Candidate Responses

The results are in!  Three candidates want to be mayor.  As of posting time, Betsy Price, Nicholas Zebrun and Dan Barrett have responded to the First Official Fort Worth Hole In The Wall Mayoral Candidate Questionnaire (TM).  Thank you to the above listed candidates for responding.

Below, you will find the questions asked, with the answers in bold.  I hope the citizenry of Fort Worth appreciates this contribution to their voting education as well as the time each of these candidates took in responding.  Responses are in order that I received them and i have added a small commentary to the end of each set of responses.

NICHOLAS ZEBRUN

1. Do you have a favorite local hole in the wall restaurant? If so, what is the restaurant and do you know the owners or would they recognize you?

Yes, a wonderful place off of Granbury Road called Charley's Old Fashioned Hamburgers. To my recollection this is the original one, even though they've now built a new location or two elsewhere in the city. I've never met the owners of the restaurant, but I'm sure some of the workers there would recognize me for always ordering the bacon cheeseburger with everything on it.

2. Please list your favorite restaurant for each of the following categories:

a. Mexican - Authentic - The Original
b. Mexican - Tex/Mex - On the Border; Close second - Chuy's
c. Mexican - Trailer/shack - N/A
d. Italian - Prima Pasta
e. Pizza - Mama's; Close second - Mellow Mushroom
f. BBQ - Cousins
g. American - Old Neighborhood Grill
h. Breakfast - N/A
i. Fried Food - Zeke's
j. Bar - Yupp's; Close second - 7th Haven; Close third - Scat Jazz Lounge
k. Patio - N/A
l. Best Live Music at a restaurant - N/A
m. Eclectic or other styles I have neglected on this list - Maharajah Indian Restaurant, King Tut's Egyptian Restaurant, Zeke's (best fish in FTW)

3. If Fort Worth citizens want to find you at a restaurant in the morning, where will you be?
I'm not much on eating out until lunch, preferring instead to stay at home for breakfast. If I am out early enough, though, you can usually find me at Starbucks, getting whatever frap I'm in the mood for and usually partaking of a pastry or sandwich.

4. Have you ever ridden a bike or walked to a restaurant in Fort Worth? If so, which restaurant?
No. Sadly most of the restaurants I frequent are not by my house; certainly not within walking distance. I can think of no greater rationale for a public transit line.

5. What is your view towards locally owned and operated restaurants and how do you think these establishments impact the character of the city?
I think everyone on the city council and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce should promote the development and creation of as many locally owned restaurants by local entrepreneurs and investors as much as possible. The city welcomes new restaurants and chains from other areas of the country, but our homegrown establishments are where the true history and flavor of our city is and there's nothing that makes us feel more at home than walking into one, knowing the owners by name, and anticipating a great, authentic, Fort Worth meal. That can never be replicated.

6. Why haven't you posted on Fort Worth Hole In The Wall before?
Honestly, I have only heard about the blog on and off and, as a rule, I don't post on many sites. However blogs such as this need to be more heavily promoted by members of the council and other institutions so that everyone can partake of the vast knowledge and insight that's out there from our city and area.

FWHITW COMMENTARY - Good call on Charlie's - which actually inspired me to head to Charlie's for the first time - but, On The Border?  Also, I agree to your response to #6 - City Funding for Blogs!!!

BETSY PRICE

1. Do you have a favorite local hole in the wall restaurant? If so, what is the restaurant and do you know the owners or would they recognize you?

