Love Shack Denton, Denton, TX

Love, actually

The man, the myth, the menu promise to make dining on the Square a while lot juicier

01:32 PM CDT on Thursday, March 31, 2011

By Ellen Ritscher Sackett / Staff Writer

Chef Tim Love is running behind. His executive assistant calls to say he will be 20 minutes late. He’s on his way from Fort Worth to talk about Love Shack Denton, his latest restaurant about to open just east of the Square. For months, passers-by have peered through the windows, observing the building’s transition from barbershop to burger joint. It’s almost ready — but not quite.

DMN file photo

Tim Love, pictured in 2007 just before the opening of his first Love Shack at the Fort Worth Stockyards, is preparing to open the burger joint’s third location, in Denton.

The 2007 Iron Chef America winner, instantly recognizable for his many television appearances on cooking and morning shows, walks through the front door without his crisp chef’s coat and signature white Stetson. Despite his busy morning, he appears relaxed in faded jeans, cowboy boots and a worn T-shirt that reveals a tattoo inked on a buff upper arm. He sits down and leans back in his chair as construction workers keep the place hopping, with sparks flying and the sound of drills and saws buzzing, and hammers pounding away.

This will be Love’s third gourmet hamburger establishment by the same name, Tim Love’s Love Shack, one of several restaurants he has owned over the years that run the gamut from casual to fine dining. But this one is special. It’s Love’s first venture in his hometown.

“My mom wanted me to do a restaurant in Denton — that’s the main reason I’m here. She’s excited,” says the 39-year-old culinary rock star who spent the first 18 years of his life here.

“I wanted to bring something back.”

Long before Love became a celebrity chef, he spent summers in Tennessee working on his father’s farm.

“I’ve raised almost every vegetable under the sun growing up as a kid, and same with animals,” Love says. “I raised chickens and rabbits and lambs and goats and steers.”

After Love graduated from Denton High School, he went back to Tennessee to earn double degrees in finance and marketing at the University of Knoxville. While making a little cash in various restaurant jobs, he found his calling.

“I fell in love with it,” he says. “I wanted to cook for a living.”

Love never went to culinary school, but he gained a solid foundation based on experience.

“You learn from every ingredient you touch.”

Love spent his mid-20s in Colorado, snowboarding when he wasn’t cooking for crowds. He scooped up the Taste of Breckenridge Grand Award three times and the Taste of the Mountains Award, four. He met his wife, Emilie, at the Uptown Bistro in Frisco, Colo., where he was chef. Eventually the two moved back to Texas, making their home in Fort Worth, where they now raise their three children.

LOVE SHACK DENTON

• Address: 115 E. Hickory St.
• Phone: 940-442-6834
• Hours: 11 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday;
11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday
• Opening date: early April
• On the Web:www.shakeyourloveshack.com

In 2000, Love opened Lonesome Dove in Cowtown’s historic downtown Stockyards district, once the Grand Central Station of livestock, where visitors can still witness daily cattle drives. Love, who calls himself a “huge meat guy,” made his mark serving what he calls “urban Western cuisine” — not only traditional high-end steaks, but rabbit, elk, rattlesnake, wild boar and even kangaroo.

Love says people often try out-of-the-ordinary meat just to say they did it.

“But can I take it and turn it into something people really like?” he says. “That’s the challenge.”

More than a decade since opening, Lonesome Dove is packed and critics rave; in fact, just last week The Dallas Morning News published a four-star review of Love’s upscale restaurant.

Just around the corner from Lonesome Dove is the original Love Shack — all 140 square feet of it — next door to the White Elephant Saloon, which is also owned by Love. The second Love Shack is located near Fort Worth’s Trinity Park and the museum district.

“We’re a different breed,” Love says. “We’re not a fast-food joint. We’re a really cool, hip, burger spot.”

The concept was born out a “what the heck” situation, he says. Love wanted to offer food to White Elephant Saloon customers, and he also needed to find a way to use the leftover trim from Lonesome Dove’s popular garlic-stuffed beef tenderloin.

“We have a lot of it,” Love says. “It’s expensive meat to just throw away.”

It took about five months for Love to develop the perfect grind and mix for his unique burger.

“We do 50 percent prime brisket and then 50 percent of tenderloin,” Love says. The combination makes a “tremendous meat patty.”

The Love burger itself is simple.

“It’s not like we have all these crazy things on the burger,” he explains. “It’s not a burger made with foie gras and blueberries or whatever.

