DiCostanza's

Marian starting on the "small" sub.



Not that anyone reading this blog will be traveling on Interstate 95 between Wilmington and Philadelphia -- but in case you do: my favorite cheese-steak and subway sandwich in Philly is not in Philly, but just south, in Boothwyn, PA. I am referring to DiCostanza's, just east of I-95 and the perfect place to stop for lunch.

I never make a trip Philadelphia without stopping on the way in or on the way out.  

DiCostanza's bills itself as the "Originator of the Italian Sandwich" and I have no reason to doubt them. For $7.50 you get this sandwich ( picture above) or the same-size cheese-steak. I estimate the small sandwich to have about one-half pound of ham and assorted meats, plus cheese, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, and peppers.

I'll be back in Fort Worth in a few days but it is not a trip back East without one of these.

(Oh, my wife will probably want you to know that she can only eat half a sandwich)

http://www.dicostanzas.com/Contact.asp

Main Street Bakery, Grapevine.

I generally limit my comments to Fort Worth food establishments because that is ninety percent of my dining out, but I had breakfast last week at the Main Street Bakery and Bistro, in Grapevine, and what struck me, besides the fact that the breakfast was good, was the fact that it had a visible on-site owner.

Restaurants require more oversight than your average retail business because the parts that make up the business are so variable. Food is a living thing and is delivered in all kinds of conditions. Add the variables of extreme weather, employees not showing up, customer's varying tastes, continual kitchen cleaning, an unexpected rush of diners, and it is easy to see why restaurants need management. Franchise restaurants attempt to make everything as easy as possible by eliminating variables, or reducing the risk of the variables by keeping to strict recipes, having less perishable food, and the like. It can work, but the food and service suffer most of the time. Smaller, but company owned, restaurant chains, like Pappas and Charleston's, use this formulaic method well, but they also hire and train managers to oversee all elements of the restaurant.

All of this to say a locally owned, profitable restaurant, will usually give you the best combination of food, service, and a reasonable price. Fort Worth has dozens of examples of this for which we are all grateful. I know Grapevine has at least one: the Main Street Bakery and Bistro. The food is good, the service is friendly and timely, and the price is fair. And that is all most of us ask for.


http://www.themainbakery.com/index.html

Balcone's Whiskey & Garrison Bros. Distillery

Now this looks like a fun road trip. 

Steve Campbell of the Star-Telegram reported yesterday, that Texas now has two micro-distillers in the area. One in Waco and one in Fredericksburg. They are the first legal distilleries in Texas since the Prohibition-era.

From the Star-Telegram:

"Balcones Distilling Co. in Waco started producing the first legal whiskey made in Texas since Prohibition when it introduced Baby Blue, made from roasted Hopi blue corn.
Owner Chip Tate, who describes himself as an "intuitive nerd," also distills a 94-proof liquor dubbed Rumble, made from Texas wildflower honey, Mission figs and turbinado sugar. It's rum-like in makeup, but more akin to single malt or a young cognac. Both liquors retail from $33 to $39 a bottle."

"Tate's spirits hit the bar shelves first, but Dan Garrison lays claim to having the oldest whiskey in Texas."

"His Garrison Brothers Distillery on his ranch in Hye, east of Fredericksburg, started distilling his single brand Texas Straight Whiskey in January 2008. He has produced 600 barrels and planned to age it for two years and start selling in 2011. But he now expects the first release of his "ultra-premium" bourbon "sometime soon."

"We're making the finest bourbon of anywhere in America today. It's darker, it's richer and it's more flavorful," he said. And for that, he hopes to sell it on the top retail shelf for $69.95 a bottle."

My days of enjoying a glass of single-malt or bourbon have passed, I am afraid, but I sure would like to visit the facilities.

I wish them well and hope that I can visit some day soon.

For the full story: http://www.star-telegram.com/804

La Playa Maya

Every once in a while I realize that I have left unmentioned a restaurant or a Fort Worth institution that deserves mentioning. La Playa Maya is one of those places.

I had lunch at La Playa Maya yesterday and it was as it always is, a comfortable combination of good food, great service and reasonable pricing.

One of qualities I like in a restaurant is an on-site and visible manager or owner. At our lunch, the manager was there greeting guests at the front door, and when the line was slow, making sure everyone was being helped. He took our order even though we hadn't been waiting long.

The chips are good, the salsa is good, and the food is served hot. I like La Playa Maya. They have been serving good Mexican food in Fort Worth for 20 years and now have four locations.

http://www.laplayamaya.com/Home

 Patrick Corrigan  / The Toronto Star