Society Life Magazine

I’m guilty of using descriptions like “hidden gem” way too much.  Could so many good restaurants really stay hidden, and if they’re such gems, wouldn’t people find them eventually?  There’s even some prevailing wisdom that thinks too much praise heaped on a small-scale operation could hurt them, that once these gems are discovered they get slammed and can’t handle the sudden rush of business.

I’m putting a temporary moratorium on “hidden gem”, not because I necessarily think the last sentence is true, but because the phrase is a stale, clichéd, and frankly lazy descriptor.  I have a hard time believing some new or struggling restaurants would mind being overwhelmed with business.  Being discovered is tantamount to staying in business in an industry where failure rates are incredibly high.  Most restaurants have but a sliver of time to find a following, and not a cult following.  They need a mainstream audience to truly succeed.

“Where Locals Go” let’s me discover my home base through food, and I can only do that when readers reveal their favorite haunts around town.  Local eating can be a unique, shared experience, and there’s nothing like the thrill discovering a dish cooked really well close by.  I don’t consider myself a food critic.  Right now, I enjoy championing local food and business too much to tear anyone down.  Anyway, diners judge for themselves with their wallets. 

Now on to championing two “hidden gems” (and the last time I’ll officially use the phrase, but only because in these cases it’s so apt): Nelsons and Trio Café and Bakery.  If you’ve read any of my previous posts, you know that they’re both participants in “Hungry for a Cure”, and I could not be prouder for their involvement.  Nelsons in Southlake is not the easiest to find, let’s be honest.  It’s set a little away from the street, and if you’re zooming through 1709, it’s out of sight, out of mind.  But you’d be out of your mind if you don’t try their out of sight breakfast.  The first meal of the day gets a lot of made-from-scratch love in the kitchen.  Nothing tastes like a shortcut. 

Trio in Colleyville is another one that’s a little trickier to find, mostly because you wouldn’t expect to find chef-driven food across the street from Wal-Mart.  It’s actually why I love it so much.  There’s earnestness to their delivery that stands in stark contrast to that juggernaut of consumer blandness.  This is soulful, thoughtful, artful food that isn’t the least bit intimidating.  Sure, you’ll find soup, sandwiches, and pie on the menu – that’s certainly nothing groundbreaking – but stealthy touches from world cuisines infuse each bite with a little surprise. 

I hope everyone picks up on these local treasures soon, preferably this Thursday and Friday.