Fred's Texas Cafe

So I was out running errands on my bicycle today, yeah 100+ today, and I went into Fred's Texas Cafe at 915 Currie Street in Fort Worth to refill my water bottle.



I never made it out.

That sounds like a bad thing. Really, it was an awesome thing.

I've heard about Fred's for while now, but every time I've thought about trying them, they were packed (they do get packed). But I was running errands on my bicycle today and they brought me to Fred's just as the lunch hour started. Like I said, I just went in for some water. Then it hit me: The smell of Fred's burgers and their other foods cooking. You just can't walk away from a smell like that if you're anywhere near a mealtime.

Here it is, short and sweet: AWESOME burger, GREAT fries and COLDASS beer.




The burger tastes like it just came off the grill in the back yard. I got mine with cheese "all the way."  The toppings were fresh and crisp. The burger itself was just a little pink inside, just the way I like it. The fries are some of the best I've had. They are cut from whole potatoes with the skin on, and they "double fry" them to make them crispy on the outside, tender inside. And my coldass (their word, by the way) beer was only $2. With the beer, the bill came to about $12. A little pricy for just a burger I suppose, but it was worth it. (Actually, this is becoming pretty typical for the best burger joints locally.)

But that's only half the story. When I asked for the water, the bartender was friendly and gladly filled my bottle. Brian, the inmate in charge of the place, more than made me feel at home. When I decided to stay, I went out to lock up my bike and he followed me out and he asked a few questions about the bike. In general, everyone else that worked there was that friendly. I mean, they really love the place, so it pulls you in.

I wouldn't have minded staying longer, but the sun was hot and getting hotter and I had to pedal home.

Cafe Brazil

Happy Independence Day, y'all! This morning the wife and I rode to Cafe Brazil for breakfast. It is at 2880 West Berry Street in Fort Worth, just east of University in the heart of the TCU area.

Mijo's Fusion

Another bike date with the missus. This time we rode through Fairmount neighborhood up to Mijo's Fusion, a new restaurant at 1109 W. Magnolia Ave. in Fort Worth. They are in the space formerly occupied by Junsuree Thai restaurant (a favorite of ours). The decor inside the restaurant has been completely remodeled (yeah, it was kind of empty; we ate a late lunch).

Bailey's Bar-B-Que

I was out of town on business this week. I got back Thursday night and had Friday off, so I had a chance to ride around on The Whip for a longish ride (26 miles). I went downtown to see the new location of Trinity Bicycles... more about that later. I also had a late lunch at Bailey's Bar-B-Que. I've been meaning to go there for quite a while, but since they're only open for lunch, I haven't had a chance.

Bailey's is a unique little place. In the middle of larger buildings downtown at 826 Tailor Street, they've been serving barbecued brisket since 1931. I suppose this place has seen a lot of Fort Worth history.

Los Vaqueros in the Stockyards

You may want to peruse my previous review of Los Vaqueros.

If you get there by bicycle, you don't have feel guilty about having dessert. ;- )



Coincidentally enough, we ordered the same thing we ordered last time. I had the brisket tacos and Mrs. Doohickie had the veggie enchiladas.



Part of the reason I'm posting another review of Los Vaqueros is this: They are my favorite Mexican restaurant. Period. The reason is this: You know your Mexican grandmother? The one who cooks stuff that is so much more delicious than that Mexican food you can get in restaurants? Well, no, I don't have one of those either. But if I had a Mexican abuela, this is how her food would taste.

The beans are a treasure. The brisket in the tacos is unbelievably rich and flavorful. My wife likes all the different veggies in the veggie enchiladas. The food just tastes like mi abuela spent all day cooking just for me.

To add to the atmosphere, the wait staff really make us feel like family as well. There is a genuineness in the way they interact that makes us feel like they are there for us and just us. And they bring the food fast.

Oh, and since we did ride our bikes to dinner, we decided to indulge in dessert.



The sopapillas have a similar homemade essence to them. Rolled in sugar and just a touch of cinnamon, they come with honey, a strawberry glaze, and whipped cream. The amount was generous but we somehow managed to finish them off.

Shaw's Burgers and Shakes

I intended to do a breakfast ride but got rolling late this morning. So I rode over to the Southside, not knowing where I would end up, and decided to get some lunch at Shaw's Burgers and Shakes at 1057 W. Magnolia Ave, Fort Worth. It's not a huge place, kind of cozy. I decided to sit out on the patio.

