Memo's Tacos ~ Roanoke, Texas ***CLOSED***

Last visit: Feb 2016

First visit: Sep 2015

Mrs. RJG and I are always on the lookout for good street tacos, and we thought it would be a good time to try Memo's up in Roanoke, as we were on our way out of town (more on that soon!).

The sign says "Authentic Mexican Food", and that's what you get here. You see places like this more in the barrios than in the suburbs, though that trend is fortunately changing. While they have a full menu of Mexican staples (tortas, gorditas, quesadillas, burritos, breakfast items, etc...), we went right for the street tacos ($1.99 each). And, as if to prove we've been married 18 years, we each ordered the same thing: (1) pollo asado, (1) carne asada, and (1) al pastor. So we have the same test dishes it appears. Immediately after ordering, out came some homemade chips and two squirt bottles of hot sauce. That's a nice touch, and not always something you can count on from taqueria's (unlike a restaurant where it is expected). The chips were excellent, with a good flavor, and they provide two bowls to squeeze the salsas into. The red is pretty thin, ideal for splashing into tacos, but not so much for staying on the chips. The flavor is awesome, packs a punch, and we think it's a chile de arbol. The green is thicker and more ideal for chips, but is also excellent for tacos. Great flavor and also contains some heat, so no mild options it appears (not that we care about that...). The tacos came out so hot (temperature) I couldn't hold them in my hands (that's a good thing). The double layered corn tortillas were superb, with an oil glaze. Our favorite was the chicken, which is wonderfully charbroiled. The al pastor comes in second, and had hints of pineapple, which is not as common as you would think. The steak was very good, though not as charbroiled or as tender as we usually like. We'll probably substitute something else next time.

Drinks: Well it says BYOB on the door, though for some reason we don't associate authentic taquerias with alcohol. But for those of you who do - that's a great savings right there!

Location: Memo's is right off US 377 along the strip that fronts the historic downtown. You'll find the store between Denton and Houston streets in an 80s era strip mall. It's a full service restaurant, though it looks like a typical counter serve taqueria inside. Just sit down and Memo will come by with a menu.

Notes: Memo's is in the same spot that once housed El Comalito Cafe, a place we tried back in 2005, was disappointed, and never returned. Memo's Tacos is far better!

9/7/15 (new entry); 2/20/16

San Diego Tacos Shop ~ Richland Hills, Texas

Latest visit: Feb 2016

First visit: Nov 2011

San Diego Tacos Shop proclaims to be the "best Cal-Mex fast food in DFW". I'm not quite sure who the competition is, but based on our one visit, I'm willing to give them the title (for now)!

Set in a day-glo mustard colored old fast food taco joint*, San Diego Tacos provides a wide array of every day Mexican fast food, as one would find in southern California. So what's the difference between Tex-Mex and Cal-Mex? Their website provides one chef's view, to which he articulates the various nuances of the two regional food cuisines. The website also describes their menu in detail - and in English. You may want to familiarize yourself with some of it before heading out, because the restaurant itself does not. However, pictures of the food line the wall for gringos like me.

Mrs. RJG, native of Sonora and a two year resident of Los Angeles, went straight for the Sopes which San Diego Tacos describes as "a traditional Mexican dish which at first sight looks like an unusually thick tortilla with vegetables and meat toppings. The base is made from a circle of fried cornmeal soaked in lime then deep fried. It is then topped with any of the below ingredients. The pinched sides of the sope are its most distinctive characteristic. " What's interesting to me, is the sope is exactly what their family refers to as a gordita. I've been eating "gorditas" almost since the day we started dating 16 years ago. Basically they look like fried ashtrays, with a refrito "soil" base, meat (chicken or grilled beef), lettuce, tomatoes and a Mexican white cheese. Here, that's called a sope. Not sure if it's just a "lost in translation" situation or rather different regions of Mexico interchange the terms - it's anyone's guess.

Whatever they're called, she thought they did a great job with them. The beans in particular she called out as being outstanding. And they used a Mexican cream as well. However, she said those two items dominated the flavors too much to truly appreciate the flavor of the meat.

