

Oh... Oh.... this is really good. No, no. It's exceptional. From the beginning, when the smallish glass filled with the adult slurpee known as a frozen margarita hit my lips, I knew it was going to be a good night. Small glass, powerful punch. Two of those is plenty. The chips taste like real corn, and the table salsa is very good. But wait... do you guys have a hotter one? The waiter's eyes lit up. He had a chicken in the coup. Sucker. You can't handle our hot one, said his eyes. Try me I said back silently. Out comes this scary looking yellow habanero concoction that would scare off war veterans. In goes the chip. Boom goes my tongue. Lift off. What a great flavor! And the hottest sauce I've ever had at a Mexican restaurant. Ever. There's one place in Santa Fe called Horseman's Haven that has a much hotter green chile to smother a burrito in, but I can't recall any table sauce this spicy. Oh, and before you get all high and mighty with the "it's so hot you can't taste it" argument, just know that IMO the flavors become even more distinct and pronounced. I do agree, though, that building up tolerance is key. Training your palate as it were. Anyway, I lapped up a bowl of that and asked for another. I thought the waiter's eyes were going to bulge out of his head. The Garland Troublemaker took a couple of bites, but just sat silently for a few minutes afterward. It appeared he wasn't sure if he would make it through the night. Our co-worker from SLC saw the events unfold and decided to sit out the experience entirely. And to think we haven't even tried a dish yet! With my palate all set, the dish that just floors me is Camarones a la Chef* which they describe as "Five jumbo bacon wrapped shrimp, grilled to perfection, stuffed with Monterrey jack cheese and fresh jalapenos. Served with rice and Latin stir-fry vegetables." Of course, that was only one visit, but I wanted to go back and soon! *May 2016 update: They took it off the menu! Ack! But they did make it for me anyway, and it was just as great as I remembered. So hat's off to them for that.

So... a couple of weeks later, we hired a new gal who I'd worked with at software-company-most-people-have-heard-of (and she needed rescuing after 17 years there) to take on some parts of the organization that the Troublemaker and myself were holding down, but didn't have time for. So she flew in from Southern California for a week long round of training with us. First night we're back at Casa Milagro. On this visit I tried their shrimp tacos, which were also delicious. The Troublemaker gave another go to the "Yellow Beast", but was defeated again. I lapped it up with much glee. So. Cal Gal stated that super hot food wasn't in the cards for her. However, she commented, how incredible the taste of the food was. Best Mexican she'd had! That's high praise indeed from someone who likes to dine out quite a bit and lives in Orange County. So I think we're onto something here.

OK then, final test. Mrs. RJG! I had of course told her about my new dining find. She was insanely jealous, stated that it didn't sound like I was "working" at all, and was enjoying myself all too much. So, she suggested, you're taking me there. And so the perfect opportunity was around Memorial Day. My dad, grandparents, and great-grandparents are buried in nearby Restland cemetery, in one of the military Veteran plots. I'm not much a grave watcher (nor was my dad when alive), but it had been many years since I last went, and it was high time I got over there. A new tradition was born. Memorial Day...Cemetery...Casa Milagro. Let's just hope The Yellow Beast doesn't make it Casa Milagro...Cemetery. Anyway... Mrs. RJG can handle a hot sauce with the best of them. She enjoyed a few bites, and her mouth was a blazing on fire. Her test dish is shrimp enchiladas, and her favorite is at Anamia's. Casa Milagro wins again! Incredible she stated. Oh, and I haven't mentioned it yet, but their rice is exquisite. As is their charro beans.

Anamia's remains our favorite in NE Tarrant, but Casa Milagro - in very short order - is now our favorite Mexican restaurant in DFW. Give it a try and report back.

Casa Milagro is situated in a strip center northeast of Plano Rd and Campbell. Very pleasant surroundings. Comfortably dark, with a nice bar area. On one wall they play old black and white silent Mexican movies across a series of TVs. Get a few margs in you, and they start to make sense!

7/9/12 (new entry); 5/27/13; 11/26/16

Yu's Gold-In ~ Keller, Texas ***CLOSED***

Last visit: Nov 2016

First visit: Nov 2009

Yu's Gold-In is now closed and is Pho-In-The-Box Vietnamese (and comes recommended as well).

As mentioned in the September entry, it had been my goal to group similar restaurants for a more comprehensive and useful post. But when it comes to Chinese food in NE Tarrant, we've only found one we like to date - and we really like it - and that would be Yu's Gold-In.

While we certainly haven't been to them all, we have tried many Chinese joints in NE Tarrant including: Golden China (Southlake), Hong Kong Express (Keller & North Richland Hills), New China (Watauga), Pearl (Grapevine), Ying Cafe (Watauga), Bo Bo China (Grapevine) and Szechuan (Hurst). Most are pretty good, with the nod going to Bo Bo China as the best of that lot. But none inspire us to make a special trip, nor have I written about any of them in this blog. Yu's is the clear leader to date.

You won't find the name "Yu's" on the outside, just "Gold-In". From what I can gather, Gold-In was once a small hamburger joint, that eventually evolved into a Chinese restaurant. When I first located the restaurant on Urbanspoon, it was listed as Betty's Gold-In and I later made the correction for them. You may recall our reference to this restaurant in the Little Joe's Pizza post (which is now closed), where we stated "Behind an ancient combo gas station/Chinese restaurant (and, yep, the two sure do go together), is another strip mall, that looks like an afterthought of planning." This is that Chinese restaurant.

Even though Yu's isn't really that close to where we live, we always get the food To-Go. And that's because by the time we get it home, the food is merely blazing hot. Apparently Yu's cooks on the surface of the sun. Most places don't serve the food this hot right out of the kitchen, much less after a long drive home. And what does Mr. RJG like to get? Chicken fried rice. As basic a dish as they come, and yet few do it right. Not only does Yu's nail it, but they may have the best fried rice I've ever had. It's a more seasoned mix, and I believe it's the Szechuan way of making it. And what a bargain - the portion is easily two full dinners PLUS they throw in a skewer of barbecue chicken just because they feel like it. Their wonton soup is of the beef broth variety, with big chunks of pork - and is also outstanding. Mrs. RJG has tried other items on the menu, generally of the vegetable variety, and they've all proven to be worthy.

Absolutely recommended. A classic Regular Joe's Guide kind of place - in both atmosphere and taste!

11/23/09 (new entry); 11/6/16

Jack Mac's Swill and Grill ~ Dallas, Texas ***CLOSED***

Apr 8, 2022 update: It appears Jack Mac's shut down in 2019. That's really too bad as this was a favorite.

Last visit: Oct 2016

First visit: Jul 2013

I met with The Garland Troublemaker for a final time in October 2016. We both moved on to new (and better) jobs in short order. We knew this would be the last visit in our time with Company X. Perhaps we will have a reunion here again!

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Interesting that I've met with The Garland Troublemaker for the last two straight weeks. Especially considering I may see him two times a year these days. This visit was from last week, and Jack Mac's is just as great as it always has been. I'll leave the review below pretty much intact, with a few edits and formatting changes. Jack Mac's is incredibly consistent. And one reason for that is Jack is usually there and cooking for us! Great guy too.
 
It all started with some research on Ratebeer about some local beers that folks were rating. I asked myself "Where are these guys getting this stuff?" In the reviews I would commonly see "on tap at Jac Mac's (sic)" . What the heck is Jac Mac's I ask? So I look it up on Urbanspoon, and then went to their website. Wow! This place has my name all over it! All local to Texas craft beers and a very interesting looking menu. So I suggested to The Garland Troublemaker that we meet at Jack Mac's Swill & Grill rather than Flying Saucer next time for our next quarterly "executive briefing".

And so it transpired. And I'm happy to say: We have a new meeting place. We love The Flying Saucer, but Jack Mac's is even better for what I'm looking for. They only have 14 taps. But those 14 constantly rotate - with many hard to find / obscure beers - all from Texas. Anything from established micro's such as Rahr, Saint Arnold, Ranger Creek, and Franconia, onto up and comers like Firewheel (Rowlett) and Community (Dallas), to just-out-of-the-womb 903 Brewery (Sherman). And to think next time we go, they will all be different (2016 update: And that has remained true to form). Maybe not different breweries of course, but different beers from those breweries (or others). That's exciting. As they state on their website: "All 14 of our handles are Texas craft beer and to keep it interesting, we’re constantly rotating brews.  So stop in to see what we’re featuring this week."

