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4/28/11

Los Gueros Taqueria - Don't judge a book by its cover.

Los Gueros Taqueria
929 South Vine Avenue
Tyler, TX 75701

Taqueria Los Gueros on Urbanspoon

I thought I would give this place a try after reading about it on another local food/social blog I recently ran across (http://www.tylerites.com/los-gueros-taqueria/). The place is just west of the Azalea district and looks just a little sketchy from the outside. On the inside, it is cheerfully decorated and clean.

The spread: The menu is a little confusing, as they have a huge menu that just lists tacos and a torta selection. However, if you scan the walls, they do offer other items - enchiladas and a taco salad (maybe more, it is a little confusing). You go up to the counter, place your order and they bring it out to the table. One of the things I really like was the pot of beans they have simmering in the back, that you can eat as much of as you like with a meal purchase. This was great because I had two little ones that were hungry and don't have a lot of patience. I got a couple different types of tacos and a torta.

The verdict: This is a great little hole in the wall! The people care about their food. The tacos were packed full of meat and delicious. The torta reminded me of my favorite hole in the wall in Houston, with soft billowy bread, tasty fajita meat and healthy portions of avocado and sour cream. One thing, they say that the red hot sauce is very hot, both my wife and I found it to be mild at best (I guess they burned a gringo or two serving the real stuff). The kids loved the beans and the rice was very good as well. We left the place stuffed, feeding the whole family for under twenty bucks.

Edible Tyler Roses: 4 of 5, just a great value for the dollar. Don't be turned off by the sketchy exterior, there is good food in there!

Stacey's BBQ - Jacksonville Gem.

Stacy's BBQ
1217 S Jackson St
Jacksonville, TX 75766
No website



Stacy's Bar-B-Q on Urbanspoon


Stacy's is a BBQ joint located just off I-69 in Jacksonville. It has been around for over thirty years and has been ranked by Texas Monthly as one of the top barbeque spots in Texas.

The spread: Typical Texas barbeque fare. Brisket, sausage, ribs, etc. You pull up to the line, take a perusal of the meats and place your order. Surprisingly, they have a nice selection of sides, mustard and mayo based potato salad, pinto beans, baked beans, corn on the cob, and much more. I chose the three meat plate of brisket, sausage and ribs.

The verdict: Oh man, these guys know barbeque. The style is East Texas (white) barbeque with heavy hickory smoke. The smoke lines are for realsies in the brisket and ribs. The brisket was lean, tender and full of smoke. The ribs were fall off the bone tender, juicy and delicious. The sausage has a nice bite to it and hit the spot. I was surprised with the quality of the sides, as they are definitely not an afterthought at Stacy's. The place is old and full of local history. I loved the decor and the no frills ambience. The ribs are some of the best I have ever had and the brisket is in the top 5%.

Edible Tyler Roses: 4 out of 5, worth a road trip from Tyler. A definite stop if you are driving to Houston (and they are open).

4/20/11

Kiepersol Estates Restaurant - average food, outlandish prices.

Kiepersol Estates Restaurant
21508 Merlot Road
Tyler, TX 75703
http://www.kiepersol.com/restaurant/index.shtml


Kiepersol Estates Restaurant on Urbanspoon

Kiepersol Estates Restaurant is a high end restaurant located on the Kiepersol Winery complex. My wife and I had a babysitter so we decided to have a nice dinner on a Tuesday evening. The place is a short drive south of Tyler and located next to the winery. The restaurant is nestled at the northern part of a loop of nice homes. I think Kiepersol is really unique in that it has a neighborhood, a winery and a restaurant all within the grounds. Very interesting concept.

The spread: The menu is focused with four appetizers: shrimp cocktail, crabcakes, duck cigars and oysters Rockafeller. There is one soup - lobster bisque and three salads to choose from. The entrees are standard steakhouse fare: Ribeye, filet, NY strip, lamb chops. Also available is the seabass, salmon and chicken entrees. For dessert you have a choice of creme brulee, molten chocolate cake, bananas foster and cherries jubilee. The prices are high for Tyler, but very reasonable considering. Sometimes at fancy places I feel like they really try and gouge you for getting appetizers, desserts, etc., but at Kiepersol they are fairly priced. Of course, they have an extensive wine list with a concentration on Texas produced wines.

The verdict: We split the crabcakes and they were well prepared with a nice sear and plenty of crab meat. The accompanying sauce was a little bland and I think they could have added a little more seasoning to the crab cakes to make them stand out. My wife had the house salad, which she enjoyed, it was a unique salad made with baby greens, spiced pecans and cranberries
topped with a roasted tomato, Texas basil goat crème cheese and pecan-balsamic vinaigrette. I tried the lobster bisque and it was a bit of a disappointment as the lobster was overcooked and base was bland (although I did enjoy the presentation with a KE spelled out of creme fresh). My wife had the filet and I had the ribeye. This was where I was really disappointed. My wife ordered her filet medium and I ordered my ribeye medium rare, the filet came out medium well and the ribeye was medium. I know this is a small point, but when you are spending 34 and 40 bucks for a steak, you want it to be cooked perfectly. Also, the steaks tasted like they were not properly aged - I could have cooked a better steak at home. We both decided on the creme brulee for dessert and again we were both let down with the results. First off, the caramelized top was a little more burnt than we liked and the filling was cold. Also, I think they had prepared these the day before as it felt a little too 'set' and lost a lot of the creaminess I expect from a creme brulee. One last disappointment was the service. We had a YOUNG kid serving us and one other table (only two tables on Tuesday) and the service was just not up to snuff for the amount of money we were spending. The service was adequate at best and he was poorly trained in fine dining (for instance he reached across me between me and my plate while I was eating to fill my water, also the service was slooooow for him only have two tables). The one star of the night was the wine. I had a pinot grigio to start and a cabernet with my steak and my wife had a zinfindel (all Kiepersol wines) and they were all outstanding. I will definitely be drinking more wine from Kiepersol.

Edible Tyler Roses: 2 out of 5. I simply cannot justify spending $170 dollars on a dinner where the food was bland, the service was adequate and the wine was great. Save your money on the food and just pick up a couple of bottles of wine.