I recently went on my first brunch crawl with the other two Community Leaders of MyFab5 (IG: @bestfooddallas), and another food Instagrammer/blogger from NYC (@moodyfoodyadventures). For those of you that don't know. I'm part of a team of 3 Community Leaders for MyFab5, with the Instagram @bestfooddallas. We bring you food recommendations and delicious food photos 7 days a week. Be sure to follow us!! You should also follow our individual Instagram accounts: @chompdallas @thediningdino @phileats_ and see food all day everyday!! :D
@moodyfoodyadventures was coming to Dallas and reached out to us to meet up for brunch. It's always great to meet other foodies! And since we all love brunch so much, one place is just not enough! :P
We met up on a rainy Saturday. The weather was dreadful but that's not enough to stop our eating!
Our first stop was at Meddlesome Moth. I had only been there for dinner before but their brunch menu looked awesome. Unfortunately, we found out that they don't have brunch on Saturdays, so we were given the lunch menu. Oh well..
Meddlesome Moth
1621 Oak Lawn Ave.
Dallas, TX 75207
(214) 628-7900
www.mothinthe.net
Price: $$$+
It wasn't busy at all that day. So we were able to get a seat by the window... for better photo lighting and all. Kinda sucks that it was so overcast outside.
Catalan (Prince Edward Island mussels, Spanish chorizo, charred tomato, fresh garlic) $15~
The Moth always has some great mussels. They have several flavor selections. This was yummy, as always. That broth is everything.
The One-Eyed Jack (Webster City bacon, pit-smoked ham, Tillamook cheddar, cheddar jalapeno bread, nested egg; served with fries) $11~
First time I've had this... always love a runny egg on anything! This made for some delectable pictures. #yolkporn The sandwich itself was pretty good... a tad salty. But I was starving so it was delicious. haha. The fries were good too. I had to remind myself that this was only round 1 so I forced myself to stop eating the fries.
Shrimp & Homestead Grits (jalapeno gravy) $24~
We all knew they had great shrimp and grits. One of my favorites in Dallas I think... it's totally the jalapeno gravy. The shrimp was nice and plump. The gravy was a vibrant green. It's truly a beautiful dish. And tasty of course.
It was a great start to the brunch crawl. Didn't overeat and got to make new friends! On to the next!
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Round 2 was at Kessler Park. I had never heard of the place at all. It's really close to Bishop Arts District. Driving up, it looks like a simple diner type place. Walking in... it's totally a diner. Wasn't much to look at as far as decor, so I really didn't know what to expect. There weren't that many customers in there either.
Kessler Park Eating House
1619 N Beckley Ave.
Dallas, TX 75203
(214) 782-9273
www.kesslerparkeatinghouse.com
Price: $$
We started looking at the menu, and they actually have a bunch of stuff that sounded amazing. We wanted to try so many things but had to edit down because we had a third location. hehe.(...but we failed. ordered to much. hahaha)
Chicken and Waffle (Chef Jon's tabasco brined chicken tender, fresh baked Belgian waffle, and peppered gravy) $11.50~
This was on their specials menu. Who doesn't like chicken and waffles, that was a must. It was a great looking dish. The waffles were soft and fluffy. I wished they were a little crispier on the outside, which is how I like my waffles, but it was still good. The chicken was fried nicely. I liked the fresh slices of jalapenos on top too, added a nice pop of color. It was a yummy dish, we all loved it.
Hunka-Hunka Burning Waffle (fresh baked Belgian waffle with peanut butter fluff, fried bananas, and bacon) $13~
It's Elvis' favorite! This was also on their specials menu. It's got waffles, peanut butter AND bacon! So we HAVE to get it! This was my favorite of the day. It's got all my favorite things. Again, nice and fluffy waffles (wish it was crispier). But that peanut butter fluff... not sure how they made it. It's more like a crumble... but it's like crack. I wanted a bucket of this. So. Freaking. Good. The saltiness of the bacon complimented the sweet elements well. Lurrrrrved it!! I'd soooo get this again.