But as I often say, even if you only drink iced tea, Jack Mac's will satisfy on a strictly culinary level. They have an ambitious menu, that goes far beyond sandwiches, chips, pizza, and burgers. They have all those things (even standard variations), plus much more. On this visit they were featuring llama burgers. I wasn't quite ready for that adventure, and stuck to a standard meat filled pizza - which was excellent, and featured some homemade chorizo (May 2016 update - I also really enjoy their Cubano Sandwich!). TGT went with The Mexican Burger which is, get this, two cheese enchiladas between a bun. Ooo, that sounds awfully heavy doesn't it? Anyway, their menu is filled with dozens of interesting looking items, that we will be certain to try on subsequent visits. This is the first place I've listed as a gastropub in the RJG (ed: Don't like that name anymore - going with Craft Tavern now!). The offerings are just too imaginative to call it strictly pub food. About a year ago, I dined at the Magnolia Brewery in San Francisco that was advertised as a Gastropub. Their offerings weren't any different in spirit than what is at Jack Mac's - just less of it.

Jack Mac's is exactly the type of place I wish we had in NE Tarrant. Certainly we've grown up in the last couple of years ourselves, and even have a Ginger Man now (May 2016 update - and more than that now... more to come on the RJG!). But Jack Mac's is in a different league altogether.

Fans of Hopdoddy in Dallas, that we featured awhile ago, should also give Jack Mac's a try!

Jack Mac's anchors a strip mall on Preston Rd in far north Dallas, south of the Bush Turnpike, and north of Frankford. Nice airy place, with a fine area to sit around the bar. Also darts in the back room!

7/4/13 (new entry); 10/26/16

Fresco's Cocina ~ Watauga, Texas

Latest visit: Aug 2016

First visit: Jul 2004

Fresco's can also be found in Burleson.

There are a few things that make Fresco's special, and worth the journey to Watauga. Foremost is their trio of sauces that you can request to supplement the regular salsa that comes out with the chips. Actually, even if you didn't know about the trio, the primary sauce is a medium heat level chipotle concoction that is unique and quite excellent. Amongst the trio, they offer a fiery chile de arbol, a honey jalapeno, and a blazing hot habanero. They added the latter in the last few years, and it replaced their tomato based mild sauce. Apparently everyone liked the hotter alternative. Just like the RJG! And while the chile de arbol made us happy enough, the habanero clinches the deal. This may be the hottest salsa I've ever had at a Mexican restaurant - at least of those that weren't custom designed for me by a sadistic, angry chef. The flavors for everything I tasted later on were flying everywhere - and my senses were alive. As for the chips that we are using to dip into these sauces, I would prefer a more hearty and homemade corn chip. These are of the thin "Chili's" variety, and appear to be bought off the food truck. The sauces are thick (especially the honey jalapeno), and tend to break easily, so I think this would be an easy improvement for them. Another aspect of Fresco's that we both enjoy is the high quality of the enchiladas. Their sauces are uniquely flavored, and aren't run of the mill tasting. And while I have no delusions that each enchilada platter is homemade, I will say that they are exquisitely prepared each time, and they're always ready for the large crowds they seem to get. The fajita meat enchiladas, in particular are quite good, with tender beef and chicken layered on top of the delicious cheese and onion enchilada. The rice and beans are both superb as well, and expertly prepared. And nothing better than that first forkful of hot beans while your mouth is still on fire from the habanero... We've tried many things on the Fresco's menu over the years, and they are all uniformly great, but the enchiladas remain our favorite.

This used to be their signature line, but they really do have great margaritas. Perhaps a bit sweeter than I typically prefer, but still flavorful and they consistently pack a punch. As I've said many times before, us citizens of DFW are spoiled when it comes to frozen margaritas. Travel anywhere else in the US, and the adult slurpee is almost always a disappointment. We just experienced that disappointment again while in Santa Fe, as you all may have read.

Fresco's sits comfortably on US 377, just south of Starnes, next to the Krispy Kreme. It's a large spacious restaurant, that gets especially crowded on weekend nights. We typically go here for lunch.

If you didn't know any better, you could be forgiven for thinking Fresco's is a national chain. They have the corporate signage, a rather large restaurant in a prime location, with consistently huge crowds on the weekends. But it's a locally owned small chain (by an industry veteran), and this location is the flagship. They later opened in Burleson, and even more recently in Highland Village. When we first visited Fresco's, sometime after we first moved here in 2003, they were some sort of a hybrid between a quick service restaurant and a full service establishment. To say it was a confusing concept would be an understatement. We never knew what we were supposed to do. Order up front, but they would bring you the food. You were on your own for the chips and salsa, but they got you the drink. In a nutshell, it was a mess. Fortunately they changed their strategy, and we've been regulars ever since! Note that they are closed on Monday.

7/24/04; 12/27/08 (new entry); 8/29/16

Malli's Mexican ~ North Richland Hills, Texas ***CLOSED***

It appears Malli's closed sometime since 2018.

Last visit: Aug 2016

First visit: Nov 2011

Malli's is a pleasant little Mexican restaurant situated on a busy stretch of Rufe Snow, north of I-820. It's colorfully decorated, and as you may have noted already, their focus is on authentic Mexican food. Based on the menu alone, it would appear they have Tex-Mex offerings, but we didn't try them (though I will next time). They have a lunch and dinner menu, and we didn't ask if they serve them at all hours.

However, they do serve breakfast all day, and Mrs. RJG decided to go hardcore Mexican today (after all, that is where she's from) and ordered the Huevos con Nopalitos. That is to say, eggs with cactus. Seems like that would hurt don't it? I mean, pulling the needles out of your mouth and what not. No silly, says the wife, it's actually quite delicious and she went on about the process on to which you "harvest" cactus. Whatever you say, dear. Well anyway they were a hit with the wife, cooked with onions and tomatoes and served with either homemade flour tortillas or "out of the bag" corn tortillas.

Now Mr. RJG did something he never does in a Mexican restaurant: Ordered a hamburger. Malli's has a small reputation for making a great Dr. Pepper glazed hamburger, so why not? It ended up being a great choice, though at first I was a bit unsure. See, instead of a bun it comes out between two pieces of toasted white bread. I'd rather see a unique bun of some kind, but we'll let that pass. Otherwise the burger came out well-done (it would be unusual to need to mention this in a Mexican restaurant - they almost always cook ground beef well done) and it was flavorful and juicy due to the seasoning and DP marinade. Best of all is that it comes with two kinds of melted cheese and super crispy bacon. It sort of melts in your mouth. Very, very good.

There are a number of burger bloggers in the DFW area, and I'd be curious what their take on it would be. I'm no expert, but I sure did enjoy it!

Perhaps best of all, is how the meal starts. And that of course would be the chips and salsa. The chips are homemade and crispy. They reminded us of the Mexican restaurants we have in Colorado - especially that they use red corn sometimes. But the salsa was the true highlight. A wonderful roasted chile taste permeates, and it had enough fire in it for me not to ask for a hotter one. It's not overwhelmingly hot though, so I think most everyone can handle it. It's flat out delicious and we finished a rather large bowl of it and a second bowl was delivered without asking.

11/25/11 (new entry); 4/20/12; 8/21/16

Banana Leaf ~ Dallas, Texas

Latest visit: Aug 2016

First visit: 2004

Banana Leaf is a Thai restaurant Mr. Music first took me to over 9 years ago when I had an office nearby. As such, this is the longest running Thai restaurant that we have continued to patron in DFW. Of course, at best I only visit about twice a year, whereas some of our faves in Northeast Tarrant may see us 30 to 40 times in that same time span.

