Overall, 2010 was a pretty good year. It wasn't perfect by any means. Yes I made mistakes and there were things I would have done differently but I did a lot of things right, including indulging my inner foodie and starting this blog. But I'm always trying to grow (unless we're talking about my waistline, which I'm trying to shrink) so I like the idea of New Years resolutions and thought I would share mine with you.
1. Improve my wine palette. I love wine. A lot. I drink a glass of vino (or two, okay, maybe 3) just about every day. I know the basics. I can tell you when I like something and when I don't. I like Argentine and Spanish wines but couldn't name one and, in a taste test, probably couldn't tell you which is which (and if I did it would be complete luck, trust me). I'm completely clueless regarding French wines altogether. So how do I go about improving my palette? Well, I think one answer is . . . drink more wine! And go to things like Get Your Wine on Wednesdays at the Grape or Wine Chat at the Mansion. And start writing down what I drink and what I taste when I drink it. And . . . possibly convince one or two of the sommeliers who read my blog to take pity on me and tutor me on occasion ??? I'll buy. :)
2. Eat (or drink) at a place I've never been to at least twice per month. I'm like everyone else. I get in a rut when it comes to my nights out. This blog helps because I feel like I need to have a new foodie adventures to write about but, still, there's a whole bunch of places, new and old, in Oak Cliff/Bishop Arts I have never tried. Richardson has some amazing Chinese food places that are still foreign to me (ba da dum). And a bunch of new restaurants will be opening in Deep Ellum soon. Need to get out of my 3 mile radius and have some foodie fun! Who's in?
3. Be more adventurous in my food orders. This resolution may come as a surprise to those who know me. I'm one of the least picky eaters on the planet so if something is put in front of me, I'm going to try it and probably like it. I love going to wine dinners and the like because the chef gets to choose what I eat and I find myself eating things I would have never tried otherwise. But when it comes to me actually ordering for myself, I tend to select what I know I will like, rather than what looks interesting. Going to change that in 2011. I'm sure I'll be disappointed a time or two but I may find my new favorite dish in the process. It's all about the adventure, right? Besides, it will give me some funny stories to write about I'm sure.
4. Find a sports bar that I love to go to. I'm a sports girl. Screw the Today Show, I watch ESPN every morning. I love, love, love football (sigh, Cowboys). Come March, I will become obsessed with my brackets (yes, plural) I am always in some sort of sports pool (and usually owing money in the end) and post-season baseball is one of my favorite things in the world (go Rangers!). But, alas, I have yet to find a sports bar in Dallas that I can call mine. I've tried Frankies, Christies and the MAT but I don't feel the love. Need to get out and try a few more. Any recommendations would be appreciated.
5. Cook more. Being in a state of perpetual singleness (again, sorry Mom), I don't cook much at home for myself. Mainly because I hate doing the cleanup. But I love to cook and, when I set my mind to it, I'm pretty good at it. And I love to throw a party. Soooo . . . more dinner parties at my house are in order for 2011!!! Let me know if you'd like an invitation. :)
Wishing you all a very fun and safe end to 2010 (remember, taxis or designated drivers are your friends on NYE) and a glorious 2011. Cheers!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Restaurant AVA
So I have a confession followers. I am a "Dallas girl." And when I say that, it's not what you think. I haven't had "big hair" since 1991 (well, unless it's humid outside), I have had no silicone implanted anywhere in my body, I don't feel the need to wear much makeup and I could not give a flip what type of car my date drives (assuming I had a date). No, I'm a different breed of a Dallas girl. I'm the type of Dallas girl that hates going anywhere outside a 3 mile radius from my home. I don't know when it happened. When I moved to Dallas almost 10 years ago from Houston, where traffic was just part of life, I thought it was so weird how no one who lived in Dallas wanted to venture to 972, declaring it "too far." A fifteen minute drive? How on earth could that be "too far"? But the longer I lived here, I found myself becoming one of those people that did not want to venture outside her little circle. First, it was anything north of George Bush was "too far", then anything north of 635. Now, 10 years later, please don't ask me to go anywhere north of Northpark Mall unless transportation is provided. And, to make matters worse, now that I live in the Lakewood area, venturing west of Central feels like a chore. So when L and I decided to go to Restaurant AVA, in Rockwall(!) of all places, all I could think of was, "it's too far."
For the record, Restaurant AVA is not "too far." It is an easy 20-25 minute drive from Dallas on I-30 East and you should go.
Randall Copeland and Nathan Tate opened up AVA about 1 1/2 years ago. Dedicated to fresh produce and supporting small farms, AVA's menu changes daily. In a nod to Chef Randall's Green Room days, a chef's tasting menu is available. 5 courses for $50. If you are hungry, just order it. We did.
We started with an amuse of a crostini topped with goat cheese and grapefruit. It was a great, refreshing bite. Our first official course was a salad with house smoked salmon, along with all the sides you normally expect with bagels and lox (onions, egg, capers, etc.), just minus the bagels. The house smoked salmon was delicious. It tasted very fresh, without too much of a smoky flavor.
Our second course was a scallop on top of a risotto. I wish I could tell you what kind of risotto we had but I don't think anyone told us. The scallop was cooked perfectly but, unfortunately, it was over-seasoned. Too salty. L and I ate every bit of our risotto and both of us left half of a scallop on our plate.
No worries, because the next two courses wowed. They were eaten in almost complete silence except the occasional "yum", "so good" or "mmmm, bacon onion jam". You know the food is good when it can get me to stop yammering.
Our third course was grilled quail. This quail was so freakin good we both forgot about our table manners and picked up the little quail legs to suck every last bit of meat from the bone. Poor taste? Perhaps. Tastes good? Definitely. The quail was on top of a celery root puree and topped with something called bacon onion jam which was amazing. There was also foie gras ravioli that was so good I wanted more.
Our fourth course was a beef tenderloin topped with a quail egg, along with carrot puree and red wine jus. There was also roasted cauliflower. Again, home run. They were so good. The tenderloin was well seasoned and cooked perfectly. We actually couldn't finish this dish and asked for a doggie bag. Guess what I'm having for dinner? :)
But wait there's more! We had our "pre-dessert" pomegranate sorbet. Wait, wah? Pre-dessert? I would have been quite content to end there but we apparently still had an actual dessert to come. It was an apple upside down cake with granola and apple ice cream. The cake was a tad too sweet for me (but I don't have a big sweet tooth) but loved the apple ice cream with the granola.
Service was a bit spotty. A stainless ramekin of butter was put on our table when we first sat down but we did not get any bread until after the second course and then only after I asked. When L told our server that our scallops were too salty, he stared at us blankly and then quickly took our plates away, as if he did not know what to say. But I can forgive little service hiccups if the food is good and the food is definitely good at AVA.
Just go. It's not "too far." I promise.
http://restaurantava.com/
Well, followers, this is going to be my last post before Christmas and maybe my last post of 2010. Thank you so much for being on this little journey with me. Happy Holidays and I hope you will follow my little foodie adventures in 2011. Until then . . . Cheers!
For the record, Restaurant AVA is not "too far." It is an easy 20-25 minute drive from Dallas on I-30 East and you should go.
Randall Copeland and Nathan Tate opened up AVA about 1 1/2 years ago. Dedicated to fresh produce and supporting small farms, AVA's menu changes daily. In a nod to Chef Randall's Green Room days, a chef's tasting menu is available. 5 courses for $50. If you are hungry, just order it. We did.
We started with an amuse of a crostini topped with goat cheese and grapefruit. It was a great, refreshing bite. Our first official course was a salad with house smoked salmon, along with all the sides you normally expect with bagels and lox (onions, egg, capers, etc.), just minus the bagels. The house smoked salmon was delicious. It tasted very fresh, without too much of a smoky flavor.
Our second course was a scallop on top of a risotto. I wish I could tell you what kind of risotto we had but I don't think anyone told us. The scallop was cooked perfectly but, unfortunately, it was over-seasoned. Too salty. L and I ate every bit of our risotto and both of us left half of a scallop on our plate.
No worries, because the next two courses wowed. They were eaten in almost complete silence except the occasional "yum", "so good" or "mmmm, bacon onion jam". You know the food is good when it can get me to stop yammering.
Our third course was grilled quail. This quail was so freakin good we both forgot about our table manners and picked up the little quail legs to suck every last bit of meat from the bone. Poor taste? Perhaps. Tastes good? Definitely. The quail was on top of a celery root puree and topped with something called bacon onion jam which was amazing. There was also foie gras ravioli that was so good I wanted more.
Our fourth course was a beef tenderloin topped with a quail egg, along with carrot puree and red wine jus. There was also roasted cauliflower. Again, home run. They were so good. The tenderloin was well seasoned and cooked perfectly. We actually couldn't finish this dish and asked for a doggie bag. Guess what I'm having for dinner? :)
But wait there's more! We had our "pre-dessert" pomegranate sorbet. Wait, wah? Pre-dessert? I would have been quite content to end there but we apparently still had an actual dessert to come. It was an apple upside down cake with granola and apple ice cream. The cake was a tad too sweet for me (but I don't have a big sweet tooth) but loved the apple ice cream with the granola.
Service was a bit spotty. A stainless ramekin of butter was put on our table when we first sat down but we did not get any bread until after the second course and then only after I asked. When L told our server that our scallops were too salty, he stared at us blankly and then quickly took our plates away, as if he did not know what to say. But I can forgive little service hiccups if the food is good and the food is definitely good at AVA.
Just go. It's not "too far." I promise.
http://restaurantava.com/
Well, followers, this is going to be my last post before Christmas and maybe my last post of 2010. Thank you so much for being on this little journey with me. Happy Holidays and I hope you will follow my little foodie adventures in 2011. Until then . . . Cheers!
Sunday, December 19, 2010
The Mansion on Turtle Creek
I had been to the Mansion restaurant several times before throughout the years (under both Tesar and Fearing) and had always been underwhelmed. The bar was always fun but otherwise I never quite understood what all the fuss was about. I mean, can you really be considered a 5 star restaurant when your most popular dish is tortilla soup?
But I had been hearing good things about the changes that were happening at the Mansion since Bruno Davaillon came on board. I had tried and adored Chef Davaillon's food at CFF (mmm, blood sausage) and I thought that maybe it was time to give the Mansion another chance. Hunter Sullivan played at the Mansion Bar last night so L and I decided to get dressed up and have dinner there before catching the show.
We were sat at the front of the restaurant which was an area I had never sat in before. The restaurant has several different rooms (a concept which Dean Fearing took with him to the Ritz) which allows for a very cozy feeling. The restaurant feels very modern, yet traditional.
Now, if you are pinching pennies, don't go have dinner at the Mansion. I mean, let's face it, when you go to eat at a place named "The Mansion", you can expect to part with some serious cash for dinner. Most entrees are in the $40s, some in the $50s. There's a 5 course tasting menu for $115 per person and if you'd like wine pairings, add $60 more. The tasting menu looked good but it looked like too much food for us. The good news is that each of the items on the tasting menu is available ala carte. Here's the current menu for your viewing pleasure:
http://www.mansiononturtlecreek.com/i/pdf/mansion_restaurant_dinner.pdf
I started with the East Coast Oysters Mignonette and Horseradish. I love oysters and these were very nice. Clean tasting with an oniony vinaigrette with a little side of horseradish sauce (I would have preferred just horseradish). L had the Lobster Cannelloni. At $32, she was a little hesitant to order it but sometimes a girl just needs some lobster. The lobster meat with on top of the cannelloni, and it looked very nice as well.
For entrees, I ordered the Roasted Pheasant. I'll admit, the main reason I ordered it was because it came with brussel sprouts and, as my loyal followers know, I love, love, love brussel sprouts. My pheasant was well season but, unfortunately it was slightly undercooked. The brussel sprouts were very small but tasty. The dark meat/chestnut ravioli, however, was the star of this dish. It had a rich, meaty taste that reminded me of empanadas for some reason. I was sad there was only one.
L had initially ordered the Venison from the tasting menu. L likes her meat cooked through, almost well done (sigh, still love her) and asked that her venison be done so as well. Our server came to our table and explained (copying Chef's French accent) that the chef recommended that she order something else because cooking the venison that way would ruin the integrity of the dish. We appreciated Chef Davaillon's honesty. It wasn't about ego. It was about wanting the guest to receive the best dining experience. L ordered the filet, medium well, instead. It came with duck fat fries, which L, who isn't a duck fan, wasn't quite sure about so she asked for brussel sprouts instead. She got both. I tried the duck fat fries and found that they tasted good but I like my fries to be slightly more fried.
We took a look at the desert menu, which looked divine, but we decided we would much rather have some chocolate martinis at the bar instead of dessert. So to the Bar we went. It was packed (as it usually is when Hunter Sullivan plays) but we were eventually able to get some seats at the bar. The chocolate martinis are so very good. Each bartender does theirs somewhat different. One was big on chocolate syrup. The other made his with more cream. Both were delicious and I consumed three before the end of the night. Would have probably done better calorie wise if I had stuck to dessert, but oh well.
The Mansion Bar rolled out a new winter drink menu recently which I posted on facebook the other day. I didn't want to mix too much so, sorry folks, I did not try them out. The bartender did give me a sample of his hot toddy. Whoa. L described it as Christmas flavored moonshine (it was apple brandy) and it was a pretty accurate description. It made my eyes water, cleared my sinuses, and burned all the way down. It was too much for me and I'm a scotch and whiskey girl. I took a couple of sips and passed it on to the guy from New York standing next to me who was in town on business and trying to convince me that all guys from NY are not a$$holes. Note to said guy, you would have been more convincing if you weren't staring at my cleavage while making your argument.
So did the Mansion win me over? Well, I can say this, it was definitely the best dinner I have had at the Mansion but I still feel that there are plenty of places in this town where you can get just as good of a meal for considerably less money. I think the Mansion will go into my rotation as a great once a year treat when I want to celebrate a special occasion or just want to dress up. I did have a wonderful time though. It was a great holiday Saturday night with one of my dearest friends. Thanks L!
Cheers!
But I had been hearing good things about the changes that were happening at the Mansion since Bruno Davaillon came on board. I had tried and adored Chef Davaillon's food at CFF (mmm, blood sausage) and I thought that maybe it was time to give the Mansion another chance. Hunter Sullivan played at the Mansion Bar last night so L and I decided to get dressed up and have dinner there before catching the show.
We were sat at the front of the restaurant which was an area I had never sat in before. The restaurant has several different rooms (a concept which Dean Fearing took with him to the Ritz) which allows for a very cozy feeling. The restaurant feels very modern, yet traditional.
Now, if you are pinching pennies, don't go have dinner at the Mansion. I mean, let's face it, when you go to eat at a place named "The Mansion", you can expect to part with some serious cash for dinner. Most entrees are in the $40s, some in the $50s. There's a 5 course tasting menu for $115 per person and if you'd like wine pairings, add $60 more. The tasting menu looked good but it looked like too much food for us. The good news is that each of the items on the tasting menu is available ala carte. Here's the current menu for your viewing pleasure:
http://www.mansiononturtlecreek.com/i/pdf/mansion_restaurant_dinner.pdf
I started with the East Coast Oysters Mignonette and Horseradish. I love oysters and these were very nice. Clean tasting with an oniony vinaigrette with a little side of horseradish sauce (I would have preferred just horseradish). L had the Lobster Cannelloni. At $32, she was a little hesitant to order it but sometimes a girl just needs some lobster. The lobster meat with on top of the cannelloni, and it looked very nice as well.
For entrees, I ordered the Roasted Pheasant. I'll admit, the main reason I ordered it was because it came with brussel sprouts and, as my loyal followers know, I love, love, love brussel sprouts. My pheasant was well season but, unfortunately it was slightly undercooked. The brussel sprouts were very small but tasty. The dark meat/chestnut ravioli, however, was the star of this dish. It had a rich, meaty taste that reminded me of empanadas for some reason. I was sad there was only one.
