I had several messages from folks asking me if I’ve heard of “Tricky Fish”in Fort Worth. I replied: Tricky what? I always herd of ol’ “Tricky Dick” who was President Richard Nixon back in the day, but I’ve never herd of a fish being tricky? One person said, “You have to go try Tricky Fish at Waterside in Fort Worth. You just have to go I’ve been two times and it’s super delicious, Trey!” Do tell, oh do tell, my friend.
“Grilled Shrimp Mac-N-Cheese”
After I figured out there was really a place named Tricky Fish I had to ride over and check it out. You know, put the Trey’s Chow Downevil eye on the establishment, my sensitive taste buds, and my pallet to the test.
When we pulled up I saw a greeter at the front door. Well heck yes! A friendly Texas hello is always nice. In my opinion, that’s always BEST way to make the customer feel special from the first impression, greeting them with a smile. They did that extremely well. The greater was friendly and explained to us what Tricky Fishwas all about and if we wanted table service or counter service. I loved this idea; give the customer a choice. What a novel idea lol!
We chose to sit and bar as I always do. If you know me, and are aware of my restaurant operations background, I love sitting at the bar. I can access everything by watching the operations of a restaurant from the bar and I can ask the bar keep questions. I generally raddle off questions like a machine gun in battle.
The bartender was extremely knowledgeable. He and the manager had an answer for every question! They were really friendly and had big smiles. I loved how knowledgeable the entire staff was.
If there’s one thing I like to do it’s eating. Sometimes, I even chew my food more than once. Ever since I was a little boy I’ve loved me some chicken. I like it fried, roasted, baked, grilled, dry roasted, rotisserie cooked, and even cooked on a trash can lid. Yes, you read that correctly, cooked on a trash can lid. Let me explain!
Ruth’s Stuffed Chicken
I was traveling through Jamaica just chowing down on everything I could find (like I’ve done many times before). I was riding in a van and we passed this guy cooking right off the other side of the road. I couldn’t see what he was cooking, but I could smell it. Man… did it smell delicious. Now you have to understand he was cooking roadside in a hut style that was anything but normal looking. It was basically falling down! The food was on top of two trashcans cooking. I could smell and see the smoke. I yelled at the driver, “Hey man what’s that dude cooking and why is he roadside?” The driver yelled back, “Man, that’s Jamaican jerk chicken he’s cooking and he’s selling it”! I told the driver I want to stop when we come back and everyone looked at me like I was crazy. The driver yelled back, “Yea Man, gotcha!”
We did make our stop and I’ll never forget how incredibly delicious that authentic Jamaican Jerk Chicken tasted coming off that trash can lid. I’ve never tasted that flavor again. I purchased three more of those farm fresh trashcan chicken dishes for the road, and off we went.
After speaking with Fox Good Day I decided to investigate and locate some delicious chicken dishes for everyone to enjoy back home. I’ve been on the hunt for some delicious chicken dishes in the DFW area and I believe we have some clear winners in the world of cooked cluck cluck. You will find each of these dishes different in their cooking process and each one has a different flavor profile that you will love.
Now before you say “What? Ruth’s Chris is known for fancy steaks”? Yes, they are, but I can promise you the chicken is sleeper on Ruth’s Menu. I’ve been eating this chicken dish for years and I can honestly say it’s in the top of any chicken dish I’ve ever eaten anywhere in the world. I say with confidence, you will be blown away, by the way, its presented; hot, crackling, and bubbling with butter and a beautiful golden brown crisp skin. The aroma of this dish as they set it down in front of you is head turning. I swear, when I order this, folks around me will ask, “What in the world is that”? I always say with a grin, “Why, it’s STUFFED CHICKEN BREAST. It’s prepared with a double-breasted chicken that’s been oven roasted, stuffed with garlic herb cheese and topped with lemon butter”. Trust me and go try this succulent, cheesy, layered with flavor dish at Ruth’s Chris Steak House.
Magnolia Ave. in the Arts District of Fort Worth, Texas
Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken
They say it’s simply the best fried chicken on the planet…but you won’t know what we mean until you try a piece or two yourself! I’m telling you, this spicy crispy fried chicken will make you have chicken dreams when you sleep. I have them and that’s when I head to Gus’s in Fort Worth. The chicken is light, crispy, and has some heat and a flavor profile that you will fall in love with. The legend goes someone asks Gus Vanderbilt of Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken for his fried chicken recipe and he simply replied: “I ain’t telling”. They marinate it overnight, put a little of this on it, with a dash of that, and then toss it in the fryer. By the time we get the finished cluck cluck, it’s fresh, hot, a little spicy, with a delicious crunchy skin. I can’t ever stop eating the stuff. All I know is Ol’ Gus knows what the hell he’s doing. I’m sure he won’t ever turn loose of his legendary chicken recipe. Fortunate for us, you can eat as much as you can buy. You better take a bib, some wipes, and get some chicken to go while you’re at it.
