La Joya

Recently a few people from work and I tried out La Joya in Irving for some "fine Mexican dining". Despite the name, the prices aren't too high... and the lunch prices are even more reasonable. Right now they are even running a breakfast buffet for $4.99. It's from 6:30-10:00 a.m. Monday through Friday. Yum! This is something that I need to try out! :)

When we arrived, someone brought homemade chips and salsa to our table. The green salsa was alright. The red salsa was delicious. Definitely my favorite. It was amazingly fresh and tasted of cilantro.

Two of my dining companions said the ceviche was delicious. It's served in a martini glass adorned with slices of avocado. If you need it, you must request additional lime on the side. If you plan on eating your ceviche Mexican-style with saltines, be advised, they don't have crackers. And watch out... the last bite of ceviche in the bottom of the glass can be killer hot!

That's not to say that they aren't willing to work with you and even serve you something off the menu. When one of our party couldn't find quesadillas on the dinner menu, the waiter was quick to tell her that the chef could still prepare one for her. I just found out that the quesadillas and enchiladas (another item that couldn't be found on the menu) are available on the lunch menu, but not on the dinner menu.

I ordered the Crepa de Pollo con Mole ($16) for myself. It actually came with two crepes. They were delicious. The chicken was tender and juicy. The mole however, tasted a bit harsh. It might have been softened with perhaps a touch of vinegar or sugar. The rice, although tasty, had a bit of a different taste. There were a few hard edges too, which might have been due to the lateness of the evening. As well, the beans were too dry. They might have been better earlier in the day.

The regular margaritas were served in a lowball glass and tasted of cheap margaritas made with a mix, something that the bartender readily acknowledged. The topshelf margaritas, served in martini glasses, were a bit better. They had fresh juices and Grand Marnier for a light flavor. If you like your margaritas with a heavily salted glass, ask for extra salt. In order to make the 'ritas more aesthetically pleasing, only a mouth-sized section of each glass is salted. This adds visual interest, but not much salt!

Overall, not a bad place to go. It might be fun to go for after-work drinks. La Joya has happy hour from 3-7 p.m. Monday through Friday. The margaritas, bottled beer (they don't have beer on draft), and premium house cocktails are $2 each. They knock $2 off all tequilas and the appetizers are half price.

And if you're in the mood for dancing, try La Joya on Fridays and Sundays. They have salsa dancing all night long! No word on drink prices or cover charges, though!


Place? La Joya

Location? 6450 North MacArthur Boulevard, Suite 100, Irving, TX 75063

Number to call when you get lost? (972) 831-8000

Cost? Won't put you in bankruptcy, but it's not at all cheap. Save this place for special occasions or when you want to impress.

Kid-friendly? Perhaps, if they are well-behaved.

Date-friendly? Absolutely.

Place to meet those of the opposite sex? Probably on the weekend, not on a Tuesday night!

Place to go with friends? Yes!

Bathroom cleanliness? Yes. Although the "Simple Human" trashcans were a bit insulting! What, is the trashcan more advanced than simple humans?

Good service? It could have been much better. I drank my longneck dry, as did my fellow beerdrinker, and neither one of us were offered a fresh one. The perfunctory wait service could have been much better.

Would I do it again? Perhaps.

El Taquito Taqueria

This weekend some friends and I went to Oak Cliff for brunch and a day of shopping. I was running late (yeah, yeah, I know... when am I not?) so my girlfriend and her daughter chose El Taquito Taqueria. Looking at it from the outside, it looks like a place to grab a quick, inexpensive bite to eat. Let that teach us to judge a taqueria by its cover!

When I got there I had to frantically look for change for the parking meter. Luckily 20 cents bought me 44 minutes of parking time. Good thing, too. That's how long it took just to get my food. Ah, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

We arrived at 11:30-ish. Still early enough for coffee on a Sunday, wouldn't you think? However, despite a sign announcing free coffee with the purchase of three breakfast burritos, coffee wasn't one of the drink options offered. Sigh. So we instead chose to drink bottled water and aguas frescas. Oh, agua de horchata. How I love thee!