L had initially ordered the Venison from the tasting menu. L likes her meat cooked through, almost well done (sigh, still love her) and asked that her venison be done so as well. Our server came to our table and explained (copying Chef's French accent) that the chef recommended that she order something else because cooking the venison that way would ruin the integrity of the dish. We appreciated Chef Davaillon's honesty. It wasn't about ego. It was about wanting the guest to receive the best dining experience. L ordered the filet, medium well, instead. It came with duck fat fries, which L, who isn't a duck fan, wasn't quite sure about so she asked for brussel sprouts instead. She got both. I tried the duck fat fries and found that they tasted good but I like my fries to be slightly more fried.
We took a look at the desert menu, which looked divine, but we decided we would much rather have some chocolate martinis at the bar instead of dessert. So to the Bar we went. It was packed (as it usually is when Hunter Sullivan plays) but we were eventually able to get some seats at the bar. The chocolate martinis are so very good. Each bartender does theirs somewhat different. One was big on chocolate syrup. The other made his with more cream. Both were delicious and I consumed three before the end of the night. Would have probably done better calorie wise if I had stuck to dessert, but oh well.
The Mansion Bar rolled out a new winter drink menu recently which I posted on facebook the other day. I didn't want to mix too much so, sorry folks, I did not try them out. The bartender did give me a sample of his hot toddy. Whoa. L described it as Christmas flavored moonshine (it was apple brandy) and it was a pretty accurate description. It made my eyes water, cleared my sinuses, and burned all the way down. It was too much for me and I'm a scotch and whiskey girl. I took a couple of sips and passed it on to the guy from New York standing next to me who was in town on business and trying to convince me that all guys from NY are not a$$holes. Note to said guy, you would have been more convincing if you weren't staring at my cleavage while making your argument.
So did the Mansion win me over? Well, I can say this, it was definitely the best dinner I have had at the Mansion but I still feel that there are plenty of places in this town where you can get just as good of a meal for considerably less money. I think the Mansion will go into my rotation as a great once a year treat when I want to celebrate a special occasion or just want to dress up. I did have a wonderful time though. It was a great holiday Saturday night with one of my dearest friends. Thanks L!
Cheers!
Friday, December 17, 2010
Salum
Went to Salum for lunch on Friday. I forgot they serve lunch, and I'm so happy that K suggested it.
Salum is one of my favorite restaurants in Dallas. I have eaten there several times for dinner and have always enjoyed it. Never a bad meal and always great service. Chef Abraham's rack of lamb with mushroom bread pudding is one of my favorite dishes. I have the recipe and am dying to try it. Anyone want to volunteer to be my guinea pig?
The lunch menu is diverse and extremely well priced. Salads, sandwiches, entrees. http://salumrestaurant.com/menu.html I had a portobello panini with goat cheese and tomatoes. It came with your choice of fries, vegetable fries or salad. I chose the salad. It was simple but good. And did I mention is was $8.50? K ordered a caesar salad which had white anchovies and a parmesan chip. In addition she had curry shrimp on naan with the vegetable fries. K really enjoyed it.
The service was very nice and attentive. Chef Abraham even served us our lunch. He spent the entire time we were there spending time with his guests. He's one of the nicest chefs in Dallas.
Salum is also one of the prettiest restaurants in Dallas. White tablecloths and muted tones, it's a nice place for a business lunch or a romantic dinner. Definitely go. I know I'll be back.
Cheers!
Hillstone
So I met a friend at Hillstone last night for drinks. If that name doesn't sound familiar, it's the old Houston's off Preston, just South of Northwest Highway. I'm just going to call it Houston's because, well, that's what it's always been to me and and just about everyone else in Dallas.
I've always liked the bar there. It is a big, oblong wooden bar where you can see the people sitting across from you which makes getting your flirt on a whole lot easier. It tends to skew towards a slightly older single crowd (not, like, Eddie V's old. More like mid 30s to mid 50s old), and since I'm currently at the younger end of that spectrum, my chance of getting a drink or two bought for me by a nice man is higher than average. I'm not ashamed to admit that is why I like this place. Let's face it, sometimes all a single girl needs is a little attention from the opposite sex . . . and vino she didn't pay for. ;)
They've kept the menu pretty much the same as Houston's. The prime rib is still there. The spinach dip looks the same. The french dip and chicken sandwich are still on the menu. And they still serve the matchstick fries. All good enough, although I've always thought Houston's was a bit overpriced for what you get.
And that brings me to this:
WHATEVER YOU DO -- DO NOT ORDER CHIPS AND SALSA AT HILLSTONE!!!!
This is why -- you will be charged NINE EFFING DOLLARS for effing chips and salsa. You know, that stuff they give you for FREE with unlimited refills at every single Tex-Mex joint in the country? Hillstone thinks theirs is worth NINE EFFING DOLLARS. Trust me, it's not. No chips and salsa is worth NINE EFFING DOLLARS. I don't care if it's laced with gold and cocaine. I just had lunch at Salum, one of the best restaurants in Dallas in my humble opinion, and my portabello mushroom panini with goat cheese and tomatoes and a small salad was $8.50. NINE EFFING DOLLARS for mediocre chips and salsa. Outrageous.
I've always liked the bar there. It is a big, oblong wooden bar where you can see the people sitting across from you which makes getting your flirt on a whole lot easier. It tends to skew towards a slightly older single crowd (not, like, Eddie V's old. More like mid 30s to mid 50s old), and since I'm currently at the younger end of that spectrum, my chance of getting a drink or two bought for me by a nice man is higher than average. I'm not ashamed to admit that is why I like this place. Let's face it, sometimes all a single girl needs is a little attention from the opposite sex . . . and vino she didn't pay for. ;)
They've kept the menu pretty much the same as Houston's. The prime rib is still there. The spinach dip looks the same. The french dip and chicken sandwich are still on the menu. And they still serve the matchstick fries. All good enough, although I've always thought Houston's was a bit overpriced for what you get.
And that brings me to this:
WHATEVER YOU DO -- DO NOT ORDER CHIPS AND SALSA AT HILLSTONE!!!!
This is why -- you will be charged NINE EFFING DOLLARS for effing chips and salsa. You know, that stuff they give you for FREE with unlimited refills at every single Tex-Mex joint in the country? Hillstone thinks theirs is worth NINE EFFING DOLLARS. Trust me, it's not. No chips and salsa is worth NINE EFFING DOLLARS. I don't care if it's laced with gold and cocaine. I just had lunch at Salum, one of the best restaurants in Dallas in my humble opinion, and my portabello mushroom panini with goat cheese and tomatoes and a small salad was $8.50. NINE EFFING DOLLARS for mediocre chips and salsa. Outrageous.
I feel better now.
Cheers!
Monday, December 13, 2010
Tei-An
Went back to Tei-An in One Arts Plaza last night for dinner. I'd been there with Dr. L once before but just for some tea and ramen noodles so I was looking forward to a full meal there with one of my favorite foodie friends.
We ordered a bottle of wine. The wine list is a bit limited but well priced so we ordered an Erath Pinot Noir which was not good. No problem, what else would we like to try? We switched to the Huntington Cabernet (which used to be the Rattlesnake Bar at the Ritz' house) and it was just fine and at under $40, the price was right.
We ordered a chef's choice menu which has a Japanese word but I don't remember it. They have two levels -- $50 and $80. We chose the $50 and let the food fun begin.
We started with the white seaweed salad. Yum, so good. The white seaweed looks a little bit like mini egg noodles and it has a bit of a crunch to them. The salad itself was very refreshing, just enough acid to really make it a balanced dish. I will definitely order this again.
The next course was a sashimi platter -- 3 different types of fish, uni and octopus (2 pieces per person each). So fresh and delicious. There was a ton of uni which I took one piece of and let L have the rest. It actually was the best tasting uni I've ever had but I just don't like the texture of uni and don't think I ever will. The sashimi platter alone was probably worth the $50 we paid. Simply great.
We then had some tempura squid, which was really nice. Next course was beef tongue which was just delicious. The chef uses the very back of the tongue and then cooks it so tender it tastes like pot roast. To be honest, I didn't realize it was tongue until after I had eaten it. I'm generally opposed to eating anything that can taste back, but it just goes to show that lots of food issues are more mind over matter. Just try it without thinking. You might like it.
We then decided to have dessert. L isn't a dessert girl but she insisted that I try the desserts at Tei-An. So glad we did. We let the chef choose and got soba ice cream with black honey and tiramisu with caramel sauce. Love, love, lova soba ice cream and I am now obsessed with finding this honey. It had a rich, smoky taste to it that was divine. The tiramisu was good too -- not too sweet and very creamy.
The service was very nice and attentive. Chef Teiichi Sakurai stopped by a couple of times to say hello and make sure we were enjoying the evening. Nice man.
I'm definitely going back soon. I haven't even tried the soba noodles yet which is what Tei-An is known for. Since it's in One Arts Plaza, maybe I'll go before the next show at the Winspear I go to. There's a trolly that will take you from One Arts to the Winspear on theatre days. That sounds like a plan.
Cheers.
We ordered a bottle of wine. The wine list is a bit limited but well priced so we ordered an Erath Pinot Noir which was not good. No problem, what else would we like to try? We switched to the Huntington Cabernet (which used to be the Rattlesnake Bar at the Ritz' house) and it was just fine and at under $40, the price was right.
We ordered a chef's choice menu which has a Japanese word but I don't remember it. They have two levels -- $50 and $80. We chose the $50 and let the food fun begin.
We started with the white seaweed salad. Yum, so good. The white seaweed looks a little bit like mini egg noodles and it has a bit of a crunch to them. The salad itself was very refreshing, just enough acid to really make it a balanced dish. I will definitely order this again.
The next course was a sashimi platter -- 3 different types of fish, uni and octopus (2 pieces per person each). So fresh and delicious. There was a ton of uni which I took one piece of and let L have the rest. It actually was the best tasting uni I've ever had but I just don't like the texture of uni and don't think I ever will. The sashimi platter alone was probably worth the $50 we paid. Simply great.
We then had some tempura squid, which was really nice. Next course was beef tongue which was just delicious. The chef uses the very back of the tongue and then cooks it so tender it tastes like pot roast. To be honest, I didn't realize it was tongue until after I had eaten it. I'm generally opposed to eating anything that can taste back, but it just goes to show that lots of food issues are more mind over matter. Just try it without thinking. You might like it.
We then decided to have dessert. L isn't a dessert girl but she insisted that I try the desserts at Tei-An. So glad we did. We let the chef choose and got soba ice cream with black honey and tiramisu with caramel sauce. Love, love, lova soba ice cream and I am now obsessed with finding this honey. It had a rich, smoky taste to it that was divine. The tiramisu was good too -- not too sweet and very creamy.
The service was very nice and attentive. Chef Teiichi Sakurai stopped by a couple of times to say hello and make sure we were enjoying the evening. Nice man.
I'm definitely going back soon. I haven't even tried the soba noodles yet which is what Tei-An is known for. Since it's in One Arts Plaza, maybe I'll go before the next show at the Winspear I go to. There's a trolly that will take you from One Arts to the Winspear on theatre days. That sounds like a plan.
Cheers.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Brackets
So I stopped by the new sports bar, Brackets, which has taken over the old Trader Vic space at the Hotel Palomar. I have been excited about this place for awhile now. I pass by it every day on the way to work, and I've been looking for a sports bar that isn't on McKinney to watch some games. Plus, Jay Jerrier, the nicest pizza maker in Dallas, is attached, and I always like to see good people succeed.
They have completely de-tiki-fied the space, with not a tiki torch or pink umbrella in sight (although I understand a few remnants of Trader Vics remain in some storage units around the Palomar). Concrete floors, open ceiling and lots and lots of TVs. There are also a couple of ping pong and pool tables and a Wii dedicated TV area. Would be a fun location, if there were any people there.
Alas, the place was dead. They are still in their "soft opening" phase, with the official opening next Friday, but they seem to have their act together. I asked the bartender how business has been, and he admitted that daytime has been tough but they've been comfortably busy on weekend nights. Must be tough to open up a Dallas sports bar the week after the college games have stopped and during a season where the Cowboys defined suckage in their own special way. It's going to be a great place to watch the NCAA basketball tourney though so I hope business picks up.
I perused the menu. It looks really good. Lots of choices. Salads, sandwiches, sliders, entrees, etc. http://bracketsdallas.com/menus/Lunch-and-Dinner.pdf The beer list is pretty solid but the wine list I found curious because there were so many $99 bottles. This is a sports bar, right? I find it weird enough that some people (ie, my friends) drink wine at a sports bar (I'm a a firm believer you should eat steak at a steakhouse and drink beer at a sports bar) but who on earth would order a $99 bottle of wine at one? Strange.
We started with the tempura asparagus and green beans as an appetizer. A little greasy (and the asparagus a little chewy) but the sriracha mayo dip was super good as was the plum sauce that accompanied them.
But I was there for the Il Cane Rosso Pizza. The pizza oven is open to the dining area so you can see your pizza being fired if you'd like. I was not disappointed. The special of the day sounded great -- spicy pulled pork with peppers and onions -- but it sounded a little to spicy for us. We ordered the Tuscan instead. Tomatoes, basil, mozzarella, hot sopressata (which I was told was a type of cheese), and Jimmy's sausage. It was delicious (although adding Jimmy's to anything makes it taste better). I can't wait to go back to try a few more pies.
The service was good. We sat at the bar and Kevin took care of us well. The manager stopped by to get our impressions and a promise from us to come back again. Don't worry, we will. You should try it too.
Cheers!
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Ziziki's
Went to Ziziki’s at Travis Walk last night for A’s birthday. Ziziki’s is one of A’s favorite restaurants so I wasn’t surprised when she picked it for her birthday dinner location. I just have never felt the Ziziki’s love. I don’t know what it is. Maybe just going to Travis Walk makes me miss its glory days. You remember those days, back when you’d partied til the wee hours at Sipango’s or drank mojitos on Wednesday at Samba Room, or had a great meal and some wine at Il Sole (so miss their calamari). Now we are stuck with Trece and Villa-O which are just so, eh.
I don’t know what it is. Or maybe, I do.
Here’s the thing about Ziziki’s – I order the exact same thing there each and every time I go – lamb salad. It’s a good greek salad covered in well seasoned and (usually) tender lamb, but that’s my order. When I mentioned that to the folks at my table, I was amazed at how many said the exact same thing – when they come to Ziziki’s they don’t know why they bother to look at the menu because they always order the same thing. Now, not everybody orders the same thing I do. Some people order the Chicken Slouvlaki. Others order the Salmon Salad. But they all have their “dish” and that’s what they order. And maybe that’s what Ziziki’s is – the place where you go when you have that craving for that one thing. And that’s, okay, I guess. I just prefer to be more adventuresome when I dine, that’s all.
We started with some appetizers. Hummus and Dolmades. Ziziki’s has artichoke hummus which is good but I really prefer regular old chickpea hummus, myself. The dolmades were good but, wow, were they garlicky. (More on that in a moment.)
My lamb salad was as it always is and forever shall be. They did go a little lean on the salad toppings. I think I had 2 grape tomatoes, a couple of olives and a smattering of feta. I forgot to tell them no onions (I like cooked onions but not raw ones), but they were cut so thin I hardly noticed them. But I did get a generous helping of well-seasoned and tender lamb which was much appreciated because the last time I ate at Ziziki’s the lamb on my lamb salad (did you think I had ordered something else?) was really tough. 3 others at my table ordered the salmon salad, which is the lamb salad, 86 the lamb, and substitute salmon. (Give you 2 guess what the chicken salad consists of). They all made happy plates but when our server laid their plates down, I thought salmon had a bit of a fishy smell. K had her usual order -- the chicken slouvlaki with salad instead of potatoes -- which is basically the chicken salad but with the chicken in a pita and the salad on the side. Hmmm, maybe that’s why everyone orders the same thing every time they go to Ziziki’s? Their menu is basically different variations of the same thing. Yawn.
