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Last weekend, a friend and I decided to take a day trip out to Ft. Worth. Neither of us have been there much and just wanted to check out the sights, and of course, food!!
The first place I wanted to hit up was definitely Hanabi. I've heard great things about it and almost everyone who's been there has said they have the best ramen in DFW. God knows we need a good ramen place here!
Hanabi Ramen & Izakaya
3204 Camp Bowie Blvd
Fort Worth, TX
(817) 420-6703
Price: $$
Obviously I've never been, so I always imagined it to be a small place. So I was pleasantly surprised that they took reservations. I made one for 3 people on Saturday at 11:30AM. We arrived on time, and there was maybe 3 other tables there. haha. And the place is wayyy bigger than I thought. I guess the reservation is totally unnecessary. Oh well. Better safe than sorry, eh?
We were seated immediately and the waitress came to take our drink orders. We all got the hot green tea which was really good. A lot of matcha flavor. :)
We got some appetizers to start.
Squid Leg Fry (6 pcs.) $4.50~
6 pieces for 5 bucks is a little expensive in my opinion, but at least the pieces were big. It was yummy. It came with a side of Asian mayonnaise to dip. Loved it! The squid was cooked well, the outside was fried nicely. The mayo had a sweetness that paired well with it.
Salmon Onigiri (salmon rice ball; 1 pc.) $3~
This was good too, esp with the mayo as well. But these tend to have more rice than filling ratio, and this was no different. There wasn't that much salmon in the middle.
I already knew what I wanted. The dry ramen. If it's an option, I always opt for the dry. The noodles are generally thicker and chewier, which I prefer.
Kara Miso Aemen (pasta style ramen, without soup, with pork belly, egg, cabbage, carrot, chives and green onion) $11~
My fiance decided to get the same thing. It was a HUGE bowl. Wow.. I think we could've shared! haha. The sauce is all on the bottom so you have to mix everything together. As soon as I started mixing I realized there was chili oil... this was spicy. The name should've tipped me off "Kara" indicates spicy but I didn't even think of it. And they didn't put "spicy" anywhere on the menu... I think restaurants should indicate that, not everyone can take spice. I mean I love spicy so it's great. But my fiance can't eat spicy. It really upsets his stomach. So the waitress overheard and told him not to mix, and they would remove the bottom part with the sauce for him. I dunno, that seemed like a stupid move on their part but we didn't say anything. She brought a new bowl back with everything that was above the sauce. So basically half the noodles were gone. She told him he can add additional flavor with the soy sauce at the table... Uh... ew? He decided to just go with what he had. He didn't use the soy sauce, but just threw the squid in for extra flavor. haha. I told him he should've sent the whole thing back and gotten something else. And why didn't they offer him the broth from the dipping ramen or something?? Doesn't this ruin the flavor/experience of someone's meal? Needless to say, it was bland bland bland. But he was too nice to complain. :(
Mine however, was great. The spicy sauce on the bottom had chunks of meat in it. The egg could've been a bit runnier but I didn't mind it. There were plenty of veggies, which I appreciated. And everything was finely chopped so it was easy to pick it all up with the noodles. The noodles were great. Nice chewy texture. Although I think the noodles at Wabi House was even better. Hanabi totally trumped with the flavor. It reminded me a lot of the Chinese Zha Jian Mian, which is one of my absolute favorite noodles in the world. So that was a plus. I tried to finish it all because it was really good, but couldn't. It was wayyy too much.
My friend got the Karami Tonkotsu Ramen (creamy broth made with pork bones; with chashu, egg, bamboo shoot, green onion, takana, nori; spicy) $10~
At first bite, she said "this is good!" Better than Wabi. I tried a bite or two. I felt the noodles were a tad overcooked but it was the curly kind so I still liked it better. The broth flavor was good. We both agreed that so far this has been the best in DFW.
I really enjoyed it. My friend did too. My poor fiance... not so much. I think they should've discounted his dish too, but they didn't. To pay $11 for bland noodles is not a great feeling. But he did learn to always verify spicy or not in the future. Other than the poor choice in dumping out his sauce instead of giving him something else, our waitress was very nice and attentive. I do agree with most people that it's the best in DFW. As comparison to the rest of the world tho... it's somewhere in the middle. And it's so far from Dallas still... sigh.
