SI COCINA

My visit to Se Cocina last week was a pleasant one. It was very interesting to see what was done to the interior of the old El Tapatio space downtown (608 Austin Avenue) for probably a modest amount of money. A considerable amount of furniture and accessories were reused in a more dressy and creative way. A good coat of paint and some repairs have transformed the space into a modern looking and cleaner appearing restaurant.

Some of the changes are superficial. A small wall mounted LCD TV replaced the old analog set, CCN replaced One Life to Live, and some of the wall art has been upgraded (subjective art opinion). The place now appears so upscale that a group of citizens formed a small welcoming party last month. Just before midnight, three men robbed the owner. One shot was fired during the robbery and the well-wishers dropped some of the money as they fled the scene.

Fortunately, I ran into a different crowd when I had lunch there last week. When I arrived at 11:45 AM, the place was nearly empty – reminding me of El Tapatio. The service team of about 12 seated our party immediately and remained very attentive while I decide on the Tacos Magnificos. Of course, the prices have changed. What would you expect in all this new splendor. Very few restaurants have $5 lunch specials these days. I had mentally prepared for the higher cost.

I like El Tapitio. I like their chips. I like their salsa. I like their lunch prices. I am sorry they left downtown. I ate there frequently. The food was not spectacular but for the price it was good value.

I was also mentally prepared for a less that great plate of food as well. That’s the good part. The food was not awful. My tacos were stuffed with nicely grilled beef. The guacamole was tasty. The beans a bit bland but the rice was good. The chips were ordinary and the salsa was plain looking but with a heavy garlic punch. I don’t think Se Cocina ranks at the top of Waco’s Mexican restaurant heap but it is well above the bottom.

By the time we left, just after 1:15 PM, Se Cocina was nearly full. Something that rarely happened when the place was El Tapatio.

My lunch and a glass of $1.75 tea (!) came to $12 before a tip for the good service I received. That is a bit pricy for a downtown lunch. I can usually exit Ninfa’s, Crickets, and Gratziano's for less. It’s not a cheap lunch but the food is acceptable, the decor better, and the service is above average.

They Come and They Go

Is there such a thing as too much Barbecue in Waco? Is the closing of the Rib Crib proof of this? The demise of the Rib Crib following Smokey Bones and Tony Roma's could be evidence that there is no room for another barbecue based restaurant in our town.

I have eaten at the Rib Crib both here in Waco and in other cities. I have to say that this franchise did a very poor job both in service and in food quality. I felt that the portions were smaller and the ambiance was missing from this version of a fairly good barbecue franchise. Both the wait staff and the management seemed confused as to how to greet and seat customers.

I continued to see cars in the parking lot for several months after I stopped eating at the Rib Crib. But in the end they were not able to build a large enough base to survive. I must admit that when dining out with more than two or three family members, I chose the dollar value of Dickey's over Rib Crib.

Will another barbecue franchise try to make a stand here in Waco? I am not confident that any others will be opening in the near future. Only a Spring Creek or perhaps a Shady Grove would stand much of a chance.

If We Build It

One of the first places that I tried when I arrived in Waco was Tapatio. It was cozy, friendly, cheap, and uncrowded basic home-made Mexican food. When I stopped by last week, I learned that they were closing the downtown location. This is a loss for those regulars who have enjoyed the privacy and comfort of an unhurried lunch.

A new Mexican restaurant named Se Cocina is preparing to take over the space after some interior remodeling. The newer and nicer El Tapatio is doing very well out on New Road.

The Chipotle restaurant is still under construction but getting closer. Probably by the end of June we will be able to crowd into this new fast-casual outlet. Chipolte started in Denver about 15 years ago. The management favors naturally raised meats and vegetables from smaller farms for use in their tacos and burritos.

The founder, Steve Ells, still runs the company. He started as a line cook at a famous upscale restaurant in San Francisco named Stars. There are now over 500 Chipolte Mexican Grill company-owned restaurants in the United States. The expansion was fueled by McDonald's - they once owned a major interest but sold it in 2005.

There is work going on at the former Smokey Bones. Last year owner Darden Restaurants (Red Lobster and Olive Garden) closed over 50 Smokeys and sold the rest to another company who must not have ever tasted real barbecue. Now the building is being renovated so that we can enjoy another much needed Mexican restaurant.

