1418--1403 Left to Go!

 La Hacienda Ranch
Frisco, Tx

This is the perfect restaurant for anyone who likes Cowboy kitsch, smelling like a mesquite fire (for at least 2 days) and eating dead cows. The host/hostesses all wear black cowboy hats, white snap cowboy shirts, jeans, boots and belt buckles. Here's the thing. I'm not sure that they know they are cowboy kitsch. That is part of the fun. They take it seriously.

My friend gave me her punch card which allowed my son and I to have a free entree. She recommended the tortilla soup and said they had the best fajitas around. The service was very friendly and attentive. We had tableside guac with perfectly ripened avocados. Delish. Also smoked salsa was a nice alternative to the regular fare.

Son got a heaping plate of fajitas. Lots of tender beef. He gave it the big thumbs up and left stuffed. Surprising for a guy who is usually a bottomless pit.

I got the tortilla soup. The broth was very rich--different from most chicken broth. I could have sworn that it was a combo beef/chicken broth, but the server swore that it was just the spices that made the taste. Unlike most other tortilla soups, there were chunks of veggies--carrots, celery, peppers. Not too much cheese and lots of broth.

Monday night is 1/2 price skinny margaritas and while I normally don't imbibe (with tequila that is), I tried one and it was tasty without knocking my socks off.

The smoky smell might be a turn-on for some, but after an hour, I felt kind of nauseous and now need to wash all of my clothes, since the smell permeated everything. Kind of reminded me of ChiChi's Mexican Restaurant. No matter how many times I washed my uniform, it always smelled.

The restaurant really caters to cow eaters, so not much in veggie fare. But those of you who like to ride kiddy horses (you know the kind where you put in a quarter and the horse moves back and forth a few times?), the restaurant has 4 of those.

One bit of trivia--the owner is best known for the 1st frozen margarita machine in 1971.

notice the faux-cowhide table cloths

this was a study/lounge area. not sure who the mural subject is. 

another kitschy mural with a bison head staring at all the patrons

notice the fake hieroglyphic/symbol couch pattern

the huge grizzly was in the lobby. freaked me right out

1418--1404 to go!

Freebirds

 Fairview, Texas

For the most part, I've been leaving out to-go chains like Taco Bueno, Chipotle, On the Border, etc.. However Cole and I made an exception last week. We had been hearing about Freebirds Monster burritos and given that it's difficult to find burritos at Tex Mex joints, I thought we'd check it out. Very funky decor. Upon first glance, I thought that it was a green alien riding a chopper, but it was Lady Liberty. Patrons made aluminum foil sculptures from their burrito wrappings and the place was decorated with "unique" foil art.

We arrived around 7pm and the place looked a bit trashed. Clearly they had been swamped and hadn't had time to clean up yet.
Cole had a monster black bean and cheese burrito.
Since he is a purist and doesn't like any other toppings, I was impressed that they didn't charge us the full monster price. The guys behind the counter were very friendly and patient. Not surprising that I had to special order. They were more than happy to make me a special salad--field greens, avocado, cheese, salsa and lime. They also had negro modelo on draft!!

I was also impressed with the company's commitment to community. They have a program called World Works and each location partners with a local charity organization.

The salad was fresh, salsa homemade. The best part??? Dinner for the two of us with my beer was only $15. We would definitely go back.

1418--only 1405 left to go

So I made up for my lack of Mexican food consumption in November by binging in December. 5 restaurants in 3 weeks. Sadly two don't really count, since one was a chain in Pittsburgh--Don Pablos and one was Mi Cocina, albeit a different location--this time in Highland Park Village. Foo Foo & Swanky. Who wears Donna Karan and Prada to eat Mexican food. I mean really. Cool upscale interior. Didn't take pics. It was too crowded.

I only had guac and tortilla soup. Guac was fresh, but bland. Tortilla soup had a nice broth--not too heavy, with big chunks of chicken, avocado slices & subtle flavors of cilantro. My son's new Mexican staple is steak fajitas. Although as a teenager who is constantly hungry, I'm not sure he has the most discerning palette. However, he did not leave anything on his plate and said the skirt steak was tender.
The best part of the meal was seeing my cousins--Dion, Philip & their daughter Lili.