Coconut Cream Waffle (toasted coconut waffle, coconut cream, whipped cream, toasted coconut) $11.50~
We were only gonna get the 2 other waffle dishes, but at the end of ordering, we threw this one into the mix. THREE waffle dishes. hahaa. But it was a win cuz all their waffles were fantastic. This was really good too. I'm not a fan of shredded coconut, but even I liked it. It was like a coconut cream pie, but in waffle form! The cream was fluffy yet still rich. It was some of the other people's favorite dish.
Chilaquiles (crispy corn tortillas with roasted chicken, smothered in tomatillo sauce with 2 eggs) $13~
This seemed like the odd man out. haha. 3 waffles and a chilaquiles. hahaha. It was HUGE! We definitely over-ordered. But everything was good. This dish barely got touched though since the waffles were sooo awesome. These were good, loaded with toppings, but was completely outshined. I ended up taking 3/4ths of this home.
This was an amazing find! Thanks to @moodyfoodyadventures. Otherwise I would've never known about this hidden gem!
Chocolate Cherry Muffins (with almonds and chocolate chips) Free~
So they were having issues with the register and credit card machine. We weren't in a rush so we were just hanging out. They came over and gave us a couple muffins on the house. They were big and packed full of stuff! Oh man, we were already full but I had to try some. We decided to cut one and save the other. This is one fluffy and moist muffin. I loved the combo of the chocolate chips and large chunks of cherries. They made this in-house. I'd say one of the best chocolate muffins I've ever had. And I got to take the other one home! A few seconds in the microwave the next day... ohhhh baby. :P
Loved this place. The service was warm and friendly. Large portions and yummy food. Definitely get something with waffles in it, you won't be disappointed!
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Round 3. Boulevardier. Always a great spot for brunch. I have yet to go for dinner, but it's on the list!
Boulevardier
408 N. Bishop Ave., #108,
Dallas, TX 75208
(214) 942-1828
http://dallasboulevardier.com
Price (for brunch): $$-$$$
We were almost all at full capacity so we ordered light.
Legs and Eggs (crisp duck leg confit, sunny-side up farm eggs, homestead stone-ground grit cakes, huckleberry preserves) $16~
I've had this dish before, it's one of their most popular brunch dishes I think. This time it seemed like the duck was a little drier, but still tasty. The grit cakes totally stole the show. Soooo good, everyone agreed. Just gimme a plate of those next time, thx. hehe.
The others wanted Raw Oysters. I'm not a fan of oysters in general, plus I was super full. So I passed. They said it was good so I'll take their word for it. :P
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Oh man... we were done! ...or were we? Since we're in Bishop Arts, we had to go to Emporium Pies. We HAD to!! So we stood in line... as usual, and slowly made our way to the front. I got 2 pies to go. I thought the others were gonna do the same, but they all got pies to eat there! Beasts! I was done... haha. Luckily a table opened up and we were able to sit down.
It was a great day. Meeting new people, eating great food, and taking lots of food pictures! hahaha. Sounds perfect.
Don't forget to check us out on Instagram!
@chompdallas
@thediningdino
@phileats_
@moodyfoodyadventures
@bestfooddallas
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Last month, I had dinner with a friend. He was headed to Asia for several weeks so we met up before he left. We decided to try Dough, on Preston and Forest, since I would be in that area after work. I see this place all the time but had never been. I've heard good things about it though.
Dough Pizzeria Napoletana
11909 Preston Rd, Ste 1444
Dallas, TX 75230
(972) 788-4600
www.doughpizzeria.com
Price: $$-$$$
This place was more casual in decor than I expected. But I'm not sure why I always had the impression that it was fancier? haha. There wasn't too many people there on a Wednesday night, but it wasn't that empty either. They specialize in Neapolitan style pizza which is cooked at a very high temp for a very short period of time. The crust is usually pretty thin.
Sausage & Pistachio Pizza (fresh Panna, house-made sausage, bloomed onion, pistachios, Parmigiano Reggiano) $13~ To get some greens in the meal, we added fresh arugula on top.
