CHOMP! Views

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Blue Plate Special!! :D

**Update 12.30.10**

I went back for their NFL HH about 2 months ago. They have completely new menu items. Some are great additions, like the Country Fried Chicken Wings. YUM! But they took away the Chili Cheese Hot Dogs!! Nooooo! I kept trying to hint to them to bring it back...I hope they do!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I LUVVVV Chef Rathbun’s Blue Plate Kitchen!! It’s quickly becoming one of my favorite places in Dallas. Not only do they have great food, the service and specials are amazing!! :)

I went with some friends this past Sunday to watch the game and also to take advantage of their Sunday NFL Happy Hour which is every Sunday from noon-9pm. There are drink specials as well as food specials. They also have daily Happy Hour specials from 11am to 7pm and Reverse Happy Hour from 9pm to close (which is 11pm I believe). I recommend everyone go check it out!

Their NFL Happy Hour menu is pretty limited…only 4 items…I wish they would add more. So we ordered 1 of each to share (all $5 per order):

Ancho Honey BBQ Wings (topped with blue cheese, with blue cheese dip).
These were really good. The wings were cooked nicely and super tender. The honey glaze added a nice sweetness and the blue cheese crumbles on top added a creamy saltiness. One complaint is that it wasn’t big enough! :P

Cheeseburger Sliders. These were really cute and the flavor was good, but pretty normal. The meat patty could’ve been a little bigger and they could’ve added something to jazz it up…maybe a special cheese or some bacon! Hehe.

Chili Cheese Gourmet Hot Dogs (topped with jalapeno slices). There were 2 hot dogs, smothered with chili and topped with jalapeno slices. OMG. They were SO freaking delicious! The buns were nice and soft, the chili had great flavor and there was enough to smother the hot dog but not excess to make the bread soggy. The jalapeno slices on top were a nice bonus, added more heat to those who love spicy à ME!! This was my favorite of the night!

Black Bean Brisket Nachos. This was my #2 of the night. The portion was pretty huge. Awesome deal for just $5! It was loaded with toppings which included black beans, brisket, sour cream, and diced tomatoes. The brisket was cut in large chunks and there was so much meat…unlike most places where they give you like a few pieces. They were so tender and packed with flavor. All the components with the chips totally worked together. I couldn’t stop eating it!

**I want to mention just how great their service is… Not only was our waiter friendly and attentive (without being overly attentive…very important), the host/hostess were super nice. Also at one point my friend lost his contact and 2 of the waitresses quickly grabbed some flashlights to help us look for it! Totally awesome!!** :)

We watched the game for a bit then asked for the dessert menu. I noticed that they had slightly changed it since the last time I was there. They took out a few items and added new ones. Also they reduced the portion size as well as the price. Each dessert is now $5. Even though the Buttermilk Pie is my favorite, I decided to order the banana split for something new.

Banana Split (trio of Paciugo gelato with bananas, whip cream, and hot fudge). It was a different presentation than normal banana splits. It was almost like a mini version. The gelato was great…Paciugo is awesome! I felt like the bananas were a little under-ripe though. The Buttermilk Pie is still my fave! Even though the desserts are smaller, it still filled me up. I was really full after…very satisfied with the entire meal!

After the meal the waiter came with our check. He genuinely thanked us for dining with them and since we were their first customers for the NFL Happy Hour that night, the restaurant had comped our drinks! YAYYY! Blue Plate never ceases to amaze me!! Hopefully I will go back again in the near future.

In the mean time, I think everyone should go check them out! You won’t be disappointed!!

Quality of Food:

Service:

Cleanliness:

Value (for happy hour):

Overall Experience:



~~CHOMP CHOMP~~

Sprinkles Cupcakes...all hype??