“It’s made from really top-notch, high-quality ingredients that are all house-made,” including the pickles and the ketchup and mayonnaise that go into Love’s special Love Sauce.

The Dirty Love Burger “gets a little more exciting,” topped with wild boar bacon and a quail egg. “It’s a beautiful thing,” he says. “It’s even better with a fried portobello on it. We call that the Love and the Boom Boom. It’s awesome. It’s what I eat.”

The next order of business was developing fries that are “not like anybody else’s,” Love says. “We do a thin, plain french fry that gets pretty crispy. They’re different.”

Love devotes a huge amount of time creating the perfect eating experience, down to the width of the tomato slice.

“All of it involves the texture of one bite,” he says. “It’s hard to develop a burger where [when] you bite into it, it still tastes the same all the way around.”

The three Love Shack menus vary. The Denton menu will include chicken, fish, hot dogs, soups and salads in addition to burgers, fries and onion rings. The Denton location is the only one that will serve grilled, cured pickles. Every Love Shack serves root beer on tap and milkshakes, too.

“We don’t have five shakes on the menu, we have today’s shake,” Love says. “And today’s shake could be anything.”

The same fare will be served from opening to close. The lunchtime crowd will order at the counter and seat themselves, whereas after 5 p.m. diners will be served by waitstaff, and to-go orders will be available for pickup at a window on the west side.

Bartenders will man a full bar and pour “fun, funky cocktails,” he says, and there will be a daily happy hour from 4 to 7 p.m. Several flat-screen TVs are mounted overhead on nearly every wall.

“I’m a big sports guy. I don’t like missing any sports,” he says.

But the main focal point will be the stage flanking the east wall.

“You should be able to see the music from anywhere in the restaurant,” he says. Love says he’s a big proponent of live music, and the bands will “run the gamut.”

He says he wants his restaurant “to get heavily involved in the Denton music scene.”

“It’s such a great music town.”

Love envisioned the building to have “a spacious feel” with lots of windows and two 30-foot glass garage doors.

“The place is created to feel like you’re outside all the time,” he says.

The walls are constructed from reclaimed farm wood from South Texas. Patio seating with two giant maple trees will shade the north side, and diners can play outdoor pingpong, washers or cornhole. Love wants to create a relaxed atmosphere where customers will want to hang out for a few hours.

“The Love Shack is all about having fun,” he says.

Looking around on a recent afternoon, one can see there’s still plenty to do. Construction is not quite complete. The tables and chairs are stacked on top of each other. The staff has yet to learn the art of the food preparation and will be trained by Love himself. The city still has to give its stamp of approval, and is in the process of ensuring that the building is up to code and the health department is satisfied. So when does it open? Early April, Love says, but there’s no firm commitment yet as to an exact date.

“It’s got to be perfect,” he says. “My goal is for the food to be perfect, the service to be perfect, and whenever those things come together, that’s when we open.”

ELLEN RITSCHER SACKETT can be reached at 940-566-6845. Her e-mail address is esackett@dentonrc.com .

Hannah's Off the Square, 100-mile Meal, April 20, 2010

MILES TO GO BEFORE WE EAT


By Ellen "EJ" Sackett
Originally published in the Denton Record-Chronicle, DentonTime, April 15, 2010


Nine summers ago, Sheena Croft arrived in Denton with nothing but her cat, her car and a small overnight bag. Excited to start a new life in Texas, her boyfriend, now husband, was about to begin graduate studies in art at the University of North Texas, while Croft, a trained chef, planned to travel around Texas to learn about its cuisine. 

They packed all of their belongings in a huge Ryder truck and drove in tandem from southern Georgia, stopping to spend the night in New Orleans. The next morning, they woke up to find their truck gone.

They did, however, have an apartment ready and waiting. The property management company provided them with towels and tooth- brushes. Croft’s aunt sent a care package of clothes and helped them with immediate expenses. But the stress of starting over in a new place took its toll. At a shopping excursion at Sears, the couple had a minor melt- down. It got the attention of a clerk, who called in the store manager, who listened to their story and offered them a line of credit at zero percent interest. The Sears manager also handed Croft a section of the Denton Record-Chronicle with an article about a new “Tex-French” restaurant that was opening in two weeks, called “Hannah’s Off the Square.”

“I put on clothes from my aunt and drove to Hannah’s,” Croft said.