When I got there, my girlfriend and her daughter had already placed their order. It took about ten minutes for them to get their drinks and for me to place my order. I immediately decided to order flautas. The waitress asked me what kind I wanted. I asked her what kind they had available. When she told me chicken, I told her that's what I wanted. Then she told me that they didn't have any. Then why did you offer it, to taunt me? This was only a sign of things to come...

Ten minutes later she came back to ask me, "What did you order again?" Agh!! So I had to place my order again. BTW, I chose carne deshebrada in place of the chicken that would have (hopefully) been so tender and juicy, so perfect in a flauta on a gorgeously gray and dreary Sunday morning.

My dining companions chose the gorditas and a torta. When asked which salsa (verde or rojo) she would like with her gorditas, my friend chose verde. Um, she never got it.

Her daughter ordered the torta. Poor girl. She ended up getting sick almost immediately after and blamed it on food poisoning. I'm not saying that that is what she had and that this is where she contracted it. Yet I'm not disavowing this theory either. She said that perhaps she was "too white" to eat here. Her words, not mine!

It didn't look like there was enough filling in the torta to make a flea sick. Don't you think?

My own order finally arrived 45 minutes after I did. By that time we were late for our appointment and I had to scarf it down in three minutes. Yes, it was possible. It's not like it was the type of meal that invited lingering anyhow.

The carne deshebrada seemed to be concentrated in the middle part of each flauta meaning that the first and last bites of each flauta exploded in corn tortilla shards. Very messy. Very annoying. Nor was the meat packed in there firmly enough. This meant that it had dried out and was in unappetizing stringy form instead of juicy, meaty goodness as it should have been.

This was supposed to be a memorable meal before we went shopping for a quinceaneara dress. Instead, it was a dismal and disappointing experience. When you're in Oak Cliff and want to grab a bite to eat, you may as well eat at El Ranchito right up the street at 610 West Jefferson. On similar menu items, the difference in price is negligible (only $7.95 for the Crispy Combo Tacos as opposed to the $6.75 for El Taquito flautas) and the service and food is much better.

Place? El Taquito Taqueria

Location? 301 East Jefferson Boulevard (at the Storey intersection), Dallas, TX 75203

Number to call when you get lost? (214) 943-1510

Cost? A bit too much for what you get and how you get it. The prices are what you would expect to pay in a Mexican food restaurant that actually cares about your service, your food, and its presentation.

Kid-friendly? Yes

Date-friendly? If a date brings you here, drop him or her immediately. Not because it's less expensive, but because it shows that he or she is not very discriminating and will thus not appreciate you for the gem that you are!

Place to meet those of the opposite sex? Uh, no. See above.

Place to go with friends? Yes.

Bathroom cleanliness? Could be better. The roll of paper towels to dry your hands was sitting on the toilet tank. Come on, at least hang it up on the paper towel holder! Besides that, it wasn't filthy or anything.

Good service? No.

Would I do it again? No!

Razzoo's Cajun Cafe

For Fat Tuesday, a couple of friends and I met at Razzoo's for a bit of Mardi Gras madness. We got a seat against the wall, by the dance floor. Is there normally a dance floor there? I wish I could say, but this was my first time at this particular location.

I got there pretty early. It was just 6 o'clock. However, because of Fat Tuesday, the parking lot was packed and I had to park right behind the restaurant, in the Wal-Mart parking lot. Park there at your own risk, folks! Not that I've ever known a Wal-Mart to tow non-customers. Just sayin'.

If you're lucky enough to go during Mardi Gras, you'll find that the servers are all in costume. The waitresses are in cute little corset tops and itty bitty skirts or what-have-you. Cute and trampy. Our waiter was wearing a big pimp hat and had a huge clock hanging from his neck. Apparently, this was to distract us from his serving skills, or lack thereof. Note to all, stay out of Cameron's seating section. For your own good. He's an adorable young man who you'd think is working his way through college. I can't see how it's possible, though... if he can't even manage to serve three tables in a timely fashion.

Our wait for drinks was so long that we each had to order two at a time. When we ordered our food we asked that the appetizers and meal be brought at the same time. It didn't happen. When we got our food we didn't have napkins, silverware, salt, pepper, etc.

