Been There, Ate That

Hedge

One of the nice things about living where we do is that there is always a new restaurant springing up. This post reviews four places we’d not tried, one that changed management, and three that we visited previously.  For information on my rating scheme, take a look at Reading the Reviews. To get some information on the towns you’ll find these eateries in, click on the links that will lead you to previous blogs.

Four Carrots

Driving down Rapp Road into Watauga (see Walking around Watauga) we came across a place that billed itself as providing ‘Southern comfort

Left T to B: Pulled pork and okra, Chicken fried steak
and green beans
Right: The Giving Wall

grub’.  Campfire Grill Texas Kitchen (6751 Rufe Snow Drive #350, Watauga, TX 76148, (817) 849-5567) is a small place with tables and booths. There are menus so that you can choose your table, grab a menu, and decide what you want to eat before you go to the counter to order and pay. Once you’ve accomplished this task, someone brings your food to the table. We were really pleased with the food and the service. Our waitress took a moment to chat with us and to make sure that we had what we needed before returning to the kitchen. Each time she brought out food, she made a sweep of the room to check on her customers. On this visit I had the pulled pork sandwich with fried okra; both were better than average. Dave had the chicken fried steak with green beans and potatoes. He was very pleased with the flavors of the foods, but was surprised that the steak came on top of the potatoes. The second time we visited one of our friends tried the catfish and was very happy with her meal. I was curious about the boxes on one wall; these have information on them about local charities. You are asked to put your receipt in one of the boxes then 10% of the total is given to that particular group. I think that this is a wonderful practice and wish that more store owners would instigate this manner of giving.

There are lots of things to see in Fort Worth (see Ride ‘em Cowboy), and

Top L to R: Katherine Bernhardt paintings,
Linnea with menu
Bottom L to R: Tacos, Salad

although I’ve lived in the area all of my life I still haven’t seen everything. One pretty day this spring a friend and I took off for The Modern art museum (3200 Darnell Street, Fort Worth, TX 76107, 817.738.9215) in Fort Worth. I had heard that the café associated with the museum was a great place for lunch, so we had to test that rumor. The museum, although small, is quite interesting. I’m not much into modern art, but I did appreciate the collection of paintings by Andy Warhol and the exhibition by Katherine Bernhardt. There was a linear film by Doug Aitken that was interesting in that it focused on how we are alone although with millions of people. The setting for this museum is also quite attractive. As you look out of the windows, there are park areas that hold sculptures with paths to walk and places to sit and enjoy the art. The Café Modern was, in fact, very nice. The round atrium opens onto a park-like area as well as a shallow pond that is visited by mallards. Linnea had some very tasty tacos and a side salad that was crisp and fresh. I had a fresh salad with lettuce, tomato, sunflower seeds and goat cheese; it was wonderful! Service was good but prices were a bit steep.

There is no doubt that FnG Eats (201 Town Center Ln #1101, Keller, TX 76248, (817) 741-5200) is one of the pricier places in Keller (see

Top L to R: Andi and Vince, Burger
Center: Salad and sandwich
Bottom L to R: Mac and cheese, Sandwich
and salad

Gentlemen, Start Your Engines) for lunch. It’s also one of the most creative places for food, as well. Chefs Bob ‘Gordo’ Stephenson and Carlos ‘Flaco’ Arevalo are the driving forces behind the food and the décor of this place; they are also the reason for the name, FnG. Their food is sourced locally, which is why everything tastes so fresh. Dave and Andi had FnG burgers that were, of course, huge and dressed with fresh vegetables. Their sides of fries were also very good – Vince and I snitched a few to go with our more healthy choices. Vince and I opted for sandwiches with salads. His Blackened Redfish was substantially more than he could eat and I ended up eating my WUGU chicken sandwich but taking my salad home. The extra special treat for this meal was the ‘children’s portion’ of Chef’s Mac & Cheese that was made with Gouda and shells. This was amazingly good and so large that although four of us nibbled on it as an appetizer, half of it went home with us. On previous visits the restaurant was really busy and very noisy; on this day, we were early enough to get a booth which reduced the amount of noise by half. Our waitress was efficient and willing to have some fun with us; we quite liked both of those characteristics. We’ll go back again, but rather than having my traditional WUGU I may just have a portion of that delicious mac and cheese!

Granbury, Texas (see Getting Grub in Granbury) is one of those cute

Top: Chicken fried steak, okra, broccoli salad
Bottom L to R: Soup, Vince and salad

towns with lots of places to pop into on the square, as well as some nice places to eat. We’ve been trying to get back to Linda’s Southern Kitchen (201 E Pearl St #108, Granbury, TX 76048, (817) 573-1952) because you just have to have a really good chicken fried steak every now and then. The restaurant is large, partly to accommodate tour groups that frequent Granbury, and also to be able to serve the locals. I’m always surprised when a place this large has waitresses who can call customers by name, ask about their families, and talk about what is happening in town. Along with some really good home-style food, they have sweet tea that actually tastes like tea rather than just sweet water. Today the soup was cream of broccoli with jalapeño. I was pleased that the flavor of the chile was there without being overpoweringly spicy. They also had a broccoli salad that included cabbage, bacon, and grapes; it was wonderful. Vince, David, and I all chose the ‘small’ portion of the chicken fried steak. Vince got a side salad along with the broccoli salad; Dave got mashed potatoes and fried okra; and I had the broccoli salad with fried okra. The waitress also brought us some hot, fresh bread that reminded me of those yummy rolls that came from the school cafeteria kitchen smelling of yeast and happiness. All of us had trouble walking from the restaurant because we were so full. And yes, we’ll go back to see Linda, again.

