Hope everybody has a Happy Halloween. Since you're probably not working hard today anyways, maybe you should head out to one of FW's finest holes. If you're not normally into dives or hole in the walls, today is a great opportunity to get a real scare. Instead of pulling into Applebees, head over to Drews. Instead of going to Wendy's, head down to Dutch's, Love Shack, Kincaids, Tommy's, Fred, etc.
Take a long lunch at Railhead and sit on the patio in the beautiful 80 degree weather and remember that November starts tomorrow.
What ever you do, Happy Halloween.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Monday, October 29, 2007
Fuzzy's
I have been meaning to review Fuzzy's for awhile, but I keep putting it off until I can think of something unusual to say. I still don't have anything, but I'll tell you why you should make this place a regular destination...
Cheap Shiner Bock.
Seriously. $2.50 for a schooner.
But that's not all folks. They also have great tacos. Fuzzy tacos. Well, not exactly.
I have been a big fan of Fuzzy's ever since my first trip, when I tried a shredded pork soft taco and the garlic beef soft taco. Now I have found there is a location on Race Street and its less crowded as well as closer to me so I'm now even more in love.
So here's the deal. They have a menu, and I'm sure its full of delicious treats. But don't get off course. There is one thing you need to look for. The "Baja Tacos". You can get these crispy or soft, but if you get them crispy, I hear the staff laughs at your inability to make good choices in life.
My favorite choices are the tempura fish and garlic beef. They come in soft white corn tortillas, stuffed to the top with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, cilantro, what appears to be shredded colby jack cheese (or monterrey and mild cheddar), feta cheese crumbled on top, and some garlic sauce. So its healthy and delicious.
First the meat. Whatever you get, its good. Unless they have chihuahua. I hear that's tough. But other than small dog, the meat (in my experience) has been ridiculously tender, well seasoned (but not over seasoned) and a perfect quantity for the taco. Second, the toppings. They are fresh, cool and crisp. No mushy stuff here. It's all very clean (not literally - you will leave dirty) but the flavors and quality are clean.
I have, on occasion, ordered the queso. It's a white cheese queso with a dollop of pico de gallo and shredded cheese that you can mix in. Honestly, I would save the money and buy an extra taco. Its good queso, I guess. It's creamy and flavored nicely, but seriously, its cheese. Get a taco and you'll also be healthier (with the exception of the lard infused tortilla wrapping).
If you really enjoy your tacos and want to try the "Butt Burnin' Sauce" you might as well throw your taco on the ground and step on it. Ok, that's an exaggeration and its just my opinion but I think the sauce on the table is bleh. I don't like it. I don't know why but I don't. But the tacos are so good that I don't feel the need to sauce them up. If I did, I would go with something other than that.
As I'm writing this I'm looking at the Fuzzy's menu. Wow, they have a lot of stuff up there. I'm not going to revise my earlier statements, but I would ask for any input from people who have tried some of the other items.
If you are considering going and you're near the Race Street location I would give it a shot. It's not very crowded and its in area that is sort of being revitalized. Service is quick and the food is cheap and good. For $8 and some change I had three tacos and a schooner of Shiner Bock. Really? How can you beat that?
They are also opening a location in Denton that will eclipse (in size) the two in our neck of the woods. If you were wondering, the other location is at University and Berry by TCU.
I am really glad that we have a place like this in FW. It's a cheap, casual place with great food, that you can show to out of towners. Then when they go back to Indiana or Idaho or wherever out of towners are from, they can say: "man, my FW friend took me to this place called Fuzzy's Tacos. I sure hope we get one here. Then they will reminisce and realize how poor of a decision they made by living in a place that isn't Fort Worth."
They probably ordered the crispy taco.
Let me know what you think if you've been there.
Note: Since this review was posted, Fuzzy's has opened numerous other locations. To locate them, use the google or bing.
Cheap Shiner Bock.
Seriously. $2.50 for a schooner.
But that's not all folks. They also have great tacos. Fuzzy tacos. Well, not exactly.
I have been a big fan of Fuzzy's ever since my first trip, when I tried a shredded pork soft taco and the garlic beef soft taco. Now I have found there is a location on Race Street and its less crowded as well as closer to me so I'm now even more in love.
