Best Of Fort Worth. 2010 (updated to 2020)

It is 2020

We're all beaten down by the Covid and its effects

But  it did give me some time to update the Best of.

Food and Fort Worth's 

Best of Fort Worth(

(2020)

Best new retail and restaurant development: The West 7th and So7 (South 7th) developments have to be the biggest, and in my opinion the best, mixed-use development we have seen for many years. What the Target area south of Montgomery Plaza did wrong, West 7th has done right. The area south and west is developing now and adding to the whole cool vibe. Sundance Square, if I may say respectfully, feels a little touristy compared to what's going on at 7th Street.

I wrote that in 2010. In 2020, I would say that the hottest area of development is the near Southside and South Main. Restaurants, bars, coffee shops, apartments, etc. It's booming. Second to that in the "developing fast" is the number of young people moving to the Meadowbrook area on the eastside. Watch that. New start-ups like Coffee-Folk are doing very well.

Sundance Square is the realcenter of downtown since they made a formal square with fountains. It still tend to draw the corporate/tourist crowd but with the shopping, restaurants, entertainment, hotels, and bars are right there it is a great place to spend an evening
 
Best Mexican Restaurant / upscale:

2010: I still think Mi Cocina's downtown is the most enjoyable upscale Mexican restaurant, when you look at it from food quality, service, location and price. Their recent corporate problems notwithstanding, I like to go there. Cantina Laredo is a pretty close second, but doesn't have quite the buzz of Mi Cocina's. Chuy's is a step down in atmosphere, but I liked their sauces and will be returning.

2020:We still go to Mi Cocina but for the money Benito's is the best in town. Their pork verde asada is spicy and delicious. It's not in the upscale category but for good Mexican food it's our favorite. Also, Lucita's on 1st Streetat Beach is good.

Mexican Restaurant / small building.

2010: Salsa Fuego was selected 3 of 50 in the "Best Mexican" in Texas Monthly magazine and it too deserves the praise it gets. It's a long way from my house so I have been only twice. But it's good. Melis, on Vickery is good for a quick taco or burrito. And El Pollo Regio on Belnap is really good -- okay it's not going to win any restaurant design awards but I love the half-chicken with beans and rice.

2020: "Street tacos" like Fuzzy's" are everywhere. Personally, I think they're overpriced and I prefer to take my chances with the taco trucks that sell the same thing at half the price. Want good inexpensive Mexican food? Go to the grocery stores like Mi Tierra get in line with the locals and you'll get pretty good food at a great price.

Fajitas:

2010 and 2020:

The best fajitas in town, in my opinion, are at Pappasito's. Their Wednesday night two-for-one fajitas is a ridiculously good deal. Many of Pappa's dishes, including the cabrito and shrimp, are really good, as well. Uncle Julio's is a Pappasito's knock-off. It's good and well attended but it's just too noisy for me.
Still the best fajita meal in town.

Worst Mexican:

2010: Last year, I criticized the Yucatan Grill. They are, by all appearances, surviving well without me. This year we are giving the You call this Mexican food? award to Habenero's in south Arlington. It makes Yucatan Grill look good. God-awful food, with guacamole that I swear was made without an avocado. 

2020: Yucatan Grill is under new management. I'm not sure if it is being renamed.

Pizza:

2010: Cavalli's in Irving is the best in the DFW area. Il Cane Rosso, is a very close second. Patrizio's is good. Many of you like Rocco's. It's okay by me. The great thing about Cavalli's is that it is the least expensive and it is the best. Fireside Pies? Well, we won't go there for now. All of the above are southern-Italy style thin-crust pizza. The New York style pizza which I like is getting harder to find.

2020: We go to Picci Pacci. It's the best New York style pizza in town.

Bread:

Good luck. In my opinion there is not anywhere in Fort Worth that you can get an honest Artisan loaf of bread. So, I started making my own.

Burgers: 

2010: My current favorite is M&O Grill. Consistently good hamburgers. Five Guys on Hulen is new, and also one of my favorites, Smashburger is good, they are new, on University and in Arlington, and, drum roll please, In-N-Out Burger will be on 7th Street in 2011. I have not been to an In-N-Out, but everyone tells me they are good. Not new, but still good: Fred's, Kinkaids, Tommy's, Love's, Jakes. My least favorite "gourmet" burger is Dutch's and Pappas. Sorry, nothing personal, but that's the way I see it.

2020: When we want a good burger we go to Five Guys.

