Trey’s Chow Down BEST Burgers 2019 Party on ABC in Dallas with Kara Swell from WFAA Victor Plaza.
Wow. I’m in disbelief that 2019 has already come and gone? Where did it go? It seems like it was just yesterday we completed and introduced our BEST Burgers in North Texas for 2018.
2019 was a BIG burger year in North Texas. We had some old restaurants close and a bunch of new ones open. Almost all of them sell some sort of burger.
The burger business is crazy in the U.S.A.
A national research company states that we sell 6.48 million burgers a day around 75 burgers a second! What? Yes, 75 burgers a second! The burger date roughly breaks down as 4,500 burgers every minute, 270,000 every hour, 6.48 million a day, and 2.36 billion burgers a year. Another research study states we sell 50 billion a year worldwide.
I truly don’t care what the accurate numbers are. I just know that almost everyone loves to bite into a succulent, savory and delicious burger.
Even though another year has come and gone, we spent twelve months locating and chowing down on some of the most amazingly creative burger combinations in North Texas.
In 2018, we visited a hundred and twenty restaurants to locate the best burgers. I’m thrilled to say we topped ourselves again for 2019. We didn’t plan it that way… It just happened!
We were running the roads and adding mileage to our vehicles. We visited over 135 locations and chowed down on 200 different burger combinations.
Every time I ate a burger I would say, “On to the next”!
It’s going to be a fantastic 2020 for the food and drink scene in Texas.
I have some exciting news for everyone that loves to eat savory, sweet, delicious brunch in cowtown.
Celebrity Chef Stefon Rishel who won Top Chef a few years back has opened his new award-winning Wishbone and Flyntspeakeasy and restaurant concept.
That’s correct, Chef Stefon is back and he is slinging deliciousness for breakfast, lunch, brunch, and dinner.
The restaurant is located about a mile south of downtown Fort Worth off Main Street at 334 Bryan Ave 76104.
The Wishbone and Flyntconcept was created by Chef Stefon and his partners. They have a colorful menu loaded with a variety of creative, savory, sweet, and delicious dishes.
Top Chef Stefon Rishel!
The interior of the restaurant is cozy. It’s decorated with eclectic furnishings with old world charm that make it the perfect spot for a dinner date, doing business, or just chowing down on one of Chef Stefon’s award-winning dishes. The atmosphere is vibrant and welcoming. The award-winning Amber Room is the attached speakeasy. It’s full of cozy little spots to sit and enjoy a glass of wine, a creative craft cocktail, or some Texas vodka and whiskey.
It is one of the coziest little spots in Texas to have some fun and enjoy some delicious bites. It is perfect for socializing with that special someone, a group of friends, or just for having fun.
We tried a few dishes off the BRUNCH menu and they blew me away. Of course, I knew they would be extremely creative and delicious.
I’ve loved and respected Chef Stefon for years. He is truly one of the most creative culinary geniuses of his generation. A self-taught chef that literally can create some of the most amazing sweet and savory dishes that are mouth-watering, colorful, picture-perfect, and just “Stupid Delicious”!
Stefon’s creativity knows no bounds and he will stop at nothing in the pursuit of the best and most creative culinary delights.
The brunch menu is fantastic and is loaded with dishes like;
Tiramisu French Toast, Wild Rice & Blueberry Pancakes, Enchilada Stack, Stefon’s Special Chilaquiles, Roasted Chili Relleno, and so much more.
I have to tell you that the Tiramisu French Toast was just “Stupid Delicious”! Yes, I said STUPID DELICIOUS because it is so insanely flavorful. It’s simply addicting.
It’s prepared with vanilla brioche, espresso custard, whipped mascarpone, espresso syrup, fresh berries, and a little bit of freaking deliciousness.
The Stefon Burger was prepared with a custom burger blend; Brisket, chuck, short rib, & belly. Seared in duck fat, topped with Vermont white cheddar, on a soft custom brioche bun. Yeah, I said seared in duck fat, baby! Talk about a succulent hamburger. His burger will be winning hearts and stomachs all over Texas.
If you follow me then you know I believe food always tastes better with a story so here you go.
When they sat the Tiramisu French Toast in front of Jana, the aromatics lofted in the air with deliciousness.
