When I’m craving greasy, cheese laden food – Benitos beckons me. This is not the place to go if you’re watching your weight, but who cares after a few margaritas. Benitos fills the Mexican food niche on Magnolia Avenue.

Benito’s

The Vibe
Colorful Mexican decorations dominate the wood paneled decor. Everything from the chairs to the Mexican blankets contain color and make this casual Mexican food spot a happy place. If you’re not smiling when you walk in, just order up a margarita and that will change.

The Food
If you have a hankering for a greasy spoon Mexican food spot, Benito’s fits the bill. Benito’s serves up homestyle Mexican food and it’s been doing it for a while at this Magnolia street location. I appreciate the authentic Mexican flavors and spices that can be found in the selection of popular Mexican dishes. This used to be a long-standing favorite late night hangout because the generous grease factor works wonders for absorbing excess alcohol.

The Service
A friendly gentleman quickly seats you and asks if you want iced tea or a margarita, well that’s my kind of service – keep it simple.

Don’t worry if you didn’t pay attention in high school Spanish, Benitos provides handy translations on the menu should you need it.

The service is efficient and the food comes out quickly.

Eat This
Enchiladas swimming in cheese should satisfy your Mexi food cravings. If you’re looking for something lighter, the ceviche along with the chips and guacamole is a good choice.

One of the many combo platters is a handy option when you can’t make up your mind.

Wash it all down with a potent margarita. Benito’s is one of the few Mexican food spots that charges for chips, but they are ever so tasty with their guac and salsa – so it’s worth the splurge of a few extra dollars.

Benito’s
1450 W. Magnolia Avenue
Fort Worth, TX 76104

Paco and John’s Mexican Diner is the unlikely hybrid of French and Mexican culinary traditions housed in a converted gas station.  This nouveau taqueria fills the need for a taqueria that won’t leave you wondering about the fortitude of your intestinal system. Paco and John opened this spring to a receptive lunch following and have included a dinner service recently, much to local foodies delight.

The Vibe
Paco and John embodies a certain chic that lands it way beyond traditional taquerias with a modern and light decor while still maintaining a casual and comfortable feel.  The glass fronted building houses an intimate dining area with about ten tables.  In true taqueria style the kitchen is open and up front.  There are also refrigerator cases that line the wall with drink options if you choose not to BYOB.

The Food
The dinner options demonstrate the brilliant melding of French and Mexican cuisines.  The apertivos include Mexican homestyle favorites such as Queso Fundido which is traditionally served with chorizo and covered in melted cheese.  Seriously, what isn’t delicious covered in melted cheese?  Well how about crabmeat?  There’s a touch of French decadence for you in the crabmeat version of Queso Fundido.  My dinner companions opted to keep things a bit lighter and we settled on the Oysters Fautas.  The beautiful small flautas were crunchy and crispy with tender oysters inside.  The toppings of rich mexican crema, queso fresco, avocado, and lettuce brought extra flavor and texture to the flautas.  The dish was served with a wonderfully addictive tomatillo salsa that gave some nice heat.

The Platos Fuertes (entrees) offer a wide range of options from fajitas to tenderloin to rotisserie roasted chicken.  Vegetarians can choose the Chile Relleno topped with queso fresco.

Paco and John’s Mussels were a deal at $11.95 and I could not pass them up.  A heaping plate of steamed blue mussels arrived at the table.  The tender mussels were seasoned nicely with fresh bites of cilantro and tomato. The dish comes with tortillas that you can use to sop up all the leftover broth.

You’ll find the side dishes that accompany the mussels are a nice surprise.  One side was a Mexican take on ratatouille with the addition of poblano to the traditional zucchini, squash, and tomatoes.  The other was a sublime baked terrine style dish composed of potatoes, sweet potatoes and poblanos, with a crusty cheese top layer.

The Cordonis al Mole Rojo ($12.95) is roasted quail stuffed with rice, champignons (mushrooms if your French is rusty), and jalapeno.  You can choose either a red or green mole to top the quail.  The red mole tastes like a traditional mole but more refined.  The green mole provided an unexpected but welcome consistency with the addition of pine nuts and it was packing some heat.  We opted for the green mole which played nicely with the tender quail.

Risking embarassment at your pronunciation of Huachinango a la Veracruzana ($13.95) is worth it once you dig into your plate of roasted red snapper.  The generously portioned snapper is covered in a luxurious and bright sauce of lime and guajillo chile pepper.  The snapper comes with a side of rice and beans.

This wonderful meal begged for a big finish with desert.  We could not decide between the Flan and the Coconut Pie so we got both.  The well prepared flan was covered in a sweet syrup and accented with three Maria’s cookies.  The Coconut Pie was luscious in both appearance and taste.