Banana Leaf has become our go-to spot to "have a meet" with the Godfather of our India Mafia. So The Garland Troublemaker, myself, The Godfather, and one of his Capo's sat down "ta 'scuss bizness." In the old days, we went to Italian restaurants to do this. Nowadays it's Thai and Indian cuisine. Ya gotta move with the times...    

The Garland Troublemaker's fave dish is the Yellow Curry with two bowls a rice - and a couple of Singha beers to wash it down with. The Mafia guys, while not strict vegetarians, try to stay true to their customs and stick to the meat free offerings, which they obviously enjoy since this is their usual choice for our meetings.

Banana Leaf is one of the few places in DFW that will serve your menu item "Thai Style". You'll have to ask for it though. One of my test dishes is Spicy Basil Chicken. When I ask for it Thai style and Thai Hot, that's what I get... minced (ground chicken) mixed with Thai chilies, onions, basil and green beans. I ask for the latter to be left off, but otherwise it's a perfect dish. They'll definitely make it as hot as you like. Though it can depend on the chilies and the season.

It should be noted that all lunches come with a salad with peanut sauce dressing and a bowl of egg drop soup (or whatever the Thai equivalent is). They also have a nice full bar.

12/3/05; 6/1/13 (new entry); 8/17/16

Ojeda's Mexican ~ Dallas, Texas

As of Feb 2021, Ojeda's has 3 locations including the original on Maple Ave plus Desoto and Plano. Lewisville is closed.

Latest visit: Aug 2016 (Lewisville - closed)

First visit: 1989 (Dallas - Maple Ave.)

In the Avila's and Herrera's posts found on this blog, I spoke of the Mexican restaurants on Maple Avenue we used to haunt back in the late 80s and early 90s. The other two were Rosita's (now closed) and, the focus of this post, Ojeda's.

Ojeda's is old school Tex-Mex, which is a nicer way of saying HEAVY Mexican food. These are places you don't just walk out of, but rather waddle out. Expect lots of gooey cheese, beans with lard, mush meat tacos with filler, thick flour and corn tortillas, and as many chips as you can stuff in your face. Top that off with a few cervezas, and you have instant 5 pound weight gain. Is it worth it? HECK YEA!

No point in walking you through the meal, as Ojeda's isn't that much different from Herrera's. Both places feature spicier than normal salsa's (I detect a strong hint of Valentina Salsa Picante in the flavor), great tasting chips, and combo platters that thin the wallet and expand the waistline. No complimentary bean and bacon soup at Ojeda's though.

As with all the Maple Avenue institutions, Ojeda's doesn't have a presence in Tarrant County. But the location in Lewisville isn't too far for us NE Tarrant citizens. I've been to that location a couple of times over the last year, and makes for a convenient meeting place with friends who live "on the other side". The Lewisville location is on Hwy 121, a few blocks west of I-35E.

3/30/09 (new entry); 6/11/13; 8/14/16

Blue Corn Cafe & Brewery ~ Santa Fe, New Mexico ***CLOSED***

Apr 12, 2022 update: Blue Corn has the same owners but the restaurant has changed names and been "reimagined" as Hidden Mountain. We'll create a separate entry for it.

Last visit: Aug 2016

First visit: Aug 1997

We first went to the Blue Corn Cafe in downtown Santa Fe in 1997 (not long after they first opened), only about 6 months after Mrs. RJG and I were first married. And we've been regular visitors ever since. Regular in the sense of when we visit Santa Fe of course. Though in recent years we moved to the south location off of Cerrillos near the Santa Fe Place Mall. It remains one of our favorite places to eat when we go to Santa Fe, which lately has been an annual event (but that's not always been the case).

Food: Blue Corn is at first a New Mexican restaurant, followed by traditional brewpub fare (burgers, sandwiches) and Mexican (fajitas, etc...). Of course, we come for the New Mexican food, and while Blue Corn's reputation isn't the highest in Santa Fe (regarding their food that is), we've always thoroughly enjoyed it. In fact, it's one of the RJG's favorite restaurants ever. From 1997 to 2014, I dutifully ordered the Carne Adovada, which was heavily marinated in a wonderfully seasoned and spicy red chile sauce, with tender cubes of pork. This came with rice and beans and was one of my all-time favorite dishes. In fact, Blue Corn gets credit for introducing the wonderful dish to the RJG all those years ago. But the knuckleheads took it off the menu! I guess the chef (new? not sure) swears it tastes better as a shank (bone-in) with potatoes, etc... No it doesn't! LOL. OK, I didn't try it, because that's not what I wanted. So maybe this was the excuse I needed to try other items on the menu (though I have had the Blue Corn ground beef tacos and they are excellent as well). Anyway - guys put Carne Adovada on the menu again. And don't argue with me! So what did I try this time? Ah yes, the RJG staple of the smothered burrito. And of course, it had to be Christmas (red and green chile). The chile for both was more spicy than most (a plus), and the red was velvety in texture. I was very pleased. On the flip, the chicken is shredded and lacks distinction. I'm not a fan of refried beans in burritos, and my request for whole beans was denied. As predicted, it was too gooey, and the tortilla was too heavy for the dish. So I had to leave some of the mush behind, but not a drop of chile! So I can't recommend this dish - and of course the next time we come back they'll have the Carne Adovada back, so it won't matter right? RIGHT? Mrs. RJG went fancy with the "Blue Corn Crusted Wild Alaskan Salmon" which she devoured with much happiness. I tried a bite, and it was indeed excellent. For starters (I like to work backwards apparently) we ordered the chips and salsa. For Texans, ordering chips and salsa can be an offensive topic altogether, but it's more common in New Mexico. But doggone if we didn't get our money's worth! These are some of the best chips I've ever had. Homemade blue and yellow corn chips, that I could eat all day without any salsa. But the fresh roasted chile salsa is also quite good, thickly textured and heavily spiced (garlic being one obvious ingredient - similar to Del's that we just wrote about).

Drink: I think they have other things to drink, but why anyone would come here and not at least try their handcrafted beers is anyone's guess (or at least try the homemade root beer if not wanting alcohol). Like most brewpubs, crowd-sourced web sites like Ratebeer have little good to say about their beers, but honestly that's the downside of "group think". It also shows a weakness in rating systems when dealing with the general public who do not necessarily have the same standards as others. Whatever the case, over the course of 18 years that we've been going here, I've tried all their year-round beers, and many of the seasonals. They seem to get only better, and I've always thought their beer to be great. On this visit, I went with the HALT! Bier, which is their version of an Alt, a German style not often seen. I find it very refreshing myself and exceptionally tasty. And of course I had to try their new IPA - Alpha Reaper 2.0, which follows the trend of more grapefruit tasting IPA's. Mrs. RJG had the same beers (in reverse order) and loved them both as well.

Location: You'll find Blue Corn right across the street from the Santa Fe Place Mall, on the NE corner of Cerrillos and Rodeo. It's a spacious building with a full bar that gets quite raucous during football season. A very comfortable place to eat and drink.

8/31/97; 9/11/06; 9/18/15 (new entry); 8/3/16

Del's Restaurant ~ Tucumcari, New Mexico

Latest visit: Aug 2016

First visit: Sep 2013

Del's has become our go-to dinner stop when on the drive from DFW to Santa Fe. This is our 3rd year in a row to visit, and it never disappoints. Well worth stopping in town if you're on I-40 and hungry. There's not much else around between Albuquerque and Amarillo, other than Tucumcari (or Santa Rosa), so it's a wise move to go into town and try them out! Word on the street says the Santa Rosa restaurants aren't up to snuff, though we haven't tried them (yet).

