Lunch @ Blue Plate Kitchen

Happy 11-11-11! hehe. I went to lunch with a bunch of co-workers this past Friday. Since it was on the company, my boss and I suggested Blue Plate Kitchen (one of our favorite places!) :P

We had a large group of 15. Good thing we made our reservation for an earlier time. By noon, the place was pretty packed!

Blue Plate Kitchen
6130 Luther Lane
Dallas, TX 75225
(214) 890-1103
http://www.kentrathbun.com/blueplate/dallas/
Price (for lunch): $$

The manager, Dennis, came by and greeted us. He's always so friendly! :) And it's such a nice feeling to be personally greeted because they know you. hehe.

There were too many of us, but I tried to take as many food pics as I can.

Some of my coworkers started with the Soup of the day. Black Eyed Peas with Andouille Sausage $7~

There was plenty of peas...not enough sausage though. I liked the flavors. Once you start chewing, you can really taste the different spices and complexity. It's a pretty hearty soup.

For my entree, I ordered the Pan Seared Fennel Dusted Salmon (celery root puree, roasted root vegetables) $17~

I was torn between several other options but opted for this since I liked all the elements and it seemed like a healthier choice. The fish was pretty small but perfectly cooked. I think I was thinking parsnip puree when I read celery root puree because it caught me off guard. I'm not a fan of celery and the celery taste was quite prominent. I still enjoyed it with the fish though. Next time I'll be sure to remember that celery root tastes just like celery! haha. I loved the root vegetables...a mixture of different kinds. It added texture to the plate with the tender fish. And it was surprisingly filling. I was very full after.

One coworker got the Grilled Texas Fish Selection of the Day (Sauteed brussel sprouts, long grain-wild rice) $MKT~

The featured fish was a Striped Bass I think. The fish was cooked well. I only got a bite so I can't fully remember all the different components. I liked the brussel sprouts. It was cooked perfectly. Not too soft and wasn't bitter or anything.

Another coworker ordered the Grilled Chicken Breast, Israeli Couscous (butternut squash, tart cherry, balsamic vinaigrette) $14~

This is one of their Heart Healthy options. This was initially my pick. I should've gotten this even though I liked my salmon. The chicken was good but the cous cous was the star of the show. It was al dente, had great texture and worked so well with the butternut squash and cherries. We both agreed that the cous cous was fantastic. It was a good size portion too. I would definitely get this again in the future.

We also got a few sides to share:
"Burnt End" Black Beans $6~ This had shredded brisket in there. The flavor was bold and you can really taste the brisket.

Applewood Smoked Bacon Brussel Sprouts $7~ I loved this. The brussel sprouts were also cooked perfectly and sooo much bacon bits and flavor. Bacon makes everything good! :)

They've updated the menu since I was there last (April...time sure passes fast!) And I noticed that they completely changed their dessert menu. No more buttermilk pie! :( But... there was Pumpkin Spice Cake (spiced rum glazed, cranberry compote) $8~

I was full but I HAD to try this. The main reason I like fall is because there's pumpkin everywhere! And I can't get enough! This was a mini bundt cake. SUPER moist, not too sweet. It was really good! I like the combination with the tart cranberries. And I think it was a cinnamon butter or something? Seemed a little too thick to be whipped cream... Yummy-ness!

Several people got the Chocolate Mousse (dark and milk chocolate, praline graham cracker) $8~

I'm not a huge mousse fan because I like to have texture. But this was a great mousse. Layers of milk and dark chocolate so it wasn't very sweet at all. I loved the bitterness from the dark chocolate. And the graham cracker layers added the texture. And I liked the little crisp on top.

Another great meal at Blue Plate. I'm always happy when I eat here. And once again, too full! haha. I did notice that their prices went up a bit though. :( That's why I take full advantage when it's on the company! hahaha :P I write about this place so much. If you still haven't gone yet, you need to go!!

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Brunch @ Il Cane Rosso

I went with some friends this past Saturday for brunch at Il Cane Rosso in Deep Ellum. I've been wanting to go there forever. It's just so far out... But a week or two ago I saw they had pumpkin pancakes for their brunch. Looked delicious so I made a point to go! They are closed on Sundays so the brunch is only on Saturday mornings until 3PM.

