The Right Way to Make Scrambled Eggs

I have been cooking breakfast for "lo these many years" and it was just last year that I learned the right way to make scrambled eggs. It was Christmas morning, I think, I was getting ready to make the breakfast eggs and my daughter, who is all things Food Network, said, "dad, turn the heat down low and they'll taste better." I did and they did.

Add butter to a warm pan, let the butter bubbles burn off, then crack the eggs directly into the pan. Slowly cook and occasionally scramble. When they are done they will be moist, not a uniform color, meaning not perfectly scrambled. Turn the heat off just before they are done so that they will not over cook in the pan. Salt to taste while cooking. I don't add milk or water to my scrambled eggs. For a change I fry onions and chopped peppers, saute', add the eggs, slow cook and just before they are done add a few chopped tomatoes.

For the tastiest eggs, get home-grown or free range. When my daughter was young I had 6 or so chickens in our Fort Worth backyard and even though every so often I would find them grazing in the neighbor's front yard, it was worth it, the eggs were much more flavorful and colorful than store bought.

Coming Soon: The Cowtown Marathon

The Cowtown Marathon is great local event. It's a legitimate Boston Marathon qualifier and it's in Fort Worth.

If a marathon or half-marathon scares you off, try the 10k. If you can't run the 10k, walk it. Or the 5k. I promise you will enjoy being downtown with thousands of runners and spectators. Can't walk or run too far these days? The marathon is always looking for good volunteers.

February 23, 2008. Good Luck.

http://www.cowtownmarathon.org/

Hmmmm . . . .

Police: Drunk drove lawnmower to liquor store.
(in the snow)

Associated Press. ADRIAN, Mich. --

Authorities say a man ran through two bottles of wine, then cut through a snowstorm on his lawnmower, riding down the center of the street to reach the liquor store. Adrian police say they found 49-year-old Frank Kozumplik homeward bound on a John Deere tractor Saturday night, toting four bottles of wine in a paper bag. He told officers his wife had taken their car to work, and the mower was the only way he could reach the store two miles from his southern Michigan home.

Police told WLEN-FM Kozumplik's blood alcohol level was 2 1/2 times Michigan's legal limit of 0.08 percent. They arrested him on a drunken driving charge and confiscated the mower.

Kozumplik declined comment when reached at his home Monday night.

Sgt. Pepper Taught the Band to Play . . .

I had just read a weblog's headline, "It was 26 years ago today," a slight change to the original line, but still my response was to continue with line two of that famous Beatles song. And that got me thinking (dangerous).

Words, phrases and images, like these, become a part of a common culture in many ways, today most often through a medium other than the traditional words, music, paintings and architecture of our forefathers. That is, today our common images are received through TV, movies, mp3 files and the like. I'll make a lot of enemies by adding and I think we are the worse for it. I think there is a qualitative difference between watching a play in a theater and watching a movie on a screen. Or watching a live piano performance, versus listening it on an iPod. Don't ask me to prove it, I can't, but I do observe it. That's not the point of this essay, and regardless of what I think, we live today, not yesterday and our common understanding of the world is audio-visually inspired.

We complain about the presidential election being overly influenced by photo-ops, TV commercials, and debates that are non-substantive. The truth is, we are moved by them more than we realize or want to realize.

Every family or close group of friends has common words and phrases that mean something special to them and them alone; towns, nations and even the broader cultures do, too. These words and phrases are loaded with meaning and shades of meaning and provide parallels to reality that help these groups commonly relate to the world around them. We remember great lines from great movies, songs and books for the same reason that Hellenic peoples remembered Homer's stories of Achilles and Odysseus. Theoretically, I may prefer their method, but their way and ours are both ways of enjoying a story and of identifying ourselves with the story.

Images are important, metaphors are important. Every once in a while I read of someone referring to the mind as a kind of memory chip, and I cringe with fear of that becoming the accepted metaphor for man. I could moralize here and say that this is why it is important to have good books, music and literature in our homes and around our children, but that's not really my point of this essay and I'm not sure I like stories with morals.

Truth is, the lack of a point in this essay, reminds me of line from the movie, Trains Planes and Automobiles: said Steve Martin to John Candy, "...When you're telling these little stories? Here's a good idea - have a POINT. It makes it SO much more interesting for the listener!"

Pillow Talk?

