Last weekend, after years of patiently waiting, I was finally ready to knock a name off my restaurant bucket list by visiting Billy Bob’s Texas.
Home to the “world’s biggest honky-tonk,” this country music club and restaurant is a legendary Fort Worth destination, planted smack-dab in the middle of the historic Stockyards and known for its prime cuts of steak, cold Lone Star beer, and all the boot-scootin’ boogying you could ever want or need.
Yee-haw, right?
But when I arrived on Sunday night, my dreams were dashed — the lights were off, the doors were locked, and the parking lot was barren. Crushed, I dropped my head into my hands as it hit me: Billy Bob’s is closed on Sunday nights.
I guess I should have checked the website first, right?
With an empty heart and an emptier stomach, I was a split-second from launching into a venomous, bile-spewing rant about tourist traps when my wife calmly suggested we pivot to Joe T. Garcia’s, 2201 N. Commerce St., down the road six or seven blocks.
“It’s worth a try…” I choked out between guttural cries.
Living in Oklahoma City and not paying much attention to the culinary scenes in Texas, I had never heard about Joe T. Garcia and his restaurant. My wife, however, lived in Fort Worth a decade or so ago and knew what locals know: it's the Mexican spot.
She and her friends would always gather there for “margs”—their terminology—to wind down the busy workweek, and I was about to be squired into her secret world!
Wiping away my corpulent tears, we drove to the brightly-lit neon “Joe T. Garcia’s” sign, which beamed from the corner. At first glance, I thought, this must be a real roadhouse, packed with big bad barfights, high-point beer and Patrick Swayze keeping order.
But looks can be deceiving.
As we entered Garcia’s, it felt like stepping into our own Wizard of Oz – a vibrant, Technicolor world—a mundo de sueños—that completely swept us up. We were in love with the dreamy aliveness that pulsed through the place.
As our server walked us to our seats in the lush garden, I noticed the patio was adorned with vine-covered columns, glowing fountains, and well-placed tables all along our winding path. After a short stroll, we were seated amongst blissful families, windswept lovers, and, apparently, a rowdy kid’s birthday party a few tables over.
We listened carefully to the rundown on tonight’s special: the Combo Fajita plate. Normally, I would take this to task in OKC, but, apparently, Joe T. Garcia's is famous for five or six dishes—and the fajitas are one of them—so ordering was very quick and easy.
It was a beautiful night of romantic celebration for the 48 hours of vacation we had, and we marked the occasion with an alcoholic beverage. My wife had the Pina Colada ($10.75) and, with my beloved Lone Star not on the menu, I instead chose a refreshing Mexican cerveza, a Modelo Especial ($7.50).
While we had the usual gratis chips and (surprisingly spicy) salsa, for a few dollars more we added the Chili con Queso ($8.95). It had both queso and chiles combined, natch, made smooth with no clumps and no knots. It was pretty good, and it paired well with the chips.
As my wife and I were holding hands and the sun began to set, a couple of Tex-Mex troubadours walked up to our table. Passing a few bucks their way, the duo serenaded us with a love song. Though I didn’t know the words completely, it made the night perfecto.
Then, after a few minutes, our dishes arrived. At first, I thought our Combo Fajitas ($25.95) were just going to be a boring plate of charred meat and some tortillas. Standard boilerplate, right?
Well, I was wrong…
Joe T. Garcia’s rolled out the alfombra roja for our meal! Besides the well-cooked combo of chicken and beef with the customary onions and peppers, they also brought along a whole spread of fresh guacamole, grated cheese, chilled sour cream, punchy pico de gallo, and the freshest tortillas you’ve ever seen. My mouth was agape!
I got one of the tortillas and, of course, piled on all the meats and all the accoutrements, creating a true Tex-Mex dish that I could be proud of!
Shooting off my guns in tandem, the combination of chicken and beef was exceptionally well-grilled, with the warm tortillas cradling, especially, the fresh guacamole and sour cream. To be fair, I had two fajitas and I was done. My wife only had one, filled to the brim.
As our server packed up our leftovers, I sipped the last of the palate-cooling beer. Though they had small desserts like flan or buñuelos, I chose a small piece of Leche Quemada ($4.50), or Mexican burnt milk candy, and, of course, it was glorious.
Even now, I'm not sure if it was the scenery, the company, or the whole fajita mélange, but Joe T. Garcia’s delighted us with the best, most special meal I've had in Texas.
In the end, I am glad that Billy Bob takes Sunday night off, because this is the authentic culinary experience that Fort Worth dining should be about. God bless Texas, this is worth the road trip.
Cómpralo ya!
-
Follow Louis Fowler on Instagram at @louisfowler78.