So I went home, got ready for bed, brushed my teeth, flossed (see Dr. Cortez, I do floss sometimes) and gargled with some mouthwash. Why is she telling us this, you ask. Well, despite my impeccable dental hygeine, I woke up with the biggest case of garlic breath I think I have ever had in my life. That’s great if you want to keep the vampires away but not so great if you want a good morning kiss from your sweetie. Thank goodness I'm single, right? (see Mom, it does have it's advantages). But this was no ordinary garlic breath. After another round of brushing, flossing and gargling, it was still there and I had a plane to catch. Great, I'm going to be banned from Southwest for stinky breath. Luckily, I found the cure for Ziziki garlic breath at Love Field -- Cinnabon coffee. Just another handy dandy little tip for living from WiDiDallas.
Cheers!
And btw, thanks to all who are now "liking" WiDiDallas on facebook. It's a work in progress but I really appreciate. it.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
WiDiDallas is Facebook Official
It's still a work in progress but feel free to "like" WiDiDallas on Facebook. In addition to my blog posts, I'll be trying to give those who "like" me, updates on what food and wine events are happening in the DFW area.
Cheers!
Cheers!
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Chefs for Farmers FW
Sorry, my loyal 10 or so WiDiDallas followers. This thing called "earning a living" seems to have put a cramp in my blogging style. But now that I see that light at the end of the tunnel (which may or may not be an oncoming train), I have some time to blog about the fantastic event I went to on Sunday, Chefs For Farmers Fort Worth.
The dinner was held at Times Ten in Fort Worth. No long table in a field this time which I was grateful for since, well, it's December and freaking cold outside. Instead there were 3 long tables in one big room. Although there were only about 25 more people there than the last one, it felt like there were 3 times as many. Guess being indoors instead of a vast field changes the perspective.
L and I were running late and got there just before things started. So, alas we missed the Il Cane Rosso pizza that served as an appetizer. No infamous bacon wrapped dates this time so the toothpick count was zero (sad face). We grabbed a glass of x10 white and sat down in one of the last seats available. Thank you C for saving them for us!
Here's a run down of the courses. Every one of them delicious.
Amuse: Roasted Sunchoke Soup. Matt McCallister. A perfect amuse bouche. So many complex flavors in one little shot. The soup was topped with a parsley foam and the shot glass was rimmed with salt. Delicious. Not embarrassed to say I tilted my head back to make sure I got every bit of what was contained in the shot glass. Not that I have any experience in doing shots, mind you . . .
Course No. 1. Blue crab and white gazpacho cocktail with a hint of white truffle. Jon Bonnell of Bonnell's Restaurant (paired with Dunham Cellars Riesling, Columbia Valley 2008). I wasn't too sure about this dish since I would never think about ordering gazpacho in December but it was a knockout. A ton of crab and not too much white truffle. Would love to have some for lunch today. The pairing was nice as well. It was a bit sweeter than the dry rieslings I have previously tried but the sweetness of the wine contrasted nicely with the acidity of the gazpacho.
No. 2. Assiette of smoked fish, turnips, pickled radish, smoked roe and melba. Blaine Staniford of Grace (paired with Distefano Sauvignon Blanc, Columbia Valley, 2009). I heard later that this was either people's favorite or least favorite dish. For me, it was my favorite dish of the night. I think the naysayers were probably turned off by the smoked fish aspect, since it is such a strong flavor. But I love smoked fish so I reveled in this dish's beauty and taste. Yum. The Sauvignon Blanc was a nice complement as well.
The dinner was held at Times Ten in Fort Worth. No long table in a field this time which I was grateful for since, well, it's December and freaking cold outside. Instead there were 3 long tables in one big room. Although there were only about 25 more people there than the last one, it felt like there were 3 times as many. Guess being indoors instead of a vast field changes the perspective.
L and I were running late and got there just before things started. So, alas we missed the Il Cane Rosso pizza that served as an appetizer. No infamous bacon wrapped dates this time so the toothpick count was zero (sad face). We grabbed a glass of x10 white and sat down in one of the last seats available. Thank you C for saving them for us!
Here's a run down of the courses. Every one of them delicious.
Amuse: Roasted Sunchoke Soup. Matt McCallister. A perfect amuse bouche. So many complex flavors in one little shot. The soup was topped with a parsley foam and the shot glass was rimmed with salt. Delicious. Not embarrassed to say I tilted my head back to make sure I got every bit of what was contained in the shot glass. Not that I have any experience in doing shots, mind you . . .
Course No. 1. Blue crab and white gazpacho cocktail with a hint of white truffle. Jon Bonnell of Bonnell's Restaurant (paired with Dunham Cellars Riesling, Columbia Valley 2008). I wasn't too sure about this dish since I would never think about ordering gazpacho in December but it was a knockout. A ton of crab and not too much white truffle. Would love to have some for lunch today. The pairing was nice as well. It was a bit sweeter than the dry rieslings I have previously tried but the sweetness of the wine contrasted nicely with the acidity of the gazpacho.
No. 2. Assiette of smoked fish, turnips, pickled radish, smoked roe and melba. Blaine Staniford of Grace (paired with Distefano Sauvignon Blanc, Columbia Valley, 2009). I heard later that this was either people's favorite or least favorite dish. For me, it was my favorite dish of the night. I think the naysayers were probably turned off by the smoked fish aspect, since it is such a strong flavor. But I love smoked fish so I reveled in this dish's beauty and taste. Yum. The Sauvignon Blanc was a nice complement as well.
No. 3. Rocky's Micro Beet Salad with Baby Fennel and Watercress Goat Cheese, Baby Leek Ranch and Sunflower Sprouts. Dan Landsberg (paired with Dunham Cellars Chardonnay, Shirley Mays, Columbia Valley 2009). I was happy to receive a second helping of the goat cheese because my dining companion L has her evil goat cheese aversion but this salad didn't wow me. The micro greens were difficult to eat. For some reason my knife refused to do its job and cut the stupid stems. It was probably user error I'm sure. Plus, I love beets and it just didn't feel like there was enough of them or enough flavor from them. Maybe I was expecting something macro out of micro beets. Who knows.
The wine, although not a standout, did have a great story. Shirley Mays is actually the wine makers grandmother who died of breast cancer. A portion of the proceeds from this wine's sale goes to support breast cancer charities. I, for one, am always willing to drink for a good cause.
No. 4. Braised pork shank with cheddar apple dumpling. Dena Peterson Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth (paired with Dunham Cellars Syrah, Columbia Valley, 2006). First, Chef Peterson managed to sneak some bacon in the braised pork shank and, as you know, I'm a big fan of bacon. But it wasn't the pork that stood out for me in this dish. It was the cheddar apple dumpling. It was not so much a dumpling but a really compact cheddar apple pie. Simply perfect on a cold December night. Sorry, don't remember much about the wine. Too dazzled by that dumpling, I guess. (um, that's what she said?)
No. 5 (dear waist line, I'm sorry). Stracotta of burgundy pasture beef on chickpea panissa, shiitake and bright lights chard. Michael Morabito of Colonial Country Club (paired with Dunham Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, Estate XII, Columbia Valley, 2006). When we were served our dish, L looked down and said "wait, I need a new knife." Never fear, L, there was no need for a knife. The beef was that tender. While this dish was good, it wasn't a stand out for me. The dish was cooked well and the flavors were well-balanced but I honestly think that I was so full at this point I was kind of done. Of course, we still had dessert . . .
No. 6. Pave with homemade creme fraiche, and crystallized organic lavender. Zach Townsend of Pure Chocolate Desserts (paired with Dunham Cellars, Late Harvest Riesling, Columbia Valley, 2008). I'm not sure what a pave exactly is, but it sure tasted like a chocolate cake to me. I liked the touch of crystallized lavender. Just enough so it didn't taste like you were eating soap (which is a bad thing. Trust me. My mom is old school and I had my mouth washed out with soap on more than one occasion growing up.). This final course tasted fine but was a bit too heavy for me after all that food I just had consumed. Would have preferred something more mousse like perhaps.
After dinner we then drove out to the country (like FW isn't country enough) and had a bonfire. So glad I went. There was a guy with a guitar singing Cowboy songs. There was a little 4 year old cowboy who decided he was going to the be the host with the most in his 10 gallon hat. There was hot chocolate. There was a Rahr beer keg. Did I mention there was a bonfire which Matt McCallister wanted to make as high as possible?
As we were lounging by the fire, out of the blue a horse with an Indian in full war paint comes charging at us. Eeek. Indian was not so terrifying when my little 4 year old cowboy friend walked up to him and said, "hi Kevin." Adorbs.
Dan Landsberg then showed up with some homemade marshmallows for roasting. I haven't roasted marshmallows by the campfire since my Girl Scout days. Oh, so good. This experience really kind of put the Tillman's smores to shame. Just can't duplicate a real live bonfire in a restaurant. Fire marshall would probably frown upon that. Though it would be totally cool.
Yet another fantastic CFF event. Can't wait until the next one in March. WiDiDallas knows the scoop but can't share it quite yet. Trust me. It's going to be amazing. You should go!
Cheers!
No. 6. Pave with homemade creme fraiche, and crystallized organic lavender. Zach Townsend of Pure Chocolate Desserts (paired with Dunham Cellars, Late Harvest Riesling, Columbia Valley, 2008). I'm not sure what a pave exactly is, but it sure tasted like a chocolate cake to me. I liked the touch of crystallized lavender. Just enough so it didn't taste like you were eating soap (which is a bad thing. Trust me. My mom is old school and I had my mouth washed out with soap on more than one occasion growing up.). This final course tasted fine but was a bit too heavy for me after all that food I just had consumed. Would have preferred something more mousse like perhaps.
After dinner we then drove out to the country (like FW isn't country enough) and had a bonfire. So glad I went. There was a guy with a guitar singing Cowboy songs. There was a little 4 year old cowboy who decided he was going to the be the host with the most in his 10 gallon hat. There was hot chocolate. There was a Rahr beer keg. Did I mention there was a bonfire which Matt McCallister wanted to make as high as possible?
As we were lounging by the fire, out of the blue a horse with an Indian in full war paint comes charging at us. Eeek. Indian was not so terrifying when my little 4 year old cowboy friend walked up to him and said, "hi Kevin." Adorbs.
Dan Landsberg then showed up with some homemade marshmallows for roasting. I haven't roasted marshmallows by the campfire since my Girl Scout days. Oh, so good. This experience really kind of put the Tillman's smores to shame. Just can't duplicate a real live bonfire in a restaurant. Fire marshall would probably frown upon that. Though it would be totally cool.
Yet another fantastic CFF event. Can't wait until the next one in March. WiDiDallas knows the scoop but can't share it quite yet. Trust me. It's going to be amazing. You should go!
Cheers!
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Eddie V's, NOSH, and Tei-An, Oh My
I recently met a new foodie friend, L. Like me, L will eat just about anything and loves trying out new restaurants. And she's also a really nice person so yeah!
We met at Eddie V's for a drink. The bar was relatively busy but, alas, not one age appropriate single boy to flirt with. God I wish this bar was more of a 30/40 something scene. They make a mean manhattan, I love manhattans and I love to get my flirt after a few. But, no worries, we were only here from one and L and I got to know each other a bit better. I found out that not only is she a fellow foodie but a scotch lover as well. Oh, this will be fun.
We then headed over to NOSH, which was recently converted from the old Aurora space. I had been to Aurora. It was very quiet and pretty, in soft muted tones. The food was good and very fancy and very, very expensive. NOSH is a very different restaurant from Aurora. Gone were the soft, muted tones. Now, a Blue Dog painting is hanging on the wall. There's a smallish wooden bar where a flat screen TV shows a live feed from the kitchen. And, there were people there. Lots, and lots of people. It was bustling on this Friday night. Very glad we made reservations.
We looked over the menu, trying to figure out what to order. We each had multiple appetizers we wanted to try so, we decided to have an appetizer dinner. I tried to write about all the appetizers we had, but it was just too much. So here's what we ate, which reads like a foodie wish list: foie gras, miso glazed port ribs, escargot classic, falafel, crispy oysters with spinach, tarragon cream, and sherry vinegar, and ahi tartare. All very good, especially the falafel and foie gras.
Service was good, not great. Felt as if he wasn't 100% confident in the wine menu. He definitely did not want us to try the beef cigars which we inquired about multiple times and he always suggested something else instead. Wonder if Leslie Brenner's recent review where she called them "underseasoned" had them reworking them. In Brenner's review, she mentioned her feeling that at Aurora Chef Avner had "Avs" and "Av-Nots". Well, apparently the table behind us was an Av because I saw the Chef fawning over them multiple times. Us, Not so much, or at all actually. But that's okay. I don't need to be fawned over to like a place. I'm here for the food and it was good enough to make me want to come back again. Should probably check out a few entrees and need to check out there lunch since it's down the street ffrom the office.
At some point during our appetizer tour, I heard the unmistakeable sound of glass breaking. I looked down and saw L's wine glass on the floor in pieces and her red wine covering a Gucci purse. Then I hear L say, "you knocked my wine glass off the table with your purse." Apparently, the woman joining the table next to us had done just that. Now, if I had done that (and I have) my response would have been (while on my hands and knees mopping up the wine from the floor), "OMG, OMG, OMG. I'm so very, very sorry. I'm such a klutz. Please, please, please let me buy you a glass of wine to make up for my bull in a china shop behavior. I'm so so sorry. Please, can I buy you a dessert? I'm so mortified. Please forgive me. What can I do to make this up to you?" Instead, a blank stare and not even a single "sorry". In fact, she barely seemed concerned that her cloth Gucci was now covered in red wine or that she was wearing a completely ivory outfit and there was potential for red wine stains. Maybe all the filler and botox in her face made her physically unable to express any emotion about her party foul, maybe her Gucci is scotchguarded, maybe, unlike me, she can wear an ivory outfit and not get stuff on it. Who knows. But where I come from (you know, planet Earth), I apologize if I knock over someone's wine glass, especially when it is completely my fault. It was odd and rude.
The restaurant didn't handle it much better either. I saw our server frantically pull his manager aside and ask what to do. L's broken glass was quickly removed from the floow and a new glass was quickly put on our table and filled again from our bottle. And that was it, no mention of the incident, as if it didn't happen. Fiddle lee dee. Again, odd.
We got out of there, with all of those appetizers and a bottle of wine for about $60 each. Could never do that at Aurora. Of course, next time, I'll avoid the woman with the Gucci purse.
We finished up about 9 and weren't quite ready to go home so we decided to head to Tei-An for just one last dish. I haven't eaten at Tei-An before so I was happy to check it out. We split a bowl of ramen and I am so going back there. It was just so good. So warm and flavorful, perfect for a cold night. Now that winter is finally coming upon us, I see myself trying out a lot of dishes there.
Great night with a great new foodie friend. Can't wait for our next adventure, especially if there's scotch involved.
Cheers!
We met at Eddie V's for a drink. The bar was relatively busy but, alas, not one age appropriate single boy to flirt with. God I wish this bar was more of a 30/40 something scene. They make a mean manhattan, I love manhattans and I love to get my flirt after a few. But, no worries, we were only here from one and L and I got to know each other a bit better. I found out that not only is she a fellow foodie but a scotch lover as well. Oh, this will be fun.