Yes, Bella, we are good friends with Sal the owner

2. Please list your favorite restaurant for each of the following categories:

a. Mexican - Authentic - Paco and John Mexican Diner

b. Mexican - Tex/Mex - Joe T Garcia’s

c. Mexican - Trailer/shack - Melis Taqueria on Vickery

d. Italian - Bella

e. Pizza - Mellow Mushroom

f. BBQ - Railhead

g. American - Hoffbrau

h. Breakfast -  Panera Bread or Old Neighborhood Grill

i. Fried Food -  Flying Fish

j. Bar - Eddie V’s or Winslow’s

k. Patio - Hot Tub’s [Back Porch Grotto]

l. Best Live Music at a restaurant - 8 0’s

m. Eclectic or other styles I have neglected on this list -  Hamburgers, come see us at Fred’s Café

3. If Fort Worth citizens want to find you at a restaurant in the morning, where will you be?

Panera Bread

4. Have you ever ridden a bike or walked to a restaurant in Fort Worth? If so, which restaurant?

Yes, Panera Bread, Fuzzy’s Taco, La Madeline, Old Neighborhood Grill and Esperanza’s North Side

5. What is your view towards locally owned and operated restaurants and how do you think these establishments impact the character of the city?

Locally owned businesses are our core and what makes Fort Worth unique. Strong, vibrant small businesses build a strong city core. While chains still have their place, locally owned businesses add character to our city, and provide the flavor.

6. Why haven't you posted on Fort Worth Hole In The Wall before?

I haven’t had time to blog a lot

FWHITW COMMENTARY - You need to join the "Sal's Pals" club and get a shirt to wear to Bella. 

DAN BARRETT

 

1. Do you have a favorite local hole in the wall restaurant?   If so, what is the restaurant and do you know the owners or would they recognize you? I have several- is it breakfast, lunch or dinner?

I know many of the owners (and staff) at the ‘holes in the wall’ I frequent, including: Old Neighborhood Grill, Paris Coffee Shop, Montgomery Street Café, Chadra, Lili’s, Tommy’s… . And, yes, they would recognize me.

2. Please list your favorite restaurant for each of the following categories:

a. Mexican - Authentic - La Playa

b. Mexican - Tex/Mex - Old Rips

c. Mexican - Trailer/shack - Melis

d. Italian - Taverna

e. Pizza - Chadra

f. BBQ - Railhead

g. American - Lili’s or Ellerbe

h. Breakfast - Old Neighborhood Grill or Paris Coffee Shop

i. Fried Food - Drews

j. Bar - The Usual

k. Patio - Nonna Tata

l. Best Live Music at a restaurant – 8.0

m. Eclectic or other styles I have neglected on this list

3. If Fort Worth citizens want to find you at a restaurant in the morning, where will you be?

Old Neighborhood Grill or Paris Coffee Shop

4. Have you ever ridden a bike or walked to a restaurant in Fort Worth? If so, which restaurant?

Yes- almost all of the downtown spots when we lived downtown.

5. What is your view towards locally owned and operated restaurants and how do you think these establishments impact the character of the city?

I greatly prefer locally owned and operated establishments to virtually any chain. They play a vital role in giving Fort Worth its unique flavor.

6. Why haven't you posted on Fort Worth Hole In The Wall before?

“I was not aware of Fort Worth Hole in the Wall,” he said sheepishly. 

FWHITW COMMENTARY - That hurts Dan.  So I guess you spend your free time "working" and "being productive" and not "wasting time online"? 

Thanks to Nicholas, Betsy and Dan for their participation.  Unfortunately, Jim Lane and Cathy Hirt did not respond so we'll never know how they truly feel about these questions. 

Early Voting starts on May 2nd and Election Day is May 14th. 

Mayoral Race

People are constantly complaining about the failure of the media to cover important issues.  Whether you hate the main stream media, the local media, cable news, talk radio, etc, we can all agree on one thing:  nobody is asking the questions that we care about  Now with an upcoming mayoral election, the anger rises as the media fails to address the true feelings and opinions of the candidates.  The people want to know who these candidates are - not just the platitudes we hear repeated over and over.

With the pending pension battle, Trinity River Vision, transportation issues, and horseradish milkshakes, the city is at a crossroads and we can't rely on certain sources of news to vet our candidates.  Important questions must be answered.  To assist in this process, I have sent each candidate a questionnaire requiring answers for which they will be held accountable.  The candidates have until April 17th to respond and I will post the responses for your review. 

