Restaurant Reviews

Tater World’s Catfish & Twisters

A Friday night out in Midland, Texas

By:
Published February 29, 2012, in Tater World's Catfish & Twisters

 

Tater World

Friday after work me and the little lady, headed over to Tater World to start our weekend adventure. Tater World is one of my favorite places to eat in Midland.

With just one quick look at the menu, you can tell that this place is unique. Menu items with names like the “Super Bowl”, “Houston Delight” or the “Danny Dogg” invoke a creative nature. The owner a long time musician even has a picture of himself with the late great Ray Charles eating in his establishment. We chose the Catfish & Twisters for our Friday evening meal, served up with lemon wedges, and  large squeeze bottles of tartar sauce, cocktail sauce, and ketchup, it was delightful.



The twisters are basically homemade potato chips, and ohh so good.  You can probably count on your left hand the catfish places in Midland, and this is definitely one of the best.

After leaving Tater World, we headed over to the Midland Community Theater for a wonderful production of “Guys and Dolls”. My spin instructor played the part of Miss Adelaide down to the T, bravo bravo! After finding our seats, we were surprised to know that four of my co-workers had tickets right next to us. Midland has a real small town feel to it, and I like that.



All of the actors at the MCT are local people just like me and you. They all work and live right here in the community. Most of the actors rehearse six nights a week for a month and a half to prepare for these shows. A Friday night in Midland, good food, good entertainment, good friends what more could you ask for?

 

Tater World
802 South Garfield Street
(432) 682-9111
Payment Accepted: Cash, Credit, and Debit Cards
Monday-Friday Open for Breakfast, Lunch, and Supper
Monday –Thursday 7am-7pm
Friday 7am-8pm
Closed on Saturday and Sunday
Parking? Yes several parking spaces
Take out? Yes

 

View Tater World’s Menu Below

(Click on menu to enlarge)

 




Dixie Burger’s Monte Cristo

The last deep fried sandwich

By:
Published February 28, 2012, in Dixie Burger's Monte Cristo, Uncategorized

Dixie Burger

might be Midland’s last stronghold for the amazing deep fried Monte Cristo.  This gut busting triple decker sandwich is ham, cheddar, and swiss, on white bread, dipped in pancake batter and deep-fried, served up with a side of raspberry jam.  It’s a heart attack waiting between slices of bread, but you will love it. I grew up finding the Monte Cristo at places like Bennigans, and Cheddars but in recent years Midland has lost both of these restaurants. So a couple of weeks ago word came down the line, that the once thought extinct Monte Cristo was indeed alive and well, and being served up daily at Dixie Burger located at 1300 Rankin Highway. I headed over after work and ordered one up. The lady running the window took my order, and a few minutes later I drove away with my wonderful deep fried delight, and a side of french fries. Dixie Burger serves it up right, crinkle fries, deep fried sandwich, raspberry jam, a wonderful combo. Head down to Dixie Burger and try it for yourself.

Dixie Burger
1300 Rankin Hwy
(432) 682-0112
Payment Accepted: Cash, Credit, and Debit Cards
Open: Monday – Friday 11-10
Saturday 11-6
Closed on Sunday
Parking? Yes several parking spaces
Take out? Yes




Dos Margaritas – Beef Nachos

Traditional Jalisco Style Cooking

By:
Published February 16, 2012, in Dos Margaritas

Dos Margaritas located

at 1501 North Big Spring Street, serves up some fine Mexican food. After work I wandered in to order some supper. Sweet Spanish music serenaded me upon my entrance, a large television screen played a slide show of menu items.  I ordered beef nachos to go from the hostess up front, and five minutes later I was on my way.

Here’s my nacho nacho breakdown;

Chips and Salsa

 Chips tasted homemade, crispy but not too hard. Salsa, spicy, slightly sweet with a good kick but not overpowering.  Perfect for a gringo such as myself. Salsa came in a 6 oz styrofoam cup very handy for stashing in the fridge afterwards.

Nachos

Small strips of very tender beef, a generous portion of guacamole, sour cream with a sliced tomato thrown in for good measure. A simple cheese sauce worked well with all the ingredients. All in all a pretty good plate of nachos.

Do yourself a favor and go visit Dos Margaritas, good Mexican food, a friendly staff, reasonably priced, now ask yourself what more do you want?




 

 

 

Strawberry Fields Menu

You are what you eat.

By:
Published February 12, 2012, in Strawberry Fields

If you’re interested in a healthy lifestyle, then you have to eat healthy. In Midland, the healthiest choice is probably Strawberry Fields. Located on Wadley, the restaurant doubles as a health store. You can find anything from vitamins and healthy living books, to organic cat food made by Paul Newman himself. The restaurant is set up like a cafeteria. Grab a tray and help yourself to soup and salad. Then you find yourself face to face with a man serving entrees. I chose the tortilla soup and asked the nice man to serve me some King Ranch casserole with a slice of organic corn bread. My friend skipped the entrees and went for a turkey sandwich.
Strawberry Fields is BUSY at lunch time. So much so that there was no   place to sit. We had to hunker down on a couch in the library where they keep the healthy living books and magazines. My friend was impressed by the turkey sandwich. The turkey was obviously not processed. It was fresh and hot off the grill. The King Ranch casserole was l

ess impressive. While the ingredients were no doubt fresh, the flavor was lacking. There was no use of seasoning at all. The tortilla soup however was great! And the cornbread? I prefer a little brown sugar in the recipe. I guess that’s not something you would get from a health food restaurant. The price was no more than I would have spent anywhere else, so you can’t tell me it costs too much to eat healthy. Overall, I can’t say that I’m a fanatic of the food or the service. But they do have an impressive business model. Affordable, quick, and the ingredients are purchased from local farms. I only hope they expand their seating area to keep up with the demand.