We then headed over to NOSH, which was recently converted from the old Aurora space. I had been to Aurora. It was very quiet and pretty, in soft muted tones. The food was good and very fancy and very, very expensive. NOSH is a very different restaurant from Aurora. Gone were the soft, muted tones. Now, a Blue Dog painting is hanging on the wall. There's a smallish wooden bar where a flat screen TV shows a live feed from the kitchen. And, there were people there. Lots, and lots of people. It was bustling on this Friday night. Very glad we made reservations.
We looked over the menu, trying to figure out what to order. We each had multiple appetizers we wanted to try so, we decided to have an appetizer dinner. I tried to write about all the appetizers we had, but it was just too much. So here's what we ate, which reads like a foodie wish list: foie gras, miso glazed port ribs, escargot classic, falafel, crispy oysters with spinach, tarragon cream, and sherry vinegar, and ahi tartare. All very good, especially the falafel and foie gras.
Service was good, not great. Felt as if he wasn't 100% confident in the wine menu. He definitely did not want us to try the beef cigars which we inquired about multiple times and he always suggested something else instead. Wonder if Leslie Brenner's recent review where she called them "underseasoned" had them reworking them. In Brenner's review, she mentioned her feeling that at Aurora Chef Avner had "Avs" and "Av-Nots". Well, apparently the table behind us was an Av because I saw the Chef fawning over them multiple times. Us, Not so much, or at all actually. But that's okay. I don't need to be fawned over to like a place. I'm here for the food and it was good enough to make me want to come back again. Should probably check out a few entrees and need to check out there lunch since it's down the street ffrom the office.
At some point during our appetizer tour, I heard the unmistakeable sound of glass breaking. I looked down and saw L's wine glass on the floor in pieces and her red wine covering a Gucci purse. Then I hear L say, "you knocked my wine glass off the table with your purse." Apparently, the woman joining the table next to us had done just that. Now, if I had done that (and I have) my response would have been (while on my hands and knees mopping up the wine from the floor), "OMG, OMG, OMG. I'm so very, very sorry. I'm such a klutz. Please, please, please let me buy you a glass of wine to make up for my bull in a china shop behavior. I'm so so sorry. Please, can I buy you a dessert? I'm so mortified. Please forgive me. What can I do to make this up to you?" Instead, a blank stare and not even a single "sorry". In fact, she barely seemed concerned that her cloth Gucci was now covered in red wine or that she was wearing a completely ivory outfit and there was potential for red wine stains. Maybe all the filler and botox in her face made her physically unable to express any emotion about her party foul, maybe her Gucci is scotchguarded, maybe, unlike me, she can wear an ivory outfit and not get stuff on it. Who knows. But where I come from (you know, planet Earth), I apologize if I knock over someone's wine glass, especially when it is completely my fault. It was odd and rude.
The restaurant didn't handle it much better either. I saw our server frantically pull his manager aside and ask what to do. L's broken glass was quickly removed from the floow and a new glass was quickly put on our table and filled again from our bottle. And that was it, no mention of the incident, as if it didn't happen. Fiddle lee dee. Again, odd.
We got out of there, with all of those appetizers and a bottle of wine for about $60 each. Could never do that at Aurora. Of course, next time, I'll avoid the woman with the Gucci purse.
We finished up about 9 and weren't quite ready to go home so we decided to head to Tei-An for just one last dish. I haven't eaten at Tei-An before so I was happy to check it out. We split a bowl of ramen and I am so going back there. It was just so good. So warm and flavorful, perfect for a cold night. Now that winter is finally coming upon us, I see myself trying out a lot of dishes there.
Great night with a great new foodie friend. Can't wait for our next adventure, especially if there's scotch involved.
Cheers!
Saturday, November 6, 2010
La Duni
Went to La Duni on McKinney this morning for a birthday brunch. They don't take reservations so our party of 11 was a challenge but we did not wait very long for our table.
I go to La Duni on Oak Lawn quite a bit since it's down the street from my office. Service is always a bit spotty but the food is always spot on. I seem to order the same thing when I go there -- the pollo con palmitas. Grilled chicken breast, hearts of palm, avocado, sliced tomatoes, and pickled onions (my favorite). It's good and good for you. Loves it.
I hadn't been for brunch in awhile. Began with a bellini. Very refreshing but glad I didn't get another one. Would have spent the rest of this beautiful day sleeping it off if I had.
Everyone ordered and our meals all showed up at random times. Two here, two there. Some of us had to start eating before others had their food or it would get cold.
But once the food arrived, everyone seemed pretty happy. I ordered the breakfast tacos. Scrambled eggs, tomatoes, scallions, with black beans and potatoes, served with corn tortillas. La Duni's scrambled eggs are so good. Really soft and flavorful. I think they may be made with crack. Could not stop eating. Potatoes were fantastic as well.
We ran into a few glitches in paying out our bill. They offered to do separate tabs which was greatly appreciated because, well, none of us ever have any cash. One of our tablemates didn't get her bill until well after everyone else had paid out. Another had put down a 20 and was told twice that she had only put in 2 5s. They charged the one person who did not eat and who only had soda water, $2.25 for a glass of soda. But whatever. L had a good birthday. That's all we can ask.
Cheers!
I go to La Duni on Oak Lawn quite a bit since it's down the street from my office. Service is always a bit spotty but the food is always spot on. I seem to order the same thing when I go there -- the pollo con palmitas. Grilled chicken breast, hearts of palm, avocado, sliced tomatoes, and pickled onions (my favorite). It's good and good for you. Loves it.
I hadn't been for brunch in awhile. Began with a bellini. Very refreshing but glad I didn't get another one. Would have spent the rest of this beautiful day sleeping it off if I had.
Everyone ordered and our meals all showed up at random times. Two here, two there. Some of us had to start eating before others had their food or it would get cold.
But once the food arrived, everyone seemed pretty happy. I ordered the breakfast tacos. Scrambled eggs, tomatoes, scallions, with black beans and potatoes, served with corn tortillas. La Duni's scrambled eggs are so good. Really soft and flavorful. I think they may be made with crack. Could not stop eating. Potatoes were fantastic as well.
We ran into a few glitches in paying out our bill. They offered to do separate tabs which was greatly appreciated because, well, none of us ever have any cash. One of our tablemates didn't get her bill until well after everyone else had paid out. Another had put down a 20 and was told twice that she had only put in 2 5s. They charged the one person who did not eat and who only had soda water, $2.25 for a glass of soda. But whatever. L had a good birthday. That's all we can ask.
Cheers!
Friday, November 5, 2010
Vickery Park
I declared Friday Franziskaner Friday because, well, it was Friday and I wanted to drink beer and, when I drink beer lately, it tends to be Franziskaner. I prefer the dunkle but the hef works just fine.
We decided to go to Vickery Park. It had been awhile since I had been there to drink and even longer since I had been there to eat. I've always liked this bar, especially since the smoking ban has stopped me from reaking of cigarette smoke when I leave. It's a little different from the usual Henderson places. A little dirty and rough around the edges -- like Henderson used to be before everyone discovered it.
Ordered my Franziskaner. I was denied my opportunity for the perfect pour because I was, alas, handed a warm glass. The former bartender in me is a bit obsessed with pouring my Franziskaner myself with a perfect one inch head. Alas, I need a cool glass to get it right. So had to settle for just a little more foam. Oh well. They had a strangely named beer on tap -- Two Dead Guys. I asked the bartender, so, what does a beer that's namd Two Dead Guys taste like? He responded with a taste. It's a very strong ale and I'll describe it this way - drinking it is like seeing a crime scene involving 2 dead guys. You don't want to look (taste) but you keep doing it anyway.
I ordered the mussels. It was just a half order and I'm glad that's what I ordered because it was as big as my head (and if you know me, you know I have a freakishly large noggin). The mussels were in a ginger lime cream sauce that was just delicious. After I finished the mussels (and I ate everyone save the one that hadn't opened), I started dipping my frites in the sauce (I liked that better than the srirracha ketchup that they give you. I like srirracha (try throwing some srirracha in with some brussel sprouts, delish), but I like regular old Heinz 57 more). The frites were good but not great. I think the fry oil hadn't been changed in quite some time.
C had the salmon which she loved. Served with grilled asparagus and tomatoes, it was the healthy choice of the night. I can always rely on C for that.
I've been to VP for brunch, which VP has received high praise for, and have been unimpressed. But a lot of people declare it to be good, so maybe I just picked wrong or something. Will have to go back and see. Oh, and Tuesdays are half priced food night. Think those mussels will taste even better at half price! ;)
Funny, although I no longer smell like cigarette smoke after going there, a couple of hours inside at the bar has made me smell like, well, bar food. Good bar food, but I still need to take a shower. Odd. And grrrr, I just got my hair done (yeah, bangs are back) and now my hair stinks. So much for keeping the locks hairdresser perfect for Saturday.
Cheers!
We decided to go to Vickery Park. It had been awhile since I had been there to drink and even longer since I had been there to eat. I've always liked this bar, especially since the smoking ban has stopped me from reaking of cigarette smoke when I leave. It's a little different from the usual Henderson places. A little dirty and rough around the edges -- like Henderson used to be before everyone discovered it.
Ordered my Franziskaner. I was denied my opportunity for the perfect pour because I was, alas, handed a warm glass. The former bartender in me is a bit obsessed with pouring my Franziskaner myself with a perfect one inch head. Alas, I need a cool glass to get it right. So had to settle for just a little more foam. Oh well. They had a strangely named beer on tap -- Two Dead Guys. I asked the bartender, so, what does a beer that's namd Two Dead Guys taste like? He responded with a taste. It's a very strong ale and I'll describe it this way - drinking it is like seeing a crime scene involving 2 dead guys. You don't want to look (taste) but you keep doing it anyway.
I ordered the mussels. It was just a half order and I'm glad that's what I ordered because it was as big as my head (and if you know me, you know I have a freakishly large noggin). The mussels were in a ginger lime cream sauce that was just delicious. After I finished the mussels (and I ate everyone save the one that hadn't opened), I started dipping my frites in the sauce (I liked that better than the srirracha ketchup that they give you. I like srirracha (try throwing some srirracha in with some brussel sprouts, delish), but I like regular old Heinz 57 more). The frites were good but not great. I think the fry oil hadn't been changed in quite some time.
C had the salmon which she loved. Served with grilled asparagus and tomatoes, it was the healthy choice of the night. I can always rely on C for that.
I've been to VP for brunch, which VP has received high praise for, and have been unimpressed. But a lot of people declare it to be good, so maybe I just picked wrong or something. Will have to go back and see. Oh, and Tuesdays are half priced food night. Think those mussels will taste even better at half price! ;)
Funny, although I no longer smell like cigarette smoke after going there, a couple of hours inside at the bar has made me smell like, well, bar food. Good bar food, but I still need to take a shower. Odd. And grrrr, I just got my hair done (yeah, bangs are back) and now my hair stinks. So much for keeping the locks hairdresser perfect for Saturday.
Cheers!
Friday, October 29, 2010
The Grape (and a couple of random stories)
We start today of a little story which begins on Valentines' Day several years ago. I (shocker!) was dateless this V-Day and had hoped to escape the evening with an entire bottle of wine at home alone. But I received an email that afternoon from a friend of mine, who also happened to not have a date that evening, suggesting that we do a girls dinner on Valentines' Day at the least romantic restaurant in Dallas - HPV Mi Cocina. Really? Go out in public on Valentines' Day without a date? I just wasn't sure. But the call of queso and mambos were too great to resist, so I went. And had one of the best times of my life.
There were only 3 of at that dinner. L, M, and me. We were seated at the second floor of MiC, far away from all of the couples who for some unknown reason chose MiC for their romantic meal. I hadn't known L & M very long. We were more acquaintances than friends at that point. But that day changed that. We talked, we laughed, we drank, and we created Supper Club.
The idea of Supper Club was quite simple. We were single women who wanted to go to nice restaurants but finding dates who wanted to do the same, not so easy (and P.S., if you know of any such guys, L & WiDi are still single, so hook us up). So we'd go ourselves -- one dinner, once a month, wherever we want to go, price is no object. We invited a few friends to join us. We had a great run. Ate some great meals at some great restaurants. But over the years, people moved, friendships changes, we just really got busy with life. Supper Club went from once a month, to every other month, to whenever someone thought of making a reservation, to gone.
But L, M, and I decided we still wanted to keep our original idea alive. So every few months, we get together and go wherever we want, just the 3 of us. It's our own little Supper Club which we will always cherish and which I hope we never stop.
At CFF, I sat across from Brian and Courtney Luscher of The Grape. They were so much fun and we had a great time. So, the next day, I sent an email to L & M and told them, next Supper Club, we're going to The Grape.
Now The Grape has been around Dallas for 38 years. That's an eternity in the restaurant world. It seems like everyone in Dallas has a Grape story. Since for years it was labeled as the "most romantic restaurant in Dallas", lots of people have had first dates, marriage proposals, anniversaries there. I, however, did not really discover the Grape until this year. I'll be quite honest, the "most romantic" title had kind of steered me away. Being, much to my mother's chagrin, in a state of perpetual singlehood, I'd kind of avoided the place. Single people just don't go there, do they?
I actually went to The Grape this spring for the first time on a first date. Well, at least I later realized that it was a first date. At the time, I called it a "I think I was on a date, but I'm not sure." See guys, women really are quite simple creatures. This is how we think: "kiss goodnight = date". But when you go and do the whole chivalrous "no kiss on the first date" thing, we don't know what to do with that. Sure, we will appreciate it and think it was adorable later, but the next day we will spend analyzing every aspect of the evening to try to figure out was it a date or not. It is not until you actually kiss us goodnight that we actually go, "duh, that was a date." I spoke to a guy friend about this, and he looked at me like I was a moron. He then gave me some very sage advice which I will now share with my 8 readers: "If he picks you up and pays for your meal, you are on a date, dummy." WiDiDallas' dating advice at its finest. Although, since I'm no longer dating the guy that took me to the Grape, maybe you should ignore my advice altogether. ;)
Now back to The Grape.
So I get there a little early and ask for the wine list. When our server hands it to me, she says these amazing words, "By the way, on Thursdays, all bottles are 1/3 off." Wait, wha? I will repeat. ON THURSDAYS, ALL BOTTLES OF WINE AT THE GRAPE ARE 1/3 OFF PEOPLE!!!!!!! How did I not know this?! As I look over the wine list, I am so happy. There are so many good bottles and pretty decent prices without the discount. But 1/3 off? Oh, we'll be drinking nice tonight.
Courtney comes over to say hello and we ask for a wine recommendation. Wow, she knows her stuff. She tells us she's really been into Italian wines lately so we go with her first choice, which, of course, bad blogger, I can't remember. It was Italian, it was delicious, it was 1/3 off, that's all I've got.
L, M, and I look over the menu. Courtney tells us that they've recently redesigned the menu so one side can reflect Brian's most recent creations and the other side will have the bistro favorites which never change. I like it. If you want an old standby, go to the right. If you want to try something a little different, go to the left. It took us a long time to decide what we were going to eat. As M said, "there is nothing on this menu that I will not eat." And she was right. Everything looks so good. What to decide? So . . . we asked.
Taking our server's and Courtney's suggestions, we ordered as follows: L - half orders of both Romaine Salad and Coal Miner's pasta; M - half orders of both Courtney's Salad and the Bistro Steak Frites; Me - half order of the Romaine Salad and the Coq Au Vin "Blanc".
Our salads were good and very fresh, just not that memorable, but it was our entrees which really stood out. First, thank goodness for half orders! If L & M had ordered full orders of their dishes, I might have had to wheel them out of there. The Grape's half orders (available on some dishes) are actually what I would consider a full portion. L's Coal Miner's pasta was delicious. It's Brian's take on the pasta carbonara. Chef Brian explained that since there are so many carbonara purist out there (really? who knew?), he didn't feel right calling it a carbonara since he adds spinach and tomatoes to his. So he calls it Coal Miner's from the English translation of carbonara. M's bistro steak looked very good, although the bitter greens salad was a little extraneous since M had ordered a salad as her starter. My Coq Au Vin was also delicious. A poussin is used instead of chicken in a nice, hearty sauce. The poussin simply fell off the bone. The homemade gnocchi added a nice texture element and the Chef's pancetta added another nice element to the dish. So good.
