Trece
4513 Travis Street
Dallas, TX 75205-4126
(214) 780-1900
www.trecerestaurant.com
Price: $$
The restaurant is very nice. The decor is chic and sophisticated and the color scheme is warm and comfortable. Later into the dinner it did get a little too dark for my preference but overall it's a very trendy spot.
Since they are giving food away for free, of course they want you to buy other stuff like alcohol and other starters.
Before we were seated, we ordered some drinks. The Blueberry Mojito (muddled fresh blueberries, Barcardi Silver Rum, mint, lime and a splash of agave nectar; served fresh or frozen) $11~ was SOO delicious. Very pricey though. I'm not a fan of mojitos because I don't like the strong mint and lime flavors. However, this drink was perfect for me. It was sweet, with just a hint of mint. Plus the color was really pretty. I recommend this to anyone who likes mixed drinks.Once we were seated, the waiter asked if we wanted some guacamole (prepared table side). We got just one order of it...since there was more food to come. Guacamole en Molcajete (avocado, roasted tomatoes, red onions, jalapenos, garlic, cilantro, choice of mild, spicy or extra spicy) $12~
The guacamole was delicious...very fresh and bursting with flavor. The avocado was super creamy and I liked the large chunks of tomatoes. I'm glad we only got 1 order though because it's really expensive for the amount we got. Basically it's 1 avocado per order...PRICE-Y!So they give you a special menu for the promotion. It has 4 choices of appetizers and 4 choices of entrees. For appetizers we ordered all 4:
Ensalada Verde (Organic greens, tomatoes, cucumber, roasted carrots, and queso panella with a pasilla cilantro vinaigrette) $8~
The salad was really good. The greens were pretty fresh and it was a nice sized portion. What I loved most about the salad was the dressing. It was creamy but not heavy...and surprisingly very flavorful!Quesadilla con Pollo Jalado a la Parilla (pulled grilled chicken quesadilla with roasted poblano cream) $8~
This was yummy! The chicken had lots of flavor and was sooo tender. But the portions were small and the poblano cream was wayy too sweet. I actually put some of my salad dressing on the quesadilla and it was even better...or some guacamole on it was super good as well.I didn't get to try these but my friends said they were good:
Nachos con Pollo (Grilled chicken, black bean puree, avocado, jack cheese, roasted tomato salsa and jalapeno jelly)
Trece Sofa de Tortilla (Ancho chile, tortilla, tomato broth, pulled chicken, pico de gallo, queso fresco, avocado cream and warm corn tortillas) $9~
Next are the entrees...we got 3 out of the 4 choices (the 4th was a vegetarian dish).
I got the Budin Azteca (Pulled Chicken, Serrano-Epazote Cheese and Smoky Chorizo Multi-layered Tortilla Pie with Roasted Poblano Sauce) $18~
This dish was hit/miss with me. The chicken was sooo tender and had bold flavors. I really enjoyed that part of the dish. On the other hand, I only saw 1 tiny piece of chorizo and didn't get much of the chorizo flavor in the dish. Also, I'm not a fan of enchiladas and the tortilla layers in this dish tasted just like an enchilada. Basically it was like an enchilada in layered form. I just peeled off the tortilla layers and just ate the chicken.I also got to try the Tacos de Pescado (Fish tacos with jicama slaw and Trece tortilla rice) $17~
This was a disappointment. The fish were fried and a little too hard/crispy. They didn't have enough meat on the fish. But the flavor was ok. Also, it didn't come with any kind of sauce or pico or anything, so the entire dish was dry. Again, I poured some of my leftover salad dressing on them and it made it much better! :PI didn't get to try the Enchiladas de Pollo (Chicken enchiladas with salsa roja served with black beans, habanero rice, crema fresca) $15~
But my friend says that the dish was dry because it didn't have enough sauce and there was hardly any cheese. I think most of us expect lots of cheese when ordering enchiladas. Anyways, he was definitely not impressed.Even though it wasn't free, I still had to try the dessert. When trying a new restaurant you gotta try all aspects, right?? :P hehe. I ordered the Tres Leches Flan (with raspberry sauce) $6~
The flan was really good! It's a little denser than most flans I've had in the past, I'm assuming is the tres leches part. But I can definitely taste the milk in the dessert. But flans are normally pretty light on the flavor and I think the raspberry sauce overpowered the dish. I still enjoyed it and I think the price was reasonable.Overall the meal wasn't bad, but for the price that we would've paid, it's DEFINITELY not worth it. My favorite parts of the dinner was the blueberry mojito, the guacamole, the salad, and the quesadillas. Seems like the night started off pretty positive then just kinda plateaued out from there. And even though I enjoyed those items, I would never pay full price for them. It was good that the majority of the meal was free.
I won't be going back for a regular meal there, but maybe happy hour in the future!!
Quality of Food:
Service:
Cleanliness:
Value (with discount):
Value (w/o discount):
Overall Experience:
~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
I don't remember the name on the menu, but this dish is a must try. Sooo much flavor and the sauce on top added a sweetness. You can never go wrong with bacon! :P
I hoped the salmon would be bigger but I guess for the price I should've expected it to be this size. The flavor of the fish was good, but it was slightly overcooked, so it was a little dry. I still prefer misotara (miso cod)...but that's generally more expensive.
