Birthday @ Rise~

A friend of mine was celebrating her birthday the other night. We went to Rise No.1. We got to sit in the special table. :) It's such a cozy little restaurant...perfect for a special occasion.

I wasn't feeling too well so I wanted some soup. I ordered the Soupe a L'Oignon Gratinee (French Onion Soup) $7~ to start.

It looked delicious! There was a thick layer of cheese over a baguette baked over the soup. I'm not sure if I didn't have my full taste buds, but I felt the soup was just ok. It had a nice sweetness from the onions and the cheese was tasty but it seemed to be missing something. The flavors were very 1 dimensional...

Next I ordered the Creamed Spinach Souffle $14~ Always wanna try something new! :) The souffle was really good and green color was very pretty. The flavors were quite light, not too creamy. It could've used some meat in there but I was pleased with this selection.

For dessert I finally got to try the Chocolate Souffle $10~ It looked so amazing when they poured the chocolate sauce on top of it. YUM! However, the actual souffle wasn't chocolatey enough for me. I had to pour more sauce into the souffle. I think the chocolate souffle at Mercury Grill and of course the Chocolate Souffle Cake at Roy's are much better. I recommend the Grand Marnier Souffle instead.

They had a special dish of the night...Lobster Souffle $33~ I didn't get to try it, but it looked funny when it was served. hehe. Other people said it was delicious though~

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

Tre Wilcox @ Loft610!

I just wanted to let everyone know that Chef Tre Wilcox has taken over as the Executive Chef at Loft610 in Plano! He was one of my favorite contestants in Season 3 of Top Chef.

I went to a free cooking demo he did at Legacy Books. It was so totally awesome. He's a really nice guy and cooks some tasty food! He made Salmon with a Citrus and Tomato Vinaigrette. YUM-O! It was probably one of the best cooked pieces of salmon that I've ever had. Great sear on the top, tender, juicy, and no fishy taste whatsoever.

I really need to go check out Loft610 and you all should too!!! :)

(I normally don't post pics with people but here he is!)

~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

L2E @ Blue Plate Kitchen~

A couple weeks ago we had another one of our L2E Meetings. I took my co-workers to Blue Plate Kitchen, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite places in Dallas, to try out some of their new lunch items.

The hostess/host were super friendly as usual and so was the waitress. :)

As we were looking over the menu, trying to decide on which tasty dish to get, the waitress brings out an appetizer, on the house. SWEET! I LUV Blue Plate....they always treat me so well!! :D

The appetizer was Wood Roasted Cheesy Bread topped with hummus, feta cheese, portobello mushrooms, sprouts, and heirloom tomatoes. So freaking fantastic! Their cheesy bread is already amazing and topped with everything else just made it awesome! Nothing overpowered one another, I could've had this for my main dish!

For the lunch entree, I ordered the Salmon Burger (with Brioche, Cucumber-Green Goddess dressing) and a side of Hand Cut Fries. $10~ (It was labeled as one of their "heart-healthy" menu items.) This was a massive burger. The salmon patty was pretty thick and was very moist. It had a slight fishy taste to it, but I didn't mind it. The fries were addicting...I had to force myself to stop. It was definitely very filling.

J ordered the Buffalo Chicken Burger (with BBQ-Ranch Chips and blue cheese dip) $12~ The chicken was a thick tender piece of chicken breast with just enough buffalo sauce. The chips were a nice compliment and the blue cheese dip was good on EVERYTHING! I dipped my fries in the blue cheese sauce and it was yummy.

K ordered the Sloppy Joe (with side of Hand Cut Fries) $10~ which was my #2 choice. I got to sample some of it and I think this was my favorite of the three. Slightly sweet, lots of meat, and just enough "slop". haha. It wasn't overly messy to eat and I liked it like that.

It was a very filling lunch. I had a great time sampling everything, as usual. They have several options for $10. With the amount of food and service, this was a great deal! Plus the free appetizer was such a great surprise! :)

Thanks Blue Plate Kitchen! :D

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

All-Inclusive BABYYYYYY~~

I went on vacation to Mexico for the first time last month. OMG. One of the best vacations of my life! All inclusive is totally the way to go!! Unlimited food and drinks. YEA!! :D

We stayed at the Secret Silversands Hotel in Puerto Morelos. It's about 20 minutes south of Cancun and 20 minutes north of Playa del Carmen. The food there was FANTASTIC! Upscale, nicely decorated restaurants with great service. It certainly was one of the many highlights of the trip.

