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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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Local Flavor
Except for having to clean out the cats’ bathroom beforehand, Chow, Baby loves having houseguests. Showing off our fair city with its charming neighborhoods and friendly folk — “They actually let cars merge!” — renews Chow, Baby’s civic pride. And hosting out-of-towners means visiting wonderful tourist attractions that Chow, Baby hardly ever eats near.
While Chow, Baby’s dearest friend in all the world toured the Stockyards alone, Chow, Baby planted itself on a double-wide saddle barstool at Booger Red’s, the Wild West saloon in the Stockyards Hotel. The best thing about Booger Red’s, after its name and its Buffalo Butt Beer, is that it’s part of the legendary H3 Ranch, one of Cowtown’s most delectable steakhouses. The other best thing is Jenni, who is Chow, Baby’s new favorite waitress in all the world. Oddly, both Jenni and the 12 oz. center-cut “Cowtown” sirloin ($15.95) she delivered were not appealing at first. The meat put up a tough fight against the steak knife; Jenni, meanwhile, had that happy, chirpy, pretty-girl bounciness that always makes Chow, Baby want to smack someone, which may be why it so often eats alone. A few bites of the flavorful, juicy steak, though, revealed that the cutting blame belonged on a dull knife. Meanwhile, smiling Jenni gave perfect service and more: When Chow, Baby complimented the house-made peppercorn-buttermilk ranch dressing on the otherwise mediocre salad, Jenni showed up with a cup for take-home. And as Chow, Baby was deliberating the pain of one-more-bite-and-I’ll-burst versus the trauma of passing up H3’s famous Jack Daniel’s ice cream and brownie with chocolate sauce ($4.95), Jenni volunteered to make a dessert kit, packing the ingredients separately, so the brownie would stay dry for the drive home. Definitely Best of Show.
Wanting a well-rounded view of Western history, the following morning Chow, Baby’s guest toured the Cowboys of Color Museum while Chow, Baby breakfasted on eggs, grits (the 20-minute kind) and Earl Campbell sausage ($3.75) down the street at Helen’s Diner, 1409 Evans Av. Next: the National Cowgirl Museum; Chow, Baby crossed Montgomery for a gosh-darned good Gosh O’Mighty (cheeseburger on a cornbread bun, side of beans, $4.75) at Charley’s Old-Fashioned Hamburgers. The afternoon was passed at the Kimbell and the Modern (the sightseer) and across University at Dos Gringos (the muncher), where Chow, Baby managed two sips of a overpoweringly sweet strawberry margarita ($5.50). At supper, server Andy was a cheerful as Jenni if not in the same league efficiency-wise — bringing glasses of water 10 minutes and three requests after delivering salsa is nigh unforgivable. The sizzling beef fajitas ($9.95), nicely marinated, made up for other shortcomings, even the piped-in Worst of the ’80s featuring Men at Work. Yes, Fort Worth may be a nice place to visit, but Chow, Baby is very glad it lives here.
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