I'm finally getting back to normal, followers. Finally coming out of the daze I've been in due to Mom being in the hospital for two weeks. But she's home now and it's time to get back to normal. I actually slapped on some mascara, wore heals, and went out on a Saturday night! Okay, so I was home by 10pm because I was pooped. But I went out. In public. And I was nowhere near the hospital. WooHoo! WiDiDallas is back!
We went to Louie's on Henderson for some pizza. If you're trying to picture where Louie's is on Henderson, it's the bunker looking building on the south side of the street just west of Sunflower (fka Newflower) Market. Look for the sign with the martini on it. Louie's is a Dallas institution. It's been making people go to Henderson long before Henderson was cool. It was featured in 2009 on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtO7j9FJd0E Louie's definitely fits into the Dive category.
Now if you've never been to Louie's there are a few things you need to know. First, in case you weren't paying attention to the previous paragraph, it's a dive. Your napkins will come out of dispenser on the table. Your bar stool and table will wobble. The cloth seats on your chair will be stained, badly. So if you aren't down with the dive scene, go down the street and get your pizza chain experience on at Fireside. Don't worry about hurting Louie's feelings. Trust me, he won't care.
Second, be prepared to wait for a table. Louie's is always busy, particularly on the weekends. All sorts of folks come to Louie's. Families, singles, businesspeople. But tables turn fairly quickly so the wait is not too bad. And waiting is made easier because you'll get to drink a martini. A good one. They make it right and they make it cheap. But speaking of alcohol, the third thing you should know about Louie's is if you only drink draft beer, have a soda or go someplace else. No draft beer at Louie's. But there's a full bar and the wine's not all that bad.
Fourth, Louie's doesn't take anything but American Express or cash. The story is Louie got in a fight with the Visa/MasterCard people and he swore he would never use them again. He's lived up to that promise. Even Neimans will take Visa/MasterCard during the Super Bowl (yes, you read that right but only for a limited time), but Louie's will not make that exception.
But the most important thing you need to know about Louie's is it's some of the best pizza in Dallas. A cracker thin crust, a slightly sweet sauce, and really fresh ingredients makes it a pretty good pie. We ordered a large chicken and jalapeno and a large mushroom and green pepper pizza. The jalapenos weren't too hot and the chicken breast was cooked perfectly and cut in big chunks. Yum. I'm not a huge green pepper girl but they were sliced really thin and gave the pie a nice flavor. 2 large pies for 5 people was just the right size but if you have some bigger guys in your group, you might want to get just a bit more.
Louie's has other things on the menu as well. We always start with the Greek salad with lettuce, tomatoes, feta cheese, and pepperoncinis. Usually stellar, ours was way over-dressed and very soggy. Bummer. If you aren't into pizza, there's plenty of other choices for you. Pastas, burgers, seafood. I wish I could tell you what those other things taste like, but I just go there for the pizza. You should too. Just be sure you have cash or an American Express card.
Cheers!
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Medical City Dallas Area
It's been a tough week for me, loyal followers. As I was sitting there, really enjoying Matt McCallister and J Chastain's Play Dinner at 2nd Floor, I received a text from one of my sisters letting me know my mom was being admitted to the hospital. It was quite a scary text and I immediately lost my appetite before I even got a chance to eat dessert. Bummer. It looked good.
We spent the next several days basically hanging out at Medical City while they tried to figure out what was wrong with Mom's ticker. If you are ever admitted to Medical City and required to eat from the cardiac diabetes menu (and I hope you never are), here's Mom's review of various items:
Chicken sandwich - she liked it so much, she had it twice
Pasta with meatball - When she first tried the meatball she insisted that it was too salty and forced my Dad to taste it to prove her point. After Dad told her it wasn't too salty, she believed him (wow, she must have been sick if she was listening to Dad) and declared it her favorite.
Pork chops - "Yuck"
Cottage cheese with peach slices - this warranted a wrinkled up nose with her tongue sticking out in disgust.
They have an option at Medical City where you can order your guests their own plate of hospital food for $8. As delicious as those pork chops sounded, I passed and explored some of the restaurants on Forest across from Medical City. There's actually quite a good selection.