Del's menu is a mix of roadside Americana (chicken, fish, steak) and New Mexican specialties. Given that the primary purpose for us being in New Mexico in the first place is to eat the local cuisine, we haven't ventured beyond the native offerings. It would be tempting to declare there's no way a place such as Del's can compete with Santa Fe's finest (which we will cover shortly on the RJG), but that's not really the case at all. When talking New Mexican food, chile is going to be an early topic of discussion, and I can honestly say I really enjoy both their red and green. As always while in New Mexico, we order our dishes "Christmas" (which is an official state designation for serving chile BTW), and this way we can try them both. If looking for recommendations, I've really taken to their Chicken Crispitos, which are in effect, flautas on steroids. And the chicken is charbroiled and very flavorful on their own. Mrs. RJG stays traditional with rolled enchiladas. The Spanish rice is superb, and the whole beans are truly sublime. The dishes arrive flaming hot, so each bite accentuates the spice already in your mouth from the... wonderful chips and salsa. Actually the salsa isn't so much spicy as it is flavorful. It's very tomato-y, with lots of garlic and cut up green chiles.  While we haven't tried their American offerings, it appears folks rave about their burgers and steaks. And they even have a salad bar, another relic from the past.

Drinks: Beer and wine only. Their house wine is an excellent buy. A $6 globe like glass filled close to the top, that is far more than the usual chintzy glass you get elsewhere. It may not be the finest wine in the land, but after a long day of driving, a cold Chardonnay hits the spot quite nicely. And no need to order more than one.

Location: Del's can be found along the old US 66 strip that rides along Tucumcari, a town that time has forgot (and subsequently has seen a major drop in population since 1950). These roads are always interesting as some of the old motels still thrive while others have gone to seed. The towns exploits the "Mother Road" as much as possible, and who can blame them? The restaurant itself seems a hodgepodge of various construction eras, but is quite nice overall. And, of course, it has a gift shop. I mean where else can you buy Route 66 gear? :-P

Notes: Del's first opened in 1956, and has been more or less in the hands of two families ever since.

9/14/13; 9/6/14; 9/8/15 (new entry); 8/2/16

Avila's ~ Dallas, Texas

Latest visit: Jul 2016

First visit: 1989

Avila's has become all the rage since Guy Fiori featured the little place on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives - a favorite show of the RJG as well. This lead to a lot of business for Avila's, and thus they made some changes to the restaurant itself. The good: They opened the fence next door which allows for much more, and easier, parking. They also now have some outdoor patio seating (nothing more than a couple of park benches, but it's still cool). On the down side, they changed the dark red painting to a lighter blue shade. It doesn't feel as intimate as before. And, as with any place that gains notoriety, the neighborhood feel of the place has deteriorated somewhat. There's more of a wannabee yuppie thing going on. "Slumming on Maple with the Wilson's" just ain't for the RJG. I felt the food quality held serve (and on this night the salsa with the chips was really kickin'!), but Mrs. RJG said it was greasier than prior. I sensed our dinner companions, once again Mr. and Mrs. RP as we haven't seen them in about a year, were also slightly disappointed. I think as the DDD effect wears off, things will return to normal. And it will be easier to park in any event....

Avila's is a long time RJG favorite. I first discovered the restaurant while taking a training course close by at the InfoMart. This was in 1989 (three years after opening), when most of the restaurants in the area catered to the Tex-Mex crowd. And most of the classic restaurants remain: Rosita's, the original Ojeda's, and the original Herrera's (different location though). Today the area is much more hardcore Mexican, and many of the newer restaurants appeal more to the taste of the old country. 

On this occasion, Mrs. RJG and I joined some dear and longtime friends Mr. and Mrs. RP. They had surprisingly never been and we decided to make an evening of it. Mrs. RJG has named this her favorite Mexican restaurant in Dallas, and it's a mandatory stop prior to going to any Dallas Mavericks basketball game. Given the distance from where we reside in NE Tarrant, it's always a treat for us to dine here.

Avila's is the perfect setting - situated in an old house, where you can park in back or on the old front lawn. The restaurant is painted dark, and has mood spotlights. Sometimes there's an old man who soothes the sole with some fine acoustic guitar in the Mexican/Spanish style. The opposite of the loud obnoxious Mariachi bands. One could see the temptation for the owner to pipe in techno/electronica, as it has that super cool European / New York City feel. Thankfully he doesn't and the guitar player couldn't be better.

One thing that hasn't changed: The food. It's classic Tex-Mex, but prepared extremely well. Variations of tacos, enchiladas, etc... plus some feature dishes. The hot sauce doesn't pull punches, and you all know by now that Mr. RJG likes that! There are only a few places in the US where Mr. RJG can say the Mexican food is truly better than Avila's. Mr. RP said the mole was the best he's had. And Mr. RP is one of the few people I know who's traveled more than myself.

For you folks, like us, who live in NE Tarrant - make it a destination some evening. It's never overly crowded, but never empty either. Oh, one more thing, after many years of holding out on the margarita trend, they finally applied for a hard liquor license, and will be serving them shortly! This is the only Mexican restaurant where Mr. RJG gets wine. Given the setting, it seems more appropriate than beer for some reason.

5/23/08 (new entry);10/17/10; 7/24/16

Mexican Inn Cafe ~ Keller, Texas

There are currently 10 Fort Worth area locations with two of those "temporarily closed" including Keller.

Latest visit: Jul 2016 (Keller)

First visit: Nov 2011 (Bedford)

Jan 2014 update: The good news is that Mexican Inn is back in Northeast Tarrant! They built a new structure only a few hundred feet from their old one that had to be demolished due to the construction. The 121/183 road expansion continues, so it's still a bit of a challenge to get here, so I recommend for local travelers anyway, to take back roads to Bedford Rd. It's nice to see that this Mexican Inn is continuing with the full menu, and as such, I replicated the meal that I had below, since it's been well over two years since I last had it. The trademark greasy fritos styled chips, house salsa, frozen margarita, and chicken/shrimp dish were excellent, as last time. The rice was very disappointing this time, and was slightly mushy in texture. The beans lacked the sharp bacon flavor, and seemed a bit murky. Mrs. RJG tried the chile relleno and it was a big miss. As such, her rating is Sell, but I'm maintaining the Buy, as the basics here are good. We'll see on our next visit if this was an anomaly or the new normal. 

Jan 2012 update: (Ft. Worth - Lancaster Avenue location): OK, moving this one forward as we have some updates to share. First, I regret to inform you all that the Bedford location is now closed. It appears it may have been a victim of eminent domain, with concern to all the construction in the area. Or it may just have lost its customer base - folks who didn't want to deal with the 121/183 mess.

So we decided to try the next closest location which technically is on Lancaster Avenue just east of Beach. Though honestly, the one on Henderson or Camp Bowie is probably just as quick to drive to. None of these are around the corner, that's for sure.

And what did we learn, that most of you already know? The 4 Ft. Worth locations and one Lake Worth site have much smaller menus than the Bedford one did! If we want Chicken and Shrimp Ole, we're going to have to haul much further south to Burleson or Mansfield. We were told that the old Bedford location may open in the Precinct Line / 183 area in Hurst near the NE mall (probably close to the new In-N-Out Burger I would presume). All speculation at this point.

Anyway, the small menu is not a huge deal, as the chips (fried fritos), salsa, and margaritas are the same. So I tried the arroz con pollo, which is chicken and Mexican rice covered with a chili cheese sauce and a few slices of jalapenos thrown on top. Mrs. RJG and I still enjoyed our respective meal immensely. Mexican Inn is just flat out a good old fashioned Tex Mex place. And this location was very nice and clean on our visit.

---Original review

It's been 6 years since our last visit to the Mexican Inn Cafe, a place that originally didn't make an impression one way or the other. And thus it continued to fall further down the stack in the database, and eventually was forgotten. But the RJG is trying to revisit places that were promising at one time and we just haven't bothered to go back. Such is the case with the Mexican Inn.