I refer, not to the conversation between a man and woman as they are lying in bed -- but to the fact that the older I get the more important it is to me that I sleep with my pillow. The skinny, non-descript, fiber-filled, K-Mart pillow with a plain-blue, cotton cover. It fits neatly in the hollow between my head and neck when folded in half. If I don't have this pillow or something very close, I get a neck ache and can't sleep. When I'm traveling and leave it at home, which I recently did, I'm doomed.

My thin pillow is running counter to the big pillow trend. Beds that once had one pillow per person, now are laden with pillows of many shapes, sizes and fabrics all designed to give the bed a boudoir look. This wasn't true when I was first married. Pillows had their place hidden under the sheets and blanket at the headboard. Today, the female inspired pillow boom-cycle make the pre-cleared bed uncomfortable for anything but looking at. Our bed at home has no less than 8 pillows. And they have migrated from bed to coach to comfortable chair. There are more pillows in my house than places to put them. Where' does this end?

My sleeping needs are modest, I don't need sheets with 400 stitches per inch or feather comforters or matching pillows; but I do need my thin pillow, I wish I didn't but I do.

Collections

I collect essays, letters, obituaries and any display of good writing in compact form. If I agree with it it helps. But I do collect writings with which I disagree as well -- if it is well written. I have a filing cabinet drawer full of clippings, magazines and photocopies, but today one can find many of them on the web.

Every once in a while I reread one. I won't bore the readers of this blog with them often, but here's one of my favorites: The Silent Friendships of Men.

Concise, well-written, humorous, and a good story. The kind of writing I wish I could do.

My Favorite Shrimp Dish

Another recipe from RJS.
--------------------------
This is a simple and guaranteed, crowd-pleasing shrimp recipe. Instead of bread, try it with fresh corn tortillas. I have found Mi Cocina’s tortillas to be very good and they can be purchased by the dozen.

1 lb. shrimp
2 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. minced shallots
1/4 cup Tequila
3/4 cup heavy cream
Juice of 1 lime
1 1/2 tbsp. cilantro
1 tbsp. grated lime peel

Clean and de-vein shrimp.
Melt butter in large skillet, cook shrimp, stirring rapidly and cook about 2 minutes.
Add shallots, saute 15 seconds.
Add tequila slowly (may flare up).
Add cream, cook over high heat about 1 minute.
Using slotted spoon, remove shrimp to hot platter.
Add lime juice to pan and bring to a boil for 30 seconds.
Add cilantro.
Spoon sauce over shrimp.
Sprinkle with lime peel.

If you know a place to get good homemade and fresh corn tortillas, please let me know.

Hmmm . . . .

How to Cook Oatmeal -- Properly.

I don't know about you but I eat differently in the winter than I do in the summer. In the summer, I eat plates full of fresh vegetables and fruit. In the winter I like hot soups, hot chocolate, and one of my favorites, a big bowl of hot oatmeal. I appreciate the fact that everyone likes even simple things like oatmeal prepared differently, and I try to be tolerant in matters of taste -- but I draw the line at overcooked and mushy oatmeal. That's just unacceptable.

Which is why I called this post -- how to cook oatmeal properly. Here's how:

Follow the box instructions for portions of water and oats, I use about a 1 3/4 cups or so of water and a cup of oats. Get the water to a good boil. Add a pinch of salt. Add the oats, maintain the heat for 5 - 10 seconds to get the water and oats back up to boil, then turn off the heat and place a lid on the pot for a minute or so. The important thing to remember is this: do not follow the instructions to cook the oats for 3 minutes or 5 minutes. That guarantees mush. Boil the water, pour oats in water. Cover. Let sit. Simple.

When you remove the lid the oats will be al dente, not mushy.

Toppings are personal. Like the pancakes, I like yogurt, honey, frozen berries and peanut butter. Cinnamon is perfect here. Even whole natural sugar crystals. If you use yogurt, make sure the oatmeal has cooled slightly or the yogurt will curdle.

One thing I don't understand is why people buy instant oatmeal packs. Instant oatmeal is just oatmeal cut into small pieces. Buy the whole Quaker Oats "old fashioned" oats in the canister, or even better, buy it from the bulk bin at Central Market or Whole Foods.

About 500 calories, including my toppings, and a hearty meal.

P.S. -- If you buy the organic plain yogurt, whatever you do don't discard the clear liquid that separates from the solids in the yogurt. The liquid is the good protein part.