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Wow.. January has been super busy! It's kicking me in the butt... so I've been behind on my posts. And haven't really had much time to try anything new lately.
As you know, last last weekend I was in Ft. Worth for a wedding. So on Sunday, we stayed in Ft. Worth for brunch! I chose to check out Brewed. The menu sounded yummy and the place seems pretty cool. They serve brunch on Saturday & Sunday from 9:30AM - 2:30PM.
Brewed
801 W Magnolia Ave.
Fort Worth, TX 76104
(817) 945-1545
http://brewedfw.com/
Price (for brunch): $-$$
The place is super cute! Very eclectic decor, reminds me of places in Austin. There are 2 different dining areas and also a small area with a bench and tables where you can chill or do some work. We were seated in the main room. It was cool how they had a bar area in the middle, one side was for coffee, the other was beer. Hence their name, Brewed!
They had some neat contraptions for making coffee. It made me wish I actually drank coffee so I could order one. haha. But they also had other interesting drinks so we tried a few.
Kombucha on Tap (blood orange flavor; 12 oz.) $4~
Kombucha is a "fermented tea filled with probiotics, antioxidants, enzymes and amino acids that will help "jump start" your digestive and immune system." Their taps change from time to time, so make sure to check for latest flavors. I've always heard of Kombucha but never tried it. I asked the waitress for some samples and she said sure! Not really my thing since I don't like fruity flavored teas. I like my teas simple... green or black, no fruit or spices or sugar. But my bf liked it so he got one. It's got a slight effervescence to it which was interesting. It's not overly sweet which was good. Hard to really describe it, so you're just going to have to try it for yourself! :P
He also got The Texas Honey (steamed local milk served with local honey; 12 oz.) $3.75~
He was coming out of a cold so wanted something to soothe his throat and it definitely did the trick. "Brewed is committed to providing local and sustainable Texas products, including local non-homogenized low-pasteurized, fresh milk from Mill King Dairy."
I got a Chai Tea Latte (a rich and spicy blend of tea and steamed milk; 12 oz.) $4.50~ Different than chai teas I've had before. It was quite spicy! Very interesting!
On to the food!
Cinnamon, Apple, and Cranberry Waffle (Belgium style waffle serves with Nueske's bacon) $8.25~
My bf got this. He knew he wanted this as soon as I showed him the menu online a week prior. haha. This was ok. The fruit on top of the waffle made it soggy pretty quickly. I'm picky about waffles, I like the crispy edges. But the flavors were good, you didn't really need any maple syrup. But I added some anyways cuz that's always yummy right? haha.
Scotch Egg (two soft-boiled farm eggs wrapped in house sausage, breaded and fried; served with arugula salad) $8~
This was my choice. I know what a scotch egg is but have never tried it before. The waitress says it's one of her favorite things on the menu. They were pretty big. And I loved it. The egg had runny yolk on the inside, the sausage had great flavor and the best part was the crispy breaded shell! The combo with the arugula was nice since arugula is kind of peppery and slightly bitter, it cuts the richness of the egg and sausage. It was also topped with some sort of lemon aioli. The acidity in the aioli rounded out the whole dish really well.
Side of Veggies (tri-colored cauliflower and Brussels sprouts) $3.50~
I didn't know the scotch egg came with an arugula salad so I ordered this as a side. Always gotta have my veggies! And I love everything in here. I was sad that I only got like 3 pieces of Brussels sprouts but oh well. It was a good side to my scotch egg.
Donut Dippers with Fresh Fruit Compote (apple and cranberry compote) $5.50~
We also wanted to try this. We ordered it at the beginning with everything else and they said they would bring it out first. But the food came out really slowly. I was noticing other tables not really getting anything either and the table next to us complained a little about not getting their drinks. Before this came out, our waitress came and apologized for the wait and said they went ahead and took it off the bill. That's nice of them. We were taking a slow leisurely day anyways so we weren't too upset about the wait. I WAS getting hungry tho! :P These were like cake donut holes covered with cinnamon sugar. They were piping hot. Yum! The compote was nice too. It tasted like the topping on the waffles.