Cameron tried to give my beer away to two different tables before he finally took it out of some guy's hand and brought it to me. Then, to add insult to injury, he charged two of the people in our party for their own tabs and the tabs of other tables. Yes, that's right. He double-charged TWICE. Two different credit cards were each charged for someone else's food. One of the extra charges was for $90. The other was for $60. The extra charges weren't discovered until the next day. Sigh.

Now, as for the food... yum! I love me some rat toes. Not real rat toes. Ick, no! These are little fried balls of cheesy goodness rat toes. The menu describes them as "shrimp 'n' crab stuffed jalapenos batter'd and fried-- w/cool buttermilk dip". So delicious!

We also got a platter of fried fish for about $12.99. It's enough for 2-3 to share. So good. It comes with tartar sauce and cocktail sauce. You might want to just double up on the tartar sauce. It's pretty durn good, with a hint of hotness.

I was drinking the bottled Coors Light at $3 or $4 each. However, there were tons of people drinking Hurricanes out of pitchers with really long red straws. Um, thanks. I think not! It was especially funny to watch those standing get tired of holding their drinks because they're in a PITCHER. Sorry. That's mean, huh? lol.

Place? Razzoo's Cajun Cafe

Location? 1414 Market Place Blvd, Irving, TX 75063

Number to call when you get lost? (972) 373-9400

Cost? Not expensive, pretty reasonable.

Kid-friendly? Absolutely!

Date-friendly? This is the perfect place to bring a date!

Place to meet those of the opposite sex? It can be, depending on when you go. Weekends are best!

Place to go with friends? Yes!

Bathroom cleanliness? Yes!

Good service? Um, no.

Would I do it again? Probably, as long as I make sure I get a good server.

El Caballo Blanco

The other night a girlfriend and I decided to go slumming in Fort Worth. Yes, slumming. It only proved to us from whence we came (we used to occasionally slum back in the day, too) and where we are now. Back then, a guy willing to buy us drinks all night long was a good thing, something to almost value or at least smilingly acknowledge. Now, a guy offering to buy us drinks, while flattering, is almost an insult. It's like, "What?! Do you think I can't afford to buy my own drinks? Aw, naw. I think not. You're starting to annoy me. Now back away before you upset me and get hurt." :o) Yes. Independent females can be a bit contrary sometimes.

We hit the Mexican bars on Main Street, close to the Long intersection. There are a few cantinas there, all conveniently placed for barhopping. Be forewarned, however... female barhopping over here isn't really a common thing. At least not if the females aren't working girls. Yup, it's that kind of neighborhood. So just be careful out there! And watch where you park your car. That goes without saying, no?

Of all the bars in this area, El Caballo Blanco was the most lively one. There are two security guards outside, standing at the ready to frisk the guys before they go in. Ah. Security guards. A sign that it's a high class place, no? When you go in, there's a minuscule dance floor to the immediate left. To the back, on the left-hand side is the bar. There are a few pool tables as well. Apparently, there are also pool tournaments with the top place winning $500. Wow! Big bucks in a place like this.

We went in looking cute and got plenty of looks. Even a few from the meseras working the joint. Not friendly, not unfriendly, just curious. lol. "What's a girl like you doing in a place like this?" Just be ready to take a shower when you get home. The ciggy smoke will permeate your hair and your clothes. Pee-ew!!

The beer is given to patrons with tops still attached. A questionable move when closed beer bottles are considered potential weapons by many other locales. However, here it's a sign of cleanliness and shows that your drink hasn't been tampered with. That's a good thing.

Overall, the place was a Mexican bar. A good place to go if you feel like getting down and dirty. Not a good place to go if you want something nice and to meet nice people.

Place? El Caballo Blanco

Location? 3203 North Main Street, Fort Worth, TX

Number to call when you get lost? No idea, so don't get lost!

Cost? Inexpensive. Bottled domestic beer is $3.

Kid-friendly? No!!

Date-friendly? Absolutely not. You don't want anybody you're interested in to know that you actually went into a place like this!

Place to meet those of the opposite sex? Yes. As long as you don't care about quality! Please... care.