So here's the deal. They have a menu, and I'm sure its full of delicious treats. But don't get off course. There is one thing you need to look for. The "Baja Tacos". You can get these crispy or soft, but if you get them crispy, I hear the staff laughs at your inability to make good choices in life.
My favorite choices are the tempura fish and garlic beef. They come in soft white corn tortillas, stuffed to the top with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, cilantro, what appears to be shredded colby jack cheese (or monterrey and mild cheddar), feta cheese crumbled on top, and some garlic sauce. So its healthy and delicious.
First the meat. Whatever you get, its good. Unless they have chihuahua. I hear that's tough. But other than small dog, the meat (in my experience) has been ridiculously tender, well seasoned (but not over seasoned) and a perfect quantity for the taco. Second, the toppings. They are fresh, cool and crisp. No mushy stuff here. It's all very clean (not literally - you will leave dirty) but the flavors and quality are clean.
I have, on occasion, ordered the queso. It's a white cheese queso with a dollop of pico de gallo and shredded cheese that you can mix in. Honestly, I would save the money and buy an extra taco. Its good queso, I guess. It's creamy and flavored nicely, but seriously, its cheese. Get a taco and you'll also be healthier (with the exception of the lard infused tortilla wrapping).
If you really enjoy your tacos and want to try the "Butt Burnin' Sauce" you might as well throw your taco on the ground and step on it. Ok, that's an exaggeration and its just my opinion but I think the sauce on the table is bleh. I don't like it. I don't know why but I don't. But the tacos are so good that I don't feel the need to sauce them up. If I did, I would go with something other than that.
As I'm writing this I'm looking at the Fuzzy's menu. Wow, they have a lot of stuff up there. I'm not going to revise my earlier statements, but I would ask for any input from people who have tried some of the other items.
If you are considering going and you're near the Race Street location I would give it a shot. It's not very crowded and its in area that is sort of being revitalized. Service is quick and the food is cheap and good. For $8 and some change I had three tacos and a schooner of Shiner Bock. Really? How can you beat that?
They are also opening a location in Denton that will eclipse (in size) the two in our neck of the woods. If you were wondering, the other location is at University and Berry by TCU.
I am really glad that we have a place like this in FW. It's a cheap, casual place with great food, that you can show to out of towners. Then when they go back to Indiana or Idaho or wherever out of towners are from, they can say: "man, my FW friend took me to this place called Fuzzy's Tacos. I sure hope we get one here. Then they will reminisce and realize how poor of a decision they made by living in a place that isn't Fort Worth."
They probably ordered the crispy taco.
Let me know what you think if you've been there.
Note: Since this review was posted, Fuzzy's has opened numerous other locations. To locate them, use the google or bing.
Friday, October 26, 2007
West and Clear
The bloggers who brought you Cowtown Chronicles, The Caravan of Dreams (the blog), FortWorthology, Panther City Bicycles, and 1/3 stop Vignette have teamed up to create Fort Worth's super blog. Add one more website to the list of addresses your company will block right before firing you for reading blogs all day.
This will give you an idea of what is covered on the site:
West and Clear
I"m so excited, my heart just turned to glitter.
That sounded too facetious. I really am excited about this, I just wanted to say the glitter thing.
This will give you an idea of what is covered on the site:
Like the city we love, and the river forks that give us our name, this blog is something that’s happened at the confluence of several powerful streams of creativity. We love Fort Worth, and we don’t feel like it gets the coverage it deserves from the usual suspects in the mainstream media. Too often those outlets are busy looking for fluff to squeeze into their pages or minutes between the ads.Our goal is to change that. We want to be the voice of the regular folks. We don’t want to issue “news” from our secluded tower downtown, we’d rather have a conversation with the people in Fort Worth who are actually doing the things that everyone’s talking about.
Along the way, maybe we can help you find a new favorite restaurant or pub. Perhaps you always wondered what the deal was with a particular building or bit of Fort Worth history. Or maybe you’re just looking for something to do this weekend, and you want a little more info than just a two sentence blurb.
West and Clear
I"m so excited, my heart just turned to glitter.