And in this case the promise was fulfilled. My original notes said something like "great chips, excellent margaritas, so-so tacos and enchiladas." And you know what? I'd still say something like that. BUT... there's more to the story this time. The RJG is no different than most of you I presume - it's all about finding the right dish. My greatest hesitation about writing off a restaurant is that I may have just missed the meal they do get right. And on this visit, already knowing that their Tex-Mex offerings are decent, but not great, I went for the Chicken and Shrimp Olé. Olé indeed! Now this is worth driving many miles for. The shrimp was buttery and delicious, while the tender white chicken breast is covered in a sublime chipotle barbecue sauce. The rice soaked up the shrimp butter, and was perfectly cooked. And the charro beans had a strong bacon flavor. Really.... wow, it was absolutely great. The kind of dish I could see craving. I have no idea if its consistent time in and time out, but I'm certain to find out. The Mrs. went for a more traditional Tex-Mex of a ranchero covered beef enchilada (she ordered chicken and got beef - eh, it happens - we didn't make a fuss) and a beef taco. The ranchero sauce had a nice kick, and she really enjoyed the dried ground beef. For me, the only drawback is the ground beef itself, which seems to be a bit bland to be honest. Which probably explains my original notes from 2005. And speaking of those notes: The frozen margarita (and the Mrs. had one on the rocks) was still excellent. And perhaps best of all - the chips themselves, which are entirely unique. They're fried corn strips that look like fritos basically - and taste delicious on their own even without sauce. I'll be honest here, the chips are seriously greasy. Crispy, but oily. I know plenty of folks that wouldn't eat these. But not the RJG! We don't run 4 miles a day for fun you know. Rather it's so we can enjoy food like this. And live to tell the tale. Oh, and finally the hot sauce is very good - a pureed tomato blend with a medium kick. Only downside is they don't have a "hotter one" for the RJG - oh, pobrecito :-(

Mexican Inn is a storied Ft. Worth legend that traces its roots to 1936. Like many places from the Depression era, the restaurant was founded by a colorful character, who also ran a gambling den upstairs - ensuring profits one way or the other. The original location was torn down only a few years ago. We've only been to the NE Tarrant representative in Bedford, but I suspect they're all well run. The closer you get to the heart of Ft. Worth, the more authentic it will get. The vibe that is. The Bedford location is Disneyland styled Old Mexico. I mean, what else could it be right?

Olé!

11/16/11 (new entry); 1/18/14; 7/10/16

Baja Cantina ~ DFW chain : North Richland Hills, Texas

So it looks like Baja Cantina finally put together something that looks like a corporate structure. They renamed Funky Baja's in Keller as well, and we still have that entry up on its own. Currently there are 4 locations, all in NE Tarrant or SW Denton: Keller, NRH, Watauga, and Roanoke

Latest visit: Jul 2016 (North Richland Hills)

First visit: 2004

Baja Cantina is the latest entry for the loosely knit local Baja chain that is slowly proliferating throughout NE Tarrant County. We recently updated the Funky Baja's entry, and if you search further into the blog, you'll find entries for Peace Burger and Dive Bar in Grapevine, as well as Baja Mex Grill in Watauga, both of which need updating. We've also been to Baja's Bar and Grill in Southlake, but that was many years ago, and we never reported back on it. Let's see how the new place stacks up.

If you've been to any of the Baja's elsewhere, then you'll find Baja Cantina is right in line with the others. We've always enjoyed their version of Tex Mex, and we were quite pleased with our first foray here. The chips were good, light and crisp, but not quite as corn tasting as I recall from the other establishments. The default red sauce they bring out is excellent, with a nice kick, filled with garlic, pureed tomatoes, and chilies. We asked for a hotter one (of course we did), and out came this mean looking red, which is their habanero sauce. It didn't look or taste much like a habanero to us, but it was excellent all the same, and made a nice complement to the table sauce. It's a $1 extra, but worth it. Mrs. RJG ordered the Machaca, a favorite breakfast staple of her Sonoran homeland. She loved the papitas (potatoes), eggs, beans, and finely ground meat which is the namesake portion of the dish. Think dried pencil shavings of ground beef, and you have an idea of the texture. I tried the cheese enchiladas with fajita chicken on top (I forget the name of the dish). It was with 2 enchiladas, one topped with a wonderful tomatillo, which wasn't as sour as most in the area, so that was a definite plus. The other was smothered in a creamy queso.  What was so nice about it, is the dish was served sizzling hot, so that by the time I was lapping up the final bites, the cheese still was pliable, and hadn't congealed, which is a common problem with this dish. The fajita chicken was appropriately grilled and flavorful, though a couple of the strips (but not all) were a tad tough, and probably the only demerit for the entire experience. The rice was excellent, with finely ground carrots. And the beans were a cut above as well, with a smoky flavor. And again the hot temperature assists with the quality of these dishes. We're excited to come back and try other entrees.

Drink: Yes! Now this is one of the best frozen margaritas I've had in a long, long time. Smooth, with a whopping tequila kick, and fantastic flavor. Not too sweet, sour, or watery. Just perfect. Mrs had it on the rocks, and claimed a similar high quality. When we got the bill, we realized perhaps why. $10 a pop. That's pretty steep, but you get what you pay for I guess. If they keep the quality up, I'll gladly pay it, but if they don't, they're asking for complaints. Of course they have a full bar as well, and a nice selection of Mexican beers. I didn't think to ask about craft beer, but this isn't really a place that needs it honestly.

Location: On  the west side of Precinct Line, just south of Davis, near the Super Walmart complex. This was originally a Beef O'Brady's, that we frequented a couple of times many years ago, but wasn't very distinct to be honest. When they left town, there was an interregnum period where a place existed called "Sports Bar". Or something dumb. I couldn't find a reason to go with a name like that. Baja Cantina I think is the perfect fit for the area, and should do well in this location, with only Mi Pueblo to provide local competition. They're pretty distinct from each other, so I think they both will thrive. The interior decoration took Beef o' Brady's and "Baja-ized" it. It's more open, and made to feel like an oasis on the beach. There's the hanging light bulbs, stuffed fish, and nets everywhere. And a bar area. There's also the now familiar Mexican wrestling theme as well. Weird culture that one is... Anyway, very welcoming place.

7/4/16 (new entry)

Los Jimadores Tex-Mex Tequila Factory ~ North Richland Hills, Texas

Los Jimadores now has 3 locations: Fort Worth, North Richland Hills, and Bedford

First visit: Jul 2016 (North Richland Hills)

We've driven by Los Jimadores a number of times, curious what had taken over the old Antonio's spot, that at one time we enjoyed immensely. When my wife first pronounced it to me, I thought she said something along the lines of "Humidor".  I thought it was some sort of vape place! Or an extension of the cigar bar next door at the very least. Well, apparently not. So finally the day arrived for us to try it. Let's venture in and see what we find...

Can I start with a pet peeve? You know we don't talk about service at the RJG much, because we realize that workers in this industry tend to be transient, and on "any given day" you might get great service or terrible. But what drives us nuts are these waiters who don't write the order down. What is the problem? Are they lazy? Are they trying to be some sort of 5 star restaurant waiter? Are they working on their memory skills? Write it down for crying out loud! Inevitably, as the waiter purposely heads to the kitchen with the full order in their heads, another table will flag them down for a refill on a drink, or something similar. And out of their cabeza goes the change details of our order. The point is to make the customer happy, not to impress us with your cognizant learning ability! OK, I feel better now. The food. Ah yes, chips come out. Decent, but ordinary. Two salsas are brought forth, both hot temperature (plus), One is a red, tangy and slightly spicy. Very good. The other is a black bean dip, similar to Lupe's, that is also very good. With our order, we asked if they had a spicier option? "You mean the green?" he asks. Uhhh... I guess so, if that's the hot one? But bonehead didn't write it down and we had to remind him as our meal was being served. A little late there bubba. Can I just state we were there for lunch and there were only 3 other tables with patrons, so it wasn't like some crazy busy Friday night. Sigh. Food, RJG. Food. I had the grilled chicken with chipotle sauce. It came out on a regular plate, and was warm. This is a dish that needs to be sizzling hot, preferably in an iron tray. The chicken was a little too perfect, as if it came from a Tyson's bag, and warmed over, not grilled. The sauce was a bit dull. Rice and beans were good (only warm though). Mrs. RJG tried the Poblano Enchiladas. They came out with a lime green sauce, as if it were an avocado type sauce. She wasn't too pleased. Her rice and beans were warm too. Needs to be hot fellas. It was good, but it wasn't near the quality of Antonio's in our opinion.