**Update 12-30-10**

I went back last month again because they now have a gluten free and a vegan Red Velvet cupcake. I was interested to see how it compares to their regular ones. I only tried the vegan and it's sooooo much more moist!! I totally believe it's because they are not using butter (which I still think no cupcake places should ever use butter...). It was lighter and not as overwhelmingly sweet. The frosting was also lighter (not as stiff as the original frosting). I liked it wayy better than the original. Next time I'll have to go back and try the gluten free one.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The cupcake battle continues…Hey Cupcake in Austin is still the reigning champion so far…next contender…Sprinkles!

4020 Villanova Drive
Dallas, TX 75225
(214) 369-0004
http://www.sprinkles.com/

Price: $

I finally got a chance to check out Sprinkles Cupcakes on NW Hwy and Preston.
I’ve been trying to go even though I’ve heard it’s expensive because everyone raves about it. I had a feeling that it was going to be just a big hype like Magnolia Bakery up in NYC, but I had to check it out for myself…and hopefully prove myself wrong.

It’s a small little place, very nicely decorated: clean, cute and modern. It was also packed with people…constantly coming in, in waves… The cupcakes were neatly displayed in the glass display case. Each one consistent with the other, very cute and pretty and all looked delicious! This was the opposite of Society Bakery which had a homey/made-from-scratch feel.

We waited awhile before we could place our order. Each cupcake is $3.25. We got the Red Velvet (southern style light chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting); of course…Red Velvet is my favorite!

And also the Vanilla Hazelnut Chocolate (Madagascar bourbon vanilla cake with creamy hazelnut chocolate frosting), which is their latest limited edition flavor only from September 18-27.
We cut each one up into 3’s so we can all sample. They were ok… Quite disappointing to say the least. I guess I already knew this was going to happen but I was still bummed out. The Red Velvet cake was not bad, it was moist and the flavor was good…but the cream cheese frosting was a little too sweet. It totally dominated the cupcake. The vanilla cake was dry. :( I hate dry cupcakes! But I do have to say that we all loved the hazelnut frosting. The texture was great and it wasn’t overly sweet. Now if only the cake was moist, then it would’ve been a great cupcake. I will give Sprinkles an A+ on presentation though. They were very pretty!

So hands down, Hey Cupcake is still my #1!!! All the way! They really need to open one in Dallas…Austin is way too far. As far as getting a good cupcake in Dallas…I would rather go to Society than Sprinkles. Society's is bigger and slightly cheaper, also feels more homemade. I was very impressed by the traffic they got in Sprinkles, but I’m a bit shocked and confused by how many people are willing to wait in line and pay a good chunk of change for mediocre/small cupcakes… Sigh~~

The search for the best cupcakes in Dallas continues…

Quality of Food:

Service:

Cleanliness:

Value:

Overall Experience:


~~CHOMP CHOMP~~

Monday, September 21, 2009

Urban Crust - Desserts

After Vapiano, we headed to Plano searching for some desserts. Ended up at Urban Crust in downtown Plano. Initially we were going to try Urban Crust for dinner, but they don’t take reservations and usually have a ridiculous wait, so we had changed our plans. But somehow we ended up there anyways. hehe. This way we still got to check the place out and hopefully not wait as long.

Urban Crust
1006 E 15th St
Plano, Texas 75074
(972) 509-1400
www.urbancrust.com

Price: $-$$

Even at 9:15PM, there was a 30 minute wait for a table for 3 people. Craziness! The restaurant is quite small and consists of 3 floors with the bar at the top.

After being seated, I looked around at all the other tables with their pizzas. It looked pretty tasty…I’ll have to go back in the future to try actual food.

We ordered 2 desserts to share. The selection of desserts was pretty limited so we ordered the only 2 that looked good…and the only 2 that the waitress suggested…haha.

Creme Brulee (delicate baked custard, fresh berries) $4.90~

The custard was really smooth and not as thick as some I’ve had in the past. I liked the fact that it wasn’t super creamy. Flavor was good…pretty normal as far as Crème Brulees go.

