The Truck Yard on Lower Greenville!

Here’s your unreadable sign.

Just walk in. Try to bike in?, it’ll be on display.

Truck bed patio seating!

Sanford’s son gave it up!

The trucks at the Truck Yard.

The main line for CHEESESTEAKS!!!

What?!?! No line?

If yo’re unsure, go get you a couple of these in the main building!

Beer here!!!

The acoustic guitar lined patio stage!

The “Tree House”.

From the Tree Patio (house).

Eagle eye on the trucks shutting it down.

Liquor bottle chandelier!!!

Ice chest bar stools.

Unclear? “Eat safe. Use condiments.”

The Truck Yard on lower Greenville here in Dallas is definitely one of my favorite new additions!  I can’t wait for the weather to get nice so that the stage outside is always booked!  As far as parking?  If you don’t think you can park there, don’t park there!  I got a ticket for parking in the huge empty lot next to them that was riddled with tire tracks where hundred have parked before. Still, no pavement.  My bad.

As far as the menu, it’s always changing because they change out the food trucks on a weekly basis.  When I went, there was a Mexican, Italian, and Greek truck.  If you’re ever unsure which truck to visit, just go into the main building and order a cheesesteak (or live dangerously and choose a truck you pansy!).  They drop the meat on the grill right in front of you and chop it as it cooks.  They ask you what type of cheese you want on it, and I usually choose the kind that doesn’t destroy my bowels.  🙂  Once you get it, don’t be afraid to use the condiments provided when you get it and on the counter on the other side of the door as you leave the grill line.

The patio was super cool.  I felt like I was in a redneck museum!  There were truck beds made into patio tables, igloo bar stools, liquor bottle chandeliers, old school picnic furniture, old coke machines, DIRT, a stage lined with acoustic guitars, and a tree house!  Actually, I’d call it a tree patio since there weren’t walls and a roof, and it wasn’t built IN the tree like I tried to as a kid (everything fell down including me).  Still, not to rain on their parade.  It’s a tree house that has tree house cocktails as well!  Go get some!

Also, they DO have wait staff working the floor.  Unfortunately, it’ s not always easy to distinguish them from the rest of us.  A couple of times I asked, “Excuse me.  Can you get me a beer?”  I then got a look that didn’t really sit well.  I can interpret it here, but that would take a few pages.

Beer?  Of course they have the regular selections, but they ALSO keep the Texas selections available!  You know, the more you support local, the richer our city becomes? (As I point at you with my politician’s thumb).

Anyways, I’ll put the website links below.  Keep it real!

The Truck Yard website!

The Truck Yard Food Truck Calendar!

 

Matt’s Rancho Martinez near Skillman and Live Oak!

Matt’s Tex Mex

Image of the dining room taken from outside after closing.

Free chips and salsa!

shrimp cocktail

Slow smoked brisket and sausage served with tortillas.

The delicious farm-raised catfish!

New Tex-Mex restaurant in Lakewood?  Yep.  I had to try it.  I kinda felt like a traitor since La Calle Doce is nearly right across the street.  Anyways, I’m glad I did.  My dishes were so good!  I got an appetizer called “smoked Bob and sausage” that had slow smoked brisket and sausage laid over a bed of queso and served with sour cream, guacamole, and tortillas.  I loved it.  I tried it with the warm flour tortillas but enjoyed it more on top of a chip.  I piled each chip with all I could and probably embarrassed myself with how messy I got, but I just avoided looking around so I could keep pigging out without feeling embarrassed.  My friend got the shrimp cocktail for his meal.  I tried it.  It was nice.  Lightly spiced with avocado, baby shrimp, Mexican cocktail sauce, and crackers.  For my meal, I had a meal.  😉  I had the farm raised catfish laid over a bed of rice and served with grilled veggies and “drunken” beans.  The spices on everything were perfect.  Usually I force myself to eat all my vegetables, but it was not “forcing” this time.  I enjoyed my veggies.

The patio was pretty cool.  They had glass paneled garage doors behind the bar that opened up so that guests can sit at the outside bar and be served by the indoor bartenders!  They had four HD televisions that faced the patio from the inside so that the patio patrons could enjoy their favorite sports event.  Of course, they had patio tables as well for full service.

Anyways, the food was good, and the service was fast.  Sorry I didn’t try the obvious original Tex-Mex dishes, but I like to be a little different than the rest.  Check it out!