She was determined to convince the then-owner, Eric Hill, that she was the perfect person to be chef. Unfortunately, he already had hired someone else, but Croft didn’t give up. She told him: “I know this cuisine. I know your customer base. I worked at a restaurant just like this for three years. Let me create a menu.” 

Almost a decade later, Croft is still creating menus as the restaurant’s executive chef, never leaving her Southern roots far behind. “We didn’t have fast food,” said Croft,

referring to her years growing up in southern Georgia and northern Florida. Instead, her family ate what was readily available to them. “My chicken was shark tail, alligator, snapping turtle — they were all mystery white meats,” Croft said. “We’d get mussels from the river, go down to the creek and get crawfish, go deep-sea fishing where the Suwannee River enters the Gulf of Mexico. We were down there every other weekend, bring back whatever, fishing in the river behind our house, getting mullet, smoking the mullet, gathering hickory nuts for the fire, drying sassafras leaves from the tree in the backyard for gumbo filé.” Even now when Croft goes home for Christmas, she can count on being served either quail or squirrel. “My mom gets her .22 out and goes into the front yard,” she said.

Croft became particularly mindful of using fresh, local ingredients a few years ago when she read the book Plenty: Eating Locally on the 100-Mile Diet, by Alisa Smith and J.B. Mackinnon. The book inspired her to create a meal served family-style for Hannah’s patrons using only ingredients found within a 100-mile radius of Denton — all the way down to the salt. The 100-mile meal has now grown into a biannual event. Previous such meals were held in the fall, when fresh, local produce is abun- dant. However, Hannah’s upcoming 100-mile meal is the first to be held during the spring. “There’s not as much in the spring as in the fall,” Croft said. She called it “a challenge. I just want to see if I can do it.”

The 100-mile-diet concept is related to the Slow Food movement, whose focus, in part, is reducing the environmental impact of how food is brought from farm to table. “It’s also the way of preparing food — the idea of things being cooked simply within their season, as fresh as possible,” Croft said.

The dishes served Tuesday night will be based on what produce is available “right then,” Croft said. “The food really does dictate the recipes.”

The menu will include soup; simple salads; sauteed greens; roasted and braised meats including beef, pork and chicken; egg dishes; and fresh strawberries and whipped cream for dessert. The meal will be accompanied by local wines selected by wine steward Jason Lastovica.

“My large food vendors have contracts with local farmers. I can order through my regular supply,” Croft said. She will also get some specialty items from small farms “at the last second.” She’ll use herbs grown in her own garden, a stash from her larder of canned goods and red wine vinegar from other seasons and 100-mile meals past, and produce from local growers through the Denton Community Market and The Cupboard Natural Foods. In addition, she has been promised amaranth (Chinese spinach) from the community garden at Bowling Green Park. “I have a plot there,” Croft said. “I put in tomatoes, lemon cucumbers, chili peppers, all kinds of stuff. I’m really excited to be able to get some things from there for the next [100-mile meal] in the fall."


$$$ 


Hannah's Off the Square Restaurant
111 W. Mulberry St. Denton, TX 
940-566-1110
$75 per person, limited seating

Siam Off the Square Thai Restaurant, Denton, TX

FLAVORS AS BOLD AS THE COLORS

By Ellen "EJ" Sackett

Walk into the vestibule of Siam Off the Square Thai Restaurant, and you’ll be greeted by Monique the mannequin, who on any given day may sport a traditional Thai dress, football jersey or cowboy hat.

“She’s even worn lingerie,” says Russel Mills, who owns the restaurant with his wife, Noon, the restaurant’s chef. Without cracking a smile, he adds, “It’s too cold for that this time of year.”

Noon Mills laughs. Today Monique has on Mardi Gras beads, “for the Saints,” Noon Mills explains, referring to New Orleans’ recent Super Bowl win.

Next to Monique is a ceramic lime-green Buddha with a grin as wide as Noon’s. He matches the color of the top half of the restaurant’s walls perfectly, in contrast to the orange below and the purple tablecloths. His presence foreshadows what customers can expect to find at Siam Off the Square — it’s “full of happy energy,” Noon Mills said.

Finding the restaurant isn’t easy if you don’t know where to look. Its physical address is Hickory Street, but it’s actually on the corner of Cedar and Walnut streets. The space was once part of Russell’s Department Store and has been home to several restaurants, including the original Hannah’s Off the Square, hence the similar name.

While Hannah’s expanded when it moved to Mulberry Street, Siam Off the Square downsized from its 17-year home in Carriage Square.

