Sunday, September 14, 2008

 

Yucatan Taco Stand: Quick, I want to go back for more!

Last night (Saturday), FWJoey and I met the DFWBrenders and discovered the cool, trendy and delicious Yucatan Taco Stand. Located on Magnolia Avenue in the space formerly occupied by B.J. Keefer's (located a couple of blocks west of Paris Coffee Shop on the opposite side of the road), the Yucatan Taco Stand and Tequila Bar overwhelmed us from start to finish. Not only was the atmosphere chic and spacious, the food and the beverages were absolutely delicious! Yucatan serves over 100 tequilas and offers tequila flights starting at $12.

Don't let the name fool you....Yucatan is more than a mere "taco stand." It is not a formal restaurant by any means, but it is definitely casual chic. The ordering set up is similar to Pei Wei. You walk in, review the menu and order at the register. You are then given a number and your delicious food is brought to your table when it was ready. Yucatan was opened by the gentleman who engineered the menu for Fuzzy's tacos. There are plenty of tacos to choose from on its menu - so many I did not count and they all looked delicious. FWJoey and I did not try the tacos on this visit b/c there were so many other yummy items that we were curious to taste!

We started the evening with some cocktails. FWJoey had the Scarface Mojito ($8.50) and I enjoyed the Cabo Wabo Martini ($13). Both cocktails were great, but my only criticism is that the cocktail menu did not list the prices of its specialty drinks. That bugs me. DFWBrittyn sipped on the tasty Sangria ($6.50) which was better than your average Sangria. It tasted more tart than sweet - very refreshing!

For food, we opted against getting an "entree" and instead tried a number of starters. We tried the Empanada ($5.00), the Papa Rellena ($5), fried plantain chips and a beef burrito ($7.50 or $8.50) The big hit among the food was the Papa Rellana which is Spanish for "stuffed potato." It is a Latin American dish consisting of mashed potatoes stuffed with seasoned ground beef and spices then deep fried. FWJoey also loved the burrito. He wants to go back and have it again today but I don't think Yucatan is open on Sunday. The fried plantain chips were bland. Next time we'll try the grilled plantains instead of the plantain chips (which is what I intended to order in the first place).

Everything we saw come out of the kitchen looked wonderful and all diners seemed happy. At times the drinks were slow coming, but they were always delivered with a smile. This is definitely one of our new favorite restaurants. Go soon - before it gets too popular!

Yucatan Taco Stand & Tequila Bar
909 W. Magnolia Ave.
817-924-8646

Saturday, September 06, 2008

 

Excited about Mac's on 7th

FWJoey and I checked out the newest restaurant to open in Montgomery Ward Plaza last night, Mac's on 7th. I think this was its first weekend to be open, but we certainly could not tell. Everything ran smoothly. I even had an opportunity to observe the manager handle a customer who was unhappy with her food entree (that customer was me....more on that momentarily) and was impressed with his professionalism and prompt remedy.

Here's what happened...I made a poor choice when choosing my initial entree. I was debating between the mahi mahi ($16.25) and the seafood relleno ($13.75). Upon the server's recommendation, I ordered the seafood relleno. Turned out the relleno was too hot for my taste. I should have known better because I can be a wimp when it comes to spicy foods. I caught the manager's attention and explained that the dish was too spicy for me. He immediately took action and before I knew it, I was very much enjoying the mahi mahi. The manager suggested that I get the mahi mahi's chipotle-cilantro sauce on the side because it, too, was a little spicy. The sauce was spicy, but not too spicy for me to tolerate and I really enjoyed its flavor! FWJoey also enjoyed it and stated he would be ordering the mahi mahi on our next visit.

FWJoey enjoyed the chicken fried steak ($10.50). I tasted it and found it to be better than others I have tried. Good, peppery gravy. To keep things light (LOL), we opted to try the seven cheese macaroni ($3.75) and boy, we were glad we did! The mac and cheese was gooey perfection.

For an appetizer, we shared the small portion of the Blue Crabfingers ($9.50). The butter and garlic that the crabfingers were sauteed and served in reminded me of a shrimp scampi sauce. It was tasty, but a little messy. I think I have decided I am not a fan of crabfingers and/or snowcrab. I don't like the manner in which I have to eat it. Next time, we'll be trying the crab cakes ($9.75) as our appetizer.

The atmosphere was nice. Dim lighting, but not too dim and high ceilings which lowered the noise from the dinner crowd. The menu had a large variety of entrees to choose from. Lots of steak, seafood, and chicken. We will definitely be a repeat customer at Mac's!

 

Mama Doesn't Always Know Best

I realize that Mama's Pizza has many loyal fans, but I must say...I am not one of them. FWJoey and I checked out Mama's newest location on Camp Bowie (in the space formerly occupied by Double Daves Pizza) last Friday. We left disappointed mumbling something about never wanting to come back. I know that is harsh!

Mama's just isn't my style of pizza. I grew up eating a thinner style crust so that is what I have come to love. I don't dislike all thick crusted pizza, the crust on Mama's Pizza was so thick that I felt like I had eaten a loaf of bread. There was very little tomato sauce on the pizza and the sausage topping was bland. The taste of Mama's toppings paled in comparison to the pizza we enjoyed at Parton's Pizza a few weeks ago.

To each his own!!

Mamas Pizza
4801 Camp Bowie Blvd, Fort Worth, TX 76107
(817) 923-3541
www.mamaspizzas.net...

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