That sounded too facetious. I really am excited about this, I just wanted to say the glitter thing.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Magnolia Cafe - not in FW
If any of you have been to Magnolia Cafe in Austin and know of a similar place up here will you let me know?
For those of you who haven't been, its a 24 hour place that serves breakfast all the time but they also have all sorts of other foods (fish tacos, hamburgers, sandwiches, salads, etc). They also do a special evening menu that includes things like wild mushroom ravioli, some pork dish that was ridiculously good, shrimp enchiladas, etc. Again, all really good. It's part diner, part Lili's Bistro. But open more often.
If anybody knows of any place like this (other than Cafe Brazil) please let me know. If you tell me, and I eat there and hate it, I wont call you out on the most popular blog in Fort Worth covering Hole in the walls.
Also, I've made two new posts below so don't miss all the wonderfuliscioussness.
For those of you who haven't been, its a 24 hour place that serves breakfast all the time but they also have all sorts of other foods (fish tacos, hamburgers, sandwiches, salads, etc). They also do a special evening menu that includes things like wild mushroom ravioli, some pork dish that was ridiculously good, shrimp enchiladas, etc. Again, all really good. It's part diner, part Lili's Bistro. But open more often.
If anybody knows of any place like this (other than Cafe Brazil) please let me know. If you tell me, and I eat there and hate it, I wont call you out on the most popular blog in Fort Worth covering Hole in the walls.
Also, I've made two new posts below so don't miss all the wonderfuliscioussness.
Sorry for the posting Delay
My delay in posting has absolutely nothing to do with the lack of places to go.
It has everything to do with being gainfully employed and no longer having all day to wonder around town. Also, some of my favorite places aren't open late enough for dinner.
I'll be better.
By the way, if you've got any recommendations, I would love to hear them. And I actually do listen to them.
A poster mentioned the bean soup at la familia. I had that recently. Greatness. It would probably win first prize in my heart for bean soup. Granted, I don't give out awards, and my heart votes very infrequently in my food decisions (that's my stomach and tongue's realm). But I think its saying a lot if I say its good. I mean, I do have my own blog.
It has everything to do with being gainfully employed and no longer having all day to wonder around town. Also, some of my favorite places aren't open late enough for dinner.
I'll be better.
By the way, if you've got any recommendations, I would love to hear them. And I actually do listen to them.
A poster mentioned the bean soup at la familia. I had that recently. Greatness. It would probably win first prize in my heart for bean soup. Granted, I don't give out awards, and my heart votes very infrequently in my food decisions (that's my stomach and tongue's realm). But I think its saying a lot if I say its good. I mean, I do have my own blog.
Dutch's
Finally, I made it to Dutch's. I have been wanting to go ever since I heard about it. For the past few months its been built up in my mind, the trip that is. I was going to go and sit amongst hamburger angels and indulge in Grady's food for the unwashed masses (TCU students...jk).
But I screwed up.
I ordered a burger. Just a regular burger. And fries. No onion rings. I know. I'm ashamed of me too.
My thought with the burger was that I should try the basic and see if Grady got that right (because I know food better than him....?). The burger was fantastic. Great bread, nice thick tomato slices, shredded lettuce and a patty that fit the bun just perfectly. Not too thick, not too thin. Cooked a little more well than I liked, but not so much that it affected the taste. Good job Grady. Well, the guy standing back over the counter got it right. I'll now stop referring to Grady as though we are good friends. Sorry Chef Spears.
With the fries, I thought, surely these will be the most magnificent potato strips placed on this earth. To be honest, they weren't my cup of tea. They were somewhat limp and overly salty. I liked the style of fries, they were really dark and thin. But I don't like limp fries. I like fries with a little crisp on them. I'm thinking Railhead (note to self: go to Railhead ). Those are good fries. But, my friend got the onion rings. I didn't eat one because he's a horrible friend that wouldn't share, but they looked great and since he ate them quickly, I assume they're good. I'll get back to you on that one.
He also had the Bacon Bleu Cheese burger and it looked good. He ate it all and his response was "yeah, its good". I take that as a recommendation.
The ketchup was amazing. Just kidding, I'm not reviewing the ketchup.