I went for a carne asada taco, an adobada taco and an order of 3 rolled tacos & cheese. I asked for the hottest salsa they have, and out came the generic red ketchup squeeze bottle right from the fridge. I'm not sure what it is, but I love when salsa come out like this. I can just pour as much as possible onto my unsuspecting tacos. And as Mr. Music says when evaluating taqueria tacos, it's all about the seasoning of the meat and the flavor of the hot sauce. The asada was pretty standard, but I could taste the grilled meat. Good. The 3 rolled tacos are really flautitas by any other name. They came out super crispy, with a fine tasting beef inserted into each. And loaded on top with shredded yellow cheese. And at $1.65 for an order of 3, it's a super bargain. These were excellent. But the best of all was the adobada taco. You don't see adobada much in Texas (or even Colorado), but they're a staple in New Mexico, and it's something I seek out when there. Their menu describes it as "Pork marinated in adobo (chile) seasoning then roasted on a spit." Oh my goodness, it was outstanding! And the red salsa had a really nice kick (not too hot), but with great flavor. And when combined with the abobada seasoning, the flavors went crazy in my mouth. I loved it so much, I had to order another one. This is the kind of food I get cravings for.

I'm all in.

* - I'm almost positive this was originally a Taco Plaza. Do you all remember them? We had one in NW Dallas (on Forest) when I was a kid in the 1970s. My Mom didn't care for them much, so we only went for a couple of times (my Old Man wouldn't go near places like that in the 1970s - "place smells like a fart" he'd grump between puffs on his cigar...). Taco Plaza was bought out by ConAgra in 1977 and later bought out by Taco Bell in the early 80s. Most were converted (as I'm sure this one was).

12/5/11 (new entry); 2/14/16

Tacos y Mas ~

Latest visit: Feb 2016 (Keller - closed)

First visit: Dec 2012 (Keller - closed)

It appears the chain has expanded since we left, even though our former local branch closed. They did open another NE Tarrant location in Hurst where the rents are no doubt cheaper. There are currently 9 locations, most on the Dallas side.

Looks like the Keller location has closed. However they remain open in Dallas and Richardson (5 total locations). If we ever manage to try one, we'll revitalize this post at that time and move forward.

Tacos y Mas is one of our go-to spots in the local area when in the mood for a few street tacos.

As Mr. Music once noted, Tacos y Mas sort of fits a middle ground between the hardcore barrio lengua and sesos taqueria and the high end frozen margarita fueled fancy tacos that have penetrated the more affluent areas within the last couple of years. There are no margaritas here and the meats do not feature tongue and brains. After sampling a few of their tacos, I have to say the "senorita" is an absolute must. Wonderful tinga styled chicken that is quite spicy, and doesn't require any sauce. As for the $2 street tacos, definitely try the grilled chicken, steak, carnitas, or al pastor. All the meats are well cooked, loaded to the top, each possessing a great flavor on their own without needing a sauce - and they sprinkle a little onion/cilantro and add a lime wedge to each. But perhaps the real exciting factor is their 5 salsas that are stored in convenient squeeze bottles. The mildest is a Chipotle Mayonnaise sauce, that is delicious and goes best with any of their chicken dishes. The next sauce on the "spice meter" is the Ranchero, which is a noticeable step up on the heat. It's a typical red, but very tasty. The Verde sauce is next, and is arguable as to whether it's hotter than the red. Most likely it has more to do with the peppers in season rather than the recipe. The next two are the real winners of the batch for the RJG: The Bombero which is a mix of all sorts of chile peppers and was Mr. Music's favorite when he was here, and the Roja, a chile de arbol mixture that is my favorite. And they're working on a supposedly hotter green one that will be offered soon (as of June 2015, we're still waiting!). Anyway, I tend to splatter random sauces all over my tacos - and end up eating all of them in equal amounts. Well, maybe an extra squeeze or two for the Roja.... Worth noting that Tacos y Mas does serve breakfast everyday.

Since we first published this post in 2012, Tacos y Mas started without alcohol, then did have frozen margaritas for a short while (which were quite good!), before shutting that down again. So it's back to fountain sodas, or if you prefer, real Mexican sugar sodas (in the bottle) that are very sweet and use more natural ingredients. This includes Coca-Cola as well.

Tucked away in a strip center at the SE corner of Keller-Smithfield and Keller Pkwy. This particular location has a bit of history. Well, not their location but the one their predecessor moved into. Snooty Pig inhabited this space for many years, and as one of the only independent breakfast places around, was always too crowded for the relatively small spot. So they moved to the much large space a few doors down that was once inhabited by the very good Mezza Luna, a higher end Italian place that we wrote about a long time ago. Following their demise, a Thai restaurant called West of Asia took over. Quite frankly they were awful and I said as much on Urbanspoon. The owner surprisingly took me to task on the website, to which I responded even more harshly - and I'm sure did him no favors with potential new diners (who likes to see a spiteful owner? Just let the food do the talking!). They went out of business in about 3 months (no surprise to me), but resurfaced again as Chan of Asia (easy to change only one name on the neon sign right?). We didn't bother to go again to see if they magically improved, but of course they went out of business again shortly thereafter. At least now, a legitimately popular restaurant in Snooty Pig has usurped the spot, and will most likely be there for many years to come.