“We love our new location,” Noon Mills said. “The Square is a community within a community.”

Russel Mills said businesses on the Square have supported them.

“We brought our clientele with us, which in turn supports other businesses on the Square,” he said.

Customers will find the same quality food at the new location as they did the old. The menu includes a variety of appetizers, curries, stir-fry dishes and pad thai. Noon Mills’ mother, from Phuket Island in southern Thailand, provides the curry paste. She is an important influence on her daughter’s cooking, as is Noon Mill’s Chinese heritage.

“Not all dishes are spicy,” she said, “but you can expect them to be tasty.”

The menu changes with the seasons. The Millses buy locally and use fresh ingredients as much as possible. Their daily specials feature what is plentiful. They love their restaurant and customers, many of whom have become friends over the years.

“Come out and see us,” said Russel Mills. His wife added, “We love to make people happy.”

$-$$

Siam Off the Square Thai Restaurant
209 W. Hickory Street, Suite 104.
940-382-5118.
Hours: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday,
and 5 to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
www.siamoffthesquare.com .

Originally published in Denton Record-Chronicle, February 18, 2010

CAFE DU LUXE, Denton, Texas

MUGS AND WINE GLASSES HOBNOB
Cafe serves up fine vintages, fresh joe and bites to savor

By Ellen "EJ" Sackett (written for Denton Record-Chronicle)

Cafe Du Luxe isn’t Denton’s best-kept secret. Since it opened five months ago, the word is spreading: It’s a great place to meet friends for conversation and a cup of coffee, a light meal or a glass of fine wine. Owner David Carles describes his cafe as “upscale casual” and says it “provides a choice that raises the quality” in the area. That choice includes freshly roasted coffee beans, both familiar and relatively unknown wines, and healthy yet inexpensive menu items for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. "We appeal to the North Texas business and medical professionals and give them another alternative to Starbucks and coffeehouses that largely appeal to students,” he said.

Cafe Du Luxe is located in Market Square at Unicorn Lake, where it’s a logical stop for a bite before or after a movie at Cinemark Denton. In addition to convenience, the cafe offers happy hour from 4 to 7 p.m. on weekdays, featuring half-price appetizers and $1 off house beer and wines.

Commuters can whip into the drive-through for a specialty coffee fix, brewed “the old-fashioned way,” Carles said. “We use authentic Italian espresso equipment. We grind and dose and tamp and pull the shots by hand. None of it is automated.”

The coffees are designed around a music theme, named after the voices in a choir — the lighter the roast, the higher the voice. The beans come to the cafe extremely fresh.

“We order our coffee from our roaster on Monday; they roast for us on Tuesday; our coffee arrives here Wednesday or Thursday,” Carles said.

Cafe Du Luxe specializes in some “high-quality but relatively unknown” Chilean wines that can’t be purchased at the local grocery, Carles said. The wine list offers a variety and appeals to those who lean toward the familiar as well as aficionados who are more adventurous. Beer drinkers shouldn’t feel left out: Domestic and imported brews are available, too.

Food and drink aren’t the only reasons to come to Cafe Du Luxe; another is the atmosphere. One wall is dedicated to displaying work by regional artists. The exhibit changes monthly, with an artist’s reception every third Sunday. On Saturday evenings, Bill Metzger and Perrin Grace perform light jazz on electric guitar and upright bass. Book clubs, church groups and writers meet regularly to exchange information and ideas.

People can “come in jeans or come in a suit, either way,” Carles said.

It took four years from conception to completion to create Cafe Du Luxe, and it came out almost exactly as Carles envisioned it.

“People are still trying to figure out who we are and what we do,” he said. “We want the word to get out [because] we have something unique to offer.”

$

CAFE DU LUXE
3101 Unicorn Lake Blvd.
940-382-7070
Hours: Monday through Thursday ~ 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday, 5:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday, 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., Sunday, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
www.cafeduluxe.com

Originally published in Denton Record-Chronicle, DentonTime, January 21, 2010.

Ravelin Bakery, Denton, TX

Hi, I'm EJ, and I'm a breadaholic. This is why I have to force myself to drive past Ravelin Bakery when I'm in the neighborhood. But occasionally I do stop to partake in whatever slice of yumminess jumps out at me through the glass-covered cases. Usually it's one of any number of muffins, which are my true downfall, although I'm really, really partial to the Russian Tea Cookies. Ravelin's lemon bars are most excellent too and give me a jolt in my jaw, if you know what I mean. There are so many choices, I rarely get out of there without an assortment.