Don’t tempt me with a name like “Roots Chicken Shak”, because that’s got down-home southern food written all over it folks. The fact is Chef Tiffany Derryloves her southern roots and loves to cook southern deliciousness like her mama. Chef Tiffany is master at creating delicious flavor profiles, so when I heard the new restaurant was open I ran over to chow down faster than Emit Smith would carry the football on a touch down run. Ok, maybe not that fast… but I’m going to tell you it was FAST. Her chicken sandwich which goes by the name of THE Roots fried “Spicy Bird” amazed me. It’s prepared with a farm fresh Kale salad, lettuce, pepper jack cheese, kimchi, and pickle mayo served on a fresh sweet potato bun. It was insanely good. The texture was perfect, the chicken had a slight crispy crunch, the kale was flavorful and fresh, and the bun was so soft! I’m also in love with the kimchi and pickle mayo. What a simply awesome sandwich. Everyone need, NEEDS to try the “Spicy Bird”. You better get ready it will take your taste buds to the flavor rodeo, yee haw chowhounds!
I love me some Tillman’s and the *NEW* Tillman’s Roadhouse is where deliciousness meets art. Owner and culinary master chef Jeffrey Kollinger believes in locally sourced vegetables and ingredients with the preparation of each dish. The menu is creative, colorful, and full of goodness. I fell in love, and I mean in LOVE, with the Tillman’s Roadhouse “Beer Can Chicken”. Yeah, beer can folks! It’s served with golden brown skin and has an awesome Dr. Pepper BBQ sauce on it. Wait, what the what? Beer, can, chicken, and now Dr. Pepper too? Yee haw! I’m telling you it is juicy, moist, and packed with flavor. This chicken is freaking delicious folks. I was eating with my fingers and I found myself sucking the ends like a two-year-old. It’s stupid good! It’s served with; roasted baby potatoes and house prepared maple apple slaw. Can you feel that after reading about this delicious dish? I bet you do. That’s your mouth watering! Now get over to Tillman’s and order that “Beer Can Chicken” you will know you’ve found foodie heaven.
My man and soul food legend Chef Keith Button Hicks… When I think about soul food of any type, Chef Hicks is always the first to pop in my head. I’ve known him for over a decade now and everything his kitchen is slinging is purely delicious. I will tell you, Chef Hicks has a “Chicken and Waffle” dish that is truly amazing. Anyone who eats this dish will fall victim to Chef Keith’s cooking spell. There are rumors that folks start babbling all kinds of soul food phrases after they eat his chicken and waffles like, “That was the best I’ve ever had”, “Man, that cat can really cook”, “That food was groovy baby”, “I found my soul food happy place with Chef Hicks”! Buttons’ Famous Chicken & Waffles is prepared with special seasoned fried chicken and a homemade Belgium waffle with blueberry infused butter. Served with sweet potato pommel frites and their signature collard greens. Oh man, you need this in your life (and it’s only 15 bucks). Get to Buttons and enjoy the comfort soul food. Life is groovy, baby.
I know that you’re thinking folks, a biscuit bar for chicken? That’s what I said, Biscuit Bar on a boardwalk in Plano, YEP! It’s a spot featuring a vast array of all-day biscuit sandwiches, plus a full bar & patio overlooking a little lake with fountain and located on a boardwalk. It’s super cozy, friendly, and bright with a colorful atmosphere. I want to talk about two chicken and biscuit items that are so delicious you might just tear up with joy. They are the “Chicken & Not-A-Waffle”; southern fried chicken and biscuit French toast. Oh my gosh, it is packed with flavor and you will love it. The second one is the “Fancy Chicken Biscuit”; it’s southern fried chicken, dill pickles, and house-made fancy sauce. Get off the bus and shut the door folks because you just entered flavor town. All the dishes are super delicious with a fantastic flavor profile. You need to take a trip to the Biscuit Bar in Plano. I’m sure you will want to send me a thank you card.
The name says it all folks. Rapscallion is defined as “a mischievous person”. All I can say is the first time I saw the name I told myself, this place better be good, it can’t be average, it has to be at the top, and on point. After my first visit to eat with Chef Tate at Rapscallion, I fell in love with everything he’s slinging out of his kitchen. The restaurant is cozy, has a creative cuisine selection with changing menus, farm fresh vegetables and ingredients. He has a chicken dish I live to eat. It goes by the name “Spicy Chicken Biscuit” and is prepared with a house made buttermilk biscuit, a crispy chicken thigh, honey Mala sauce, and a shaved pickle. Perfect texture. An amazing flavor profile. Deliciousness with capital D! This chicken biscuit will have you hooked from the first bite as you fall in love with Rapscallion.
