Silver Fox Steakhouse - Grapevine - Authentic

RATING: 88/100

This place has an authentic feel about it.  You know that feeling you get when you walk into an old building and it just feels real.  This place has that feeling even though it isn't that old.  The valet parking is a nice touch. The staff are very good.  Professional wait staff...what a concept...  The food is top notch.  They have a salad that is just like the III Forks salad.  In fact, I prefer it to the III Forks salad.  The steaks are perfectly cooked.  The bar area is really great.  The wine selection is over the top.  You just feel like you are eating at a restaurateur's restaurant while you are here.

Main Street Bread Baking Company - Grapevine - YUM!

RATING: 88/100

High marks for this place.  I have been going here for years.  It is always consistently great.  Sometimes the service is a bit underwhelming, but that is only when they are so busy they can barely keep up. The food is what I like to call "Authentic".  Ok, I know that term isn't so unique, but this place is.  The food is freshly prepared and real.  You can tell.  If you don't know what fresh food tastes like, then come here and see what I mean!  It is a great place to go with your wife or date. Also a great place to hit on the way home to grab a baguette.  The breakfast menu is great! Plus, all the pastries...wow.

Also, if you have a kids birthday you need a cake for...ask to see the cake book.  They will custom make the best birthday cakes you have ever seen or tasted.

This place gets it!

Love & War in Texas - Grapevine - I Say Try It!

RATING: 82/100

Not bad...not bad at all!  I had eaten at the Plano location years ago.  It was very good.  The Grapevine location doesn't disappoint either.  The only negative is that the consistency isn't perfect.  I have had a bad meal here before, but they made it right.  For the most part, the steaks are decent and most of the other food is good as well.  The place is well managed which is always a plus.

I say go tonight and tell me what you think...

 

Wine Loft - Southlake - Getting Better...Maybe?

RATING: 80/100

I really like the concept of this place.  We needed a place like this.  I was tired of going to downtown Grapevine.  My first experience here was not good.  It wasn't terrible either.  My group all had the same feeling that the staff was inexperienced and the owner couldn't manage them well.  The food was really great.  The wines are wonderful.  The atmosphere is great.  The only issue we had on our first visit was the staff.  They were unaccommodating. We sat upstairs and the reserved tables/sofas made it very awkward for those of us that were there.  The other 2 sets of people were making comments about how they couldn't figure out where to sit.  The staff acted like, "good luck"...
By the way, the reserved tables were never occupied during our entire visit.  The prices are a fraction high, but not too bad.  I have had a few friends tell me they wouldn't go back because of the prices.  I think that just comes from the fact that things cost more now.  Some people haven't gotten used to that yet...

Ok, I gave them a second chance.  The second visit was much better.  I think the owner had a good talk with the staff.  They were much friendlier and the visit was much better.  It only takes one bad day to really affect the future of a place.  I hope they continue to improve.

Feedstore BBQ - Southlake - Just So So...

RATING: 78/100

OK, I hated to give this place below an 80, but I have to be true to the experience.  I normally won't read any of the other reviews until I post what I believe to be true.  I was certain that this place would have good reviews because of it's loyal following.  I was surprised to see that most of the reviews thought the same thing I did.  That is... the place is really charming.  The location is very cool.  The food...well, it isn't good.  BBQ is a real science. I know good BBQ!  I also know my limitations.  I am a decent cook, but I leave BBQ to the pros and a few of my good friends.  The brisket here is very dry and the smoke flavor isn't right.  The ribs are over cooked.  The sauce is OK, but not great.  Most of what I tasted seemed re-heated or just not fresh out of the smoker.  I realize it is hard to run a BBQ place because of food staging.  But, that is why there are great places and then places like this.  The place was busy when I visited.  When a place is busy and the food isn't top notch, that usually means the owners have a lot of friends, or the people that live in that area just haven't had real BBQ.  I think it is a mixture of both in this case.  I would say to give this place a try.  Maybe they were having a bad day.  The food isn't terrible.  It just isn't great.

Sign The Petition To Improve Our Kids Health!

Half-Time Sports Grill - Newcastle, OK - BEST FRIED CHICKEN...EVER!

RATING: 88/100

I never thought I could give a sports bar such a high rating, but this place has the best fried chicken.  If you are ever near Oklahoma City, you must go here!  The place has seating for families.  Plus, the people are great and you won't believe the CHICKEN.  I prefer their chicken to the local Dallas/Fort Worth place that everyone loves.  I won't name any names because I wouldn't want to hurt Babe's feelings... ;>{

If you like fried okra, you will want to order that too.

Houstons - North Dallas - Consistently Incosistent...?

Rating: 82/100

Why the high score but the unflattering comment in the title?...

Well, the food is pretty darn good.  The service is what is so inconsistent.  The place is slightly franchisesque.  Because of that you get sophmoric management.  Which always leads to a young, inexperienced wait staff mixed in with a few good waiters.  So, you never know what kind of attitude you will get.  There will be a day when their business will slow and they will be in a panic to find out how to turn it around.  Until then, just live with the under managed place with good food.  If they could just hire people who can sense the appropriate, they would fix half the problems with the service.

Bravo to the kitchen and booo to the front of the house...

JR's. Steakhouse - Colleyville - Oasis in the Dessert... ;>}

RATING: 84/100

JR's is a solid place.  The building was built just to be a restaurant.  The atmosphere is very comfortable.  The wait staff are very good.  The food is very good.  The wine selection is top notch.  And, if you don't know what wine to order, do not sweat it...they have a sommelier.  This is a great place for a first date, or a last one :(.  Or, just a great place to go when you want a no-nonsense great meal. I really enjoy a fancy restaurant that doesn't make you feel like you are under dressed no matter the tuxedo you are wearing...  JR's delivers.  It is a fancy restaurant that you will feel comfortable being at.

Oh yea... and the desserts are great.  That's why they are the Oasis in the Dessert..

Tolbert's - Grapevine - Please stop staring!

69/100

Tolbert's by far is the strangest place I have been in a long time.  The minute we arrived, they made us feel like they were doing us a favor.  Some strange lady kept staring at our party of seven the entire time.  Like really strange stares!  The waitress was completely unprofessional and obviously lacked experience.  Here is an idea... ask for a drink order after we sit down instead of asking, "Ya'll know what you want" while we are still sitting down.  For gosh sakes, hire experienced wait staff, not your uncle's, friends, cousin!

WEIRD!

Anyway, the food wasn't too bad.  The menu and the food is sort of "been there, done that".  Nothing to recommend.  Just wish our order came out together.  Not five minutes apart.  Mine was cold!

I finally had to ask our disty, young, clueless, waitress why the older women was glaring at us.  She said, "I don't know, she is sort of like that.  She is the owner and does that a lot"...  Wow, I am sure her dad would be proud to know how his kids are running the place now. She even followed one of our party into the bathroom!  I asked is she had said anything to her.  Nope, just stared at me...

The place has potential.  The location is fun.  The interior is decent.  Just spruce up the menu and don't let the owner near the place.  Oh, and hire actual waiters and waitresses.  That's all...

Copeland's - Southlake - Edible...sort of.

RATING 72/100

I am not sure what to say about Copeland's...  I just didn't like it...at all!  The crab cakes are orange and tasted like playdough.  My steak was a cheap cut over seasoned piece of beef...(I Think it Was Beef).  They serve Red Fish which is sort of draw for people that like Red Fish.  I didn't try it, but it I did see and smell it.  It didn't look too good...  Oh well, may be I went on a bad day.  All I know is that I like the menu.  I just didn't like the food.