So anyway, Thanksgiving is coming, and Ravelin gears up for the big occasion, focusing all its attention on baking pies and breads and some other baked goods to have on hand when family comes for a visit. So here's the skinny (yes, that's supposed to be funny!) about the best bakery in North Texas, also posted on www.goodtastebuds.com.

Eat slowly and carry a big fork,

~ ej

AS EASY AS PIE!

Take One Home for Thanksgiving

By Ellen "EJ" Sackett

Have I got pies for you! Ravelin Bakery is baking pies, sweet pastries and other doughy delights to order for the holidays. With Thanksgiving less than a week away, make haste while the batter's hot. You'll be sure to impress the family with a crust that's flakier than Grandma's. But don't wait until the last minute to decide; it gets pretty busy in the Ravelin kitchen this time of year. Orders are available for pick-up through Wednesday, November 25 (except Monday when the store is closed).

Here's the Thanksgiving Menu:

9" Bread Pudding ~ $32.00

9" Old-fashioned Chocolate Cake ~ $40.95

Pecan Pie ~ $20.50

Chocolate Pecan Pie ~ $21.50

Pumpkin Pie ~ $13.75

Sweet Potato Pie ~ $13.75

Buttermilk Pie ~ $16.50

Key Lime Pie ~ $16.00

Apple Pie ~ $18.50

Cherry Pie ~ $23.00

Apple Almond Tart ~ $23.00

Cherry Almond Tart ~ $23.00

Cherry Struedel ~ $16.00

Apple Struedel ~ $16.00

Pumpkin Bread ~ $4.95

Mini Croissants (1 dozen) ~ $11.00

Cranberry Pecan Bread will also be available on the day before Thanksgiving in addition to Ravelin's fresh artisan breads, made with their own starter. Breads available daily include country sourdough, hearty five-grain, three seed, Bavarian rye, French loaf and baguettes.

Be on the lookout after Thanksgiving for Ravelin's holiday table, which will include baked goodies you can give as presents, such as packaged breads and cookies, fruitcake and traditional German Stollen.

Even if you don't need help with your holiday meals, stop by Ravelin's sometime for a sumptious breakfast pastry, cookie or coffee cake, and pour yourself a cup of coffee to go with. Ravelin also bakes cakes in a variety of sizes to order with one or two day's notice. While you're there, don't forget to pick up a loaf of one of the specialty breads--the list changes daily.

Ravelin Bakery is a not-so-secret secret. Owners Eric and Pamela Helland don't have to advertise, nor do they have a website. Nonetheless, the word is out. Since they opened their doors to Denton eight years ago, they built their success on providing quality baked goods made with whole, all natural ingredients, 100% from scratch. What more need I say?

$$

Ravelin Bakery

416 S. Elm Street, Denton, Texas

(940) 382-8561

Hours: Tuesday through Saturday ~ 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Sunday ~ 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Closed Monday

Thanksgiving Hours:

Closed Thursday & Friday, November 26 & 27

Open regular hours on Saturday & Sunday, November 28 & 29

Burgundy Steak & Seafood Restaurant, Denton, Texas

LOVE IS AT THE HEART OF BURGUNDY

By Ellen "EJ" Sackett

Now that New Years is out of the way, it's time to be thinking ahead to the next big holiday: Valentine's Day. With just over a month away, it's time to make those reservations now to take your sweetie out for an expensive romantic dinner.

In Denton, Texas, my choice for date night is Burgundy Restaurant, opulent without being pretentious, decorated in rich, warm golds and deep reds as the name suggests. It is located west of the Downtown Square, next to the Campus Theatre. (Unfortunately, the Campus is dark on Valentine's Day this year, but check its Web site at www.campustheatre.com for upcoming events to combine dinner at Burgundy with a live performance.)

At Burgundy, you'll be greeted by the door by Tony Huda or his wife, Melissa, whose heart and soul touches every aspect of the dining experience. Simply put, they love their restaurant and want you to love it too.

Before you are seated, cuddle up with a drink on the black leather couch by the entrance. If it's your first date, you may want to sit at the beautiful back-lit bar and chat with Tony or watch a bit of the ballgame on the big screen HDTV. Burgundy has a fine wine list and a full assortment of liquor. Take your time to decide. Dinner awaits, but there's no rush.