Little Red Wasp Kitchen and Bar is nestled in downtown Fort Worth between two steak houses. When they were first building the Wasp I asked myself, what is this??? I thought, this better be good. Let me tell you, it is better then good… it’s amazing. This restaurant is chef driven, knife and fork sandwich concept by Chef Blaine Stanifordand Adam Jones. I love the Wasp “Nashville Fried Chicken”. So dang delicious. I have to focus on the brunch, because this what I want to discuss. Chef Blaine’s “Fried Chicken and Biscuit” is prepared with a cheddar cheese biscuit, house prepared black pepper gravy, and an awesome big fat n’ juicy fried chicken breast. You have to have a knife and fork to eat this beast of dish. It’s packed with flavor and you will be sopping up the gravy with your little fingers and licking them all up. I promise you that.
In order to find great food one must eat everywhere. Truly, that is the only way you will know. You find some of the BEST dishes in the most unexpected places. One special dish you can find is the “Trash Can Nachos with Chicken” at Texas Republic Bar & Kitchen in Fort Worth just off 7th Street. Texas Republic Bar & Kitchen is a very large club, complete with outdoor patio games, big T.V. screens, and a chef-driven menu with farm fresh items prepared and created by Chef Clint. They have a huge menu selection with everything from burgers to sides. Trust me, everything is delicious. The “Trash Can Nachos with Chicken” is actually one my favorites of all time. It is packed with flavor, color and looks so good your eyes will think its food porn. Prepared with house-made chips, two kinds of cheeses, fresh flavorful chicken, and scallions. This dish will have you saying, “MORE PLEASE”.
Well, I hope you enjoy my delicious chicken destinations. Have fun chowing down, and I’ll see you at the table!
If you follow me, then you know how much I love to eat, and I don’t mean just EAT. I CHOW DOWN. Most of the time after I finish my meal, I leave behind what looks like someone has been in a food fight. It was no different last week when I stopped in to review the NEW LATIN PIGrestaurant in The Colony, Texas.
I’ve always been intrigued with the Latin culture. They have food with fantastic flavor profiles, great music, wonderful colors, amazing countryside views, and beautiful people. We can even discuss how sexy their language sounds.
The Latin Pig Bar Area.
I heard about this place called The Latin Pig. I said to myself, Trey, two great things in the name Latin and the word Pig. I smiled and said I need to check this place out.
As soon as I drove up I noticed the colors on the sign and the beautiful building. I couldn’t wait to get inside and try some deliciousness.
When I walked in and heard the music and immediately wanted to start dancing. I refrained because when I dance I look like a sick one-legged chicken. I didn’t want to scare all the staff. I noticed the art deco booths and the big glass chandeliers hanging over the bar. Loved the atmosphere. It’s perfect!
I scroll through social media all day every day. I average over 7.5 hours a day on social media from posting, to looking at postings, videos, photos, and searching for new restaurants and chef information. It’s a must to try and locate the next best food venture.
Interior: (Photo Credit: Eat Play Love McKinney)
So there I was scrolling and I saw this NEW place named Sugarbacon Proper Kitchen. I was like SugarWHAT? Did it say bacon?! I thought this has to be good. There is no way one could create a place called Surgarbacon and it be BAD.
Sugarbacon, here I come hammer down to Old Town McKinney.
Historic downtown McKinneydescribes itself as a downtown destination offering something for everyone. Festivals, nightlife, entertainment, fine and casual dining, charming bed and breakfasts, unique shopping, arts… downtown McKinney has it all. It’s just a hop skip and jump from Fort Worth, and only 30 minutes east of Dallas.
The drive was beautiful and picturesque as we entered Old Town. It’s surrounded by beautiful homes, cute shops, and small businesses scattered around the square.
Trey’s Chow Downmade a trip to Sarasota, Florida. We were out to investigate and review the amazing BurgerFi. My fellow foodies, trust me this was a fantastic place.
The delicious “CEO” burger, Moo!
BurgerFi states: “We really get cooking with our 100% natural ANGUS and WAYGU beef, free of hormones and antibiotics and chef-driven menu items, like our famous crispy fries and double-battered onion rings — served hot and crunchy with our chef-created sauces. Other favorites include our VegeFi (our own gourmet spin on a veggie burger), Vienna hot dogs with all the fixings, frozen custard, natural sugar cane sodas, and local craft beer and wine. You’ll find the highest level of pride and attention in everything we do.”