Boston Market - In law school, I used to love Boston Market. It was well-priced for a student on a very tight budget. Roasted chicken, creamed spinach and cinnamon apples for under $5 (yeah, it was a long time ago). Plus that chicken was always so juicy, the creamed spinach was high calorie deliciousness, and I convinced myself that the cinnamon apples were "healthy". And the corn bread was sweet and oh so good.
Dad had requested that I bring him Boston Market when I stopped by on Sunday. He knew his exact order 3 Piece Dark with squash casserole and spinach. I ordered the white meat meal with mac n cheese and steamed vegetables. Dad liked his but mine was blech. Dry chicken, way too gooey mac n cheese and vegetables that had been steamed within an inch of their lives. And that corn bread I used to love, stale. So disappointing.
Asian Mint - The original and still my favorite. Unlike The Mint on Oak Lawn which has a blue, clubby theme, Asian Mint is green and zen. The two menus are virtually identical but Asian Mint has sushi. It was cold and I was exhausted and needed some comfort food so I ordered the pad see lew. Wide noodles with broccoli, bok choy, egg and black soy sauce with pork (or chicken, beef or tofu). So warm, filling and delicious. I also love the many different sea bass choices. You can get sea bass pan fried, crispy or steamed. My preference is the healthiest option, steamed with the lime lemongrass sauce with steamed veggies. Yum, might have to get that some time next week.
Mattitos - They have built a new one on Forest. I didn't go there because I couldn't quite bring myself to have some Bob Armstrong dip (which I love, love, love) while spending so much time with cardiologists. Mattitos is not the best Mexican food in Dallas but it's great for big parties and they do have a fantastic Sunday brunch (a little breakfast, a little Mexican food, and a chocolate fountain. What's not to love?). But we have about 5 more days at Medical City so I will probably be checking it out at some point.
Mattitos - They have built a new one on Forest. I didn't go there because I couldn't quite bring myself to have some Bob Armstrong dip (which I love, love, love) while spending so much time with cardiologists. Mattitos is not the best Mexican food in Dallas but it's great for big parties and they do have a fantastic Sunday brunch (a little breakfast, a little Mexican food, and a chocolate fountain. What's not to love?). But we have about 5 more days at Medical City so I will probably be checking it out at some point.
Dickey's - Bar B Que is such a personal thing. Your bbq preference is so regionally specific, it's a hard thing to review. But as we were all gathered in the Cardiac ICU waiting room yesterday waiting for mom to get out of surgery, Dickey's was the perfect choice. The family pack allowed us to get a little bit of everything so the entire family could enjoy something. The vegetarian got a baked potato (which she thought was very dry). The pregnant one got her chicken. Dad, who knows once Mom gets home he'll be eating nothing but chicken and fish for some time, wanted brisket and sausage. Multiple choices of sides - mac n cheese, corn on the cob, potatoes, baked beans. All tasty.
I think I can speak for the entire family when I say it was the best meal we had all week. Of course, we could have been eating the horrible food from the Banned List's Nick & Sam's Grill and I would have declared this meal fantastic. That is because the doc came by as we were finishing up and said Mom's valve replacement surgery was a great success and she was doing quite well. Dickey's is now my favorite bbq place ever! :)
Well followers, I'm really glad this week is over. We have a few more days in ICU, a few more days in the hospital and then Mom will be home where she belongs. Once she's home, I'm going to be very, very happy to put Medical City on the Banned List. This is the second time in two years my sisters and I have spent quality time together in that waiting room waiting for a parental unit to get out of heart surgery. No offense, but I never, ever, ever, want to spend any time there again.
I want to end this post with a personal note: Thank you to all who provided their good thoughts, prayers and support to me and my family during this trying week. It has meant the world to us and really helped us through this very tough week. And to my Mom, I love you more than words can say. You're the best and I'm so very lucky to be your daughter. Get better soon.
Cheers!
