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Sunday, February 28, 2010

Valentines @ Craft :-}

Craft
2440 Victory Park Lane, Ste 100
Dallas, TX 75219
(214) 397-4111
www.craftrestaurant.com
Price: $$$-$$$$

I went to Craft for a belated Valentine's Day dinner this past Sunday. Since the 14th was also Chinese New Year, there were many dinners and family stuff to do. We decided to postpone V-day to the 21st. Which was a good thing anyways because Craft was only offering special set menus the weekend of the 14th.

I've been wanting to try Craft for a really long time. I'm a huge fan of Top Chef so when I found out Tom Colicchio is the owner/chef of Craft, I knew I had to try it. Finally I got the chance to, also because I had a $25 off gift certificate. :P You know me...and savings... hehe. Always looking for a good deal.

Making the reservation at Craft took A LOT of effort... TOO much almost. I think I must've called 6-7 times before finally making the reservation. I called many times during lunch time and the phone would either keep ringing or go to automated system. I was only able to speak to an actual person about 3 out of the 7 calls. I wasn't too happy about that experience. Also, they don't take reservations more than 20 days in advance, so make sure you count out the days before calling them. And when I finally did make a reservation, they never entered it into the system. Good thing I had to call to reschedule (they did not find my original reservation in the system at all), so I was able to make a new one and have them email me a confirmation. How sucky would it have been if I never called back to change it?? Showing up and have them tell me there's no record... Whew...

I had pretty high hopes for Craft and this ordeal was quickly changing my mind.

So finally Sunday rolls around. The weather was dreary and rainy... bleh. Arrived at Craft and it was really empty...only 2 other tables. They seated us in a really big round booth. The decor was really nice. Not overly fancy, had a nice dim lighting, but not too dark. There were these lighted tubes that went up to the ceiling surrounding the booth so it made it seem more private.

Our waiter was really friendly. He gave us the menu and took our drink orders. The menu at Craft is very minimalistic. No descriptions, just the dish name and price. I usually prefer to see descriptions so I know what all is in the dish. But the entrees there did not come with sides. You had to order the sides separately...meant for sharing. Prices were pretty expensive. Average $30 per entree...and another $8-10 per side dish.


They brought us some bread and we made our order. While waiting for the food, they served us an Amuse Bouche. I can't remembered the name they said when it was presented to us...but it tasted like crispy pork skin in a slightly sweet and tangy sauce. I love crispy pork skin but this was fried a little too much...TOO crispy, and not enough of the sauce.


Right before dinner was served, they brought out a plate of Mixed Baby Lettuces & Sherry Vinaigrette $10~ They told us it was on the house! :) WOOT! I love free food! haha. We had forgo the salad to order a 2nd side so this was perfect! The salad was more than enough for 2 to share. The greens were very fresh and crisp. I also liked the vinaigrette but I think they could've put just a smidge less because it was a little tart for me. After all that food...Dinner is served!

Entrees:
Roasted Gulf Red Snapper (with carrot puree) $29~
The fish was about 5-6 ounces...I think? It wasn't very big. It was really good though. I hate carrots, but I really liked the carrot puree. It added a sweet creaminess to the fish. I would've preferred the skin of the fish to be crispier, but I guess if it's roasted, the skin doesn't crisp up that much. My bf enjoyed the fish a lot, he said it was cooked perfectly. I got the thinner half so it was just a tad dry, but still very good. I don't think it was worth $29 though...

Roasted Rack of Pork $32~
I really liked this dish. It had an Asian flavor to it. My mom makes this Chinese dish with basil and chicken, and the flavor of the pork reminded me of that. They also had a couple fried basil leaves in the dish. The pork was cooked nicely, very tender and juicy. It also had just enough fat around the sides to keep the meat moist but not greasy. There were also little chunks of thick cut bacon or something in there...added a little smokey flavor. I love pork...and they did a good job with this.

Sides:
Sauteed Swiss Chard $8~ I always see contestants use Swiss Chard on Top Chef, so I was curiou to try it. I've heard that it's similar to spinach, which I like. It was really good. I like it better than spinach, I think it has a better texture. I could really taste the vegetable, it wasn't overly seasoned or greasy. It felt clean and healthy.