So I messed up and should have ordered the Texana, the Hickory BBQ and Bacon, the Bacon Bleu Cheese, or the Chicken and Roasted Green Chile (burger? right....). But I think the regular ol' burger showed me that Grady got that right and I thought it was great.
Next time I'll get the onion rings.
On a side note. Dutch's is a bit pricier than what I expected. It cost me $10 something which is what I would pay if I went to a sit-down restaurant, but I thought for a "college hangout" it might be a bit cheaper.
Also, how come on Monday night (and thursday night three weeks ago) was the area around TCU so dead? I remember the restaurants near my college were always busy at the dining hour as students tried to escape the on-campus gruel.
But I screwed up.
I ordered a burger. Just a regular burger. And fries. No onion rings. I know. I'm ashamed of me too.
My thought with the burger was that I should try the basic and see if Grady got that right (because I know food better than him....?). The burger was fantastic. Great bread, nice thick tomato slices, shredded lettuce and a patty that fit the bun just perfectly. Not too thick, not too thin. Cooked a little more well than I liked, but not so much that it affected the taste. Good job Grady. Well, the guy standing back over the counter got it right. I'll now stop referring to Grady as though we are good friends. Sorry Chef Spears.
With the fries, I thought, surely these will be the most magnificent potato strips placed on this earth. To be honest, they weren't my cup of tea. They were somewhat limp and overly salty. I liked the style of fries, they were really dark and thin. But I don't like limp fries. I like fries with a little crisp on them. I'm thinking Railhead (note to self: go to Railhead ). Those are good fries. But, my friend got the onion rings. I didn't eat one because he's a horrible friend that wouldn't share, but they looked great and since he ate them quickly, I assume they're good. I'll get back to you on that one.
He also had the Bacon Bleu Cheese burger and it looked good. He ate it all and his response was "yeah, its good". I take that as a recommendation.
The ketchup was amazing. Just kidding, I'm not reviewing the ketchup.
So I messed up and should have ordered the Texana, the Hickory BBQ and Bacon, the Bacon Bleu Cheese, or the Chicken and Roasted Green Chile (burger? right....). But I think the regular ol' burger showed me that Grady got that right and I thought it was great.
Next time I'll get the onion rings.
On a side note. Dutch's is a bit pricier than what I expected. It cost me $10 something which is what I would pay if I went to a sit-down restaurant, but I thought for a "college hangout" it might be a bit cheaper.
Also, how come on Monday night (and thursday night three weeks ago) was the area around TCU so dead? I remember the restaurants near my college were always busy at the dining hour as students tried to escape the on-campus gruel.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Fried Hicken
I know what you're thinking:
"Fried Hicken, that must be some sort of inside joke. Oh I hope I'm let in. I hate being on the outside. Please let me in!!!"
So here it is. Have you seen the place just off of Belknap in downtown, before you get to the Palisades? Its a little convenience store on the north side of the road on the west side of the train tracks. Well, the sign says something about "Beer, Ice, Fried hicken" with a missing "c". I went in with a friend once to get some fried hicken but the scared looking man behind the counter said they had no hicken. It was a sad day.
And you're wondering, why do I read this rambling blog when I just want to know about hole in the walls. I don't know, but I appreciate it.
Lisa's Chicken. Thats the place. There are actually a few of them. I have now been to the one in Haltom City near the Race Street/Belknap intersection and the one on University, north of Seventh. Since the University location falls within the FW parameters of this blog, I'll discuss that one.
I went with a friend a few nights back and upon entering, we saw a decal on the window of the former pizza hut turned hicken house that said you could get a family meal of 15 tenders, two sides and rolls for only $11.99. If you remember what it was like to enjoy meals that allowed you to break a $10, you'll appreciate this. With drinks, our total came to about $14. We could have easily added a third person without running out of food. Along with our hicken tenders, we ordered mashed potatoes and fried okra. The potatoes came in a styrofoam container and were potatoes. The okra came in a box and was equivalent to the annual gross domestic okra intake (GDOI) of Idaho. Seriously, it took a fork lift to get it to our table.