Il Cane Rosso
2612 Commerce St
Dallas, TX 75226-1402
(214) 741-1188
http://ilcanerosso.com/
Price: $$

I called for a reservation but they said they only take reservations for parties 6+. And if we get there before 2pm, they're never really packed. We arrived around 1:30PM. The place was bigger than I imagined. It was probably only 1/5th full. I liked the openness of the restaurant. It looks like a cool place to chill and hang out with friends.

For brunch they had the brunch menu, plus they had some salad options and all their pizzas available. They didn't have the pumpkin pancakes though.. that was a one time special. :( Oh well, there were plenty of other stuff that sounded delicious.

One friend ordered the Michelada $5~

It's basically a Bloody Mary with beer... Weird eh? He's not a big fan of beer but he really liked it. It had a nice spicy kick. Interesting...

Two of my friends shared the Luana Pizza (Italian tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, Jimmy's sausage, hot soppresata, mushrooms) $15~

Soppresata is like a pepperoni. The pizza was definitely a good size to share between 2 people. But I thought it was a bit pricier than some other pizza places. It was a thin crust pizza with really fresh toppings on it. I wish there was a bit more toppings though, especially the basil. I'm not a huge fan of thin crust, I like a bit more dough. So it was good but didn't meet the expectation that I've hyped up for myself. My friends liked it though. They appreciate thin crust more than I do. It did have a nice char on it. I think for thin crust I still prefer Grimaldi's.

I still chose their regular Pancakes (ricotta pancakes with Nutella mascarpone and fresh berries, crispy pancetta) $10~

The Nutella mascarpone sounds amazing. I love Nutella. The portion was huge. 6 fluffy pancakes on a large platter. The pancakes were definitely homemade, it reminded me of how my mom used to make pancakes for us at home on a portable griddle. They were light and fluffy. Not too sweet but you still didn't need syrup. The nutella mascarpone was also light and fluffy. Not enough nutella flavor though. If they didn't say nutella, I would've just guessed it had a hint of cocoa or something. It paired really well with the pancakes though. I liked the strawberry/blueberry mix on the side as well. Added some sweetness and tartness with the pancakes. The pancetta was nice and crispy and I ate it with the pancakes together. I love sweet and savory! Alone, the pancetta was a bit too salty. I liked this a lot. I still want to try the pumpkin pancakes though. The waitress said they might bring it back in the next week or two...

One friend got the Cane Rosso Benedict (2 over easy eggs with fried polenta, crispy pancetta and Calabrian chile gravy, oven-roasted potatoes) $12~

This was definitely an interesting twist on a benedict. Using the polenta instead of English muffin, they changed the texture of the entire dish. Plus the polenta was slightly sweet. The eggs were over easy instead of poached too. I guess it was "loosely" named as a benedict. haha. I loved the gravy. I think that brought the dish together. The potatoes had good flavor as well and they were nice and crispy on the outside.

We ended the meal with Coffee & Donuts (zeppole with powdered sugar, chocolate, strawberry and espresso sauces) $10~

The presentation was cute with the paper bag. It was a pretty big portion! The donuts were like mini beignets with powdered sugar and dipping sauces. The coffee part was in the chocolate dipping sauce I think. The chocolate sauce was fantastic. Slightly bitter because it was dark chocolate so it wasn't too sweet. The strawberry puree/sauce was fantastic as well. The zeppole itself wasn't sweet at all! So the powdered sugar plus the sauces definitely brought it all together. I actually liked just the strawberry and chocolate sauce together. Didn't even need the donut. hahaha. Just gimme a spoon!

We were stuffed, as always. :P It was a good meal. Everything was good and fresh. I would say I've had better versions of each in other places but I still enjoyed everything. I definitely liked the feel of the place too. And our waitress was totally cool. I'm glad we finally got to try it. Maybe I'll go back again whenever they bring back the pumpkin pancakes.

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The Loft at NYLO

I recently saw on facebook that The Loft Restaurant at NYLO Hotel in Plano released a new menu and were offering awesome Happy Hour specials. Not only were they offering drink specials from 4-10PM but all menu items were 50% off!! Heck yea! They are only doing this promotion until 11/13.

The Loft Restaurant & Lounge @ NYLO
8201 Preston Road
Plano, TX 75024
(972) 624-6990
http://www.nylohotels.com/plano/restaurants-texas-hotel-4-1.aspx
Price: $$

I called up a few of my friends and we went to go check it out last Thursday night. I've been to the Loft lounge a few times, never to eat though. I've had one of their flatbreads a while back but other than that I've never eaten there. Never really thought of going either since I thought the prices were kinda high.

