A New Year In A Slow Future



Texas Land and Cattle Steak House

Driving around the DFW, I would often see signs for this restaurant along the expressway and anything with Texas, land, cattle, and steak in the name, naturally peaks my interest.  One of my friends said this place was good so I decided to check it out since it's been a while since I got my steak on.

There's something about a place with cowboy boots and bull heads on the walls, and those carriage wheel light fixtures hanging from the ceiling, that I find so interesting.  It's a uniquely American decor and makes me feel like I'm in a rustic, Disneyfied saloon.

I had already perused the menu online, so I had an idea of what I wanted when I got there.  I decided to go with the garlic steak and shrimp, with sauteed mushrooms and fries. 

My meal started with a round loaf of sourdough bread, which was advantageous for me, since sourdough is my favorite type of bread.  It's the only bread I can eat by itself like a snack. It is really good, and this loaf was no exception.  I ate half of it.

My steak was served with garlic butter on top and I ordered it medium well.  It was tender and full of flavor.  The shrimp was baked and tasty but not the best I ever had, which was okay.  After all, this was a steak place, not a seafood joint.  My shoestring fries were pretty good, but I thought they were a little over seasoned.  The sauteed mushrooms were amazing.  Best fungus I had in a while.

Garlic Steak and Shrimp with fries

Sauteed Mushrooms

All in all, my meal was pretty good, and lived up to my expectations.  Lately my friends and I have been jokingly convincing ourselves that the places we are going to eat at suck, so when we eat there and it is good, and we are pleasantly surprised.  I would highly recommend this place and would love to go here again.

Texas Land and Cattle Steakhouse

The Things We Leave Behind....Pt.2.

I still get emails from Drake's in St. Matthews, which bums me out because I really miss this place.  It was one of my favorite places to eat in Louisville.  I'm sure the DFW has something similar, but until I find it, I'll still be tethered affectionately here.

Drake's is part restaurant and part nightclub.  It's a fun atmosphere with cheap food, two bars, and televisions hanging everywhere playing 80's music videos.  I first heard about Drakes because they have a fried twinkie dessert that is nothing short of phenomenal, so I had to try it out.

Their fried twinkie dessert was pretty amazing.  Crispy on the outside, moist on the inside, drizzled with chocolate and raspberry sauce and served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  Wonderful to behold and even better to taste.

Drake's Fried Twinkie

The second time I ate there, I wanted to try an entree, so I settled on the fried bologna sandwich with tater tots.  Simple, but well done.  And that's a good way to judge the quality of a restaurant; how well they handle familiar comfort foods.

Fried Bologna Sandwich

Of course the best part of Drake's was the people watching.  Since Drake's doubled as a nightclub of sorts, the atmosphere was often loud and frenetic so it wasn't conducive to quiet, intimate conversations.  I guess it didn't matter, people watching is one of my favorite activities and is always a reliable source of entertainment.  Of course, the best part of any place you visit, are the friends who go with you.  I would highly recommend this place, if you have never been.

Keep On Keeping On.....

I truly believe that reworking my resume has proved beneficial.  Since those wonderful people worked on it (because I don't have a head for resume writing) some prospective employers finally contacted me. 

I managed to get an interview with a physician group that operates in the Dallas area.  They are a network of 450 physicians that operate in 28 states and they have an operation in a hospital in Mesquite.  I interviewed with some people in the Dallas office and I spoke with the project manager at the hospital.  I liked the position I interviewed for.  It was essentially an executive assistant position that would involve a little bit of what I went to school for and since it is a growing practice, there was an enormous potential for advancement.

The only draw back would have been the drive.  Mesquite was not close and the town itself wasn't anything worth writing home about.  I wouldn't have minded working there, but the 34 mile commute would get old after a while.

The second position I interviewed for was for an entry level medical coding position through a temp service in Addison.  The job would be for a company in Irving, which is attractive to me because the commute would be substantially less.  This position would allow me to use skills I went to Spencerian for.  It would pay less than the position in Mesquite, but it is a temp to hire position, so I have the potential to make more if I got on.  It is also in an office setting so I wouldn't have to worry about dealing with patients or wearing scrubs.

I would like to get this job.  It wouldn't pay as much but Irving is close and there are parts of Irving that is really nice.  Irving is also kinda smack in the middle of it all.  Working there would allow me to be centrally located in between Dallas and Fort Worth.

Needless to say, I did not get the job in Mesquite.  And the job in Irving is still up in the air.  As of this posting, it should be a few more days before I know anything concerning that job.  I am discouraged a little about the Mesquite job, but that is how it goes.  I should expect a lot of rejection since apparently busting into the medical coding field is hard to get into if your don't have much experience.  Something Spencerian never bothered to mention.

Regardless, I will keep trucking on.  This is all part of the job hunting experience. And as my friends have reminded me, God has something better in store.