For dessert, we decided to do cheese rather than sweet. The Grape is known for its Cheese & Charcuterie plates, for good reason. And next time I go for drinks (and there will be a next time), I'm going to check out the charcuterie. We asked Chef Brian to create us a little plate, minus any goat cheese which L believes is what "the Devil tastes like." Yum. Three cheeses (my favorite, the triple cream), some grapes, a fig preserve, and a mix fruit sauce (I know there's a better word I can use but can't think of it now). A perfect way to end our meal. Well, that and our bottle of Schramsberg Mirabelle Brut Rose (good blogger took a picture of that bottle). Hello, do you not remember 1/3 off all bottles?!
What a fun night at The Grape, which, although I'm sure is quite romantic, is actually just a great neighborhood bistro and now officially the single girl's favorite restaurant in the 'hood. And here's an added bonus. We got the check and were shocked to discover that for the three of us, with 2 amazing courses each (our cheese course was compliments of the chef - THANK YOU BRIAN!), and 2 bottles of really nice wine, with tip (our server was great, fyi) and tax was less than $80 each. I love you Thursday nights at the Grape!
Thank you Brian and Courtney for your wonderful hospitality, your wonderful wine and fabulous food. Thanks L & M for the laughs.
Cheers!
PS - The Grape is hosting a great event this Saturday, October 30th, on their patio. It's the Food Truck Reconstructed. Brian will be making his famous "Texas best" burgers, there will be tacos, even snow cones. It's from 11-2. Going to try to make it. You should too!
There were only 3 of at that dinner. L, M, and me. We were seated at the second floor of MiC, far away from all of the couples who for some unknown reason chose MiC for their romantic meal. I hadn't known L & M very long. We were more acquaintances than friends at that point. But that day changed that. We talked, we laughed, we drank, and we created Supper Club.
The idea of Supper Club was quite simple. We were single women who wanted to go to nice restaurants but finding dates who wanted to do the same, not so easy (and P.S., if you know of any such guys, L & WiDi are still single, so hook us up). So we'd go ourselves -- one dinner, once a month, wherever we want to go, price is no object. We invited a few friends to join us. We had a great run. Ate some great meals at some great restaurants. But over the years, people moved, friendships changes, we just really got busy with life. Supper Club went from once a month, to every other month, to whenever someone thought of making a reservation, to gone.
But L, M, and I decided we still wanted to keep our original idea alive. So every few months, we get together and go wherever we want, just the 3 of us. It's our own little Supper Club which we will always cherish and which I hope we never stop.
At CFF, I sat across from Brian and Courtney Luscher of The Grape. They were so much fun and we had a great time. So, the next day, I sent an email to L & M and told them, next Supper Club, we're going to The Grape.
Now The Grape has been around Dallas for 38 years. That's an eternity in the restaurant world. It seems like everyone in Dallas has a Grape story. Since for years it was labeled as the "most romantic restaurant in Dallas", lots of people have had first dates, marriage proposals, anniversaries there. I, however, did not really discover the Grape until this year. I'll be quite honest, the "most romantic" title had kind of steered me away. Being, much to my mother's chagrin, in a state of perpetual singlehood, I'd kind of avoided the place. Single people just don't go there, do they?
I actually went to The Grape this spring for the first time on a first date. Well, at least I later realized that it was a first date. At the time, I called it a "I think I was on a date, but I'm not sure." See guys, women really are quite simple creatures. This is how we think: "kiss goodnight = date". But when you go and do the whole chivalrous "no kiss on the first date" thing, we don't know what to do with that. Sure, we will appreciate it and think it was adorable later, but the next day we will spend analyzing every aspect of the evening to try to figure out was it a date or not. It is not until you actually kiss us goodnight that we actually go, "duh, that was a date." I spoke to a guy friend about this, and he looked at me like I was a moron. He then gave me some very sage advice which I will now share with my 8 readers: "If he picks you up and pays for your meal, you are on a date, dummy." WiDiDallas' dating advice at its finest. Although, since I'm no longer dating the guy that took me to the Grape, maybe you should ignore my advice altogether. ;)
Now back to The Grape.
So I get there a little early and ask for the wine list. When our server hands it to me, she says these amazing words, "By the way, on Thursdays, all bottles are 1/3 off." Wait, wha? I will repeat. ON THURSDAYS, ALL BOTTLES OF WINE AT THE GRAPE ARE 1/3 OFF PEOPLE!!!!!!! How did I not know this?! As I look over the wine list, I am so happy. There are so many good bottles and pretty decent prices without the discount. But 1/3 off? Oh, we'll be drinking nice tonight.
Courtney comes over to say hello and we ask for a wine recommendation. Wow, she knows her stuff. She tells us she's really been into Italian wines lately so we go with her first choice, which, of course, bad blogger, I can't remember. It was Italian, it was delicious, it was 1/3 off, that's all I've got.
L, M, and I look over the menu. Courtney tells us that they've recently redesigned the menu so one side can reflect Brian's most recent creations and the other side will have the bistro favorites which never change. I like it. If you want an old standby, go to the right. If you want to try something a little different, go to the left. It took us a long time to decide what we were going to eat. As M said, "there is nothing on this menu that I will not eat." And she was right. Everything looks so good. What to decide? So . . . we asked.
Taking our server's and Courtney's suggestions, we ordered as follows: L - half orders of both Romaine Salad and Coal Miner's pasta; M - half orders of both Courtney's Salad and the Bistro Steak Frites; Me - half order of the Romaine Salad and the Coq Au Vin "Blanc".
Our salads were good and very fresh, just not that memorable, but it was our entrees which really stood out. First, thank goodness for half orders! If L & M had ordered full orders of their dishes, I might have had to wheel them out of there. The Grape's half orders (available on some dishes) are actually what I would consider a full portion. L's Coal Miner's pasta was delicious. It's Brian's take on the pasta carbonara. Chef Brian explained that since there are so many carbonara purist out there (really? who knew?), he didn't feel right calling it a carbonara since he adds spinach and tomatoes to his. So he calls it Coal Miner's from the English translation of carbonara. M's bistro steak looked very good, although the bitter greens salad was a little extraneous since M had ordered a salad as her starter. My Coq Au Vin was also delicious. A poussin is used instead of chicken in a nice, hearty sauce. The poussin simply fell off the bone. The homemade gnocchi added a nice texture element and the Chef's pancetta added another nice element to the dish. So good.
For dessert, we decided to do cheese rather than sweet. The Grape is known for its Cheese & Charcuterie plates, for good reason. And next time I go for drinks (and there will be a next time), I'm going to check out the charcuterie. We asked Chef Brian to create us a little plate, minus any goat cheese which L believes is what "the Devil tastes like." Yum. Three cheeses (my favorite, the triple cream), some grapes, a fig preserve, and a mix fruit sauce (I know there's a better word I can use but can't think of it now). A perfect way to end our meal. Well, that and our bottle of Schramsberg Mirabelle Brut Rose (good blogger took a picture of that bottle). Hello, do you not remember 1/3 off all bottles?!
What a fun night at The Grape, which, although I'm sure is quite romantic, is actually just a great neighborhood bistro and now officially the single girl's favorite restaurant in the 'hood. And here's an added bonus. We got the check and were shocked to discover that for the three of us, with 2 amazing courses each (our cheese course was compliments of the chef - THANK YOU BRIAN!), and 2 bottles of really nice wine, with tip (our server was great, fyi) and tax was less than $80 each. I love you Thursday nights at the Grape!
Thank you Brian and Courtney for your wonderful hospitality, your wonderful wine and fabulous food. Thanks L & M for the laughs.
Cheers!
PS - The Grape is hosting a great event this Saturday, October 30th, on their patio. It's the Food Truck Reconstructed. Brian will be making his famous "Texas best" burgers, there will be tacos, even snow cones. It's from 11-2. Going to try to make it. You should too!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Wai Wai
Wai Wai
I had a meeting in Richardson this afternoon and just did not feel great. I'd been feeling a little off all day and a long meeting did not help. I cancelled my Rangers' watching plans and decided to spend the night at home to see if I can get rid of this crud before it starts. On my way home, I called in an order at Wai Wai on Mockingbird, next to SMU. I discovered Wai Wai earlier this year as it's right next door to the place where I get my nails done. I often get their chicken pad thai. It's pretty good, although it is a bit sweet sometimes. But I absolutely adore their Tom Yum soup with chicken. When I had laryngitis this spring (I lost my voice completely for a week. Me, not talking for a week. Imagine that.), it was all I wanted to eat. It's a little spicy with lime, cilantro, fresh tomatoes, green onions and mushrooms. It's like the cure for the common cold. But for the score of the game (come on Rangers), I would be feeling great right now. I also recommend their summer rolls. Some of the best in Dallas, although I think their peanut sauce could be just a tad thicker. I've been to Wai Wai about a dozen times and I either get the pad thai or the soup and summer rolls. I probably need to expand my menu selections there, but I found what I like and don't really feel the need to change it. I'm okay with that.
Headed to The Grape tomorrow to see what Chef Brian has up his sleeve for its 38th birthday celebration. Can't wait. Read all about it here on Friday.
Cheers!
I had a meeting in Richardson this afternoon and just did not feel great. I'd been feeling a little off all day and a long meeting did not help. I cancelled my Rangers' watching plans and decided to spend the night at home to see if I can get rid of this crud before it starts. On my way home, I called in an order at Wai Wai on Mockingbird, next to SMU. I discovered Wai Wai earlier this year as it's right next door to the place where I get my nails done. I often get their chicken pad thai. It's pretty good, although it is a bit sweet sometimes. But I absolutely adore their Tom Yum soup with chicken. When I had laryngitis this spring (I lost my voice completely for a week. Me, not talking for a week. Imagine that.), it was all I wanted to eat. It's a little spicy with lime, cilantro, fresh tomatoes, green onions and mushrooms. It's like the cure for the common cold. But for the score of the game (come on Rangers), I would be feeling great right now. I also recommend their summer rolls. Some of the best in Dallas, although I think their peanut sauce could be just a tad thicker. I've been to Wai Wai about a dozen times and I either get the pad thai or the soup and summer rolls. I probably need to expand my menu selections there, but I found what I like and don't really feel the need to change it. I'm okay with that.
Headed to The Grape tomorrow to see what Chef Brian has up his sleeve for its 38th birthday celebration. Can't wait. Read all about it here on Friday.
Cheers!
Monday, October 18, 2010
Chefs for Farmers
I went to Chefs for Farmers ("CFF") yesterday at Eden's Garden in Balch Springs. CFF brought together some of the best and brightest chefs in town and joined them with some great local farms to give you a true farm to table experience because, well, the table is right there at the farm. Seriously, one big long communal table for 100 in the middle of a field. All supporting gleantexas.org. It was a perfect day to eat and eat we did.
First, before we get to the dinner,
An Ode to An Appetizer
How do I love thee
Bacon wrapped dates from Cafe Malaga
Let me count the ways
One . . .nom, nom, nom
Two . . . nom, nom, nom
Three . . . nom, nom, nom
Four . . . nom, nom, nom
Ten . . . nom, nom, nom
Eleven . . . nom, nom, nom
Twelve . . . nom, nom, nom
Oh, please don't take them away server.
I still want to eat more.
I will remember you always
Oh delicious bacon wrapped dates
We had to hide our toothpicks of shame because none of us wanted to be conscious of how many of these pieces of heaven we actually ate. I kinda liked, er, loved them. Cafe Malaga is in McKinney and these would be worth that drive.
We took our seats at the long communal table. I can now safely say I finally sat with the cool kids. I didn't really know many of the people I sat by when the evening started but we had an instant rapport which made dining so much more fun. Lots of laughter was had when we weren't stuffing our faces.
First up, Nathan Tate and Randall Copeland of Restaurant AVA in Rockwall. Barking Cat Farms Roasted Sweet Peppers with Local Greens and Brazos Brie (wine pairing: 2008 Cooper Mountain Reserve Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley, OR). When I spoke to Chef Copeland at the after party, he told me that he was really excited about being first up and he wanted to keep the dish very simple. It was . . .simply amazing. Purple basil was combined with lightly dressed local greens. To the side, some melted brie on top of roasted yellow sweet peppers. I adored the brie/peppers combo. Smeared on a little bit of the bread placed in whole loaves on the table, yum. I'm a bit embarassed to say this, but when the girl next to me whom I just met didn't want to eat hers, I helped myself right off her plate. It was that good. The sweetness of the pinot gris was a nice pairing with the peppers and cheese as well.
Second course, Abraham Salum and Al Havens of Salum. Seared Scallops with Eden's Cucuzza Squash, Caprino Goat Cheese, and Pancetta Bread Pudding with Grain Mustard Viniagrette (wine pairing: 2007 Brooks "Ava" Riesling, Willamette Valley, OR). What's a cucuzza squash you might ask? It looks like a pale zucchini on steroids. They have a zucchini flavor but retain their firmness better when cooked. Chef Salum carried around a cucuzza proudly when explaining his dish -- which, by the way, was probably the BEST scallop dish I have ever tasted. As everyone who loves scallops knows, they aren't the easiest things to cook. They get chewy quite easily. How they managed to cook 300 of these scallops to perfection, I have no idea. Melt in your mouth good. I was extremely hesitant about the riesling pairing since I was convinced the sweetness of the riesling would ruin the scallop perfection. Imagine my surprise when I tasted the riesling and it was dry. A wonderful pairing. Crisp but not overpowering.
Third course, Matt McCallister of Stephan Pyles. Smoked Tennessee Duck Breast with Spiced Pumpkin Puree and Rocky's Swiss Chard (and red celery and pomagranate seeds) (wine pairing: 2007 Brooks "Janus" Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, OR). When I saw duck, I sighed. I'm not a huge duck fan. It's a bit too greasy for me. But smoked duck breast (aka "duck ham") made me a duck convert. The smokiness took all of that ducky fat out of it and made it so good. The pumpkin puree and the crunchiness of the celery and the sweetness of the pomagranate seeds threatened to be "one thing too many" but they combined to make a complete dish. I wasn't too crazy about the wine pairing for this course, however. I thought the pinot was a bit too overpowering for the dish. I understood what they were trying to do in light of the smokiness of the duck, but it didn't quite work. Who knows, maybe I was just over Willamette County at this point.
Fourth Course, Bruno Davaillon of The Mansion at Turtle Creek. Confit of Local Pork Belly with Blood Sausage, Heirloom Apple, Rapini, Chestnut and Aged Sherry Vinegar (wine pairing, Anam Cara "Nicholas Estate" Pinot Noir, Chehalem Mountains, OR). Ok, I'll admit it, I was a bit terrified when I saw "blood sausage" on the menu. I've had it once before and it kind of "oog'ed" me out. But this was Bruno Davaillon and this was his beautiful interpretation of blood sausage. It had a very mild flavor and smooth texture which actually reminded me a lot of one of my favorite Polish breakfasts, kishka. I said this out loud at the table, and one of my table mates started belting out the Kishka Song which made me laugh. This silly little song was like a lullaby to me and my sisters growing up and I honestly thought it was something my grandparents had made made up. It's a polka (of course) and goes like this:
Who stole the kishka
Who stole the kishka
Who stole the kishka
From the butcher shop?
Silly I know, but, hey, I'm Polish, and we do silly well.
But I digress, this course was delicious. I enjoyed the contrast between the sweetness of the apple and chestnuts and the sausage and pork belly. As for the wine pairing, I enjoyed this Pinot better than the last and would have probably preferred the pinot served with Chef McCallister's course with this dish and vice versa.
