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Sorry for the delay but here's my July pick!
My boss wanted to take the new team out for a team lunch and we decided to go to Cattleack BBQ. I've been wanting to go there but always heard there's a long line. Luckily it's like 5 minutes from our office.
They're only open for dine-in on Thurs-Sat, I think. And lunch only. I think we arrived a little past 11AM and ended up waiting over 75 minutes. Damn. The line didn't seem long at first, but once you get inside, the line wraps all around the place... it's deceiving. Was totally STARVING by the time we ordered. I may have gone a little overboard. Haha. And sorry for the lack of pictures. We were too hungry.
Cattleack Barbeque
13628 Gamma Rd.
Farmers Branch, TX 75244
cattleackbbq.com
(972) 805-0999
Price: $$$
Brisket (moist or lean) $18.99/lb~ For the meats I got a pound of Brisket, moist of course! Gotta get the good fatty meats. The half pound seemed too little, but once he piled the whole pound on the tray, I was like "whoa". Haha. The brisket was amazing. So freaking moist and tender. I'd highly recommend this.
Pork Ribs $15.99/lb~ I also got half pound of this. Also very tender but the brisket stole the show. As far as ribs went, these were great.
Sausages $5.50 per link~
Original, Hatch Chile & Cheese, Spicy Texan, Triple "B"
I never order sausage. I usually just want one bite. The ones I tried were pretty good. They always tend to be a little too salty for me.
We got the sides to share. A few pints of each.
Burnt Ends Beans. Pretty good! Beans aren't my thing though.
Cole Slaw and Potato Salad. LOVED the potato salad. The slaw was great too. I would get these two again.
We ate so quickly... and the meat sweats hit before we got back to the office. Hahaha. I'm not sure if I'd stand in line for this again, I don't like to wait for food... but it's legit good. Next time you have a party, you can pre-order so you don't have to wait. 20 lbs minimum per pre-order though. Enjoy! Hehe.
I recently got invited to check out Wine & Magic with magician Trigg Watson at Checkered Past Winery. I love magic shows! However, I don't drink wine, so I made sure to bring a friend who did. :P This is my first time at the winery, cuz duh, I don't drink. It's a cute little place in South Side on Lamar. They have a little stage set up in the back for the show.
A little bit about Trigg Watson. I had never heard of him but he's been on several TV shows such as Penn & Teller's Fool Us, and CW's Masters of Illusion. He was also really funny! I liked that. You can find more info on Trigg and the Wine & Magic show here. The shows occur one weekend a month. The next show dates are 9/28, 9/29, and 10/20.
Checkered Past Winery
1409 S. Lamar St. #008
Dallas, TX 75215
(214) 242-0411
www.checkeredpastwinery.com
www.wineandmagicdallas.com
Price: $$+
Since I'm a food blogger... I'll be focusing on the food. I don't want to give away any parts of the show anyways... You'll have to see it to believe it yourselves!
We arrived a little early before seating. So my friend, serious about repping for the wine drinkers, hehe, starts off with a glass of Rose (Ch Vingtineres, Provence, FR) $11~ a glass. She enjoyed it, and later moved on to try several other different wines. The Malbec from Checkered Past (locally Dallas) was highly recommended by 2 other friends of mine who were also in attendance.
I was starving! And everything sounded good. So we started with the Walnut & Cheddar Spread (served with seasoned toasted flatbread wedges and pretzel bread) $8~
OMG. The breads here are spectacular. I don't know how they make the dough, but everything we had that night with dough was amazing. The texture was perfect! I loved the sliced pretzel bread too. All the slices were toasted, slightly crispy on the edges and warm! The dip was rich and creamy, and paired really well with the breads.
All 3 of my friends raved about this dish. Smoked Salmon & Herb Cream Cheese Bruschetta (smoked salmon served on seasoned toasted focaccia with cheese spread, capers) $13~
I'm not a fan of smoked salmon but I said I would try it if they ordered it. It's good! I wouldn't order it for myself just cuz of my preferences but the salmon was tender and overall a very good bite. Plus it looks quite sophisticated doesn't it? If you like smoked salmon, you'll love this.
Cajun Pizza (crawfish, cajun spices, fresh tarragon, fresh mozzarella) $13~
Available on Fridays only. I was eyeing this one. Sounded so interesting! And this turned out to be my favorite dish of the night. Again... perfect texture on the flatbread. The crawfish were nice and plump. Loved it all! I highly recommend this if you go on a Friday!