Written by Mark Caples

Sugar Mama’s – Mexican Brownie

The Best Little Bake Shop in Texas

By:
Published February 11, 2012, in Sugar Mama's

 

There is nothing wrong with your computer monitor.  For the next few minutes, sit quietly and we will control all that you see and hear. We repeat: there is nothing wrong with your computer monitor. You are about to participate in a great adventure that is Sugar Mama’s Bake Shop. You are about to experience the awe and mystery of the Mexican Brownie which reaches from the top of your tounge to the bottom of your taste buds.

Ohh the weekend is finally here, and it is cold! Brrr where did this weather come from? Usually I just hibernate on Saturdays, Stubbs and I (Stubbs is my weenie dog) find a warm blanket,  a comfy recliner, and an action movie on Netflix. Well around noon my stomach said it was time to climb out of the hole, and go find something to eat. After enjoying a #3 combo at the Andrews Hwy Whataburger, I ventured into Sugar Mama’s Bake Shop located at 1028 Andrews Highway. It is in the north west part of the same shopping center as Albertsons and Ace Hardware, right next to the Karate shop.



They don’t have a visible sign from afar, but the owner said she would like to get someone to paint one for her, any takers? After surveying all the wonderful goodness in the display case, I decided on the “Mexican Brownie”. A rich chocolate treat, covered in a thick layer of delicious icing,  very sweet but with a hint of something different, mexican cinnamon perhaps?

It’s Saturday live a little, say goodbye to New Years resolutions, go treat yourself to a brownie!



 




JoJo’s Eatery

A little taste of home.

By:
Published February 9, 2012, in JoJo's Eatery

Mondays are usually just another day. However a couple of weeks ago I stopped into JoJo’s Eatery, located at 214 West Texas Avenue, in the old Petroleum building.  To grab a quick bite to go, and I walked away with some homemade Vegetable Chicken Soup, and a very generous portion of cornbread. It was the prefect remedy for my Monday blues.  There is just something about cornbread and soup on a cold day.




 

It reminded me of a story I once heard about the great chef, Emeril Lagasse learning to cook, he watched his mother cook vegetable soup all his childhood years. One day he told her that he wanted to try and cook it. He followed the recipe directions word for word, and when he was finished, Emeril and his mother tasted it. He wasn’t impressed at all; it didn’t taste like his moms. He couldn’t understand it, he followed the directions he did everything she did, but it just didn’t taste right. She told him that he must have the love for it, and to try cooking it again in a few days. He cooked the vegetable soup again and again, and each time he took a little extra care, and added a little more love to each batch, every pot he cooked turned out a little better, until one day he was satisfied. At the end of the process he concluded that the difference between his first batch of soup and his mom’s was just pure and simple love.





KUO’S Chinese Restaurant

Best General Tso’s Chicken in Midland! Guaranteed!

By:
Published February 9, 2012, in KUO’S Chinese Restaurant, Restaurant Reviews

 

I was craving Chinese on Saturday. Which is not uncommon for me? But the Chinese buffets are all the same and I was craving really good Chinese. I knew where to go. My wife suggested dinner and a movie so it became a carry-out night. I called my order in and was greeted on the phone with a smile.

Yes, you can hear a smile on the phone. Even if they’re smiling in a second language. I placed my order and left my apartment. Knowing they would need a little time to prepare my meal I stopped at the Red Box on the way. When I arrived at San Miguel Square, the home of Woofers and Tweeters and Torino’s Sports Bar, across from HEB, I was again greeted with a smile.



The restaurant itself was very elegant. Asians have a knack for interesting architecture. The tiles on the ceiling were gold and very detailed. There were unique sculptures and paintings to admire. There was even a very comfortable looking couch, in case they got too busy. I didn’t require use of the couch as my meal was ready, boxed up in the neat little cardboard boxes with Chinese buildings printed on them. For under $30 I was in and out and back at home enjoying previews with the still warm food. I had General Tso’s Chicken and my wife had Lemon Chicken. My wife’s meal was presented well. Tasty fried rice with dozens of chunks of breaded chicken presented with slices of lemon and a few red cherries. She also had the pleasure of enjoying two different dipping sauces. My General Tso’s Chicken was excellent! It was spicy, but had a hint of brown sugar to equalize the flavor. We had Eggrolls on the side as well as some of the creamiest Cream Cheese Wontons in Midland. Being a lover of soup I also had a bowl of Won Ton Soup. It was amazing! Definitely not some out of the can quick fix you find in buckets at the buffets. This soup had sliced beef and delicious dumplings in a very refreshing broth. It was overall a very satisfying experience and I recommend KUO’S to all who enjoy Asian food.

Review by Mark Caples

KUO’S Chinese Restaurant
3303 N Midkiff Suite 152
Midland, TX 79705
(432) 697-8888




J-Peno’s Hamburger

Asadero Cheese, Avocado, and Long Green Peppers

By:
Published February 5, 2012, in J-Peno's Hamburger, Restaurant Reviews

 

The J-Peno

Fresh Beef Patty W/ Mayo and Mustard, Lettuce, Tomato, Onion, Pickles,

Asadero Cheese, Avocado, and Long Green Peppers

The  kick from the pepper evens out with the avocado and the Asadero cheese, and makes for a very nice burger. 



Business seems good so far for J-Peno’s. In addition to serving lunch starting February 7th they will now be open for dinner from 5-9 Tuesday – Saturday.

J-Peno’s is located  at 4305 W Illinois Ave. Right next to Brianna’s Pizza.

Call 262-5720 for more information.