------------- Similar posts ----------------

How to Make a Milkshake, Properly: milkshake-properly.html

How to Make Bruschetta, Properly: bruschetta-properly.html

How to Make Whole Wheat Pancakes, Properly: Whole wheat pancakes

In the News: Some Things are Just Cool.

You think you're SUV is killing you at the pump? Try fueling up a cross-Atlantic cargo ship. About 50,000 gallons a stop. The high price of fuel got cargo guys thinking of a way to save a couple of bucks, or Euros in this case.

So, some ingenious fellow decided to add a large para-sail to the bow of the cargo ship. Then add 100 yards or so of line, allowing the sail to rise to where the winds are stronger and steadier, and then let mother nature take over. Voila, wind power. I love the simplicity, economics and the aesthetics.

Fuel savings: 15 - 30 %.
Investment payback: 3 years

By the way, 65% of the USA consumed goods are moved by cargo ship.

The "Perfect Meatball" Recipe

Guest Post by cook, RJS.
----------------------------------


I rarely enjoy something as much as I enjoy a big plate of spaghetti and meatballs. There are many versions of the meatball; some make them with pork and beef, some like them Swedish or really spicy. I have experimented with baking the meatballs vs. cooking them in the sauce, using egg or not, using only Parmesan cheese or a blend of cheeses, Italian breadcrumbs or plain, using pork and beef, using different fat contents in the beef and on and on and on.

Last night I think I hit meatball nirvana. After much experimentation over many years and hundreds of meatballs, here is my recipe:

2 lbs beef: 85/15 fat content ( too much fat makes a greasy meatball, not enough doesn’t keep them moist enough.)
½ onion diced
2 cloves garlic diced
1 tbsp olive oil
6 slices of bread made into crumbs
8 oz parmesan cheese shredded
4 oz mozzarella, shredded
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp cream

Sauté the onion and garlic in a pan until translucent, mix with beef and the rest of ingredients. Use your hands! Don’t over work the meat or it gets mushy. Brown the meatballs over med/high heat. Once brown on the outside, transfer to sauce and finish cooking in the sauce. You can bake them, but they will tend to be a bit dryer than cooking them in the sauce.

Questions? Comments?

How to Dress-up those Whole Wheat Pancakes

Jeromey got very close to the way I prepare the whole wheat pancakes. Some people think it's a little over the top healthy, but here's the way I do it:

-- 1 big whole wheat pancake, hot and steamy.
-- 1 full tablespoon scoop of natural, plain yogurt, cold.
-- very light shot of honey.
-- Whole berries. Fresh or frozen. Or sliced banana (not berries with syrup).
-- Here's the kicker: 1 tablespoon of all natural crunchy peanut butter.

That's about 600 calories and very filling. No bad carbs. Lots of protein from the yogurt, egg (from pancake) and peanut butter. Good oils. Fiber. The yogurt has a little sourness to it, which goes nicely with the wheat and berries. I'm telling you, this is perfecto.

And yes, I will make this late at night, too, CW. The batter only lasts about 24 hours, but, but, but, if you have extra batter, make the pancakes. Let them cool to room temperature, plastic wrap them and place them in the refrigerator. When you want one, place it in the toaster, toast it twice, and they are as good as new. Butter, jam, and you have a great late night snack.

Cooking, Pancakes, and the Crisis of Year 2000.

Cooking is part science and part art, so they say. When I cook, I am usually hoping for a dash of dumb-luck, since I am untrained in the culinary ways. Vegetable beef soup suits me just fine because one can throw things in until it tastes right, if it doesn't, give it a new name, and serve it up. The fact is that many common dishes are the result of necessity, scarcity or abundance, and leftovers. Pizza, being the most famous.

My favorite time to cook has always been in the morning, especially when my children were, well children. It's quiet, the coffee smells good as it brews and one has the time to prepare without interruption. Saturday morning was usually french toast, sometimes waffles and sometimes pancakes, plus eggs, bacon and orange juice. For the french toast, I'd buy a fresh baguette, slice it, and make small almost bite-size pieces. Small slices have more crispy sides per square inch, easily slide around the pan, and kids love them (put a little extra oil in the pan, get it "french-fry" hot and the toast will be crispy).

A couple years ago my wife bought a wheat grinder and buckets of whole grain wheat kernels. I think this was the "stock up for the coming crisis in the year 2000" era in our home. On day 2, year 2000, we were still there, with electricity and everything else before the crisis, so I decided I better figure out a way to consume a garage full of wheat. (I'm not exaggerating by much, trust me). Hence, whole wheat pancakes.