I chose to visit the Sarasota location because it was located in a new development area, and is also a new unit for BurgerFi.
came on the scene just a few years ago back in 2011. They’ve already been named in “Top 50 Movers and Shakers” by Fast Casual Magazine. BurgerFi has a BIG list of other awards already in the bag too. Their locations are colorful, clean, open and fresh with beautiful patios.
I received an email from a burger lover who requested I check out Liberty Burger. He thought I would enjoy it, I figured “Why not”?
There are plenty of new burger joints to visit, but it is nearly impossible to visit them all. After I did my due diligence, I thought it necessary to take a ride over to chow down at the DFW Liberty Burger.
Liberty Burger philosophy is, “We are family-owned and Texas-grown, and that’s how we operate. We not only strive to reinvent the all-American concept of the hamburger, but we pledge to be a restaurant with high-quality food, social contribution, and environmental responsibility. We believe in doing things right: sourcing the freshest and highest quality product, finding local bakeries that use only American-grown ingredients, and ensuring that our meats come from responsible sources.
No, it’s not the easiest way to run a restaurant, but it is the right way – and that’s what we are committed to doing. Call us crazy, but Liberty Burger has goals far above the “bottom line.” We hold our values close to our heart and pride ourselves on quality, community, and service. From the beef to the beer to the beverages, Liberty Burger strives to use only family-owned and Texas-grown products and services.
We believe in supporting the communities that support us, and we are thankful for all of your support.”
BBQ on the Brazosat the Texaco Gas Station in Cresson, Texas has been open now for about five years. I can’t beleive it’s been 5 years since I pulled in there, threw the door open and screamed, ” Where is my BBQ boys I’m hungry?”
Pit Master Chef John Sanford has won many awards since opening the place. They even won a spot in the Texas Monthly Top 50 BBQ Restaurants last year. Nothing can stop this BBQ dream team except for one thing… a NEW business lease. Not only have they won all those awards but they’ve also been featured on Fox 4 and some other T.V. stations.
“Taste of Dallas, Dallas’ premier summertime food and drink festival, returns for its 32nd year serving up three fun-filled days of great food and music featuring over 50 restaurants and food trucks, Backyard Bites presented by Coleman Backyards, Latin Flavors presented by Jose Cuervo, dozens of engaging and interactive sponsor and exhibitor activations as well as The Foodie Experience with its all-inclusive food and beverage sampling format on Friday night.
Taste of Dallas Music – Presented by Dallas Observer, features over 40 music acts on 4 stages throughout the weekend with all concerts and performances included in the price of admission”
About six months ago I heard details of a new restaurant PERCH that was going to open on top of the new Frost Bank Tower in downtown Fort Worth. I thought what a wonderful idea. A brand new high-rise building with a brand new restaurant where the sky would be the limit.
My family has been in the restaurant business for over 100 years. All my life has been in the restaurant industry, and I follow a personal policy… don’t visit a new place until they’ve been operating for a month or two. I’ll go to openings, review parties, and media presentations, but I don’t review for at least a month or 60 days. Too many procedures can change when a new place opens. The staff, menu items, kitchen operations, and even the front of the house is trying to find their groove. You have to be fair and give them time so everyone and everything flows operationally perfect for a review visit.
We visited the new high-rise cafe Perchfor the first time this evening. I believe they’ve been open about eight weeks now, so you know I was ready.
The CHR Age Beef Tender Meat Balls.
When you research the word PERCH the definition from dictionary. com, the result is; a pole or rod, usually horizontal, serving as a roost for birds. any place or object, as a sill, fence, branch, or twig, for a bird, animal, or person to alight or rest upon. a high or elevated position, resting place, or the like.
My writings, blogs, travel post, ranch happenings, and delicious food posts don’t include negativity or negative connotations. I’m always upbeat and I tell jokes. I live, laugh, love, eat, drink, and travel to the best of life. However, I felt it necessary to write about a dark topic; suicide, death, my mother, and Anthony Bourdain.
This subject is close to my heart. The day I saw the news about Anthony Bourdain taking his own life, it had me thinking deeply.
Anthony Bourdain Chef, Story Teller, Traveler, TV Host
When I read Bourdain took his own life I hopefully believed it was “fake news” or a prank. I spent an hour researching the event and came to the
realization that is was true… and I just couldn’t believe it.
I have never met him, and I do not know him on a personal level. I watched his shows and loved the level of honesty about travels, cooking, people, kitchens, and political views. Throughout my research about Bourdain’s life, I found that he has stated his suicidal thoughts before, and has wrestled with demons his entire life. I felt an empty space in my heart for the way he must have felt for years.
