Maria's Mexican Kitchen

I wasn't aware that you could fall in love with a chef until in my late 30's, my husband and I began consistently eating over and over at the same group of restaurants.  Sunday brunch at the bar of Pacific Table, Friday evening drinks and appetizers with friends on the patio of Press Café (btw great location to allow kids to run around outdoors), and an obsession with the dip duo at The Tavern.  Many might not be aware that all of these (plus a currently shuttered FW Cork & Pig location) are the brain-child of Chef Felipe Armenta.  Should I mention I've even graced the Midland/Odessa Cork & Pig location with my presence - why stay exclusive to Fort Worth?

Transforming the shuttered Fort Worth Hoffbrau Steak & Grill House location into a true Mexican experience, Maria's atmosphere alone is worth the price of admission.  It's almost deceiving to believe that for 38 years the building housed a staple steak restaurant for the Fort Worth community.  

The first visit was in November 2021 on a whim while out and about in town.  It was packed - which lead to immediate running to the bar where we snagged two seats and immediately settled in for a lovely meal.  The fresh made salsa and tortilla chips are out of this world - like could eat a meal out of this good.  

My second visit was my "going away" party for work in December 2021.  This was a large group of over 10 people - several of them from all over the United States.  We had a wonderful time trying new drinks, sharing appetizers, and it was so fun to see what everyone ordered off the menu.  

I know! You want to know what I ordered!  Unfortunately, this specific dish is no longer on the menu in the form I ordered - Baby Rock Shrimp Enchiladas.  However, it has been replaced by a close relative in the Seafood Enchiladas.  Let's just say the plating of three enchiladas with three sauces is amazing.  The three sauces are unique on their own, but together created a balance from sweet to hot that I have yet to find elsewhere in Mexican dining.  

Our most recent visit was for my birthday in April (I know I've been working on this post for a few months).  I went for something lighter knowing I would dessert it up later in evening.  The Los Cabos Seafood Salad (pictured) was fresh, crisp, with just the right hint of spice.  While our food is always amazing, the service on this visit left us a little wanting...  Our daughter remembers the wait for our food more than the experience and food which bummed me out.

Nevertheless, we will return.

If you're looking for something with vegan or vegetarian options - they haven't quite hit the mark yet.  There are several great pescatarian options - and I'm sure they would give you the "you can order a salad without the meat".  It appears they have some options veg style for brunch, but we've not gone for brunch so I can't speak to that menu specifically.  However, if it's like any of his other restaurants brunch - I'm sure it is amazing.  

Chadra does Fort Worth South Annual Dinner

I don't normally write about weird eating experiences, especially those the reader could never duplicate, but I have to say that the veg friendly meal I was served at the Fort Worth South annual dinner last night complements of Chadra Mezza was quite tasty.

So, I haven't ever really written anything about Chadra - it's just one of our normal standbys. They have a great buffet that could put any Chinese buffet to same (they should all come and take notes). I enjoy it for the moderately prices items and the high amount of vegetarian options, hubby just likes the buffet of food on Friday nights.

Even though I don't really comment on their "ordinary" meals, this dish was just too original to pass up.

We attended the Fort Worth South Annual dinner and I of course am the odd man out at the dinner table - requiring a green table topper so they could find me the lone vegetarian in the room. The tabouleh and the dessert were just ho-hum, but I couldn't stop eating my main course. Cinnamon flavored rice topped with a marinated portobello mushroom with roasted & almost candied pistachio, almond and walnuts. I have never cooked with cinnamon outside of dessert and cinnamon & sugar toast for breakfast, but this was fantastic. It was like having a healthy dessert for dinner. The flavor was sweet, but not overpowering.

Delightful.

Paco and John Mexican Diner

Have you met Paco? I have. And he's now one of my favorite restauranteurs.

I am writing this review again after several more visits to what has become our second favorite place to eat in Fort Worth. I don't know how anyone could have doubted our choice, since our favorite is John's restaurant of Paco & John... St. Emilion.

