Mexican Sugar

Mexican Sugar is the latest restaurant to open in Shops at Legacy. It is the same owners as Whiskey Cake (one of my go-to places) and Velvet Taco. I've been getting notices of it's opening a couple weeks before it actually opened. Looking at the menu, I was excited to try it.

Mexican Sugar
7501 Lone Star Dr. Ste B 150
Plano, TX 75024
(972) 943-0984
mexicansugarcocina.com
Price: $$-$$$

Once it opened, it immediately became a new hot spot at the Shops at Legacy. I heard that there's a wait every night and it's been a hit. I decided to get some people to go try it on a Thursday night.

I got there around 7pm and it was packed. The hostess told me it was going to be about a 45 minute wait for 4 people... Should've reserved. Oh well, I'll know for next time! We decided to walk around the area to find something to munch on. But they sent me a text about 30 minutes later. I like the whole texting notifications for a table. This way we can leave and not be stuck just standing around.

The place is pretty big! We were seated in the back room. I liked the decor a lot. It did remind me of Whiskey Cake a bit since it was the same decorator. A bit loud with the acoustics but more energetic than annoying. I also saw a few familiar faces in the wait staff that used to be at Whiskey Cake. haha.

We were greeted by our waiter and he said 2 of them were gonna help us. We got some waters and took some time to look at the menu. We actually waited quite a long time for them to come back... And once they came back, I ordered an appetizer as my main, and I think the guy thought I was just ordering an app for the table and walked away without taking anyone else's orders. haha.. Errrrr?

I got the Arepa (griddled corn cake, ropa vieja, slaw, cilantro crema) $8~ 

 

It was 4 to an order, each corn cake was topped with shredded beef. This was really good. The beef was flavorful and great with the corn cake. The corn cake itself had nice texture. The cilantro crema rounded out the dish nicely. It ended up being the best savory dish of the night. So I ended up getting my dish first before anyone else had ordered.. eh... They need to check on us more often.

I also got a side of the Brussels Sprout Shred $3~ 

It was one of the menu items I really wanted to try since I love Brussels sprouts, but it was not what I expected at all. It was just like raw shredded veggies, some Brussels sprouts mixed with napa cabbage, onions and carrots. I expected something cooked. But I guess I just didn't ask and assumed. So I told the waiter it wasn't what I was expecting. He was nice and took it away and didn't charge me for it.

One friend ordered the Brasas Chicken Tacos (wood roasted chicken, salsa, roasted corn, pico, queso fresco, chipotle crema, macro cilantro; with side of Brussels sprout shred) $9~

 It came 3 to an order. I heard that they make the corn tortillas in house which is cool. But they were kinda soft and floppy. It didn't hold up to the liquid from the salsa very well. It got soggy quickly. The taco looked good but was pretty bland. It definitely needed more sauce or something. But then, the tortilla would probably disintegrate. haha. Meh. And I also got to try a bit of the Brussels sprouts shred. I'm glad I sent mine back. Just raw veggies, not much flavor at all.

Another friend got the Tableside Tortilla Soup (roast chicken, tomato concasse, avocado, tortilla, queso fresco) $7~ 

 

The presentation is cool since they poured it at the table. And the portion was pretty big. My friend doesn't like avocado so I got to eat all of it. haha. They had nice big chunks of avocado and tomatoes in there which I liked. But overall it was just ok. My friend and I both agreed that it could be heartier. The soup itself seemed a little thin. And I think the flavors could be bolder.

Another friend came later and ordered the Pollo Torta (roast chicken, chipotle spread, queso Chihuahua, mixed herbs, salsa duo; with side of Dos XX) $11~ 

 

It's pretty cool that you can get a side of beer. haha. But it was a pretty small glass. The torta looked really good, and it was huge. Didn't get to try it but she finished it all. Although she said the bread was too hard and might've cut the roof of her mouth. I think generally tortas have a softer type of bread? This looked kinda baguette-y.

We had another late addition. He already ate so just ordered a Chicha Sour (homemade Chicha morada ice cubes, pisco porton, lime, simple syrup). 

I think this is one of their more popular cocktails. The color was beautiful. And the homemade ice cubes were a nice touch. It was the same as the drink. So as it melts it won't water down the cocktail. It was strong!!!! But I liked the flavor. If you like sweet and fruity cocktails, this one might be for you. It was also cool when the waiter explained their draft cocktails. Yes, draft. They make a small batch of each at a time and pour it from a draft. This way it saves time and also keeps the flavors consistent, the waiter explained. I've not seen that before. Pretty neat!

Their desserts is what captured my attention the most. They didn't have many choices but all of them sounded awesome. And since they were out of the Pumpkin Flan, it made our choices easy.