Ricotta Cavatelli & Butternut Squash $10~ When I ordered this, the waiter was very excited. He said it was one of his favorites on the menu. It looked delicious. Cheesy pasta...who doesn't love that! hehe. I've never had Cavatelli before...to me it seemed like a miniture gnocchi. It has the same consistency and texture. I'm a huge fan of gnocchi so it was REALLY good! I wish the chunks of butternut squash were bigger though. I loved this dish...I can probably eat it as my main entree.

We were quite full after all the food, but of course we have to get dessert!!!

After we ordered the dessert, they gave us more free food! A pre-dessert dessert...Citrus Panna Cotta with Passion Fruit Jelly. It was really cute in the little shot glasses. The panna cotta was silky and creamy and the jelly added a nice contrast with it's slight tartness. It was yummy! :)



Then our dessert came. Scharffenberger Chocolate Tart, Roasted Marshmallows, Almond Honey Ice Cream $10~ (It normally comes with coconut sorbet, but I'm not a fan of coconut so I asked if we could substitute it.) This dessert was recommended by the waiter. He described it as S'mores on steroids. haha. And it SURE was! The chocolate tart was rich and thick, almost like a thick layer of dark dark chocolate ganache. It was a slightly more bitter dark chocolate, but paired with the sweet marshmallows it was perfect. It balanced out the flavors so it wasn't overly sweet. The marshmallows had a nice crust on the outside from being roasted. And they were sooo cute on top of the tart. The almond honey ice cream paired really well with the tart as well. Not too overpowering, just added that cold, creaminess to everything. Also, the crust on the tart and the cereal-y crispies under the ice cream added 2 different types of crunch. It was a great dessert! So many combinations of flavors and different textures...all worked well together.

Now we were officially stuffed! But that's not all...more food! They gave us some after dinner
snacks along with the check. It was nicely presented on a little plate. The arrangement was really dainty and cute. Caramel Popcorn & Cashews, Mini Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, and House-made chocolate truffles in a cute little box. We ate a little bit, but took the chocolate and cookies to go. It was all very good. (I ate the chocolates later...both filled with chocolate ganache...YUM!)

With the $25 discount and all the free stuff they gave us, we felt like the price was somewhat justified. Plus we received really great service. The waiter was super nice, not at all snooty like what I was expecting. I think it was also good that they weren't too busy so we got some extra attention. :)

After we paid the bill, the waiter came back with more goodies. He was like, "We're not done with the presents yet!" hehe. He gave us each a chocolate banana espresso muffin, nicely packaged in a plastic bag with a Craft Restaurant sticker. Wow...I've never been to a restaurant that gives so many free little surprises throughout the meal. I ate the muffin later in the week as a snack. It was awesome. I could taste the banana and the hint of espresso. There were large chunks of chocolate throughout...soooo very tasty!

Overall it was a great night. The booth made us feel like we had our own private dining area. The lighting was very romantic. Great service throughout the meal and the food was delicious. Plus little gifts throughout the night! :D I'd say postponing V-Day dinner was a great idea! hehe.

Personally I think the prices are a little high still, so I probably won't be going back for dinner any time soon. But I've heard great things about their brunch, which is less expensive. And it IS a great place for a special occasion. So once in a while is definitely ok!

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Great Dinner @ Roy's!

Last Friday I went to Roy's with a friend of mine. I had received another $20 off offer in my email so I jumped at the chance to use it!

We arrived at 7PM. It was really packed! I'm glad their business is doing well. We were seated promptly, but we got the table closest to the front door. Not the most optimal since it was really cold whenever people came in and out, but whatever. We're flexible. :P

The waitress was super friendly. She took our drink orders and another waiter came with complimentary edamame. They always put some spicy seasoning on it, really makes the flavors pop.

So we decided to get a couple dishes and share. We ordered from their Prix Fixe menu...newly updated for the Winter Season.

For appetizer we got the Rock Shrimp Tempura (Shishito, Shimeji, Malaysian Curry Aioli). The presentation was amazing. It looks just like the pictures they posted on their website. It's not everyday where the food in the pictures looks like the food they serve you. haha. It tasted amazing too. The shrimp was lightly battered. It was juicy, sweet and cooked perfectly. There was also fried okra (or peppers...I'm not too sure...or maybe both) and mushrooms in there with the shrimp. The combo was awesome. Different flavors and textures all worked together, nothing overpowered anything else. The curry aioli added an extra spice to the dish. The curry had a huge burst of flavor but didn't steal the show. I totally recommend this...I would even get this with a bowl of rice and call it my main dish!