Last weekend Hambre Esposo & his wife joined Foodie and hubby at Paco & John for what turned out to be the most exciting visit to date. Side note: We have gone to eat brunch just about every weekend for the past month - see future posting on the brunch options. Back to the surprise - the dinner menu has been updated!! Not that the menu was bad before, but for all your veg eaters out there you have more than one option.

Here are a few of the newest additions to the dinner menu - the street taco's are available, vegetable enchiladas, spinach & cheese enchiladas, and I think there are a few more - I was so excited I forgot to write them all down.

Of course I had a hard time deciding since I thought I was just going to have to have the Chile Reino again. But, I finally nailed it down to the vegetarian enchilada plate (served with a side of rice, no beans). The plate included two of their sauteed vegetable enchiladas with a spinach & cheese enchilada in the middle. What a feast. The vegetable enchiladas are fantastic. It's the same mix of veggies that they use in their vegetable & sweet potato breakfast burrito - roasted peppers, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, and onion. They are all seasoned perfectly and cooked just right to be in an enchilada. The spinach & cheese was okay - but next time I will order all veggie...

Of course the same starters are available - complimentary chips & their great salsa, quesos (crab, chirizo, and a new one with roasted peppers/onion), guacamole.

If you have not had a chance to try this new jewel in the Southside - don't waste another day. Remember for now BYOB and they are closed on Monday's.

Ranking: 4 Carrots

Ellerbe Fine Foods

I know the reviews have been mixed, mine is no different.

About a month ago my mother-in-law came to town and hubby and I decided we should treat her to one of our fine establishments in our area. Since we had been dying to go to Ellerbe's we thought there couldn't be a better occasion.

We made reservations for 7:30 on a Saturday, and arrived to find a fairly full restaurant. Tables are presented with simplicity accompanied by a menu printed and posted on a wood board and attached by rubber band. Each table is topped with a vase of the herbs from their garden on site. I know what you are thinking -are you talking "country kitch"? Not quite - think simple French country.

The menu is limited, but created seasonally with high quality meats, vegetables and herbs. Each dish is paired perfectly - meat with a vegetable. Now, on to the more disappointing part of my evening. There is one salad that is prepared vegetarian right off the menu, but not one entree on the menu that is vegetarian.

Fresh french bread is served with creamed butter and Hawaiian pink sea salt. The trio is wonderful, a delightfully sweat treat to start.

The salad of choice was the Mexia Peaches and Deborah's Farmstead Chevre. The citrus vinaigrette was just delightful and paired perfectly with the peaches and Chevre.

On to the main course. I was so disappointed when the waitress gave pause to my question regarding a vegetarian dish. Almost half of their vegetable sides are created using chicken broth or cooked with a meat product, leaving me with a less than desirable option. I just couldn't believe that a restaurant located on Magnolia would find it acceptable to have a menu with no vegetarian alternative. I felt that as a restaurant who touts their fresh, local, simple - what better blank canvas than to create a masterpiece for the vegetarians that frequent the Southside.

Nonetheless, I was brought a dish of soup broth with summer vegetables topped with their fried okra. The vegetables included, squash, zucchini, green beans, asparagus and peppers. The broth was seasoned perfectly and would have been great for a soup. The vegetables were grilled and had no flavor beyond the broth. The okra was breaded and seasoned perfectly and actually cooked whole, sliced in half - which is a new way for me to eat fried okra. If this is the only option for a vegetarian - I think they will find we visit once not again. I can't imagine paying the average price of an entree for this dish more than once.

As far as the other dishes served at the table - Veal Picatta and Johnnie Fair Glazed Petite Pork Shank - all were a hit. Hubby has listed this as one of his favorites.

Now who can eat such a meal and not have dessert? I had the Maw Maw's Bread Pudding, hubby had Mexia Peach and Prosecco Semifreddo, mother-in-law had the Schokinag Pot de Creme. I think we all should have just started with dessert. All the comments involved - "best dessert ever"... blah blah blah. I have had to Bread Pudding grow on me over the past several years - and this was by far my favorite. Simple, traditional and to the point is the only way to describe. I hate when bread pudding is like eating custard - this had just the right consistency.

