It Is About The Fries

I am glad the holidays are behind us. Too much home cooking and not enough restaurant visits. I did get to make my second trip to Zeb's Backyard Grill. I now feel comfortable recommending Zeb's to anyone in the area looking for a good burger and fresh french fries. Zeb's is probably the best of the new food spots that have appeared on the road to China Spring. Zeb's can stand toe-to-toe with just about any burger place in the Central Texas area.

Starting with a nice selection of basic burgers and moving to a group of more sophisticated group of toppings, Zeb's seems to get it right each time. I have yet to try the Wambo - a featured offering of pepper jack cheese, jalapeno bun, and jalapenos but it looks outstanding. I have had the Double Time and the Chili Cheese. They were both excellently prepared. For the less ambitious, the Ol' Fashion, Cheeseburger, and Bacon Cheese are sound selections.

Zeb's also has a nice selections of salads including an Apple Walnut Chicken and a Buffalo Chicken that my accompanying friends enjoyed. I think that is why I have not tried the Wambo. I would probably feel self conscious being surrounded by salad munchers. I guess I need a better class of lunch partners.

If anything make Zeb's a standout choice, it would have to be the wonderful fresh cut french fries. They are as good as they get. To me, if you intend to be taken seriously in the burger-barbecue world, you won't serve frozen potatoes. Owner Zeb Hering must agree because he does it right.

Zeb’s Backyard Grill
10207 China Spring Road
254.836-8282
They are closed on Sundays

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A Chill at the Grille

The Waco Hilton Hotel has undergone an extensive renovation during the last year. The result is a modern and more luxurious hotel with new food service. I have been to two event dinners at the Hilton since new food service personnel have been on board. Both of these events, offered well prepared meals that were significant improvements from past Hilton experiences. They now have the capability to produce a first class catered dinner in any of their newly remodeled ballrooms.

It is unfortunate that this quality has not transported to the hotel’s new daily food service location, The Grille. Gone is Damon’s and the barbecue/grill menu that existed for several years in a sports bar atmosphere. In its place, is a daily buffet that could have been a real improvement.

Not that The Grille doesn’t have its strong points. At night, The Grille features a traditional menu of steaks and fish that while pricy are of good quality. The $8.95 weekday lunch buffet offers guests an above average lunch. The problem is that it could be so much better.

Many of The Grille’s deficiencies may be due to a lack of volume. After several visits to the weekday buffet, I cannot recall a single day when the room have been at even half capacity. This lack of customers causes some quality control problems that pull down what could be a decent dining experience.

The salad and sandwich portion of the buffet is in serious need of a makeover. The small bowl of greens with only two choices of bottled salad dressing can get a wilted look after an hour or two. Likewise, the cold cuts for sandwiches can dry out. The bread offered for sandwiches could be a bit more adventurous instead of the very ordinary sliced bread served.

The hot entrees and vegetables served in chafing dishes at the buffet have been very good. Fish, pasta, chicken breast, and fajitas have all been well prepared and plentiful. I have been impressed by the quality and quantity of these choices.

Service has been good on each occasion although I have never had the same attendant twice. Not surprising considering the lack of business.

My visit to the weekend brunch buffet (at almost double the price) was a marginal success. The buffet is served from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM on Sunday and leans heavily on the BR and less one the UNCH. The majority of selections were breakfast items. This can be a problem because the egg dishes offered deteriorate over this span of time.

I did enjoy the Belgian Waffles and the smoked salmon that appeared on an expanded salad buffet. Several additional items were there as add-ins to the basic greens but still the same two inferior dressings. The higher price weekend buffet did not deliver the higher value and quality I would have expected. Perhaps if the volume improves some of these issues will disappear. I can recommend the lunch and an expensive steak dinner but not the weekend brunch.

The economic slide is beginning to take a toll on area restaurants. Ryan’s Family Steakhouse shut its doors in mid November. Dickey’s is back as Bill’s but probably not for long. TGI Friday’s has been rumored to be only a day away from closing.

Nothing But Time

There is not a lot of positive stuff happening on the Waco food scene. New projects seem to be moving slowly and several establishments seem on the verge of closing. I have recently heard a couple of advertising blasts from places that may be trying to stir up that extra bit of business that will keep them operating.

Sad to report that Dickey's has closed. The signs were there in recent months that they were near the edge. The owners took a lot of steps and made several cuts to control costs and attract business. Will they be back? Possible, but the economic downturn makes marginal businesses go under and great ideas for a new place sit on the back burner.

I have been watching progress on the rumored Italian spot located behind McAllister's on Waco Dr. Not a lot happening inside the empty shell.

Stopped in at Se Cocina last week only to discover that they still do not have a beer and wine license. I would expect that they need that extra revenue to stay healthy.