There are a lot of parallels between Bourdain and my wonderful mom, Carol.
My mother Carol Cartwright Chapman was lively and an honest woman with a compassionate heart the size of Texas. She was so lovely that people would stop just to stare at her beauty and talk to the incredible woman with the big smile. I know folks say this all the time but it was true EVERYONE LOVED her, and if you didn’t, it’s because you never had a chance to talk with her.
Carol loved to help people, in fact, I think she wore a permanent candy striper uniform because she volunteered at the children’s hospital so often. Traveling made her so happy. She adored to tell stories, have great grand meals, loved cocktails, and enjoyed parties.
Carol Chapman: Mom, Volunteer, Travler, Socializer, Lover
I believe it is important to be transparent about these issues because someone else out there might be able to relate.
Just like Bourdain, she had demons that ate her up daily. I’m not exactly sure why, but I think she drank and did drugs for the same reasons Bourdain did the same things. He has been honest about these issues in interviews. My mother Carol would regularly say to me, “Trey, if something happens to me don’t spend all the money and take care of yourself!” I would always say, “Mom WTF are you talking about? You’re incredibly beautiful, everyone loves you, and you live a charmed life. Nothing will happen to you, ever!” She would smile and tell me, “You just never know Trey.”
Today, and every day, I say to myself, what the f@#k was I thinking? Why did I not see the signs? They were there all along every time she told me that. After her death, I found out she tried to commit suicide two times before and she wasn’t successful. She had been taken to the hospital and no one told me. You don’t think I didn’t feel like someone hit me in the head with a steel pipe?
At first, you go through the angry stage, the “Why?” stage, then the forgiving stage, then back to the “Why” stage. You end up staying at this stage. It’s something that will eat at your daily thoughts because you want to know the answer to the questions; Why did she do it? Why didn’t she ask for help? The same thoughts came up when I heard that Bourdain had committed suicide.
The answer to that question is… they don’t even know what’s wrong. I’m pretty confident that no one really knows why they do it, and especially the ones committing suicide!
I am sure people never thought Anthony Bourdain would do this. He seemed happy, he was successful, rich. He was traveling and eating around the world on an extremely successful television show and won some of the biggest awards and worldwide accolades.
When I was a boy, I remember riding in the backseat and driving by Angelo’s BBQ in Fort Worth, Texas. You could smell BBQ two blocks up the road before even getting there. That was over forty-five years ago, back when the DFW area had only a few barbeque joints. The usual order was limited to ribs, brisket, or chopped beef. There wasn’t nearly as much selection of BBQ as we have today.
Boy… have times changed. Change is good, and delicious. The BBQ market has gone crazy with all kinds of creative dishes and innovative ideas. We have old ol’ fashion BBQ, craft BBQ and some BBQ that I’m not even sure how to classify it. Pitmasters and chefs will stop at nothing to create mouth-watering deliciousness to send our foodie senses into overdrive. Everyone is competing for the next incredible dish and smoking up Texas with the best BBQ chow downs.
The competitiveness for the best barbeque has resulted in techniques that perfectly yield insanely good flavors on the finest meats. Foodies around the world have fallen in LOVE with Texas BBQ time after time. Chefs are replicating and doing it up Texas style. The bigger the better, just like everything in Texas. The best restaurants have chef driven menus, farm fresh house prepared sauces, and create bold BBQ flavors. Trust me, I’ll show you the best of the best places to chow down on barbecue.
Sometimes, you just stumble into a truly fantastic place. Maybe you even had dreams about the perfect place and wished someone would just create it. Then…all the sudden…out of the clear blue you hear about someone opening your dream concept.
Well my friends, I can’t tell you how many times my dad, and others, have discussed a place that serves great biscuits with lots of fixings. Growing up in four generations of family restaurant business, you learn to love all kinds of concepts. Gatherings have us sitting around discussing great foodie ideas.
A while back I heard about 2 biscuit bar concepts, but it was still in the works. They were going to open one in Plano and call it “The Biscuit Bar”. I thought to myself, sure they are we will see about that. I figured it was probably all talk.
If you follow me, then you know how much I love to eat, and I don’t mean just EAT. I CHOW DOWN. Most of the time after I finish my meal, I leave behind what looks like someone has been in a food fight. It was no different last week when I stopped in to review the NEW LATIN PIG restaurant in The Colony, Texas.
There are plenty of new burger joints to visit, but it is nearly impossible to visit them all. After I did my due diligence, I thought it necessary to take a ride over to chow down at the DFW Liberty Burger.