When it comes to Mexican food in Waco, the philosophy is, "If we build it they will come!"

One Mikeska or Another

My apologies for assuming that all of the folks named Mikeska in Central Texas are related. It turns out that they are not or do not wish to admit it if they are. Janell and the late Reuben Mikeska, are the owners of Cyclone Corral Barbecue in the tiny place in the road known as Cyclone, about 15 miles east of Temple. They are not a part of the Mikeska family that has a restaurant in Temple (Clem) or his relations that have places in other parts of Texas. I do recommend the Cyclone. You will have to try the different Mikeska barbecues and decide for yourself which is better.

Basaberu and Billy Too

My visit to Basaberu was made during their third week of operations. That's usually long enough to make sure that at least some of the kinks have been worked out. I was a little surprised by the rather ordinary menu selections. I was reminded of a basic American menu at TGI Fridays or Bennigan's. With a name like Basaberu, I was expecting something more exotic. I was informed by my server that the name is derived from the initials of the owners and their children. Basaberu is not some mysterious foreign name in an obscure language. They should have made up a better story.

The two-story building looks quite large from the outside and has a large parking lot. The seating area for food service takes up less that one-half of the ground floor. The kitchen, restrooms, and offices are also on the first floor. Most of the second floor is taken up by a lounge and bar area.

The menu choice consists of burgers, sandwiches, salads, and a few full meal selections. Most of the choices are in the $8 to $12 range. Surprisingly a glass of iced tea cost only $.99 - a bargain in today's Lets make a ton of money on the soft drinks mentality.

My Rosemary Chicken dish was of adequate size and tasty. Burgers are fairly large and well presented. Soups and salads are delivered in unusually shaped bowls.

The service was just OK. The restaurant was not very crowded at 1:30 PM so I expected a faster delivery of the meal. My plate sat on the counter for several minutes while my server passed it twice to deliver water and a bill to another table.

Basaberu is someplace different to go for lunch in the downtown area. It won't survive just on lunch but if they sell a few drink upstairs on nights and weekends it might last long enough for me to decide to go back.

Two Waco veterans have recently relocated to new locations. Bangkok Royal has moved into the downtown area from the Baylor owned shopping strip on University Parks Dr. where it has been for several years. Buzzards Billy's has fled downtown and opened in the old Dock's location. In both cases, the food and atmosphere has improved in each restaurant.

Bangkok Royal's food tasted better and presented better in the sleek modern surroundings. Isn't it funny how much better food looks in nice lighting than under dingy florescent tubes. Prices may have risen slightly but portions were also a bit larger that I remember. I was not a fan of Waco's only Thai restaurant. This is a nice improvement.

Buzzard Billy's owners have remodeled their new location as well. The building looks brighter and cleaner, the staff is uniformed, and the whole place no longer smells of stale beer. The crowds have subsided just enough that an 11:45 arrival got me a table. The menu seemed to have a couple of new offerings. Service was better than at the old BB's. Billy's has always done a fair job with Cajun food. Give the new location a try and you won't be disappointed.

Now That's (Waco) Italian

When I arrived in Waco several years ago an acquaintance told me that there was no decent Italian food in town. It took only a few short months to confirm that he was correct. In the subsequent years, there has not even been a hopeful prospect open.

Every new venture we get here is another chain, another Mexican food place, another barbecue joint, or another steak and burger house. You can count the number of chef owned/family owned restaurants that have appeared in recent years on the fingers of one hand.

Let’s do a quick rundown of the available Italian choices in Waco. The Big 2 are both reputable chains – Carino’s Italian Grill (I think they have dropped Johnny) is a national brand that owns, operates, and franchises over 170 restaurants in 29 states and a few in the Middle East. The originators are an Austin, Texas based group named Fired Up Inc. It was started in 1997 by two former Brinker (Chili’s and On the Border) employees.

The Olive Garden is owned by an industry giant The Darden Group. Darden Restaurants is the #1 casual-dining operator (in terms of revenue) with more than 1,600 restaurants in the US and Canada. Its flagship chains include seafood segment leader Red Lobster and top Italian-themed concept Olive Garden. Both chains cater to families with mid-priced menu items, themed interiors, and primarily suburban locations.

