Fred's Texas Cafe

Lost in the middle of all that development. Fred's didn't sell out! One moderately warm weekend in the middle of winter, we decided to venture outdoors for dinner, to the inviting patio available at Fred's Texas Cafe. The vegetarian option is the Portabella Mushroom Burger - "sauteed to perfection with all the trimmings". I ordered this burger with a twist, adding sauteed onions instead of the raw in the fixins. This burger is fairly plain all the way around - easy on the seasoning, almost none on the mushroom - if I hadn't opted for the sauteed onions the burger would have been so bland a baby could have eaten it. The fries are what makes the "basket" worth the money. Hand cut, thick-style, skin on potatoes. No extra breading - the potato and a mix of seasoning added while the fries are still warm. I ate all mine, plus hubbies, and probably would have eaten more if they had offered. Options in the "basket" include turning your fries into some their famous Cheese Fries or Cheese Fries with all the fixins - bacon, chives, sour cream, etc. If your goal is to have an artery clogging dining experience then you have to have the cheese fries. Layers of cheese on the thick cut fries, brown to perfection... add a side of ranch and mix with some ketchup and you have a well dressed fry. Fred's is moderately priced for what you are eating. The Portabello Mushroom with fries only will run you almost $10.00. Don't be fooled - it's worth it to eat on their patio, have a beer and enjoy some music if it's a band playing weekend. Rating: 3 Carrots

Love Shack - So.7 style

So did you know that The Love Shack has weather related specials? We went one weekend and everything was 50% off because the temp was below 40. Yeah, I know, crazy!?! We had two burgers w/ fries and beers for under $12.00 Make sure you check out the specials.... Anyways, for those of you that have been to the original stockyard version of the Love Shack know that it's all out doors, order on the street and hope you find a chair or place to rest your basket of food. The So.7 location is great - built to support both the warm weather months - with roll up garage doors, outdoor ordering and large patio, or for those colder months - indoor eating and some heat. Minimalistic is the look with great food to eat. All Veggies can eat at this joint. Enjoy the Boom Boom - a marinated Portabella mushroom that is battered and fried with the fixings (remove the cheese if you like - that's how I like it). Juicy, tasty and unhealthy like a normal burger... I do have to say that I prefer the fries at the original location. The fries at So7 are super thin and have an identity crisis - they can't decide if they want to be crispy or mushy. The onion strings are great to eat (super thin, just the right amount of breading and volumes of flavor) and can add that extra crunch to any of your burgers. This veggie burger ranks high on my list. Rating: 3 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

St. Emilion - Our Favorite

This is by far our favorite restaurant in Fort Worth, probably in Texas, and one of our top 5 in the country. If you are looking for a place to enjoy a special occasion, take clients or just enjoy a fabulously prepared meal - I don't think either of us could say enough good about St. Emilion.

We recently had both sets of our parents together for dinner and this was the place of choice. We request the same server every time - Jennifer, and had a wonderful time. This was my first visit back since I have stopped eating meat, and was unsure of the experience I would have.

For those of you who have never been, the menu is a set 4 course meal. You have a starter, soup/salad course, main dish, and dessert. The usual menu is posted on the web, but the best part is the large chalkboard w/ specials. These specials are made with seasonal ingredients and change regularly. There are a few options for starters and the soup/salad course that would work great for a veg dish.

I started with the Cream of Asparagus Soup (minus the shrimp puff pastry), followed with the Insalata Caprese and for my main dish I ordered the chef's veg special. I have never had anything bad, so I'm going to talk about the main dish. The Vegetarian Special was a beautifully presented plate of fresh vegetables - all prepared in a different manner. The plate had cabbage, classic mixed vegs, a potato au gratin made with spinach and red bell peppers, grilled asparagus, and mushrooms. I am sure I have forgotten a few of the veggies on the dish - but what a treat. They were all seasoned well, tasted great and will keep me coming back for more. Oh but wait! There's more - dessert. I tried the special apple tart flambe (topped with ice cream). It wasn't one of my favorites, but the creativity was outstanding. The tart comes out warm, and then is topped with flamed Calvados.

I could go on forever with everything that was ordered at the table. Foodie's husband had the Original Duck dish. Beautifully presented and so he says - WONDERFUL. Several people ordered the Filet, and my mother had Jennifer surprise her with one of the special fishes on the board. Everyone at the table ate everything on the plate - to the point of being stuffed. By far the most popular dessert is their homemade cookie formed into a cup and filled with "fromage blanc" and topped with fresh blackberries.

Make sure you make reservations (months in advance for New Year's or Valentine's Day). Recommended Pick!!

Ranking: 5 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