Matt’s Rancho Martinez menus

Velvet Taco at Knox/Henderson and Central(75)!

back patio

VELVET TACO

The number 9 and 18! 😉

The wall menu

dining area

front patio across from Victor Tangos! 🙂

Alright.  So this is my first takeout post!  I really wanted to do one, and Velvet Taco immediately came to mind.  By takeout, I mean no servers, but they do have a dining room and beer.  These aren’t street vendor tacos, though, even though I love those as well.  These tacos are made with quality ingredients and seemingly by a Chef.  Also, just because they don’t have servers doesn’t mean to pretend the tip jar isn’t there.  Throw something in.  You’ll feel better.

I had two tacos.  I was satisfied, but three would’ve filled me up.  I only ordered two this time, because one of my tacos was a bit pricy, but I HAD to try it.  It was the maine lobster.  It was good, but if I would’ve expected the lobster to be cold, I would’ve enjoyed it more.  Good flavor, just shocked by the temperature.  The shredded pork taco I had was excellent!  It made me moan (just a little bit okay).  It had bleu cheese crumbs and avocado cream on it!  They may not have a bar or servers, but there is a beautiful wall with shelves of healthy beverages, but on the bottom?…  Beer!  Good beer at that!  If you’re not a boozer like me, then they have creamsickle tea that gets refills like the sodas.  I also highly recommend the rotisserie corn “elote style”.  Just get it.  You’ll like it if you like corn.  If you like chicken, it looks like they slow cook it rotisserie style.  You’ll see the whole birds rotating.  A chicken taco is next on my list.  I didn’t see the those birds until after I ordered.  😦

They do have two little patios, if that’s what you’re looking for.  If you’re looking for some HD action, get it to go or for “takeout”.  😉  Anyways, I just had to say HD for no reason.  Check this place out. Their food is great.

Velvet Taco website

Velvet Taco menu…  even though I took a pretty good picture of it for you.  😉

La Calle Doce at Skillman and Oram!

I went to La Calle Doce Mexican Seafood for their lunch specials.  Go figure!  My first lunch special post!  It’s probably because I’m not a big fan of daywalking.  So, I decided to take one for the team and do this for “you people.”  By “you people,” I mean normal.  Also, I took another one for the team and did this for the “not lactose intolerant.”  The food coma afterwards was worth it!  I got the sour cream chicken enchilada that came with beans and rice all for $7.95!  Delicious.  My buddy ordered the first special off the board for $5.95.  I think they were crispy chicken flautas with beans and rice.  He gave me a taste.  Really good stuff.  It’s funny that the cheaper special comes with a cup of chicken tortilla soup!  It’s okay, I incorporated the complimentary chips and salsa into my meal again.  My pictures aren’t too exciting, but the entrees look awesome on their website.  Lunch was good and cheap, but I MUST come back for dinner.

Oh!  Apparently, this place burned down recently (probably just the inside), and it took them eight months to rebuild.  It looks completely different.  They moved the bar closer to the front door.  Great idea!  Also, they have a private dining area, dining upstairs, and two patios!  Anyways, check out their link below.  Good stuff.

http://www.lacalledoce-dallas.com/menu-lunch.php

The Hacienda on Henderson! (CLOSED!!!)

The Hacienda on Henderson!

The patio from a distance.

The blurry bar after a few $2 beers.

Complimentary chips and salsa!

The delicious ceviche lighted by Iphone.

Before I came here, I watched hours of a competitive cooking show (“Chopped” I think), and one of the Chefs competing made ceviche out of the ingredients given to her.  That made me crave it, so immediately I thought of Hacienda.  I love their ceviche, plus I can combine the complimentary chips and salsa that comes first!  I just mix everything given to me and go to town.  I squeeze the limes in, dump in the salsa, cut up the avocados and dump in, etc. and just mix it all up.  Chips for dipping!  When I was done, I noticed the cholula next to me.  I LOVE cholula and didn’t see it until the end.  Bummer.  Oh well.  Next time.  They have a lot of good Mexican food that I didn’t actually try on this visit.  This post is obviously obsessed with the ceviche.  I will expand it more at a later time.

As far as specials, they have HALF PRICED FOOD on Mondays, and Tuesdays they have $2 select drafts, $2 tacos, and $2 house margaritas!  Also, they have a comfortable patio with, you guess, HD flat screens!  Check ’em out.

http://haciendaonhenderson.com/