For those of you that don't have room for dessert, all tables are served a complementary pastry - a single bite pastry with a vanilla sugar center topped with powdered sugar - delightful.

Reservations are recommended especially on the weekend.

Ranking: 3-4 carrots (totally in the middle)

Vapiano

Several weekends ago, I decided to have a surprise date night with my hubby. We love to enjoy new "art house" movies (usually movies that will not show in wide release). In order to do this we usually have to make the crazy trek all the way to Dallas or Plano. For those who want to know, the movie choice was "Moon". Great movie and I would recommend it to anyone.

Now on to the main show: the new concept in dining out. Vapiano (plans are to have one in Fort Worth by the way) is an Italian restaurant that operates very closely to a Luby's. Don't confuse the food with the concept... Fresh & casual dining that you order at a walk-up bar, swipe your gift like card (used to carry your bill), take a buzzer, and move on to the next walk up bar you want to order from. Seems overwhelming at first, but don't let it deter you from checking out this joint. Low overhead (your doing the ordering, picking up and checking out) keeps the costs down to a minimum.

Because the concept was coined in Europe - the menu is extremely veg friendly. The choices are almost overwhelming - fire-roasted pizzas, fresh pasta, salads, antipasto dishes. The pizzas that we decided on: Margherita and Verdure. Both exceptionally made - I have to say I was jealous of my hubbies Margherita pizza - the flavors were just a little more complex and well formed for being what can normally be a "plain Jane" pizza. The Verdue was topped with mushrooms & roasted red/yellow bell peppers - not bad - I had great pizza a few days the following week for lunch.

If you are ever in the area and need somewhere to go, I highly recommend you at least try it once. The modern decor and the updated concept on "cafeteria" style dining is a great change to either fast food ordering or stifling restaurants with wait staff who may or may not take care of you.

Ranking: 4 Carrots

The Jazz Cafe

I have found a new best friend and it plays jazz to me and feeds me wonderful vegetarian delights.

After several failed attempts to go to the Jazz Cafe for brunch we finally made it today for a friends birthday. After eating not so good sushi (review coming) and drinking (late but not too late) for said friend's birthday, we decided to get together on actual birthday for brunch.

Do not be afraid - you might drive past this inconspicuous building on Montgomery more than once. And, you might not be able to find parking in their tiny parking lot (it's worth it to park in the street or a lot across the street on the weekend). Or once you finally make it to the entrance the not so well kept patio could deter you from entering, but fear not - I won't lead you astray.

Today I entered the morning version of the Scat Jazz Lounge - my calling in another life. The music was playing, the tables were full and the place smelled wonderful.

I sat down at the table and made the comment that the food would have to be really bad for me not to return. And overall, I wasn't disappointed. This menu has a little bit of something good for everyone. I debated seriously between the Black Bean Enchiladas and the BOS eggs - I had to decide what I would order the next time I came. I decided on the BOS eggs (after prompting from the waitress) and was not disappointed. Now mind you it's not a Mexican joint, but it's definitely a spin on a classic. Scrambled eggs stuffed with cheese, onion, tortilla chips, potatoes, and jalapenos w/ a spicy black bean and pico on the side. They give you three tortillas to create your own breakfast tacos. Other orders at the table included Steak and Eggs w/ a side of French Toast (made with an English Muffin - a unique way to create french toast); Eggs Florentine (Eggs Benedict made w/ spinach in place of the ham) w/ a side of a single pancake (large enough to feed the table, this pancake was killer. Thick, fluffy and with a spice in the batter it was excellent); and a half order of Eggs Benedict. All the eggs were poached just right - not too runny and not too hard. The sauce was thick, but not chunky.

Yes, you can get a full order or half order of most of the Benedict options - just the right size for portion control - I don't know who wants portion control with this type food - but it's there.

One downside was the lack of service. We got one coffee & water refill the entire time we were there and we were there for a while. A table of two sat after us and got their food service almost a full 15 minutes before us. That was probably the most frustrating was waiting and waiting and waiting to get our food. And then really once we ordered we didn't see our waitress again until she brought us our food and then we had to go track her down to pay (literally).

