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Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Holiday Dinner @ Blue Plate Kitchen

Some of my good friends from High School came back for the holidays to visit. YAY! We wanted to get together for dinner so naturally I thought of Blue Plate Kitchen. :) I wanted to take them to one of my favorite places in Dallas.

Starting from the call to make the reservation, I received nothing but first rate service. We were seated in one of the corner booths...the special ones! :P The manager came by and greeted us as well. My friends were pretty impressed. hehe. They are so nice, that's why I love going there!

We were given bread baskets with their assortment of delicious breads. It was quickly scarfed down and ready for a second basket...hahaha.

I ordered the Burgundy Braised Beef Rib Pot Roast (roasted root vegetables, pan sauce) $19~It was really delicious. The flavor between the beef, mashed potatoes, root veggies, and the sauce meshed together so well. The beef was pretty tender, but being braised I would've liked it to be a bit more tender. I still used a knife instead of it being fork tender. Minor complaint...I would totally order this again. It was a lot of food, after sharing some with my friends, I still took some to go.

One of my friends ordered the Ancho Barbequed Pulled Pork (Cabrales Blue Cheese-Roasted Corn Grits) $16~ The waiter gave a caution that the blue cheese is quite potent if she wasn't a blue cheese fan. But I tried it and it was really good. The blue cheese added extra creaminess but it wasn't too strong. I'm not a big fan of blue cheese, a little bit is good though. The pork had a ton of flavor with the barbeque sauce. The strips of tortilla garnish added an extra crunch. It was tasty!

My other friend got the Mustard Crusted Texas Catfish (Red Pepper Creole Tartar Sauce, side of Creole Black Eyed Peas, Andouille Sausage) $16~ I've posted about this dish before so I didn't take a picture. But it was awesome. The fish was super fluffy and tender, and the outside was nice and crispy. YUMMMMY!

We were all super stuffed so we got 1 dessert to share. We got the Apple Tart (topped with Sea Salt Caramel gelato and Round Rock Cider Honey) $7~ This was the only dessert I have not tried on the menu. It was very pretty...didn't look like a typical tart. The edges were crispy as well as the caramelized sugar on top. The apples were thinly sliced and everything tasted so good together. I would suggest this dessert if you don't want anything too heavy but still satisfy that sweet tooth. :)

My friends really enjoyed the food and service. Yayyy :) Thanks Blue Plate, once again. I shall see you again soon.

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Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Twisted Root Burgers

I finally got to try Twisted Root Burgers on Sunday. I've been hearing great things about it for a while now, and now they have a new location in Richardson, it's much more convenient for me to get to. :)

Twisted Root Burger Co
730 East Campbell Road
Richardson, TX 75081
(214) 570-9999
www.twistedrootburgerco.com

Price: $

It's a casual little place. You order at the counter and pick up your food at the counter. They give you funny names instead of numbers to pick up your order. Mine was "Cher"...haha.

I looked at the online menu before I went. They have special meats such as Buffalo, Elk, Venison, and Ostrich (per availability). I really wanted to try Ostrich...supposedly it's the healthiest red meat...even less fat than Buffalo! Unfortunately they did not have it that day.

I ordered one of the Specialty Burgers: Green Chile, Guacamole & Pepperjack Burger (substituted beef with Turkey) $7.49~
The meat is all white meat turkey. The burger was pretty tasty. The green chile had a slight kick to it which was cool. I love guacamole and it definitely made the burger better. One complaint is that all the sauces in the burger made the bottom bun super soggy...I hate it when that happens. So I didn't eat most of the bottom bun. Overall a pretty good burger, I still want to try Ostrich for next time!

We also got a Fried Ride (Hand-cut sweet potato chips, Twisted french fries, Fried Green Beans, Onion Rings, Quincy's Spicy Fried Pickles) $6.99~ to share. That's a whole lotta fried stuff I have to say. And pretty tasty too...can't go wrong with deep fried stuff. The pickles were my favorite but were quite salty, all the other stuff were pretty good too. I wished they would've had sweet potato fries instead of chips though. But if you are with a big group this is a good option for sharing. I would not attempt to eat this platter by myself...my arteries would probably clog up before I even finish half the basket!! haha.