Jana hasn’t tasted one of Chef Stefon’s dishes so when she picked up her fork I was watching her close. I was watching her for one reason because I wanted to see her expression after she took her first bite. I’ve been eating Stefon’s food for years and I always love to see the expressions on people’s faces when they taste it for the first time.
She had a big smile on her face and said, “OMG. Trey, this is one of the best dishes I’ve had in a year! I can’t believe how flavorful this dish is.”
I responded, “That’s my boy Stefon, the culinary genius that knows no bounds to create sweet and savory dishes. His food will dance around on your pallet like a bunch of professional ballerinas dancing across the stage at a fine broadway production. His food will make you smile. It will warm your heart and soul. It’ll have you so hooked you can never put your fork down. He is, simply put, a culinary self-taught genius”!
Do yourself a favor and head over to Wishbone and Flynt and grab you a big ol’ plate of Stefon deliciousness.
I bet everyone is tired of turkey and ham at this point right after the holidays.
After we spoke with the producer at ABC DAYBREAK about a new BEST food segment we decided to locate and try some of the most savory and delicious chicken dishes in the North Texas area. I’ve eaten chicken from East Texas Sulphur Springs area all the way west to Weatherford trying to locate the most unique savory dishes that everyone can enjoy.
Although this is Texas, and Texans love beef, these days creative chicken dishes grace almost every menu in Texas.
Beef still rings king in Texas but chicken has to be number two without question.
I love telling food stories and I truly believe food always tastes better with a story and a little food history never hurts either.
Ever since I was a little boy I’ve been passionate about food, but 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!
Rapscallion Dallas Massive Rotisserie
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 trash cans 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 authentic 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 profile again. I purchased three more of those farm-fresh trash can chicken dishes for the road, and off we went.
I don’t care what it’s called I love me some cluck cluck. You just can’t go wrong with a savory delicious chicken dish. Especially when it’s prepared fresh by a creative chef even on a trash can lid.
Here is a little chicken history for everyone;
The History of the Chicken is simple. Domestication of the chicken dates back to at least 2000 B.C. and their ancestry can be traced back to four species of wild jungle fowl from Southeast Asia. … The chicken belongs to the genus Gallus of the family Phasianidae. Domestic chickens are simply classified as Gallus Domesticus. I bet you weren’t aware of that. That where all eating Gallus Domesticus! To tell you the truth I didn’t either until I did a little food research.
I truly don’t care what we call it but I know is delicious!
A talented chef can create so many options for a savory chicken dish using any part of the chicken. There truly are no limits to the deliciousness of chicken. Please enjoy our best chicken dishes choices.
It’s been chilly outside a few days this month. Anytime it’s cold I start thinking about delicious savory chili.
If you follow me, you know how much I LOVE beef or proteins like chicken and pork. That being said winter and the cold time of year always screams CHILI to me with plenty of proteins for that downhome southern comfort feeling.
Brandon and Trey’s Chow Down
Today chefs prepare chili with various types of proteins. They use ground beef, smoked brisket, smoked rib meat, bacon, or pork belly, venison, some even use chicken!
Gone of the days of old where chili just had ground beef.
The possibilities are truly endless when chefs are trying to create the tastiest chili dish.
You can’t forget vegan chili… Some folks just want chili without the beef! To each his own. I just want everyone to enjoy some lip-smacking, toe-tapping, knee-jerking chili of their choice.
When I eat my chili I get a bowl of flavorful chili top it with massive amounts of cheese, some onions, jalapenos, and a dash of my favorite hot sauce. I get cozy and start chowing down on my favorite chili.
If you research chili you will find that is was proudly introduced in Texas, yep San Antonio.
“An old legend holds that immigrants from the Canary Islands brought a recipe for chili with them when they settled in San Antonio in the early 1700s. Historians do know that chili was a popular meal amongst cowboys and pioneers on the Western frontier. In the 1880s, chili stands became popular in San Antonio selling chili citywide.”
Anyone that knows me will understand I very rarely turn down food. It’s not only my job to report on food, but it’s also my life long passion. I’m passionate about locating the very BEST food and drink, the chefs that prepare it, and the restaurants that host it.
So off we went hammer down!
We attended this fabulous event and I was thirty minutes early like I always am.
When we walked in right off the bat I loved the contemporary wide open space and the available dining on the second floor which looks down on the dining room below.
