Old Rip's Tex-Mex Restaurant

I must have walked past Old Rip's Tex-Mex Restaurant a couple hundred times, walking to the grocery store, walking to other restaurants that I was less than pleased with, walking to school, but I never really gave the place a chance. The restaurant has two large picture windows facing the main road, and every evening I've seen nicely dressed people sitting in the restaurant enjoying themselves. I think I never went there until my last month in Fort Worth mainly because I thought I'd need a reservation. When Amy and I finally stopped in one afternoon, we were really surprised.

I do have to say that if you come to Old Rip's Tex-Mex Restaurant expecting classic and signature Tex-Mex entrees, you might be disappointed. I would describe Old Rip's as a Mexican restaurant with a couple of Tex-Mex inspired elements: mainly bacon, brisket, rib-eye and ranch dressing. I also have to say that I do not promote disappointing restaurants on this webs site, so if you can overlook the absence of Tex-Mex despite the emphasis on Tex-Mex in the restaurant's name you'll be happy.

What I recommend at Old Rip's is the burrito. I've had both the brisket burrito and the steak burrito, and while both are fantastic I would definitely suggest the steak. Amy had the chicken fajita burrito also, and she highly recommends that as well. My hypothesis is that all of their burritos are good. Burritos are filled with lettuce, tomato, guacamole, sour cream, pico, Monterey Jack, cheddar and cilantro. If I have one critique it is that ordering burritos like this can sometimes seem a little much. I am a fan of the ambition to put all of these fillings in a burrito, but I think these burritos hit a critical mass of flavor. I would suggest removing at least one of these fillings as suits you. I like to order burritos here without guacamole. It's not that I don't like guacamole, but I do think that the burrito has a better flavor balance without it. Amy likes to order burritos at Old Rip's without the sour cream. That's just what works best for her. All burritos are topped with queso and jalapeno peppers and served with Mexican rice and refried beans.

I did not find a lot of really good burritos in Fort Worth. It took non-traditional Mexican food like that at Old Rip's to keep me from declaring it a burrito-free zone. I would definitely check out Old Rip's if you're in Fort Worth, especially if you're in the Texas Christian University vicinity. March right past Fuzzy's - unless you just want queso with chips - and stop in at Old Rip's Tex-Mex Restaurant. You'll get better service and better food, and one of the best burritos in Fort Worth.

Old Rip's Tex-Mex Restaurant

3105 Cockrell Ave.

Fort Worth, TX 76109

Ol' South Pancake House

In a previous post, I mentioned that there is a "holy trinity" of Fort Worth restaurants near TCU (Fuzzy's, Mellow Mushroom, Ol' South). I also mentioned that Mellow Mushroom is one of the two "holy" restaurants that belongs to my list of blogworthy restaurants. The other is Ol' South.

When asked about Ol' South, I once responded, "Ol' South is like IHOP if IHOP served good food." They serve, on one hand, rich variations on pancakes, waffles, and other breakfast delicacies, and, on the other hand, Texas favorites like chicken fried steak. I personally prefer Ol' South's take on Mexican food, specifically their breakfast tacos with chorizo. This is probably my favorite Mexican (alt-Mexican? Tex-Mex?) dish in Fort Worth.

The one thing I thought Ol' South was missing was hot sauce at every table. I found that tobasco is available upon request, which isn't all that exciting, but also that a personal favorite, Cholula, is available. There's nothing on Ol' South's menu that can't be garnished with Cholula. As a matter of fact, Amy had to stop me from putting it on a pancake and, in the process, destroy her image of pancakes proper.

If you visit Fort Worth and don't visit Ol' South, you're missing out. End of story.

Ol' South Pancake House

1509 South University Dr.

Fort Worth, TX 76107

Jesus BBQ

When I first moved to Fort Worth from nearby Denton, Texas, my first complaint was that Fort Worth does not have a Rudy's Bar-B-Q. I don't want to tell you too much about Rudy's for fear of spoiling an upcoming blog post, but it's a really good regional chain of barbecue restaurants with some of the best meat I've ever tasted. The common response from Fort Worth natives is that Fort Worth has so many amazing barbecue restaurants that they don't need a Rudy's. I, of course, responded by asking where these amazing barbecue joints were. Most people were unable to come up with an answer, and those who did directed me to subpar and occasionally decent barbecue. It took me well over a year of looking for good barbecue in Fort Worth before I encountered Jesus BBQ.

Jesus BBQ is located South of downtown Fort Worth. It is on the South side, with the visuals that one would imagine while listening to the Moby song (possibly featuring Gwen Stefani) of the same name. The area is run down. You can imagine people with "weapons in hand as [they] go for a ride." Everything, including Jesus BBQ, looks abandoned in this part of town. It would be so easy to walk by Jesus BBQ and never once step inside, because the building looks like the places in movies where mobsters and drug dealers do their business. If I hadn't read up on Jesus BBQ I think I'd have steered clear for fear of two large men throwing me out in much the same way that Uncle Phil always threw out Jazzy Jeff on Fresh Prince.

The menu at Jesus BBQ has mostly Mexican dishes, but also specialty barbecue items (linke, ribs, beef) and the highly recommended Tex-Mex special Taco de Barbacoa. I have been hearing of the wonders of Barbacoa tacos for weeks now, quite often in reference to Jesus BBQ, so I felt heavily inclined to choose the Barbacoa tacos. I was not let down. The Barbacoa taco was basically a soft tortilla filled with some of the best chopped brisket I have ever tasted. When they were served to me dry, I found myself disappointed, because I imagined they would be served with a sweet barbecue sauce. Upon eating, however, I found that the mixture of peppers that the brisket was cooked and served with gave the meat an interesting spicy seasoning that made barbecue sauce unnecessary.

Don't be too afraid of the surroundings to check out Jesus BBQ. At the same time, don't be so confident in your safety that you don't lock your car while you dine. The Jesus BBQ Taco de Barbacoa is one of the great gems of Fort Worth, Texas. Don't miss it.

Jesus BBQ

810 S. Main St.

Fort Worth, TX 76104