Fuzzy's Taco's. Can't say I'm on board . . .

You have to be careful when you pick on a city-wide favorite restaurant. So, I'll be gentle, but . ..

I visited Fuzzy's/TCU today for the first time in probably 5 years. They have expanded since my last visit and I like the additional space, and I like the atmospherics.

But the shredded beef tacos aren't anything to get that excited about. $5.50 for two tacos with beans and rice is okay, but a few chips and non-Mexican salsa for $2.00? Add a small drink and the bill was $10.25. I could deal with the price if the meal was great, but it wasn't. And the worst part for me was that the flour tortillas, though fresh, were cool to the touch.

We were getting a late lunch, about 1:30 pm, and the place was full, so I tip my hat to their business savvy, but like I say, I just don't get the food.

Somebody help me out here . . .

http://www.fuzzystacoshop.com/

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The Components of a Perfect Espresso

The Wall Street Journal ran a brief but informative article on coffee, espresso, and the components that get it just right. The source for the information was Andrea Illy, CEO of Illycaffe, Trieste, Italy.

Follow the link: wsj.com/article

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Ron Washington. Redemption.

We had just returned from our two year visit to Philadelphia when the news was breaking about Ron Washington, the manager of baseball's Texas Rangers.

I was surprised at the venom I was hearing on the radio talk shows by both callers and hosts. "Fire him... Baseball has to set an example.... He needs to pay for his actions." Phrases like this pretty much summarize the general opinion.

For those who do not follow sports gossip, Washington was on the dock for violating Major League Baseball's substance abuse policy. In a random drug test his came up positive. Washington's thirty years in baseball were about to get washed away through no one's fault but his own (his words). Ron Washington, not unlike many of us, couldn't handle success -- or maybe the pressure that comes with it.

The Texas Rangers hired Washington in 2006 after a bad few years with Buck Showwalter and a decade of pretty bad teams. Part of the frustration expressed on the talk shows was just being tired of losing. The Rangers had not made the playoffs and fans can put up with anything but a loser. The drug offense was a good excuse to get rid of a guy that was following in our losing tradition. That's the way the sports talk sounded to me.

But Rangers management didn't listen the masses. To their credit, Jon Daniels, general manager, and Nolan Ryan, team president, acted differently. They took Washington at his word when he offered a sincere apology -- and declined his request to resign. They stood by him and took a lot of newsroom heat for it. In their view, he deserved another chance. I respect them for facing down the crowd, because that is exactly what they did.

Now, after clinching the division title last Saturday, it seems keeping Washington was a good baseball decision, too.

I do not know if  Ron Washington is a great manager, I do not know how far he will lead this team in the playoffs, but I do know that when a man wants another chance we owe it to him not only to forgive, but to forget. Whether we win or lose. What happened last year is old news, it's time to be moving on.

And another thing: baseball is back. I mean real baseball, not the steroids version of 1990's baseball that turned an at-bat into a home-run derby and a pitch into a radar-gun contest. Steroids, or injecting artificial testosterone, was ruining this great game of skill, strategy, and finesse. But it's back and Ron Washington likes to play it the old-school way -- just seeing a suicide squeeze attempted by the Rangers is exciting, seeing it work makes me giddy.

Anyway, Give 'em hell Ron. Congratulations on your success. And thanks for bringing the great game back to Texas.
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See Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports for an excellent article on Ron Washington

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Trinity Railway Express, Kenny's Burgers, FC Dallas.

Last night, I attended my first professional soccer game, I took the TRE for the first time since returning from Philly, and I tried Kenny's Burgers.

FC Dallas played the New York Red Bulls. About 20,000 were in attendance and I have to say that it was very enjoyable. My son-in-law, Brinton, had good seats and knows the game well, which for me was great because I learned the meaning of "offsides" in soccer and got a run down of the better players. If you were at the game last night, our seats were right in front of the Shea red-card offense. Bad call.

The soccer stadium is in Frisco, Brinton was in Irving, so instead of driving from Fort Worth I took the Trinity Railway Express (TRE) to the South Irving station and he picked me up. I am happy to say the TRE is busier than it was a few years ago. I still believe that it is the best way for Fort Worth residents to travel to a Mavericks game or anything else at the AAC, and it's not a bad way to go shopping in Dallas. It is not a good way to get to the airport, but I have done that, as well.

I heard about Kenny's Burgers through Twitter and since it too is in Frisco, we tried it before the game. I hate to say it but I was disappointed. Nothing personal here. I prefer juicy burgers. My cheeseburger was dry, overcooked (medium), and not altogether hot. The fries were good and fresh and I liked the Ciabatta bun. The burger was just too dry.

So there you have it. Go FC Dallas, TRE is much better than driving, and Kenny's was a shot on goal that missed.