Don't be fooled - I'll go again. I wasn't in a hurry this visit and I'll make sure I'm not in a hurry next time. It was worth the wait to enjoy the conversation with our friends and listen to the great music.

Don't forget the following: At the Jazz Cafe it's okay to call in an order to go, bring cash or check book - they don't take credit/debit cards, it's first come first serve seat yourself.

Ranking: 4 Carrots

Court of Two Sisters, New Orleans

Well, for those of you who aren't in the French Quarter "know", this is supposedly one of the "must go" places if you are in New Orleans. Foodie hubby and I decided late one evening to go here for dinner.

The outdoor patio has been painstakingly designed to provide shade during the heat of the day and a glorious nightly vision in the evening. The wait staff was pleasant, but not top notch. The maitre'D was polite to us, but I watched as another couple asked to be seated at a smaller table and you would have thought they asked him to cut off his right arm.

The restaurant is known for the Table D'Hote or the fixed price, 4 course meal. I politely asked if I might substitute the vegetarian option from the a la carte menu and order the 4 courses. They were not willing to work with me at all. I was extremely disappointed that a vegetarian is not allowed to enjoy the other 3 courses unless they are willing to spend an arm and a leg to order them all a la carte. Shame on you Court of Two Sister for discriminating on those of us in the community who do not want to eat a half a cow or a bottom feeder fish.

Now that I have ranted about their equality for all - I started with the Court of Two Sisters Salad (minus the Tasso or ham). The Creole French dressing was beautiful and had that kick. Overall nothing to toot your horn about. I then ordered the Eggplant Napoleon off the a la carte menu and I'm so glad that I did. This dish provided one of the most savory dishes the entire time we were in New Orleans. For the Vegetarian's in the hunt - this dish is well worth the money - I wouldn't hesitate to have it again. I just hope that the Court of Two Sisters opens their eyes to the fact that vegetarians might like to enjoy the 4 course meal as well and add an option to the fixed price meal.

Foodie husband of course ordered from the Table D'Hote. For a starter he had the Turtle Soup Au Sherry. The trick to this dish is the sherry added to the roux. Overall Foodie hubby gets this just for the roux - the turtle is a tougher meat and can take away from the overall enjoyment of the soup. For his entree - Corn Fried Des Allemands Catfish (served with lump crabmeat cole slaw & cajun tarter sauce). The presentation was striking - yes even for catfish. Hubby doesn't enjoy tarter sauce and it was all over the catfish, so this dish was wasted on him, but the cole slaw excellently seasoned.

The final event - Bread Pudding. This dish was traditional through and through. The bread was soaked and stuffed perfectly making the consistency exactly like a thick, moist cake. It wasn't over done, runny or stuffed with any frills. By far some of the best bread pudding eaten by either of us over the years.

Overall, if on a limited budget this is probably not the place you want to waste your money on. If you have the time and resources you should definitely add it to the list - just to say you have been. Would I give it a second try? - maybe if they added the Veg option to the set priced option.

Ranking: 4 Carrots

La Familia Mexican Restaurant

So it has probably been 3 months since we actually at La Familia. Don't mean any disrespect, but you know things come up.

This is probably one of the best "finds" for us with the help of "Hambre Esposo" and his wife (neighbor buddy & wife, also guest blogger). This was a late Friday night dinner after a neighborhood get together. For those of you that have never ventured in and out of the new development on 7th - there are several great little "hole-in-the-walls" (those restaurants that didn't sell out to the man).

Who needs to say more than Margarita on Fire! In a frozen mug comes the closet thing to a Norman, OK great at The Mont - a swirl of frozen margarita and sangria, topped with a sugar cube that has been soaked in tequila and then set ablaze. This tasty drink quenched our thirst and is well worth the visit alone.

For all the "veggies" out there I know you are so tired of going to Mexican restaurants only to be let down by the fact that they cook with lard - lard in everything including the refried beans. La Familia prides itself on using only natural ingredients and NO LARD in anything!!! This is probably one of the first Mexican joints that I have been free to eat the beans. So silly you say - oh no! - who goes to a Mexican restaurant and doesn't want the beans?