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Trinity Hall, Public Transportation, and the AAC
I received a "day of" invitation yesterday to go to the Mavs game from B. I've known B's wife since college and B and I have become friends over the years. We first bonded over common political views then sports. B is always conning me into handing over my cash to play in one of his many sports pools that he organizes during the year (by "conning", I mean he sends me an email saying, Wanna join? and I say yes . . . and then lose in spectacular fashion. But I'm proud to say in the Pool of Greatness which just conclude I ended up winning . . . $1. Woo Hoo!). I hadn't seen a Mavs game yet this season, so I was happy for the invitation.
Now, B lives out in Wylie, a name which I think is roughly translated into "way too far north" so he takes the DART rail to the AAC. Since it was on the way, we met for dinner at Trinity Hall at Mockingbird Station. I haven't been to Trinity Hall in quite some time. I used to be there several times a month due to their good beer and whiskey selections and pub fare. Somewhere along the way, however, I stopped going. I think it was because the parking situation got really ridiculous on the weekends. Or maybe it was because I felt guilty eating fish and chips and drinking lagers in a restaurant that's right next to my gym. Who knows.
I ordered a Franziskaner and the reuben sandwich (New Years' Resolution to eat healthier be damned). The reuben was just okay. Not enough sauerkraut and really, really mild corned beef just kind of made it meh. I overcompensated for ordering this highly caloric sandwich by getting a side salad with a vinaigrette instead of the french fries I really wanted. The salad tried to be fancy with the addition of tasteless apple slices. The vinaigrette I ordered was so thick and pungent, I might as well have ordered ranch. Franziskaner was good though. :)
B ordered the french dip which looked a bit too cheesy to me. He also ordered a "gluten free" beer which I don't quiet get (it's kind of like having a "grape free" wine in my opinion). But that's a blog for another day.
Despite the food being just okay, I'll go back to Trinity Hall. It's a pretty good pub and their fish and chips are pretty darned good. It's a great place to watch soccer games (or a great place to watch guys watching soccer games if that's what you'd prefer) and they have a pretty good whiskey list. They have whiskey tasting menus which will allow a novice some pretty good tastes to figure out the type of scotch you enjoy (I found the tastings to be rather pedestrian but I'm a scotch drinker already). They also have a kids menu which is fabulous if, you know, want to bring your baby to a bar . . .
We then proceeded to Mockingbird Station to catch the light rail to the AAC. It was my first time on the light rail in Dallas. When you live in Lakewood like I do, there's really little need to take the light rail. By the time I parked, paid, and waited for the train, I could be at my destination and on my first drink by the time the train pulls out of the station. Plus, there's that whole urine smell thing . . .
We got to the Mavs game at the AAC. Went to get a beer and noticed an interesting item on the menu - a hot dog BLT. It's a hot dog, wrapped in bacon and deep fried, placed on a hoagie with lettuce and tomato (you know, to keep it healthy). Too full of corned beef to have a taste of that heart attack on a bun but I'd be interested if you've ever had it and lived.
Cheers!
Now, B lives out in Wylie, a name which I think is roughly translated into "way too far north" so he takes the DART rail to the AAC. Since it was on the way, we met for dinner at Trinity Hall at Mockingbird Station. I haven't been to Trinity Hall in quite some time. I used to be there several times a month due to their good beer and whiskey selections and pub fare. Somewhere along the way, however, I stopped going. I think it was because the parking situation got really ridiculous on the weekends. Or maybe it was because I felt guilty eating fish and chips and drinking lagers in a restaurant that's right next to my gym. Who knows.
I ordered a Franziskaner and the reuben sandwich (New Years' Resolution to eat healthier be damned). The reuben was just okay. Not enough sauerkraut and really, really mild corned beef just kind of made it meh. I overcompensated for ordering this highly caloric sandwich by getting a side salad with a vinaigrette instead of the french fries I really wanted. The salad tried to be fancy with the addition of tasteless apple slices. The vinaigrette I ordered was so thick and pungent, I might as well have ordered ranch. Franziskaner was good though. :)
B ordered the french dip which looked a bit too cheesy to me. He also ordered a "gluten free" beer which I don't quiet get (it's kind of like having a "grape free" wine in my opinion). But that's a blog for another day.