Jeanne-Marie's Chocolate Cake (layers and layers of dark chocolate cake with dark chocolate frosting) $5.90~ This came highly recommended by the waitress. The cake was pretty big, and sooo dark that it was pretty much black! O.o The cake looked super moist and the first few bites it was pretty moist. But the more we ate the drier it became. I mean, it wasn’t super dry or anything but we really needed some sort of sauce…either a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream would’ve helped tremendously. (it was an additional $1.50 to add a scoop of ice cream, so we decided to forgo it...)

Overall the desserts were not bad, but I thought they were too expensive for what we got. But in the end our sweet tooth was satisfied so I guess they served their purpose.

Quality of Food:

Service:

Cleanliness:

Value:

Overall Experience:



~~CHOMP CHOMP~~

Vapiano - Interesting Concept

My sister told me about Vapiano. It’s a fairly new place at Mockingbird Station. The concept of it peaked my interest. You get a card when you walk in, the orders are swiped on the card and you pay for everything at the end.

Vapiano
5319 East Mockingbird Lane
Dallas, TX 75206
(214) 887-1557
http://www.vapianointernational.com/

Price: $-$$

There are different stations: pizza, salad, pasta…where you place your order and they make it right there in front of you. The décor was very contemporary and different. The seating is open, so you can sit in the main dining area, the bar, or outside seating.

We ordered a bunch of different things:

Side Salad (iceberg lettuce, cherry tomatoes) $2.50~ This was totally not worth it. It was small and meh. The dressing was supposed to be arugula/mustard vinaigrette but it was really light and I tasted none of the mustard.

My friend got the Bruschetta (roasted ciabatta bread, fresh tomatoes, garlic, basil, olive oil) $3.95~ I didn’t try it but she said it was just ok.




Chicken Alfredo (penne, chicken breast, cream sauce, parmesan) $9.95~
The portion was pretty big but could’ve used more chicken. The cream sauce was very lightly seasoned and a little more watery than normal alfredo sauce. It could’ve been a little creamier but I didn’t mind it being lightly seasoned because I could taste the actual pasta…which I like. The pasta was cooked pretty well…had a nice texture to it. I liked the dish.

Ravioli Ricotta e Spinach (ravioli with spinach and ricotta filling, tomato sauce) $10.95~ The ravioli also had good texture but could’ve used more filling…especially spinach. The tomato sauce was a little too sour for me and the sauce overpowered the flavor of the ravioli. It was ok…but the portion was quite small. Luckily we had lots of other food.

Chicken Pesto Pizza (chicken breast, basil pesto, fresh tomatoes, basil, garlic) $10.95~ This looked soooo good when I picked it up. It was pretty big and the crust just looked yummy. And it was. The crust was like thin cheesy bread…not overly crispy with a nice texture. The pesto sauce was also really good…not overly seasoned but still had good flavor. And there were lots of chicken pieces on top. :)

Overall, the food was pretty good…I would probably go back. But I would say check out this place more for the décor/concept. If you want really good Italian food, there are better places with similar prices.

Quality of Food:

Service (at the counter):

Cleanliness:

Value:

Overall Experience:

~~CHOMP CHOMP~~

Suze

I've started/joined another dining club...hahaha. So much food! We will be meeting once a quarter to try out new restaurants! :)

Our first ever meeting was at Suze, a Mediterranean/French/Italian influenced menu.
4345 W Northwest Hwy # 270
Dallas, TX 75220
(214) 350-6135
http://www.suzerestaurant.net/index.html
Price: $$$

So walking in....the restaurant is tinyyyy!! It was a cozy little place, PACKED with people. It seems to cater to an older clientele, 50's+ or so. Customers just kept coming in. We had a party of 8, so even though we had a reservation; we waited a good 30-40 minutes, at least, before we were seated.

The waiter came by and took our drink orders and we were served some bread. The presentation of the bread was pretty cool and it came with some sort of chili oil dipping sauce. The bread was ok, could've been better if it was toasted or something, but at that point everyone was pretty much starving.


On to the foooooood....

