Super Chix

I was in Richardson, TX for work one day and decided to head to the newish CityLine development to see what they had to offer.  Several restaurants now occupy this new area, but I decided to have lunch at Super Chix.  Several food bloggers and foodies have posted reviews and pictures of this restaurant on social media lately, so I thought I would see what all the buzz was about.

The restaurant offers chicken sandwiches and chicken tenders.  I couldn't decided between the two, so I ordered both.  For my sandwich, I ordered the Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich, which was marinated in spices and tossed in their Nashville Sauce.  It was spicy, but not overly spicy and was served with a few thick-cut kosher pickles.  The sandwich was definitely in the upper tier of fried chicken sandwiches.

Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich

The chicken tenders were  crispy and had great flavor.  Patrons can choose between 4 different sauces and I chose the Mississippi Come Back Sauce, which tasted a lot like Thousand Island dressing.  If I had a do-over, I would have chosen the Alabama White Sauce.  I ordered the fries for a side and had them tossed in Rosemary Black Pepper seasoning.  As great as the chicken was, the fries were absolutely incredible and the portion was huge!

Chicken Tenders and Rosemary Black Pepper Fries

I was too full to try the frozen custard, which I hear is spectacular, but I did enjoy a grapefruit soda that was very refreshing.  This place is a little pricier than most fast food chicken joints, but the quality is better too.  If this place was closer to my home, I would certainly eat here often.  Next time I am in Richardson, I definitely plan a return trip!

Super Chix
http://superchix.com
Livin the Good Life Rating=4

Kolache Factory

The popular Texas breakfast destination, Kolache Factory, recently opened up a location in Frisco, Texas.  Although I have passed by several locations while traveling across the state, I have never actually sampled their kolaches until recently.  Kolaches are a breakfast favorite of mine, so I have now been to this location several times since they opened this summer.  

Right to Left-Bar-B-Q Beef and Sausage and Gravy

On my handful of visits over the last month, I have had a chance to sample several different kolaches.  Below is a rundown of the ones I have sampled and my opinion of them:

Apricot Kolache

Fruit Kolaches-solid item and comparable to the ones that I have had in places like West, Texas and central Texas bakeries.  I have tried several different fruit kolaches, but their apricot kolaches are my favorite.
Jalapeno Sausage Kolache-usually a favorite of mine, but I did not like these at all.  Instead of being a kolache with jalapeño sausage, it was a tiny thin sausage (similar to a Beanie-Weenie) that was surrounded by pickled jalapeños.  Strongly disliked their take on a favorite of mine.
Bacon and Egg Kolache-Meh...a kolache filled with what one would expect to find in a fast-food burrito.  
Bar-B-Q Beef Kolache-the brisket in these will not win any awards anytime soon, but the lightly sauced meat is a nice twist to the ordinary kolache.
Sausage and Gravy Kolache-this is my favorite of the non-fruit kolaches.  Lots of sausage and decent enough gravy.  

Jalapeno Sausage Kolache

This is a place where you can run in and expect to be out in 3-4 minutes without a problem.  Some kolaches I really liked, while others I didn't care for at all.  Now that I have been a few times, I know which ones I like and which ones that I do not like.  While not super impressed by this chain, the food is not terrible and I think your co-workers would be pleased if you brought them a dozen fruit kolaches for their breakfast.

Bacon and Egg Kolache

Kolache Factory
http://www.kolachefactory.com
Livin the Good Life Rating=2

Health Camp

Whenever I am passing through Waco around lunch or dinner, there are a couple of restaurants that I like to visit that are favorites of mine.  One is George's, and the other is Health Camp.  Health Camp is a classic restaurant that has been serving up burgers and shakes for close to seventy years.  The food is always solid and the shakes are great.

On a recent trip through Waco, I stopped and grabbed a quick bite to eat at Health Camp.  On this visit, I ordered the bacon cheeseburger, fries, and a peach milk shake.  My shake came out first, so I got to enjoy some dessert prior to my meal.  When the burger arrived, I immediately dug in.  The burger had great flavor and the fries were tasty too.  As great as the burger and fries were, the peach milkshake was even better.  It is hard to find restaurants that serve peach milkshakes, but Health Camp has close to thirty different milkshake flavors to choose from.  They also have great onion rings, although I didn't order them on this visit.

Bacon Cheeseburger and Fries

The meal was just the right size to fill me up, but not so filling that I felt the need to take a nap while driving to Austin.  Health Camp is just a short distance of Interstate 35, so it is easy to exit and grab a bite to eat here.  I was in and out in less than 20 minutes, which was good because I was wanting to get to Austin before the afternoon traffic got bad.  If you haven't been to Health Camp, stop by next time you are passing through Waco.

Peach Milkshake

Health Camp

http://www.health-camp-waco.com/index.html

Livin the Good Life Rating=3

Taco Villa in Benbrook

While growing up in West Texas, Taco Villa was my favorite fast food restaurant.  In fact, every time I would go back home to visit my mom in Lorenzo, we always went to Lubbock to eat at Taco Villa at least once a visit and sometimes twice in a weekend.  Recently, Taco Villa opened up their first Metroplex location in Benbrook, Texas.  Benbrook is still about an hour and fifteen minutes from McKinney, but we happened to pass through Benbrook on the way home from Granbury.  Since we were so close, we had to stop and grab some grub.

This isn't all mine.  I let my wife have one of the burritos and gave her a couple of fries.

This isn't so much a restaurant review, as it is a public service announcement to those living in the Metroplex.  You absolutely have to go eat here if you like fast food Mexican gut bombs that are very tasty.  I highly recommend this place.  My fellow West Texas refugees stuck in the Metroplex already know the merits of this place and we are anxiously awaiting the opening of other locations in the DFW area.

The wife eating a bean burrito, aka the "Baby Poop" burrito.

When I eat at Taco Villa, I don't play.  I order enough Mexican food to put a grizzly bear through an entire winter hibernation.  This trip, we ordered tacos, taco burgers, bean burritos, and mexi-curls (seasoned curly fries).  They have a pretty extensive menu, but these are my go-to favorites.  My favorite menu item is the taco burger, which is seasoned taco meat, cheese, lettuce, and tomato served on a hamburger bun.

A happy fat kid.

I left our meal about five pounds heavier than when I went in, but it was worth it.  This Taco Villa had the same menu items as back home and the food tasted exactly the same.  This place is truly the cream of the crop when it comes to fast food Mexican.  Much better than Taco Bell, Taco Bueno, Del Taco, Taco Casa, etc.  Go eat here and enjoy!  Definitely a 4 out of 5 on the fast food scale.