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!
Saturday, September 25, 2010
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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