They also have a fantastic cocktail bar area that is wide open so you can see outside and view the entire dining room.
I’m a big proponent of wide open clean spaces. The perception of wide open spaces seems bigger more inviting and it lends a more vibrant atmosphere.
After we toured the inside I heard, “Trey, you have to see the pool outback! I knew I hadn’t drank any whiskey or craft cocktails yet but when he said pool out back my ears perked up. Pool? Do tell, oh do tell!
If you’re anything like me, when I see a seafood place or new restaurant open in the DFW area I always wonder how fresh and delicious the cuisine will be.
Anyone can create a brand and open a restaurant or a catering business. It takes someone with drive, dedication, and talent to make it successful. Especially when it involves seafood and the total concept is centered around nothing but seafood.
Deliciousness from The Dock.
Seafood is not only tricky to source, but your supplier must have the same drive, dedication, and pursuit of quality that the restaurant owner has.
Seafood has to be handled with love and care or it can be a disaster for everyone.
Well, my friends, I have to tell you that Chef Brett, owner of The Doc Coastal seafood restaurant and catering truck has definitely got it figured out.
The menu is creative and loaded with fantastic menu items. Everything I’ve tried has been fresh, delicious, and colorful.
The presentations are so good they look like artwork more than they do food to eat.
I interviewed Chef Brett on my food showTrey’s Chow Down Livefor an hour. We discussed everything about his life, career, and what drives him to serve some of the best seafood in the Fort Worth and Dallas area.
First and foremost, I learned Brett grew up on the coast and loved seafood. He moved to Texas after he had traveled and worked in various restaurants. He also attended culinary school so he could learn how to master his craft.
The Doc offers some amazing seafood you will fall in love with. I’ve tried three of the sandwiches and the delicious mouth-watering “Crab Chips” with their house prepared sauce.
How can you go wrong with any one of those I just listed? When you put them all together you have event party greatness!
I’ve said this every year now for three years, the Chef For Farmers Event in Dallas is one of the BEST events of the year in the crowded DFW event scene.
I truly wish that every single one of the five million people we reach every month could experience this wonderful event in their lifetime. I did see some of our followers there and enjoyed saying hello to each of you.
This year 2019 was the BEST C.F.F. event I’ve ever attended and the BEST event I attended all year.
That’s a BIG statement considering I attended over 55 events in 2019 so far and have a few more to go.
How does this event get better and better every year? Iris Midler has put together an amazing team of event folks and chefs that continue to achieve the impossible.
They strive to create an amazing atmosphere with incredibly talented chefs that come from all over Texas and the nation to sling deliciousness for everyone to enjoy.
C.F.F. doesn’t just want to throw an event, they want to throw Texas’ biggest and most successful party every year. That’s why they have C.F.F. events for three days! You can’t have Texas biggest party event if you just throw it for a one day, period. You have to start on a Thursday and end on a Sunday. Yes, that’s correct. Days of events where you interact with creative and unbelievably talented celebrity chefs, eat some delicious amazing dishes, drink some creative cocktails, and party with your friends.
It just doesn’t get any better. Let’s discuss the weekly events that happened.
Toasted Coffee + Kitchen (Crockett Row at West 7th) + KITCHEN IS NOW OPEN ON Crockett Row at West 7th.
Toasted Fort Worth
To Celebrate the Restaurant is Offering $2 Lattes Through October 31st
The Toasted Coffee + Kitchen Fort Worth outpost is open in Crockett Row at 2972 Crockett Street, Fort Worth. To celebrate Toasted is offering Fort Worthians $2 lattes from now until October 31st. Guests should simply mention this article to redeem.
Toasted is designed for coffee and carbs lovers to hang-out anytime … day or night. Whether headed into the office, looking for a new spot for lunch, work, or study, or gathering with friends for brunch or cocktails on the patio, Toasted has you covered. The restaurant specializes in over-the-top, fancy-a$$ toasts and craft coffee but it’s not just a two-trick pony. The menu also features salads bursting with flavors, healthy entrees, specialty sandwiches, indulgent brunch favorites, desserts, and much more.
Toasted opens weekdays at 7:00am and weekends at 8:00am. The new spot stays open until 10:00pm Wednesdays through Saturdays and 9:00pm Sundays through Tuesdays.
