i - THiS

Okay, I admit it.

I have a little i-envy. But, it's justified.

I can't walk into my favorite restaurant without thinking that some undeserving diner is becoming its mayor because of the i-app, Foursquare.

I can't ask a friend where the closest Jack-in-the Box is without getting an, "excuse-me-while-I-whip-out-my-imap," response.

If I want to change seats on an upcoming flight I have break out my laptop, or even worse, call an 800 number, which is today's equivalent of yesterday's pay phone.

The problem is I don't really NEED an iphone/pad/pod. I wish I did, but I don't.

I've considered getting one of those high-pressure/make-contacts jobs that would require the appropriate i-gadget, but I haven't.

There's just no compelling reason for me to to i-up, as it were, unless one considers an iPhone-for-iPhone's sake a compelling reason to buy. (Does the iPhone possess an intrinsic value or an assigned value?)

Regardless, I guess I'll be like Aesop's fox who, when he couldn't reach the sweet-looking but high hanging grapes, walked away saying, "they were probably sour anyway" . . . but not on Apple's i-Phone.

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New. Chuy's on 7th Street.

I'm not one to turn down a free meal, so when I received an invitation to the Chuy's Monday night pre-open I replied in the affirmative.

Before going, I scanned through the Chuy's website and learned that each restaurant prepares the chili sauces fresh, and that they use peppers from Texas and New Mexico, including the now famous, Hatch chili peppers. 

Okay, now I'm ready.

Monday night: I ordered the Southwest enchilida dinner. That's a chicken enchilida with a spicy-hot, green sauce, and served with a fried egg on top. It was Deeeelicious. Marian had the chicken enchilada with a less spicy, green tomatillo sauce. I tasted the sauce from her dish. Again, very good. Both plates come with beans and rice.

The chips were light, the way I like them, and served hot and lightly salted. We ordered guacamole for an appetizer (hey, it was free) and I am happy to say that it, too, was good. It needed a little salt, and maybe some more chopped onions, cilantro, and peppers, but the avocado was fresh.

Chuy's salsa is pico-de-gallo-like and was my least favorite item. I prefer the more spicy-hot, but sweet, tomato-based salsa (think old, old El Chico's). That being said, Mexican salsa, like Italian spaghetti sauce, is very much a regional and family thing. As long as it's fresh I am happy. And it was.

Prices were in the $8 - $14 range, fairly priced. The portions: huge. If those are the normal portions, no one will walk away hungry from a $9 enchilada dinner. I did not have any of their hand made tortillas. My mistake.

The building layout, its design, and atmosphere are all fitting a new, mid-size chain of restaurants. It's a colorful, funky blend of the Southwest, Mexico, and Texas. I liked it.

Monday night's mood was festive, the restaurant was very busy, and everything seemed to be working well. I predict that this 7th Street location with its mid-range prices and Chuy's style of Mexican food will stay busy for a long time.

The biggest compliment I can give the Chuy's on 7th is this: I will be returning for that southwest enchilada dinner plate. It was very good.

http://www.chuys.com/
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Chuy's, the company, has been around a long time. They started in Austin in the early 80's, found success, and move outward from there. They now have about 25 restaurants, mostly in Texas, but also a few in the southwest USA. I think this restaurant is a nice addition to 7th Street.
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FAQ: What do you post if you don't like a "special invitation" dinner, considering it is free? 
I won't post anything at first, I return for a paid meal and then post my opinion, good or bad. For more information see: Policies



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Wilson's Barbecue. The best I've had?

Those of you who live in the Meadowbrook area as I do, will recall a little building at the intersection of 820 and Brentwood Stair which has housed every kind of eatery from fried chicken to fried donuts. The average lifespan for each is around three months.

It's now Wilson's Barbecue. I noticed it the other day, so stopped by for lunch -- and I hope it lasts a long time.

Is it the best I have had?

It's hard to say in one visit, but I will say this.  Wilson's sliced beef barbecue sandwich was lean, juicy, tasty, and stacked high in the sandwich -- and the thought did run through my mind, "this might be the best barbecue sandwich I've ever had."

I ordered the dinner plate which was a good portion of sliced beef, pinto beans, potato salad, two slices of bread, and an iced tea. The potato salad was a little sweet and over blended for my palate, but good, nevertheless. The pinto beans were perfect. The beef was as good as you can get, in my opinion. Price: $11. Probably about what you'd pay at any good barbecue place, but a little higher than my normal lunch budget.

This is very good barbecue, if you've been, please tell me if you agree. Wilson's also serves the usual rib plates and the like.

Wilson's has two locations, one off Camp Bowie, and a new location on the Eastside at Brentwood Stair and 820. It's right off the freeway, next door to the What-a-burger .

Two Locations:
Wilson's Barbecue
5633 Lovell Avenue (after post note: Jake says this location is closed.)
Fort Worth, TX 76107 
(817) 763-9482 () ‎ 

Interstate 820 & Brentwood Stair Rd. 

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Two election graphics.

I spend way to much time looking at election statistics and graphics. I need to justify the time somehow, so I thought I'd post two that I thought particularly well constructed. Republicans had a good day on Tuesday, some readers are happy about that, some are not; this post is not an editorial on the election's outcome but on the reporting methods.

As a side note, this is the first election that Twitter was a big part of, and in some ways, the first election web-based advertising and reporting made itself almost indispensable. That is, print, television, and radio are being forced to incorporate Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter, etc. 

If you have any thoughts on the subject, please comment. I think this is an interesting trend.

Back to the graphics.

The first image is pulled from a group of ten depicting Republican and Democrat swings in House membership for the last 50 years. It was produced by the New York Times. The link is here: NYTimes Wave.

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The second takes statistics from Twitter use and highlights the number of posts related to candidates running for governor or the Senate. It also is a creation of the NYTimes. Click Here

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Ranger Fan? Read this.

Brandon Thibodeaux for The Wall Street Journal

Saturday, the Wall Street Journal ran a front page article on two Texas Rangers fans who have been believing in their team since day one, almost 40 years. The paragraph below is pulled from the article. To read the rest: Wall Street Journal article.

"When Tom Schieffer was president of the Rangers from 1991 to 1999, the nuns were never shy about giving him advice about how to run his team, he says, and which player "needed to pay attention to his personal life."
Sister Frances is no fan of former owner Tom Hicks, and was none too pleased when, in 2000, he signed Alex Rodriguez to a 10-year-deal worth $252 million. Hicks Sports Group was forced to sell the team in bankruptcy court this past summer.
"He didn't know beans from bull foot about baseball," Sister Frances says of Mr. Hicks."

Sisters Frances and Maggie attend every home game and they are still predicting the Rangers to win in seven.

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