Old Neighborhood Grill
1633 Park Place Avenue, Fort Worth, TX 76110-1378
The Old Neighborhood Grill is nestled in a shopping center on Park Place Avenue in the Berkley and Mistletoe Heights area, close to downtown, and just minutes from TCU. This small, family-owned restaurant is a fun experience or “casual date” lunch spot. When you walk in the restaurant, the menu is written in different colored chalk on an overhead board. With so much to choose from it may take a few minutes to decide on your selection.
A wooden “lazy Susan” holds a homemade dessert, usually a “red velvet” cake or some other kind of yummy treat. It is placed strategically by the cashier so you will be tempted to order a slice to complete your meal. Hmmm.. tricky…. ☺
The homemade French fries are delicious and served piping hot. There are a number of side orders to choose from. Besides the fries, I would recommend a massive stuffed and loaded baked potato or baked apples. Both are very tasty. For lunch, fresh hamburgers are made to order as well as grilled chicken sandwiches and salads.
It’s one of the few places in town where you can get a steak for under $10. Plus the chicken fried steak is absolutely colossal, filling up half the plate.
Drinks are on a fill it up yourself basis with hefty plastic cups and different flavors of ice tea or soft drinks.
Each plate is cooked fresh in the kitchen so it takes a few minutes for your food to be delivered but it’s worth the wait. Plus while you are waiting to eat take your pick of a few wooden board games to pass the time and don’t forget to order a dessert.
Parking can get a little crazy, and during the summer months especially, you will find a row of bikes lined up as neighborhood families ride their bikes to go eat dinner. Three or four tables are also situated outside so when the weather is nice you can grab a table for two and enjoy a little sunshine.
The décor is reminiscent of a local café with a bulletin board for neighborhood events and some artwork from children in the area.
All in all, it is a fun dining experience. Plus the idea that you can get home cooked food for a reasonable price pulls in hungry diners. During the lunch hour you will see many professionals and hospital workers on their lunch break. The restaurant is short staffed so be prepared for a bit of a delay but also know it is worth your wait.
Try a slice of cheesecake or red velvet cake and be sure to have a cold glass of fresh ice tea. The Neighborhood Grill is a fun and unique place to try something that might just remind you of your grandmother’s cooking.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Greek House
Hmmm…. It’s lunchtime and your stomach is growling, all you can think about is grabbing a quick bite to eat on your incredibly short lunch break. Hamburgers and chicken strips just won’t cut it today… You need something different, out of the ordinary and yes, conveniently close by. What should you eat?
If you are in the mood for something unique and don’t mind eating on Styrofoam plates and filling up your own drink maybe you should head over to the Greek House. It is located at:
2426 Forest Park Blvd.
Fort Worth, Texas 76110
817-921-1473
(Call to check the hours because they are a small family-run business and hold their own hours. If you go for dinner just realize they close at 9:00 pm on the dot. In fact, the door is often locked 10 minutes prior.)
Parking is a bit of a challenge during the lunch hour especially. When you walk in probably one of the first things you will notice is the décor and the various awards and newspaper articles hung on the dark forest green walls. The restaurant isn’t fancy and probably hasn’t been redecorated since the late 80’s but the food is delicious.
When you walk in make your way to the left where a large menu, complete with a few photographs, is posted on the wall. The food is moderately priced and you will definitely pay more than you would for a fast food lunch but the food is so much better. As usual, you get what you pay for, so if you are on a budget and trying to pick up a lunch for under $10 you might want to order a water and put most of your money towards the entrée.
The Greek salads are delicious, complete with feta cheese and a tasty and a bit tangy house dressing. The food is fresh and made to order so you can always expect extremely fresh ingredients. The restaurant is family owned by an older couple so the wait staff is limited. After placing your order at the counter, find a table or booth to sit at while you wait for your food to be prepared. A massive chunk of gyro meet hangs on a twisting rotisserie, cooked to perfection, just waiting to be sliced for gyros or skewered for kabobs. The homemade pitas are tasty and compliment the meat nicely. Curly fries are a nice side order and come piping hot and ready to dip in ketchup.