I think most people in Waco have probably eaten at Carino’s or its main competitor The Olive Garden. Both have signature gimmicks (bread sticks and salad vs a fresh bread loaf served with a seasoned olive oil dip) that have stood the test of time. I know that many people go to OG for just the salad and bread sticks alone.

I know people long for a Macaroni Grill or maybe even a Carrabbas in our town. We could set our sights a bit higher and hope for an excellent chef-owned Italian dining experience. But the OG and Johnny are what we have and they are what they are. Both of these chains serve average pasta and Italian dishes that appeal to a broad range of tastes and budgets. The Olive Garden gets a slight nod for having a few more adventurous offerings and specials and a far better wine program. If there were no other choices then eating at the OG or with Johnny would be understandable.

I do think that Gratziano's Restaurant is worth a mention although I can truthfully say that I have only ordered from their menu once. Their lunch buffet for $6.99 is a good value featuring soup, salad, pizza, two or three pastas, dessert, and a rotating chicken entree. All are OK for a quick lunch. The quality has improved from two or three years ago. I don't usually think of it as an evening stop because I eat lunch there fairly often. It is never really crowded at lunch, it is quiet enough to talk, and the brownies are tasty. The decor is a little tired after several years and could use a bit of upkeep. New table covers, tables that fit on the carpet, and some better lighting might give the place a new look.

What else is there here in Waco? I guess I won’t even mention Fazioli’s. How about Baris? My wife calls it M-Baris. I will admit that I have eaten at a couple of incarnations of the Baris Empire including the newest, Mama Baris located in the Hewitt/South Waco end of town. Although it really isn’t any better than the chains, it is locally owned.

That brings us to the new guy in town Rosati’s. And guess what? It’s a chain as well! The Rosati Family started a small restaurant in New York in 1895. They later moved to Chicago and ran an import business until they opened another restaurant in 1927. The Family expanded into the suburbs in 1959 and in 1979 began franchising their concept of Authentic Chicago Pizza. A least 10 Rosati family members owned carryout-style restaurants. Then a bad thing happened. Family members/stockholders disagreed about who could franchise the restaurants and a bunch of legal stuff happened. Now there seems to be a lot of different Rosati’s all over the place. Waco’s franchise is the first in Texas.

Located in the Wal-Mart parking lot on Hewitt Dr. at Imperial, Rosati’s has been open for over a year. It has recently added some space next to the takeout pizza counter. The expansion was needed and judging from the crowds on Fridays and Saturdays they probably could expand again. The tables are packed together and the noise level is high. This is family pizza parlor ambience not a romantic candle lit bistro. Go early or plan on a wait.

I have eaten Rosati’s food on several occasions during the past months. Their pizza comes in three different thicknesses – traditional thin (which I didn’t particularly like) – Double Dough and Chicago-Style – a deep pan variety. I can recommend the latter two as very good. This pizza is not cheap. Expect to pay between $12 and $20 for a large pizza with two or more ingredients. The crust is crispy, thick (but not doughy), and flavorful. The toppings were plentiful with a good balance between the cheese and tomato sauce. The Chicago-style looks great when it is brought to the table.

A discussion of who has the best pizza in Waco is reserved for a future post. For now, I think you can say that Rosati’s is representative of Chicago Pizza and could be ranked in any Waco Top Ten List.

Rosati’s offers an array of sandwiches and lunch specials that are reasonably priced and some are very tasty. The Vienna Beef Chicago hot dog may remind some of Chicago, and the meatball sandwich is a good choice.

Rosati’s has a very tasty marinara sauce that is puts to good use on a limited variety of pastas. It has a bright and tangy tomato flavor with a hint of lemon. Get a $2.50 side of large meatballs to add some oomph. I was less impressed by the meat sauce that didn’t seem nearly as tasty.