Here's the good part.

Whole wheat pancakes, made from freshly ground wheat, are about as good and tasty a breakfast as one can have. This I am not exaggerating. They have all the good taste of pancakes with the addition of a rich, nutty flavor from the whole wheat -- and if made right, fluffy too.

What made me think of this was a recipe for whole-wheat pancakes in the New York Times this week. The author claims to get fluffy pancakes from whole wheat flour. I never had that much trouble with it and I used the Betty Crocker cookbook recipe that my wife has had forever. The two recipes are similar, the Betty Crocker recipe uses buttermilk, which I prefer.
Whichever recipe you use, remember:
-- Do separate the eggs, whip the whites (I do it with a fork), and fold them into the batter.
-- Don't over stir when adding the wet and the dry ingredients. 5 - 7 seconds is plenty.
-- For a special breakfast, find some real maple syrup, even a grade B. There is a difference.

Here's the recipe: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/16/dining/161mrex.html?ref=dining

Tomorrow: my crazy (but I think, best) way to eat whole wheat pancakes

Speaking of Food Memories . . .

Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal ran a story on the end of the HyDrox cookie production and on their loyal but disappointed customers. In 2003, Kellogg's, today's owner of the product, pulled from the production lines this American cookie classic. Loyal followers have done everything possible including petitions and websites to convince the company to re-introduce the line, but to no avail. It seems that Oreo's, a top-ten snack seller and HyDrox' competitor, could not be challenged profitably and Kellogg's decided to stop trying.

Honestly, I was more of an Oreo fan but HyDrox, created by Sunshine Cookies in the early 1900's, was the original.

In the same issue, and on a more serious note, the Journal reported the death of Richard Knerr, co-founder of Wham-o Toys. Folks my age remember the Hula Hoop. Everyone knows the Frisbee, but they also invented Silly String, the Super Ball and the Slip & Slide. Few products of such simplicity become a part of a culture, the Hula-hoop was one of the first, the Frisbee maybe one of the biggest. I seem to remember a hula-hoop champion on the Ed Sullivan Show gyrating his body with a dozen rotating hula-hoops. I am not sure why we were fascinated by that but we were. Almost spellbound, actually.

There was an American quality to Wham-o's inventive products. They required a user's physical involvement, they could be easily mass produced and distributed -- and mass marketed, and of course, they were made of plastic, something new at the time of the hula-hoop. Besides Monopoly, Barbie, and a few other games and toys, it's hard to think of other products as widely known and loved.

Make That a Big Mac . . .chiato.

You have probably read by now that McDonald's is store-testing the sale of espresso and cappuccino, and as a part of that test, how well they can train their own "baristas" to make said drinks.

They are after a bigger swig of the retail, brewed-coffee sales especially after the success of their new, premium coffee. The question remains whether cappuccino sippers will be interested in imbibing while surrounded by kids, kids meals, and construction workers in a hurry -- even if it is cheaper. And there is the obvious problem of store quality and consistency, it's one thing to teach someone to make coffee, another to make a good caramel macchiato -- training that Starbucks does amazingly well. I happen to like Starbucks coffee (sorry Jeromey) but I also know they are selling more than coffee. They are also selling escape and image, something McDonald's can't do, at least in the present store configuration.

The other side of this venture is old-fashioned, corporate warfare. McDonald's sees a chastened, and now vulnerable, Starbucks whose stock value has halved in the last year and who has dramatically slowed domestic store growth, which at its peak was 2,500 new stores a year (over 6 stores a day, a mind-numbing figure).

Personally, I think McDonald's could pull off the espresso move and not hurt Starbucks. It's not necessarily a crossover market.

The reality is as I have said, Starbucks to date has had no nation-wide competition. Dunkin Donuts is trying, 7-11 has their steady share of quick-coffee buyers, and McDonald's at present is low-fat competition. Starbucks created the U.S. coffee as a meeting/reading/relaxation concept and is king of the hill. Their current setbacks notwithstanding, they are here for a long while and are very, very profitable. Krispy-Kreme they ain't.

I like the McDonald's move, but my research uncovered one final question: Will we soon refer to them as Mickey D . . . caf ? Sorry.

New to Fort Worth? Attend the Stock Show.