Thank you to Betsy Price and Nicholas Zebrun for responding already.  To the other three (we know who you are), you would be wise to participate.  The citizens of Cowtown do not care for ambivalence when the stakes are this high.

-FortWorthHoleInTheWall
Political Correspondent

Caros

UPDATE:  The review below is for Caros which is now Don Juan's Restaurant.  A review of the new restaurant will come eventually.  Thanks for reading.  But don't be shy about skimming my goat meat story below.  It'll make up for the wasted time of reading this message.

I get three emails a year asking where to have a whole roasted goat party.  I'm not sure why, but obviously I'm meeting a need with this review.  And, no, they're not all Aggies.

Caros is on the Blue Bonnet Circle on south University Drive and is a small, long-time favorite Mexican restaurant of many in the City.  I am not one of the many.  The price and taste of the food doesn't draw me here very often.  In fact, the only time I go is when people ask me to join them (and I desperately crave attention, so I go).  And although Caros is most famous for their puffy tostados and tacos, Caros has a unique notoriety for their "special" on the front page of the menu. Their "special" is a goat party. Give them two weeks notice and they'll wrangle up a young goat, put it over a fire and prepare a typical Mexican dinner with all the trimmin's - and a goat. The "special" feeds about eight for approximately $100. Unfortunately, I don't know seven people who would join me. Heck, I don't know seven people.


Bear with me for a moment as I word-paint you a story of a young man's goat history. 

A young lad, ventures through the city park in Brady, Texas on a hot Labor Day afternoon during his first ever World Championship Goat Cook Off.  Large pits of charcoal, slowly cooks tender, fall of the bone goat meat for an upcoming competition.  Samples are readily available.  The goat lust begins.  That same young lad, at home during the summer, a latch-key kid if you will, sits patiently in front of the TV as the funniest, most sincere show in history begins.  A unique family with two uncles, a formerly dirty comedian as the dad, two twin babies and a future drug addict sit in a park in sunny San Francisco.  No doubt, they were waiting for a goat party.  That same young lad heads out the door to the backyard to feed his two pet goats, named appropriately, Lunch and Dinner.  Fast forward to 2008.  That young lad first learns of the goat parties in the park at Caros.  Was the bucket list about to get a little closer to completion?

No.  If my previous meals are any indication of how the goat party would go, we'd have burnt beans next to a dried out goat, a surly owner/waiter, a grease lined piece of paper in a basket that was filled with puffy tostados, and dry tea glasses.  The only redeeming qualities I've found are the puffy tostados, guacamole and homemade salsa.  The three of those in any combo make for a delicious treat.  If only that were the meal.

I've had the enchiladas and the tacos and both were bad.  First, the enchiladas, are actually the enchilada - singular.  And although it didn't taste like anything had been burned, it didn't taste good - unless you like sour chili.  For about 8 or 9 bucks you get one enchilada, burnt beans and rice.  The tacos looked good when they came out, but the meat in the tacos was burned and tasted dried out.  Is my use of burnt and burned driving you crazy?  Good, because burned/burnt items drive me crazy.  Now we're on the same page.

The owner once told me that goat parties were done in the traffic circle park at one time.  Then the City asked them to stop serving goat in the park.  This story was told wistfully and the owner seemed to reminisce about the old days as though now everything is different.  Maybe in the old days the food was good too. 

I've been holding off on writing this review because I've longed for a goat party ever since I knew they existed.  I kept hoping I'd get roped into going back and have a good meal.  It hasn't happened.  It may just be that my goat dreams are that - dreams.  But for now I'll never know how the goat party goes.  No Aggie jokes there please, the Supreme World Universe Empress Champions of the Women's NCAA Basketball Tournament deserve your respect - not your goat jokes.

I'm sure many of you disagree with me on this because I hear lots of people say (incorrectly) "you have to go to Caros - its soooooo good."  Just remember, its okay for you to be wrong because you're not blogging about restaurants to the world.  I am, and I have a duty to the people to tell the truth (new policy).

Let me know what you think.

Caros is located at 3505 Blue Bonnet Circle.