For the entree we chose the Dynamite Crusted Salmon (Tempura vegetables, Happy rice, Drunken Nori Sake Sauce). I think the menu description was a little misleading. The salmon wasn't really crusted with anything but it was topped with this creamy spinach and mushroom blend. It was tasty. The salmon was cooked perfectly but I think it needed a little more seasoning. So the spinach/mushroom topping added more flavor to it. I was very interested to try the Happy Rice...it just sounded funny. hehe. It's basically sushi rice with bits of seaweed, sesame seeds, and ginger in it. It has a slight vinegar flavor just like sushi rice. The bits of seaweed, sesame, and ginger was very interesting. I really enjoyed it. The mix of the rice with the salmon paired together very well. The tempura veggies were tempura green beans. The beans were cooked very well, still had a slight crunch to it. The batter was also very good...light and crispy. There were 2 different sauces on the plate. the dark brown sauce was really good...slightly sweet. The pinkish one however...tasted kind of like raspberry?...it was weird...we didn't touch it a second time. So other than the pink sauce, the entire plate was fantastic. I would suggest getting seafood at Roy's vs the beef...the fish is always better!

We got an additional appetizer because we thought just the prix fixe for 2 is not enough. We decided on the Wood Grilled Szechwan Spiced Baby Back Pork Ribs $10.95~ Since the appetizer and entree were both seafood, some meat would be nice. The ribs were soooo delicious. They were juicy, full of flavor, and just enough sauce. Slightly sweet with a hint of spice...yum yum yum! This also paired really well with the Happy Rice.

It ended up being a ton of food...we were stuffed. But we're not done yet! There's still the chocolate souffle for dessert! Still awesome as always. Definitely on the top of my list for molten chocolate cakes.

Man...we were SOOO full. I would have to say this is one of the best meals I've had at Roy's. Everything was amazing. And I didn't even get the butterfish! This is still one of my favorite places, great for any special occasion.

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

Monday, February 1, 2010

Q1 Dinner @ Salum

Last Friday, one of my quarterly eating groups decided to go check out Salum (pronounced sah-LOOM). It's located on Fitzhugh and Cole Ave. in Uptown.

Salum
4152 Cole Avenue # 103
Dallas, TX 75204
(214) 252-9604
www.salumrestaurant.com

Price: $$$

It's a cozy little place...basically a square room with a bar on the side. Our reservation was for 8pm and it was packed when we arrived. It took them a couple minutes to get our table together. We had a party of 9 people and they squeezed us in 2 small square tables pushed together. Oh well...seeing how busy they were, I guess it's ok. haha.

The waitress came around for our drink orders and they gave us a couple of bread baskets. The bread was nice and warm. :)






So being the food addict that I am, I had already looked over the menu online multiple times. haha. :P I already knew what I wanted going into dinner.

I ordered the Butternut Squash Bisque (Chorizo Corn Fritter, Chili Creme Fraiche) $12~ for appetizer.
It's a little pricey for soup but it just sounded so tasty and the cold weather just makes me wanna have soup. It was delicious! The soup was creamy and sweet. The corn fritter had a nice crust on the outside and the sweet corn with the salty chorizo was awesome. The entire combination with the bisque, fritter, and creme fraiche was so yummy. It didn't feel heavy either. The only complaint was the portion size. The bowl/plate was sooo shallow...the soup portion size was more like a "sauce". And there was only one fritter. I think a reasonable price should be under $8 for the portion size.

Other appetizers ordered were the Texas Goat Cheese, Roasted Elephant Garlic (extra virgin olive oil) $10.50~ and Serrano Caprese (Tomato, Fresh Mozzarella, Serrano Ham, Balsamic and Olive Oil, Pesto) $8.50~ I got to try a little bit of both. The garlic and goat cheese were paired with some slices of bread. The garlic had lots of flavor and the goat cheese was creamy and not too pungent. I really liked the Serrano Caprese. Everything was really fresh and with lots of fresh flavors. The balsamic wasn't too strong and everything blended together very well. If you like tomatoes and mozzarella, I think this would be a good choice.

Next up are the entrees! I ordered the Seared Scallops (Pancetta White Balsamic Pan Sauce, Sundried Tomato Tapenade Risotto) $29~ This was disappointing... The portion was sooo small. Three small scallops over 3 piles of risotto. You would think for the price, they would give you larger scallops... The first one I dug into...was sandy. :( I could feel the sand crunching when I chew. BLeh! The texture was good but needed more of a sear. The risotto wasn't what I expected either. I didn't taste or SEE much of the sundried tomato. And it seemed really oily.. I expected risotto to be more creamy and cheesy. Overall the flavors were decent, but for $10 a scallop, I expect this dish to be amazing!