Fast becoming one of our favorite places for sushi is Tokyo Sushi Asian Food and Bar (9160 N Tarrant Pkwy #140, North Richland Hills, TX

L to R: Fried eel roll, Winter roll

76182, (817) 514-8888). Located in North Richland Hills (see Home on the Range), it never seems particularly busy and I’m pretty sad about that; I’m hoping we are there at times when they are not rushed off of their feet. We went in when they first opened and English was a sometimes gift for the waitresses. But the food was a real gift to people who love Asian cuisine. They have all sorts of dishes on their menu, a lunch menu, and a chalk board with daily specials. Evidently their bar has some special drinks from Asia, as well. We thoroughly enjoy their sushi. The large servings are attractively arranged and absolutely yummy. On this visit, Dave had a Winter roll that was literally heaped with fresh crab. We finally descended to picking the roll apart eating only the crab, avocado, tempura fried shrimp, and the cucumber. I had a Fried Eel roll that also included avocado and crab, but was deep fried; I had to deconstruct mine to finish it, as well. We’ve decided that when we go again we’ll share a roll and then if we’re still hungry try one of their desserts. The ladies who serve the tables are very polite and kind. They check on the patrons regularly to make sure we all have what we want. Prices are very good, especially on the days when they are running specials.

Three and One-half Carrots

The Catch (5636 N Tarrant Pkwy Suite 120, Fort Worth, TX 76244, (817)

Top L to R: Catfish, Menu
Bottom: Shrimp

893-5633) is part of a chain of very casual seafood restaurants. Its arrival in Keller has given the area the only option for seafood outside of Long John Silver’s. Of course, if you go over to Southlake (see Two Sides of Southlake) you’ll find several selections to fill your need for fish. The restaurant, itself, has a few half booths, but the majority of seating is four-top tables. The menu is on the wall, and there are daily specials on a chalk board. It appears that the fish is cooked when you order it, so you do have to wait a bit for your order that is taken at a counter but the waitress brings your food to the table. I had shrimp that were large and cooked correctly; Dave had one very large piece of fried catfish that was also cooked as it should have been. We were both very pleased with the fries; Dave said that the hush puppies were good, as well. Sauces are self-serve, next to the ketchup, silverware, napkins and drinks. We both thought the prices were a bit high for the amount of food, but we were pleased with the freshness and the flavors of our meals.

Three Carrots

One of the restaurants that we’d been to before was the Rufe Snow Café (see Crusin’ in Keller). It’s changed hands, yet again, and is now run by

Top L to R: Chili omelet, Eggs Benedict
Bottom L to R: Meat lovers omelet, Bacon and eggs

some folks from Nepal.  The young man and his sister who interact with the patrons are quite nice and are well versed with the items on their menu. We’ve now been back a couple of times for breakfast. The Mount Top Café (6801 Rufe Snow Drive, Watauga, TX 76148, (817) 576-2807) hasn’t done much to change the décor, but the food is better than it was, especially the grits. One of our group is an aficionado of that particular concoction and says that they are not only cooked correctly, but seasoned especially well. I’ve had a taste and have to agree. The breakfast was just want we wanted, the coffee was good, and the service was efficient. I want to try some of the Napali food that is on the menu the next time we go.

Two and One-half Carrots

We’ve been waiting for the new barbecue restaurant to open between

Top L to R: Sandwich, Ribs
Bottom L to R: Okra, slaw

Mansfield (see Marching through Mansfield) and Rendon (see Running around in Rendon) for several months. Smokey Mae's Pit BBQ (8120 Rendon Bloodworth Rd, Mansfield, TX 76063, (817) 592-0202) opened, then closed because their smokers weren’t working correctly, but now they are back in business. We knew it would probably be a buffet, but we were willing to give it a try, anyway. They are set up in what I consider a strange manner. The smokers are outside the restaurant, so you enter by those and ask for meat by the pound, stuffed jalapenos or other offerings. Whatever you get is put into a piece of paper on a tray, then you proceed inside. There you get your sides in containers at a buffet area – there is someone on hand to help you with this and to order your fried okra. The cash register is next; this is where you ask for your sandwiches and drinks. I was stunned when three ribs (far less than a pound of meat), three stuffed jalapenos, one side of slaw, two sides of okra, two sandwiches (one pulled pork and one brisket) and three drinks came to a whopping $51. I commented on the price and the young lady at the register took off the cost of the three drinks, reducing the cost to about $45. There are tall tables that seat four tightly, or beautifully made picnic tables with benches that seat about 20. I was surprised that although there was a ramp for folks with mobility issues, there was no real place for these folks to sit comfortably. There is also no accommodation for people with vision issues; the menus are on the walls quite high up. While I liked the music, it was so loud that we could not carry on a conversation. There was plenty of meat on our sandwiches and the portions of the sides were quite large – in fact if we had known we’d have only gotten one side of okra for three of us. There are lots of choices for barbecue sauces; these are at a bar with the silverware and napkins. Although the smoked meat smelled good, there was little taste to it; flavor seemed to be left to your choice of sauce. Servers came around to make sure you had what you needed, and one lady even brought Vince more slaw since she thought there was too much pepper in the serving he had. I wish that the meat flavors were more pronounced and the prices were more reasonable.

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