When I moved to Fort Worth, it was called the Fat Stock Show. Now, it's just the Stock Show and there have been a few more than a hundred of them. If you want a good look and feel into Texas tradition and particularly Fort Worth tradition visit the Fort Worth Stock Show. The Stock Show has all the amenities of a county fair and a serious competitive element of showing animals and selling stock. Plus, you have the rodeo.

My wife is from England who grew up in farm country where sheep dog trials were the main event of the county fair. We saw one at the Stock show and it was very enjoyable.

Young children love the small animals, rabbits, chickens, and you name it, it's judged; older folks like the dog shows and horse shows, and everybody loves the rodeo.

It's all worth the inexpensive admission. Once you have paid the small admission fee there are dozens of free events including music, animal shows, milking parlors, etc.

January 11 - February 3, 2008

Check out the calendar of events at their website: http://www.fwssr.com/default.asp

Have a favorite Stock Show event or story? Please let us know in the comments.

Hate Junk Mail? How About Spy-Cam Mail?

Specifically, the cameras at designated Fort Worth
intersections that click and report you in your car running that red light. Then, a couple weeks later, their owners send a notice of violation to your mailbox, including three pictures of the violator (you) and a demand for payment of the $75.00 fine.

Does this bother anyone but me?

I have a few questions. Who's guarding the data? Let's just say someone wanted to impose a picture of my license plate over someone's car that looked like mine? How difficult would that be? Are these documents proof of violation? Can one plead "not guilty"? How do they know my car wasn't stolen? Or, that it wasn't loaned it to a friend?

Okay, it's a red-light violation and not a violation of the 1st Amendment, but there is something annoying about it. Is it all that necessary? Fort Worth is a great town that doesn't need this kind of law enforcement.

(By the way, I didn't receive one, I know someone who did)

Which Presidential Candidate Do You Match With?

The test below evaluates your views with the views of the major Presidential candidates and suggests which candidate should get your vote. It also tallies a number score for each candidate.

My top candidate ended up being John McCain with a score of 24. Interestingly, the candidate for whom I think I will vote in the primary came in last among my political party.

Please share your results.

Comic Book Talk

Bear with me here. This one may be for the over-50 crowd.

In the previous post a couple of readers got me thinking about the 5&10 and Drug Store my buddies and I frequented. That got me thinking about comic books, because that is often why we went. As a younger comic book reader, the Superman, Batman, Aquaman comics were enjoyable to me, but the Kryptonite story started to get a little old, even with the tricked up gold Kryptonite, which was instant death, not slow sapping of powers like green. Batman didn't have enough powers, and Aquaman? The whole underwater superhero never cut it for me. I was looking for more.

Sometime around the age of 13, enter Stan Lee, Marvel, Jack Kirby art and Spiderman. Then Daredevil, Sargeant Fury, Captain America, Silver Surfer and the Fantastic Four. Now we're talking. Super heroes that talked like we did, had funny relatives, told jokes, had girl problems and a believably, imperfect life. Every hero had a flaw. This was to me, the comic-book equivalent to a literary work of art, the difference between a dime store novel and Doystoevsky. And the drawing: more detailed and truer colors. Crisper.

But my primary comic book memory is this. On any given summer Saturday, my friend and I would mow the neighbors yard, get paid a dollar each for the labor, walk about a mile to Tigue's drugstore, leaf through the comic rack (hoping the new edition had been released), grab a comic each, sit down at the soda-counter, order a 5-cent coke each from the sturdy, gray-haired lady behind the counter (dressed in all white), pull two stick pretzels from the glass jar, and sit there for 30 minutes or so with our refreshments and comics and read and talk like bigshots.

Total cost: twelve cents for the comic, a nickel for the small Coke (no refills) and a penny per pretzel. 19 cents each. Not bad, and we still had 81 cents in our pockets.

A Burger for the Hungry Traveler ---

If you are ever in the eastern part of the country, including Philadelphia, Washington, Baltimore and Richmond, and I think even down into Florida --- and you are looking for a real hamburger, go to a Five Guys. Wow. Fresh meat patties, cooked after you order. Double stacked. Boardwalk style french fries and a lot of them. A big burger, more fries than you can eat and a drink for $8 -- in center-city Philadelphia. Not bad. Can I start one in Fort Worth?