The Toasted Story:
Bob Sinnott, Owner of TOASTED Coffee + Kitchen, holds 30 years of financial experience for regional and national restaurant chains, including Chili’s, On The Border, Macaroni Grill, Mi Cocina, Taco Diner, El Fenix, Maggiano’s, Corner Bakery, Meso Maya, Snuffer’s, Tony Roma’s, Bennigan’s, Steak & Ale, Taco Bueno, and Black-Eyed Pea. After graduating with highest honors with an accounting degree from The University of Texas in Austin, Sinnott began his professional career at KPMG, where his clients primarily consisted of national restaurant and retail chains.
Whether it is Mexican, Italian, burgers, or steaks, Sinnott has played it, analyzed it, and devoured it. He’s experienced public, private, and private-equity ownership and growth strategies ranging from heavy leverage to no leverage. But whatever the genre, price-point, or expansion plan, Sinnott understands that none of it works without quality food and service.
Ta.co/ Mexican dish consisting of a fried tortilla, typically folded, filled with various mixtures, such as seasoned meat, beans, lettuce, and tomatoes.
I say so much more-filled with deliciousness!
Some say the “Taco,” a staple of traditional Mexican cuisine, dates back to the 18th or 19th century and in the silver mines in Mexico. While tacos do not have a very long history, I don’t think anyone truly knows their origins. If I were a betting man, I most definitely would say the taco has Hispanic roots, lol.
If you say, “Hey Trey, describe a taco to me in your words.” I would say without hesitation, “A taco is an unbelievable treat of tasty, creative goodness wrapped up in a corn or flour tortilla!”
I really can’t explain the flavor of a taco, but each of you know that when you see the word “taco” anywhere, the mind goes into what I call the “Full Tilt Boggy!” The word “taco” sends our thoughts running amuck with visions of delicious toppings, meats, and cheeses. Truth be told I never get sick of tacos, and I can never get enough of them ever. They are addicting! One is not sufficient, three for sure isn’t, and ten might be just right. I am in LOVE with tacos.
There are all kinds of taco variations in today’s times, but here are some of the most popular names;
That’s always an appropriate way to kick off a great morning.
The first Chapman Family Restaurant LACY’S Est. 1905
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The history of breakfast in America is an unusual story; For decades, workers had a meal to start the day, but it was generally small—a chunk of bread, a piece of cheese, perhaps some ale. Then the first cold breakfast cereal was invented around 1863. Back then they relied heavily on cornmeal. Will Kellogg invented cornflakes in 1894 (by accident) and the rest is history as we know it.
In the 1920s, 30’s and 40’s, companies made eggs, bacon, and toast the widespread breakfast choice through advertising. As folks made larger incomes and the women had more time on their hands, a traditional hot breakfast started to become a family or business event.
My family owned restaurants during this time. Two diners named Lacy’s that served a variety of cuisine, and one breakfast place that opened in the early 1940s in down town cowtown. My grandfather loved breakfast. Who am I kidding? He loved any and ALL food. MY entire family loves to chow down. That’s the reason we where in the restaurant business for over one hundred years beginning in 1905.
I happen to love BREAKFAST! So the BEST BREAKFAST article seems appropriate, especially since we have so many fantastic breakfast spots in the North Texas area.
As you know I love food. However, I am extremely partial to breakfast. I love waking up early, getting things done, then chowing down on a delicious Texas breakfast to get my motor running.
When I was a boy, I would get up very early and look forward to breakfast. If I was traveling with my dad for our restaurant business, I would love to hit up the hotel’s cafes buffet and pile on the bacon, eggs, and of course, biscuits and gravy. Breakfast was simpler in those days just the basics.
I remember one morning my dad asking me if there was any of the pork left on the buffet or if it was all on my plate? He basically called me a little breakfast piggy, but it was not going to stop this munch-a-sorus named Trey! While I have always been a big eater, the allure of breakfast sends my taste buds and senses into “Full Tilt Breakfast Boogie“!
Who doesn’t love a reason to eat some delicious waffles, a cheesy omelet, or a bunch of bacon. I always tell anyone that will listen that if a person does not like the flavor of bacon, they must be either shifty, shady, or plum crazy! Any of those three are enough to make me keep a close eye on them until I can finish and make my exit. You will not be touching my breakfast or my bacon!