Despite the wait on the food and drinks coming out, it was a good brunch. We loved the atmosphere and setting. The food overall was tasty. I loved my choice. hehe. And if I lived closer I'd probably go there all the time to work/study.
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First post of 2012! And it's a place I've been dying to go to forever!!
We were long overdue for a gathering of one of our quarterly eating groups. We decided to venture out to Fort Worth this time and made a reservation at Lonesome Dove. Chef Tim Love is the chef and owner of this restaurant. He's a pretty famous celebrity chef being featured on shows like Top Chef and The Great Food Truck Race and also competed on Top Chef Masters. :) I've watched him on all those shows so I was eager to try his restaurant. Also because the menu was so exotic and interesting!
Lonesome Dove Western Bistro
2406 North Main Street
Fort Worth, TX 76164
(817) 740-8810
http://www.lonesomedovebistro.com/
Price: $$$$+
I've looked at their menu online sooo many times so I knew that it was pretty pricey. But they feature a lot of exotic game meat and has won many awards. I had pretty high expectations!
The restaurant is casual, despite the prices. When you walk in, it seems to be a pretty small place. Wood plank floors and Western decor. But we were led through the front room, then another small room and then ANOTHER small room and finally down a flight of stairs to yet another room. It's deceivingly big! And it was packed with people that night.
We were seated and our drink orders were taken. Then the waiter recommended that we pick a few appetizers and they can make a sampler out of it. Basically each appetizer can be ordered in individual pieces. So we chose a few dishes and they will serve one piece of each app per person. Interesting concept... and everyone can try everything! We also got some bread to start. The jalapeno cornbread was pretty yummy! I can totally taste the flecks of spicy jalapeno with the sweet bread. Mmmm!
So for the First Course we chose 4 appetizers:
Wild Boar Ribs (house made pickles, Lonesome Dove BBQ sauce) $12~ (or $4/piece).
This was highly rated in online reviews. It looked really good and was cooked well. There was just enough fat on it to make it nice and juicy. However, I wasn't blown away. It was good ribs but not mindblowing. Also, I didn't care for the pickles that came with it. They were more sweet than tart and I felt like they didn't add anything to the dish. A side of slaw or something might've gone better with the ribs.
Rabbit-Rattlesnake Sausage (spicy Manchego rosti, creme fraiche) $15~ (or $5/piece).
This was really good. The sausage had a nice crispy sear on it and the meat itself had a hint of sweetness to it. But the main star in my opinion was the crispy potato hashbrown thing under the sausage. It was perfectly crispy and yummy. But the whole thing was tiny! It was literally one bite. I forced cut it into 3 tiny bites just to savor it. hahaha.
Kangaroo Carpaccio "Nachos" (avocado salsa, habanero-fig demi-glace) $12~ (or $4/piece).
This was one of the dishes I really wanted to try. Kangaroo?? How much more exotic can you get? But I was hesitant on the carpaccio part since that means it's mostly raw... This was even smaller than the sausage. One piece of tortilla and an even smaller piece of kangaroo on top. The meat was interesting. It's really tender and seems to be light in flavor. But there was a pretty bold seasoning rubbed over it so I don't really know what the actual meat tastes like. I liked the texture of the meat and I decided to eat it separately from the tortilla so I can fully enjoy it. The rest of the dish was basically like a chunky guacamole. Which was good but too much in ratio to the rest of the dish. It would be nice if we at least go some extra pieces of tortilla chips or something.
Elk Sausage Sliders (seared foie gras, blueberry jam) $14~ (or $7/piece).
I haven't really had elk before and one of our friends at the dinner said elk is probably one of the best meats ever. He was right. This was one of the best sliders I've had in a long time. The meat was tender, juicy and full of flavor. I know elk is way leaner than beef but it didn't taste lean! All the elements just melded together wonderfully. I can just eat this all night. But at $7 a piece...it's definitely pricey!