The Five Guys guys have won a griddle full of "Best Burger" awards from New York to Washington, and in my view, they deserve them. I'm going back.

http://www.fiveguys.com/

The Liberty Bar -- San Antonio, Texas

If you are driving South on 281 just north of Downtown San Antonio, you will see a neon sign for the Liberty Bar. You will most likely look over at the restaurant and say, ‘hey that place is leaning more than the tower of Pisa! They gotta fix that place.’ You probably won’t end up eating there because, hey, you’re in San Antonio and you have to go to the Riverwalk. And, ultimately, you will have made a great big mistake because the Liberty Bar is the best restaurant in town.

I could talk about how the restaurant has been there for 120 years and is owned by the same family now as then (has any family even been in FW that long?); I could talk about the Chile Rellenos, the Milanesa, the Chess Pie, and all the other dishes that are loved by locals; I could talk about the fresh-baked hot bread with real butter (!) that is at every table; I could talk about the easy home-like atmosphere; but I won’t. I will only mention the Pork Chops. Get them. They are great.

10,000 Hits. And the Mind of a "Blogger."

This web log's meter will hit 10,000 today. Nevermind that 5,000 of them were me editing what I just wrote 5 minutes ago. It's still 10,000. Okay, it's actually 9,000. I started the meter at 1,000 because I didn't want to look like a rookie. When I get to 11,000 (the real 10,000) I am going to celebrate by opening a bottle of Texas' finest carbonated water.

But let me tell you something about "bloggers" (a contracted word I do not like, by the way). For your information, the writers of web logs are self-deluded ninnies (ninnies?) who think that people actually care what they think. Me included. They also believe that they are experts in the field about which they write. And they believe either that they can write in respectable and understandable English, or that they should write as a street person talks to be authentic. The first is delusional the second is stupid.

Regardless, thanks to everyone who takes a minute out of their day to read and to comment. I enjoy the discussion. I really do.

Speaking of Change

My family and I arrived arrived in Fort Worth in 1982. 25 years ago. The oil business and the banking business were at a lowpoint. A struggling downtown was occupied by normal daytime business activity, a few leftover department stores from the 50's, like Monnigs, the Worthington, and a couple other hotels, a skating rink in the Tandy center, the Tandy shuttle, a few restaurants, shoe stores and the like, and not a soul to be seen at sundown. The once thriving downtown was suffering. Most American cities of respectable size were the same.

Enter into Fort Worth Sundance Square in the mid 1980's, and then a movie theater a year or two after that, and the downtown revival begins. Add an unexpected real estate boom cycle, a significant population migration to the south, and today, the natural gas deposits and Fort Worth is booming again. Sundance-type activity is moving south towards the post office and north with Uptown.

Long-term residents of Fort Worth speak of the stores and places they remember, most of which were struggling to survive when I arrived, here are a few of those 80's place I miss:

Mott's on Lancaster was an old 5&10 that wasn't alerted to the existence of Walmart. It had hardwood floors and a one window post office in the back. Its aisles contained items consistent with life's necessities: colored threads, sewing needles, socks, sneakers, a shirt or two, moth balls, soaps, assorted cutlery, bubble gum, candy bars, lingerie, Dickey jeans in a few sizes and one could walk those aisles without completing a marathon, with the pleasant sound of squeeking hardwood under foot. Of course, there were no electronics, but you could find a few board games like Monopoly or Life, and a deck of cellophane wrapped playing cards as well.

Taylor's Bookstore: the original, local, big bookstore. No coffee shop, nowhere to sit, but the books were good.

The original La Madelaine was a fine bakery and coffee shop. A great cafe with a limited menu, but fresh breads and pastries, flour bags stacked in once-open spaces, baking ovens, and a baker man, eyebrows, arms and baker's bib dusted with white flour -- and lots of happy customers.

The downtown Larry's shoes. Pushy, but knowledgable sales people who always said, "they look great, how do they feel ?" I still have a pair and wear them.

The old Texas Ranger baseball park. The aluminum cheap seat stands were fun to tap your foot on with the rest of the crowd. It was small venue and the baseball wasn't that great but the summer nights were perfectly hot for watching the games, and the beer was always ice cold. And occassionally you could catch Charlie Hough having a smoke in the dugout between innings.

Those few stores, notwithstanding, Fort Worth is a better place to live than it was in 1980. The parks are better, the restaurants are better, just about everything has improved but the traffic. The next 10 years will see expansion and growth similar to the last 20. Fort Worth is a great city to watch grow. As I have mentioned before, growth and improvement are not to be taken for granted. Just look at Detroit or Cleveland. They have lost half their population in 10 years with property values dropping as they go.

