Dallas – Gator Girl – Out of the Swamp

Bandito’s Tex Mex – Dallas, TX

When I am in Texas having good Tex Mex is a must have. There are so many places to choose from, it can be a hard decision to make. It is best to leave it up to the locals to make a recommendation. That is how I ended up at Bandito’s Tex Mex.

The restaurant is small inside, so it fills up fast. Once you are able to get seated, they will bring you chips and salsa right away. This way you have something to enjoy while you are looking over the menu.

The salsa was amazing. It was freshly made, and the flavor of the onions and cilantro helped highlight the sweetness of the tomatoes.

I would also recommend ordering some homemade queso. The creamy cheese was great with the crispy tortilla chips.

I ordered a Sangria as well. I got red, that tends to be my favorite. It was sweet but also slightly tart based on the type of wine they used. It was refreshing. I went down easy, so I had to make sure that I drank it slowly.

The menu had many great dishes to choose from. I ordered the 12 Gauge Flautas. I love flautas and I usually can only find them in Texas. These flautas were shredded chicken wrapped in a corn tortilla and then fried. They were extremely crispy. They were served with a side of queso, sour cream, and guacamole. The flautas were amazing when dipped in the queso. They stayed crispy, and the savory flavor of the chicken was complemented by the richness of the cheese. These were classified as an appetizer, but they were plenty for my meal.

The Red River Chicken Enchiladas were also ordered. This dish came with two chicken enchiladas covered in a sour cream sauce and topped with melted pepperjack cheese. This dish was a lot plus it came with rice and beans. The chicken was shredded and savory. It was the same chicken that they used in the flautas. It just remained juicy in the enchilada.

Another dish ordered was the Low Rider Burrito. This burrito was fully customizable. This one was made with spicy beef and topped with a chili con queso. And of course, rice and beans were on the side. This was a big burrito. The beef was not too spicy. The chili con queso had a nice salty taste that went well with the beef.

These were some excellent Tex Mex dishes at Bandito’s. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone wanting great Tex Mex food.

Check out their menu at www.banditostexmex.com

Enjoy!

Jake’s Burgers & Beer – Dallas, TX

I have been to Dallas, Texas many, many times. Usually when I visit, I am looking for some authentic Tex-Mex or BBQ. This visit I was wanting a nice juicy burger. So that is why I visited Jake’s Burgers and Beer, voted best burger in Dallas/Ft. Worth.

Since I was there on a Sunday, I started off by ordering a mimosa. It is not the best pairing with a burger, but I still enjoyed it.

There were a few starters that were shred around the table. The Hot Hatch Cheddar Tots was a great sharable. They covered crunchy tater tots with Hot Hatch chilis and then melted a ton of cheddar cheese. The cheese was creamy and crispy from the oven. The chilis were not that spicy and gave great flavor with the mild heat they did give off. There was a slight sweetness to them as well that was off set by the sharp flavor from the cheddar cheese.

Another starter that the entire table agreed we had to try was the Kickin’ Chicken Fried Bacon. We could not wait to try this unique item. With all my travels, I have never seen anything even remotely similar.

This was center cut slices of bacon that were battered and deep fried to a golden brown. The bacon was so crispy not just on the outside but the bacon itself was crispy underneath all that batter. They served a side of maple syrup and gravy for dipping.

The gravy was that white country gravy that normally comes with chicken fried steak/chicken. It had a peppery taste that complemented the outside batter. The maple syrup, which was my favorite, complemented the bacon. Tis was a unique item and very delicious. I am glad I had other people to help me eat this because I would have felt so guilty eating all of this by myself.

The main reason I came to Jake’s was because I wanted a burger. I ordered the Double Cheeseburger. This juicy, double patty was a perfect medium and served on a poppy seed bun. I got American cheese on top, which is my favorite cheese on a burger. It was also loaded down with onion, lettuce, tomato, pickles, and mustard.

I took the onion off halfway through eating the burger because it was just too strong in flavor for me. The pickle was my favorite condiment. The dill flavor went perfectly with the grilled flavor of the beef patty. The poppy seed bun helped make this the best burger. The poppy seed did not add a ton of extra flavor but there was a nuttiness that really worked with the burger as a whole. I was afraid that a double patty would be too big, but it was the perfect amount.

I loved the unique menu items that Jake’s Burgers offered. I can also see why they were voted best burger. Jake’s is a must visit when visiting Dallas/Ft. Worth. They have several locations now, so check out their website at www.jakesburgersandbeer.com

Enjoy!

Twisted Root Burger Co. – Dallas, TX

If you have hung out in Dallas in recent years, you have probably seen the area of Deep Ellum undergo a transformation. It is the place you have to visit for great food. This is where you will find Twisted Root Burger Co.

This place has won multiple awards for their burgers and you know they are proud of it because it’s written right on the wall.

They have a great selection of burger combinations on the menu. They have options like: “Southern Comfort” – bourbon bbq sauce, fried green tomatoes, bacon, & cheddar -or- “The Kevin Bacon” – bacon & blue cheese. If these combinations don’t fit your taste-buds you can build your own burger. They also have selections for the vegetarians and gluten-free customers.

One of the other nice surprises that they have is homemade Root Beer. This is a MUST TRY! It is awesome on its own and as a special treat you can get the Root Beer Float.

Twisted Root Burger Co has become so popular they have multiple locations around the Dallas area. Check out their website for a list of locations: www.twistedrootburgerco.com

Enjoy!

Dallas Aquarium – Dallas, TX

I enjoy visiting different aquariums when I travel. My visit to the Dallas Aquarium was quite fun. They have an indoor rain forest that have tropical flowers, birds, and monkeys.