The new Best of 2008 Awards are out from the Fort Worth Weekly. I’m very, very proud to say that both West And Clear and sister site Fort Worthology found their way into the awards, thanks entirely to our readers. West And Clear won the Readers’ Choice award for Best Web Forum, and Fort Worthology won the Readers’ Choice award for Best Blog. I think I speak for everybody here at the shop when I give a very sincere and heartfelt “thank you” to all of you out there in Readerland. You’ve spoken and given us this honor, and we are very grateful to you for it. Really, guys and gals - thank you.

Now, I’d like to speak a bit about something that bugs me about the FW Weekly Best Of awards.

Amongst the various categories, the Weekly picks a “Sign of the Apocalypse” award. This time around, their staff chose the price of gasoline. Gas is expensive, costs a lot to drive now, and all that, right?

Seems curious, because the Weekly gave out countless awards to businesses that aren’t in Fort Worth, or even Tarrant County in some cases. It seems a bit of a mixed message - gas prices stink, so here’s a ton of places you should visit that require you to drive out of town to them! [Read more]

Yucatan Taco Stand
909 West Magnolia Avenue
Map

Note: This review features input from not one, but two West & Clear staffers. The first part of the review is from Pete Wann, and the second part is a vegetarian perspective from me, Kevin Buchanan, along with my photography of the place. Enjoy!

P. W. - There’s been a ton of discussion about the decor of this place. I think it looks like a cross between Gloria’s and Ronin. Not exactly modern — more Mayan Riviera minimalist.

The ordering process is similar to Fuzzy’s or Pei Wei (Or so I’m told — I can’t remember the last time I was in Pei Wei.), where you order your food and get a number, then the yummies are brought out to you.

[Read more]

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I have it on good authority that Yucatan Taco Stand (the new restaurant going into the old BJ Keefers location) will be opening within the next 2 to 3 weeks.

My source has indicated that the menu will be a variety of Latin American dishes and the atmosphere and service will be “Pei-Wei style.” I guess that means it’ll be like Fuzzy’s, only with a better menu and higher-end feel.

The restaurant will feature “over a hundred different tequilas” and a nice selection of local and craft beers.

Got any tidbits to share? Post them in the comments!

As I’ve said before, one of my favorite restaurants on the Near South Side is Chadra Mezza and Grill. The food is terrific, but it’s the wonderful people that keep me going back. Heck, my wife and I have even been known to pick up a bartending shift or two at the restaurant… we enjoy being there that much!

Nehme and Christina Elbitar recently added outdoor seating behind their Park Place eatery, so every Wednesday night they are inviting folks to bring their dogs to enjoy a night out on the patio. Dogs get a bowl of water and a treat, while their people can enjoy a full bar and selections from the Lebanese/Greek/Italian menu.

Chadra Mezza & Grill

Lebanese/Greek/Italian/817-924-2372/1622 Park Place Avenue/$$/Reservations advisable on Friday Night/11AM-3PM Mon and Tues; 11AM-10PM Wed-Sat
http://www.chadramezza.com/

So, we’ve gotten a few emails asking about what might be going in to the old BJ Keefer’s location on Magnolia.

We’ve heard a couple of grumblings about a new concept from the folks that brought you Fuzzy’s Tacos, but nothing official.

What have y’all heard? Post it in the comments.