Paco and John’s is BYOB.  We picked up some Dos Equis at a convenience store on the way and fortunately it paired well with our food choices.  There is no corkage fee but they do charge $1 for use of their wine glasses, unless you’re willing to save a couple of bucks and drink from the bottle.

Overall
Paco and John’s dinner offerings infuse Mexican dishes with French panache and French dishes with Mexican bravado.  Whether you are looking for Buen Provecho or Bon Appetit this chic little spot deserves many return visits and I look forward to more tasty surprises.  If you’re looking for an easy-going spot for a first date or just want a creative dinner that doesn’t break the bank, Paco and John’s is the spot.  It can be tough to secure a table at lunch but the dinner service is less crowded.

Eat This
Oysters Flautas or a Fundido for starters. Paco and John’s Mussels (when available) and The Cordonis al Mole Verde mix up flavor expectations in a good way.

Hours
Monday – Friday
Breakfast 7:30AM – 10:30AM
Lunch 11AM – 2:30PM
Dinner 5:30PM – 9:30PM
Saturday Brunch 10AM – 2PM

Paco and John’s Mexican Diner
1116 8th Avenue
Fort Worth
(817) 810-0032

Share on Facebook

Chimy’s Cerveceria
1053 Foch Street
Fort Worth, TX 76107
(817) 348-8888

Oh Chimy’s I wanted to love you.  On paper you had all the qualities I look for.  First off you incorporated “cerveceria” into your name which reminds me of sitting at aluminum Carta Blanca tables in dodgy little dives in Mexico where faint breezes and slap your mama good tacos accompany your cerveza.  Next the casual tex-mexy menu gave me a notion that this might be like Fuzzy’s with a fresh and fast menu.  Finally, I’m always in search of good outdoor dining in Fort Worth, so I was eager to break in the patio at Chimy’s with some margaritas.

Nestled within “Foch Alley”, or what could be considered a really big parking lot you’ll find Chimy’s.  Despite being behind former fabric showrooms and under the shadow of the 7th Street Station apartments Chimy’s beckons with it’s neon lit lime and festive looking patio.   And yes, they have the requisite aluminum Mexican beer tables.

After placing your food and drink orders at the counter you pick up chips at a different counter by the kitchen.  This is also where you pick up your order once your name is called.  And if the disinterested girl who’s job it is to hand out the food decides to actually stop her conversation momentarily you’ll receive your basket of food.  Sorry, was my annoyance not thinly veiled enough there?

Despite the heat, I headed out to the patio to enjoy my margarita.  The margarita tasted perfect on a hot July day.  The patio did not disappoint.  There’s plenty of comfortable seating, some spots even have umbrellas that vainly try to defeat the summer sun.  Being set back from traffic gives the patio an almost tranquil feel.  Don’t despair though, folks enjoying their buckets of beers, beer signs, and a plasma TV keep the frat party spirit alive.  Not that there’s anything wrong with that, it’s a great vibe on the patio. The mix of students, families, couples, and the after work drink crowd gave me high hopes for the food.

Well, I tasted the grilled fish tacos and the green chile chicken soft tacos.  The flour tortillas they use are super thick, now I’m not expecting my abuelas flaky tortillas de harina here.  But come on, these tortillas did not add anything flavor or texture wise.  Now, if the filling is good who cares what they’re wrapped in right?  Well, I didn’t find the fillings to be so good.  The grilled fish looked a little sad in the tortilla.  I couldn’t tell if it was the sauce or the fish that had a strange aftertaste and the cheese was just kind of the useless glue that held the hot mess together.  I moved on to the chicken tacos and didn’t have much luck there either.  The green chiles provided the only flavor to a dry chicken backdrop.  Despite the ample topping bar, no condiment could redeem these two dishes for me.

I know this is a red plastic basket sort of spot.  Don’t get me wrong this is my kind of place.  I’m all about good cheap food that’s a good value.  I’m not expecting tear inducing greatness here, just a fresh taco, that’s all.  I guess I’m spoiled to Fuzzy’s which pumps out the same product at the same price point only it’s full of flavor and tastes fresh.

Now it wasn’t all bad.  The queso was good.  Maybe they’re just overreaching with some of the dishes.  The nacho dishes do look promising and the “gut rockets” that they so fondly advertise may be worth a try next time.  I will go again because I can’t truly judge on one visit and I think the patio is a score.  This is a good place to come to with friends and enjoy a bucket of beers and some margaritas, shoot after enough of those who cares what the food tastes like.

Price $
Ranges from $1.99 for chips with one free refill
to  $7.79 for fajita nachos

Eat This: Maybe, Two out of five panthers-one bucket of beers and a gut rocket away from a three

I Eat This: Queso and Chips