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