A recent visit to 1424 on Washington was a pleasant evening. I don't think the food slipped much since the Yanni's group took over. It is still a reliable place to take visitors from out of town who might be wondering if we have more that just Mexican, Chicken Fried steak, or barbecue. I had a very tasty lamb dish that is a rarity in Waco.

Waco and surrounding areas (30+ miles)

Top Restaurants
Cheeves Brothers
1424
The Green Room Grille
Diamondbacks
The Grille (Hilton Hotel)
Elite Circle Grille

Top Chains
Cheddar's
Outback Steakhouse
Pei Wei
Logan's Roadhouse
Cotton Patch Cafe

Top Barbecue
Bunkhouse Barbecue (Clifton)
Rudy's
Michna's
Uncle Dan's

Unusual
D's Chicken
Parks Buffet
Bangkok Royale Thai
Clay Pot

Top Burgers
Kitok Restaurant
Zeb's (China Spring)
Cupps
Fuddrucker's
Cricket's Grill & Drafthouse

Top Tex/Mex
Don Carlos
Ninfa's
El Tapatio
La Fiesta

Top Italian
Rosati's
Gratizano's
Italian Garden (China Spring)

It is all opinion.

Don One

I waited until after the first week before attempting a visit to Don Carlos. This Houston based small chain (4 locations - 3 in Houston) hit Waco around mid-August. As usual in Waco, it has been swamped with customers since the opening. The fact that the opening date was published in the paper was probably an error. A soft and quiet opening a few days in advance of the published date would have given the management a few shifts to work out any kinks in the kitchen or in the front of the house. I always advise people to wait a while but many want to be the first to each new place.

Judging from what I heard from some of these earlybirds service has been an issue. Some of the complaints are probably due to long wait times, some to inexperienced staff, and in some cases it appears that the kitchen may have been surprised and overwhelmed by the traffic. They probably should have called and talked to the people at Cheddar's.

I made first visit on a weekday morning when I completed a trip to Best Buy. I was driving by at about 11:20 AM and decided to beat the rush. This proved to be a good strategy because when I left about fifty minutes later the wait was over 40 minutes. This also allowed me to get fresh and hot food from the kitchen without a long service delay.

The lunch menu at Don Carlos is of unusually good value. I expected smaller servings and higher prices but was very surprised by the quantity, quality, and price of my three enchilada plate. I hope this is not just an introductory offer but I don't see how that can serve three beef enchiladas, rice, beans, chips, salsa, and queso for $4.95. That's right - I paid $4.95. I am eager to return at lunch just to see if this is still the price.

Of course price doesn't matter if the food is bad. It wasn't. Just the basics first. I loved the lightweight chips that were fresh and crisp. The fire-roasted tomatoes added an extra dimension to the warm bowl of salsa that came with the chips. Not too spicy but good flavor. Flour and corn tortillas were about average. The beans were very good. I thought that the refried and the charo beans had good texture, aroma, and taste. The rice clumped a little and could have used some additions. It was just OK.

On my second visit (late dinner), we waited about fifteen minutes for a table. Service was quick and efficient. I ordered a grilled sirloin dish and was very satisfied with the size of the cut and the flavor. There was a bit of toughness on one edge of the meat but not enough to spoil the dish.

Take your time and give the menu a full read. You will find some dishes with some unusual ingredients that we don't often see in Waco, Texas.

It took about twenty-five minutes from order to table. This a bit too long but not unacceptable at the end of a busy evening.

My third visit was on Fajita Night (Wednesday). Walked in at 8:15 PM and although the restaurant was crowded, we had no wait for a table for five. Beef or Chicken, fajitas were offered for a special price of $8.95! This is $3.00 below the regular menu price.The chicken was tasty and plentiful. I could have made four well stuffed fajitas of six normal ones. The plater of meat was accompanied by onions, peppers, rice, beans, tortillas, pico de gallo, and avocados. The plates arrived within fifteen minutes and the service was sharp and attentive.

Margaritas were pronounced good and were fairly priced. An order of sweet and crispy sopapillas topped off the dinner. I have spoken to several people who have placed this new restaurant at the top of their list for Mexican food in Waco. I have to agree with them. I have been to Don Carlos three times and it has been better each visit.

I think it is too early to proclaim Don Carlos as the King of All Mexican Food in Waco. But Don Carlos has made a good start by providing ample servings and delivering strong dollar value at both lunch and dinner. If you were one of the unlucky ones that visited Don Carlos too early, wait another week or two and try it again.

China Spring Road

Last month, business took me on a drive to a part of our community that I do not regularly visit. 19th St. becomes FM 1637 as you travel northwest to China Spring. The development along this corridor is proceeding at a fairly fast pace. With the growth, comes new restaurants to explore!

An old Hewitt favorite of mine, Trevino's, has resurfaced in this area after a brief stopover on Valley Mills. Zeb's Backyard Grill has been featured on a local PBS show because of its hamburgers. Another branch of the successful La Fiesta family has sprouted in this area as well.