Fred's Texas Cafe - As Seen On TV.

Back in October I wrote a post about my visit to a local burger joint called Maple and Motor.  Then yesterday, I learned that Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives will be featuring Maple and Motor in an up coming show.  How cool is that?  In the article I also read about a few other local places that have been featured.  One such place, Fred's Texas Cafe, caught my eye so I made it a point to try the place out.

Fred's Texas Cafe

What is that?  Ancient Runes?  Some form of Elvish?

 

I decided to get the Diablo burger.  It was a Fred burger with chipotle, Swiss cheese, pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, grilled onions and mustard.  I asked the guy who waited on me if the burger was really spicy.  A burger named Diablo might imply that one bite would unleash Satan in my mouth.  He said that it had a little kick to it but the Swiss cheese might make tone down the heat.  Yeah, right.

The Diablo Burger

My burger was amazing!  One bite released a torrent of flavors, and sloppy goodness.  The mustard, chipotle, and pickles worked in concert to give the burger a sharp twang.  And twang is the best I could come up with, because a proper word to describe the taste escapes me.  Take my word for it though, my meal was awesome!  It was pretty reasonable too.  Along with Fred's amazing french fries and a glass of Shiner Bock,  my meal only came to 16 bucks.  It probably would have been more, but Fred's has this special that when it's raining out, it's happy hour, and it was raining when I visited so, GO ME!!!! 

 Going to Fred's?  Pray for rain.

The Things We Leave Behind......Part 1

Moving to Texas has been exciting for me because it has given me a chance to explore a whole new part of the country.  But one can't think about the new city they are living in without thinking about what made the place they moved from so special.  So, in looking back, I thought I would expound upon a few places in Kentucky that I enjoyed. 

The first place probably seems like a bazaar choice for me, but I miss the Starbucks on Dixie Highway. (What?)

I often found myself here on Wednesday evenings.  There were times I didn't want to go home after work.  I wanted some alone time where I could pop in my ear buds, open a good book, enjoy a cup of coffee, and drown out the rest of the world.  I know Starbucks is a chain but it was convenient, especially given the price of gas.  It was worth going down the street, as opposed to driving to the other side of town in search of a more trendy atmosphere.  When money and mileage are an issue, I'd rather be practical.  And Starbucks did satisfy a want, when I was jonesing for a cup of joe.

It also was a hangout place and served as a small oasis of cool, in an otherwise bleak landscape of junk stores, fast food joints, check and cashes, banks, and car lots. Dixie Highway, to be charitable, doesn't offer a whole lot in terms of fine dining, culture, unique shopping, or aesthetic architecture, so when Starbucks came to the area, I really felt we had achieved something.  Not that we hadn't had coffee shops on Dixie before, but they came and went because they didn't get the support they needed.

I miss this Starbucks.  For the longest time, it was a place to hangout, a place to be alone, a place to kill time, or a place to study.  It was a comfortable atmosphere in a rather dreary part of town.

Pie Five - Are You Pie-Curious?

Apart from fixing my food is zero gravity, there's probably nothing new in meal preparation.  Pie Five is the Subway of pizza joints, and in that regard, it doesn't break any new ground.  You walk in, tell them what you want, and they build your pizza right in front of you.

I went to the Pie Five in Los Colinas.  My pizza was pretty straightforward.  I got pepperoni, sausage, and mushrooms on a thin crust.  They made it and put it through the oven, and it was ready to eat in under five minutes.  For a nine inch pizza and drink, it came to a little under nine bucks.  Not a bad deal.

Pepperoni, Sausage, and Mushroom on Thin Crust

I would highly recommend Pie Five.  It's pizza done your way, real fast.

Pie Five

Fort Worth Stockyards - Yeehaw!

A trip to the Fort Worth Stockyards is a trip back in time.  When I visited back in April of this year, it was the Stockyards that finally sold me on Texas and cemented my desire to move here.  To me, though touristy, it best represents what authentic Texas is.  Walking along Exchange Ave, with its historical charm, statues of longhorns, saloons, and steakhouses, it almost makes you want to put on a cowboy hat and wear a belt buckle the size of a serving tray.


This past Monday, I saddled up and ventured back to the Stockyards after my visit to the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens.  There was a whole block of Exchange Ave (which is where the Stockyards are located) that I didn't get to see the last time I was there.


I was hungry(naturally), so I decided to get some lunch.  I chose a place called Riscky's Steakhouse.  Since it was just me, I didn't need a table so I moseyed up to the bar.  They were having a lunch special, so I got a six ounce steak, potatoes, and toast for only eight bucks.

I'm a meat and potatoes kinda guy

After lunch, I walked around and took in all the shops along Exchange Ave and in a place called Stockyard Station, which is bunch of shops tucked away in a historic building that made up a very vibrant marketing center of livestock back in the day.