Drink: Had a frozen marg. You can tell they turned the machine on too late, as it was just barely frozen. Had we got there at open, we would have been out of luck. The flavor was excellent, though, so I was happy with the drink. Mrs. had it on the rocks, and she said it was the highlight of the meal. Not a good sign. Los Jimadores has a full bar if so desired.

Location: To find Los Jimadores, I'll copy in exactly what I wrote for Antonio's: On Bedford-Euless Rd. along a "nightmare's row" of boring chain eateries (with a couple of exceptions) that dot I-820 near Davis and Hwy 26. As the crow flies, it's right across the "street" from Northeast Mall in Hurst. That street is the Interstate. To note as an addendum, many of those chain restaurants have closed down, with only Red Lobster and Olive Garden still doing a land office business. The location itself is condemned I'm afraid. Our biggest gripe about Antonio's was the constant smell of smoke. It comes from the cigar bar next door. I think Los Jimadores did a better job than Antonio's in masking the scent, but not enough for either of us. It smells of stale smoke, like an old bowling alley.

Notes: This is Los Jimadores second location, the first being in Bedford. The Bedford location was a former restaurant with "tequila factory" in the name (can't recall it off the top), that we went to once years ago and were not impressed. In any case, Los Jimadores adopted the name for that location, but not the NRH one.

Rating: 3.0. OK, perhaps even a bit generous here. I'm seeing a lot of folks are high on this restaurant, and we even received a positive tip on the blog. Perhaps it was a bad day? It happens. Certainly the food was good, but not exceptional in the slightest, and we saw no hint of it. We'll give it a couple of years, and if the reviews keep piling in at a high level, we'll try it again. Fair?

7/2/16 (new entry)

Main Street Cafe ~ Keller, Texas ***CLOSED***

Last visit: Jun 2016

First visit: Jun 2015

We've been a few times over to Main Street Cafe, including very recently. A consistently good place, though the non-distinctive name and location keeps it out of the memory bank when thinking about places to dine. Of course, it tries to replicates the main street town diners of old, but that's hard to do without a grill that's been cooked on for 70 years...

Breakfast is the main draw, but they also serve lunch and dinner every day (except dinner on Sunday and Monday). We would categorize their breakfast as a "cut above" the ordinary places such as Denny's or IHOP. In the past, the RJG frequently questioned the variation for breakfast, as eggs and pancakes are often too similar to differentiate. But with the advent of skillets, creative omelettes, and artisan breads/meats, breakfast has become much more interesting in modern times. While we've yet to discover a standout dish, we've been more than satisfied with their breakfast offerings to date (omelettes, bacon & eggs, pancakes). We'd say that Main Street fits smack in the middle of the continuum from Snooty Pig to Old West Cafe in Grapevine (RJG feature coming soon!). We've also tried their lunch, and I found their cheeseburger to be quite excellent, giving stiff competition to the specialty houses in the area. Excellent hand cut fries as well. I'm most curious about their dinner offerings, as it has a distinct Italian slant. That will be our next venture.

Drink: Good coffee, and the usual juices. Since they are a lunch/dinner place, they do have a full bar as well. They used to carry Shannon, but we were informed recently that their customer base aren't really into craft beers, so they only have Bud Light, Michelob Ultra, that kind of thing. I'll be damned if I'll drink a Bud Light at this stage. We just get water (same thing, isn't it? haha).

Location: Even further south of Maria Cuca's on the strip of shops between the railroad and US 377 near downtown Keller. Its first tenant was Cedar Creek Seafood, and you can still see remnants of their original decoration, even though Main Street has been here since 2009. It's a spacious, bright and welcoming place.

Rating: 3.5. Reliably good breakfast and lunch, though not exceptional, and as such we are very infrequent patrons. Still curious about their dinner offerings.  Could go up from here.

6/11/15; 6/27/16 (new entry)

Wise Guys Pizza ~ Grapevine, Texas

Looks like they've added a location in Roanoke as well. This appears to be independent of the restaurants in California, so I'll leave as is. Interesting that I went in a 2 week time span, and never returned. Huh.

Latest visit: Jun 2016

First visit: Jun 2016

THIS... this is what I've been talking about in regards to artisan pizza and craft beers. The craze that is taking hold in America is reflected quite well here at Wise Guys. Though the pizza isn't really in the same category as Grimaldi's or Spin!, it's still a fine blend of well made pizzas and a superb local beer selection. Mrs. RJG and I had visited two weeks ago, and when Mr. Music and I planned a day of food, drink, and tunes, I decided this would be the perfect lunch location. Following that, I would enter it here into the blog.

Pizza is the main draw,  but they also have a fine selection of pastas, sandwiches, salads, and soups. We've only sampled the pizza so far, but based on the sauce that comes with the baked pizza dough balls (served pre-meal like chips at a Mexican restaurant), I am most excited to try their pasta. Mrs. RJG and I tried one of their Neapolitan pies with Italian sausage and fresh basil. The crust is a bit thicker than Grimaldi's for example, and it doesn't really seem like a Napoletana style to us. And what of it? We loved it anyway! Mrs. RJG who is very picky with crusts, especially thicker ones, enjoyed it immensely, as it had the right amount of crispiness and an excellent flavor, and that doesn't taste doughy. Cheese and sauce are the other key ingredients to any good pizza, and it's the latter where Wise Guys excels. Just the right amount of sweetness, and not dry at all. With Mr. Music, we decided on one of their "Specialty Loaded Pizzas" which they describe as thick and hand tossed. No way Mrs. RJG would go for this, so had to take advantage of the moment. While they are indeed thicker, it's once again crisp, and not just fat pizza bread that makes you waddle out. In fact we downed a 14 inch "Don All Meat", and didn't feel stuffed in the slightest. That's a good thing! Waddling out of a restaurant is not something we strive for. So 2 for 2, and I'm certain Mrs. RJG and I will be returning to split dishes and salads.

Drink: Best selection of local craft beers on tap we've yet to experience in NE Tarrant. Like Jack Mac's in Dallas, it's not a huge selection like Ginger Man or Drunken Donkey, and there's less than 15 taps. But it's all Texas, all craft, and not beers you find everywhere. Different brews from 3 Nations, Oak Highlands, Noble Rey, and Panther Island are hardly common in this part of DFW anyway. And they change frequently (they have a chalkboard - always a good sign). Impressive. Of course they have wine as well.

Location: Anchors the south end of a strip mall on the SE corner of Northwest Hwy and Park Blvd. just north of the 114 service road in Grapevine. If memory serves, this was once a Sonny Bryan's BBQ. Nice industrial decor, with a small bar area. Comfortable surroundings.

Notes: Wise Guys is actually from Southern California and they have two locations there (Orange and Yorba Linda). Grapevine is their 3rd, and so far last, locale. So it's not a corporate chain or anything, just a family owned operation, in 2 distinct geographies.

6/11/16; 6/26/16 (new entry)

Spin! Neapolitan Pizza ~ regional chain :

First visit: Jun 2016 (Southlake, TX - closed)

They're still open in Richardson and Frisco. Most of their locations are in the Kansas City area.

Spin! represents the latest fad sweeping America: Artisan Pizza meets Craft Beer. Something akin to Grimaldi's, but with more focus paid to locally made beers. In fact, we tried two such places while in West Virginia last week: Backyard Pizza and Raw Bar in Huntington and Pies and Pints in Charleston. It's the latter that is most like Spin! in that it's both a small(ish) chain, and that their menu offerings are similar.

If you've read these pages long enough, you'll know that Mrs. RJG isn't the biggest pizza fan you'll encounter. But she likes these kind of pizzas. The Napoletana style, that we first spoke about long ago at the now closed Campania, just a few blocks away. For our two visits so far, we tried the Italian Sausage and Onion 12 inch pizza. It was just the right texture and crispiness, while the pizza sauce is slightly sweet, cheese appropriately gooey, and the ingredients a higher grade that what one would find at the laughable Pie Five for example (editorial: Pie Five is nothing more than Pizza Inn made in front of you, but on a smaller pie - seriously?). We also like to split a salad, and their Caesar is excellent, with cold crisp Romaine, shaved parmesan, garlic croutons, and an excellent smooth dressing, not thick and nasty like some Caesar's can be. Oh and they include hot pizza bread as well (as if you need more bread... but it is good!). We'll be certain to try other pizzas in the future. They also feature gelato, which we have yet to sample.