White Pizza (garlic, oregano, fresh mozzarella) $10~
We added Duck Salami to it. Guess it's pizza night! Cuz that's what we kept ordering. We added meat to this cuz... why not? Meats are gooood. I wished there was more meat on the pizza. It was good... but I wasn't able to tell that it was specifically duck... Plus I was still on a high with that crawfish pizza. Haha.
Rudi's Double Meat (hot capicola, pork salami, marinated tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, pesto) $13~
Now if you like meats, this is for you! I was full by now so I wasn't blown away, but it's a good pizza. Bold flavors and I loved the pops of tomato as you bite into it. And of course... the bread texture was ON POINT! We had SO much carbs that night. Haha.
I was full. But desserts are a must!
It happened to be National S'mores Day when we went, so natually we had to get the S'mores Pizza - $12~ for a whole.
This thing was GOOEY AF! And SO rich! One slice was plenty for me. So if you have less than 4 people, I'd say the half order is enough. Chocolate sauce, melty sticky marshmallow.. what's not to like?
We also got the NY Style Cheesecake (with choice of topping) $8~ We got the cherry preserves on top. It's a good cheesecake. I normally don't prefer NY style cheesecakes because I find them wayyy too dense, but this one wasn't. It was a good ending to a good meal.
Now a little bit about the show... I won't give any spoilers. But WOW! We were all blown away. It was so so good. I don't think I've ever seen a magic show up close (we were sitting in the 2nd row), plus he had a GoPro and a TV to projecting certain things. I have seen plenty of magic shows on TV though. But still... it was incredible. We could guess and speculate all we want, but NO idea on how the tricks were done. And since I can't give anything away... "OMG, the thing with the thing, and then he did that thing?!?! What?!?!" hahaha. :P And Trigg was hilarious! We laughed a lot! He had a lot of interaction with the audience... asked several people to go on stage to help with certain tricks. We were certain these some of these people were planted, until... MY friend was picked for the last trick! How fun!
It was such a wonderful time. I HIGHLY recommend checking out this show... what a unique thing to do! And I would go again in a heartbeat!
**The show is $20 a person and food/beverage purchases are not included in ticket price. There are only 45 tickets per show.. it's a really intimate setting. Children over 12 years old are permitted but have to have be accompanied by an adult. There are 2 showings each night: 7PM and 9:30PM.**
Thank you SO MUCH to Checkered Past Winery for hosting us. Sandro, the owner, was the nicest man. He checked on us a lot and made sure we were having the greatest time. And shoutout to our waitress, Natalie, you're awesome! Thanks for being patient with me while I sample a bunch of wines to see if I find one I might like. hehe. And thanks to Trigg. It was such a mind blowing experience. I'm not even going to try and figure out how he did those tricks. I'll just enjoy it and marvel at the wonder.
*The whole experience was comped but all opinions are my own. Now go buy a ticket NOW!!*
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To all the Shell Shack fans... they have moved from their Uptown location to a bigger spot on Henderson (the former Mellow Mushroom location), with more parking, and seating! And there's a patio! To those who have never been, the new space is big with a large bar area and lots of TVs for all the sports watching.
I personally have never been to Shell Shack, so I was excited to check out their preview before the new location opened on Thursday 6/21. Walking in, I immediately noticed all the chalkboard art on the walls. They showcased all the different food and drink items as well as the market prices of all the different types of seafood available that day.
Shell Shack
2326 N Henderson Ave.
Dallas, TX 75206
(877) 434-1411
https://www.shellshack.com
We were greeted with drinks upon arrival. My friend grabbed the Blue Hawaiian (rum, blue curacao, real coco, pineapple juice) $12~ It looks fun! She enjoyed it.
Once the event started we were ushered into the dining room to get some appetizers. They had it set up buffet style. Can you say "ALL THE FRIED FOODS"?! Haha.
Crab Tater Tots - Big 'ol tater tots, filled with crab. What's not to like?
Fried Crawfish - I love crawfish. I thought it was fried well, but the batter was just a tad too salty.
Fried Catfish Bites - This was my favorite of the 3, I got a nice plump piece and it was so tender on the inside and fried beautifully on the outside.
I tried not too get very much cuz I knew there was more food coming!
For the dinner portion we sat down in the dining room. The owner made a welcome speech and gave us some background on the restaurant. This is replacing the old location on McKinney, just FYI. He also introduced the next course we were about to receive which is MORE appetizers. Each table got a sampler of the Buffalo Shrimp, Calamari, and another kind of Shrimp (cajun? garlic? I'm not sure of the seasoning).