Tacos y Mas has a history dating back to 1997, and was pretty much a taco truck in a parking lot - that became known in Dallas via word of mouth. Now investors have joined in, and the Dallas Forest Lane location along with this Keller branch are their first forays into the "Mexican Grill" concept. I'm rather certain they plan on expanding from here. I do think they have a good thing going here, and fit a niche between the suburbanite sports-bar-taco-houses like Funky Baja's or Fuzzy's Taco Shop - and more traditional taquerias like Austin Taco House and Jalapeno's.

12/16/12 (new entry); 2/12/16

Pietro's Italian ~ Dallas, Texas ***CLOSED***

Last visit: Feb 2016

First visit: Sometime in 1984

When Mr. Music told me this earlier in the year, my heart sunk. It was reason enough to stop talking and writing about restaurants. All I can say is this: We did give you advance notice. The below was published on March 28, 2010, so Pietro gave you a good 7 years to check it out. If you missed it, then I'm sorry to say there is no replacement. No other place like it. A part of me went with it too...

January 2014 update: Pietro's is as magnificent as ever. Mrs RJG and I just had another exquisite meal here. It remains my all-time favorite restaurant even after 30 years of going here. I beg and urge you all to try it at least once if you have a hankering for Old School Italian food. I'm sure it will not be here forever. Pietro must be close to 80 now, and it's hard to imagine the restaurant without him. We try to go 3 to 4 times a year, almost always on a Saturday or Sunday because of the traffic to get to inner Dallas. Oh, and they straightened the signs. Too bad. :-)

February 2012 update: As stated in the original review, Pietro's is the RJG's favorite restaurant. We only get to this part of Dallas about twice a year, so it's a rare treat for us to dine at Pietro's (usually in the winter). If any of the below sounds the slightest bit good to you, then I would highly encourage you to go as soon as possible. Once Pietro is gone (and he seems as healthy as ever fortunately), you will not find this kind of restaurant in the DFW area again. There are few places like it left in all the US. It's from another era. Some folks are glad that's the case. Others like myself, miss the Sicilian cooking of immigrant Grandmothers. Even the outside signs are the same. One is bent, the other is incredibly worn. (The photos I took 2 years ago look exactly the same now). Pietro's is a living museum.

Be sure to read a couple of the heartwarming comments that were left by long time customers of Pietro.

Original review

To celebrate the second anniversary of the Regular Joe's Guide, I thought it would be appropriate to finally blog about my all time favorite restaurant: Pietro's.

In many ways, Pietro's is why the Regular Joe's Guide exists. The story starts with another Italian restaurant that was literally across the street from Pietro's: Ianni's. There's a Blockbuster in that location now (2012 update: Actually there's nothing now. The entire shopping center across the street is abondoned and empty - sad). It was there that my parents took me on Friday nights (about once a month) from the time I was a little kid (~1971) until I was about 15 or so (1980). At some point I'd like to reminisce about Ianni's, and the memories of the original Lower Greenville location - and their eventual downfall by moving - and attempting to go upscale (and uptown). The restaurant's name is now more notorious for the tragedy that befell them after their move. Google Ianni's and Dallas if you're not familiar with the details.

After Ianni's moved to North Dallas (and subsequently how disappointed we were with the new "concept"), we as a family began to look for our next great Italian restaurant. By that time, the RJG was old enough to drive, so we began our journey throughout central and north Dallas. And the winner didn't require too much research (though we did our diligence and tried about a dozen other places). I enjoyed that experience immensely, and thus began my desire to research and try as many different restaurants as I can. Combine that with a travel lust (not to mention various jobs that required 100% travel), and you have the RJG. Now you know.

According to the newspaper clippings in the main foyer, Pietro's has existed in one form or another since the mid 1960s. There are pictures of a young Pietro with two of his brothers and a chef from Sicily. Today, some 45 years later, Pietro still works the premises and dutifully makes his Caesar Salad in the main dining room. He greets all customers with a raspy throated voice right out of the Godfather. I'm not kidding.