I came across another shop called Cowtown Winery, that caught my interest.  I don't really care for wine.  I've haven't really sampled anything that appealed to me, but this time I thought I would give it another go. 

The lady who owned the store was very friendly and we chatted it up for about a half an hour.  She let me sample four different wines.  My favorite was a white wine called Ambush, which was a sweet blend of citrusy fruits .  Very nice.

Cowtown Winery

Finally I ended my time with a visit to the White Elephant Saloon.  Sadly there wasn't a pair of swinging doors to walk through, so I couldn't make my entrance like the mysterious, lone stranger.

I don't know where it got the name White Elephant, but this ol' watering hole has a lot of history.  Back in 1887, the White Elephant was the scene of a famous gunfight between Long Hair Jim Courtright and Luke Short, who owed the saloon.  Luke Short had a faster hand with a deck of cards than he did with a six shooter, but he managed to put Jim Courtright in the ground.  Every February 8th, the day of this famous duel, the White Elephant reenacts its.

The inside of the saloon is just like you would expect a bar to be: dim, with only the light spilling from the front windows and the neon glow from all the beer signs that hung on the wall.  The bar was a dark wood, with old wobbly stools that sat in the front of it.  Cowboy hats, each associated with a name, hung from the ceiling and walls, and in the back, where the pool table was, were cabinets filled with different kinds of porcelain, white elephants. The place had a dusty quality to it.  It's like they didn't want to wipe it up for fear of erasing all the history this place had come to know.

I decided to wet my whistle so I walked up to the bar and chatted it up with a Cowtown local, and a couple of friends visiting from Minnesota.  We had a very pleasant exchange.  We talked about the usual.  What brings you here?  What do you do for a living?  Life in Texas.  Life in Kentucky.  That sort of thing.

After about an hour, I decided to end my touristy excursion.  I had been out all day, and it was getting dark and I wanted to get off my feet.  I strolled around a little bit more before I got to my car.  There was a bronze statue of a cowboy corralling a bunch of longhorns along Main St. that I wanted to get  a picture of.

It's places like this that make me really appreciate Fort Worth.  It's a big town, but not quite so much when compared to Dallas.  It may not be sleek and modern with buildings reaching the stratosphere, but it does have character.  From Sundance Square downtown to the Stockyards along Exchange Ave, Fort Worth embodies a cowboy spirit and hearkens back to the glory days of America's expansion out west.

I got back in my car and I rode it like I stole it, all the way back home.  Home was east, towards Grand Prairie, so there was no sunset to ride off too.  I guess that was the only wrench in this whole western themed blog entry.  Oh well.

Fort Worth Stockyards
Stockyards Station
White Elephant Saloon
Cowtown Winery

Help When You Need It Part 2

With the help of someone here in the Dallas area, I believe I have a more presentable resume.  I gave her all the information, and she did a good job crafting a resume I can feel confident about.  There are no guarantees but this is a step in a better direction.  Let's pray that it helps open doors.

Buzzbrews - Always Open

A few years back I worked second shift at Guess for a couple of months.  When I got off work, especially during the week, there wasn't a whole lot to do after midnight.  Thankfully, there were a few restaurants that were open 24 hours, and me and a couple of friends would meet some where on Bardstown Rd and spend some time over a late night meal.  I have a sense of nostalgia for those days.  Not because I loved working second shift, but for those late night meet ups, which were always fun.

Buzzbrews is just one of those places.  I believe there are three location in Dallas.  The one I visited was in Dallas' trendy Deep Ellum neighborhood.  I went there in the afternoon, after my visit to the Dallas Museum of Art.

The inside was pretty straightforward.  Nice, but nothing too fancy, with elements of kitsch sprinkled here and there. 

There menu is pretty extensive.  Designed to appeal to just about any taste at any hour of the day you walk in, or stumble in, depending on what you were doing before you got the munchies.

I ordered the Chicken and The Egg, which was a six ounce grilled chicken breast, served with scrambled egg whites, potatoes, garlic marbles, griddled tomatoes, and a poblano sauce. 

Chicken and the Egg

My meal was pretty amazing.  The chicken was tender and juicy, the scrambled egg whites made me wonder why I never ate my eggs like this before, the potatoes were good, and I don't know what poblano sauce is, but it wasn't overpowering and complimented my meal very well.

I'm still looking forward to eating at one of Dallas' high end eateries, where your entree comes to about the monthly payment for a new Mercedes.  Buzzbrews is not one of those places.  My meal, along with my drink and tip, came to only 16 bucks.

Not a bad place to find yourself with a couple of friends unwinding after a late night.  Or not a bad place to be in the morning for some breakfast and coffee.  Actually Buzzbrews is a great place, no matter what the hour.  You have 24 to choose from.