I was all trying to be good with eating before this, but if you are on a diet, this is definitely NOT the place for you. I guess you can get the leanest meat with none of the toppings if you really wanted...but then what's the point of having a burger?? Am I right, or am I right? hehe :P

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Woodlands Grill @ Watters Creek

**Update 12.30.10**
Woodlands Grill is now closed. The Londoner has taken the spot in Watters Creek.

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I went to Woodlands Grill in Watters Creek in Allen over the weekend. http://www.woodlands-grill.com/allen.htm

The hostess was very friendly and seated us immediately. It wasn't very busy.

Our waiter warmly greeted us. He was very nice and took our drink orders pretty quickly. The menu items were ok priced and everything sounded pretty delicious.

I ordered the Cobalt Sandwich (grilled chicken, onion, bacon aioli, avocado, lettuce, tomato) $9.50~

It came with a side of fries. The sandwich was pretty good. A little too big to bite into so I used fork and knife. The bread was pretty awesome. It had great texture and nice crispy edges. The bacon aioli added a lot of flavor and there was a ton of avocado. SUPER YUM! The only thing is the chicken breast could've used more flavor, but with all the other ingredients, it made up for it. I would order this again in the future. The fries were also pretty good...thick cut and still had nice crunch.

My friend ordered the Campanelle Pasta (chicken, spinach pesto, roasted red peppers, tomatoes, pecans) $13.50~It looked really yummy. I love weirdly shaped pasta. The flavor was pretty good, and it had lots of ingredients in it. I would've preferred the pasta to be a little more al dente though. It was a little soft for me...just slightly.

Next time I'm at Watters Creek, I wouldn't mind trying Woodlands Grill again. After I try all the other restaurants of course...hehe. :P

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

Roy's Aloha Hour~

**Update 12.30.10**

I believe the Aloha hours are now Everyday from 5-7PM at the bar.

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Roy's Hawaiian Restaurant recently starting doing happy hour..."aloha hour" so I went to check it out this past Friday. I love Roy's, their food is always delicious so everything for $5 sounds like such a spectacular deal!

Happy Hour is Monday-Friday from 5-7PM and all items on the HH menu are $5. It's available in the bar only.

It was pretty packed so it took a while for the bartenders to take our orders and to check on us from time to time.

We ordered a bunch of different stuff to sample:
(sorry I took the pics from my blackberry so the color is a little off...)

Lobster California Roll (avocado, cucumber, tobiko) This was totally NOT worth $5...first of all, there was only 4 pieces...and they were SMALL! It was pretty fresh but nothing amazing. Never going to order that again...

Tempura Crusted Ahi Roll (miso butter sauce) This was MUCH better. The rolls were bigger, had more flavor. There was a little too much rice in the roll, but I really enjoyed the way it was fried. It had a really nice crunch without being too heavy or bready. The butter sauce definitely added a nice touch to it.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps (Shiitake Mushrooms, Chili Hoisin soy sauce) I only tried some of the chicken on this one. It was pretty tasty. Lots of flavor and the chili sauce was really good. I also dipped other stuff in the sauce because I liked it so much. It was slightly sweet with a spicy kick. Yum! :)

Wagyu Beef Sliders (Chipotle Aioli, Garlic Truffle Fries) This was definitely my favorite of the night. The beef was sooo tender and full of flavor. The aioli was pretty awesome with the beef. It usually comes with sweet potato fries but they were out that night so we got normal fries. The fries were thick cut, and the truffle oil permeated through so you could really taste it. I would go back just for the sliders again.

So I can't go to Roy's without getting Roy’s Melting Hot Chocolate SoufflĂ©. Even though its not on special HH menu, I still had to have it. But this time I was a little disappointed. They let it sit out too long before serving it to us. I understand that they were swamped...but once the cake sits too long, the inside dries up...and there's no more gooey chocolatey lava to ooze out when you cut into it. :( It was still super tasty...but not the way it should've been.

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Great Lunch @ Blue Plate Kitchen! :)

My boss took me and another co-worker to Blue Plate Kitchen for our holiday lunch today! YAY! :)

As usual, we get a warm welcome when we enter the restaurant. We were promptly seated and quickly ordered the Wood Roasted Cheesy Bread $8~ YUM! The bread was just as delicious as always. A great way to start off the lunch~

I ordered Rathbun's TLBT, Rotisserie Turkey Sandwich (with Applewood Bacon, Country Bread, Apricot-Basil mayo) with side of Jicama-Apple Slaw $11~ I wanted something light but still filling. The sandwich was huge. The turkey was thinly sliced, good quality white meat. The bread had a nice crisp to it. The mayo gave it just enough flavor without being too heavy. It was quite light, which was what I wanted. I was happy with my order. I only ate half the sandwich because I wanted dessert. I'll have a good lunch tomorrow with the leftovers. :P The slaw was very fresh, and the jicama and apples had great crunch. I did feel it was a little too sour for me though. But I still finished all of it. haha.

