Tolbert’s Restaurant, Grapevine, TX

By roaddog in Dallas, Food 0 Comment
Tolbert's Chili

It looks great!

A bit of web searching and chatting with locals led me to Tolbert’s Restaurant in Grapevine, Texas – a city just off the north end of DFW’s runway 13R-31L.  The buzz was that Tolbert’s had amazing, award-winning chili.  That’s enough to get me into the car, so off I went.

Arriving in Grapevine was a bit strange.  As my GPS ticked down the distance to within a half mile, I was still passing pawn shops, payday loan establishments and run-down fast food joints.  I mentally prepared myself to enter a rough roadhouse.  Once I made the last turn from Texas State Highway 114 onto Grapevine’s Main Street, the difference was like night and day.  Main Street is a busy entertainment district with several restaurants, shops, local businesses and a movie theater that shows classic films and children’s programming.  On the night I drove past, they were playing The Odd Couple (1968).  The restaurants were bustling, and all thoughts of rough-hewn tables, spilled beer and rowdy patrons left me.

To say the place was busy was an understatement.  I was lucky to get a seat at the bar.  As I reviewed the menu, I noted from fragments of overheard conversation and from looking around the room, that this was largely a local crowd.  A mix of date night couples and businessmen unwinding at the end of the week seemed to dominate the crowd.  On the stage in the back corner of the restaurant, a band was setting up their kit to play.  Seeing all of this, I felt I had made a good decision for my evening meal.  Having already had several steaks this week (it’s hard not to when in Texas), I opted instead to try a cup of the chili, some guacamole, and what Tolbert’s menu referred to as ‘donkey tails’.

The guacamole arrived quickly, accompanied by an ample basket of tortilla chips.  The chips were rustic and still warm.  If they’re not made in-house I would suspect they’re sourced very locally or Tolbert’s staff are masters of illusion.  In addition to the guacamole, I was given two bowls of salsa.  The first salsa I tried had a slight edge of heat, but was very watery.  The second bowl was just as watery, but didn’t provide very much at all in the way of flavor.  The guacamole, however, was good.  It had a faint heat at the end, but wasn’t anything unique or special.

To quote the menu, donkey tails are “two all-beef hot dogs stuffed with cheddar cheese, wrapped in flour tortillas, then lightly fried. served with Tolbert’s salsa and mustard sauce, and a shot of chili on the side.”  These, like the guacamole, were good, but nothing phenomenal.  They tasted pretty much as you’d expect them to taste, beefy & cheesy, and certainly not diet food.

Moving on to the main event, so to speak, I sampled the chili.  This cup of Texas red, garnished with chopped onions, shredded cheddar and a chile, looked just like I expect any good chili to look and my mouth literally started watering in anticipation.  I removed the chile from the top.  While I’ve been known to pop a pepper or two, I just didn’t want to assault my poor unsuspecting taste buds with a raw chile when they were expecting some beefy chili goodness.  When I put first cheese-dripping spoonful into my mouth, it felt as if I had just lit a dud of a firecracker.  Where was the flavor?  Where was the heat?  Rather than a spectacular explosion of beef and spices, I got a faint beefiness and some flat tomato flavor.  The raw chopped onions didn’t even wake up my mouth, which makes me suspect they were old.

Ultimately, I left Tolbert’s disappointed and feeling that the meal hadn’t been worth the time it took to get there.  Now, I’m not saying the food was bad.  It just failed to live up to it’s award-winning reputation.  The place seems to have a nice selection of standard Tex-Mex and American fare.  If I was staying at a hotel nearby, I wouldn’t shy away from stopping in for a bite, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to visit Tolbert’s a second time.

If you find yourself near Grapevine and want to try it out for yourself, you can find Tolbert’s at:

423 South Main Street
Grapevine, Texas 76051
817.421.4888
http://www.tolbertsrestaurant.com/ 

Hard Eight BBQ, Coppell, TX

By roaddog in Dallas, Food 0 Comment
Hard Eight BBQ

Meaty, Smoky Goodness

This was not my first visit to Hard Eight Pit Bar-B-Q.  I was tipped off to Hard Eight a year ago by a colleague in the Dallas area.  Since then, I’m always sure to visit whenever I’m in town.  Hard Eight is simply the best barbecue I have ever had.  When you enter Hard Eight, you pass by racks of hardwood logs and a fleet of immense smokers, finally ending up at the hot box from which you’re served your choice(s) of smoky, meaty goodness.