Fourth course, oh, dear, how can I eat any more? But it's Chad Houser and Janice Provost of Parigi and they were making Burgundy Beef "pot roast" deconstructed (wine pairing 2005 Boudreaux Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, Washington State). I love me some pot roast so I was excited. Served with root vegestables and mashed potatoes, this was a slight miss. It was very tasty and the meat was very tender but compared to the previous dishes, it just didn't have that wow factor the other dishes had. And it needed just a touch more salt and pepper. I enjoyed the Cab though. Cajun goes to Washington, starts a vineyard and calls it Boudreaux. Sweet.
And we are finally to the end, Chef McCallister did double duty and made the Gleaned Sweet Potato Panna Cotta with Coconut Lemongrass Sauce (wine pairing Anam Cara "Nicholas Estate" Gewurtztraminer, Chehalem Mountains, OR). Luckily, it tasted nothing like Boston Cream Pie Yogurt (sorry, inside joke). It was very good. Not too sweet but just sweet enough to make your sweet tooth happy at the end of a long meal.
It was an amazing night. Great food, great wine, great weather, great people and a great time. Not only was the food fantastic but I was absolutely amazed with all of the chefs. They looked like they were having so much fun and they were constantly helping out each other. The comraderie was amazing. No egos could be seen here. They were plating and serving each other's food and smiling the whole time. Great job guys.
After dinner, many of us convened to Veritas where Brooks and the gang hosted an after party with food provided by Horne & Dekker next door. I honestly couldn't eat another bite (although drinking 2 more glasses was apparently no problem whatsoever), so I couldn't tell you what food was served or what it tasted like. But it was great to see the party continue. A sign of a truly successful event.
A final word to my dear friend, Iris McCallister, who organized this event. Iris, you are truly amazing. Your drive was awesome to watch and your biting wit made those late night calls and emails about the little details so much fun. You honored me with your Special Thanks but I was the one truly honored that you let me share just a little part of this with you. I cannot wait for the next event!
Cheers!
First, before we get to the dinner,
An Ode to An Appetizer
How do I love thee
Bacon wrapped dates from Cafe Malaga
Let me count the ways
One . . .nom, nom, nom
Two . . . nom, nom, nom
Three . . . nom, nom, nom
Four . . . nom, nom, nom
Ten . . . nom, nom, nom
Eleven . . . nom, nom, nom
Twelve . . . nom, nom, nom
Oh, please don't take them away server.
I still want to eat more.
I will remember you always
Oh delicious bacon wrapped dates
We had to hide our toothpicks of shame because none of us wanted to be conscious of how many of these pieces of heaven we actually ate. I kinda liked, er, loved them. Cafe Malaga is in McKinney and these would be worth that drive.
We took our seats at the long communal table. I can now safely say I finally sat with the cool kids. I didn't really know many of the people I sat by when the evening started but we had an instant rapport which made dining so much more fun. Lots of laughter was had when we weren't stuffing our faces.
First up, Nathan Tate and Randall Copeland of Restaurant AVA in Rockwall. Barking Cat Farms Roasted Sweet Peppers with Local Greens and Brazos Brie (wine pairing: 2008 Cooper Mountain Reserve Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley, OR). When I spoke to Chef Copeland at the after party, he told me that he was really excited about being first up and he wanted to keep the dish very simple. It was . . .simply amazing. Purple basil was combined with lightly dressed local greens. To the side, some melted brie on top of roasted yellow sweet peppers. I adored the brie/peppers combo. Smeared on a little bit of the bread placed in whole loaves on the table, yum. I'm a bit embarassed to say this, but when the girl next to me whom I just met didn't want to eat hers, I helped myself right off her plate. It was that good. The sweetness of the pinot gris was a nice pairing with the peppers and cheese as well.
Second course, Abraham Salum and Al Havens of Salum. Seared Scallops with Eden's Cucuzza Squash, Caprino Goat Cheese, and Pancetta Bread Pudding with Grain Mustard Viniagrette (wine pairing: 2007 Brooks "Ava" Riesling, Willamette Valley, OR). What's a cucuzza squash you might ask? It looks like a pale zucchini on steroids. They have a zucchini flavor but retain their firmness better when cooked. Chef Salum carried around a cucuzza proudly when explaining his dish -- which, by the way, was probably the BEST scallop dish I have ever tasted. As everyone who loves scallops knows, they aren't the easiest things to cook. They get chewy quite easily. How they managed to cook 300 of these scallops to perfection, I have no idea. Melt in your mouth good. I was extremely hesitant about the riesling pairing since I was convinced the sweetness of the riesling would ruin the scallop perfection. Imagine my surprise when I tasted the riesling and it was dry. A wonderful pairing. Crisp but not overpowering.
Third course, Matt McCallister of Stephan Pyles. Smoked Tennessee Duck Breast with Spiced Pumpkin Puree and Rocky's Swiss Chard (and red celery and pomagranate seeds) (wine pairing: 2007 Brooks "Janus" Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, OR). When I saw duck, I sighed. I'm not a huge duck fan. It's a bit too greasy for me. But smoked duck breast (aka "duck ham") made me a duck convert. The smokiness took all of that ducky fat out of it and made it so good. The pumpkin puree and the crunchiness of the celery and the sweetness of the pomagranate seeds threatened to be "one thing too many" but they combined to make a complete dish. I wasn't too crazy about the wine pairing for this course, however. I thought the pinot was a bit too overpowering for the dish. I understood what they were trying to do in light of the smokiness of the duck, but it didn't quite work. Who knows, maybe I was just over Willamette County at this point.
Fourth Course, Bruno Davaillon of The Mansion at Turtle Creek. Confit of Local Pork Belly with Blood Sausage, Heirloom Apple, Rapini, Chestnut and Aged Sherry Vinegar (wine pairing, Anam Cara "Nicholas Estate" Pinot Noir, Chehalem Mountains, OR). Ok, I'll admit it, I was a bit terrified when I saw "blood sausage" on the menu. I've had it once before and it kind of "oog'ed" me out. But this was Bruno Davaillon and this was his beautiful interpretation of blood sausage. It had a very mild flavor and smooth texture which actually reminded me a lot of one of my favorite Polish breakfasts, kishka. I said this out loud at the table, and one of my table mates started belting out the Kishka Song which made me laugh. This silly little song was like a lullaby to me and my sisters growing up and I honestly thought it was something my grandparents had made made up. It's a polka (of course) and goes like this:
Who stole the kishka
Who stole the kishka
Who stole the kishka
From the butcher shop?
Silly I know, but, hey, I'm Polish, and we do silly well.
But I digress, this course was delicious. I enjoyed the contrast between the sweetness of the apple and chestnuts and the sausage and pork belly. As for the wine pairing, I enjoyed this Pinot better than the last and would have probably preferred the pinot served with Chef McCallister's course with this dish and vice versa.
Fourth course, oh, dear, how can I eat any more? But it's Chad Houser and Janice Provost of Parigi and they were making Burgundy Beef "pot roast" deconstructed (wine pairing 2005 Boudreaux Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, Washington State). I love me some pot roast so I was excited. Served with root vegestables and mashed potatoes, this was a slight miss. It was very tasty and the meat was very tender but compared to the previous dishes, it just didn't have that wow factor the other dishes had. And it needed just a touch more salt and pepper. I enjoyed the Cab though. Cajun goes to Washington, starts a vineyard and calls it Boudreaux. Sweet.
And we are finally to the end, Chef McCallister did double duty and made the Gleaned Sweet Potato Panna Cotta with Coconut Lemongrass Sauce (wine pairing Anam Cara "Nicholas Estate" Gewurtztraminer, Chehalem Mountains, OR). Luckily, it tasted nothing like Boston Cream Pie Yogurt (sorry, inside joke). It was very good. Not too sweet but just sweet enough to make your sweet tooth happy at the end of a long meal.
It was an amazing night. Great food, great wine, great weather, great people and a great time. Not only was the food fantastic but I was absolutely amazed with all of the chefs. They looked like they were having so much fun and they were constantly helping out each other. The comraderie was amazing. No egos could be seen here. They were plating and serving each other's food and smiling the whole time. Great job guys.
After dinner, many of us convened to Veritas where Brooks and the gang hosted an after party with food provided by Horne & Dekker next door. I honestly couldn't eat another bite (although drinking 2 more glasses was apparently no problem whatsoever), so I couldn't tell you what food was served or what it tasted like. But it was great to see the party continue. A sign of a truly successful event.
A final word to my dear friend, Iris McCallister, who organized this event. Iris, you are truly amazing. Your drive was awesome to watch and your biting wit made those late night calls and emails about the little details so much fun. You honored me with your Special Thanks but I was the one truly honored that you let me share just a little part of this with you. I cannot wait for the next event!
Cheers!
Friday, October 8, 2010
Veritas and Neighborhood Services Tavern
So had my law school alumni happy hour at Veritas on Henderson last night. The Anderson brothers who own Veritas are alum, so it was the perfect location (except for the $5 valet parking charge which will ALWAYS tick me off). Veritas has been open for a couple of years now and it's become my go to wine bar in town. It's cozy, never uncomfortably crowded and they have good wines and good prices. Plus the staff is great and knows their stuff. As an added bonus, if you are hungry, you can also get some great cheeses and sausages there (I always tell them to surprise me) and, if you are really hungry, you can order from Horne & Dekker next door and they'll bring it right to you. As my 7 readers know, I'm not a fan of H&D but heard the fried chicken is quite good.
They started a wine club a few months back and I'm a member. There's 2 levels - $30 or $60 - which gets you 2 bottles, mostly reds, per month. I'm at the $30 level. Since I usually drink at least 2 bottles of wine at home per month anyway, I thought I would check it out. I haven't been disappointed. At the $30 level, you will get good, everyday wines that are ready to drink now. Since I'm a very impatient person, it works great for me. In addition to the monthly bottles, you also get discounts on all other bottles you buy there, all case orders, wine dinners, etc. Plus Brooks is now sending out emails notifying us wine members of some great deals he's coming across. Just purchased a 2005 Cain 5 which retails for $120 for $89 (impatiently saving that one for a special occasion) and Brooks says he's expecting more deals soon. Sweet.
After Veritas, M and I headed to Neighborhood Services Tavern for dinner. Wow, it was hopping on a Thursday night, and we got there well after the dinner rush. Like all Neighborhood Services concepts the dining room is, well, loud. But it wasn't so loud that M and I couldn't hear each other so it wasn't that big of deal (do I get old lady points for complaining about the loudness in the restaurant?).
We started out with the brisket meatballs. Cooked perfectly and just what we needed since it was late and we hadn't eaten yet. One word of warning. Now I know my 7 readers are all far more intelligent than I, but whatever you do, don't do what I do and pop an entire meatball in your mouth right after the server puts them down on the table. First, hot. Second, they are sprinkled with bread crumbs which you can inhale and choke on, causing everyone in the restaurant to turn to look at you. Yes, I'm classy that way.
Entrees were next. I told myself I was going to get the schnitz but damn if the handmade noodle special called my name and, apparently M's too. Homemade fettuccine with mushrooms, yellow and red tomatoes, and pancetta in some type of sauce (yes, I know, bad blogger). It was delicious. NST has rotating fish, roast and pasta specials nightly and I highly recommend you try those out first. I've always ordered off that menu and it's never disappointed.
Oh, and how could I forget the brussel sprouts. M and I love, love, love brussel sprouts (I know, weird but it's one of the many things that make us such great friends) and try to order them just about every time we go to dinner. NST has a nice twist on them, adding a touch of maple syrup to give them a nice sweetness. I think next time I go (and there will be a next time), I might just order meatballs and brussel sprouts as my dinner. Oh, that sounds sooooo good right now.
Service was good but not great. Our initial server was nice but she kept getting confused with the specials. Dinner has been going on for a few hours now and you should be able to recite them by heart. Then at some point, we had another server just take over. Not sure what happened to the first girl.
Unfortunately too full for dessert which totally bummed me out because NST has some of the best desserts in town. Ding Dong 2.0 gets the most buzz but it's a tad too sweet for me. I love the rice krispie treat ice cream sandwiches myself. Yum
Cheers!
They started a wine club a few months back and I'm a member. There's 2 levels - $30 or $60 - which gets you 2 bottles, mostly reds, per month. I'm at the $30 level. Since I usually drink at least 2 bottles of wine at home per month anyway, I thought I would check it out. I haven't been disappointed. At the $30 level, you will get good, everyday wines that are ready to drink now. Since I'm a very impatient person, it works great for me. In addition to the monthly bottles, you also get discounts on all other bottles you buy there, all case orders, wine dinners, etc. Plus Brooks is now sending out emails notifying us wine members of some great deals he's coming across. Just purchased a 2005 Cain 5 which retails for $120 for $89 (impatiently saving that one for a special occasion) and Brooks says he's expecting more deals soon. Sweet.
After Veritas, M and I headed to Neighborhood Services Tavern for dinner. Wow, it was hopping on a Thursday night, and we got there well after the dinner rush. Like all Neighborhood Services concepts the dining room is, well, loud. But it wasn't so loud that M and I couldn't hear each other so it wasn't that big of deal (do I get old lady points for complaining about the loudness in the restaurant?).
We started out with the brisket meatballs. Cooked perfectly and just what we needed since it was late and we hadn't eaten yet. One word of warning. Now I know my 7 readers are all far more intelligent than I, but whatever you do, don't do what I do and pop an entire meatball in your mouth right after the server puts them down on the table. First, hot. Second, they are sprinkled with bread crumbs which you can inhale and choke on, causing everyone in the restaurant to turn to look at you. Yes, I'm classy that way.
Entrees were next. I told myself I was going to get the schnitz but damn if the handmade noodle special called my name and, apparently M's too. Homemade fettuccine with mushrooms, yellow and red tomatoes, and pancetta in some type of sauce (yes, I know, bad blogger). It was delicious. NST has rotating fish, roast and pasta specials nightly and I highly recommend you try those out first. I've always ordered off that menu and it's never disappointed.
Oh, and how could I forget the brussel sprouts. M and I love, love, love brussel sprouts (I know, weird but it's one of the many things that make us such great friends) and try to order them just about every time we go to dinner. NST has a nice twist on them, adding a touch of maple syrup to give them a nice sweetness. I think next time I go (and there will be a next time), I might just order meatballs and brussel sprouts as my dinner. Oh, that sounds sooooo good right now.
Service was good but not great. Our initial server was nice but she kept getting confused with the specials. Dinner has been going on for a few hours now and you should be able to recite them by heart. Then at some point, we had another server just take over. Not sure what happened to the first girl.
Unfortunately too full for dessert which totally bummed me out because NST has some of the best desserts in town. Ding Dong 2.0 gets the most buzz but it's a tad too sweet for me. I love the rice krispie treat ice cream sandwiches myself. Yum
Cheers!
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Sushi!
I ate a lot of sushi last week. First stop -- Sushi Axiom. Met A for a last minute dinner. I had had a bad day and was in a mood. I was headed to the gym to work out some aggression, so when A called to see if I was available for dinner, I gladly changed directions. Surely sushi would change my mood.
Must admit, getting there I was cranky. First, I cursed at having to pay a $5 valet charge on a Wednesday night before 8. Damn you City of Dallas for taking away my street parking across the street. Damn you strip center for not only making me valet but making me pay for it on a weekday. Grrr.
Needed to take an edge off so treated myself to a $14 glass of Stag's Leap chardonnay. That helped. The weather was fantastic (thank you fall for finally making an appearance) so we sat outside and enjoyed the patio. We were having one more joining us later and we wanted a bigger table and learned one problem with Axiom's patio -- most of the tables are bolted down so it makes bigger groups out there difficult. But we made it work.