Place to go with friends? Yes! This isn't the kind of place you want to go by yourself.

Bathroom cleanliness? No. It wasn't horribly disgusting, but it sure wasn't clean!

Good service? Not really. Not bad either. You can get the bartender on your side pretty quick with just a $1 beer tip!

Would I do it again? I never thought I'd go back there again, yet I did. So it looks like anything is possible!

The Aardvark

When you're in Fort Worth and you're looking for a down and dirty college hangout/bar, stop by at The Aardvark. It's right by Texas Christian University and it has a great atmosphere.

If it's pretty early when you get there you might get lucky and find parking in the lot right behind the bar. If it's a full night and neither lot or street parking is available, you may be able to find a spot across the street at the police storefront. That parking lot doesn't display "no parking/towing zone" signs and a few other people parked there, too. GGTGO Disclaimer: Please park responsibly and choose your parking spot at your own risk!!

When I went to the Aardvark it was actually to see a great lineup of bands, so there was a $20 cover charge. It was well worth the price.

The bartenders were adorable and totally efficient. They memorized our drink order pretty quickly (hmm... could this be due to the frequency of our orders?) and gave service with a smile. White people can be funny, though. Instead of piling up at the bar, shoving and waving arms frantically for drinks, people actually got in orderly lines. Can you believe it? It was so Robert Fulghum...

... and it worked! Woohoo! I walked away from the beer in less than 60 seconds with beer in hand. Maybe there is something to this whole "taking turns" thing. :)

As for the seating, it would have been nice if there had been more stools. The headliners didn't play until two hours after we arrived, so we had to park ourselves on the pool table in the meantime. Yeah, yeah... it's bad pool etiquette. But there were already a few college kids sitting there and it's not like anybody even batted an eye.

Overall, The Aardvark was a pretty great place. Although it's in TCU territory, there was a pretty good mix of ages and we were very comfortable hanging out there.

The stage is only a few feet higher than ground (audience) level, yet the place is so small that you can get super close to the bands. If one of favorite bands ever plays here, make sure you don't miss this totally awesome experience!

Place? The Aardvark

Location? 2905 West Berry Street, Fort Worth, Texas 76109

Number to call when you get lost? (817) 926-7814

Cost? Not expensive.

Kid-friendly? We saw a few kids there, but they were almost surely related to the bands. Don't bring your children here!

Date-friendly? Yes! It's a very casual/lowkey way to spend an evening with someone.

Place to meet those of the opposite sex? Yup. Especially if you go for the college-age hotties!

Place to go with friends? Of course!

Bathroom cleanliness? Very clean.

Good service? Yes. Please see adorable bartender reference above.

Would I do it again? Yes!

Krystal Burger

Not that long ago a friend and I were headed to Fort Worth to a rock concert. (Put up your rock hands, everybody!!)

Picture borrowed from here.

On the way there we decided to grab a quick bite. When we exited Highway 121 we were going to stop at Whataburger… That’s when I got all distracted by Krystal. When Krystal Burger first came to town, it was a big thing. It was almost as amazing as when Krispy Kreme came to town. So of course I couldn’t pass up this golden opportunity to sample this stuff of itty bitty hamburger dreams. Itty bitty hamburgers with itty bitty onions, that is. :)


For $10 we got a bag of burgers, fries, and something called a cornpup. Call me dumb, but I didn’t even realize that a cornpup was a smallish corny dog until I bit into the sucker. Yeah, I’m kind of clueless sometimes. I said clueless, not dumb. ‘Kay??

Anyhow, the burgers were pretty tasty. Just make sure to ask for mayo, mustard, and ketchup if you use them because these baby burgers come dry! And if you don’t really do onion, make sure to tell them so you won’t get yours with itty bitty messy-to-remove pieces. Krystal burgers are not a good thing if you’re going to the bar afterward. Just trust me on this. Lol!

I wish I could tell you what Krystal is like inside, but we kind of went through the drivethru and ate in the parking lot. If there are any law enforcement officers reading this… NO, that was not us eating Krystal burgers and drinking Coors Light out in the parking lot. Neither my friends nor I would do anything so high school and I would never drink while sitting in a car. I know that maybe the female looked like me, but that was totally not me. Really.