The food defines old school Italian. Pietro's is the gold standard for the term. My favorite dish is the spaghetti and Italian sausage, which is unlike any I've had anywhere. To begin with, Pietro makes his own Italian sausage. I'll go on record right now and say this is the best Italian sausage I've ever had. Even wonderful markets like Kuby's and Jimmy's, who each make fantastic Italian sausages, cannot compete. Pietro's variety is very firm, almost like a steak, and slightly spicy. So firm in fact, you get a steak knife to cut it. Two large links comes with every order. The red sauce you get with the sausage dish will be different than any other on the menu, since he cooks the sausage in it all day. I've never tasted a sauce like this anywhere else. I mean ANYWHERE. And the RJG has been to at least 1500 restaurants (according to my personal database). I love the flavor. The pasta is a thin spaghetti (at times he's used vermicelli), and always cooked perfect (PERFECT) al dente. And the pasta has a wonderful taste as well, as he must flavor the water. I could eat it all by itself. I can't think of too many places where I'd say that. Favorite restaurant and favorite dish. The wife's clear choice is the Fettuccine Primavera, though she requests the spaghetti in lieu of fettuccine. Loads of fresh vegetables, and a tomato cream sauce. We've tried many things on the menu, all are very good, but these are our favorites. Name your favorite classic Italian dish, and compare Pietro's to it. It may not be an instant favorite (that rarely happens with anyone), but do consider that it's probably going to be somewhat unique. This uniqueness grows on you over time. The dinner salad is basic iceberg lettuce with tomatoes - again, perfect for the RJG. His house dressing is an oil & vinegar based concoction. While that may not sound terribly exciting, consider he uses only top quality vinegar, and you can taste the difference. The soups are good as well. Even the parm cheese found in the large glass container is a grade above.

Since this is truly old school, there is no BYOB. And so the bill can get expensive if you want wine. We don't care and splurge on a bottle of Italian red (Chianti, Valpolicella, Montepulciano, etc..). I know - the markups are ridiculous - but if it helps him stay in business, I'll pay it.

I've taken just about every type of acquaintance here over the years from family members, to old school chums, international music friends, business appointments, and a handful of romantic dates. For the last 14 years, it's generally my beautiful wife and I who will wine and dine here together. We go only a couple times a year and savor the experience. I can say without hesitation that the place has been popular with everyone I've brought. Many request it on return visits to Dallas. In reading some other reviews of Pietro's online, it's clear the place is not popular with everyone. If you're strictly looking for the modern variation of the Tuscan dining experience, I would avoid Pietro's. If you're looking for the old Sicilian styled restaurants that once dotted the American landscape in the mid century, then make a beeline here.

Pietro's popularity peaked in the late 1980s and early 90s, before the glut of new restaurants were thrust upon us. He had expanded the space over the years, and even then, it was standing room only on Friday and Saturday nights. It has always been popular strictly due to word of mouth. The Dallas Morning News generally ignored it, or made smarmy remarks about how "old" it was. Today the paper is far kinder to it, as one should respect their elders. Nowadays the restaurant is usually about half full even on prime nights, filled with long time customers and neighborhood families. It's retiring gracefully. There's never been a better time to experience it.

It's almost unreal that a place likes this still exists in 2010. Treasure it and do not take it for granted. There will be a day where the only way you can possibly experience a restaurant like this is because it will have been manufactured to be so. Pietro's is the REAL DEAL. A true artifact. It's not a trip to Disneyland, but rather an excursion to old undiscovered castle in Europe itself.


If you haven't been, or "it's been awhile" (hi Rude Dante), then please make the effort to go one time this year. Remember it's dinner only and closed on Monday's (another old school tradition). For those of you in NE Tarrant, I can assure you there is no place like this nearby and worth at least one trip. Just get on 114 or 183, and head towards downtown Dallas. Take the Woodall Rogers freeway (follow I-45 signs) that belts north of the skyline, and then take US-75 (Central Distressway) North. Exit Knox-Henderson, turn right - and wind your way through all the yuppie chef driven places that will go out of business soon (the RJG has probably seen 100 different restaurants in the area over the last 40 years, and that's not an exaggeration). But it's always great people watching as you attempt to drive through the cattle herd. Continue to Belmont, make a left and drive through the residential area. The homes on Belmont are some of the last remaining from the original neighborhood. The area has undergone tremendous gentrification over the years (there was a time when it was pretty iffy if you know what I mean). Eventually you will arrive at Greenville Ave. Make a right and the next light is Richmond. Make a left and look for the villa on the right. You can't miss the bent flashing lights old sign. 30-40 minute drive tops on a Saturday night.

Here's another enthusiastic review.


Seriously - just go.

11/28/92; 12/27/96; 9/11/03; 9/11/08; 3/28/10 (new entry); 2//12; 4/5/14; 2/6/16