Jade Garden (2 out of 10 chicken wings)

Jade Garden

4800 Bryan @ Fitzhugh

Dallas, TX 75204

(214) 821 0675


Long of the short: boring plain atmosphere/boring sub-par food.

So my coworker and I were on the hunt for some decent Chinese food near our place of business. There are only a few places close by and the only one he happened to have a menu for (in out giant stack of menus) was Jade Garden.

I ordered Beef and broccoli (playing it safe) and she ordered Almond chicken. We ordered over the phone and I went to pick it.

The first thing I noticed was that Jade Garden occupies what must have been an old Dairy Queen restaurant space. Next I noticed how very little cars were there.

Inside there were no customers. There were three employees (two cooks and a lady who must be an owner) my food was ready and neatly packed in standard issue styrofoam/plastic bag fashion.

I requested soy sauce and sweet and sour sauce because I also ordered some egg rolls. Egg rolls in my opinion are the reason for sweet and sour sauce.

As I didn't dine in I do not feel like I can say much on the dining experience as far as the resaurant goes. However, it looked pretty plain: wood paneling, a couple of plants, the lighting was mostly natural (as the place was all windows on all sides), and the seating was standard issue curves "all one piece" wooden booths.

I return with the food and we eat. First of all I got Soy sauce and duck sauce. No sweet and sour sauce, which doesn't neccesarily ruin my eggroll for me. What does ruin my eggroll for me is the fact that it was over cooked... the ends were on just this side of too dark brown to eat at all. The roll was dry and I was disappointed. The broccoli was the best part of the Beef and broccoli. In fact, I only ate the carrot slices and broccoli. I ended up throwing out the beef and the rice. The rice was inconsistently dry and moist as if it had been sitting for a while and a layer of it had grown inedible. The rice was tasteless, even after a dousing of soy sauce. The beef was stringy and chewy and tasted ofcheap jerky. Some of the pieces of beef were really dry as if it had the same exposure as the top layer of rice had experiences. The best part of my meal was the two chicken wings that apparently come with every meal because Dianna got them too. The sad thing is that the wings were obviosly banquet tv dinner quality and sauceless... These wings definitely came from a frozen bag and an over or microwave. Bleh.

The best thing about Dianna's Almond chicken was the bamboo shoots. She gave her entire meal away and went to McDonalds... nuff said.

Spaghetti-O's

Kay made Spaghetti-O's. They were pretty awesome! Why, you ask? Well, I'll tell you why? She heated them up on the stove. A big part of it was that they were name brand. None of that fake bullshit.
Also, Spaghetti-O's have to have meatballs.
Yum.

Taco Mundo

Taco Mundo

Seagoville Rd @ I-20

Balch Springs, TX 75180

You'd be hard pressed to find a gas station in East Dallas that doesn't sell tacos.

GAS

BEER

TACOS

ATM

I'm a huge fan of these underrated holes in the wall. You can get these tacos for about a dollar each and they are typically pretty damn good for the money.

So, I'll be labeling places like this Taco Mundo with labels such as gas station, taqueria, for easy access. Currently, one of my favorite convenience store taquerias is Taco Mundo. Set up between the main Shell pay counter and a Church's chicken, Taco Mundo consists of a few grills, a hot line and a cold line.

The barbacoa is nothing special. It's not bad, but I'm not singing its praises. Quite ordinary flavor. Personally, I recommend the fajita chicken and fajita beef. I like them in the form of torta, burrito, and quesadia. The refried beans are decent, but I really like the rice. It's never too moist or too dry and it's pea and carrot style. Ha, but what the hell it's yum. I LOOOOVE THE GREEN SAUCE!! Put it on everything. I wish it was more spicy, but that's usual.

These items are ALL worth the special trip. (By special trip I mean driving there when you don't necessarily need gas.) This is a good place to drop $5 on some yums. The atmosphere of cheap beer displays, dirty tables, light pop hits coming in over the speakers, and a single TV tuned to a Spanish speaking channel mesh well with the high octane bustle of a busy gas station. Also, on your way out don't forget your copy of Bum Fights 4.