Coffee:

2010: Buon Giorno. New, with very good coffee. Buon Giorno roasts their coffee beans at their store in Grapevine. The Grapevine location has been operating for several years, in contrast to most independently owned coffee shops which have the lifespan of a tsetse fly. They must be doing something right. Avoca on Magnolia opens soon. Aduro Bean is a local roaster with excellent coffee for home brewing. Cafe Brazil will be coming to Fort Worth at TCU, soon. More on that as it develops. I still like McDonald's coffee in the morning. Starbucks: I have loved you, but please bring Sumatra back. Pike's Place is nasty.

2020: Coffee Folk and only Coffee Folk. The best cappuccino in DFW. I kid you not.

Italian Restaurant:

2010: My father and grandfather owned and operated an Italian restaurant. It's hard for me to get spaghetti and meatballs out even today, probably because I want to to taste my grand-pops sauce and never do. Nonna Tatta, La Piazza, Ruffino's (under new management) get good reviews. I have heard good things about Taverna, downtown.

2020: I don't even try to buy Italian food in Fort Worth.

Favorite Cooking Gear.

I like reading lists of favorite cooking tools. I read two last week, one in the New York Times, and one in the Star Telegram that were enjoyable and instructive.

I subscribe to the minimalist approach to cooking and its gear. In other words, I like a few good tools and a few good ingredients. Speaking of which, last week on the radio I heard a cookbook writer talk about her philosophy of cooking. She was an elderly lady, born in Italy, living in America, and she said, the trend today is to add too much, and that what ingredients a cook does not use are as important as what he or she uses. Of course, I agree.

Here are my essentials in the kitchen:

(Before I start, any comments on what am I missing in this list, would be greatly appreciated)

1. Frying Pans. One large and one small, no-stick pan for eggs and small one man meals. I know the recent movement away from Teflon for environmental and health reasons. Still, it is hard to find a better way to cook eggs with almost no fat on the pan.

2. Cast iron skillet. For every day cooking, if you don't mind a heavy pan there is nothing like a good cast iron skillet. They cook evenly, they clean up easily and they are not filling you with crazy chemicals. Cleaning is easy when they are stored properly and used frequently. Clean when still warm with water and a paper towel, dry and store.

3. Big pot. Cast iron / ceramic lined. We have two of them one big and the other bigger. Le Creuset (www.cooking.com/) makes good pots but they are not inexpensive these days. After reading the Fort Worth Star Telegram article on pots and pans I looked them up and a big pot can cost $200 and more. We bought our set many years ago for much less. I do use a different pot for cooking spaghetti noodles, just because I'm only boiling water in it and throwing in the spaghetti.

4. Knives. I use two. I remember watching Yan Can Cook (www.yancancook.com) years ago on PBS and he used a cleaver-type knife. I liked how they could be used to chop and scoop. My daughter gave me one for Christmas and I use it 90% of the time. It never goes in the sink or dishwasher and is cleaned and stored after each use. It's difficult to do the finer cutting with a big knife so I also use a smaller knife with a wide blade.

5. Rubber spatulas. Not plastic, rubber. One long, one wide.

6. Wooden spoon. Long handle. Burnt, chipped and seasoned to perfection.

7. Big plastic cutting board. I find them easier on knife sharpness.

8. Electric skillet for cooking pancakes, french toast etc. for groups. They are very inexpensive.

9. Miscellanea: A handheld can opener with gears; long and short tongs; knife sharpener (the long one); crock pot for pinto beans, slow cooked meats, etc.; 1 group of measuring spoons; 1 Pyrex cup measurer.

10. Cuisinart: For making big bowls of salsa, quickly.

I do not use any tricked up tools like garlic mashers, lemon juice squeezers, blenders.

Slow Food?

Yesterday I read a story about a group committed to what they call Slow Food. It is not an organization of mothers hoping to get you to eat more slowly. It's slow food in contrast to fast food. They encourage people to buy foods that are whole and locally grown, instead of foods shipped in from who knows where. They encourage people to cook and not just: open can-heat- stir; or even worse, to make a habit of the McDonalds drive- through. (We spend $91 billion nationally on fast food, by the way, and I have made a considerable contribution to that total.)

I'm with them because "slow food" tastes better and is better, and slow food means people will actually sit around and talk to each other.

The basic tenets:
1. Cook non-processed foods at home.
2. Shop locally.
3. Avoid genetically modified foods.
4. Buy organic.
5. Grow your own (food).
6. Pack a healthy lunch.