Mi Cocina

The Mi Cocina restaurant at Watters Creek in Allen. 
I did not take this picture.

I do not care for Mexican food.  Maybe it's because I get filled up on chips and salsa before my meal comes.  Maybe it's because the "authentic" Mexican I've eaten in the past has been dumbed down.  Maybe it's because beans and rice seem like the only side items found on Mexican plates.  Or maybe it's because I think flan is disgusting and shouldn't be allowed on any dessert menu. 

I am in Texas however, and Mexican restaurants abound. I decided that since I am here, I am willing to sample what the area has to offer.  I really wanted to try a restaurant called Chuy's but the closest one to where we were had a 45 minute wait time. We didn't want to wait that long so we settled on Mi Cocina.

The one we went to was located in a beautiful mixed-use development called Watters Creek in Allen.  One of those lovely, manicured communities where you can live, work, shop, and eat in just a short walk. Just as a side note, if I ever made enough money to afford it, this is the kind of place I would want to live.

Mi Cocina is a moderately priced restaurant with a modern, high end atmosphere.  It was very nice on the inside with a minimalist design that was sharp and clean and well lit. A welcome change from the normal tacky explosion of pinatas and sombreros hanging every where.

I ordered the Crispy Chicken "Enchiladas Verdes", which was three enchiladas topped with salsa verde, crema, arroz y refritos, and served with rice, beans, and lettuce.  It was delicious!  The chicken enchiladas topped with those sauces was a sublime marriage of flavors.  The rice was tender and not dried out which is my normal experience at Mexican restaurants.  And the lettuce, once I threw out the avocado and tomatoes, came with a hint of dressing, and was quit tasty.  I did not touch my beans.  Yuck.

Crispy Chicken "Enchiladas Verdes"

All together, it was a very satisfying meal.  Not exceptional, mind you.  I didn't feel like I was experiencing Mexican cuisine like I never had it before.  No new ground was being covered here.  But it was good and worthy of another visit.  And I wasn't going to break the bank either.  My meal, along with my drinks, came to a little over twenty bucks.  Not bad for a Friday night out.

Mi Cocina

Help When You Need It

I'm beginning to think that a real hindrance to me landing a job interview could be my resume.  I feel that my resume is poorly done and comes off amateurish.  I'm sure perspective employers looked at it and wondered why I just didn't submit it in crayon.

Resume writing is one of the things that you learn at Spencerian College, which is where I graduated.  But like most things at those fast track to a new career institutions of higher learning, they didn't teach me much, and I think they just gave me an A for trying.

I do not know the first thing about writing a resume.  I need something that looks and reads professional and clearly communicates my objectives and skill sets.  I need employers to see that I am qualified for the job I am applying for.  Praise God, I was able to find someone who was willing to help me with my resume. I sent her a copy of my current resume, a description of my experience, and a link to job posting that best fits what I am looking for.

I guess what this boils down to is that I need help.  I picked up everything and moved here to North Texas in the hopes of a career and new life.  I am thankful for the opportunity but I can't do this alone.  I am thankful that I have friends here giving me a place to stay.  I am thankful for the contacts that I have made and the networking I have done.  I am thankful for every lead that someone has past on to me.  It helps, and has made my adjusting here very easy.

Traders Village

I don’t normally care for flea markets or peddler malls.  I guess it depends on your interests or how closely you peruse, but most of the stuff I find there is just someone’s junk.  Being new to the area, however, my friends told me that I must visit this place called Traders Village.

Traders Village is a Texas sized flea market with a little bit of carnival thrown in for good measure.  It’s also the closest you can get to Mexico without a passport or tourist visa.  Walking through the gate was like walking into another world and the further back you went, the deeper the rabbit hole.

I really enjoyed this place.  Like any flea market, anything and everything can be bought here: from auto parts to appliances, and everything in between.  There was some scary stuff as well.  There was one booth selling some herbal remedies that looked like they’ve been sitting on the shelf since the 80’s.  And I don’t know what you use a tube of gorilla snot for, but I’m sure it’s someone’s take on styling gel.  I’ll pass. 

My friend Kristin told me that I needed to try this drink called an aqua fresca.  I’ve never had one, but I heard that they are pretty popular in Mexico and Latin America.  They come in different flavors like pineapple, watermelon, rice, hibiscus, cantaloupe, or tamarind.  I decided to go with the hibiscus.

I knew that hibiscus was a flower of some sort and my drink was sweet and nectary, if that’s a word.  I felt like a hummingbird drinking this thing.  Starting out it was good, but as it progressed I began to like it less and less.  Not my best choice, but live and learn.

I really enjoyed Traders Village.  With all its Hispanic sights, sounds, and smells, it was a world unto itself.  A little slice of Latin America in the heart of the DFW.

Every flea market needs a bar

Making my Hibiscus aqua fresca

http://tradersvillage.com/