It’s a little bit annoying to eat from a Styrofoam plate but with the small staff I can understand why it’s simply the easiest choice and helps to free up the staff to work in the kitchen.
Be sure to save room for baklava! It’s a delicious treat and made fresh daily.
So next time you want a little something different head over to the Greek House and try out a local favorite, hole in the wall restaurant. I think you will be pleasantly surprised!
If you are in the mood for something unique and don’t mind eating on Styrofoam plates and filling up your own drink maybe you should head over to the Greek House. It is located at:
2426 Forest Park Blvd.
Fort Worth, Texas 76110
817-921-1473
(Call to check the hours because they are a small family-run business and hold their own hours. If you go for dinner just realize they close at 9:00 pm on the dot. In fact, the door is often locked 10 minutes prior.)
Parking is a bit of a challenge during the lunch hour especially. When you walk in probably one of the first things you will notice is the décor and the various awards and newspaper articles hung on the dark forest green walls. The restaurant isn’t fancy and probably hasn’t been redecorated since the late 80’s but the food is delicious.
When you walk in make your way to the left where a large menu, complete with a few photographs, is posted on the wall. The food is moderately priced and you will definitely pay more than you would for a fast food lunch but the food is so much better. As usual, you get what you pay for, so if you are on a budget and trying to pick up a lunch for under $10 you might want to order a water and put most of your money towards the entrée.
The Greek salads are delicious, complete with feta cheese and a tasty and a bit tangy house dressing. The food is fresh and made to order so you can always expect extremely fresh ingredients. The restaurant is family owned by an older couple so the wait staff is limited. After placing your order at the counter, find a table or booth to sit at while you wait for your food to be prepared. A massive chunk of gyro meet hangs on a twisting rotisserie, cooked to perfection, just waiting to be sliced for gyros or skewered for kabobs. The homemade pitas are tasty and compliment the meat nicely. Curly fries are a nice side order and come piping hot and ready to dip in ketchup.
It’s a little bit annoying to eat from a Styrofoam plate but with the small staff I can understand why it’s simply the easiest choice and helps to free up the staff to work in the kitchen.
Be sure to save room for baklava! It’s a delicious treat and made fresh daily.
So next time you want a little something different head over to the Greek House and try out a local favorite, hole in the wall restaurant. I think you will be pleasantly surprised!
Friday, March 12, 2010
Life's Mini Adventures
Sometimes an adventure springs upon you when you are the least expecting it. Adventure isn't always something extreme sometimes it can be found in the ordinary experiences of life.
Anyway, some of my family was in town for a visit last week and we decided to go somewhere for a nice breakfast before they made the long drive home. Hmmm... where to go? It seems like not many restaurants offer a special breakfast during the week especially. Blue Mesa offers a wonderful brunch spread on weekends, which I would definitely recommend checking out. The brunch has won awards and the spread is quite impressive. It features everything from an omelet bar where you can create your own specialized omelet to roast brisket. Belgians waffles and fruit will satisfy your sweet tooth as well as desserts such as homemade chocolate chip cookies and fruit cobbler. This is not your everyday buffet, get ready to be impressed. On Saturday the buffet includes champagne and the most delicious mimosas. With so many choices this might be the only meal you need all day!
Well back to finding adventures in unusual places. I got off on a little tangent there with the Blue Mesa award-winning buffet back to the adventure story. Anyway, when my family was in town it was during the week so we couldn’t head over to Blue Mesa for their weekend brunch. We decided to try Mimi’s Café, a unique little restaurant that looks like a small cottage. Mimi’s would fit in perfectly on a hillside in Scotland. With perky flowers, tile roof, shutters, color and pizzazz a visit here is almost like stepping back in time. Any second you feel like little red riding hood might just pop up around the corner.
So we order breakfast and I ended up trying “Blueberry Stuffed French Toast “Inside and Out” a delicious twist on traditional French toast with a cream cheese stuffing and drizzled with a fresh berry sauce. I usually don’t eat a very large breakfast but this was way too delicious to just nibble. I ended up eating the entire mound of French toast.