On our little acre in Fort Worth we had chickens for years, along with the requisite rabbits, et cetera, and I assure you home-raised chicken eggs are much tastier than store bought. I grew tomatoes in my backyard, not because I am a back-to-earth type but because they taste a lot better, and that there is a sense of satisfaction eating vegetables from your own garden.
(If you are not a gardener, it will not be long before the Farmers Market in Dallas will be flooded with locally grown tomatoes at great prices.)

Interested in the Slow Food Movement?

http://www.slowfood.com/

http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Started-in-the-Slow-Food-Movement#_note-4

On a Lighter Note . . .

Yesterday marked the 78th year since the invention of the Hostess Twinkie. Why does that strike me as funny?

Today, 500 million Twinkies are produced every year. That's about 2 Twinkies for every man, woman and child in the country. You can have my two, I don't really like them. I do like some of the other Hostess products which include Ho-Ho's, Ding-Dongs, Cup-Cakes and Sno-Balls. Now there's a wholesome treat, coconut-covered, strawberry Sno-Balls. That strikes me as funny, too. I'd like to meet the guy who came up with the name Ding-Dong and Ho-Ho. "Let's see it's a chocolate-covered, vanilla cake mix in a round format, hmmm... I know, we'll call it a Ding-Dong, yea sounds about right. And the tubular ones we'll call Ho-Ho. Perfect."

You can often tell where someone was raised by the pre-packaged snack food they like. I'm from the mid-Atlantic northeast, home of TastyKake. From my first day of high school until my last, everyday, I had the following: two sandwiches made with Pepperidge Farm bread, ham and cheese, an orange, a bag of potato chips, and a TastyKake, usually Butterscotch Krimpets. I'm not sure what a Krimpet is but that is what they are called. If I had a dollar or so, which I usually did, I added to that, a soft pretzel, a pint of chocolate milk and a Coke from the school Cafeteria. If that sounds pretty specific for being over 30 years ago, remember, I had the same thing everyday for 4 years, and in case you are wondering, I had barely an ounce of fat on me.

Back to the prepackage snacks. In the Fort Worth area, I often hear people talk about Little Debbies and fried pies. I'm not sure if Twinkies were big here or not and I don't see them on the shelves but I'm not looking for them either. I know TastyKake doesn't go much further south than Maryland.

If you were born in Fort Worth, am I right about the fried pies? Any southern Californians, what about you? I think the Midwest is Twinkie land.

Fort Worth's Best Local Food . . .

Because I have been in Philadelphia and doing what I do best, eating, and particularly eating good street vendor food, I thought it would be a good idea to pull out the post on our (Fort Worth's) best local food. Our version of street vendors are in aluminum sided kitchen vans and roadside barbecue smokers on wheels, but we have them. And for the most part I think they are good. Most of the time the best food at the best price is in a locally owned establishment with limited or no seating.
Also, if you have a favorite taco stand, chicken-fried steak or barbecue pit. Let me know.
The following post was first run in August.

You know what your local food is by counting the number of family owned "corner" cafes and restaurants. When I was a boy in the northeast it was Italian: deli's, cheesesteaks, pizza, with an occasional Jewish or Polish deli (hot pastrami on rye with a barrel-picked dill pickle). Here, it's Mexican, with a second going to Texas Barbeque. I have traveled throughout much of mainland Mexico and, food wise, it would be like traveling the U.S. A lot of consistency but more difference than you expect. What we know as "Mexican" food is the food of the lower income person in Mexico, beans, rice, corn tortillas, and chicken. I have stayed in their homes and eaten on their family farms, and throughout Mexico you will see those ingredients in various recipes -- all of them good. This was also true when Italians immigrated to America in the early 1900's. Spaghetti, pastas, tomato and cream sauces, and pizza are eaten in Italy and what we consider "Italian food", but in-Italy Italian food is more seafood, aged cheeses, ham, breads, fresh fruits and vegetables, than it is pasta. I never had spaghetti dinner as a meal in Italy. But back to native Mexican cuisine -- My favorite meal in Mexico was in the home of an average "office- working" family in San Luis Potosi. The main course was Chicken mole', which was brought to the table about 10 p.m., after a couple of "warm-up appetizers." Everyone was served a breast of chicken topped with a hot, spicy, chocolate mole sauce. It is hard to describe a chili-powder infused, smooth, milk-chocolate sauce alongside the taste of chicken but at the time I thought it might be the most delicious thing I had ever eaten (I've tried it since, but it wasn't the same, maybe it was the influence of the 2 glasses of wine prior). Mexican food in the mainland is: fish, beef, chicken, pork, many varieties of peppers and other warm clime vegetables and fruits, and breads, along with, tortillas, beans and rice. There is none of the mainland-Mexican restaurants in Fort Worth, that I know of, but what we have, is good, though limited in its scope. Look for a torta sandwich the next time you visit a local place. There's a Lunch Van parked outside the Carnival on 8th St south of downtown and north of Berry that has the best $1 tacos you can get. Hot beef, fresh tortillas, cilantro and onions, with a spicy red picante sauce on top. Plus tortas. It's not for everyone but I love them.

