Christmas in the Summer!! :D

**edit**

I sent my blog post to Blue Plate Kitchen and they wrote back!! :):):)
-------------------------------------

Thank you very much again for coming in and seeing us at Blue Plate. We definitely enjoyed having you and your guests in for Dinner. I am so glad you had such a great time dining with us. The review in "CHOMP!" was outstanding. Our staff and our kitchen really eppreciate the positive feedback, thank you very much for that. Anytime you would like to stop by and see us again just give us a call, we would love to have you back and take great care of you.

Thanks again!

Sincerely,
Justin Bramblett Assistant General Manager
Rathbun's Blue Plate Kitchen

**edit**
-------------------------------------

On the last week of June, my Quarterly Dinner group got together for our 2nd Quarter gathering. I chose to go to Chef Kent Rathbun's Blue Plate Kitchen (newest addition to his Dallas restaurants along with Abacus and Jasper's).

6130 Luther Lane
Dallas, TX 75225-6201
(214) 890-1103
www.kentrathbun.com/blueplate/dallas/
Price: $$-$$$

I've been waiting to go to Blue Plate even before it opened... My boss had gone a few times and would not stop raving about it, so this was the perfect occasion to try it out!!

The restaurant decor is very nice...upscale casual and has a very comfortable ambiance. The host and hostesses welcomed us at the door with big smiles. We waited at the bar for the rest of the group to show up then were promptly seated at our table.

I had very high expectations for this place and I was a little anxious for everything to go well since I was the one that suggested it. Everything looked delicious on the menu...even though I had looked through the menu many times online already, I still took my time and looked it over trying to decide on what to get... I knew I definitely wanted to save room for dessert so I didn't want to over eat.

A friend of mine ordered the Wood Roasted Cheesy Bread (Rosemary Olive Oil, Paula's Ricotta) $8~ to share with the table. The presentation was really cool with the cheesy bread on the wood plank. It was soooooo cheesy and delicious! The crust was just crispy enough. It was basically a cheese pizza w/o the marinara...but a REALLY good cheese pizza! :P

I ordered the South of the Border Caesar (Pueblo Corn, Toasted Pepitas, Cotija Cheese) $8~ and Rotisserie Berkshire Pork Loin (Ancho Creamed Cauliflower, Spicy Molasses Glaze) $22~ to share.

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).

During the meal, they also gave us a couple bread baskets. 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!

Here are the other dishes that my friends ordered...(I didn't get to try them, but everyone went on and on about how good it was!!)

Roasted Root Vegetable Salad (Baby Mache, Lollo Rosso, Lone Star Goat Cheese) $10~ (add Grilled Salmon +$6~)Gramma Minnie's Fried Chicken (Black Pepper-Maple Gravy) with mashed potatoes $16~

Mustard Crusted Texas Catfish (Red Pepper Creole Tartar Sauce) $16~

Texas Pecan Crusted Trout (Sweet Potato Puree, Jim Beam Butter Sauce) $16~ (I think next time I want to try this one!)

They also got 2 side dishes: Creole Black Eyed Peas with Andouille Sausage $7~ and Smoky Cheddar Cheese Grits $7~ (You can see the grits in the picture above with the trout). The grits were one of the things that my boss recommended so I sneaked a taste. It was SOOOOO good. SUPER cheesy and creamy! A great recommendation! :)

After dinner we were all chatting about how great the food was and how it was such a great suggestion! (YAY...go me! :P ) And also talking about their dessert selection...of course. Then I noticed the waitress start setting down forks and spoons for everyone.

Now this made the night from great to SPECTACULAR!!!!

She told us that they saw us (meaning me...) taking pictures of the food and so they guessed that it was our first time dining with them. The restaurant decided to give us one of each dessert on the menu (including the special of the night)...ready...get this....ON THE HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D I could've DIED just there and then and been happy. It was such a wonderful and unexpected surprise. It was like Christmas for me....a dream come true.... Yes...I've ACTUALLY had dreams about getting free desserts/food! :P I was sooo ecstatic that I couldn't stop giggling!

So enough of the rambling...here are the desserts (the top 4 were my favorites)!!

MawMaw's Buttermilk Pie (with Rathbun's Homemade Raspberry Jam) $7~ 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!

Chocolate Pound Cake Ice Cream Sandwich (Henry's homemade vanilla bean ice cream, hot fudge, and raspberry sauce) $7~ 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.

Texas Peach Cheesecake (with Chunky Peach Jam and Graham Pistachio Biscotti) $7~ 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.

S'morelicious $7~ 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.

Summer Berry Shortcake (Citrus sweet cream biscuit and summer berries) $7~ 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.

Blue Plate Special Dessert: Blackberries with Crème Fraîche. 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.

To conclude...it was a spectacular night! Great food, friendly staff, comfortable atmosphere! And the desserts were such a grand gesture. I've heard in the past of how great Chef Rathbun treats his customers but this was definitely beyond my imagination. This totally made my year! I don't think anything else can top this dining experience for a really long time!! I definitely recommend this place and I hope to return in the near future. :D

Quality of Food:

Service:

Cleanliness:

Value (including desserts :)

Overall Experience:

~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~