While we were eating something happened that one would normally consider just an everyday mundane task not worthy of taking notice of. It was like a mini adventure captured in about 10 seconds flat. A waiter was setting the table next to us and I couldn’t help but stare. He took the mundane task of placing napkins and silverware on the table and turned it into a show. Somehow he whipped out a white pressed linen napkin that he had so carefully tucked in his apron and wiped the table. After this quick motion he refolded it into a perfect fan shape and tucked it back in the front pocket. Next, he placed four napkins on the table in literally two seconds flat and slapped knives, forks, and spoons on the table in a way that just looked he was juggling instead of setting a table. He wasn’t putting a show on for anyone he was just doing his job. The thing that struck me was how he took an everyday task he probably does 30 times and day and made it into something he could have fun at, a job turned into a challenge, a mundane task made into a performance. I know it wasn’t really something most people would classify as an adventure but for me I felt inspired to look at all the mundane things I do daily and make them into something fun. Life is short; we need to enjoy every second before life passes us by. A quote by Rose F. Kennedy sums up how I want to live my life:
“Life isn’t a matter of milestones but of moments.” So go, relish the moment, make mundane tasks an adventure. Be inspired.
Anyway, some of my family was in town for a visit last week and we decided to go somewhere for a nice breakfast before they made the long drive home. Hmmm... where to go? It seems like not many restaurants offer a special breakfast during the week especially. Blue Mesa offers a wonderful brunch spread on weekends, which I would definitely recommend checking out. The brunch has won awards and the spread is quite impressive. It features everything from an omelet bar where you can create your own specialized omelet to roast brisket. Belgians waffles and fruit will satisfy your sweet tooth as well as desserts such as homemade chocolate chip cookies and fruit cobbler. This is not your everyday buffet, get ready to be impressed. On Saturday the buffet includes champagne and the most delicious mimosas. With so many choices this might be the only meal you need all day!
Well back to finding adventures in unusual places. I got off on a little tangent there with the Blue Mesa award-winning buffet back to the adventure story. Anyway, when my family was in town it was during the week so we couldn’t head over to Blue Mesa for their weekend brunch. We decided to try Mimi’s Café, a unique little restaurant that looks like a small cottage. Mimi’s would fit in perfectly on a hillside in Scotland. With perky flowers, tile roof, shutters, color and pizzazz a visit here is almost like stepping back in time. Any second you feel like little red riding hood might just pop up around the corner.
So we order breakfast and I ended up trying “Blueberry Stuffed French Toast “Inside and Out” a delicious twist on traditional French toast with a cream cheese stuffing and drizzled with a fresh berry sauce. I usually don’t eat a very large breakfast but this was way too delicious to just nibble. I ended up eating the entire mound of French toast.
While we were eating something happened that one would normally consider just an everyday mundane task not worthy of taking notice of. It was like a mini adventure captured in about 10 seconds flat. A waiter was setting the table next to us and I couldn’t help but stare. He took the mundane task of placing napkins and silverware on the table and turned it into a show. Somehow he whipped out a white pressed linen napkin that he had so carefully tucked in his apron and wiped the table. After this quick motion he refolded it into a perfect fan shape and tucked it back in the front pocket. Next, he placed four napkins on the table in literally two seconds flat and slapped knives, forks, and spoons on the table in a way that just looked he was juggling instead of setting a table. He wasn’t putting a show on for anyone he was just doing his job. The thing that struck me was how he took an everyday task he probably does 30 times and day and made it into something he could have fun at, a job turned into a challenge, a mundane task made into a performance. I know it wasn’t really something most people would classify as an adventure but for me I felt inspired to look at all the mundane things I do daily and make them into something fun. Life is short; we need to enjoy every second before life passes us by. A quote by Rose F. Kennedy sums up how I want to live my life:
“Life isn’t a matter of milestones but of moments.” So go, relish the moment, make mundane tasks an adventure. Be inspired.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Fuzzy's Taco Shop
A restaurant review of the Fort Worth area wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Fuzzy’s Taco Shop, well at least for TCU students anyway. Fuzzy’s is the home to many nights of watching football games and lots of loud cheering. Located on 2917 W. Berry Street, Fuzzy’s Taco Shop is within walking distance from many TCU classes and is often a bustling hot spot during the lunch hour. With tables inside and out, Fuzzy’s offers customers a chance to sit outside and enjoy the fresh air or gather around a television screen inside and watch the game.