City Pig BBQ

So I finally got around to trying a place I've passed probably a hundred times: City Pig BBQ at 2001 8th Ave. at Arlington in Fort Worth. They have all the normal Texas barbecue favorites, brisket and the like, but at a place named City Pig, you gotta go with some kind of pork.

Magnolia Motor Lounge

This post was brought to you by Car Free Fridays Fort Worth.

I took a little ride on my off day. I stopped by the City Cyclist where they are busy as always. They got a nice letter from someone they recently sold an ICE recumbent bike to. Debbie said hearing from the customers makes it worthwhile. After chatting with the crowd there, I rode up the McCart corridor toward the southside. I wandered a block or two off my normal route and found some interesting neighborhoods. The most unusual thing I saw, a block east of McCart (this is the middle of the city, folks) was this little guy.



OMG, it's a teeny little horsey!

Rock Bottom

Ocean Rock redux

So today Mrs. Doohickie and I went to lunch at Ocean Rock... er, I mean Rock Bottom. It's a bit confusing; Rock Bottom just opened recently.



Before that, it was Ocean Rock.



We liked Ocean Rock. One of the things Mrs. Doohickie liked is they had a good Key Lime Pie. After checking out the menu for the new Rock Bottom, we saw they have Key Lime Pie on the menu and decided to try lunch there.

Rock Bottom has a decor very similar to the previous tenant; if anything there is a bit more pandering to the TCU crowd, both in what hangs on the walls and in menu items. The service was good- very attentive and several servers asked us if we needed anything even though we weren't their table. It was prompt too and the food arrived quickly. I had the Baja Fish Tacos.



They were excellent, with a great blend of flavors. Mrs. Doohickie had the Santa Fe Veggie Wrap, but had regular ranch instead of the jalapeño cilantro ranch dressing and a spinach tortilla instead of the jalapeño cheddar.



She liked her lunch a lot. The staff was totally cool about substituting for milder flavors.

Overall our experience was excellent and the food was great. I have two minor criticisms though: They were out of Key Lime Pie! That was the reason we decided to try them in the first place. (Oh well, I guess we'll need to go back for that another time.) Also, they had neither a lunch menu nor lunch specials. I usually don't pay $10.99 (not including drink) for lunch. The fish tacos were good, but equivalent level of food can be had elsewhere for less.

I mentioned the lack of a lunch menu to our server; I hope she passes the idea on to the management.

With just a little tweaking I can see Rock Bottom becoming one of our regular stops.

Rosebud Cafe

So this morning I rode out to the Rosebud Cafe at 1519 West Rosedale Street (at 8th Avenue) for breakfast.



There are breakfast institutions in Fort Worth- Ol' South Pancake House, Paris Coffee Shop, etc., and never having been inside, I viewed Rosebud in the same light. You know, the Grand Dames of Fort Worth Diners. Maybe it was just an off-day, but Rosebud isn't part of that group. Although the restaurant was clean, the decor was tired, probably from the 1970s, and lacked the charm of other older diners.



Like I said, it may have been just an off-day for them. When you go to the other diners I mentioned earlier, there is a sense of purpose, of action. People meet there to conduct business. The movers and shakers gotta eat too, ya know? But Rosebud just doesn't have the same energy. In fact it was just about empty while I was there.



Okay, so... that's the down side. Time for the good news. First, the wait staff is friendly and prompt. My coffee cup runneth over; it was never empty. Second, for the money, the food was good. I ordered a $5.75 breakfast special that included a Belgian waffle, two eggs (ordered over medium) and bacon. It was basic greasy spoon fare, and it was perfectly executed.



The place may not have charm, but they do have good food. And reasonable prices. Sometimes you go to a restaurant that has good atmosphere but the food sucks. Sometimes the food is good but the ambiance isn't so hot. Rosebud is one of those good food places and I would definitely give them a second chance, and I probably will at some point in the future. I'm sure the decor won't change, but maybe the place will have a little more life.

While I was riding over to Rosebud, I noticed the tower of the Public Market building. I've read on Fortworthology that there is a group seeking to restore it and open it as a farmers market, so I decided to ride over and check it out. Sadly, there is no indication of activity yet. It's such a cool old building; I hope it gets fixed up.







On the way home I stopped by Trinity Bicycles and visited with Bryan and Bernie, and met Jeremy of Gallus Bicycles. Trinity has a new project going on. In addition to the local art that is finding its way onto the north wall of the shop, there is now some art on the south wall, being painted by a local art teacher.