Started out with our usual edamame. Forgot my coupon for free appetizer that the concierge in my office building gives out. Dangit. Then our usual spring mix salad with ginger dressing and extra sushi ginger. The salad is simple, but it's good and pretty big.
Before our entries came out, we got a very nice surprise. The gentleman who was eating dinner behind us had ordered a bottle of wine and only drank about a glass out of it. He didn't want to see the bottle go to waste, so he gave it to us. We politely declined it at first but he insisted. We think he's the owner, but yeah, free wine made my mood even better.
I was trying "make better food choices" (read: I'm on a diet), so rather than my usual Mustang roll (a favorite of many. order it and you'll figure out why), I ordered salmon sashimi instead. It was cut a little too thick, but it was fresh and good. That's the thing about Axiom -- it's good, fresh sushi which isn't going to break your budget. One of my go to places in Dallas. Mood much better. :)
Mood got even better on Friday because L was in from the OC! She wanted Tei Tei so to Tei Tei we went. Since there were 5 of us, we made reservations. We started early since we were going to meet people out later Our reservation was for 6 and they told us if we weren't there by 610, they'd give away our table. Well, we got there on time, and when we left at 730, place was still kind of dead. Hmpf.
We ordered several starters. I had the seaweed salad. It needed just a bit more acid to be perfect. There were 3 orders of the sea bass. They looked a tad over-cooked. Our order of mushrooms and scallops were also overcooked (and had a funky spicy sauce). But the tuna and avocado special was delicious.
I always get the "feed me roll". It's basically chef's choice. I always take a risk here. I don't like octopus and sea urchin so if the sushi chef chooses to use those ingredients, I'm kind of screwed. But luckily, no octopus or sea urchin today! I wish I could tell you what my roll was, but no one seemed to know and no one wanted to ask the sushi chef either. Hmpf. From what I could figure out, it was a tuna roll with something crunchy inside, topped with seared tuna and micro greens. Very, very good. But I was still hungry so I ordered a dragon roll to share with L. It was so very good. California roll, topped with eel and avocado. So very good. It's not on the sushi menu, so ask for it when you go.
Overall, Tei Tei was good but kind of disappointing. Service was spotty (although the busser was very attentive) and all the grilled items were slightly overcooked. Stick with the sushi and you won't be disappointed.
Cheers!
Must admit, getting there I was cranky. First, I cursed at having to pay a $5 valet charge on a Wednesday night before 8. Damn you City of Dallas for taking away my street parking across the street. Damn you strip center for not only making me valet but making me pay for it on a weekday. Grrr.
Needed to take an edge off so treated myself to a $14 glass of Stag's Leap chardonnay. That helped. The weather was fantastic (thank you fall for finally making an appearance) so we sat outside and enjoyed the patio. We were having one more joining us later and we wanted a bigger table and learned one problem with Axiom's patio -- most of the tables are bolted down so it makes bigger groups out there difficult. But we made it work.
Started out with our usual edamame. Forgot my coupon for free appetizer that the concierge in my office building gives out. Dangit. Then our usual spring mix salad with ginger dressing and extra sushi ginger. The salad is simple, but it's good and pretty big.
Before our entries came out, we got a very nice surprise. The gentleman who was eating dinner behind us had ordered a bottle of wine and only drank about a glass out of it. He didn't want to see the bottle go to waste, so he gave it to us. We politely declined it at first but he insisted. We think he's the owner, but yeah, free wine made my mood even better.
I was trying "make better food choices" (read: I'm on a diet), so rather than my usual Mustang roll (a favorite of many. order it and you'll figure out why), I ordered salmon sashimi instead. It was cut a little too thick, but it was fresh and good. That's the thing about Axiom -- it's good, fresh sushi which isn't going to break your budget. One of my go to places in Dallas. Mood much better. :)
Mood got even better on Friday because L was in from the OC! She wanted Tei Tei so to Tei Tei we went. Since there were 5 of us, we made reservations. We started early since we were going to meet people out later Our reservation was for 6 and they told us if we weren't there by 610, they'd give away our table. Well, we got there on time, and when we left at 730, place was still kind of dead. Hmpf.
We ordered several starters. I had the seaweed salad. It needed just a bit more acid to be perfect. There were 3 orders of the sea bass. They looked a tad over-cooked. Our order of mushrooms and scallops were also overcooked (and had a funky spicy sauce). But the tuna and avocado special was delicious.
I always get the "feed me roll". It's basically chef's choice. I always take a risk here. I don't like octopus and sea urchin so if the sushi chef chooses to use those ingredients, I'm kind of screwed. But luckily, no octopus or sea urchin today! I wish I could tell you what my roll was, but no one seemed to know and no one wanted to ask the sushi chef either. Hmpf. From what I could figure out, it was a tuna roll with something crunchy inside, topped with seared tuna and micro greens. Very, very good. But I was still hungry so I ordered a dragon roll to share with L. It was so very good. California roll, topped with eel and avocado. So very good. It's not on the sushi menu, so ask for it when you go.
Overall, Tei Tei was good but kind of disappointing. Service was spotty (although the busser was very attentive) and all the grilled items were slightly overcooked. Stick with the sushi and you won't be disappointed.
Cheers!
Saturday, September 25, 2010
The Porch
LB and I went to The Porch last night for drinks and dinner. It's been awhile since I have been there. Since Henderson has gotten so hot recently, I can't stand the traffic and try to avoid it on the weekends (particularly since the City of Dallas has posted "No Parking" signs on all my favorite street parking locations (grrrr)). Parking was absolutely not a problem though since I lucked out and someone was pulling out of a space directly across the street from the Porch just as I got there. Score! Rock star parking is always a good start to an evening.
LB and I sat at the bar. I like the bar space. There's a lot of room to move around and socialize. Not that there was much socialization going on last night. Apparently everyone was at the TCU/SMU game (nice try Ponies) and, alas, The Porch was pretty dead. I hope everyone else hasn't gotten as tired of Henderson's traffic as I have.
I like the Porch's menu. It has a good selection. Comfort food: check. Salads: check. Sandwiches and burgers: check. Daily specials on board: check. A little bit for everyone which is nice for groups. But it was just me and LB and since neither of us are really picky eaters (save LB's "goat cheese is what the devil tastes like" aversion), a good selection was nice, but not necessary.
LB raved about the nicoise salad. I'm a big fan of the nicoise salad. I make it quite often at home. Porch makes theirs with arugula, kalamata olives, potatoes, green beans, kalamata olives, tomatoes and a mustard vinagrette and then top it with seared tuna and a poached egg (menu says it has artichoke hearts but didn't really find those). I'm not a huge fan of arugula. It sometimes overwhelms a salad, but it was a nice balance with the mustard vinagrette and the saltiness of the olives. The poached egg was kind of, eh, for me. I think I wold have preferred it hard boiled. Could have used a few more green beans and potatoes. It was actually a very small salad, just barely enough for one person, and for $18, I thought it was a tad overpriced, even with the tuna on top. Tuna was cooked well, although I would have liked a little more seasoning on it.
We also decided since we were going to be so good with our salads, we needed to be a little bad. And nothing says bad like mac n cheese. Theirs has little pieces of ham in it. It was creamy but not really cheesy. I liked it, but didn't love it.
Overall I had a good meal, but I'm not sure my 2 glasses of wine, nicoise salad and half of a mac n cheese was worth the $52 bucks I paid with tip. Glad I didn't have to pay for valet as well. But I'm sure I'll be back, especially now that the temps are (finally!) starting to cool down and we can enjoy the patio.
Cheers!
LB and I sat at the bar. I like the bar space. There's a lot of room to move around and socialize. Not that there was much socialization going on last night. Apparently everyone was at the TCU/SMU game (nice try Ponies) and, alas, The Porch was pretty dead. I hope everyone else hasn't gotten as tired of Henderson's traffic as I have.
I like the Porch's menu. It has a good selection. Comfort food: check. Salads: check. Sandwiches and burgers: check. Daily specials on board: check. A little bit for everyone which is nice for groups. But it was just me and LB and since neither of us are really picky eaters (save LB's "goat cheese is what the devil tastes like" aversion), a good selection was nice, but not necessary.
LB raved about the nicoise salad. I'm a big fan of the nicoise salad. I make it quite often at home. Porch makes theirs with arugula, kalamata olives, potatoes, green beans, kalamata olives, tomatoes and a mustard vinagrette and then top it with seared tuna and a poached egg (menu says it has artichoke hearts but didn't really find those). I'm not a huge fan of arugula. It sometimes overwhelms a salad, but it was a nice balance with the mustard vinagrette and the saltiness of the olives. The poached egg was kind of, eh, for me. I think I wold have preferred it hard boiled. Could have used a few more green beans and potatoes. It was actually a very small salad, just barely enough for one person, and for $18, I thought it was a tad overpriced, even with the tuna on top. Tuna was cooked well, although I would have liked a little more seasoning on it.
We also decided since we were going to be so good with our salads, we needed to be a little bad. And nothing says bad like mac n cheese. Theirs has little pieces of ham in it. It was creamy but not really cheesy. I liked it, but didn't love it.
Overall I had a good meal, but I'm not sure my 2 glasses of wine, nicoise salad and half of a mac n cheese was worth the $52 bucks I paid with tip. Glad I didn't have to pay for valet as well. But I'm sure I'll be back, especially now that the temps are (finally!) starting to cool down and we can enjoy the patio.
Cheers!
Friday, September 24, 2010
Perry's (not to be confused with The Place at Perry's f/k/a Perry's)
M and I were going to see our first show for our season tickets to the Winspear's Broadway Series last night (Blue Man Group - fun show!), and we picked Perry's as our pre-show dinner destination. (Actually M first teasingly suggested NSG just to hear my say BANNED! She is a loyal WiDiDallas follower after all).
First off, I got lost. See, their website describes the restaurant as "adjacent to the Ritz Carlton Hotel." Apparently in Perry's world "adjacent" means "across the street and about a half block down". It also claims it will be "adjacent" to the new Woodall Rodgers Park, which, again will be down the street. Mr. Perry, I don't think "adjacent" means what you think it means.
Perry's is a very pretty restaurant. It reminds me a lot of the steakhouses in Vegas. It has a modern art deco feel. Lots of dark wood, dimly lit, giant wine cellar in the back.
M was in the restroom when our waiter first showed up. As he started talking, I thought, oh, cute English/Aussie accent you have there. He saw me looking at the wine list and told me about their "featured" wine for $148 on page 14. I stopped listening at $148, so I have no idea what it was. Perry's is sure proud of their wines. M and I's first reaction when we saw the "by the glass" list was "wow". Most of their reds were in the $18-20 range. I was thinking about trying their bar out one night but not sure I want to at those prices. We settled on a Clos du Val Cabernet (it retails for between $25-30 and at Perry's we paid $70). Good steakhouse wine and cheaper than us ordering anything by the glass.
Our waiter then started talking and talking and talking. Something about Mr. Perry, Czech or Polish people, and sausages. I tuned him out. I was too busy trying to figure out where the heck his English/Aussie accent went because now he sounded like he was from Arkansas. Hmmmm. How could I have gotten it so wrong? Was he going to use a different accent for each course?
He did tell us about the special of the evening. The chef had created some type of steak topping that you could get added on to any steak for $11.95. After hearing the description twice, I honestly have no idea what this thing was. It had onions, mushrooms, crab, drunken goat cheese, Guinness cheddar, and then they'd come to your table and flambe it tableside. Huh? I'm a steak purist. A good steakhouse should not need to put any sauce or oniony cheese concoction on their steak to make it spectacular. Why are you dousing it with 151 and lighting a perfectly good steak on fire? We passed (although we were really hoping that someone would order it so we could see said fire).
We both ordered the 8oz filet. M, medium. Me, medium rare. The very center of my steak was cooked to perfection but the sides were almost medium well. The steak was good but I've had better. Probably would have like it more if it was cooked correctly. M really enjoyed hers.
We also ordered the creamed corn. So good. Fresh white corn (we knew it was fresh because some of the husk hairs were still there) with a cream sauce. We also ordered asparagus which was steamed to a perfect al dente.
The waiter encouraged us to try dessert. Apparently they have many flambe options and he really wanted to set something on fire. Normally I'm not opposed to setting things on fire but we had tickets and limited time so we passed. Our waiter then told us that we should come by to see him at the bar for drinks and appetizers. (um, are we - ie, M - getting hit on by the odd waiter?) Afterall, they always like to see "pretty ladies" at the bar. And . . . check please!
Overall, it was fine dining experience. Wouldn't be opposed to trying it again but to be honest, I'd rather go to Nick & Sam's or Bob's.
Cheers!
First off, I got lost. See, their website describes the restaurant as "adjacent to the Ritz Carlton Hotel." Apparently in Perry's world "adjacent" means "across the street and about a half block down". It also claims it will be "adjacent" to the new Woodall Rodgers Park, which, again will be down the street. Mr. Perry, I don't think "adjacent" means what you think it means.
Perry's is a very pretty restaurant. It reminds me a lot of the steakhouses in Vegas. It has a modern art deco feel. Lots of dark wood, dimly lit, giant wine cellar in the back.
M was in the restroom when our waiter first showed up. As he started talking, I thought, oh, cute English/Aussie accent you have there. He saw me looking at the wine list and told me about their "featured" wine for $148 on page 14. I stopped listening at $148, so I have no idea what it was. Perry's is sure proud of their wines. M and I's first reaction when we saw the "by the glass" list was "wow". Most of their reds were in the $18-20 range. I was thinking about trying their bar out one night but not sure I want to at those prices. We settled on a Clos du Val Cabernet (it retails for between $25-30 and at Perry's we paid $70). Good steakhouse wine and cheaper than us ordering anything by the glass.
Our waiter then started talking and talking and talking. Something about Mr. Perry, Czech or Polish people, and sausages. I tuned him out. I was too busy trying to figure out where the heck his English/Aussie accent went because now he sounded like he was from Arkansas. Hmmmm. How could I have gotten it so wrong? Was he going to use a different accent for each course?
He did tell us about the special of the evening. The chef had created some type of steak topping that you could get added on to any steak for $11.95. After hearing the description twice, I honestly have no idea what this thing was. It had onions, mushrooms, crab, drunken goat cheese, Guinness cheddar, and then they'd come to your table and flambe it tableside. Huh? I'm a steak purist. A good steakhouse should not need to put any sauce or oniony cheese concoction on their steak to make it spectacular. Why are you dousing it with 151 and lighting a perfectly good steak on fire? We passed (although we were really hoping that someone would order it so we could see said fire).
We both ordered the 8oz filet. M, medium. Me, medium rare. The very center of my steak was cooked to perfection but the sides were almost medium well. The steak was good but I've had better. Probably would have like it more if it was cooked correctly. M really enjoyed hers.
We also ordered the creamed corn. So good. Fresh white corn (we knew it was fresh because some of the husk hairs were still there) with a cream sauce. We also ordered asparagus which was steamed to a perfect al dente.
The waiter encouraged us to try dessert. Apparently they have many flambe options and he really wanted to set something on fire. Normally I'm not opposed to setting things on fire but we had tickets and limited time so we passed. Our waiter then told us that we should come by to see him at the bar for drinks and appetizers. (um, are we - ie, M - getting hit on by the odd waiter?) Afterall, they always like to see "pretty ladies" at the bar. And . . . check please!
Overall, it was fine dining experience. Wouldn't be opposed to trying it again but to be honest, I'd rather go to Nick & Sam's or Bob's.
Cheers!