I also got to eat some of the Braised Beef Short Ribs a la Bourguignon (Roasted Fingerling Potatoes) $26~ which was my other choice of entree.
The short rib was pretty tender and paired well with the potatoes. The potatoes were a little overdone but I actually liked the harder crispy outside. The only missing from this dish was more sauce. There wasn't enough sauce so it made the beef and potatoes a little dry.

A friend of mine ordered the Australian Rack of Lamb (Dijon Truffle Crust, Mushroom Bread Pudding, Lamb Demiglace) $28~ This was the best entree in my opinion...and that's saying ALOT! Because I don't like lamb and it's gamey taste. But I was assured that there wasn't the gamey flavor so I tried a bite. It was really good! The lamb was cooked very well and the crust was amazing. The mushroom bread pudding was interesting...I've never had savory bread pudding like that and I really enjoyed it. It was full of flavor and I liked the chewy texture. Not only was this the best dish, I think it was also the best deal out of all the entrees. There was a good amount of meat, sides, veggies, and LOTS of sauce (which the short ribs lacked).

Another friend (who would like to be referred to as my 'Guest Correspondence'...hehe) ordered the Grilled Beef Tenderloin (Gruyere Mashed Potatoes, Green Peppercorn Cognac Demiglace) $32~ He said the beef was tender, juicy, and had good flavor. I totally agree! He also said the mashed potatoes were really flavorful. This is probably my #2 entree of the night.

Another friend ordered the Roasted Lobster Tail (Marcona Almond Couscous, Cara Cara Orange Salad) $34~ I didn't get to try this dish, but he said he enjoyed it...but the lobster was slightly overcooked.

So far everything's a little hit or miss. It's all up to dessert to be the deciding factor. My favorite part!! :D

I ordered the Bourbon Bread Pudding (Creme Anglaise, Toasted Almonds) $7~ After I saw this on the menu online, I was set on ordering it. None of the other options looked as good...I even bypassed the chocolate one! O.O haha. I'm sooo glad I chose this. It was delicious! The portion size was good, and presentation was nice. The bread pudding was just out of the oven...when I dug into it steam came out! YUM! The creme and berries paired very well with the soft texture of the bread pudding. I enjoyed it a lot. I would definitely recommend this.

Other people ordered the Chocolate Caramel Tart (Almond Crust, Espresso Gelato) $8~ and Apple and Berry Crisp (Creme Anglaise) $10~ The chocolate tart was bursting with coffee flavor. It had a nice texture as well. I liked it. The Apple Crisp was awesome! It was really big! The crisp on top was amazing. It was a perfect topping on the fruits.






So the desserts definitely gained some points for the night. hehe. But it was a great ending to the meal...
...until the check came... The waitress gave us one check for the whole table so we asked her to split it for us. She tells us that their system doesn't allow them to make changes once the check is printed, and proceeds to hand us a pen to mark on the check. WHAT?!?! I was stunned. First of all, we had 9 people with different people ordering wine, cocktails, some had dessert, some had coffee... I cannot BELIEVE she expected US to deal with it. Second, for such an expensive restaurant, you would think they would have a more updated system where you can make changes to customer checks. OMG! So we attempted to figure it ourselves but just took too long. We waved her back over and asked her again to split it. She told us again that the system doesn't do that and...this is where it makes me SUPER mad...she told us that usually if large parties wanted separate checks, they would say so beforehand. I was like...if YOU are a good waitress, YOU should've asked!!! OMG...what is this?!?! Especially if you have such a sucky system. So then she's obviously annoyed, comes back with a pen and paper and writes down all our orders again. Saying, AGAIN, that she has to do this manually because of their freaking system. OH boo-hoo... the customer is always right. It's not like we're paying <$10 a person...this is more like $50+ a person...we shouldn't have to handle our own check and deal with her attitude. That really killed the night. Up til then she was getting pretty high marks, but now it's all gone. Overall, the ambiance and food was nice...but I thought portions were small and prices were high. Plus the waitress put a damper on things. :( The food wasn't too spectacular for me to really recommend this place. But if you do go, definitely get the couple things I mentioned that were good. :)
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