Fireside Pies. Well . . .

This is a tough one.

We got off to a bad start. Our seating was a booth placed too close to a table of eight. My instinct was to ask for a different table but I didn't. My instinct was right because our server forgot to put in our pizza order. Our pizzas arrived twenty minutes after we had eaten our salads and appetizers. Too long.

But people make mistakes and I can deal with a lot when the food is good. So, let's talk about the food:

We ordered an appetizer: meatballs with marinara sauce. Five very small meatballs with a steamy, just-right tomato gravy (that's Philadelphia for spaghetti sauce). Really delicious, but they could be called meat-dots.

Salads: good, cold, fresh lettuce and other leafy vegetables.

Pizza: The pizza is Italy-style, not New York style. The crust is like Il Cane Rasso or Cavalli's. I liked it. Crispy crust, tasty, nice sauce and cheese. Baked in big 550 degree ovens.

Now the tricky part because I want to be fair to Fireside Pies.

Fireside Pies is a very good looking restaurant and bar. Beautiful woods, nicely finished, comfortable seating, Big cylinder-shaped pizza stoves. It's an attractive place to eat and the vibe is upscale pizza. It's a place for the younger business crowd to drink, talk, and enjoy good pizza. If that's what you are looking for I can understand going to Fireside Pies. But for me it's an expensive pizza restaurant.

The pizzas are in the $13 - $14 range, the salads in the $12 - $13 range, and the appetizers, $8 - $15. There were four of us in our party. We ordered one appetizer, two pizzas and two salads -- our server suggested that the salads and pizzas could be shared. But, we discovered, the pizzas are small for two people, especially at $14 a pie. Our bill was $64, without tip and without beer or wine. That's not bad for four people, but considering two of the party left hungry, I think it's expensive.

Put it this way, take off the appetizer, add a 20% tip and you're at $17.00 a person for a smallish portion of pizza and salad, and an iced tea.

Fortunately, any evening Marian and I have with our son, his wife, and their daughter is a good night for me. Maybe I'm just a cheapskate. If you have been to Fireside Pies, please comment.

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I rank the quality of the pizza in the  restaurants that serve this style of pizza, thusly: Cavalli's in Irving, Il Cane Rosso at Times Ten Cellars, Fireside Pies, and finally, Patizio's at 7th across from Fireside Pies.

There are five Fireside Pies in the DFW area, including one in Fort Worth, and one in Grapevine.

Fireside Pies website
Fireside Pies - Fort Worth
2949 Crockett
Fort Worth, TX  76107

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1st Sunday of Advent.

Rest on the Flight into Egypt
Caravaggio / 1595
Galleria Doria Pamphilj, Rome

Advent is the beginning of the Christian calendar for the Western Church. It starts four Sundays before Christmas Day, so the first Sunday of Advent is not a fixed date. The word Advent is from the Latin adventus and means coming and commemorates the coming of the Messiah and the parousia or the Second Coming of the Messiah.

In the United States it is common to refer to the "Christmas season" as the time between Thanksgiving and the New Year, but the Advent season and the Christmas season are distinct in the Church and have distinct liturgies, hymns, and rubrics. The traditional hymns of the Advent season testify to the expected coming of the Christ child, and the Christmas season, of his joyful arrival.

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"The scene, in the early Caravaggio painting, is based not on any incident in the Bible itself, but on a body of tales or legends that had grown up in the early Middle Ages around the Bible story of the Holy Family fleeing into Egypt for refuge on being warned that Herod the Great was seeking to kill the Christ Child. According to the legend, Joseph and Mary stopped on the flight in a grove of trees." Wikipedia.

Fort Worth Parade of Lights. 2010.

Don't forget the annual Parade of Lights downtown. Friday night, November 26, 2010. And the lighting of the Christmas tree at 3rd Street.

For parade details, including the schedule of afternoon activities: Fortworthparadeoflights.org

From the Parade website:

The Sundance Square Christmas Tree will be illuminated following the Chesapeake Energy Parade of Lights presented by CHASE, at approximately 7:38 PM on November 26, 2010.  

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Happy Thanksgiving, 2010. And thank you for stopping by and contributing your thoughts to these pages.

Every Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving Day, for over 40 years, the Wall Street Journal has reprinted two essays on its editorial page. The first essay, "The Desolate Wilderness," is a brief chronicle based on William Bradford's account of the Pilgrim settlement.

The second essay, "And the Fair Land," reminds us to remember our good fortune in a world not often so blessed.

I'm not sure that we can exorcise the cynicism that is a part of the age in which we live, at least I can't seem to, but I do think, especially on Thanksgiving Day, we can remember that we have much for which to be thankful. Like the Pilgrim standing on the Plymouth Rock, Americans still look hopefully towards the wilderness. That's just the way we are.

The following are excerpts from the Wall Street Journal essays. Links are provided if you desire to read the entire essay (both are short):

--------------The Desolate Wilderness -------------

Here beginneth the chronicle of those memorable circumstances of the year 1620, as recorded by Nathaniel Morton, keeper of the records of Plymouth Colony, based on the account of William Bradford, sometime governor thereof: So they left that goodly and pleasant city of Leyden, which had been their resting-place for above eleven years, but they knew that they were pilgrims and strangers here below, and looked not much on these things, but lifted up their eyes to Heaven, their dearest country, where God hath prepared for them a city (Heb. XI, 16), and therein quieted their spirits.

To read the balance of the editorial: http://online.wsj.com/article
  

 ------------ And the Fair Land -----------

Any one whose labors take him into the far reaches of the country, as ours lately have done, is bound to mark how the years have made the land grow fruitful. This is indeed a big country, a rich country, in a way no array of figures can measure and so in a way past belief of those who have not seen it. Even those who journey through its Northeastern complex, into the Southern lands, across the central plains and to its Western slopes can only glimpse a measure of the bounty of America.

And a traveler cannot but be struck on his journey by the thought that this country, one day, can be even greater. America, though many know it not, is one of the great underdeveloped countries of the world; what it reaches for exceeds by far what it has grasped. So the visitor returns thankful for much of what he has seen, and, in spite of everything, an optimist about what his country might be. Yet the visitor, if he is to make an honest report, must also note the air of unease that hangs everywhere.

To read the balance of the editorial: ttp://online.wsj.com/article/SB119

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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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