Some of us got a second course. I chose to have my second course as my main dish so I can save more space for dessert! :P I got the Butter Lettuce, Applewood Smoked Bacon Lardons, Spiced Pepitas, Chili Buttermilk $9~
The bacon lardons is what sold me on this. Basically crispy pork belly. NOM! The salad was good. The pork with the pepitas and little slivers of jalapeno definitely made it better. Butter lettuce is a really delicate lettuce and I'm not a huge fan of it. I think with romaine it would've been a better fit texture wise with the pork and pepitas. The dressing wasn't spicy like I hoped and wasn't anything special. I enjoyed it overall though.
Warm Hominy, Lamb Bacon, Swiss Chard, Muenster, Quail Egg $12~
Hominy refers to corn without the germ. It is served both whole or ground. Hominy is boiled until cooked and served as either a cereal or as a vegetable. Muenster cheese is a cow's milk cheese with a taste comparable to typical white American cheese or a sharp jack cheese. This looked really good. It was kind of like a stew. I got to try a bite. I loved all the different ingredients in it and the broth was really flavorful. However, there was a sheep/lamb-y flavor (I'm assuming from the lamb bacon...haha) which I didn't like. But I don't like lamb in general so if you do, you might like this!
Grilled Corn, Cucumber, Heirloom Tomato Salad (red wine vinaigrette) $9~
This was really colorful and looked really fresh. I didn't get to try but my friend cleaned her plate.
Berkshire Pork Green Chili (tortilla strips, smoked cheddar cheese) $10~
This looked pretty hearty and the portion size was good. My friend said it was good, not great.
Time for the Main Course!
Roasted Garlic Stuffed Beef Tenderloin (Western plaid hash, Syrah demi-glace) $35~
The tenderloin was about 8-9 oz. The waiter said this was their most popular entree. The tenderloin was huge! I got to try a bite of the meat and it was really tender. It had good flavor but I didn't really get much garlic. The asparagus was nice too. My friend said the flavor of the sauce was a little overwhelming though. I didn't try the sauce so I can't comment. He even had some leftovers to go!
Pan Seared Lane Snapper (smoked crawfish chowder, crispy parsnip) $28~
If I had ordered an entree this was my second choice. It was also a good portion size. The sauce was awesome...lots of flavor and great with the bits of crispy parsnip in it. The fish had good flavor as well but it was slightly overcooked. Still a good dish overall.
My bf got the Rocky Mountain Elk Loin (salsify, Hen of the Woods, swiss chard, candied grapes) $40~
This was my first choice as an entree. The slices of loin added up to about 3-4 oz in my opinion. Salsify is a white root, kind of like a parsnip but skinnier. It was a pretty small plate but pretty. The elk was super tender and seasoned lightly so you can taste the actual protein. I enjoyed all the elements together but it definitely needed more of EVERYTHING! haha. Especially the salsify. I loved the dish, I just wanted more!! It was definitely expensive for the portion we got. However, I did do some research and the price for elk seems to be around 3 times more than beef. I guess I can understand the pricing more based on the data.
I definitely saved room for Dessert! haha.
I already knew what I wanted from looking at the menu online. Warm Ancho Chile Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream & Almond Brittle $10~
It was almost like a flourless chocolate cake...really decadent. I liked the almond brittle around the cake. It added a nice crunch and a floral accent to the chocolate. I didn't detect any chile though...that was a bummer. I liked this a lot. It just needs to be bigger as well!
Chocolate Tuaca Layered Mousse Cake $10~
This was a large piece of cake. It looked really yummy but it was just ok. I really liked the chocolate layer on top but the consistency was too thick and hard against the actual cake part. The flavors were good but I felt like it could be a bit more moist.
Fresh Mexican Doughnuts with Chocolate, Cajeta & Coffee Cream $10~
This was basically churros with dipping sauces. The churros were pillowy and delicious. I really liked it with the chocolate sauce. Cajeta is basically caramelized goat's milk. That was really good as well. The coffee sauce was very watery, I'm not sure if the consistency was meant to be like that?