The dining room is cozy, but the tables are far enough apart that you won't be disturbed by neighboring guests. If you are fortunate, first-class jazz guitarist Joseph Gomez will be performing quietly in the corner, or you may hear Frank Sinatra piped in overhead. Kick off your heels under the table, ladies. What's a romantic dinner without a little footsie with your tootsie?

The servers are friendly, yet professional. They are informed about the menu, offered on a one-page board that isn't extensive, but selective. Burgundy mainly serves seafood and steak, although there is one lamb dish, a duck au poivre, and a chicken entreé as well. The Steak and Lobster Tail combo, rarely offered at Denton restaurants, is an occasional specialty of the house. The Shrimp Tower served over rice is excellent and reliable, and any of the steak cuts (Bone-in Rib-Eye with Peppercorn, New York Strip, and the Filet Mignon) are done to perfection as you like them. The Sea Scallop over spinach is another satisfying choice, and the Seabass In Orange Terragon Beure Blanc over Sauteed Zucchini and Squash never fails to please.

The portions are not large at Burgundy, so you may want to choose an appetizer or salad before the main course. A plain white bread basket comes with three choices of butter: sweet, fruit and jalapeño, and a sorbet sample comes between courses to cleanse the palette--other nice touches from the Hudas for their guests. Vegetarians may want to choose from the side dishes ala carte, but for $6 each, the amounts are small.

Follow dinner with dessert with coffee or a port wine, and then hold hands while you take a stroll around the historical Denton Square, lit year-round with twinkly white lights. This completes the perfect romantic evening--or who knows? Perhaps your night out at Burgundy will be the perfect prelude to a romantic evening in.

$$$

Burgundy Restaurant, 222 W Hickory Street, Denton, Texas
(940) 384-1800

Hours:
Open for dinner only, Mondays through Saturdays, 4:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Closed on Sundays

*Originally posted on www.goodtastebuds.com (January 3, 2009)

Rudy's Country Store and B-B-Q, Denton, Texas

RUDY'S B-B-Q SAVES THE DAY!

By Ellen "EJ" Sackett

It was 10:30 a.m. I had an outdoor party to throw and only a few hours to prepare for it. The guest of honor was a friend visiting from Japan, and we wanted to show him a good ol' Texas time. At first, I planned on going to the supermarket and picking up hamburger fixin's and a few sides from the grocery deli. But then it dawned on me: What could be better than to offer our Japanese guest barbecue?

I remembered a barbecue joint along the highway I hadn't been to in a while. It was a friendly place, where customers stood in line to place their order, choose their beer from an ice-filled trough, then chose from one of many folding chairs along the rows of tables lined up like a church social. Taking a chance, I stopped in to see if Rudy's could help me at the last minute.

The young woman behind the counter at the front of Rudy's Country Store was an expert in handling to-go orders and catered events. She offered several recommendations and gave me samples to taste. After considering the options, I ended up with a combination of smoked brisket, turkey, sausage, St. Louis ribs and a couple of chickens with sides of creamed corn and coleslaw. The price, on par with what I expected to pay at the grocery store, included one regular and one "sissy" bottle of Rudy's B-B-Q sause [sic], pickles, onions, jalapeños, cutlery, napkins and even a plastic table cloth! I was set.

For more money, I could've added pork loin and chopped beef, or one of the other sides such as potato salad, pinto beans, green bean salad or corn-on-the-cob. Dessert is another add-on, which includes a choice of banana pudding or peach cobbler, and ice tea, both sweetened and unsweetened, are available.

I made arrangements to pick up my order at 1 p.m. and it was ready to go when I arrived. Several employees armed with foil tins lined up to carry the food to my car. Each tray was clearly labeled, so unpacking the steaming contents once I arrived at my destination was a cinch. I have never thrown a party with such ease.

The party was a hit. My guests raved about the tender meat, and one of them even said it was the best barbecue he'd ever had. I could've made a meal on the creamed corn alone. My Japanese friend enjoyed the Texas-style tradition too. The best part? I had time to enjoy myself and my friends. The next time I throw a party, I'll remember Rudy's.

