Love My Local: Crowley Food Edition

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Love My Local logoAbout a year ago when we found out we were expecting twins, we realized sadly that our bungalow, which we were planning on toughing out for at least a year with three kids, would be very very tight with four. Immediately following that fateful sonogram, we drove around our beloved neighborhood, Zillow apps in hand desperately searching for something just a little bigger . . . to no avail.

A few weeks later, in a move that I am still baffled by, I suggested to my husband that we take up residence at his parents’ vacant house in Crowley (they’d recently moved to the Austin area). Shocked and bewildered by my bizarre suggestion, he jumped at the chance to live on a couple of acres with the space we so desperately needed, while we figured out our next move.

I called it the “Great Can Anna Live in the Burbs Experiment.” There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with the burbs, but I am a city girl. I love the sounds, the smells, and even . . . the concrete. I’m in awe of sky lines and feel calmed by the sound of traffic. But, while we are actively house-hunting in Fort Worth, there will be some things I’ll miss . . . and may just commute to enjoy.

When we first hung our cowboy hats (ok, ok, our ranger baseball caps) in the country, the first orders of business were as follows and in no particular order, sometimes consecutively:

  • Discover our dog was a chicken murderer (word got around the local chicken community not to wander to the big dog’s yard pretty fast — just sayin’).
  • Yell at bunnies to “RUNNNN!” (Bunnies are a little dumber than chickens; they are still tempting fate. Some win, some lose; it’s the CIRCLE OF LIFE.)
  • Try to figure out how a goat kept getting past our fence.
  • Combat country bugs. I’m not kidding, ants are tenacious out here, like ant hills in the bathroom tenacious; it’s weird.
  • Find some take-out . . . fast.

While, I don’t have time to tell you all about the above items, I can tell you about yummy food. It begins with Thai Food.

Pandan Thai Kitchen. I’ll tell you right now, there is nothing like this place anywhere in Fort Worth, and I’m not exaggerating. Tucked away in a little strip on Main Street, I could get take out here every single week. While absolutely everything we’ve ordered here makes our taste buds do a happy dance, our favorites are: Pandan Padthai, Yellow Curry (y’all no words . . . no words), and good old fashioned Crunchy Spring Rolls. Dang, y’all. I’m eating a leftover burger from last night right now, but all I want is some Thai Food. SO GOOD!

Next up, we needed some Mexican food.

Mojos Smokehouse. While this is not TECHNICALLY in my neighborhood in Crowley, it’s only a few minutes down the road. And while I desperately (and I mean DESPERATELY) miss Los Vaqueros in Fort Worth, who can resist some brisket on some nachos? Not me, my friends, not me. This little fusion joint seems a little out of place on Wilshire, but its eats are fantastic. We always always always get nachos with various smoked meats. The littles get quesadillas with fresh, homemade (literally made in front of us) tortillas. They also serve little bitty shortbread cookies with every meal. Shortbread and brisket and tortilla chips = weird good.

Last but not least, we’ve got some straight up BBQ at . . . .

Cousins BBQ. Having grown up in Memphis, Tennessee, it took me almost a decade to appreciate the glories of Texas BBQ. But once I realized that BBQ here is not necessarily subpar, just different, I thought, “DANG, I want some brisket in my belly . . . right now!” And to me, Cousins is a great place eat some brisket. I realize we’ve got Cousins all over the Metroplex, but the one down here is just . . . kind (not that they aren’t at the other’s, I don’t know because I don’t go there; I’m sure they are kind, whatever). But y’all, they are so nice, and welcoming and at least pretend to remember you when you go in. We eat in, we eat out, we love it. Favorites: brisket and sausage plate, baked potato with chopped beef, okra, and . . . this feels like blasphemy to my Memphis self . . . the pulled pork. Oh, it’s so yummy!

So, the next time you find yourself cruising down Crowley Road to HEB (you know who you are), stop by any/all of the above. You will NOT regret it!

We, at FWMB, love our local so much we created Neighbor Groups for every corner of Tarrant county — and in between. You’ll also find topical groups, like adoptive moms, single moms, food allergy moms, etc. Join a Neighbor Group (or two) today and get connected with other moms in your area. 

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