There are many veg options on the menu - from enchiladas to quesadillas and probably a few options in between. I chose the vegetarian enchiladas - stuffed with squash, zucchini, carrots, mushrooms and onions - topped with a small amount of cheese and tasty tomatillo sauce. This dish had just the right amount of veggies and a nice spicy kick.

Don't ask me about the salsa and chips - that was several months ago. I can tell you that all entrees come with bean & ham soup or a chicken tortilla soup - a nice little touch. So you ask will you go back? Of course! What a sweet find.

Ranking: 4 Carrots

Cheesecake Factory - Southlake

Yes, I know this could be on the verge of being a "chain" restaurant, but I found the most outstanding salad on the menu that I just have to share it with everyone.

I of course could not make up my mind - especially with the breadth of selection that is available at the Cheesecake Factory - so I just made a random selection with the Vegetable Chopped Salad. This salad is so loaded with veggies that any vegetable lover would be satisfied. The combination of fresh asparagus, edamame, apples and the beets has now become a favorite of mine to make at home. I was a little skeptical of the Pomegranate Vinaigrette, so I ordered it on the side. It had a little too much "Asian" influence for my enjoyment with the salad. I quickly replaced it with the traditional vinaigrette and was exceptionally pleased.

This salad is definitely a recommended pick - and it's easy to make at home as well!

Ranking: 4 Carrots

JAKE'S - Old Fashioned Burgers

Jake's moved into the previous location for Chili's in downtown Fort Worth. What a refreshing change from the cookie-cutter crap of the chain restaurants.

Other burger joints have been voted best "veggie" burger, but I found Jake's to be the best I have had so far. It was made fresh, had a little kick and wonderful flavor.

The regular meat burgers are made thick and to order. Foodie's husband stuck to the basics, with meat, cheese, mustard and ketchup only. He prefers the thin patties to the thick, but said the flavor was great.

The buns & burgers came out fresh and piping hot. The fries are fresh cut and seasoned great (Jumpin' Jake Fries). We haven't tried the sweet potato fries yet, but we'll definitely go a second time to give them a try.

Ranking: 4 Carrots

Cafe Modern - It sparked The Start

Overall this was a great experience. If you have never been inside the Modern Museum, it is definitely something you should do. If you are not a fan of modern art, then grabbing brunch over the weekend is a great way to enjoy the wonderful architecture and landscaping - a view only available inside the museum.

They provide several options for both vegetarian and vegan alike. This made my heart jump for joy, since I have an exceptionally hard time trying to find a restaurant that provides at a minimum a decent vegetarian option, much less anything without dairy or eggs.

As a starter each table is provided fresh baked scones. These were some of the best scones I have ever tasted. I chose to try the Modern Omelet, and wow what a surprise. The Omelet was fluffy and stuffed so full it was overflowing on the plate. I was very skeptical about the stewed tomato, but it gave the egg, feta and mushroom a nice acidic balance. The potato's were seasoned nicely and were cooked well.

Foodie's Husband started with the Winter House Salad - which was presented beautifully, but for my taste that is where it ended. I found the salad dressing to be completely bland for the robust spinach. After tasting his, I wouldn't order it again. But he found it "okay". For his main entree he ordered the Chicken Fried Benedict. What an original twist on a great classic. It was "chicken fried" pork tenderloin on an English Muffin, topped with the poached egg and hollandaise sauce. I don't think it was too bad - he cleared his plate, and if it wouldn't have looked bad - he might have licked the plate. I have to say, it looked and smelled wonderful.

I do have to give you the entire picture. Don't expect them to be super snappy. It took a little longer than it should have to receive our coffee and water. We also received his starter salad before we received the complementary scones. I also overheard from the table behind us that his Ian's Shepherd's Pie was, "all potatoes and no meat." So, they of course took his plate back and tried again. It looked like he kind of dug around in the new one and wasn't overly impressed with the second attempt, but didn't say anything. We were finished before they were, so I wasn't able to see the final outcome.

Ranking: 4 Carrots