Go for Tex, go for Mex
Article by June G. Naylor
Paper: Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Title: Go for Tex, go for Mex
Date: September 18, 1992
STOCKYARDS DINING
Hungry partiers at Pioneer Days won’t be that way for long. If there’s one thing the Stockyards has plenty of – besides bona fide Western heritage – it’s food.Locals and tourists alike can find an ample selection of steaks and Mexican food – and even some exotic foods – at restaurants in and around the historic neighborhood. We checked out some old favorites, plus a new arrival.
The most logical place to begin was at the Stockyards Hotel, in Booger Red’s Restaurant and Saloon, 109 E. Exchange Ave. More bar than restaurant, it’s the place known for wonderful saddle barstools and lively piano singalongs.
Stuffed jalapenos ($4.50), filled with lots of cream cheese, cornmeal battered and lightly fried were mild appetizers, perfect with a cold longneck. Nachos, ribs, cheese sticks and chili were among other starters.
The broiled 10-ounce ribeye ($14.95) was a tender, perfectly cooked steak, topped with lightly sauteed mushrooms. More flavorful was the broiled chicken topped with mushrooms, diced onions and tomatoes and a blanket of Swiss cheese ($9.95).
Entrees were accompanied by a generous, if pedestrian, dinner salad, plus a choice of baked potato, beans, french fries or wild and brown rice.
Around the corner, Cattlemen’s Steak House, 2458 N. Main St., remains the busiest beef place in the area and one that recalls another era. Go early or late, or hang around in the bar during peak hours when the wait is long. Also, be aware that the kitchen runs out of some cuts on high-traffic weekends.
The highlight of our recent dinner was the flamed T-bone ($16.50), a beautiful 16-ounce steak cooked exactly to our “black and blue” request – charred outside and ruby red inside. A baked potato might have been a better choice than the side of green beans.
The charcoal-broiled chicken ($8.95) was a healthy half-bird with good smoky flavor and juicy meat. A friend’s barbecued rib plate ($11.50) held a mound of tender and tasty – if a little fatty – pork ribs. The barbecue sauce was thin but savory.
For some Mexican breakfast or lunch, our favorite is Joe T. Garcia’s Mexican Bakery, 2140 N. Main St. Heartier appetites will enjoy the chile relleno ($4.95), a hefty poblano chile filled with cheese (or shredded beef), egg-battered and lightly fried, then topped with a fresh salsa. Refried beans and rice are included.
From the “lite lunch” column, we go for gorditas ($2.05), corn tortilla pockets filled with a choice of chicken, fajita meat, shredded beef, ground beef, beef tips, pork tips or barbacoa, with lettuce, tomato and cheese.
We’ve also grown fond of the Mexican fresh fish specialties at La Playa, 202 W. Central Ave. Tops on our most recent visit were the shrimp grilled in lots of garlic and butter, and the shrimp in a scorching diablo sauce (both around $7).
We tried the delightful Byblos, 1406 N. Main St. This spin-off of Hedary’s, the popular Lebanese restaurant on Camp Bowie, has equally exceptional food with much faster and more attentive service.
Our maza ($14.50) was an impressive array of appetizers and salads served with piping hot pita-like pillows of Lebanese bread. Memorable were the smooth but tart charbroiled eggplant dip, new potatoes in a lively cream-and-herb sauce, tabuli and falafil.
Charbroiled lamb chops ($12.95), generous and tender, now rank up there with our perennial pick, the lemony chicken baked with potatoes, tomatoes and garlic ($5.95).
Other good Stockyards eats: Steak fries at Star Cafe, 111 W. Exchange Ave.; lasagna at Spaghetti Warehouse, 600 E. Exchange Ave.; carne asada at El Asadero, 1535 N. Main St.; cheese enchiladas at Chuy’s, 404 N.W. 25th St.; fajitas at La Palma, 3709 N. Main St.; and tacos al carbon at La Posada, 204 W. Exchange Ave.
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