Birthday Month Top 5 – Favorite Restaurants that are closed or no longer in our area

Posted on October 25, 2022 by Just Chuck

These are 7 favorite restaurants that are no longer open or the restaurant chain has closed in our area.

  1. Steak and Ale – our go to anniversary place, every year we would go have steak
  2. Judge Roy Bean – possibly the first (besides Chien Garden) restaurant we ate when we moved to Dallas.  Their chili burger was excellent and the ambience was true Texas.
  3. Panchos – If you’ve never raised the flag for seconds you don’t know what you’re missing.  There are two Panchos apparently still open in DFW but they are quite a ways away from us so they are on my list.. Many people abhor this place but I loved the food.  Just don’t plan any activity after eating there.  You will need a rest room.
  4. Tia’s Tex-Mex (the original) – we ate dinner here every Monday with the boys (Jonathan Tanner Cody)  It was a family routine until the franchise closed.
  5. Fuddruckers – this was our go-to burger place for me and work buddies.  You built your own burger, their onion rings were some of the best.  Just a great place.  Now they are just an online order and pick up place for pre-made burgers.
  6. Bonanza/Ponderosa – growing up, EVERY Sunday after church we would eat at Ponderosa in St. Louis MO or Bonanza in Killeen TX.  Mom, Dad and my three brothers.  I loved the steak and fried shrimp and always got a chocolate cream pie.  No longer here in Texas.
  7. Joe’s Crab Shack – Without Tia’s around we started eating dinner as a family here on Mondays.  The place had an outdoor playground and we would sit outside and eat and watch the kids play.  Good times.  They are still around, just not around us.
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Birthday Month Top 5 – Favorite Restaurants Currently Open

Posted on October 24, 2022 by Just Chuck

These are my Top 5 favorite restaurants that are currently open. These are places that, if I was asked, I would say yes to immediately.

I thought I would throw this Top 5 in now because my top Chinese place – Chien Garden – is sadly closing on 10/30/2022 due to landlord and rent going up ridiculously high.

  • Chien Garden – the first Chinese restaurant that I ate at when I got my job in Dallas in 1985.  Sadly they are closing this coming weekend for good.  This restaurant has been in the same location with same family running since at least 1985 when I ate lunch there for the first time. No one does better hot & sour soup, fried shrimp in garlic sauce or egg rolls.
  • Ed’s Burger Joint – we eat here every time we go to Hattiesburg. Great burgers, great atmosphere, haven’t tried the shakes or appetizers… yet.
  • On the Border – When Tia’s closed (a family favorite Tex-Mex place), we had to look elsewhere for our Tex-Mex fix and OTB is pretty similar. I always get the Classic Burrito (beef) with Queso all over. Hmmmm. IT was my Birthday dinner this year.
  • Chili’s – we eat here usually once a week, we order take out. I like the original Chicken Crispers and their Chicken Fajitas.
  • Olive Garden – I like it but damn has it gotten expensive. I love the Tour of Italy
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Birthday Month Top 5 – Sports Teams I Support

Posted on October 23, 2022 by Just Chuck

These are the sports team I support. Some are obvious based on where I live, others are from childhood.

  • Dallas Stars – hockey, home team, nuff said
  • St Louis Blues – while in St. Louis I learned of this sport called hockey and I was hooked.  I became a Blues fan and attended a practice session but never a game, but watched it on TV.
  • St. Louis Cardinals – the football team. Dad took me to my first live football game on my birthday (1970) in Busch Stadium to watch the Cardinals football team.  QB Jim Hart was my fave.
  • Dallas Cowboys – growing up I hated this team, hated them.  America’s Team?  Hah!  But after that 1989 season of 1-15 and a bit of humility, I became a fan.
  • New Orleans Saints – being from Mississippi, I grew up a Saints fan initially.  Archie Manning baby, until we moved to St. Louis.
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Birthday Month Top 5 – Vacation Spots

Posted on October 22, 2022 by Just Chuck

These are my favorite spots to vacation both past and present. Some of these places we haven’t been to in 5+ years.