Bernie is doing everything he can to make Trinity Bicycles a cycling destination and a cool place to hang out. If you haven't been by yet, you may want to pay them a visit at 207 South Main.

Our Place, N. Richland Hills

So I took my car in for some warranty work, then went with Mrs. Doohickie to help her move some stuff at her office at work. After dropping the car off we went to breakfast at a nearby diner, Our Place Restaurant at 7630 NE Loop 820 in North Richland Hills.



It's basically a Bob Evans. Without the Bob. Or the Evans. Okay, it's a former Bob Evans restaurant, but the new owners have put their own spin on the place. We were both in an omelet mood, so I got a Greek Omelet and Mrs. Doohickie got a Veggie Lovers Omelet.



It said it was a three egg omelet on the menu, but I think they lied, because it was huge. The eggs were light and fluffy and tasted wonderful. I'm a big fan of the Greek Omelet at Ol' South Pancake House and to be honest, I won't be pinned down as to which one is better. The omelets from the two restaurants are different, but both are very tasty. The food arrived quickly and my coffee cup was filled frequently.

If there was any fault with the experience, it was that the final check took a while to get to us, but that was minor. Good food, a better value than any corporate owned place (like Bob Evans). And definitely more like real home cooking than Bob Evans.

The Spiral Diner

A Carnivore's Guide

If you haven't heard, Fort Worth has a pretty good vegan diner. The Spiral Diner & Bakery, at 1314 West Magnolia Avenue, is the best choice for vegans in Fort Worth. Surprisingly they have what it takes to keep meat eaters happy as well.



The decor of the place is what you would expect for a hippie-vegan place. Kind of mid-20th Century shabby chic...



...on hallucinogens.



The wait staff are in character too, with tattoos and piercings and stuff. They are always friendly and make you feel welcome. This time around, Mrs. Doohickie ordered her usual- a Hummus appetizer and Sweet Luv’Us Hummus Wrap. I ordered the special which was a Meatloaf Dinner. Ermmmmm, I mean Meatlessloaf. Whatever.



The portions are surprisingly filling. They are also surprisingly realistic, even though they have no meat or dairy or anything like that. You can go meatless without hardly realizing it. One of my favorites when I'm not in the mood for the special is the Jamaican Jerk BBQ San’ich which, if I didn't know any better, I would think was made of real pork.

This is where I go off and editorialize a bit: I'm not vegetarian; Mrs. Doohickie is. When we go to a vegan restaurant, she orders something vegetablely. Her wrap had baked sweet potato, hummus, broccoli, cucumber, avocado, and salad greens. What I don't get is why some people try their best to make vegetarian food seem like meat. If eating vegan is so great, why fake it and make it like meat? I do appreciate it, mind you. Maybe they do it because they know there are mixed families and they want to keep the carnivores happy.

The Spiral Diner does this very well; I've never had a bad meal there. Oh... the other thing that makes me happy: They have an excellent selection of beers.



This time around it was Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout. It's is a heavy, wheaty stout that will knock you on your can with 9% alcohol content. Delicious. Oh... and the ice cream is pretty good, too! So to sum it up, don't be afraid of the vegan food at The Spiral Diner, even if you'd rather just run out for some barbecue. Those crafty vegans are so tricky, you won't know you're not eating meat.

Pak-A-Pocket

I first learned of Pak-A-Pocket at 5512-D Bellaire Dr South (at the corner of Bryant Irvin) when I was working a short distance away. I went there a handful of times for lunch. Tonight I stopped in unexpectedly but figured it was a good opportunity for a review.

You see, I was riding my bike home from work, and a front blew through. Rain? I can handle that. Lightning? Well... maybe if it's not too close. When I was within about a block of Pak-A-Pocket, I decided it was too close (in fact it was lightning on both sides of me, not a good sign).

So I stopped in at Pak-A-Pocket, called my wife to let her know what was going on, and had dinner. I had a shawarma gyro (that's what it's called, although in my mind the name is redundant).


Order at the counter

All the food is good at Pak-A-Pocket. They will pack just about anything fresh and delicious in a pita and serve it. They have good hummus too. And if you don't want the pita, they'll make a salad with the same great stuff. They've been there 24 years, so they know what they're doing. The prices are very reasonable and the service is prompt and friendly.