Neither of us has had pistachio on a pizza before so it sounded really interesting. OMG. It's like the most awesome topping on pizza ever! (well not really... but it's pretty dang tasty. haha) The pistachios added a nuttiness that perfumed every bite. LOVED IT!! The sausage were in small pieces so they were crisped up like it was bacon. And the arugula on top was a nice touch... added some freshness and just the right amount of bitterness to balance out the cheese and meat. Normally I like thicker crusts on pizza since I like the doughiness. The crust on this was great. It wasn't super thin so it still had that chewiness. But the crust was thin enough so you don't feel as heavy eating all the carbs. We decided to only get 1 pizza and share since we wanted to get dessert. hehe. It was just the right amount. I'd totally get this pizza again. In fact, I wanna add pistachios to all my pizzas from now on. haha.
Pumpkin Polenta Cake (with torched marshmallow cream)
I don't remember how much this cake was, but it was totally worth it. Maybe $8? Super interesting and yummy. The texture was fantastic... you get the slight graininess from the polenta but it was still super moist. The outside had a really nice crisp crust. My friend and I both absolutely loved it. The marshmallow cream was not only a visually stunning pairing, but also tasted great. I think they normally offer a polenta cake, but the pumpkin addition might be seasonal. So better go check it out before the holiday season is over! I'll have to go again to try the regular polenta cake.
Really great meal. I'm glad we tried this place. And always a fun time catching up with friends. Dough is close to my work too... so maybe I'll take my co-workers there for lunch some time.
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When in Florida, eat seafood, right? My friends really wanted to get some seafood during the trip. We ventured into Las Olas Saturday night by the water taxi, that was a pretty cool experience. Sailed by all the super rich people's mansions.
We strolled around Las Olas and came upon Wild Sea. There wasn't that many other seafood options so we decided to give this place a try.
Wild Sea Oyster Bar and Grille
620 E. Las Olas Blvd.
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
(954) 467-2555
www.wildsealasolas.com
Price: $$$$
We got some Foccacia to start... it was so freaking good!
Cocktail
Some of my friends wanted oysters... they were pretty expensive but we're on vacation! haha. East Coast Oysters (served with cocktail sauce, Florida citrus, red wine mignonette) $3~ each. We got 18 pieces first round. 2nd Round was 2 dozen (24 pieces). Wow... that's a lot of oysters. They all really enjoyed them.
Wild Sea Lobster Bisque (lobster meat, saffron oil) $10~ Poured table side... I always like that presentation for soups.
Grilled Octopus (garlic aioli, blueberry coulis, slab bacon) $13~
I wasn't super hungry, so I went with an appetizer and a side. The waiter told me this was just one tentacle... I didn't expect such a big tentacle. hahaha. Really fantastic. The octopus was super tender and the flavors with the aioli, blueberry and bacon complemented each other really well. And it was super filling. Loved it!
Cauliflower Mac N' Cheese $7~
This was my side dish. It was also bigger than I expected. The pasta turned out to be orzo... which I wasn't a huge fan of. Prepared as mac n cheese, the orzo was overcooked and got lost in the cheese. There wasn't enough cauliflower in my opinion. Was an ok dish... if they had used a different pasta, this could've been great.
Atlantic Monkfish Loin (stone ground grits, smoked gouda, sweet corn succotash) $29~ Everyone loved the grits. The fish itself was kind of meh. I mean, it was a good piece of fish, but got shadowed by the grits.
Grilled Ahi Tuna (spicy broccolini, shiitake mushrooms, caramelized shallot-mirin soy reduction) $34~ Gorgeous color on the ahi tuna. My friend enjoyed it.
I forgot what this is... special of the day. But it's a seared fish, skin on. With squash and eggplant and frisee. I loved the plating of this. A pretty tower of food. The squash blend in whatever sauce that was, was bomb!!
We enjoyed this meal... so much food!! haha. And everyone got their seafood fix. :) Service was good, and the decor was nice. I'd recommend it if you are in Las Olas.
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