  • Breckinridge CO – we used to go once a year skiing. It was awesome. Those trips are now only memories. I loved snow skiing, but physical health and the soaring prices have stopped even the thought of that now.
  • Destin FL – only been here once with the complete family and it was glorious. The sand is like sugar, the water is crystal clear, and crab island… but the crowds 😦
  • Casa Ferd/Ferdlandia – Every summer we thank Buddha we put in a swimming pool in our backyard. And every winter we curse the fact we have a swimming pool. Nothing beats lounging in the pool with some adult kool-aid.
  • Mom’s house in Hattiesburg MS – Hattiesburg in general is just a great escape from Dallas. Slowing down and reading a book, maybe hitting a casino, its comfort
  • Ft Meyers FL – sadly the hurricane did a number on it, but when Cody played select baseball we spent many a week each year in Ft Meyers and we enjoyed eating out on Sanibel Island and hanging out at the beach
Breckenridge CO
Destin FL
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Birthday Month Top 5 – Cars

Posted on October 21, 2022 by Just Chuck

Not much to say about this one. I no longer own this car but it was a blast to drive. I love my Ram 1500 Lone Star edition with a hemi but I could go for another Mustang.

  1. Mustang – nuff said
My mustang
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Birthday Month Top 5 – Cartoon Shows

Posted on October 20, 2022 by Just Chuck

Tonight I present my Top 5 favorite cartoon shows. This will be an all time favorite list whether presently on TV and not.

  • Teen Titans Go! – Jamie loves it but there is so much more adult humor that kids miss.  Funny stuff.
  • Harley Quinn – very funny sh!t.  NOT FOR KIDS.  Takes the DC Universe and lets characters talk like adults.  So there is a lot of F-bombs, sexual content. 
  • SpongeBob Squarepants – I was a SS fan before anyone knew who SS was.
  • Batman the Animated Series – Used to watch this religiously with Jonathan and of course he had all the associated toys.
  • Beavis and Butthead – heh heh, I am Cornholio.  I need T.P. for my bunghole.  Funny stuff back when MTV played music videos.
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Birthday Month Top 5 – Comic Book Artists

Posted on October 19, 2022 by Just Chuck

If you know me you know I collect comics. And I’ve been collecting for a long time. Over the years I’ve come to have favorite artist. Below are my Top 5 and the reason why.

  1. Alex Ross – anything he draws or paints cause his stuff is damn close to reality.
  2. Sal Buscema – Captain America run with Steve Englehart writing (1972-1975) was the best seller and my first endeavor into reading comics.
  3. John Romita (senior) – his Amazing Spider-Man took a gangly, wimpy Steve Ditko version and beefed him up.
  4. Jim Starlin – his Captain Marvel is the definitive Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell), he also was the creator of Thanos. He has his creator owned Dreadstar comic as well
  5. John Byrne – he drew the Fantastic Four as normal body proportions (except for the Thing) and he created Alpha Flight (the Canadian X-Men), he also wrote and drew the She-Hulk comics that the Disney show is based on.
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Birthday Month Top 5 – Comic Book Characters

Posted on October 18, 2022 by Just Chuck

Today I’d like to share my Top 5 favorite comic book characters. I’ve been reading comics for a long time. As a kid (6th grade) I was reading Captain America and Spider-Man regularly. Sadly those comics ended up at the thrift store on base. But in 1982 I started collecting seriously and have been buying comics monthly since then. I’ve got almost 17,000 comics as of this post. Fun Fact: new comics are released in comic stores every week on Wednesday.

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Birthday Month Top 5 – YouTube Channels

Posted on October 17, 2022 by Just Chuck

I watch a lot of YouTube, I won’t lie. These are my 5 favorite YouTube channels. There are more, but these 5 I make point to watch.

  1. Dome Life – this channel got us back into camping. Been following them for a number of years.
  2. It’s a Southern Thing – funny skits about the South, and pretty accurate.
  3. Life Uncontained – been following from the beginning for a few years now. They now have 2 kids and a complete house made from shipping containers.
  4. The Clark Family Creative – this family started learning songs during the pandemic and posting them playing, and they’ve been doing it for a couple of years now. Been on the Ellen show.
  5. The Texas Bucket List – driving around Texas finding awesome places to eat and showing Texas cultural stops.

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Birthday Month Top 5 – Alcoholic Beverages

Posted on October 16, 2022 by Just Chuck

I’m not much of a drinker, to be honest, but when I do here is my Top 5 in order of preference.

  • Seagram Wine Cooler – it’s a girl’s drink, so sue me. It’s like adult kool-aid to me.
  • Yuengling light – If I drink beer, Yuengling is preferred, and the light version even better. From the oldest brewery in America.
  • Shiner blonde – Texas and Blondes go together, this is another beer favorite. It’s smooth much like Yuengling Light. I like light colored beer in case you haven’t guessed.
  • Coors light – used to drink this like water after hockey games. It’s my go to beer when the two above are not available.
  • Gin and cranberry juice – occasionally I’ll drink some hard liquor and this is my preferred drink, probably because it taste like kool-aid
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