It looked like a pretty typical ramen. But the noodles were cooked perfectly and the broth was super flavorful. It's one of the better ramens I've had in the Dallas area. 
The salad was really good...fresh and the dressing was great! 
The sushi was pretty good. The fish was fresh and had nice texture. The california rolls, however, were just ok. I don't think they used real crab...although it didn't taste as bad as some of the fake crab that other restaurants use. 
I REALLY liked the summer rolls. I think it had white tuna, crab, asparagus, and roe in it. The cucumber on the outside made it look really pretty and was very refreshing. The cool and crisp cucumber was a great complement to the rice and fish. Plus the siracha sauce on the side added a nice spicy kick! I would totally order this again.
Like I said about the california rolls, it was ok. The flavor was fine, but the quality just wasn't there. The rice didn't have the right texture and it wasn't made very well (not pretty).
I got to try a piece of the beef. It was very good. Thin slices of beef, tender, lots of flavor, with a bit of sweetness. It was yummy.
This was very interesting. It was basically chicken salad but they topped it with crushed sour cream and onion potato chips. That added a nice crunch and different texture to the tender chicken and the crispy bell peppers and carrots. I personally hate carrots and try not to order anything with carrots in it. I don't really even eat carrot cake just because there's carrots in there. But I ate every bite of this dish. The dressing was very flavorful so I couldn't taste the carrots. The fact that I didn't pick them out was a really big deal. I really liked it. I think it could've been even better in the middle of a croissant! :P
I liked the empanadas a lot. They were fried, not like the typical baked empanadas I've had in the past. The shell was nice and crispy and the filling was very tasty. Both were good but I think I liked the Spinach one better. The cheese was all melted inside and it was hot and gooey! One thing I would suggest is that they put a little more filling in the empanadas. They were a little flat...
and Thai Panang Curry Chicken Dumplings (Steamed; Served with our coconut-curry sauce) $7~ 
The dumplings were...ok. I was very excited to try the curry dumpling because I love thai curry. But it was alright. The dumpling was normal (I'm sure if you are asian you've had dumplings some time in your life...). The skin was thin which I liked but it dried out very quickly after being served and the top edges became kinda hard. Also the sauce for the curry dumpling had wayy to much ginger flavor. I didn't really care for that. I liked the duck dumpling better. I think maybe because it was fried. :P Fried is always more tasty..haha. But the sauce was REALLY sweet. I didn't really taste any spiciness. Luckily I liked the sweet sauce with the duck, but some of my friends didn't like it at all. I wouldn't recommend the dumplings. They were ok and I felt like anyone can make those dumplings.
I really liked the Caesar salad. I hate when restaurants drown salad in dressing, I think a little dressing goes a long way. In this salad....initially I thought that they had forgotten the dressing because it looked completely dry, until I tasted it. You can hardly see the dressing, but the flavor was all there! The ingredients were really fresh and nothing overpowered the dish. The Pueblo Corn and Toasted Pepitas added extra texture to the salad. I liked it a lot! The only thing I would change about it is maybe cut the pieces of lettuce smaller...it was a little difficult jamming a fork-full of lettuce into my mouth. haha. 
The pork was also really good. It was a little dry but along with the glaze it was perfect. The meat was quite lean, so it didn't feel fatty or greasy..and it was tender. I love cauliflower, so you can pretty much cook it anyway and I'll eat it. I really enjoyed it...but I'm a little confused because it said "creamed" but there wasn't any cream. Overall I liked the dish, but I'd also recommend the pork at Jasper's (which I think is even better).
This is not your typical bread basket. There are 3 different kinds of breads. One is like a long corn bread (slightly sweet and you can see the pieces of corn). Another is a mini biscuit. The last I'm not quite sure what it is but it tasted like zucchini bread. The bread also came with butter and homemade strawberry jam. The biscuits and jam together were fabulous!
All the desserts were good but if I really had to choose, this one would be my favorite! The pie kind of looks like a cheesecake but the texture was different. It was very creamy and smooth and the crust was perfect!
I love anything with chocolate and this was definitely delicious. The texture of the pound cake with the soft creamy ice cream was fantastic. The cake was very rich and chocolaty.
The texture of the cheesecake was perfect. I know some places make cheesecake a little wet or too dry but not this one. The peach jam complemented it really well.
This was the dessert I would've ordered. It was very good. There was a layer of thick creamy chocolate ganache under the marshmallows...it was the best part of the dessert! It was a cool little twist to the original smores.
The shortcake (or biscuit) itself was a little dry, but with the syrup from the fruits and the whipped cream, it was still really good. There was plenty of fresh fruit filling inside the shortcake. It was more refreshing and light compared to some of the more creamy desserts.
I'm not a fan of really tart stuff and this dessert was a little too tart for me. Lots of fresh berries with light Crème Fraîche. The Crème Fraîche was basically like a tart yogurt sauce. If you like lighter and healthier desserts this would be a good choice for you.
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