With all these choices, it was difficult to make a decision where to eat first. I chose the Italian Garden at 10207 China Spring Rd. Owned by Nicki and Sophia Colaku, the restaurant has survived the most critical period for most places and is approaching its second birthday.

Because of its strip shopping center location, the restaurant has very little drive by appeal. Once you have parked I can't really say that a closer look will fill you with any apprehension of Great Food Inside. Upon entering you will find a more pleasant and comfortable atmosphere. You won't think you are in Naples but enough interior design is in place to make you feel like you are in an Italian setting.

Even this modest decor would be wasted if the food was poor. It is not. In fact, it has enough flavor and creativity to make it worth the short drive. My Italian sausage and peppers served over pasta had good flavor and was loaded with meat. Our young and inexperienced waiter suggested Joe’s Garden Special. Lot's of chicken breast sautéed with spinach and fresh tomatoes in a creamy pink sauce. A solid choice. The special of the day was a broccoli and fettuccine in an Alfredo sauce - again a large and tasty entree.

The house salad dressing was described as a tomato vinegarette. It came thickly applied and seemed to overwhelm the lettuce. My blue cheese was just fine. The pizza seemed quite popular at other tables and looked like something you might want to order.

Our server acted as though it was his first day on the job. He repeatedly interrupted our conversation to ask if we needed anything or if all was OK. A less intrusive observational approach would have been appreciative. Still, he tried very hard.

The portion sizes were all very good and I felt they offered good value. Most of the dinners are priced between $10 and $15. This price includes a dinner salad (iceberg average) and some delicious house made dinner rolls (very good). The lunch specials are also a bargain.

How would I rank Italian Garden? If you are tired of chain restaurant Italian, then Italian Garden should grant you some welcome relief. The main dishes show some flair and provide something a bit different. I think it is on a par with Gratziano's and Rossati's. I would rank it ahead of all the Barris incarnations. It is worth the drive.

Cheeves Steakout

A visit to the remarkable Cheeves Bros. Steak House in Temple, Texas was a very nice surprise. Our group agreed that the beef was very good, the atmosphere was very very good, and the service was good. The rest of this blog may seem to nit-pick some of the flaws of the place so I guess I should say up front that it was a very pleasant dining experience - probably as good or better than anything Waco has to offer. Certainly top tier for central Texas.

If I were comparing Cheeves Bros. to others that I have visited nationally or to those just up the road in Dallas, I would probably rank it in the upper half of the class. While it is not as good as a Pappas Brothers or a Del Frisco, it can be favorably compared to a Ruth's Chris or a Smith and Wollensky.

My rib-eye steak was perfectly prepared and nicely presented with a delicious blue cheese wedge salad. Others chose the lobster bisque and were disappointed that it was served tepid and a bit on the salty side. The requested reheat helped but the soup was just not up to the rest of the meal.

Cheeves offers a sizeable number of steak cuts prepared several different ways. Merlot, Hollandaise, Bearnaise, and Peppercorn sauces are available as additions. Blue cheese and wild mushrooms are also listed as toppings on some of the beef. Most of these cuts are priced at $40+. Prime Rib is also a menu option. Duck and wild salmon are interesting non-beef choices on the menu. A special section of the menu lists several prime rated steak cuts.

It has been several years since I have had a Ros-O-Baked Potato. The old Bavarian Steak House in Dallas served these. Don't ask me exactly how they are prepared - there is paper wrapping and rosin involved I think. They are a fancy take on a traditional baked potato and here a sweet potato as well. . Good if you like to munch on the potato skin.

The Internet says it is a method of preparing a potato by wrapping the potato in a wrapper formed from a rosin impregnated piece of cellulose that has perforations to allow steam to vent as the potato is baked.

The Wine List is recognized by Wine Spectator but that is not exactly as great as it sounds. The list is adequate but like most steak houses very over priced. I saw several examples of wines that were being offered a double and triple the retail price. Wines that should have been reasonable and could have been excellent compliments to the meal were priced well beyond what they should have been. Unusual in Dallas? No - but certainly not the norm in central Texas. Order by the glass or stay to the low end of the price scale to minimize the damage.

Desserts are good to very good and are large enough to split. At $8 to $10, they were at least affordable. To there credit, Cheeves has a nice children' s menu that offers some good choices for less than $10.

The service is probably the most noticeable difference. It is competent and central Texas homey. Our server was nice, attentive, and knowledgeable of the menu's basics. But the level of service did not rise to the level of professionalism that you would experience at III Forks or at Morton's. This might not be a bad thing to some people but when the bill approaches $300 for a party of four, you should receive exceptional service for the 20% gratuity expected at this type of establishment.

Cheeves Bros. in a very good special occasion experience for people who want quality steaks without going to Dallas, Houston, or Austin for the event. Cheeves Bros. delivers on many levels and falls just short of elite dining in a couple of critical areas.

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.