So, we sat, with our 459 tons of okra, our potatoey potatoes, our rolls, and of course, our 15 hicken tenders. For those of you that eat hicken tenders, you know there are two kinds. The stringy, narrow tenders that have soggy crusts. And the tenders that come from the angels. They are juicy, plump, and covered in a crispy crust that makes you feel like a king...that only eats hicken tenders. They look like they come from giant five foot hickens somewhere in hina. They're huge. Without exaggerating at all, it took a crane to lift each tender. The okra, by the way, came from those same hicken tender bearing angels. It was divine. Crispy, hot, okra-ey. You know what I mean. Like the best okra you ever had at Luby's on Sunday afternoon.
Well, after four or five giant hicken tenders, I died. But only temporarily. After being revived by a splash of gravy, I counted the damage. Between the two of us, we ate about 8 tenders. We still had seven to go. We had to call it quits though. My friend called our sherpas, who hauled the load to my truck, and we left, destined to eat the remaining hicken tenders the next day.
What should you learn from this tale of the giant hicken tender place? Its that you should never order the family meal unless you actually have a family with you. Second, you should always schedule a coronary for the day after a hicken fest like we had. My heart screamed in the night. Apparently my stomach and arteries disagree on what is delicious.
Go grab a family (any will do) and enjoy some hicken tenders at Lisa's. I had fried hicken at the Haltom City location and would also recommend that. But fried hicken isn't funny.
The Fort Worth location is located at 500 University Drive.
"Fried Hicken, that must be some sort of inside joke. Oh I hope I'm let in. I hate being on the outside. Please let me in!!!"
So here it is. Have you seen the place just off of Belknap in downtown, before you get to the Palisades? Its a little convenience store on the north side of the road on the west side of the train tracks. Well, the sign says something about "Beer, Ice, Fried hicken" with a missing "c". I went in with a friend once to get some fried hicken but the scared looking man behind the counter said they had no hicken. It was a sad day.
And you're wondering, why do I read this rambling blog when I just want to know about hole in the walls. I don't know, but I appreciate it.
Lisa's Chicken. Thats the place. There are actually a few of them. I have now been to the one in Haltom City near the Race Street/Belknap intersection and the one on University, north of Seventh. Since the University location falls within the FW parameters of this blog, I'll discuss that one.
I went with a friend a few nights back and upon entering, we saw a decal on the window of the former pizza hut turned hicken house that said you could get a family meal of 15 tenders, two sides and rolls for only $11.99. If you remember what it was like to enjoy meals that allowed you to break a $10, you'll appreciate this. With drinks, our total came to about $14. We could have easily added a third person without running out of food. Along with our hicken tenders, we ordered mashed potatoes and fried okra. The potatoes came in a styrofoam container and were potatoes. The okra came in a box and was equivalent to the annual gross domestic okra intake (GDOI) of Idaho. Seriously, it took a fork lift to get it to our table.
So, we sat, with our 459 tons of okra, our potatoey potatoes, our rolls, and of course, our 15 hicken tenders. For those of you that eat hicken tenders, you know there are two kinds. The stringy, narrow tenders that have soggy crusts. And the tenders that come from the angels. They are juicy, plump, and covered in a crispy crust that makes you feel like a king...that only eats hicken tenders. They look like they come from giant five foot hickens somewhere in hina. They're huge. Without exaggerating at all, it took a crane to lift each tender. The okra, by the way, came from those same hicken tender bearing angels. It was divine. Crispy, hot, okra-ey. You know what I mean. Like the best okra you ever had at Luby's on Sunday afternoon.
Well, after four or five giant hicken tenders, I died. But only temporarily. After being revived by a splash of gravy, I counted the damage. Between the two of us, we ate about 8 tenders. We still had seven to go. We had to call it quits though. My friend called our sherpas, who hauled the load to my truck, and we left, destined to eat the remaining hicken tenders the next day.
What should you learn from this tale of the giant hicken tender place? Its that you should never order the family meal unless you actually have a family with you. Second, you should always schedule a coronary for the day after a hicken fest like we had. My heart screamed in the night. Apparently my stomach and arteries disagree on what is delicious.
Go grab a family (any will do) and enjoy some hicken tenders at Lisa's. I had fried hicken at the Haltom City location and would also recommend that. But fried hicken isn't funny.
The Fort Worth location is located at 500 University Drive.
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