Are You In or Out on Starbucks?

I'm taking coffee and coffee shop suggestions. (First, take the poll to the right, please)
If you have a favorite place, in Fort Worth or elsewhere, or a favorite method of making morning brew, I'd like to know about it.
Jeromey left a comment on my last Starbucks post, in which I complimented Starbucks for their consistent quality. Jeromey kindly disagrees and posted the following (slightly edited):

Sure, there is something to be said for product consistency, but I have 2 counterpoints:

• 1. If you think Starbucks coffee is "good", you should try roasting your own coffee. I have only recently started doing this, but already can notice the true flavors and lack of bitterness that I have been missing for years. . . If you need a source for green beans, try SweetMaria's. All you need is their coffee and a $15 hot air popcorn popper from Target. . .
  

• 2. Variety is the spice of life. Half (or more) of the fun my family and I have on vacation is trying foods/drinks that we can't get at home. Sure, you get some gems and some duds, but constantly trying new things *is the great life*. Besides this, I lament the success of the Wal-Marts and Starbucks of the world. Yuck! We should long for the days of small, independent, family-owned businesses with some character and pride . . .

I can't really say I disagree with Jeromey, although I am not sure why we bash successful companies like Starbucks, Walmart and McDonald's. I take that back, I think I know why we bash them, I'm just not sure it's justified. Americans are, almost by definition, anti "big brother"and pro the underdog. Why do you think we're up to "Rocky 8"? But no one buys a car from a "mom and pop" car manufacturer, because the assembly line, economy of scale, and automation make it cheap enough for almost everyone to afford a quality vehicle; in effect driving out the small manufacturer who would have to charge 10 times what Ford charges.
I do try to support the small, independent businessman, for lots of reasons, not always economic. There are a dozen independent coffee shops in the Rittenhouse Square area of Philadelphia. In some the coffee is not as good as Starbucks, in some it is equal, in a few it is better. La Colombe, on 19th and Walnut, is one of the betters.
Why do I like it and what makes it different?

• It is frequented by a local crowd.
• The coffee and espresso are near perfect.
• The croissants are fresh. There are two kinds, plain and almond. They are excellent. $2.00.
• There is no menu board. The selection and prices are not posted (that I could find).
• There is one size of regular coffee. $1.50.
  
• The line is long but moves quickly and you better be ready to order when it is your turn.
• Cream and cane sugar are at the order bar and kept fresh.
• The people are friendly but not phony. I love this place because it does one thing very well. It's not trying to act like Starbucks or 7/11. It sells really good coffee at low prices.
  

This is what Jeromey is referring to when he says he prefers the independent places. So do I. But not everyplace has a La Colombe or other shops almost as good.
Comments? Criticisms? Got a favorite, in any city? Please let me know.

Great New York Times article on coffee and the industry:

"To Burundi and Beyond for Coffee’s Holy Grail," http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/12/dining/12coff.html?_r=1&8dpc&oref=slogin

Rules of Engagement / The criteria of a review

I am reformulating my "rules' after a conversation with my son on what constitutes a good peach. This subject came up because he had just purchased, at Fiesta on 8th St, the best he had ever had. Fiesta, by the way, for anyone who likes to cook Mexican or Southwestern, is a great place to shop.

Here are the revised rules:

1. Taste is King. If it tastes bad I don’t care how well presented, how cheap it is, or what a nice view I have. I’m not going back. Taste must include the following:
1. Cold food must be served on a cool dish and not on one that just came out of a 180 degree dishwasher.
2. Hot food must be served hot, not warm, hot. Soup should be "I could sue you" hot.
3. Texture should be as Providence designed, i.e., the perfect peach is ripe, firm but not hard, sweet, cool, and slighly chewable, not mushy. Taste is first aroma, then texture, then taste. Remember that.
   