Horchata 5 Leches (almond milk, rice milk, heavy cream, Mexican crema whip, goat's milk cajeta) $7~ 

I wasn't sure what to expect with this one but it's a super moist custardy/bread pudding-ish cake. It's gotta be moist with 5 milks right?! haha. It was sooo good. The Mexican crema whip on top was fluffy and heavenly. It paired perfectly with the cake. The goat's milk cajeta was a Mexican style caramel. I don't like goat's milk, and the flavor was pretty strong. I didn't like that at all. So I tried to eat the top half of the cake and not get any of the caramel that pooled on the bottom of the dish. haha. In the future I will request it without the cajeta. But delicious! Definitely recommend!

Chocolate Avocado Cake (Ancho spiced chocolate cake, cinnamon meringue, chocolate avocado mousse, ganache) $7~ 

This was rich, rich, rich, and decadent. Definitely for the chocolate lover. The addition of the avocado is what intrigued me at first, but you really can't taste any of it at all. Avocado is too milk compared to the dark chocolate and got lost. But nonetheless, it was delicious. I love anything with ganache and this cake had like 3 layers of it! :) And the layer of cinnamon meringue in the middle was a nice surprise because the meringue was slightly crunchy and added a nice textural contrast. This cake with the Mexican crema whip from the Horchata was a great blend. :P

So... pretty cool place. A little loud but definitely a hip hotspot. The food was a bit disappointing but the desserts were awesome. I'd go back just for the desserts! Waiters were nice but service was slow overall. Hopefully they just need to get more acclimated to the large crowds. I'll be going back in the future. But I'll definitely make a reservation next time!

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Square One Cafe

Man... I've been busy lately. It's been a while since I've posted something. But that doesn't mean I haven't been eating! :P A few weeks ago I met up with some friends for dinner. They live in Flower Mound and I'm in Plano so we decided to meet in Lewisville. I came across a little cafe in downtown Lewisville that seemed pretty good.

Square One Cafe
136 W. Main St
Lewisville, Texas 75057
(972) 221-8200
http://squareonecafe.com/
Price: $

I've never been to downtown Lewisville. I might wanna check it out when it's bright out. By the time I arrived it was already dark. The cafe was pretty much empty when we got there. There was only 1 other table and they left soon after I got there. We ordered at the counter and they brought the food to our table.

The lady at the register turned out to be one of the owners. She was very nice. I took a look at the menu and wanted to try many things...

I ended up choosing a bunch of sides to make a meal since I had been doing a low gluten/sugar thing that week.

Dill Bacon Potato Salad $1.85~ (bottom) This was pretty good. A bit too much sauce though and the potato chunks should be bigger. Other than that I enjoyed it. 
Squash Medley with Mushrooms $1.85~ (top left) My friend and I really liked this. It was just sauteed on the flat top with herbs and stuff. But it had lots of flavor and the veggies were cooked well. 
Tarragon Chicken Salad $2.31~ (top right) I asked to try a sample before getting this. They make all their food in house. The chicken was very moist and tender and I love it when people put tarragon in chicken salad. It had large chunks of grapes, chicken, celery and cucumber I believe. I don't like celery but I was able to pick most of that out. I liked the addition of cucumber. I usually sub the celery for cucumber when making chicken salad at home. :) The sides were a good size for the price and filled me up.

One friend ordered the Sriracha Honey Chicken (grilled chicken, sriracha honey mayo, smoked Gouda, Applewood smoked bacon, spinach, avocado) $7.16~ The panini was really good. I had a small bite. It had lots of flavor and I definitely got the hint of sriracha. The bread was pressed and crisped nicely. Oh man... it was good to eat some bread after a week of not having any. hahaha.

She also got a Tomato Basil Soup (bowl) $4.75~ The soup was not bad. It reminded me a bit like spaghetti sauce though. haha. I tend to prefer chowders personally.

My other friend got the Square One Burger (1/2 pound all natural Kobe burger, Vermont cheddar, romaine, tomatoes, red onions, spiced mustard) $8.31~ The burger was pretty hefty. The beef patty had tons of flavor and was really juicy. I also really liked the bread. It held up the patty juices well.

They also got a side of the Hand Tossed Mac and Cheese $1.85~ Pretty simple with penne pasta in melted cheese but it was good. A good little side.

It's a pretty chill cafe with some yummy food. Good for a lazy afternoon with friends or families. They closed by 8pm but the owner told us we can take all the time we needed since she was in no hurry to leave. That was nice of her. She later came over to pick up the dishes and chatted with us for a bit. Apparently they are going to open a small market across the street in the coming months. They'll offer different craft beers as well as a kitchen set up where they'll do cooking demos and classes. That sounds so much fun! And they hope to have locally sourced eggs and milk and other stuff too. I look forward to that. Definitely need to go check it out once that opens. :)

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~