This is the section of the menu that could be improved by adding a few additional choices. I do not taste as though they are using fresh-made pasta. My mostaccioli arrived well past al dente. Why not add some linguine, fettuccine, or penne a specials? If you stick with basic spaghetti or ravioli you will be OK. The pasta entrees come with one bread stick. No replacement was offered. I was disappointed in the Baked Lasagna. Both my tastings of this dish have had a strange flavor in the ricotta layers that I did not find agreeable. The price range for a nice sized serving of pasta is from $7 to $9.

Many restaurants will allow you to add on a dinner salad to your pasta entrée for a reasonable additional charge. Rosati’s smallish house salad or Caesar costs an additional $4 and the tablespoon of accompanying dressing is served in a tiny plastic cup.

They have an active bar that features a broad range of beverages, frozen drinks, and martinis. The modest selection wine is below average even for Waco. My recent dinner for four that included a medium pizza and four pasta selections approached $60. Not outrageous but not a bargain/value either.

Mondo Hondo

Lunch at Hondo’s today was certainly a better experience than the original occupant Beef O’Brady’s. Located in the corner space of Hewitt Drive’s WestRock Centre, Hondo’s offers a simple menu of appetizers, salads, burgers, and sandwiches. Not too much here that you haven’t seen before.

If you are a fan of the University of Texas (I am not), you will enjoy the burnt orange decor, the football posters, and the orange clad servers. If you are not, then let’s hope you enjoy the burgers. This is Waco. They do have a Baylor doormat.

Mine was a chili cheeseburger and my companion tried the bacon cheeseburger. Both were cooked to order and served in baskets with one side. The onion strings were unremarkable but tasty and light. Hondo’s gets extra points for having unfrozen potatoes. The fries arrived just a bit limp – probably from sitting in the basket a few minutes too long but they had a good potato flavor. Not as good as Kitok’s or Cupps but much better than frozen.

I ordered the chiliburger just to see what they called chili. The ownership of this restaurant is Texas based so I was hopeful that they would be able use good chili. The menu described the burger as large and messy but I had no difficulty with it. Although there wasn’t a lot of chili on it even though the menu made it sound like a cupful at least, thank goodness the chili had some flavor and no beans.

It is a good thing it was not that messy because we were not presented with any kind of dinnerware. No forks, no spoon or straw to stir my tea, or a knife to slice the burger in half (if I was a lady). Service was spotty but our drink glasses were refilled several times.

If I had to compare Hondo’s to others, I would say that the burgers were about equal to Crickett’s in flavor and size – and without the beer joint smell. If Chili’s were located next door, I would probably eat at Chili’s over Hondo’s because of the menu variety and a slightly better burger at Chili’s. But since it is not. And I don’t live near Chili’s – so I might eat at Hondo’s again because it is acceptable quality and convenient. The cost of lunch consisting of two burgers (comes with a side), two drinks, and tip was $20.

New Year's Gr-eatings

I am not publishing this story in time for most people to alter their December 31 plans but I am hopeful that 2008 will bring all of us some enjoyable new dining experiences. How far will you go from Waco to get a good and different meal? Temple? Corsicana? Hico? Reisel? Whitney? Is the best food in Waco, really in Waco? Colorado St Grill, Cheeves Bros., or Ama's.

My year-end top five places to eat in Waco are as follows:

135 Prime, 1424 Restaurant, Diamondback's, The Green Room Grill, and Cheddar's.
These are all good choices. They serve good quality food at reasonable prices and have at least adequate service.

Coming in 2008
The abandon Smoky Bones location is being revived as Don Carlos Mexican Restaurant. I could not find a website for the Houston Texas, based restaurant. There are several other Don Carlos restaurants scattered around the country. Several travel sites give the three Houston restaurants by the same name decent reviews. Houston-area Tex Mex chain known for potent margaritas, sizzling fajita platters and all-day happy hours.

Chipolte Grill arrives on Valley Mills Dr.
Mondo's in Westrock Center has just opened
Basaberu Who knows what this 6th street addition will turn out to be.

Here is a list of the hottest restaurant franchises of the past two years.:

Panera Bread We have a good one
Chipotle Mexican Grill Coming soon to Valley Mills Dr.