On this visit, I chose some brisket, spicy sausage, a chicken popper, and a serving of mac & cheese.  The brisket has that beautiful pink smoke ring that heralds barbecue greatness and it just falls apart in your mouth.  I’ve never had a juicer, more tender barbecue brisket.  The spicy sausage had a creamy texture and smoky flavor, with just enough spicy kick at the end to let you know it’s been there but without so much that you can’t taste the rest of your meal.  The chicken popper is a chunk of chicken breast and jalapeño wrapped in bacon and cooked in the smoker.  It was a nice and unusual combination, and it didn’t fail to please.  The only thing I didn’t enjoy was the mac & cheese, and this might be a regional difference.  Hard Eight’s mac & cheese consists of overcooked elbows swimming in a liquid cheese sauce that lacks any depth of flavor.

I wholeheartedly and strongly recommend Hard Eight BBQ to any lover of meat who may find themselves in Dallas or on a long layover at DFW (they’re just a few minutes north of the airport).

Hard Eight BBQ can be found here, and unlike many barbecue spots in and around Dallas, they’re open fairly late…

688 Freeport Parkway
Coppell, TX 75019
972-471-5462

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Hot Doug’s

By roaddog in Chicago, Food, USA 0 Comment
Duck fat fries, duck sausage with foie gras, Chicago dog

Hard to beat this.

I’ve seen and read many recommendations for Hot Doug’s in Chicago over the past few years.  Since my sister lives in Chicago and I have relatively frequent business there, it was only a matter of time before I made sure I got a chance to sample Doug’s encased meats.

The restaurant is fairly off the beaten path, being a good distance from the downtown and tourist areas of the city and in a largely industrial area.  Thanks to the quality of their products, TV appearances and numerous magazine writeups, the place is enjoying some well-deserved popularity.  I arrived at 12:30 PM on a Saturday and found the line wrapping around the block.  It took an hour and a half to get to the front of the line, but it was well worth it.

I ordered “the dog,” a standard Chicago-style hot dog, although Doug’s dog had grilled onions, but didn’t have the peppers I’ve become accustomed to on a Chicago dog.  The dog itself was high quality product grilled just right.   The bun was soft and tasty, coming apart just before the last bite.

With everything I’ve heard about the place, the main thing on my mind was duck.  In addition to “the dog” I had the foie gras and sauternes duck sausage, served with truffle aioli, foie gras mousse and fleur de sel.  The flavor of the duck was prominent and the sausage was well spiced.  I’m not usually a fan of foie gras, but here it added a welcome creaminess where the sausage might have otherwise been just slightly dry.

In addition to the dogs, I had the duck fat fries .  That is exactly what it sounds like.  French fries cooked in rendered duck fat.  The taste is like a normal fry but with a unique twist that I can’t quite describe. I ate the first several plain, but when I tried them with ketchup, the unique flavor still shined through.

The staff is very attentive and helpful.  The restaurant is clean, well maintained, and full of hot dog/sausage memorabilia and artwork.  Make sure to have a look at the restroom signage and the encased meats timeline.

I consider Hot Doug’s a must for a Chicago visit.  These encased meat purveyors are masters of their craft.

You can find Hot Doug’s here:
3324 North California, Chicago, IL 60618
Phone: (773) 279-9550
http://www.hotdougs.com/

Walkers Shortbread on Delta!

By roaddog in Airlines, Food 0 Comment
Walker's Shortbread on Delta

Buttery joy on a plane.

On one of my last Delta flights, I was greeted with one of my favorite things, Walkers shortbread cookies!  It’s such a small thing, but it’s a huge improvement over the less expensive, and in this writer’s opinion, inferior Biscoff cookies that have been the Delta staple up until now.

Clearly, individual tastes vary, but I’ve never found the Biscoff cookies worth eating.  Their consistency is like compressed sand, and I often choke on them if I happen to inhale while chewing one. On the other hand, Walkers shortbread is rich and buttery.  Given the choice between the two, I’d go for Walkers every time. As someone trying to maintain somewhat healthy eating habits, I can think of better things than Biscoff cookies to spend the 120 calories on; like the roughly 80* calories of the Walkers shortbread round, letting me save the rest.

A cursory browse of frequent flyer forums verified that this change has happened in the first class cabins of many Delta flights.  Reports from other Delta customers seem to indicate that Biscoff is still being served in the economy cabins and in Delta Sky Clubs.

That same investigation showed that Biscoff does have its supporters.  There is a vocal group of Biscoff lovers on some of the forums I’ve visited.  The student of human behavior in me wonders if those Biscoff supporters are suffering from peer pressures, irrational brand loyalties, or the simple human resistance to change similar to what killed off New Coke back in the 80s**.  In the New Coke scenario, blind taste tests showed that even some of the people clamoring for the return of the original formula actually preferred the new product.

Biscoff 2-packs retail fo $0.14.  A single Walker’s shortbread round has an estimated retail price of $0.42***.  At three times the price, this demonstrates a refreshing investment in customer satisfaction.

In related news, Sun Chips have been replaced with Goldfish crackers in the first class snack baskets.  I won’t offer an opinion on that change as I don’t particularly care for either item.

