Chili's — 4500 Belt Line

On the south side next to Floyd's 99 Barbershop

In memory of Norman Brinker, 1931-2009, who passed away Tuesday. His obituary as it appeared in The Dallas Morning News.

You're familiar with Chili's. Not much can be added. Menu. Smoking and non-smoking sections available. Full bar. Happy hour is all day Sun-Thur and until 6:00 Fri-Sat. At least once in your life try Chili's chili. Served Texas style - no beans. Righteous.

Hours:
10:45am - 11:00pm Sun-Thur
10:45am - midnight Fri-Sat

MapQuest map is here.

Manny's Uptown Tex-Mex — 14905 Midway

1 ½ blocks south of Belt Line, next to J's Breakfast & Burgers.

The front door is on the side of the building.
This is casual sit down dining of some very good Tex_Mex fare. Judging from the crowds during weekday lunch hours many agree. The lunch specials, available Monday-Friday 11:00 am - 4:00 pm, are $6.95. You won't be disappointed with what is brought to your table. The refried beans, which are good, do not quite equal those at the Blue Goose. The hot sauce certainly deserves the adjective. You won't be smothered by the black-clad wait staff though they are attentive.

Many times their web site doesn't work as well as their cooks but you can try it.

Happy hour brings the crowds back weekday afternoons 4:00-7:00. Nineteen different types of bottled beer are available, including my favorite, Bohemia. No beer is on tap. Margaritas on the rocks are popular. The bar itself seats 10 where ESPN is usually tuned in on the 3 TV screens. The volume, however, is normally muted so as to not interfer with the musica Mexicana heard throughout the restaurant.

I've saved the best for last: the patio. Fortunately it faces east, an important consideration in hot Texas summers. Only there may Joe Camel light up.
No guns allowed.

Hours:
11:00 am - 10:00 pm Daily

Google map is here.

The Londoner — 14930 Midway

On the NE corner of Midway and Beltway.


"World's finest cuisine" and "England" are words seldom found in the same sentence but The Londoner does well within its chosen confines. The requisite fish and chips consists of beer-battered Atlantic cod (flaky and tasty) and very decent fries. Chicken is a suitable substitute but costs a bit more. To accomodate American tastes, shepherd's pie is made with ground beef instead of traditional lamb. The flavor is enhanced with carrots and onions and the topping, as always, is mashed potatoes. Cheese upon request. Yes, the menu included Scotch eggs.

This is a typical English pub in most every sense. The emphasis is on drinking and merriment. The wall behind the bar is a showcase of more taps of regular beer, lager, stout and ale than you can imagine. Many of the denizens speak with a funny accent. Three dart boards and a seldom used mini pool table are off to one side. A sign as you enter advises you to "please seat yourself" with smoking to the right and non-smoking (until 10:00 pm) to the left. Smoking is allowed on the patio. Perhaps smoking is the national pasttime across the pond.

The national passion across the pond is soccer. Texas liquor laws must be followed but The Londoner will open for live satellite coverage of many matches, especially playoffs, on their flat screen TVs. Soccer schedules and menu can be found here on their web site. I wonder, just what is shown on the telly there on Super Bowl Sunday?

Hours:
4:00 pm - 2:00 am Mon
11:00 am - 2:00 am Tues - Sun

Google map is here.

Gloria's Restaurant — 5100 Belt Line, Neighborhood 8

Village on the Parkway, directly behind Bed Bath & Beyond and facing Dallas Parkway.



Gloria's has its roots in El Salvador but it knows which side of the tortilla is buttered and thus has a menu with plenty of Tex-Mex favorites. Yes, you can order fajitas, quesadillas, tacos, enchiladas and nachos but why do so when you can have some true Central American food. Try the Salvadoran inspired pupuas - two corn tortillas stuffed with pork, cheese or both. It's refreshing to have black beans in lieu of refried. Plantains, those green banana cousins, are served with some meals. I've never appreciated ceviche so I can't truthfully comment on it. I can positively comment on the pollo con champiñones but then I pretty much like every chicken dish put in front of me. Read the description in the menu section.

Gloria's is popular with the Addison beautiful people and the $30,000 millionaires. Happy hour on the patio is an event and though it faces the afternoon sun some foliage-impared palms have been planted. The umbrellas bloom at the appropriate time. I've never been to Gloria's at 11:00 pm on a Saturday night but apparently that's when the live salsa music amps up y la Latina bonita population appear.

Hours:
11:00 am - 10:00 pm Sun-Thur
11:00 am - 11:00 pm Fri
11:00 am - 2:00 am Sat

Google map is here.

Duke's Original Roadhouse — 4180 Belt Line

If you can find Sam's Club, you can find Duke's.



"It's where your friends are."
"Home of the $5 pitcher."

Duke's isn't so much a dining destination as it is an after work hang out. It's a bar with the town's most popular deck. It's so popular, in fact, that during colder months propane heaters are brought out. Those going inside are either going to the restroom, withdrawing Andrew Jacksons from the ATM or buying Camels ($7.50) from the machine near the waitress station. Ot to play the Golden Tee. Or to escape a sudden downpour. Duke's is where you can find Happy Hour Harry.

You can park up close at lunch, as long as it's not St. Patrick's Day or Cinco de Mayo. But after 5:00 pm the lot starts filling and the cook gets bored. The emphasis then becomes libation participation.

Left click here for the menu and possibly a beer trivia game.

A short message about parking. Generally there's ample in the rear. During times when ample is not ample enough, Sam's may or may not let you park on their lot. If not, warning signs should be prominent enough to prevent the alert from getting their cars towed. Absolutely no overnight parking is allowed.

Duke's is biker friendly. If you see George, buy him a Jack and Coke. Easy on the Coke.