Overall it was a great meal. I enjoyed pretty much everything I tasted but it was just a bit too expensive for it all. With 1 piece of each appetizer per person (for me and my bf), one salad, one main course, and one dessert, the final bill (including tax and tip) was about $135 for the 2 of us. We didn't even get any beverages or anything. And I wasn't totally full. I had another dessert elsewhere about an hour later. haha. :P
As for the service... our waiter wasn't friendly at all. We didn't feel welcomed and he almost made us feel like he didn't want us there at all. Several of my friends commented on that and one guy even said "I really don't like him!" I mean, he did everything he was supposed to, checked on us regularly and served the meal correctly but no smile or friendly chit chat or anything. Bleh... :( It definitely made us enjoy our dinner a bit less. However, after the dinner, I asked him if I could meet the chef (since I saw him walk by earlier in the night) and he said he would check for me. And later came back and told me that the chef will come by our table. Woot! That earned a bit of his points back.
So Chef Tim Love came by our table. And I was able to get a picture with him! YAY! Another check on my list of Top Chefs to visit. hehe. :)
I would still recommend checking out Lonesome Dove since the food is delicious and you can try some really exotic things. Just keep the prices in mind...and also keep the prices of the different proteins in perspective. It's definitely not a place most people can visit frequently. And you MUST try the Elk Sliders!!!!
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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
I dined with one of my quarterly get together groups this past weekend. Some of them are avid Top Chef followers so we all really wanted to go to Brownstone in Fort Worth. The Executive Chef is Casey Thompson from Season 3 and also Top Chef All Stars. I've been once before, but I find every reason to go back!
Brownstone
840 Currie Street
Fort Worth, TX 76107
(817) 332-1555
http://www.brownstonerestaurants.com/Price: $$$
My bf and I got there a little earlier than our 6:30PM reservation time. We decided to take advantage of the amazing weather and also their happy hour specials! We sat outside to wait for the rest of our party with some drinks and an appetizer.
The hostesses and waiters were all super friendly. So was the bartender. I got the Mojito with Seasonal Fruit (which was Strawberry that day) $10~ The happy hour prices for cocktails were $7. 
It was super yummy! I'm not a big drinker...and this was perfect for me. I could feel the alcohol but I couldn't taste it too much. There was fresh crushed strawberries in there as well. My bf got a beer...I think that was like $3? We also ordered the Grandmother's Biscuit Pan (Fire roasted biscuits, homemade pork sausage, seasonal preserves: black plum and pear) $13~ Happy Hour is available in outside seating and in the bar. The appetizers were all half off. :) 
It was a pretty big appetizer...and totally yummy. The preserves were my favorite. OMG. It was sooo delicious. Made in-house. It was not too sweet and paired amazingly with the biscuits which were fluffy and moist and cooked perfectly. The outside had a nice crust and the inside was soft and fluffy. I wish I can have this every morning for breakfast. The sausage patties were pretty hefty. They were thick cut and the flavor was nice. I wish there was more of a crispy sear on the outside though. It was more food than we expected. We joked that we were full already before dinner even started!
Finally everyone arrived and we moved into the dining room. The party didn't all show up until about 20 minutes after the reservation but they never gave us any grief about people being late. They were really nice and accommodating and we were immediately seated once everyone was there. :)
Our waitress was really nice and presented all the specials clearly. She gave us some time to look over the menus, ask questions, and get our drink orders.
On to the food!!
Some appetizers to start...
Puffed Okra (green pepper sauce) $7~ 
This was really good. The okra was fried nicely and had good flavor. The green pepper sauce was so pretty...such a vibrant color and added a nice spice and acidity against the fried okra. We finished it pretty quickly! haha.
Smoked Beet and Chickpea Hummus (baby vegetables, Texas olive oil, sea salt) $9~ 
I had this the first time I went and I highly recommended it to my friends. They loved it! They were all surprised because most of them aren't really fan of beets. But the colors on the plate were amazing and the flavor was bold. They use seasonal veggies so this time there were some different vegetables than when I had it several months ago. It was as good as I remembered. I'm glad everyone liked it!
I was kinda getting full so I decided on the Green Beans and Creamy House-Made Curds (mixed greens, radicchio, boiled farm egg, savory brittle, apple) $12~ 
I wasn't too sure about the house-made curds so I asked the waitress what it was. She said it was basically like a pureed version of cottage cheese and that it paired really well with the salad. I trusted her judgement and decided to try it. The salad was super fresh and all the elements really did work together. On its own, I didn't care for the curds, but a little bit with each bite of salad just added that extra creaminess which was great. I also loved the brittle...there just wasn't enough of it!