The Buffalo Shrimp was my favorite... that buffalo sauce is money! The shrimp IS fried just so you know, the other one wasn't. I dipped everything in that buffalo sauce. haha. Calamari was good. The owner noticed that it had gotten cold since they were waiting to bring it out after the speech, so he sent out fresh ones to every table. Eat it hot, y'all, it's good!
For the main attraction, we were gonna get a bit of everything... crabs, shrimp, corn, potatoes. We did NOT realize they were bringing a full bag for each individual person! WOW! That's a lotta crab! All the seafood is market price, so make sure you check out their board to see what's available! And oh yea... we all get bibs! Love it!
King Crab
Snow Crab
Bairdi Crab
Flavor: The Kitchen Sink - which is like ALL THE SPICES!
I'm a crab newbie, so I wasn't really sure what was what. I could tell the King Crab because it stabbed me in the fingers. haha. Those spikes are no joke! It was super meaty! And make sure you get that melted butter to dip in.
I'm not sure if it was Snow or Bairdi I liked better... I couldn't tell which is which, but I liked them better than the King. While King Crab is meatier, the Snow/Bairdi was more tender/delicate. And just a fun fact, Shell Shack is the only place in DFW that serves Bairdi Crabs. You may have heard of this crab if you watch Deadliest Catch. hehe.
Instead of everyone keeping their bags on their trays, my table dumped all the bags in the middle. YASSSS! That's the way to do it!!! Free-for-all! My friends also did NOT use gloves, like most of the other tables. I did... cuz I'm a noob and also don't like to touch food. haha. But 2 minutes in, the king crab spikes punctured my gloves so I still got my hands dirty. :P This was SO MUCH FUN, y'all. Definitely go with friends who don't mind using their hands and getting dirrrrty. And oh the corn!! That was probably my FAVORITE thing of the night! I wish they had given us each more than one. My friend gave me hers so I had two! I could've eaten everyone's!
The potatoes were also perfectly awesome. I did wish we had gotten spicy though. I thing that would've made the flavor even better! But since it was a media event where they had to prepare for a bunch of people, it's safer to go with mild.
Catfish Basket & Fries $10.99~ We also had 2 hushpuppies in the basket. While we were cracking shells with our messy hands, they brought out MORE food. I thought maybe a basket for each table for us to sample, but no, a basket for EACH OF US! I'm pretty full at this point, how will I ever finish! haha. I made the mistake of taking a fry and couldn't really stop after that. I have no self control with fried foods if I start eating them. Fries were good.. I think they sprinkle sugar on it... Most of us ended up taking our baskets to go.
While everyone was slowing down, the owner said "well I hope y'all saved room for dessert!" Um. Sure! Bring it on. haha.
Bread Pudding (warm bread pudding topped with homemade Jack Daniels caramel sauce and salted caramel gelato) $6.99~ A surprisingly low bread pudding... usually they're more layered but the flavor was good, especially with that salted caramel ice cream. Good portion size I think.
Ultimate Chocolate Cake (chocolate cake with layers of chocolate mousse, chocolate ganache, chocolate sauce, and chocolate hazelnut gelato) $7.99~ Are you surprised this was my favorite? haha. You had me at ganache! It was delicious. I took most of it home because we were too full. And it was even better 2 days later because I let it soften for a bit after taking it out of the fridge. CHOCOLATE WASTED for reals!
Carrot Cake. So.. they're known for their carrot cake. Which is epically huge. However, my table was the last one to finish our crabs because we ate EVERY SINGLE PIECE, so by the time our desserts came out, they had ran out of the carrot cake. Sadness. So I don't have a picture, but we ended up snagging a piece from a neighboring table (don't worry, we knew the people, haha). They had barely even made a dent in it! It's almost a quarter of the whole cake I think. Now I'm not a carrot cake fan, but one of my friends was and she took the whole thing home. haha. So I think she liked it. I do have to say the frosting was quite luxurious.
We had a great time. This is definitely a place for friends who wanna just get down and get their hands dirty. The crabs were fresh and meaty. And just forgo the gloves... they're only gonna get punctured anyways. Plus, Shell Shack has the best hand washer ever!! You just stick your hands in it. It sprays and spins warm water and soap and gets everything off. Your hands feel nice and soft and clean after. Go check them out, it's a great place to watch a game too... TVs everywhere.