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Il Cane Rosso at Times Ten Cellars. Try it. Trust me.

After the one week rain delay, Jay Jerrier of Il Cane Rosso, rolled his wood-burning pizza oven from Dallas to Fort Worth, parked it at Times Ten Cellars off 7th Street, and made some authentic and delicious Neapolitan-style pizza.

Man was it ever good.

If you like Neapolitan style pizza make sure you get out to Times Ten Cellars some Tuesday night. This is good-good pizza. 

Marian and I ordered the mixed greens salad, delicious, even if the greens could have been more chilled, foccaccio bread, which is his pizza dough cooked with some olive oil, seasonings, and sea salt. Delicious, as well. And the margherita pizza. A perfect dinner for me.

I can't speak to the wines, no adult beverages for me these days, but I love the Times Ten Cellar building and location, which is part wine-production, part restaurant and bar. And I like that they make their wines with some of the grapes coming from their vineyards in Alpine, Texas.

Wine prices are what you pay at any restaurant, about $8 a glass. Bottle prices are in the $17 - $35 range, cheaper if buying to go.

The pizzas are between $10 and $15 and serve two. Unless one of the two is my twenty year old son, then it serves one.

I hope it works out for the Il Cane Rosso folks and Times Ten because they are both great additions to 7th Street.


The Details:
Times Ten Cellars
1100 Foch Street
Fort Worth, Texas 76107
Tuesday night. Starts around 5 pm.
Il Cane Rosso

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September 11, 2001. A Reflection.

A reflection on 9/11: Today in Western Civilization.

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Consumer Reports reports on Hamburgers

August 2020 UPDATE

Opinions on fast-food hamburgers varied and often have less to do with who actually has the better burger but which franchise the reviewer is happiest with. I have no problem with that.

But objectively I think you can make a judgment about which fast-food hamburgers are better than others. I exclude places like 5-Guys because you are buying twice as much as you are at McDonald's , so yes, of course their hamburger should be better.

If we stick with the basic $7.50 for the meal which is best, which is the worst. Here's my opinion:

From worst to best:

5. Burger King. The restaurants are ususally not kept up, the service is usually bad, and the burgers are mediocre. Fries are worst of the major fast foods.

4. McDonald's. In my view the pre-cooked then steamed hamburger which is what they do with all their burgers is a mistake. Unless you are lucky enough to get the burger right off the grill it is usually not hot enough, not juicy, and has a mushy texture. For speed and convenience and cleanliness they win.

3. Wendy's. Some attempt has been made at the Wendy's restaurants to update them and keep them clean. And their burgers are made to order so they are usually hot. I think their fries are weak.

2. In-N-Out

1. Whataburger

I apologize for yet another hamburger post, but just in case you didn't see today's Yahoo/Consumer Reports article on the best hamburgers., the link below will take you to it.

In summary, the Consumer Reports survey considers Five Guys and In-N-Out to be the best burgers for national companies and McDonald's the worst.

I actually like the McDonald's quarter-pounder when it's fresh and prefer them to Burger-King or Whataburger.

In the Consumer Reports report, 26,000 people were polled and on a 1 - 10 scale Five Guys and In-N-Out received a 7.9, Whataburger received a 7.3, Burger King and Jack-in-the-Box, 6.3, and McDonald's 5.6.

Agree? Disagree?

The Consumer Report article: consumer reports

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Cane Rosso at Times Ten Cellars Cancelled due to weather.

For those planning to attend the  

Cane Rosso open at

Times Ten Cellars:

Sorry to announce:

Canceled due to weather.

Rescheduled for September 14, 2010

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Five Guys Hamburgers, Fort Worth, on Hulen.

I'll make this quick.

I had already eaten lunch, so when my son called and said, "Want to go to the new Five Guys?" I hesitated, but decided to go for the conversation and to see the place. I've been to Five Guys many times in other cities and wanted to see how ours compared.

It was about 1:15 p.m. when we arrived and I figured it would be somewhat cleared out. Wrong. It was packed. About 100 people, but almost everyone was seated, either eating or waiting for their burger. Our wait was about 10 - 15 minutes before he got his burger. They had the staff to service the crowd.

Now, Fort Worth has many good burger places: Fred's, M&O, Kinkaid's, Love's, Blue Tower . . . who am I missing? No, I'm not adding Dutch's or Papa's. We will have a Smashburger soon, and rumors keep floating about In-N-Out.

In my opinion, Five Guys ranks with the best, and their boardwalk fries, when they are just out of the fryer, are fantastic. Plus, they have vinegar as well as ketchup for the fries.

Five Guys
4833 S. Hulen Street
Fort Worth, TX 76132



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