I did notice that their entire entree section had changed since the last time I was there. I guess that's a good thing so you can always try something new when you go back!
My bf picked the Chicken Stuffed Chicken (Fire roasted Fran's Farm chicken, pepper jack grits, roasted sweet onion) $24~ 
The waitress explained how it was prepared. Basically they take the dark meat and grind it into a paste and then stuff it into the white meat and put a nice crispy sear on the outside of the chicken. It was so good! The white meat wasn't dry at all and the dark meat on the inside added additional flavor. The skin on the outside could've been a little crispier, but it had a lot of flavor. The sauce was delicious! The entire plate worked together beautifully. I would put all the elements on my fork and take one bite of everything. Awesome! The onions were tender and yummy and the grits were creamy and fantastic. I totally recommend this dish.
These were some of the other dishes...
Brownstone Grilled Chicken Sandwich (organic chicken breast, Brazos Valley pepper jack, dill pickles, malt vinegar slaw, waffle fries) $13~ 
I thought this was a great deal. It was a lot of food and the sandwich looked really good. I got to try a bite. It's not a typical grilled chicken sandwich. I really liked the slaw in there and all the other components added different flavors to make it a very interesting sandwich. And the fries were crispy and addicting.
Ocean Friendly Fish: Barramundi? (in a fish broth with mixed vegetables) $26~ 
This was the fish of the day. It looked like a really comforting and earthy dish. I got to taste the sauce a little and it had some kind of spice in it. Kind of had a curry-ish flavor. It was bold and flavorful. My friend really enjoyed it..although I'm not sure if it was enough food for him. haha.
Two people ordered the Cut of the Day: Red Deer Tenderloin (with creamed potatoes and mushrooms) $29~ 
One of my friends didn't like mushrooms so she got hers with mixed vegetables. 
They were very accommodating to her making changes to the dish. They both said the venison was really good. Very mild and cooked really well. I didn't get to try but it sure looked good! haha.
The Fresh Pasta of the Day: Scallops and Ravioli (Beet ravioli filled with cheese in a cream sauce) $27~ 
This looked amazing. I was kind of sad that I didn't choose to order this. The scallops were ginormous!! They had a great sear on the outside and the entire dish just looked so yummy. I didn't get to try this either but my friend loved it.
Everyone loved their food. YAY! :) I would recommend all of these dishes. And even though I was stuffed. We just HAD to get dessert!! Duh! haha.
They had a huge selection of desserts... like 8-10 different options or something. So many to choose from... I want them all!
I finally decided on the Strawberry Shortcake $8~ 
I figured it would be lighter since I was so full already. It was served in a little mason jar. So cute! It's not a typical strawberry short cake. For one, it was layered differently with the custard/cream on the bottom, then strawberries, then the cake, and freshly whipped cream. Of course it was delicious! The cream was smooth and not too sweet. The strawberries were really fresh and the whipped topping was nice and light. I also really liked the little bits of crushed up almond cookies layered in the middle with the cake. It added a nice crunch. It was a good choice...satisfying my sweet tooth and was light enough to not push my fullness over the edge. hehe.
Banana Pudding (with an almond cookie) $8~ 
This was also served in a mason jar with a big almond cookie on top. YUM! The pudding was creamy and full of banana flavor. I thought it was fantastic!
Chocolate Cake $8~ 
The cake looked really good. It was a little smaller than I imagined since the first time I was there, our cake was massive. It wasn't too sweet or heavy. My friends really enjoyed it. I wish the middle layer could've had more cream, but overall it was yummy.
Another fantasic meal at Brownstone. Unfortunately Chef Casey Thompson was not there again. :( Hopefully third time's a charm and I'll get to meet her the next time I go. I would also love to go for their brunch some time...guess I gotta get my butt out of bed and make the long drive one of these days. haha. Everyone had a great time and really loved the food. Yay! I always like it when they like my suggestions. :)
Can't wait to go back. If only they would open another location closer to Plano! hehe.
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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
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