JR's Grill

If you live in the Dallas/Ft Worth area and, like the Senor and me, enjoy a sports restaurant with quality food, spot-on service and a cool and laid back atmosphere I suggest you give JR's Grill a try.

The grill is home to no less than 25 flat screen TV's (no, I didn't actually count them but I bet I'm close) showing all your favorite sporting events. There is a main dining room and a bar area and both boast comfy booths, low and high-top tables; as well as, an expansive bar. There is a separate room off the bar that is home to a couple of pool tables and video games. Additionally there is an outside patio seating area.

The Senor and I have eaten there on three separate occasions and each time the food was exceptional. JR's Grill offers a variety of sports bar type favorites such as appetizers, burgers and sandwiches. They also offer larger items such as killer Chicken Fried Steak and Smoked Baby Back Ribs. To see their complete menu just click here.

I'll just go ahead and admit it, I fell head over heels in love with their Fried Cheese appetizer. I thought as far as JR's appetizers are concerned I would never stray from that crispy, gooey, cheesy goodness; that is right up until I tried their Smoked Wings. Oh my, they are a wing lover's dream. Crispy on the outside, moist on the inside and smoked to perfection. Upon ordering them we realized they average about a dollar a piece. After eating them we determined they might just be worth a dollar a piece.

In the burger and sandwich department the Senor and I have sampled the JR's Burger with cheese, the Prime Rib French Dip sandwich and the Smoked Bourbon Chicken Salad sandwich. Here's a little bit about them...

The burger is beautiful! It is 10 ounces of in-house ground beef, never frozen and flame grilled. A word of warning, they cook their burgers to a medium temperature so be sure to let the server know if you prefer your burger a little more on the medium well to well side. This burger is served on a Sour Dough bun with all the fixings and a healthy slice of Cheddar cheese. JR's offers many varieties of burgers and I imagine between the two of us we will try them all before Super Bowl 2011 rolls around.

The Prime Rib French Dip sandwich is my idea of comfort food. The Prime Rib was tender and juicy, the bun grilled and buttery-crisp and the au jus was, as my niece calls it, the perfect "dipping sauce". Perfection even if comfort food is not what you're searching for.

The Smoked Bourbon Chicken Salad sandwich is a light and refreshing sandwich although too sweet for my taste. (Mind you this is personal preference and not a reflection on the quality of the sandwich.) The chicken is mixed with apples, grapes, celery, onion, toasted pecans and mayonnaise and is served on toasted Sour Dough bread. My only critique would be that the salad is a bit runny and therefore the sandwich is messy.

Each of the sandwiches are served with your choice of French Fries, Cole Slaw, Ranch Beans or Smashed Potatoes. A side note, the fries are some of the best I've had in our neighborhood.

As for the larger entrees, the Senor tried the Chicken Fried Steak and Smashed Potatoes on our first visit. Boys, this isn't your run-of-the mill, recently thawed hunk of toughness. This is much akin to your Mama's Chicken Fried Steak. The crust is crispy and fried to a golden brown. The steak is pure tenderness. Just simple country goodness. The smashed potatoes and, of course, white gravy rounded out what some might call the perfect Chicken Fried Steak meal.

So, if you find yourself hungry and ready for some football this is the place for you.