4. Pasta should be al dente. That's "dente" for teeth, not "dante" for Divine Comedy
   
5. Coffee must be fresh and burn-lips hot
6. Vegetables should be al dente. Except peas, but I hate peas.
   
7. Butter should be butter, not yellow fat.
8. Bread must be baked daily and served fresh.
9. Toasted sandwiches should have toasted bread not grilled.
10. Tomatoes should only be served in season, as with most fruits and vegetables.
11. Do not use the word "veggies" for vegetables anywhere on the menu.
    
12. Rice is not to be served as glued white grain.
13. Italian marinara sauce is not just tomato sauce with oregano.
14. The inherent taste of things can be enhanced by spices, salts and dressings but not molested by them, i.e., a good steak is not a better steak when it's covered with steak sauce.
    
2. Does the price match the experience? $100 tabs have their place, as do 99c chili cups. But the $100 dinner should have better food, a friendly staff, and no one in shorts and flip flops (unless you are sitting outside with an ocean-view table).
3. Almost no buffet is good. Marriott Easter brunch is an exception, but that was about $40 a plate last time I went, not 5.99. Why are people surprised when they pay $6 for the all you can eat buffet, and all you can stomach is the chocolate pudding with the little cookies pushed in the top?
   
4. A large menu is a bad sign. No one can have that many items that taste good. For instance, any restaurant that serves both enchiladas and egg rolls will never be frequented by this reviewer.
5. I love children, but children and restaurants are a volatile combination, on the other hand, I don't complain about the noise if I go to Chuck E. Cheese.
   
6. I’m paying for my dinner, so if I politely request a different table than the one the host suggests, please don’t act offended.
7. Waiters: do not write your name on the paper tablecloth; be friendly; bring the meals while they are hot.
   
8. $12 Mojitos are okay for the hip crowd but $12 for a glass of cheap wine? No.
   
9. Seating: I don’t want to work at not listening to the conversation of the couple next to me. Aisles are for waiters not tables.
10. Do not try to upsell me every chance you get. Once an evening is enough. If I am a regular, only when something is especially good.

Does Fort Worth Have Fine Dining?

Well, yes, when viewed in the light of 2007, most definitely. I remember when we first moved to Texas, on the very occasional special occasion, my wife and I would go to the Swiss House on University. The food was great, the service was great, they had live piano, and by request, a table by the window overlooking the Trinity river jogging path. Our entree of choice was the Beef Oscar: a bacon wrapped, beef filet, topped with fresh crab meat in a Biarnaise Sauce, with asparagus spears, and fresh bread. Add a glass of red wine and the evening was just about perfect. After dessert and coffee, we walked along the river path. This was 25 years ago, and our tab with tip, was around $100. I have been to the Mansion on Turtle Creek, and the Pyramid Room at the Fairmont, and Morton's in Dallas and Chicago, but I preferred the Swiss House. Others will disagree I am sure, but a great dining experience is about the evening as a whole and only partly about the meal, and I think the Swiss House pulled together all the components well.
The Swiss House is no longer with us, but there are some great places for special occasions. I have mentioned before, the Fort Worth Chop House, downtown, a favorite of mine, with the added benefit of a walk around downtown after dinner. La Piazza, in University Park is a wonderful place, and you can window shop with a Starbucks coffee afterwards. The Reata is good, but a little too big and fast-paced for me. I haven't been to Lonesome Dove downtown, but it gets good reviews. I have been to St. Emilion's once and it was excellent, and to Del Frisco's downtown, when it first opened. Great steaks, but the tables are just too close together for me. The Silver Fox, on University is good, though somewhat lacking in atmosphere. I wouldn't put Charleston's in this category but their food is excellent, and their service is good. A couple of years ago I went with friends to Cool River, in Los Colinas, it was embarrassingly bad. But that's often what you get when you mix a popular bar with a steak house restaurant. High prices and a mediocre meal.
We don't live in a formal or even semi-formal attire world anymore and fine dining restaurants have adjusted to the demands of the times, that's business, but I think our best restaurants are as good as any, at least in the general sense of American cuisine. You will find better Italian food in the Northeast and better Cajun food in Louisiana, and there's nothing like a home cooked steak from pasture-raised cattle in Idaho (or Texas), but those exceptions notwithstanding, we have good food here in Fort Worth and some great restaurants. My top two are the Chop House and La Piazza.
For the record: Del Frisco's is the only one that rates in the Zagat DFW top 5.