Please don't knock the picture. It was kind of dark when we took it! :)

Place? Krystal Burger

Location? 951 North Beach Street Fort Worth, TX 76111-6023 (Exit Beach street off of Airport Freeway. Krystal is on the north side of the freeway.)

Number to call when you get lost? (817) 834-0034

Cost? Extremely reasonable, this is a fast food joint. They even have breakfast specials!

Kid-friendly? How could it not be?

Date-friendly? Perfectly fine for established couples who are no longer trying to impress each other. lol.

Place to meet those of the opposite sex? Um, no.

Place to go with friends? Yes.

Bathroom cleanliness? Not sure. We didn't go inside.

Good service? Pretty polite.

Would I do it again? Yeah, why not? :)

Henderson Chicken/Faggins Sports Bar

When a friend asked if I wanted to get some Henderson's chicken and beer I somehow pictured us eating out in a parking lot somewhere, drinking beer bought at a nearby beerstore.

Imagine my total delight when we instead went to the brand new Henderson Chicken in Irving. Not only is it nicely set up, very sophisticated with retro Formica tables and black leatherette chairs, it's also got a bar. Yes... a bar!

After ordering our chicken at the counter, we had a seat at the bar to wait. Tenille (sp?), our gorgeous waitress (too cute!!), served us some domestic longnecks for $3/each. It was still pretty early, only 7:30 p.m. on a Saturday night. Although there weren't too many people there when we first arrived, folks started trickling in shortly thereafter.

When we got our food, it was so yummy, but there was way too much to actually finish it all. My friend and I each ordered the "2 piece with fries" with a breast and wing ($4.45). Please take my advice and order judiciously. Henderson doesn't skimp and their chicken breasts are huge. I only ate half of my meal and felt wasteful for having ordered so much. We didn't even make a dent in the order of fried okra that we split! BTW, take my advice and skip the fried okra ($1.89). It needed salt and was a bit bland.

Yeah, I know what you're wondering... how was the chicken, right?? Freshly made just for us, it was totally delish. The pieces were large and perfectly seasoned. They were laid atop a slice of seasoned bread. When you get your order, if you want that bread at all, be sure to dig it out from under there immediately or it'll turn into a tasty grease-soaked mess of seasoned mush!

Besides the chicken, you also get a mountain of fries. They're the thin little fries that you can buy for about a dollar at gas stations, but they're sprinkled with a seasoning that makes them absolutely irresistible. So, so good. Ah... Yes, I'm a fry girl.

Your chicken basket will come with pickle slices, a pickled jalapeno, and a pickled carrot slice. So make sure to tell them to hold the pepper if you don't like it hot.

The sports bar area was the perfect addition to an already terrific establishment. When we went, they hadn't yet installed the draft beer setup. Hopefully they'll have that next time. :)

The only thing that could make this whole chicken place/sports bar arrangement better is if they dimmed the bar lights (they were pretty bright for a bar) and if they installed a dance floor. Yes, a dance floor. It doesn't have to be too big. Just large enough for a couple or five to dance off the chicken and beer. Come on, now... if they already have liquor and music they may as well have a dance floor, don'tcha think? Lol.

Final word? Pace yourself here. Too much of a good thing isn't always a good thing! If you plan on drinking much, don't over do the chicken. Just sayin'.


Place? Henderson Chicken/Faggins Sports Bar

Location? 3636 North Beltline Road, Irving, Texas

Number to call when you get lost? (972) 594-7777

Cost? Totally reasonable food prices. The bottled beer could be much cheaper. It was $3 for domestic and $5 for imported. They also have $3 wells all day, every day. 6 oz. mixed drinks are $4.50 and 12 oz. mixed drinks are $8. Shots are $5.

Kid-friendly? Absolutely.

Date-friendly? With the sports bar, yes. :)

Place to meet those of the opposite sex? Yes!

Place to go with friends? Yes!

Bathroom cleanliness? Very clean.

Good service? Absolutely.

Would I do it again? Yes!!