Unique decor

Like I said, I had the shawarma: Great seasoned meat, tucked in a pita pocket, with tomatoes and onions and a cucumber sauce. Brilliant in its simplicity, and Pak-A-Pocket's version is both delicious and satisfying (i.e., fills you up).


Forgive me, but I ate the pickle & took a bite of the pocket before I remembered to take a picture of it

The weather was still threatening so I had some of the homemade pita chips. They are awesome.

But the story doesn't end there. While chit-chatting with the proprietor Imad, we realized that we live fairly close to each other. I called my son a couple times to have him check the weather radar, but it was a hard read: The storm was literally forming over me and wasn't moving in a clear direction. Imad graciously mentioned that they close the restaurant at 7 pm (it was already 7:10) and if I wanted, he could give me and my bike a ride home in his van. I took him up on his offer, which was a good thing because we saw several close lightning strikes on the way home. He dropped me right off at my driveway, and then he was on his way home.

So hats off to Imad and Pak-A-Pocket. Great food, great prices, and super-great service!

Los Vaqueros in the Stockyards

There are a lot of good Mexican restaurants in Fort Worth. It's hard to pick the best one, though, because they are all so excellent in different ways. Los Vaqueros at 2629 North Main is on the short list for sure. It is, in my opinion, the best in the Stockyards area.

From Main Street, it looks like an old warehouse.



Even from the parking lot, you might not be too sure about the place.



The restaurant has an odd balance of formality and familiarity. I get the feeling of an honored guest being received in someone's home, but after being seated, I feel like I'm being treated like long, lost family.

We enjoyed our drinks over complimentary chips & salsa. My margarita was excellent. I ordered the special- brisket tacos, and Mrs. Doohickie ordered her favorite- veggie enchiladas.

Although this is clearly a Mexican restaurant, there is an old Texas feel to it. This particular Friday, a three-piece combo was playing. At first I thought it was a mariachi combo, but this evening Texas swing ruled.



They played acoustic guitar, fiddle & bass, wandering from table to table. The table next to us had a young couple, a set of grandparents, and a baby boy. They sang (what else) "Mommas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys." For us, they sang the Bob Wills standard "New San Antonio Rose."



Every restaurant has its downside, and for Los Vaqueros, it's that the food takes a little longer than you think it should. We know this, and when we go there it always seems like we have time to burn. This particular evening we were both dealing with tough weeks at work, and the time spent hanging out, chatting, listening to the music and just people watching, was just what we needed to relax. Then our food arrived.



Mrs. Doohickie is a vegetarian, so she is picky about her veggie enchiladas. The enchiladas at Los Vaqueros are perfect; they are not an afterthought but rather a feast of squash, zucchini, onion, red peppers and mushrooms wrapped in fresh tortillas and topped with a sour cream sauce with a citrus twang.

There is a lot of good stuff on the menu at Los Vaqueros, but lately I tend to opt for the special if it sounds at all good. The brisket tacos were a good move. There were two big tacos with all the fixins, and where most brisket tacos have chopped or shredded meat, these tacos had cubes of brisket about 3/4" on a side, tender chunks of succulent meat (okay, that sounds like an exaggeration, but if it's true, it's true!) The meat was complemented by feta cheese for a great flavor.

One thing I needed to add to this post.... many dinner entrees are under $10, and the most expensive item on the menu is under $15. This place is affordable.

In short, yeah, it takes a while for the food to get there, but trust me, it's worth the wait. And if you are out on a date or socializing with a large group, having to wait a bit for your food isn't necessarily a bad thing.

After dinner we wandered back to our car which was parked at the other end of the Stockyards. To end the post I'll just share a few views on our way back to through the Stockyards.

The back side of the Cowtown Colliseum


The "green room" for the rodeo


"You ready for the rodeo tonight, Henry?" "Yep."


Front view of the Cowtown Colliseum


Looking down Exchange Street toward Main


Stockyards Station... the old pig and sheep pens converted to shops for the tourists. Yes, a train still comes in there; it runs from the Stockyards up to Grapevine

Food Reviews on Doohickie

Pork Torta at Mijo's Fusion

So you live in Fort Worth and don't know what you want to eat? I can help! I've been compiling posts that contain food reviews (sometimes the reviews are buried in stories about bicycle rides). I've tagged all these posts with the food tag and broke them down into breakfast and dinner (which includes both lunch & dinner actually). Oh, and there's beer, too!