McAlister’s Deli Waco Drive location will be the 3rd

Starbucks How many do we have?
Buffalo Wild Wings Took over for Tony Roma's
Pei Wei Nice addition to Waco
Cold Stone Creamery I am surprised they have survived but I like their Ice cream

The three we don't have

Qdoba
RedBrick Pizza
Moe’s Southwest Grill

New in Town

A first visit to the new Yoshi Asian Cuisine did not produce great results. I would not tell you not to try this new addition to Waco that has taken over the Marie Callender's building at Richland Mall. You should be prepared to be underwhelmed. I did not find it significantly better than Summer Palace. Yoshi had some new wrinkles and some different dishes - frog legs, baby squid, and bok choy all were a change from the regular buffet line-up. Most of the rest of the offerings tasted about the same as any other Asian buffet in Waco.

Yoshi does have a stir fry station similar to Genghis Grill or B.D.'s Mongolian. You pick the raw ingredients you prefer and load them into a small bowl - heaping them high and skillfully balancing an impossibly large pile of meat and veggie. The chef then cooks it up for you. Not quite enough sauce choices made my companion's dish a bit on the dry side but it is nice to be able to pick and choose.

I was surprised that there was not much of a crowd at this new restaurant. Usually a new opening in Waco draws a nice crowd early on. This may just have been a slower week night but it was not a good omen. At $11.00 for the buffet at night, Yoshi needs to really build some great word of moth. The price tag for two adults came to over $26.00 before any gratuity. I did not feel that what Yoshi offered was measurably better than at other choices. Lunch may be a different story. I will check it out next week.

There are several arrivals in the area. Mi Tequila will try to survive where Trevino's could not.Hondo's Sports Bar and Grill will soon be taking over the Beef O'Brady's space in Hewitt.

Chipotle Mexican Grill is a popular chain of burrito/taco fast food restaurants. A chipotle (chi-POAT-lay) is a dried, smoked jalapeño pepper. I have eaten with at one in the Austin area. They are nearing the completion of construction on N. Valley Mills. The chain got its start in 1993 in Denver. There are over 500 of these nationwide. The price for a quick lunch is in the $6-$8 range.

Something So Right/Wrong

I revisited the Clay Pot this week at the request of some friends. I had not been there in over a year so I felt it was time to refresh my memory. There are many good things about a visit to the CP including the multiple spice smells as you walk in the door. The combination of curry, tea, and several other scents make your mouth begin to water before the menus arrive.

I noted a few changes in the menu since my last visit and ordered Nancy's Special. This combination of noodles, meat, and fruit slices sounded delicious and looked almost as good when it was served. The flavors were fine but... Some of the fruit was a bit past its prime. The spring roll was dried out. The portions were small. The price was too high for what was served. All good reasons to come here only once a year. I keep hoping things will get better.

That's kind of a theme with several Waco restaurants that have a good deal of potential and a number of redeeming qualities but just can't seem to get it right. The taste/quality of the food at Clay Pot is generally good to very good but they trip up on some important details that keep them from being a really good restaurant.

A recent visit to Zack and Jim's Hog Creek Icehouse was much the same story. The 8,000 square foot facility is a great looking place. Big open dining room, private upstairs, and a large patio out back. This place was made for music both indoors and outdoors.

Nothing too original on the menu but with a little effort Hog Creek could compete with Lake Brazos Steakhouse or Cotton Patch or any number of others that have this type of burger, sandwich, CFS, or steak menu. Unfortunately the kitchen can't execute this simple basic Texas concept. The service was efficient. The drinks appeared right on time but the food took forever on a day when only 20-25 people were in for lunch.

When it did arrive, the food was just not up too par. When I asked my companions to compare our lunch with Lake Brazos, we all agreed that the food was superior at LBSH without question. Although the building was more interesting and exciting, even the burgers did not meet expectations.

I saved the number one complaint for last. The smell of stale beer and smoke for the bar covered the whole dining room. Despite being enclosed, the smells from the bar ruined the dining atmosphere. Not much excuse for this. I understand that this is a bar. I doubt if food sales at lunch pay 10% of Hog Creek's bills but really.... most people will find this a turnoff.

The technology exists to properly ventilate the non-smoking areas of a restaurant. I just takes a little effort to have a kitchen that can turn out top notch Texas standards. It is so easy for something(s) right to be canceled out by something wrong.