All Cities

(From January 2012)

You can spot a neighborhood favorite (and a tony neighborhood at that) by watching for regulars who make it their home at lunch and dinner; the people watching here, quite apart from the meal, is tasty indeed. Meanwhile, from the kitchen flow plates and platters of seasonal European classics with a French disposition. A recent blackboard special included scallopini of locally purveyed venison; fork-tender and richly flavorful with green peppercorns, it almost had the timbre of a rich organ meat. On the same blackboard: a fresh niçoise salad with a tumult of greens and rare ahi tuna.

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(From February 2012)

Lean metallic chairs and tables, blue neon lights, and a crown of flat-screen TVs atop the bar give this restaurant an uptown, urban air. We loved the leaning tower of a sandwich they call the BBQ Pork ’n’ Slaw. A great combination of flavors: tangy, creamy slaw; sweet barbecue; and spicy pepperjack. The Blackened Catfish Tacos also paired up some unique ingredients: Cajun catfish, lime slaw, and jalapeño mayonnaise. So original, so delish. The dishes with Mexican crema were too dry for us, but we went totally bananas over the Totally Bananas Monkey Skewers—decadent bites of fried cheesecake and caramelized bananas, skewered and drizzled with chocolate and caramel. Now, that’s the kind of dessert we daydream about. Bar.

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(From July 2011)

Whether you’re feeding a large family or stocking your freezer with meals for one, Casseroles to Go, a cute little wink of a kitchen, has what you need. The Southwest Vegetable Tortilla Bake has black and fat-free refried beans, bell peppers, cheddar, and Monterey jack, all cooked up in a dark rum sauce. Their Ritzy Chicken layers chicken, mushroom soup, sour cream, and water chestnuts in a Ritz-Cracker-and-poppy-seed crust. They even offer Weight Watchers options and breakfast casseroles. Don’t forget the sides—baked corn, loaded mashed potatoes, frozen strawberry salad—or dessert (brownies, pound cake). Order online and pick up or get a weekly delivery. 

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(From May 2011)

Guenther really shines at breakfast. Whether you opt for biscuits (always a good choice, especially as part of the breakfast platter with fruit and bacon), waffles, or pancakes, the kitchen delivers, thanks, no doubt, to the freshly made mixes from the neighboring Pioneer Flour Mill. The shaded outdoor dining patio is the best choice in the spring, though you can’t go wrong with the airy, antique dining room, bedecked with hanging plants. If you arrive after 8:30 or 9 on a weekend, expect to wait for a table, and beware Sunday’s post-church rush. At lunch, the menu offers more choices, with a dependable array of soups, salads, and even a few Mexican dishes. We have never regretted ordering the spinach salad with bacon and a chipotle-flavored dressing.

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(From December 2010) If really great food brings you to tears of joy, take a whole box of tissues to this place. You’ll peruse vintage photos hanging on clotheslines, wonder about the old screen doors lining the walls, and sip tea from mason jars. Nothing is ordinary—chicken-fried steak is a tender ribeye with a dazzling bacon cream gravy; a spicy buffalo chicken sandwich balances lip-tingling fire with a slaw of celery root, pear, and Gor-gonzola; and the creamy jalapeño–cheddar cheese grits are heaven-sent. The olive oil cake is a triumph, moist and slightly grainy with a sweet-tart punch of balsamic strawberries. Where’s our hankie?

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010, 5:05 pm
carla says:
Wonderful! So good!!!

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(From May 2011) With a move to a nineteenth-century building in the King William neighborhood and an upstairs-downstairs mix of dining rooms, the Lib still holds sway with its quirky mix of regional dishes; the fare is full of flavor and frivolity as serious food can be. We count on the fresh baked loaves of wheat and white, simple and homey. We adore the colorful chile relleno en nogada, straight from Diana Kennedy’s tutelage, and the daily specials, this time a Mediterranean-inspired roast lamb with pita, goat cheese, and olives. We stop by for Virginia Green’s chocolate cake even if we’ve dined elsewhere. Knowledgeable servers are happy to guide you through the menu. Bar.

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(From July 2011)

Out front of the former car repair shop is a 1931 Ford Model A, and inside are signs and remnants of service stations past. The menu continues the automotive theme with Tune Ups (appetizers), Hot Rods (hot dogs), and more. Leave your diet at home and enjoy the excess. The Junk Yard Dog was a battered, deep-fried frank topped with chili, spicy sauce, jalapeños, mustard, and onions. A quirky specialty, Dip Sticks proved to be strips of chicken-fried, applewood-smoked bacon on a luscious chicken breast sandwich with sliced tomatoes, lettuce, and sauce. Piled on a sourdough bun, it made a four-inch-tall handful. Bar. 

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(From February 2012)

We wonder if anyone ever orders the Raisin Bran at this temple of breakfast, especially when the menu boasts a fabulous Frisbee-size ham steak plattered up with two eggs, buttery grits, and toast. Seriously, it’s daunting to finish. The cinnamon rolls are also legendary; there’s even one that feeds 40 to 50 people (for $74.99). The tilting floors are gone, but the service is still the friendliest in town.

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(From February 2011) Corporate types, UT Southwestern med school employees, police officers, and ordinary folk make this Dallas institution a madhouse at noon. If you’re thinking about the meat loaf, make sure to get it with plenty of the slightly spicy Creole sauce of onions, peppers, tomatoes, and carrots. Sides (there are more than 20) are pure comfort food; we especially like the pinto beans. A separate menu proclaims that “pie fixes everything,” and we’d have to agree after devouring our piece of chocolate–peanut butter cream pie with a chocolate cookie crust.

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(From June 2011) A bonus to the farmhand-size breakfasts and home-cooked soul food lunches dished up at this absolutely un-fancy, it-is-what-it-is Fort Worth stalwart are the lively debates on sports, politics, and weather that you might overhear at the next table. Expect the likes of grilled cheese sandwiches, chicken and dumplings, and CFS. Oh, and well-loved meringue pies. A helping of nostalgia comes with every order.

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