All food reviews
...All breakfast reviews
......Rosebud Cafe June 25, 2010
......Our Place Restaurant June 5, 2010
......Ol' South Pancake House May 14, 2010
......Dixie House Cafe Apr 16, 2010
......Montgomery St. Cafe Feb 5, 2010
......Paco & John's Mexican Diner Jan 27, 2010
......Galligaskin' Submarines Nov 25, 2009
......Paris Coffee Shop Nov 16, 2009
......Esperanza's Sep 22, 2009
...All lunch and dinner reviews
......Mijo's Fusion April 27, 2012
......Bailey's Bar-B-Que March 2, 2012
......Shaw's Burgers & Shakes Jan 7, 2011
......City Pig BBQ Oct 29, 2010
......Magnolia Motor Lounge Oct 1, 2010
......The Spiral Diner and Bakery June 4, 2010
......Pak-A-Pocket June 2, 2010
......Los Vaqueros in the Stockyards May 28, 2010 & December 30, 2011
......Yucatan Taco Stand Feb 27, 2010
......Momma Mia's Jan 22, 2010
......Cousin's Barbecue Jan 8, 2010
......Benito's Jan 2, 2010
......La Familia Oct 18, 2009
......Buffalo Bros. Mar 22, 2009
...All beer reviews
......Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout June 4, 2010
......Shiner Smokehaus Sep 2, 2009

Ol' South Pancake House

When it comes to breakfast in Fort Worth, the elephant in the room is Ol' South Pancake House at 1509 S. University. It is a place to see and be seen, a place to finish out a night of revelry, and oh, yeah, a lot of people just have breakfast there. They are in a prime location, just off the Trinity Trail bike path at the south end of Trinity Park, but also close to the Cultural District, the Zoo, TCU, the new West 7th developments and a short ride from downtown. Location, location, location, location. So this morning, I made that my destination.

So I got on the The Old Gentleman (my Raleigh DL-1 Tourist) and started touring through Fort Worth. I followed a route north along Trail Lake, cutting through my favorite "wormhole" in Fort Worth, Foster Park, which has a path that takes you from Trail Lake & South Drive to Overton Park East without having to climb the big ol' hill between if you stick to the roads. And it's scenic.



Then a nice mellow ride through Tanglewood on the way to the Colonial Country Club area



...and out to the Trinity Trail. The section under University Drive was rebuilt and opened this spring. In this shot, the University bridge in the background. This picture really brings it to light, but May is the most verdant month in North Texas. I think the fact that it was mostly cloudy only enhanced the green tones of the pics I took on this ride.



After crossing under University the trail swings north toward Trinity Park. Just before entering the park, there is a spot to get off on Old University which takes you right to Ol' South Pancake House.



Give points for being so easy to get to by bike, but subtract points for bike parking; the best I could do was lock my bike to a handicap sign.



If you've never been to Ol' South, the deal is this: They do all the standard breakfast fare well. Waffles? You bet. French toast? Yum. But they have something I haven't seen anywhere else. It's called a German Pancake, which seems to be made from half egg and half pancake batter, producing something like either a very thin, fluffy omelet or an eggy pancake. They finish it off at your table by squeezing the juice of a lemon on it, sprinkling powder sugar on it and mixing it in to make a kind of sauce, then folding the pancake over on itself so the lemon-sugar mixture is contained inside like a filling. One pancake is too much for a lot of people, but they sell a smaller portion called a Dutch Baby. Another favorite of mine is the Greek Omelet.



This time, though, I went for the Dutch Baby with a side of sausage. After mixing in the powder sugar and lemon and folding it all up it looks like this-



It was, as always, delicious. Then I hopped on the trail,



And headed into Trinity Park



I got on the western part of the Loop Trail and enjoyed one of my favorite parks. (Click below to see my first EVAR bike film.)



At the north end of Trinity Park I got on West 7th Street and headed downtown. That route goes right by Burnett Park which is called downtown Fort Worth's backyard.



The park features a sculpture called Man With Briefcase



See that little thing on the lower left of the sculpture? That's my bike! I put that in there to give a sense of the scale of this sculpture.



It wasn't particularly warm but it was humid. Time for one more stop, this time at one of the downtown Starbucks. A bottle of water was all I needed though.



Then it was time to high-tail it home, since the rain was coming. After I got home, this swept over the area (I live near FWS+).



I got home with about 20 minutes to spare.