$-$$

Rudy's Country Store and B-B-Q
520 South I-35 E, Denton, Texas 76205
(940) 484-7839
(Additional locations in Carlisle and Coors, NM; Norman, OK, as well as Amarillo, Austin, Brownsville, College Station, Corpus Christi, Del Rio, El Paso, Frisco, Laredo, Leon Springs, Lubbock, New Braunfels, Pharr, Round Rock, Sea World, Selma, Spring, Tyler and Waco, TX.)
www.rudysbbq.com

*Originally posted on www.goodtastebuds.com (November 19, 2008)

Sweetwater Grill & Tavern, Denton, Texas

MIND YOUR BELLY

By Ellen "EJ" Sackett

Sweetwater Grill & Tavern has that worn-out, but loved-long look about it. This corner pub, one block south of Denton's downtown square, is a haloed hangout. Founded in 1996 by Restauranteur Bob Harmon and Chef Jimmy Meredith, it's overdue for an overhaul but draws a steady following nonetheless. Regulars include the line-the-bar locals, the take-off-your-tie happy hour cronies, and the too-hip-to-be-cool college kids. And then there are those like me, who simply need a Sweetwater fix.

If it's a nice day (and it almost always is), expect the garage-door style windows to be open to the patio. The air is filled with a mix of conversations bursting with laughter, classic rock playing in the background, and the drone of overhead ceiling fans whose sole purpose is to stir up cigarette smoke.

At first you might notice the crumbling cement floor beneath you, the weathered wooden tables and chairs, the sticky laminated menus, and wonder how all of this got past the last health inspector. But before long you'll be absorbed in conversation with friends, enjoying a few hours of free time with no responsibility. Forget the dingy surroundings. Instead, look up at the cheery colored lights strung overhead. That's the Tao of Sweetwater.

It might take a while for your twenty-something server in tattered jeans and a T-shirt to notice you. In the meantime, you eyeball the menu, equally split between good and bad for you. You contemplate one of Sweetwater's kiss-a** hamburgers—blackened, perhaps? With blue cheese and bacon? Jalapenos or guacamole? But you go with the old standby—Chicken Enchiladas. Your spouse debates getting the Southwest Pasta with grilled shrimp in a rich creamy sauce or the Frito Pie with a bowl of gumbo soup, but he ultimately decides on the 12 ounce Rib Eye. You note one particular line on the menu: ...Fried Bologna Sandwich...$4.99..... W/bottle of DOM...$195.00. Does anybody actually order this, you laugh? Then you remember why you're here.

Dinner takes a while, but no worries. Look up at the colored lights. Breathe in some of that second-hand smoke. Catch your server as he flies by and order the fried pickles and a frozen margarita, which will come long before the food. Talk over the rev of a motorcycle engine about something innocuous, like the weather or the last movie you saw, or trade jokes with the customers at the next table. Hum along with The Eagles, and squint to see the football scores on the TV inside the next room.

At last, the meal arrives. As always, the food is pretty much the same. The chicken enchiladas come with black beans and rice on a plate that's way too hot to touch with way more cheese than your diet allows. The rib eye comes medium rather than medium rare, but it's a good enough cut to eat without having to send it back. The mashed potatoes are sufficiently comforting, although the side salad is ho-hum: mostly iceberg lettuce slathered with creamy ranch dressing. It's predictable and familiar. But isn't that the point?

Peach is the cobbler of the day, but instead you choose the Bread Pudding smothered with hot Whiskey Sauce--worth every lovin' spoonful. You feel grateful to be American just so you can eat decadent desserts in a place like this. After a few minutes, the bread starts to expand in your stomach and you wonder how you're going to make it to the car. Seriously.

You eyeball a skinny co-ed in short shorts at a neighboring table, spooning the Smoked Shrimp and Scallops marinated in Pico Salsa into her tiny little mouth, and swear you're going to order that or the Grilled Vegetable Plate next time. At least you promise to forgo the Bread Pudding.

Then you remember why you came.

$-$$

Sweetwater Grill and Tavern
115 S. Elm Street
Denton, Texas 76201
(940) 484-2888
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. - 2 a.m.
Sunday and Monday, 11 a.m. - midnight

*Originally posted on www.goodtastebuds.com (October 10, 2008) While the menu has since changed slightly and the prices have increased, the atmosphere remains the same.

Miguelito's Mexican Restaurant, Krum, Texas

MIGUELITO'S MAKES ITS MARK

by Ellen "EJ" Sackett

What’s the mark of a successful restaurant? If it works once, do it again. If two is even better, then why not? Go for three! Three's the charm.

That’s what Miquelito’s Mexican Restaurant has done. Owners Vinny and Diana Cruz started with “good” in downtown Krum, Texas and it's only getting better. After the Krum location proved successful, the Cruz's built a restaurant and bar in Sanger, easily accessed from Interstate-35 going to or from Oklahoma from Texas. Now Denton, the apex of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, has a Miguelito’s too, with a full-service bar and a large outdoor patio.