If you are an long standing resident of the area, here's a website with a lot of photos.
http://www.fortworthyesterday.com/

If you have a favorite 70's or 80's business or restaurant let me know.

One Big Prediction Oversight

Sunday's Fort Worth Star Telegram featured an article on the Trinity River Development. The Army Corps of Engineers has been suggesting that the Oxbow section of the Trinity River on the east side be added to the river's redevelopment. I hope we approve the suggestion and that some day that section of the city on the near north and east that is now flood plane will be developed into parks, residences and business.

If you've seen any of the plans you will agree that it is a monumental project. That is not hyperbole. I mentioned in the "Best Of" post that the Cowboys Stadium will change Arlington forever -- that was a tad hyperbolic. The Trinity River project is on a different scale. If it is completed in any way as it is proposed Fort Worth will be a different place with a river that is integrated into the heart of the city.

Best of 2007 (some surprise entries)

For the Best of 2010 go to: Best of 2010
Best of 2007 -- Fort Worth and Area:

Italian: Ruffino's. Pleasant dining atmosphere. Unhurried. Needs better bread.
Mexican: Mi Cocina - downtown and Cantina Laredo - downtown. Good food, more expensive than La Familia, but in my opinion, the food is better, too.
Pizza: Charlies Pizza on Meadowbrook Drive. Real New York style made by a real New Yorker.
Bread:
Whole Foods - Arlington. The only authentic bakery in town anymore.
I know the pastry chef of the North Dallas store. They're serious about their bakery. The Dallas-Fort Worth area does not have many old stand-alone bakeries. I wish we did.
La Madelaine's at one time had an authentic French baguette and other good baked goods. But don't get me started on that trainwreck passing itself off as a bistro.
Forget Corner Bakery.
Panera's has some decent breads, especially when they are fresh.
Central Market's breads all taste the same.

Intermission:
Bread is a perfect item for combining the five elements of pleasureful food: taste, texture, aroma, appearance and temperature. Does anything taste better than the aroma and appearance of fresh-baked, crusty bread? Some breads are chewy, others airy, some are better warm, others toasted, etc. Most local breads are all appearance and none of the other four. If a bagel-shaped bread product is not made from boiled batter it is not a bagel. It is a roll. Just as a patty made from a vegetable to look like a hamburger is not a hamburger. It is a veggie-burger.

Speaking of Bagels: Yogi's on Hulen. They are good.
Donuts: Pauls, off Magnolia. Good people, good donuts.
Chinese: I have no idea.
Sandwich: Carshons is our readers choice for sandwiches and F&FW agrees. Central Market at I30 and Hulen, also.
Burger: Kinkaid's, Tommy's, Boogie Burger. All good. You can have the nouveau places including Pappa's. Too expensive.
Coffee: Starbucks on University. Busy enough to have to make it fresh all the time. And nice folks as well. We need more locally owned coffee shops. Eurotazza is good. 4-Star is another local trainwreck.
Steakhouse: Del Frisco's, Downtown.
Best Destination Restaurant: Reata
Barbecue: Angelos on White Settlement.
Dining Restaurant Downtown: The Chop House on Main Street.
Beer Downtown: The Flying Saucer.
Beer elsewhere: Ginger Man on Montgomery and Bull & Bush.
Ice Cream: Braum's, $1.50 for a single dip of pretty good ice cream.
Biggest rip-off ice cream: Marble Slab.
Margarita: Mi Cocina.
Fajitas: Papasitto's on I30. Good beef, fresh flour tortillas. Cantina Laredo is a close second.
Sushi: Hui Chuan Sushi, on Camp Bowie.
Thai: Suk a Thai, in Arlington.
Nicest Small Restaurant Atmosphere: Zambrano's downtown.
Best Place to use wifi: Panera Bread on University.
Best View of Fort Worth: From the hilltop at Channel 5
Bet You'd Love It: the bicycle walking path on the North side of downtown
Best Bicycle Shop: Colonel's, TCU area
Best Bookstore in North Texas: The used Bookstore in Denton.
Best Place to buy vegetables: Fiesta Market on 8th Street
Best Radio Sports Talk: The Ticket, 1310 am.
New Night time drive-by: Lancaster south downtown. The street lights are in and look great. Coolest re-developing street: Lancaster Boulevard downtown
Best Pool Tables: Fox and Hound, Downtown.
Only Great Pool Tables in DFW: Dave & Busters / Dallas (also, real snookers table)
Best Date for the 50+ crowd: Dine anywhere downtown, attend a show at Bass Hall, or walk and have coffee and desert as you go.
Best Movie theater: Rave at North East Mall.
Most Improved Park: Botanic Gardens. Been lately? it's worth a visit.
Most Underappreciated Great Amenity: Trinity River Park and Botanical Gardens.
Favorite Architecture: Modern Art Museum
Most Dependable Good Meal: Charleston's on Hulen. Okay, it seems no one under 50 is allowed in, but the food is still good.
Most Looked forward to Development: Omni Hotel and Dallas Cowboys are two but there are many more.
Biggest how much money are they losing development? Montgomery Plaza. How long can the condos stay empty?
5 Year Prediction: The Dallas Cowboys Stadium will change Arlington for good and in a smaller way the entire Dallas - Fort Worth area. This really is big. Dallas will receive the least benefit of the major cities in DFW. What city receives the most benefit? Arlington, of course, then, Fort Worth, DFW Airport, Grapevine (hotel accomodations), Grand Prairie, Irving (the new use of the old stadium property will be better for them) and finally Dallas. The "center of gravity" in DFW has been shifting west and north and that trend will continue. The Cowboys stadium and the Texas Motor Speedway make Tarrant County a place with 2 of the countrys largest performance venues.
5 Year Prediction #2: Remember the old Graduate movie line: "think plastics." Well, if you are starting in business today, "think shale, Barnett Shale." Its effect on Fort Worth will be long lasting.