Drink: As alluded to earlier, Spin! does put a focus on craft beers. Now it's not the most robust selection (7 beers I think?), but at least they are mostly local, and since they are from Kansas City, they also have a couple of Boulevard's on tap. Though I would wish they'd bring along some more craft breweries with them that we can't get here otherwise. But I'm sure that's way too costly (and as reader Mervis correctly points out, they would need to get label approval from the TABC, which is not something one should expect from a pizza place!). Their Texas beer selection is somewhat typical of the area, and they probably should have at least one Shannon on tap to support Northeast Tarrant. They do have Grapevine's Lakefire on tap though. They also have weekly "pint nights" where they feature a local brewery.

Location: In the "suburbs" (lol) of Southlake Town Square. You'll find Spin on the north side of Southlake Blvd, east of the main square, next to Pei Wei. If memory serves this used to be Blue Mesa, one of the more miserable meals we ever had. It appears Spin! has exorcised those demons. It's a large space, with plenty of seating. Walk in, order at the counter, receive your "number block". And then from there it's full service. So they hand you a swiped credit card receipt, and you add the tip later. It's a unique approach, but I think it's a good concept really.

Notes: Spin! is a chain from Kansas City that is branching out into major metropolitan areas around the US in a decidedly slow growth strategy. Fortunately we were second on the map, and there are now a few locations in DFW. On our first visit, the manager noticed our pizza wasn't shaped correctly, and gave us a free one on the house. Wow! We didn't even notice honestly. Perhaps it's because we didn't bring a "free pizza" coupon. Whatever the case, an excellent gesture, and a good way to develop brand loyalty. Oh - and I do recommend you join their Spin club (rarely do we say this). It's free and phone number driven, so you don't have to carry anything with you. They actually offer serious coupons ($5 on our last visit!).

6/13/16 (new entry)

Lou Viney's Restaurant & Pub ~ Sulphur Springs, Texas ***CLOSED***

First visit: Jun 2016

Mrs. RJG and I just returned from a week long road trip through the southeast, culminating in West Virginia, before heading back through Kentucky, Tennessee, and Arkansas. It's tempting to write about all the places we ate, as all of them were uniformly excellent - and all very much "local". But I fear readership would be small, and not of much use for most of you. Perhaps I'll pen a few notes on Trip Advisor for each of them.

But I didn't want to exclude Lou Viney's, since Sulphur Springs is in the vicinity of DFW, and it's definitely worthy of a destination drive. I think we've been to Sulphur Springs once, and I remember little about it. But times have changed, and the downtown area is revitalized, and quaint, with many restaurants, shops, etc... throughout. It's nice to see small town America have that same sense of relevancy as you would find in Europe for example. I wish our country would have competitions for "most pretty village" as they do in England. Certainly there are informal ones, but it would be nice for something more official. I think it would encourage local civic pride, and also help remove the all-too-common blight one sees on the roadside.

What's interesting about Lou Viney's is that this is exactly the type of food Mrs. RJG and I ate on the entire trip. A restaurant type that is more formally known as a Gastropub. I hate that name for whatever reason (sounds like an after meal condition), and so I'm now penning these places as Craft Tavern. Basically, freshly prepared meals with local ingredients, as well as a fine selection of craft beers and/or local wines and whiskeys. We were there for lunch, and it was our last restaurant before heading home. The menu is eclectic, with a large variety of mostly American oriented dishes but with unique recipes. Their most famous dish is Bourbon Chicken, but unfortunately it's only available for dinner, so we had to miss out. We each tried a cup of the chili, something that the RJG loves to sample at every restaurant since it's usually different. And this was no exception. I personally enjoyed it, but it lacked any kind of soupy texture. It was almost like a bolognese sauce in a cup, with finely cut ground beef and Italian sausage. They were out of the Broccoli Cheese soup, so Mrs. RJG decided to go forward with the chili as well, but it wasn't to her liking , though she did enjoy the flavor. It was just too much meat. This was followed by her decision to get the daily special which was the Patty Melt. Excellent she declared, though she couldn't finish it, as once again, the meat of the chili inhibited her from devouring the entire patty. But the fresh peppers were a plus as was everything else. The homemade potato chips were excellent, some of the best we've ever had. I went forward with the spaghetti and meatballs. Though they stated it was angel hair, it was more like a capellini. In either case, this is a difficult pasta to cook al dente, and they nailed it! Perfect texture. The red sauce was slightly sweet, and a bit chunky, but very much still a sauce. Superb. The best part were the homemade meatballs. It's been a long time since the RJG had meatballs this good! It's a lost art, and while Lou Viney's doesn't remind me of the meatballs of my childhood (different recipe), they are superbly seasoned. The garlic toast was also excellent, something I rarely notice or comment on.

Drink: Nice selection of wine and craft beers (on tap and bottle). We each tried a draught of the IPA from Woodcreek, a new brewery from Rockwall that I hadn't heard of prior. And it was excellent!

Location: As mentioned in the prelude, Lou Viney's sits in the middle of the revitalized downtown area. It's large open space, nicely decorated and comfortable. Outdoor seating is available as well.

Notes: Apparently Lou Viney's started as a wine tasting room, before branching out to a larger restaurant. Sometimes you'll see the name stylized as LouViney's, but the menu clearly separates first and last name.

Rating: 4.0. Warning, only one visit so far. But honestly I can easily see this rating going up with repeated visits. But since we are rarely in this neck of the woods, that may prove difficult. But you never know...

6/12/16 (new entry)

Kumar's ~ Plano, Texas

A small delay, as I had a couple of other projects to attend to. In the meantime, Mr. Music sent this one in recently. It looks like a restaurant nearby to our Indian Godfather. I'll have to ask him if he's been!

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Kumar’s South Indian Village in Plano is a unique experience. They are located in an OLD strip mall on Custer Rd in Plano. They serve home cooking and offer all you can eat on weekends. It’s not really a buffet, it’s much more fun than that! I went there with my friend on Saturday. We had to make reservations because it is very small (12-15 tables) and gets very crowded quickly. Our table was set with a tray covered in a banana leaf for each of us. We sat down at our table and I noticed in the middle of the room were these giant receptacles filled with fresh cooked basmati rice. The staff brings a big bowl of it over, and shovels a mountain of it in the middle of our tray. Then, servers come by with buckets of curries and other goodies. Depending on what you fancy, they ladle the food on the edge of your rice in different piles surrounding the rice. I had 2 types of mutton curry, chicken curry, & fish curry. Then they brought another round with lentils and spices, sambar (lentil stew with a variety of veggies) and rasam (tamarind soup). Everything was excellent, but I was quite partial to the mutton! They also bring roti (like a crunchy tortilla), deep fried peppers, Indian pickle, and a another condiment or two. For desert we had sweet pongel (rice and or dal with jaggery aka sugar, ghee aka butter and cashews); it was pretty good, but not my favorite Indian sweet dish, although by then I didn’t really need desert! Worth mentioning that Kumar’s is known for using much less ghee than most other Indian places. You can also get naan and a few other sides for an extra charge. One of the mutton dishes we tried, sukka (dry) mutton was only a few bucks and was very spicy and probably my favorite dish of the day; it was basically chunks of mutton that were smothered in spices without a real gravy. It was moist, but the spices didn’t drop off the meat! They also served a drink which was basically yogurt made from buttermilk with cilantro leaves on top. I loved it!

By the time we left, there were many people at the front and outside waiting for a table.

- Mr. Music review

DeVivo Bros. Eatery ~ Keller, Texas

Latest visit: May 2016

First visit: Oct 2014

I promised some new entries, so time to get crackin' on that. As mentioned, we do tend to enjoy our favorites, and have moved away from trying new places. Not only is that routine beginning to change (again) but there are some restaurants we've added to our favorites that we have yet to write about here. DeVivo Bros isn't quite in the latter category yet, but it's moving towards it.