Its customers tend to be partial to whichever location they frequent. My favorite is in Krum. The restaurant itself is nothing fancy, well-worn (well-loved?) and out of the way—that is, unless you’re passing through town. There’s no daily specials, no dress code, no placemats or table cloths on the plain wooden tables. Those who repeatedly come to Mig’s—as it’s affectionately called by those of us who can’t get enough of it—come to eat.

Mig’s customers tend to be partial to their favorite dishes too, often sticking with one and never venturing beyond. A friend who has been going to Mig’s for years always orders the Number 9 from the lunch menu, which translates as two beef enchiladas with rice and beans. My husband orders the succulent grilled shrimp fajitas or the grilled chicken fajita nachos with added onions. I tend to go for the chicken and spinach quesadillas and add verde (green) sauce. That, with a side of Mig’s guacamole or a bowl of warm chile con queso is, as my husband says, “just about right.”

Those who love Tex-Mex can always get all of the standard fare: fajitas, nachos, quesadillas, flautas, tacos, enchiladas, chimichangas and huevos rancheros. Those who want more authentic Mexican food should order off the dinner menu and try the Beef Steak a la Mexicana made with filet mignon, or the Shrimp a la Parilla, made with the same butterflied shrimp as the grilled fajitas, but with cheese, zucchini, corn and rice. Where else can you get Nopalitos con Puerco en Chili Rojo: braised port with cactus strips? But hey, if none of that grabs you, order the cheeseburger. Surprise! It’s good too.

It’s best to scrape off some of the Monterey Jack cheese off of many of their selections, and beware of snarfing too many chips that come with the salsa before the meal, addictive on most days, occasionally too hot on others. Skip the Cheesecake Chimi, but find room for a bite of traditional flan or a warm sopapilla. (That’s Spanish for Mmmm, mmmm, good!)

Our deepest condolences go to Vinny Cruz, his family, and the Serna family for the passing of our friend, Diana Cruz, on June 12, 2009. She was a wonderful woman and a pillar of the North Texas community. She is greatly missed by all who knew and loved her.

$-$$

Miguelito’s Restaurants:
241 W. McCart, Krum, TX (940) 482-7007
Hours: Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Closed Monday

1412 N. Stemmons Blvd., (I-35), Sanger, TX (940) 458-0073
Hours: Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Closed Monday

420 E. McKinney Ave., Denton, TX (940) 566-1671
Hours: Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

*Originally posted on www.goodtastebuds.com (January 30, 2008)

I Love Sushi Restaurant, Denton, Texas

I love sushi at I LOVE SUSHI!

by Ellen "EJ" Sackett

Good sushi? In TEXAS? Check out I Love Sushi, the Japanese restaurant in Denton, north of Dallas and Fort Worth. The place could use a renovation, and the name and Korean owners have changed several times, but never fear: as of January 2008, I Love Sushi will make you love sushi too.

To be honest, I like their sushi rolls the best. I just can't get enough of 'em. I ought to know, since I eat here at least four times a week.

Let me explain: A sushi roll is made for Americans, who tend to like food on the sweet side--it's definitely not a Japanese creation. If you want to eat real Japanese sushi, stick to what's called Nigiri. That's a bite-sized piece of fish, often times raw, draped over a clump of compressed rice with a little wasabi dabbed in between. If you're not sure you like Japanese food, first try the ever-popular California roll, made from (sometimes artificial) crabmeat. It's good. Really!

My favorite is called the Alaska Roll. (The name changes, depending on the restaurant.) At I Love Sushi, the Alaska roll is a California roll topped with raw salmon and avocado. Delish! I also like the Denton Roll (again, named as such at I Love Sushi) made with raw tuna, avocado and cream cheese. But the best of all is the Spicy Tuna Roll, made with, yep, you guessed it! I like it better than it likes me, if you know what I mean, but doesn't stop me from ordering it every time I go to I Love Sushi.

If you aren't into raw fish, that's okay. Order the Chicken Teriyaki or the Chicken Yaki Udon for the best chicken noodle soup ever. The tempura is mighty fine too. Order a traditional Bento box for a variety and to save a few pennies. Otherwise, bring plenty of Yen.

$$-$$$

I Love Sushi, 917 Sunset Street, Denton, TX (940) 891-6060

*Originally posted on www.goodtastebuds.com (January 22, 2008)