Despite the food being just okay, I'll go back to Trinity Hall. It's a pretty good pub and their fish and chips are pretty darned good. It's a great place to watch soccer games (or a great place to watch guys watching soccer games if that's what you'd prefer) and they have a pretty good whiskey list. They have whiskey tasting menus which will allow a novice some pretty good tastes to figure out the type of scotch you enjoy (I found the tastings to be rather pedestrian but I'm a scotch drinker already). They also have a kids menu which is fabulous if, you know, want to bring your baby to a bar . . .
We then proceeded to Mockingbird Station to catch the light rail to the AAC. It was my first time on the light rail in Dallas. When you live in Lakewood like I do, there's really little need to take the light rail. By the time I parked, paid, and waited for the train, I could be at my destination and on my first drink by the time the train pulls out of the station. Plus, there's that whole urine smell thing . . .
We got to the Mavs game at the AAC. Went to get a beer and noticed an interesting item on the menu - a hot dog BLT. It's a hot dog, wrapped in bacon and deep fried, placed on a hoagie with lettuce and tomato (you know, to keep it healthy). Too full of corned beef to have a taste of that heart attack on a bun but I'd be interested if you've ever had it and lived.
Cheers!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Parigi
So far, so good on my new year's resolution followers. This weekend, I attempted to try a new sports bar (but was thwarted by a sea of Badgers. No, really. Apparently, 1st & 10 was the official Wisconsin Rose Bowl watching party and had to change locales when there wasn't a seat to be had. I'll go back. It looks like my kind of place) and I tried a restaurant that I had never been to before -- Parigi.
Parigi is one of those places that I'm surprised I've never been to. It's down the street from my office in Turtle Creek. And I've had Janice Provost and Chad Houser's food before, just not at Parigi. The last time I went to 48 nights, they were the guest chefs and the food was so good and just so much fun. I then sampled their fare at CFF #1 and enjoyed it. But each of these events had a whole lot of wine associated with them, so I wondered if I would enjoy Parigi's food as much if I wasn't lit.
PMc had missed my birthday celebrations and wanted to take me out. Never to turn down a meal, particularly with one of my favorite people in the entire world, I readily accepted.
We arrived at Parigi within a minute of one another. I had just parked and was being stalked by the valet who informed me that if I was going to Parigi, the entire lot was dedicated to valet. Annoyed, I handed him my keys. Nothing is worse than valeting your own car.
We walked in from the back and I couldn't help but wonder if I could have avoided the valet issue by saying that I was going to the AT&T store next door, go through that store and enter Parigi through the front door instead. But, whatever, keys had been turned over by then anyway. Parigi is a lot smaller than I thought it would be. They make the most of the space but it sure is cozy. Made cozier by what seemed like 10x more staff than needed for this small place. I'm not sure why there's a host. Seemed like the bartender could have performed double duty just fine.
We looked over the menu. Lots of good stuff here. In addition to the regular menu, there's always brunch specials for the burger, omelet, fish, and risotto. We each chose a special. PMc chose the risotto which had chicken, mushrooms and asiago cheese. She let me have a bite and it was delicious. The mushrooms were so good, we decided they were made with crack although by the end of the meal we had determined that said crack was actually white wine and a stick of butter. My kind of crack!
I ordered the fish special. It was Scottish salmon with a butternut squash bacon hash and fresh veggies. Salmon was very nice but a bit overcooked for my liking. It was, however, was the butternut squash bacon hash that was the standout. Bacon makes everything better!
While were were eating, a couple walked in with a big white dog. I knew Parigi let dogs dine on the patio during nice days but inside the restaurant, hmmm? Well, it turned out to be a service dog, or at least that's what it said on its leash. It didn't look like any service animal I had ever seen and you would think a service dog would be trained not to lick its privates in a restaurant (we had an excellent view of this event) but decided to accept its leash moniker as fact. I'm now wondering if I can pass my mutt off as a "service dog" just by getting him a fancy new leash. Although since Mur does not fetch, knows no tricks (other than looking cute), and rather enjoys licking his privates in public, I'm thinking my scam would be noticed immediately.