I enjoy dining at cozy colorful establishments with great service and a down-home southern feel. They don’t have to serve southern food to have a southern feel, you know what I mean? It’s all about being friendly and having that big smile on your face that makes all the difference.
I enjoy any and all breakfast foods. Breakfast sandwiches, waffles, omelets, biscuits and gravy, heck…I even love some of those big sweet creative waffles, sweet rolls, and colorful pancake dishes that folks are serving up nowadays.
People love to say Downtown Cowtown and now they have a new reason to scream it from the rooftops.
Cowtown Mac-N-Cheese
Cowtown has a new Craft Beer Brewery with cold craft beer, delicious barbecue and live entertainment in a new building right next to downtown cowtown.
The Cowtown Breweryis open and slinging some delicious craft barbecue. I must have driven by this place twenty-five, or maybe even thirty times before I stopped in to chow down last week.
I’ve been told by many folks that their barbecue was delicious and I needed to try it for myself. I waited for a while before checking it out because not only do I stay busier than a taxi service, but there are so many barbecue joints in Fort Worth. It’s practically impossible to make it to all of them.
I make it to every place myself. Personally, that’s the only way to ensure the highest quality standards in my food and drink review business for Trey’s Chow Downand Drink With Trey.
I was truly amazed at what I found at Cowtown. We ordered lots of food. Some brisket, some fresh house prepared brisket queso, the bacon-wrapped jalapenos, and not one but two big phat smoked pork chops.
After the food arrived I was taking some photos with all the food and I heard, “Damn that tastes good.” from someone at my table. I always tell everyone DO NOT TOUCH the food when it arrives I have to stage it and take photos.
Cowtown Sausage Deliciousness!
Oh boy. My first thought was someone at the table had already grabbed the food before I got to take my photos and gone rogue on me. I was losing my s#@a for a second, then I realized we had ordered two pork chops… So I was good lol!
I looked over and asked him, “Was it that good? Really?”. He still couldn’t answer me because he was shoving yet another bite of that smoked pork chopped in his mouth.
Normally I’m the first to eat so I had to get busy and catch up. When I took my first bite of that phat smoked pork chop my taste buds were doing the barbecue full-tilt boogie. If you follow me you know what that means. That the barbecue is so good that my tongue was slapping my brains out wanting more.
The smoked pork chopped is one of the best I’ve ever eaten (and I’ve eaten a bunch in my lifetime). The queso was so delicious I was literally eating it with a spoon. The brisket was delicious, flavorful, and had me wanting more. The bacon-wrapped jalapenos were stupid good. The bacon-wrapped jalapenos were wrapped tightly and cooked to perfection. The bacon had a slight shine to it, which made me think it was sprayed or brushed with something. It was so good we ordered more and I ended up eating five of those bad boys by myself! Yep CHOW DOWN TREY was in full action on chow down mode.
I’m going to tell you right now, you best be making the journey over to Cowtown Brewery for some cowtown deliciousness, and you need to do it today my friends. Try the pork chop, the bacon-wrapped jalapenos, and make sure to grab a cold beer.
Cowtown was 10/10 cowboy hats out of ten for me a perfect score for Barbecue, beer, and service.
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I got invited to a V.I.P. barbecue and whiskey dinner last Thursday night at Barrel and Bones in Fort Worth, just off of West 7th Street.
When I answered the phone, all I heard was two words; Bar-be-que and Whis-key!
You never have to ask me twice when there is beef and whiskey involved. Especially when it’s craft Texas whiskeys and cocktails served up with big phat slabs of beef, smoked turkey, smoked wings, fried deviled eggs, and fried poblano corn Fritters. Yea I bet I have your attention now, don’t I?
So there I was sitting in Barrel and Bonesin Fort Worth salivating over smoked meats, tasty whiskey, and fried deliciousness.
The aromas coming from the kitchen were almost too much for this cowboy to handle. I was ready to pounce on some deliciousness and start slinging back some whiskey.
The barbecue and kitchen team at Barrel and Bones has done a great job at creating some amazing flavor profiles for all to enjoy.
Toasted opens weekdays at 7:00am and weekends at 8:00am. The new spot stays open until 10:00pm Wednesdays through Saturdays and 9:00pm Sundays through Tuesdays.