According to Delta’s First Class Dining webpage, both Walkers and Biscoff are listed as available on flights of an hour or more.  Sun Chips aren’t mentioned at all.

Do you have an opinion on either of these changes?  Please share in the comments.

* The calorie count for the shortbread round single pack served by Delta was extrapolated from the Walkers retail 2-pack.

** See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Coke for further information.

*** Prices listed in US Dollars and taken from the respective manufacturers’ websites on October 31, 2011.  The estimated Walkers single pack price represented above is one-half the price of a retail 2-pack.

New York Restaurant Week

By roaddog in Food, New York City, USA 0 Comment

We’re two days into New York Restaurant week, a great chance to try out many fine restaurants that you might have otherwise passed up.

The restaurant week deal is a $24.07 lunch or $35 dinner from a prix fixe menu.  The list of restaurants along with their Restaurant Week menus are all on the NYCgo website (link below).  As an added bonus, if you have an American Express card, you can sign up to receive a promotional bonus at the website.

Last night, I visited an old favorite – Brasserie Ruhlmann.  It’s a wonderful art deco space right in Rockefeller Plaza. I’ve never had a bad meal there, and last night was no exception.

This year, Restaurant week is really two weeks (July 11-24th), so I plan to revisit a few old favorites and try out a few new spots.

I hope this is helpful!

http://www.nycgo.com/restaurantweek (opens in new window)

Prater Garten, Berlin

By roaddog in Berlin, Food, Germany 0 Comment
Prater Garten Gate

Prater Garten Gate

I came across Prater Garten by accident, which is often the best way to find things in a new city.

The place where I had intended to eat was closed by the time I got there, so with a grumbling belly late in the evening, I started wandering the neighborhood looking for some other options.  After about fifteen minutes of passing fast food, non-German food and many more closed restaurants, I came across the gate to Prater Garten.

I was going to dismiss it, since what looked like an empty beer garden wasn’t high on my list for a late, chilly Berlin evening.  Luckily, I noticed the proper restaurant nestled in the right hand side of the large open space.  The restaurant is hard to miss.  It has a big red lighted sign that reads “Gaststätte” (German for “restaurant”) on the roof.

I went in and immediately knew I had stumbled into a great experience.  The atmosphere was warm, friendly and rustic.  The building and it’s furnishings could have easily been the originals from the nineteenth century.  The space includes a long bar and a couple of dozen tables.  At one end of the seating area is a stage.  I found myself thinking that this would be a wonderful place to hire out for an event.  The fact that it was packed with locals late on a weeknight further cemented my idea that I had chosen well.

The wait staff was an eclectic mix that one might find in a bohemian neighborhood in any big city.  My waitress was heavily tattooed & pierced, and very friendly & helpful.  She was quick to step in with her excellent English after hearing me stumble through my mostly nonexistent grasp of the German language.  After she took my order with a bit of a raised eyebrow, the reason for which I would only understand later, she brought me my beer.  I opted for the half-liter Prater Lager Schwarz, the house dark beer, which was amazing.

When my food was served, I discovered the reason for the raised eyebrow.  The plate of eggs in mustard Sauce with mashed potatoes, which I had thought was an appetizer, turned out to be huge.  Three hard boiled eggs were nestled into a mound of mashed potatoes and covered in a wonderfully tangy mustard sauce.  Next was the beef goulash, served with potato dumplings.  This dish had such a complexity of flavor, and the beef was perfectly tender so as to nearly, but not quite, disintegrate upon meeting my fork.  I was so satisfied with my meal that I made it a point to come back twice more during my time in Berlin.  I also made it a point to avoid ordering more than one plate.  In addition to the eggs and the goulash, I recommend the roast duck.

Also good is what, for lack of a better term, I call the grill shack.  This is on the right side of the garden’s huge outdoor space near the window where one can buy beer and sodas.  The grill shack offers sausages, snacks and small dishes.

After the last few paragraphs, I think it will come as no surprise that I wholeheartedly recommend Prater Garten.  Whether it’s a sausage lunch in the beer garden or sitting down to a hearty meal in the Gaststätte, this is a place where you can get an authentic taste of German fare.

Please be aware that Prater Garten is cash only.

Prater Garten is located at:
10435 Berlin
Prenzlauer Berg
Kastanienallee 7 – 9

To find Prater Garten via public transportation, take the U-Bahn U2 line to Eberswalder Straße.  Kastanienallee begins under the train station.  Walk south along Kastanienallee and you’ll find Prater Garten on the right side of the street.  In case you don’t have a compass, Kastanienallee becomes Pappelallee on the north side of the train station.  The M1 tram also runs down Kastanienallee.

On the web (in English, opens in a new window):  http://www.pratergarten.de/e/index.php4