After the dog seemed to settle down, we then ordered the dessert trio (it was, afterall, my birthday celebration and what better way to follow up a show than dessert, huh?). It contained smaller servings of the Chocolate Blob (which I think is just undercooked brownie), the pie special of the day, buttermilk (my favorite), and some ice cream. Everything looked so good that one of our fellow diners stopped at our table as he was leaving and said "looks like I forgot to order something." We didn't offer to share. We were enjoying it too much.
Glad I went to Parigi and will likely go back again. Even completely sober the food is great. You should try it too.
PMc pointed out to me this weekend that we had made a new years resolution together on NYE 2009 that we would spend more time together in 2010. I think it was the only resolution we both kept in 2010. I was so glad to start my 2011 with a great brunch at Parigi with her. Here's to resolutions worth keeping and making again and again.
Cheers!
Parigi is one of those places that I'm surprised I've never been to. It's down the street from my office in Turtle Creek. And I've had Janice Provost and Chad Houser's food before, just not at Parigi. The last time I went to 48 nights, they were the guest chefs and the food was so good and just so much fun. I then sampled their fare at CFF #1 and enjoyed it. But each of these events had a whole lot of wine associated with them, so I wondered if I would enjoy Parigi's food as much if I wasn't lit.
PMc had missed my birthday celebrations and wanted to take me out. Never to turn down a meal, particularly with one of my favorite people in the entire world, I readily accepted.
We arrived at Parigi within a minute of one another. I had just parked and was being stalked by the valet who informed me that if I was going to Parigi, the entire lot was dedicated to valet. Annoyed, I handed him my keys. Nothing is worse than valeting your own car.
We walked in from the back and I couldn't help but wonder if I could have avoided the valet issue by saying that I was going to the AT&T store next door, go through that store and enter Parigi through the front door instead. But, whatever, keys had been turned over by then anyway. Parigi is a lot smaller than I thought it would be. They make the most of the space but it sure is cozy. Made cozier by what seemed like 10x more staff than needed for this small place. I'm not sure why there's a host. Seemed like the bartender could have performed double duty just fine.
We looked over the menu. Lots of good stuff here. In addition to the regular menu, there's always brunch specials for the burger, omelet, fish, and risotto. We each chose a special. PMc chose the risotto which had chicken, mushrooms and asiago cheese. She let me have a bite and it was delicious. The mushrooms were so good, we decided they were made with crack although by the end of the meal we had determined that said crack was actually white wine and a stick of butter. My kind of crack!
I ordered the fish special. It was Scottish salmon with a butternut squash bacon hash and fresh veggies. Salmon was very nice but a bit overcooked for my liking. It was, however, was the butternut squash bacon hash that was the standout. Bacon makes everything better!
While were were eating, a couple walked in with a big white dog. I knew Parigi let dogs dine on the patio during nice days but inside the restaurant, hmmm? Well, it turned out to be a service dog, or at least that's what it said on its leash. It didn't look like any service animal I had ever seen and you would think a service dog would be trained not to lick its privates in a restaurant (we had an excellent view of this event) but decided to accept its leash moniker as fact. I'm now wondering if I can pass my mutt off as a "service dog" just by getting him a fancy new leash. Although since Mur does not fetch, knows no tricks (other than looking cute), and rather enjoys licking his privates in public, I'm thinking my scam would be noticed immediately.
After the dog seemed to settle down, we then ordered the dessert trio (it was, afterall, my birthday celebration and what better way to follow up a show than dessert, huh?). It contained smaller servings of the Chocolate Blob (which I think is just undercooked brownie), the pie special of the day, buttermilk (my favorite), and some ice cream. Everything looked so good that one of our fellow diners stopped at our table as he was leaving and said "looks like I forgot to order something." We didn't offer to share. We were enjoying it too much.
Glad I went to Parigi and will likely go back again. Even completely sober the food is great. You should try it too.
PMc pointed out to me this weekend that we had made a new years resolution together on NYE 2009 that we would spend more time together in 2010. I think it was the only resolution we both kept in 2010. I was so glad to start my 2011 with a great brunch at Parigi with her. Here's to resolutions worth keeping and making again and again.
Cheers!
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