The menu takes a while to read, with lots of choices including everything from tacos, (of course!) to burritos, salads, grilled sandwiches, and even breakfast burritos.
The famous Baja tacos are topped with lettuce, tomatoes, cilantro, cheese, feta, and garlic sauce. You can order regular or habanera, soft or crispy shells. Meat choices range from fish, chicken, shredded beef, shrimp, grilled veggie, and ground beef. With so many choices you just might have to try them all. With the addition of feta cheese and cilantro these tacos are not just your everyday tacos, they offer a little something extra.
Soft drinks, orange juice, bottled water, tea, and of course draft beer and margaritas are available to satisfy your thirst.
To see pictures of happy customers go to http://www.fuzzystacoshop.com/ and click on “about us”. There you will find photographs of happy taco eaters. You can also join their fan site and receive e-mail updates.
The décor of Fuzzy’s Taco Shop is built on a yellow, red, and green color scheme with an emphasis on the yellow. It’s not a fancy restaurant, more of a college joint that is taking off and opening stores all over the Dallas/Fort Worth area. You walk in, form a line, and place your order at one side of the restaurant and then proceed to get your beverage and pick up your fresh made entrée. Wooden benches, “picnic like” tables, and a few round tables and bar stools make up the majority of the seating.
If you are want you can order Fuzzy’s promotional items, everything from koozies, to t-shirts and tank tops. All items have the signature scary looking shark/piranha kind of fish with his mouth open and “Eat me!” on quite a few items.
The first Fuzzy’s taco shop opened in July of 2003 when “four guys were hanging out complaining about the expensive beer and food they were having.” The idea stemmed from a desire to open a hip taco joint where everyone could enjoy a cold beer and a tasty taco without breaking the bank. The idea has taken off and Fuzzy’s is popping up all over. So the next time you are craving a cold beer and taco, pop on in to Fuzzy’s and bite into something delicious!
The menu takes a while to read, with lots of choices including everything from tacos, (of course!) to burritos, salads, grilled sandwiches, and even breakfast burritos.
The famous Baja tacos are topped with lettuce, tomatoes, cilantro, cheese, feta, and garlic sauce. You can order regular or habanera, soft or crispy shells. Meat choices range from fish, chicken, shredded beef, shrimp, grilled veggie, and ground beef. With so many choices you just might have to try them all. With the addition of feta cheese and cilantro these tacos are not just your everyday tacos, they offer a little something extra.
Soft drinks, orange juice, bottled water, tea, and of course draft beer and margaritas are available to satisfy your thirst.
To see pictures of happy customers go to http://www.fuzzystacoshop.com/ and click on “about us”. There you will find photographs of happy taco eaters. You can also join their fan site and receive e-mail updates.
The décor of Fuzzy’s Taco Shop is built on a yellow, red, and green color scheme with an emphasis on the yellow. It’s not a fancy restaurant, more of a college joint that is taking off and opening stores all over the Dallas/Fort Worth area. You walk in, form a line, and place your order at one side of the restaurant and then proceed to get your beverage and pick up your fresh made entrée. Wooden benches, “picnic like” tables, and a few round tables and bar stools make up the majority of the seating.
If you are want you can order Fuzzy’s promotional items, everything from koozies, to t-shirts and tank tops. All items have the signature scary looking shark/piranha kind of fish with his mouth open and “Eat me!” on quite a few items.
The first Fuzzy’s taco shop opened in July of 2003 when “four guys were hanging out complaining about the expensive beer and food they were having.” The idea stemmed from a desire to open a hip taco joint where everyone could enjoy a cold beer and a tasty taco without breaking the bank. The idea has taken off and Fuzzy’s is popping up all over. So the next time you are craving a cold beer and taco, pop on in to Fuzzy’s and bite into something delicious!
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