An Afternoon Beer

Americans don’t drink much beer in the afternoon. Sure, there is your local Billy down the street who drinks morning, noon, and night. But on the whole, Americans only permit themselves to drink certain times of the week. One of the main reasons for this, I think, is the lack of good pubs. England is full of afternoon drinkers and it is most certainly because there are an abundance of good, comfortable pubs there. If a man in England has a free afternoon and wants to spend it drinking beer, hanging out, and maybe reading the paper or a book, he can just hop down to his local pub, order a pint, find his favorite spot and thence enjoy his whole afternoon. An American has no such luck. There is no local pub for him to hop down to and none of the bars here are conducive to just hanging out, reading, or relaxing. American bars are designed for maximum stimulation. There are TV’s everywhere and the music is always 10 decibels too high. A man cannot read or relax in this surrounding. That is why I was so happy to discover the Ginger Man Pub located at the intersection of Montgomery and Camp Bowie.

The Ginger Man has plenty of local and international brews (alas! No Abbot Ale on draught!) and what seemed to be a decent selection of wines. What makes the Ginger Man different, though, is the ambiance and décor that make it perfectly suited to an afternoon of drinking. There are plenty of comfortable places to sit, no loud TVs, no cocktail waitresses constantly asking “are ya’ll okay?”, and no blaring music. It is, as I said, the perfect place for a good afternoon beer. They also have a dedicated area for darts and they actually give you decent darts with which to play. So if ever you are looking for a place to have a good afternoon beer, a game of darts, and some conversation: let me suggest to you the Ginger Man Pub.

Gingerman Pub
3716 Camp Bowie Blvd
Fort Worth, TX 76107
(817) 886-2327

http://ftworth.gingermanpub.com/

Why Food Reviews?

I have never been helped much by restaurant reviews. Either the reviewer is overly swayed by a restaurant's reputation and popularity or considers a good value the super-sized Beltbuster. I read the local press' “Best Of” annuals and I am usually disappointed in their choices and sometimes downright upset; which is why I started writing reviews myself, to exorcise this demon of food commentary and at the same time, to help the hungry wayfarer find a good place for lunch, dinner, coffee, or just a quiet place to read.

Qualifications: I have lived here 25+ years and have watched downtown Fort Worth change from a night time ghost town to a very enjoyable place to visit and to show off to friends. My father and grandfather owned and operated an Italian restaurant near Philadelphia. I watched them, and listened, and taste-tested. When my grandfather retired he set up a kitchen in his basement. I grew up on his tomato sauces, lasagna, and beef braciole, and on my grandmother's Ricotta cheese pie, and on my mother's Veal Parmesan or cream chipped beef on toasted English muffins. They taught me the difference between dining and eating, and the enjoyment of a noisy, robust dinner table, with real food.