I like the concept of NYLO and the restaurant/lounge. The decor is kind of eclectic but pretty cool. The style is somewhat inconsistent but oh well. I've always heard that the food and service here wasn't that great and I'll have to agree on the service part. I walked up to the entrance of the restaurant and there was no one there. I stood there for a good 5+ minutes before a waiter finally looked over and saw me. I asked him about the happy hour and he wasn't too sure about the details. He went to ask and said yes, they do have hh until 10PM and just told me to sit anywhere. The restaurant was very sparse. I sat at a table across from the bar, not a very hidden or anything. No one came to greet me, bring me water or anything for another 7-8 minutes. A few waiters walked by, some looked at me, some didn't even notice I was there. It's pretty ridiculous. I didn't get water, or even a menu. Finally, one waiter came to ask me what I wanted to drink and I asked another guy for a menu. Way to make a customer feel welcomed people...

Slowly my friends started to arrive. By this time we actually had a waiter for the table! He was nice enough. We looked over the menu and ordered a bunch of stuff to try since they were half price!

Prosciutto + Arugula Flatbread $11~

Different than any flatbreads I've had before. Even different than the flatbread I've had at NYLO in the past. The dough looked like pita bread? but was harder in consistency. The prosciutto was a tad too salty. It was ok, good for half price. Definitely not worth the full $11.

The Dip (spinach, feta and artichoke dip) $12~

I was a little hesitant about the feta since I'm not a huge fan, but it was melted in with the other components of the dip. The flavor was good and it came with a lot of pieces of flatbread.

Buttermilk Chicken Poppers (served with chipotle or buffalo dipping sauce) $10~

The chicken was tender and I liked the chipotle sauce. Good for sharing.

7oz. Sliced Tenderloin (with demi-glace) $16~

This is an A la carte dish, so it doesn't come with any sides. The meat was tender enough and had a good crust on the outside but was overly salty. Seems to be a theme developing overall in the meal...

Slow Braised Pork Leg (with mousseline potatoes and chipotle pork jus) $14~

This was one of my choices. I asked the waiter if it was like a pork chop and he said yes. It's definitely not... haha. It was a good size. Definitely worth the half price. The meat was pretty tender, but being braised, it should've been more "falling off the bone". The mashed potatoes were good, nothing spectacular. Again, a tad salty overall.

Nori Crusted Tuna (thinly sliced served with house made spicy mustard) $11~

The tuna was tender and the mustard had a bold kick to it. It was good, just a bit small.

I got 2 sides along with the pork. Sauteed Spinach $6~

The spinach looked really fresh but it was doused with salt. OMG. I couldn't take more than a bite. I had to send it back and they brought me another plate. It was much better the second time. However, when I brought it up to the waiter, he didn't really react in any way. I had to ASK him to take it away... Really?? It wasn't comped in the end either. I also got the Roasted Seasonal Mushroom $6~ This was good, no complaints.

NYLO Truffle Fries Stack $7~ The fries took a longgg time to come out. By then we were all overloaded with salt, I didn't even want to eat this. I guess it was ok. Although on the menu it said all sides are $6 but we were charged half of $7 on this one...

By the end of the meal I felt like I had a layer of salt coating the inside of my mouth. YUCK. Not a good feeling. I kept drinking water but it didn't do anything... They really need to go easy on the seasoning here.

A friend of mine wanted to order dessert so we asked for the dessert menu. They went with the Smores Cheesecake and Creme Brulee. I think they were about $8~?

The presentation was pretty nice on both of these. Then we dug into it. OMG... I think this is the first time we all thought something was really bad. The creme brulee didn't really have the bruleed hard sugar on the top. The custard wasn't like a creme brulee custard. The texture was strange, more like a thick pudding or something? The cheesecake was the really bad one. It tasted like it was a really old frozen cake that had been thawed out. You can taste the "old-ness". And the texture of the cheesecake was gummy. GUMMY!!! :( It was gross! We had to flag down the waiter and tell him to take it away.

It wasn't a very pleasant meal. Overly salted foods and yucky old desserts. Plus the lack of attention from the wait staff from beginning to end was unacceptable. They comped the desserts, which they should, but it was like no one really cared there. The place has such potential. They really need to do some revamping to make things better. I know I won't be back for sure, no matter how good their deals are. :(

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~