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Places I want to go, but haven't gone to yet
In case anyone wants to take me out to dinner in the near future (please no commentary from the peanut gallery on my sad excuse for a dating life), here's my list of places that I still want to try but haven't gone to yet in no particular order:
York Street. Don't know why I haven't gone yet. Have been wanting to for years. It's down the street from my house for goodness sakes. Probably because it's all quaint and romantic and, well, . . . (shut it peanut gallery). http://www.yorkstreet.com
Ellerbe's Fine Foods (Fort Worth). Voted by Esquire Magazine as one of the best new restaurants in America. Must. Go. Soon. http://www.ellerbefinefoods.com
Lonesome Dove (Fort Worth). Must admit, have a slight foodie crush on Tim Love since his appearance on Top Chef Masters. Probably need to plan a Fort Worth foodie weekend (did that sound stalkerish?). Who's in? http://www.lonesomedovebistro.com/
Nonna (Lomo Alta and Lemmon, across from Whole Foods). Another place I don't know why I haven't been to yet. It's close to work. Just never think of it. http://www.nonnadallas.com/
Dive Coastal (Snider Plaza). IM raves about this place. So going to have to check it out.
Parigi (Oak Lawn). When I went to 48 nights last time, the chefs from Parigi were our guest chefs and OMG they rocked! And so excited about them being part of Chefs for Farmers (buy your tickets yet?). Again, down the street from office. No excuses. http://www.parigidallas.com/
Finally, although not technically a restaurant, so excited to try Stephan Pyles' Fuego at some point. All those courses, all that artistry and nerdy food stuff. Loves it! http://stephanpyles.com/events.asp
Where else should I put on my list? WiDiDallas wants to know.
Cheers!
York Street. Don't know why I haven't gone yet. Have been wanting to for years. It's down the street from my house for goodness sakes. Probably because it's all quaint and romantic and, well, . . . (shut it peanut gallery). http://www.yorkstreet.com
Ellerbe's Fine Foods (Fort Worth). Voted by Esquire Magazine as one of the best new restaurants in America. Must. Go. Soon. http://www.ellerbefinefoods.com
Lonesome Dove (Fort Worth). Must admit, have a slight foodie crush on Tim Love since his appearance on Top Chef Masters. Probably need to plan a Fort Worth foodie weekend (did that sound stalkerish?). Who's in? http://www.lonesomedovebistro.com/
Nonna (Lomo Alta and Lemmon, across from Whole Foods). Another place I don't know why I haven't been to yet. It's close to work. Just never think of it. http://www.nonnadallas.com/
Dive Coastal (Snider Plaza). IM raves about this place. So going to have to check it out.
Parigi (Oak Lawn). When I went to 48 nights last time, the chefs from Parigi were our guest chefs and OMG they rocked! And so excited about them being part of Chefs for Farmers (buy your tickets yet?). Again, down the street from office. No excuses. http://www.parigidallas.com/
Finally, although not technically a restaurant, so excited to try Stephan Pyles' Fuego at some point. All those courses, all that artistry and nerdy food stuff. Loves it! http://stephanpyles.com/events.asp
Where else should I put on my list? WiDiDallas wants to know.
Cheers!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Rockfish
Went to Rockfish with the entire family tonight. We generally don't go out in public as an entire family -- our particular brand of Polish craziness is better left at home. But it was Mom's birthday and she wanted to go out, and if you know anything about my mother you know you do what she wants, so out we went.
Rockfish is actually a favorite of the fam. It's reasonably priced and, for a chain, the quality is pretty good. I got a lecture from my nephew about how I should not be drinking such a big beer. I'll admit the glass they gave me was HUGE but it sure was tasty.
Appetizers - There were 11 of us (parentals, me, sis ##1-3, the 2 bro in laws, niece, nephew and my great aunt Z - like I said, crazy), so we ordered a few. The parentals (and I) love the shrimp martini, which is basically a cooked shrimp ceviche. It's a bit spicy and quite good. Sis #1 ordered the spinach dip which was just ok (although you'd think it was poison the way the nephew turned his nose up at it). Sis #2 ordered the jalepeno hush puppies. I have no idea how the hush puppies tasted because she wouldn't share. Typical little sister.
I think we had a pretty good sampling of the menu. Dad ordered the stuffed trout, bday girl the tilapia special, Z ordered the fried shrimp, Sis #1 the steak (she doesn't like seafood -- she's the weird one), #2 (the pescatarian) the fish tacos, #3(the picky baby who until last Christmas never ate fish) the grilled tilapia(!) (dont remember what the bro in law had and the kids ate kids meal crap). I had the snow crab steamer special. I actually like crab better than lobster (I think it has a better flavor) and since I don't get it very often, I was happy to see it on the board. Based on the empty shells littering my plate I must have liked it. Added bonus -- sausage, corn and potatoes. The corn and potatoes were kind of bland but the sausage was quite spicy and taty.
A gooey brownie ala mode with a birthday song was the end of a great meal. Happy to say no one was harmed in our family outing, can't say the same for the snow crab . . . :)
Cheers!
Rockfish is actually a favorite of the fam. It's reasonably priced and, for a chain, the quality is pretty good. I got a lecture from my nephew about how I should not be drinking such a big beer. I'll admit the glass they gave me was HUGE but it sure was tasty.
Appetizers - There were 11 of us (parentals, me, sis ##1-3, the 2 bro in laws, niece, nephew and my great aunt Z - like I said, crazy), so we ordered a few. The parentals (and I) love the shrimp martini, which is basically a cooked shrimp ceviche. It's a bit spicy and quite good. Sis #1 ordered the spinach dip which was just ok (although you'd think it was poison the way the nephew turned his nose up at it). Sis #2 ordered the jalepeno hush puppies. I have no idea how the hush puppies tasted because she wouldn't share. Typical little sister.
I think we had a pretty good sampling of the menu. Dad ordered the stuffed trout, bday girl the tilapia special, Z ordered the fried shrimp, Sis #1 the steak (she doesn't like seafood -- she's the weird one), #2 (the pescatarian) the fish tacos, #3(the picky baby who until last Christmas never ate fish) the grilled tilapia(!) (dont remember what the bro in law had and the kids ate kids meal crap). I had the snow crab steamer special. I actually like crab better than lobster (I think it has a better flavor) and since I don't get it very often, I was happy to see it on the board. Based on the empty shells littering my plate I must have liked it. Added bonus -- sausage, corn and potatoes. The corn and potatoes were kind of bland but the sausage was quite spicy and taty.
A gooey brownie ala mode with a birthday song was the end of a great meal. Happy to say no one was harmed in our family outing, can't say the same for the snow crab . . . :)
Cheers!
Eddie V's
Went to Eddie V's again last night for a client dinner. I'd been there a couple of times before when it first opened and liked it, so I was glad when the boss picked it.
We started with salads. I ordered the heirloom tomato and buffalo mozzarella salad. It was good, but it needed a litte more single to it. The heirloom tomatoes were HUGE. Could have probably have just had this for dinner but did I stop there, of course not.
Both client and boss ordered the filet. They both really enjoyed it. But I'm a big believer in ordering fish at a fish restaurant so that's what I did. I ordered the red snapper with crab. I was sort of unimpressed. It kind of tasted like a fish stick. The best fish stick I've ever eaten, but still . . .fish stick.
Sides were great. Sauted spinach instead of the highly caloric creamed spinach you usually get in these places was tasty. The french fries were delish as well although I wish they would have given us something other than plain old ketchup to dip them in. The waiter brought out the truffled mac and cheese even though we hadn't ordered it. He must have put it on our bill by mistake but he comped it for us. Best mistake of the day! It was a really good side. Good mac n cheese and the truffles did not overpower the dish.
Overall a good food night although not particularly inspired.
Final musing: Man, I really wish the bar had become more of a 30/40 something scene. I really like the bar. They make a great manhattan and their martinis are really good too. But I guess the swinging single 60 year olds need a place to call their own so I can't begrudge them for that.
Cheers!
We started with salads. I ordered the heirloom tomato and buffalo mozzarella salad. It was good, but it needed a litte more single to it. The heirloom tomatoes were HUGE. Could have probably have just had this for dinner but did I stop there, of course not.
Both client and boss ordered the filet. They both really enjoyed it. But I'm a big believer in ordering fish at a fish restaurant so that's what I did. I ordered the red snapper with crab. I was sort of unimpressed. It kind of tasted like a fish stick. The best fish stick I've ever eaten, but still . . .fish stick.
Sides were great. Sauted spinach instead of the highly caloric creamed spinach you usually get in these places was tasty. The french fries were delish as well although I wish they would have given us something other than plain old ketchup to dip them in. The waiter brought out the truffled mac and cheese even though we hadn't ordered it. He must have put it on our bill by mistake but he comped it for us. Best mistake of the day! It was a really good side. Good mac n cheese and the truffles did not overpower the dish.
Overall a good food night although not particularly inspired.
Final musing: Man, I really wish the bar had become more of a 30/40 something scene. I really like the bar. They make a great manhattan and their martinis are really good too. But I guess the swinging single 60 year olds need a place to call their own so I can't begrudge them for that.
Cheers!
Friday, September 10, 2010
Chive Cottage Cheese??? WTF?
Ok, a friend just posted on Twitter his recent experience with chive cottage cheese. I admit, I'm a tad biased here because I think cottage cheese in general is one of the most disgusting things there is in the food world. It's on the list of the 4 or so foods I will not eat unless I am on the brink of starvation. But then to put CHIVES in it?! Ugh!!! Tweeted to my friend that I threw up in my mouth a bit just reading it. His response was priceless: "Yeah it's AW-FUL. Chive cream cheese? Good on bagels. Chive cottage cheese? Good in trash."
Thanks B for giving me a chuckle this morning!
Thanks B for giving me a chuckle this morning!
Thursday, September 9, 2010
The Banned List
It takes a lot for me to put a restaurant on The Banned List. I'm not a picky eater at all so for me to hate a place so much that I will never eat there again, there must be something seriously wrong. I can forgive bad service, long waits, a bad meal. Hell, I can even forgive food poisoning. To get on the banned list there has to be more, so much more.
Until today there were only 2 restaurants in Dallas that were officially on the banned list: some Chinese buffet on Ross (there was a gristle issue) and the Pizza Hut buffet on Lemmon (two words: inedible jello). You might be think, "um, Rachel, why would you go to those places to begin with?" Excellent question. Went with the guys at work and they didn't let me choose. They chose poorly. Victor Tango is on the verge of being on the banned list. I went with 2 girlfriends awhile back and we each sent back our food. 3 people - 3 bad dishes. (Don't even get me started on their Mac n Cheese. Blech. If you don't know how to make a bachemel sauce - get a new occupation. You should not be cooking in a restaurant.) But everyone keeps telling me to try it again because they have had a good experience there. So I will, sigh, give it one more chance before banning it.
The newest edition to the banned list is . . . Nick & Sam's Grille. It makes me sad to do this because I love, love, love, Nick & Sam's. But NSG is just bad. From the food which always tastes like unseasoned microwaved meals, to the decor (it looks like a cave, a poorly air conditioned cave with a horrible, cramped layout), to the service (hello, I'm thirsty over here), this place, in my humble opinion, just sucks.
Last night I went with a few girlfriends. A told me as soon as I got here she knew I wasn't going to be thrilled with the location but that she knew of everyone, I was the one most likely to "suck it up" and find something to eat there. I did but it took awhile. I find their menu boring and uninspired. I settled on the trout with almonds and peas (seriously, folks, that was the description. Makes you want to just gobble it up, doesn't it?). The trout was cooked fine but it had zero taste to it. I think there was a buerre blanc sauce on it but it was so flavorless I couldn't tell. Then I tasted the peas. Barf! How one screws up peas I have no idea (and that's all it was folks, peas. No seasoning, no butter, no garnish, I'd even take a pearl onion or two. Just peas) . But they were so over cooked they tasted like baby food. It took all I could to swallow what I had in my mouth. My first instinct was to do what toddlers do when then don't like something - stick out my tongue and let it fall to the ground. They were THAT gross. I sent them back. I got a new bowl of "just peas" which were still tasteless but at least they weren't overcooked. I had to add some salt (which I never do) to eat them.
The ironic thing is while my food was screaming for salt, the other girls who tried the special (miso glazed cod I believe) found theirs to be so very salty. Huh?
And the service. I guess she was trying but she wasn't trying really hard. It was $3 sangria night and the sangria I ordered at the bar WAS good. I would have had another one but no one ever asked me if I wanted anything else to drink even though my glass was empty for quite awhile (although shout out to the busser who was obsessed with filling our water glasses). When A inquired of us (in front of our server) whether we wanted to stay and have another or move on, our server made absolutely no attempt to get us to stay. The restaurant was empty. She didn't need to turn us. She should have tried to convince us to stay to increase her tip. But she didn't. So we left and went to Common Table instead (note about Common Table. Just had a drink there, no food, but being there just makes me miss Lola so I doubt I'll be fan).
Anyhoo. Nick & Sam's Grill is BANNED! I will not go back there. Sorry folks. If you plan something there, I will not attend. I'll meet you someplace else later.
Cheers!
Until today there were only 2 restaurants in Dallas that were officially on the banned list: some Chinese buffet on Ross (there was a gristle issue) and the Pizza Hut buffet on Lemmon (two words: inedible jello). You might be think, "um, Rachel, why would you go to those places to begin with?" Excellent question. Went with the guys at work and they didn't let me choose. They chose poorly. Victor Tango is on the verge of being on the banned list. I went with 2 girlfriends awhile back and we each sent back our food. 3 people - 3 bad dishes. (Don't even get me started on their Mac n Cheese. Blech. If you don't know how to make a bachemel sauce - get a new occupation. You should not be cooking in a restaurant.) But everyone keeps telling me to try it again because they have had a good experience there. So I will, sigh, give it one more chance before banning it.
The newest edition to the banned list is . . . Nick & Sam's Grille. It makes me sad to do this because I love, love, love, Nick & Sam's. But NSG is just bad. From the food which always tastes like unseasoned microwaved meals, to the decor (it looks like a cave, a poorly air conditioned cave with a horrible, cramped layout), to the service (hello, I'm thirsty over here), this place, in my humble opinion, just sucks.
Last night I went with a few girlfriends. A told me as soon as I got here she knew I wasn't going to be thrilled with the location but that she knew of everyone, I was the one most likely to "suck it up" and find something to eat there. I did but it took awhile. I find their menu boring and uninspired. I settled on the trout with almonds and peas (seriously, folks, that was the description. Makes you want to just gobble it up, doesn't it?). The trout was cooked fine but it had zero taste to it. I think there was a buerre blanc sauce on it but it was so flavorless I couldn't tell. Then I tasted the peas. Barf! How one screws up peas I have no idea (and that's all it was folks, peas. No seasoning, no butter, no garnish, I'd even take a pearl onion or two. Just peas) . But they were so over cooked they tasted like baby food. It took all I could to swallow what I had in my mouth. My first instinct was to do what toddlers do when then don't like something - stick out my tongue and let it fall to the ground. They were THAT gross. I sent them back. I got a new bowl of "just peas" which were still tasteless but at least they weren't overcooked. I had to add some salt (which I never do) to eat them.
The ironic thing is while my food was screaming for salt, the other girls who tried the special (miso glazed cod I believe) found theirs to be so very salty. Huh?
And the service. I guess she was trying but she wasn't trying really hard. It was $3 sangria night and the sangria I ordered at the bar WAS good. I would have had another one but no one ever asked me if I wanted anything else to drink even though my glass was empty for quite awhile (although shout out to the busser who was obsessed with filling our water glasses). When A inquired of us (in front of our server) whether we wanted to stay and have another or move on, our server made absolutely no attempt to get us to stay. The restaurant was empty. She didn't need to turn us. She should have tried to convince us to stay to increase her tip. But she didn't. So we left and went to Common Table instead (note about Common Table. Just had a drink there, no food, but being there just makes me miss Lola so I doubt I'll be fan).
Anyhoo. Nick & Sam's Grill is BANNED! I will not go back there. Sorry folks. If you plan something there, I will not attend. I'll meet you someplace else later.
Cheers!
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