Hours:
Open daily 11:00 am - 2:00 am

Google map is here.

Nate's Seafood & Steakhouse — 14951 Midway

Just behind the Starbucks' drive thru.

"I eat fish every day." - Nathan Peck

Nate's certainly has its share of critics but one look at the parking lot and you have to wonder how. This is fine dining in a garishly pink building. The lunch menu prices will not attract the steno pool.

Peruse the selection here. The budget conscious should order gumbo. Challenging is how I might describe masticating the alligator po'boy. The fried chicken is not fast food. It's wait and wait and wait... Yes, you can get a hamburger and fries and they won't look at you funny.

Let's talk crawfish! Never, ever, call them crawdads. Remember "M-M" as in March to May as that's the best time to eat this Louisiana delicacy, though you'll find them many times till mid-June. Order "2 pounds turbo." You'll throw most of the 2 pounds away. The turbo is the secret spice blend that's sprinkled on them which gets on your fingers as you eat with your hands and thus arouse the taste buds as you stick the meat in your mouth. A knife and fork will not be given to you and this might not be the best thing to order if you're wearing your best white dress shirt.



Walk in the front door and veer starboard and you'll enter the fine dining room. In the hundreds of times I've been to Nate's I can honestly say that I've never stepped foot inside there. Leave your comments please.
I'm a denizen of the bar area. This is the flip-flops side but the food is the same. The motif is Cajun dorm room without the beds and smoking is apparently encouraged. At night the regulars show up.

Considering its Louisiana roots there should be no surprise to find SRO on Mardi Gras Tuesday. Laissez les bons temps rouler! Beads are de rigueur and expect Nate's lovely bride Hilde to be wearing a feathery mask.

You can order a Cajun fried turkey for your Thanksgiving guests. Caution: liberal garlic seasoning is added.

Opens daily at 11:00.

MapQuest map is here.

2009 Taste Addison participant.

Los Lupes Mexican Restaurant — 3855 Belt Line

On the Canadian side of the road. Closer to Marsh than Midway.
In the building formerly occupied by Joe's Crab Shack.



First, click here for the menu, history, location and minutiae. Scroll down for the lunch specials. If you're up early they have breakfast including lengua (tongue) tacos. No gracias. If you're off early they have happy hour. If you want to smoke you can do so in the bar. During warmer months the patio is open. There are numerous TVs and an ATM machine. The restroom is self service.

Let's discuss the LUNCH SPECIALS. By checking the menu tab (en Inglés y Español) at the left on the web site you'll find that there is a $5.95 buffet but despite its all-you-can-eat feature it's really not that popular. I spent $4.95 for the #45 and a glass of ice water. It's hard to mess up refried beans and I wasn't disappointed. It's hard to mess up the rice and I wasn't disappointed. It's hard to mess up cheese and onion enchiladas but there were no onions and the ends of the tortillas were unchewable. The cheese inside was fine. There are various choices of sauces to spread on top and I chose the chili. To disappoint someone like me whose first Spanish words were "Careful the plate is hot" and loves cheap Tex-Mex fare is almost impossible. I was disappointed. That one sauce ruined the entire meal.

I will not trash the place because of one bad experience. I've eaten at their Carrollton location several times and always left fat and happy. That location is normally very busy.

Back to the Addison restaurant. Watch the step down as they seat you. My waitress, Marisela, spoke limited but sufficient English. She probably has a green card. She also shorted me a dime when she returned with my change. There was no wait to be seated but few empty tables during the noon hour which leads me to believe that the word was out on the chili sauce. The attire of the guests was office casual though there were a few JCPenney neckties.

Suggestion: If office politics dictate that you eat at Los Lupes just don't order from the back page of the menu and you'll probably have an enjoyable experience. Otherwise there are too many Tex-Mex restaurants around to dine here.

Opens 6:00 am Mon-Fri and by 7:00 am 7 days per week.

Separate checks allowed.

Google map is here.

2009 Taste Addison participant.

Snuffer's — 14910 Midway

South of Belt Line, under the red roof and behind the green awnings.



bacon cheeseburger cheddar fries bacon cheeseburger cheddar fries bacon cheeseburger cheddar fries bacon cheeseburger cheddar fries bacon cheeseburger cheddar fries bacon cheeseburger cheddar fries bacon cheeseburger cheddar fries bacon cheeseburger cheddar fries bacon cheeseburger cheddar fries bacon cheeseburger cheddar fries bacon cheeseburger cheddar fries bacon cheeseburger cheddar fries

Unless you have a beef about burgers you'll either love this place or you're a Communist. Warning: they tend to undercook so if you're finicky about your e coli order your patty medium well. These burgers have a strong peppery taste. The bacon is chopped, as are the red onions and lettuce. I always 86 the pickles. If you want the Hellmann's Real you'll need to ask for it because the default is set at French's.

When the girly-girls want some comfort food they break out the cookie dough but when the Frigidaire is bare they head to Snuffer's for cheddar fries. These things are famous. They're reputed to be the perfect cure for a bad hair day.



Here's the web site:
http://www.snuffers.com/ or just click on the yellow sentence above, then hit the Back button when finished.

This place has more plants than my Aunt Doris. I counted 9 TV screens and the music, if you can hear it, is Chubby Checker to Jackson Browne. Smoking is allowed only in the bar, which boasts 21 brands of bottled beer plus 8 on tap, and a wall decorated with 1.75 liter glass.

This is also a good place to take your sweetie on a Sunday afternoon for a couple of frozen ritas. Then grab something to take home. Snuffer's does a brisk to-go business. Call 972-991-8811. This location is locally owned and operated by Pat Snuffer (pictured above) and his family. His lower Greenville Ave location was established in 1978.

Opens daily at 11:00.

MapQuest map is here.