We actually had intended on writing about DeVivo Bros. back in 2014, not long after it opened, and was receiving rave reviews even then, while racking up some local awards. We had a visit in October of that year, and unfortunately we weren't impressed, and decided to wait it out. Today, DeVivo Bros. is considered the #1 restaurant in Keller for both TripAdvisor and Yelp, and #10 in Zomato (where they list it simply as a "bakery"). But we all know that the latter is completely broken these days (we really do miss Urbanspoon). In any case, all these people can't be wrong. We must try it again. And are we glad we did!

Self-described as "Rustic Comfort Food", that seems as good as any definition I could come up with. Rural Italian perhaps would be another? A very unique concept (for America anyway), where you order up at the counter, sit, and wait until your meal is actually prepared and cooked. And then delivered to your table. Chef driven quick service restaurant? Yep, pretty much! The food quality reminds me of what we would get in Italy itself. All made with fresh ingredients, and unique recipes. Our first experience was a meatball sandwich, which wasn't distinctive enough for us to recommend. Something wasn't right, and the meatball seemed bland to me. On this visit, I tried the chicken parmesan lunch meal and it was absolutely delicious. Finally, someone understands the concept of crispy breading! The pasta was definition al dente, cooked to perfection. The sauce is a bit more chunky than I prefer, but it was delicious all the same with fresh basil, tomatoes, onions, and spices. And it was served hot! Mrs. RJG enjoyed a Devivo's Omelette, which is basically a vegetarian omelette with potatoes, and she stated it was excellent, though she would have preferred a bit more cheese. While not cheap, the prices are fair considering what you get. We just settled on water to drink, and so our total bill was under $20. And they show the courtesy of not expecting a tip, when indeed it is counter service. So we have every intention of going back and trying multiple things on the menu, as there are many tantalizing looking items. And yes, Zomato is right, they do have a bakery. But it's far more than that! They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Drink: It's BYOB, so yet another chance to save. Since we were there for lunch, we didn't partake early (not that we haven't done it before...).  Otherwise the usual assortment of fountain drinks, etc...

Location: Anchors the first of the endless row of strip centers fronting the railroad, south of downtown Keller (and south of Bear Creek), on the west side of US 377. The restaurant is very pleasant, airy, and bright. White dominates with black color enhancements. Ordering at the counter seems a bit awkward at first, since it doesn't look like a place to order. But they'll guide you through if you appear lost (which I often do...).

Notes: You can read all about the actual DeVivo brothers here. Solid, hard working duo. They've also expanded to Southlake and operate a Latin Fusion restaurant that we'll need to try. In addition to that, they also have a mobile fire truck (yes, a real fire truck) known as the Hook and Ladder Pizza Company, that provides catering. These guys are clearly on the upward trajectory. Bravo to them!

10/16/14; 5/21/16 (new entry)

Quick update from the RJG

Hello everyone! Back again, after a long silence. After a nice bit of restaurant going last summer and early fall, Mrs. RJG and I fell back into the habit of eating at home, with a few dinner excursions, mostly to our standby's that we've already written about here, and dutifully updated. Seems the Santa Fe trip wore us out! LOL. I have to say it's been a somewhat permanent status for us. It's certainly a lot healthier this way!

In any case, we do have a few exciting new restaurants to review, as well as continuing our update program. My original plan was to update an existing entry every three years, and that's still my intention. There are some long time favorites, and even those we only frequent occasionally, that need a good thorough scrubbing. So we'll be pushing those forward to keep them relevant and up to date.

In the meantime, we lost two more RJG restaurants to closures. One is Billadelphia's, a favorite of ours since the beginning of this blog, and one we always had front and center in the update column. They recently closed down, and now a Mexican take out is there (really? Is that we need - another one?). Maybe we'll try it anyway. The other is Apeizza e Vino, which was one of many Italian styled pizza joints to have sprouted up in these parts. We did like it, but only managed to get over there a couple of times. I suspect they had too many customers like us, and hence they are no longer here. They too became a Mexican restaurant (Un Rincon de Mexico) and we did try it and were nonplussed. So if you see our Closed Places tab on the right, 46 restaurants we've written about have now closed (including outside DFW). And that's just the ones we know about. It's been a rough industry for the last decade that's for sure. And I just recalled that the Freebirds on Tarrant closed as well. I'll probably just update that post with another location.

On the plus side, we have continued to see the development of the craft beer fueled restaurants, and so that can only be considered something to celebrate. More to come on that.

Concerning social media, it appears Zomato was hapless. The one bright spot was Alyssa, who may or may not still be there (and I have since found out she is no longer there - can't blame her!). In any case, she was unable to have executed any of the changes I suggested (like restaurant openings, closings, etc...). And as predicted, the site has fallen into disrepair. The readership is almost nonexistent. With Urbanspoon, some of the RJG reviews reached into the 1000's of page views, as it added up over time. Those days are long gone. We're lucky to get 100 anymore. Not very inspiring. Facebook is the ultimate ADD tool, and while we might get hits on the first day, there is no sense of history or reference checking via that channel. It definitely serves a purpose, and we'll stick with it. If we were more aggressive, we'd be all over it with constant postings, but that's not our nature.

Word on the street says more and more people are heading over to TripAdvisor for restaurants. That's interesting to me. I have hotel reviews on there going back to 2001 (!!), but under a different alias of course. But we never considered them seriously for restaurants, but there does seem to be more activity. So we plan on investigating further.

Back soon!

El Paseo Mexican ~

El Paseo maintains 2 locations, one in Fort Worth and the other in Azle. Keller closed in 2017.

Last visit: May 2016 (Keller - closed)

First visit: Jan 2003 (Keller)

When the RJG first started discovering Mexican restaurants in the 1980's, one of the logical axioms was that the more fancy the place seemed to be, the more bland the food proved to be. I felt this to be 100% true until deep into the 1990s, and suddenly one would find themselves in restaurants you would feel comfortable taking anyone to, and also would come out completely satiated. Such were my thoughts when I entered and exited El Paseo for the first time in 2003. And ever since...

As mentioned in prior posts, one can usually get a quick read on a Mexican restaurant based on the quality of their chips and salsa. Here the chips are excellent, very crisp, with a strong taste of corn (and lots of chili powder - see comment section as well!) while the salsa has more of a kick than expected. It's a tomato based sauce with garlic and chiles, reminding me most of the Herrera's chain in Dallas, though not quite that fiery. El Paseo seem to excel in the basics, and we here at the Regular Joe's Guide always admire that. Tacos, enchiladas, tamales, and fajitas are all excellent, though not exceptional. They claim a wide variety of spicy dishes, but none so far have proven to be that hot, though still good. Over the years, we've dug through the menu, and lately the RJG has become quite fond of the Pollo Ranchera. It's a large chicken breast, smothered in a smooth ranchero sauce, and comes on a sizzling fajita like plate, with excellent rice and beans. Mrs RJG speaks highly of their Flautas de Pollo as well.

We love their margaritas. Mrs. for on the rocks, and me for the frozen. It's a sweeter blend, with an appealing bit of carbonation. And generally contains a nice tequila kick. But not always... They also have a full set of Mexican lagers, and the usual non alcoholic drinks.

With multiple large rooms, a Spanish courtyard, a full bar area, and windows overlooking a city pond with views to Keller City Hall and the Art House, it would seem that El Paseo will be an anchor of the community of Keller for some time. Hard to miss the rather opulent structure while driving on Keller Parkway. It's on the south side of the road, just east of Keller Smithfield and slightly past (or before) the Tom Thumb shopping center.

Like many such nice Mexican restaurants, El Paseo possesses a heritage that is far more modest. In fact, the Keller location seems to be the pinnacle of achievement for the local chain, that also has locations in west Fort Worth, Azle, and Mineral Wells.  I haven't been to any of the other locales, but have driven by the Fort Worth one on Jacksboro Highway, and the outside appearance seems night and day. I believe they started in Azle in 1986, but details are scant. They have not expanded since the Keller restaurant opened.

7/5/08 (new entry); 5/15/16