I'm just going to post most of the yummy food pics from the trip (minimal text...cuz there's A LOT of pics!). DEEE-licious! :)

Night 1: RATATOUILLE (Mediterranean):
- Prosciutto and Green Tomato Brochette- Stuffed Beef Ribs (with Porcini mushrooms and a garnish of turned potatoes). This was the best dish of the trip. The only thing that we ordered again! It was so tender it melted in your mouth!
- Special of the Day: Surf & Turf (filet mignon with jumbo shrimp)- Raviolis (filled with duck and pumpkin in oregano sauce) - Chocolate Timbal (with vanilla ice cream)- Creme Brulee (with passion fruit)
Night 2: HIMITSU (Asian & Hibachi):
- Spring Rolls - Fried Rice - Fried Ice Cream - Dragon Roll (Masago, crab meat, avocado and cucumber with unagi)- Salmon, Hamachi (Yellowtail), Scallops Sashimi
Day 3: OCEANA (Seafood):
- Beef & Bean cheesy Nachos- Sea Bass Carpaccio (on fine slices of dill and serrano chile)- Lettuce & Seafood Mix (Roman style mixed lettuce with seafood and tomato dip)- Grilled Red Snapper Fish Fillet (marinated in cilantro served with fresh vegetables)- Hamburger of Mahi Mahi (cooked in lemon butter served with French Fries)- Mixed Brochette (Shrimp, squid, fish served with a shot of garlic "campirina") - Pastel Helado de Tres Leches y Compota de Pina (Tres Leches cake)- Chocolate Ice Cream (with peanut butter cookie)
Night 3: BORDEAUX (French):
- Spinach Salad (with snails burgundy and echalot sauce)- Caesar Salad (lettuce with dressing made from scratch)- Duck Magret (served with brunoisse of pears and apple with balsamic grapes sauce)- Salmon Filet (in pasta filo stuffed with dehydrated tomato and tarragon sauce)- Pork Medallions (served with grilled vegetables and balsamic with parsley oil)- Bavarois (double chocolate and cullis of raspberry)
Night 4: PORTOFINO (Italian):
- Trilogy of Carpaccios (Grouper, Tuna, and Salmon with Modena balsamic reduction)- Mussels in white wine and tomato sauce - Tomato cream soup perfumed with basil - Fusilli pasta with seafood and pesto sauce. PERFECTLY cooked pasta in every dish. I was super impressed!!
- Duck "Osobuco" (roasted on a bed of potatoes and vegetables). It was like BUTTER!!!
- Shrimp (cooked in warm lemon butter on a tomato brochette and pesto linguini)- Classic Tiramisu with mascarpone cream and coffee flavour - Chocolate Ganache Cake with Tangerine panacotta and peach sauce
Day 5: SEA SIDE GRILL:
- Jalapeno Cheese Poppers- Caesar Salad Rolls with Grilled Chicken - Catch of the Day Ceviche - Fajitas: Chicken Supreme with Oaxaca chese, Flank Steak or Seafood- Corn Chowder (with Crispy Tortilla and Tofu) - Cheesecake on Peanut Crust - Warm Three Cheesecake with Blackberry Sauce
Night 5: EL PATIO (Mexican): I'm not a fan of Mexican food. This place made me LOVE it! :)
- Salad "Milpa" Style (Coriander sparks, roasted tender corn, green beans and "cabuches" with epazote vinaigrette)- Tuna Chalupitas (small corn tortilla with Tuna sealed with green pepper served with avocado dip and refried beans) - Milk Chicken in Mole Poblano (traditional "mole poblano" sauce with Mexican rice and a "xaica" scent). Probably my #2 dish of the trip. Chicken was insanely tender and mole sauce was great!
- Beef Fillet (grilled with four different chili sauces)- Los Molcajetes (Mixed: with chicken, sausage and flank steak) - Aztecan souffle with ice cream and Oaxacan vanilla chocolate sauce - Marshmallow with "mole" and chocolate mousse
Night 5: OCEANA (2nd Dinner :P):
- Crab Rolls (stuffed with avocado and roasted peppers with tamarindo sauce)- Papardelle (pasta with prawns, fresh tomatoes and basil) - Shrimp Brochette (with bacon and pineapple "pastor" style) - Brownie with Red Fruit Parfait
Night 6: RATATOUILLE:
- Salmon Gravlax with chickpeas - Beef Carpaccio with Rocket salad and fine slices of Parmesan cheese- Beef consomme with spinach ravioli - Pork Fillet (with artichoke risotto and almond/tangerine vodka sauce)- Scallops and Prawn "au truffle" cream - Cheesecake (with peanut butter and a dark and white chocolate mix) - Dark and white chocolate and coffee mix with strawberry culis
Day 7: WORLD MARKET BUFFET:
- Wide selection of foods - Pasta Bar - Desserts
I recommend Secret Silversands to everyone who is looking to vacation in Mexico. All inclusive, adults only, great food, great service all around...can't beat that!