We ordered one of the Specials of the Day: Curry Pork Chops (with mashed potatoes and sautéed vegetables) $24~

It was super delicious. The curry flavors were very bold without being overwhelming. The pork chop was a nice thick cut on the bone and cooked perfectly. I also really liked the demi glaze on top of the chops and the potato and veggies paired well with the meat. I love pork chops and this is definitely a good one!!

We also ordered the Porcini Papardelle Pasta (with veal bolognese, oli d'Oliva and grated Spanish Manchego cheese) $19~ Since we had the yummy Papardelle pasta in Boston, I was very curious to try this one. SO. YUM. The pasta wasn't as al dente as Boston's but it was pretty good. I liked the fact that there was a lot of veal in the meat sauce, and the sauce wasn't too sour. The overall flavor of the pasta was almost perfect and the Manchego cheese melting on top definitely added to that.

Here are some other entrees that other people ordered:
Baby Rack of Lamb (black pepper crusted, with zucchini-feta cake, honeyed Greek yogurt and demi noir) $27~The Bottom Line (Grilled Black Angus Tenderloin w/ creamy caramelized garlic potato puree and crispy red onion strings) $34~ I had a piece of the tenderloin and it was super tender!

For dessert we got the Bittersweet Schokinag Chocolate Truffle Cake (with nutella mascarpone and cinnamon toasted filberts) $9~ The texture of the cake felt almost like a flourless chocolate cake. It was very moist and soft. The semi melted scoop of nutella mascarpone on top was so yummy. It slowly drizzled down the cake as you cut into it w/ your spoon. :)))

It was a wonderful dinner, the portions were pretty big and the food was tasty so I was super stuffed after the meal. The service was pretty good as well. And of course good company makes any dining experience better! I would definitely recommend Suze, but make sure you call early for reservations since space is very limited.

Quality of Food:

Service:

Cleanliness:

Value:

Overall Experience:


~~CHOMP CHOMP~~

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Better than Hey Cupcake?

Society Bakery
3426 Greenville Avenue
Dallas, TX 75206
(214) 827-1411
www.societybakery.com
Price: $

A friend of mine told me about Society Bakery on lower Greenville. She said that she liked their cupcakes better than Hey Cupcake in Austin. What what?!?! This I must check out!! :)

I didn't really like the fact that they close really early and don't open at all on Sundays. It's difficult to find a time to go. But this past Saturday I had an opportunity so I faced the pouring rain and went.

It's a small little place with its goodies laid out in the display case. Each cupcake is $2.95~

I was lucky and got the last Red Velvet (with cream cheese icing). We also got the Banana Chocolate Chip (with buttercream icing), it was recommended by the guy helping us...it's his favorite. Lastly, we got a Yellow Cake cupcake (with chocolate buttercream icing). (clockwise from bottom left)
The cupcakes were a little sad looking, but they were a pretty good size. After picking it up I noticed they were very delicate. The cake was super light and moist. A little too light because it kept crumbling into my lap.

I had the Red Velvet first...of course. The flavor of the cake was really good and super moist. The icing was very creamy and not overly sweet. As far as consistency and textures go, I prefer a denser cake, like Hey Cupcake.

Next we tried the Banana Chocolate Chip. The cake wasn't as moist as the Red Velvet but still very moist. I liked that the banana flavor was very prominent in the cake. I liked the texture of the icing but the taste was a little weird. I tasted a hint of salt in both of the buttercream icings. I know that in baking, a little bit of salt brings out more flavor of the sweet, but I don't think we're supposed to be able to taste the saltiness. It was just a hint so it wasn't that bad.

We saved the Yellow Cake one for later. I gave it to my dad. :)

Overall the cupcakes were pretty good. Better than all the others I've had other than Hey Cupcake. Hey Cupcake still trumps all!!!! But Hey Cupcake is far away in Austin, I think I've found an alternative option closer to home until I go back to Austin. :) Plus I haven’t tried Sprinkles yet!!

Quality of Food:

Service:

Cleanliness:

Value:

Overall Experience:



~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~