My boss got the Buffalo Grilled Chicken Sandwich $11~, which I reviewed the last time I went there for lunch.

My coworker ordered the Grilled Steak Sandwich (with Caramelized Onions, Roasted Bell Peppers) with side of Hand-Cut Fries $12~ I got to have a taste. The steak was cooked very well, very tender with good flavor. The bread paired very well with the meat and the cheese was super creamy.

Can't be a holiday lunch without desserts! hehe. We got MawMaw's Buttermilk Pie, Mazelle's Vanilla Cheesecake, and Chocolate Lava Cake. $7 each~ Deeeee-licious...I have nothing more to say. haha....except that the chocolate lava cake was cooked perfectly...unlike the first time I tried it which was a little dry. With the chocolate mint gelato....OMG...perfection!

Also, as we were leaving, my boss pointed out that Chef Kent Rathbun was sitting in a booth not too far away... I was shy at first but they encouraged me to go talk to him. I introduced myself to Chef Rathbun and told him that I was a HUGE fan of all his restaurants. He was SUPER nice and introduced me to his family who were dining with him. I was so excited...it was like meeting a celebrity for me. haha. It totally made my day! :)

Thanks Chef Rathbun and Blue Plate Kitchen! I'm sure I will see you again soon~

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Zoe's Kitchen in Plano!

Zoe's Kitchen
1901 Preston Road
Plano, TX 75093
(972) 248-1010
www.zoeskitchen.com
Price: $

I've been wanting
to go to Zoe's Kitchen for a while now. When they opened one in Plano, I was super excited! :)

Zoe's seemed like a different kind of deli, with healthier options and a mediterranean influence. It's a casual place where you order at the counter and they bring it out to you.

I was easily persuaded into getting the Steak Stack (sliced steak, grilled portobello, mozzarella, caramelized onions, tomato, lettuce, focaccia) with side of pasta salad with basil $7.35~


I was starving and wanted to try everything on the menu. The guy at the counter was really nice and patient. He answered all of my questions and gave me recommendations on the menu items. The steak stack looked delicious! It was just what I needed. The portobello with the beef was awesome. Flavors were great, the mayo spread made it extra delicious. The pasta salad was just as good. It wasn't heavy and had lots of flavor. The pairing of the two was great. It was extremely filling, I ate every bite and was stuffed!

My friend ordered the Grilled Chicken Dinner (charbroiled, rice pilaf, roasted vegetables) $8.95~ It was definitely a healthier choice than mine...haha. At first glance, the dish wasn't very interesting. But I got to try a little and the rice and veggies both had great flavor. I didn't get to try the chicken.


I will definitely be going back to Zoe's. It surpassed my expectations in its flavors. I need to go back and try all the options I was looking at. hehe. :)

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

Blue Plate - 1, Cowboys - 0

We went to Blue Plate Kitchen again last weekend for their NFL Happy Hour to watch the game.

The bartenders were super friendly, as usual, and even helped me decide on a drink order. He recommended I try the "Big Daddy O" $5~ (hh price) but instead of rum like the menu said, he suggested vodka. It had vodka, orange juice and something else in it. It was super good! I'm really picky about alcohol because I don't like the taste of it, but this was really good. But it still had all the effects of alcohol...hehe. :P

We got the normal Brisket and Black Bean Nachos and Chili Dogs. YUMMMM! I never get tired of them!I was super stuffed but knew they had recently changed up their dessert menu again so I had to try something new. I got the Chocolate Lava Cake (chocolate white mint gelato and hot fudge) $7~ It was pretty tasty! The texture and flavor was awesome. I wished the middle was a bit more lava-y though. I think they let it set for a little too long. I did notice that they changed the dessert prices back up to $7 instead of $5...that's a bummer.

The Cowboys lost...again...Sigh~~ BUT...as always, the service at Blue Plate was amazing, and the food never disappoints! I look forward to the next time I go back to Blue Plate Kitchen!! :D

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~