Thanks so much, Shell Shack, for having me!! And congrats on the new location!
*The meal was comped but all opinions are my own.*
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If you haven't noticed that I'm obsessed with City Hall Bistro, then you haven't been paying attention. haha. So when I got invited to the January Blog and Brunch, I responded pretty much instantly, and then counted down the days! So excited!
City Hall Bistro - Brunch
1321 Commerce St.
Dallas, TX 75202
(214) 651-3686
www.cityhallbistro.com
Price: $$-$$$
Love the space. Duh. :P But a tip for foodies who wanna take photos... request tables in the back, where the windows are. Instant lighting! You're welcome.
We had a big group that day... 20 people or so? Biggest Blog and Brunch I've been to. And you know what that means?! MORE food! :P We had a feast that was to die for. Keep scrolling for all the pics. Also... follow @blogandbrunchdfw on Instagram! :)
Breakfast Bread (muffin, daily bread, croissant, pain au chocolate) $5~ I didn't know where to start first!
I wanted one of everything! But I had my eye on those chocolate croissants. Probably one of the best chocolate croissants I've ever had. Mainly because it was completely filled with chocolate. Most places have that sad little dab of chocolate in the middle. At City Hall Bistro, they're not stingy. The dark chocolate was awesome, and the croissants themselves were flaky and buttery.
Another favorite was the carrot (and maybe banana or zucchini?) bread. I normally get turned off by anything carrot, but the way they crisped the edges of each slice... it was bomb. Texture was so good. I won't be mad if I get my vegetables that way. :P
Cheese (fruit jam, honeycomb, raisin pecan toast) $12~ I skipped this one because I'm not one for cheese boards. Need more stomach room for all the other foods!
Papas Bravas (crispy potato, garlic aioli, smoked paprika) $5~ Freaking love these potatoes. They are packed with flavor. Highly recommend!
Greek Yogurt (pomegranate, blueberry, caramelized honey, basil, blueberry meringue crisp) $10~
This was surprisingly one of my favorites for the day. I NEVER order yogurt at restaurants because... why? haha. But this was SO good. I actually went back 2 weeks later and got it. By myself. I mean... it's healthy! The yogurt is swirled with vanilla bean. The best thing on there is the blueberry meringue crisp. Adds a light and crispy texture to the creamy yogurt. It's not too tart, not too sweet. Just perfect. Just a note: most of the stuff we got were for sharing so they were bigger portions. Like the yogurt, the actual portion is individual sized... see photo with spoon. It's still quite filling though, just not great for sharing.
Hazelnut Waffle (nutella, banana, pure maple syrup) $12~ Always a good choice. I've already had this before. It's a solid dish if you want sweet for breakfast.
Frittata (roasted mushroom, leek, arugula, cheddar, tomato chutney) $15~ Um. Probably one of the best frittatas I've ever tasted. I don't even know how they packed so many flavors into this little slice of egg.
Mushroom Tartine (tarragon mascarpone, pickled beech mushroom, mustard seed, soft poached egg) $13~ Prettiest dish you ever did see. They were topped with edible flowers, so it's literally a garden on a piece of bread. Check out the perfectly poached egg p0rn. :P
Shakshuka (farm egg, roasted pepper, spicy tomato, ciabatta toast) $16~ I think this is my first shakshuka. It's basically poached eggs in tomato sauce and spices. Not sure if it's "authentic" but it was quite delicious. I really liked the flavor of the spicy tomato sauce.
Creme Brulee Toast (kumquat, vanilla custard, mint) $14~ I was very excited about this dish as I love french toast. However, I think it was one of the weaker dishes. The presentation is clean and pretty, but I like a fluffier french toast. It was more compact and flat...
Cauliflower (golden raisin, smoked paprika aioli) $10~ I love their cauliflower dish. Especially when served on the wood board. The addition of the golden raisins elevates the dish imo. And just a tip... you can get this during their Happy Hour for $5. :)
What a fantastic spread. My favorites still tend to favor the sweet stuff. hehe. Thank you, City Hall Bistro and Blog and Brunch, for having me. I'm ready for their new menu items now. hehe. In case you didn't know.. they change up their menu items from time to time. So most of the dishes I've had the first time I went are already not available. T_T So you better make reservations soon, if you want to try any of these!
*The meal was comped but all opinions are my own.*
Quality of Food:
Service:
Ambiance:
Value: (comped)
Overall Experience:
~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
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