*NOTE: At Taco Mundo you pay for your food at the main Shell station registers and then take your receipt to the Taco station.*

Taqueria Rating: 6 of 10

Long o'tha Short: Poor atmosphere, decent service, delicious food, who needs presentation?

A Hair in the Taco

I'd like to take a minute to address hair in the food when eating out.

DON'T PANIC!

Sure, it's gross. I know that. It' is a stick of someone else's cells... DNA... in your food...
Will it kill you, probably.
Ha.

Okay seriously, My theory is that you should give the staff of the restaurant a chance to fix the problem for you. If the staff seems eager to help you and they resolve the issue. Then, crisis averted, good job team.

Now, if your the type of person that looses their appetite in a situation like this or can only have the problem resolved by burning down the restaurant and rebuilding it fresh and clean then... well, you are probably at the wrong restaurant with standards that high.

Remember an accidental hair is better than a purposeful booger.

Taco Mexico

TACO MEXICO

11221 Lake June Rd

Balch Springs, TX 75180-1219

(972) 329-7157

Late night hankering for some barbacoa. Barbacoa is phenomenal. The barbacoa at taco mexico is bland. You could throw some salt and lime and cilantro and onion on it and try to ignore the flavor of the meat itself, however, it can be quite difficult if the barbacoa is cold. Now, I don't like to write off a restaurant just because one menu item was distasteful, but I have no problem saying that this restaurant may at best have a few gems.

We pulled into the parking lot, excited about trying a new mexican place. The lot was small, and full, good sign. Inside the atmosphere was semi authentic. The tables and chairs were all unique, solid wood, and seemingly hand crafted. Just inside the front door is the register you will have to approach when you are ready to leave. (your underage and very nervous waiter will neglect to bring you your check... for a while... so, you will have to make it happen) To the right there is the kitchen, which you can see into through a glass display. You will see about 8 people working diligently over grills and prep tables. (Those are the people who drive those car in the parking lot because there is only one other party eating in the dining area.) Our waiter nervously asked us to sit wherever we wanted. Then he nervously took our drink orders. My water arrived with my straw already in my cup. The top of the wrapper was left on my straw. It was soaked and I had to peel the paper off of my straw and dig part of it out of my water. He brought us chips and three different kinds of salsa. We inquired about the difference between the salsas. The only information he could provide was that the green one was the hottest. Which was true, but it was really just the one that had the strongest flavor of jalapeno. All three were bland and barely mild. The chips were so greasy and oily that we couldn't eat them. It was as if they had just cooked them for too long at too low a temperature.

We placed our order.

The waiter said, and I quote, "Okay, Thank you. When your food is ready I will bring it out to you to your table."

Obviously... man.

I had two barbacoa tacos and charro beans.

You've heard about the barbacoa.

We were a party of three and we all agree... bad barbacoa.

The charro beans were made with vienna sausages instead of bacon fat.

SERIOUSLY!

Maybe I'm ignorant, but fuck that... VIENNA SAUSAGES!

so... I reallly think that's enough said and plenty to justify my rating of: .5 (for atmosphere)

LONG STORY SHORT: TACO MEXICO...

Okay concept/HORRIBLE food.

The Basics (as they unfold)

This is not a guide on restaurants in Dallas, Tx.  Not to say that it could not eventually be used as one.  That is not my intention at this point.  That being said...

My name is Tommy. I was born and raised in or just outside of the city limits of Dallas.  I grew up in a family where one or three meals may have been prepared at home each week.  The rest of my nutrition funneled in through channels such as fast food restaurants, cafeterias, and the (special) occasional trip to celebrate at a corporate chain restaurant.   However, it seems my one saving grace would be my Grandmother.  I frequented my grandmother's house where home cooking was the backbone of a truly eclectic diet. 

POINT: I have become an uneducated but extremely pick eater.  I never met an ingredient I didn't like... as long as it's prepared correctly. (not to say I have met all the ingredients).  I am starting this blog as an outlet for my rants and raves on my experiences digesting dallas. My friends and family are tired of hearing me run my mouth when its full.