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Sorry I missed posting in June, everyone. It's been a hectic yet fruitful month! I was too busy with job applications and interviews and round 2 interviews AND.... not one job offer, but TWO! Woohoo. That's right, this girl got herself a new job. I start Monday!
Also... I have to say that May was not an impressive month. Bummer. There wasn't a particular place that blew me away so I wasn't too enthusiastic in writing about any specific place. But I promised myself, and you, that I would post once a month so I'm still going to do a May post!
Here are 5 of my favorite bites, or sips, in May. (In no particular order.)
One of my favorite little shops in Bishop Arts District, Serve! Everything there is good but they recently introduced me to the Blackberry Almond Latte. Not only is it beautiful, it's probably my favorite latte at the moment. Also, bonus points to Serve for having reusable iridescent metal straws!
Detour Doughnuts. They're amazing. If you haven't driven at least once out to Frisco to get their donuts, you're seriously missing out. Their flavors change seasonally, so maybe you'll have to drive out 4-5 times a year. Haha. Their Beet & Ricotta (the bright pink one) was beyond amazing! And they make the BEST Creme Brulee donuts and mini fritters. This box was about $30? They just rolled out new flavors this past week!
Nutella Latte from San Martin Bakery. Served in a cool glass, comes with a cookie (baked in-house), AND it's less than $3. You will NEVER find prices like these anywhere else in Uptown. Yea, this place is in Uptown.
Jinya Bun from JINYA Ramen Bar in Victory Park. Slow-braised pork chashu, need I say more? They cooked it so well! Their ramen is pretty good too. Need to go back and try more things. And I freaking loved this wall.
I went to a media Happy Hour at Truluck's to check out their summer cocktails. The cocktails were beautiful and delicious but my favorite bites were the Prime Meatballs! During HH it's 3 for $6 or 5 for $8. Not too shabby! They have live music in the bar as well and it's a lovely time.
Happy July 4th week, y'all!
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There's only one location of Your Pie in DFW right now and it's located in Frisco. It's a really long way from Rockwall but I'm so glad I decided to go to their media dinner a couple weeks ago. The concept is like a Chipotle but for pizza... you basically build your own. They also have Signature pizzas if you don't want to byo. We were there celebrating the first day of summer as well as the limited release of their Peach Prosciutto Pie.
Your Pie - Frisco
5110 Eldorado Pkwy.
Frisco, TX 75033
(469) 664-0768
https://yourpie.com/stores/el-dorado/
Price: $
Your Pie first started in Georgia in 2008. In 2016, they started expanding out of the Southeast. They have over 50+ locations across the US now. Quite impressive! I didn't have much expectations going in, to be honest. We have plenty of build-your-own pizza concepts in Dallas already and they're all pretty decent. But I was in for a very pleasant surprise!
When we arrived, we were warmly greeted. The PR ladies did a fabulous job at this event. They socialized, helped serve when needed, and came by to check on us frequently. :) Since it was a media event, we asked what we were supposed to do. They said just find a seat and they'll be bringing out some of the featured pizza.
Their pizzas are 10 inches... perfectly individual sized. And all $7.99~
Peach Prosciutto Pie (olive oil, mozzarella, ricotta, parmesan, fresh peaches, prosciutto, chopped basil, honey balsamic glaze) Seasonal. Back for a LIMITED TIME.
I really didn't know what to expect from this pizza. It's definitely the first time I'm going to try a pizza with peaches on it. Y'all... it rocked my world. First of all, the pizza dough/crust is one of the best I've ever had. Ever. I was told that it's the owner's recipe. Well done, sir, cuz it's fantastic! The crust is just the right thickness and the texture was perfection. It had just the right amount of chewiness and the edges were crisped just enough. They cook all their pizzas in a brick oven, like they do in Italy. Plus the peach and prosciutto combo is kind of a popular pairing now. The peaches were juicy and not overly sweet. But the sweetness paired with the light ricotta cheese and salty prosciutto was just the perfect flavor. It was extremely popular with the media crowd that night. I ate a whole one by myself. And even when cold... it's still good! I never really eat cold pizza. So you better get your butt over there soon since this is limited time!!!
The Nat (basil pesto, mozzarella, feta, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, chicken).
We wanted to try another pizza so we ordered this... also one of their signature pizzas. It was good, but after the Peach Prosciutto, it wasn't as interesting. haha. I think the main issue is that this pizza didn't have ricotta. The ricotta in the pizza really adds a light creaminess to everything. I think that should be a standard now. haha. But the chicken was super tender. And honestly, it was a great pizza, just overshadowed by the peach prosciutto perfection.
Southern Heat (buffalo sauce, mozzarella, red onions, jalapenos, chicken; served with ranch or blue cheese dressing).
I got to try a slice of this. It was good that they didn't bring me a whole pie because I would've devoured it and hated myself. haha. This was sooooo good! It really does have some heat to it, so only get it if you can stand spicy. There's actual heaps of chopped jalapenos throughout the top. A friend ordered one and added bacon on top. Genius!!! I highly recommend this one as well.
Well... I pretty much ate TWO whole pizzas by myself that night. Great self control, amiright? :P But serious, that dough... it's just that good. I couldn't stop.
But then... we had to have dessert!! They offer several flavors of gelato. The flavors change often and they also feature seasonal flavors from time to time.
Gelato:
1 scoop $1.99~
2 scoops $2.99~
3 scoops $3.99~
After trying EVERY SINGLE flavor. I settled on the Strawberry Balsamic which is limited edition too. It was so good. You can see there are actual chunks of strawberries throughout. It wasn't overly sweet or heavy, so I didn't feel more guilty about more eating. haha.
What a fantastic dinner. I was beyond impressed with the quality of food. That dough.... OMG. I can still remember the texture of it while chewing. Droolingggggg! I really hope business continues to boom for them. And pretty please open up a few more locations in Dallas (ahem*Rockwall*ahem). That would be great, thanks. :P
*The meal was comped but all opinions are my own.*
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Great things are coming, y'all!! Get excited! On April 1st, Frisco will be getting the first arepa restaurant in DFW, Arepa TX. We don't have that many places in Dallas that serve arepas. And those that do, do not put their focus on it. What is an arepa you ask? Arepas are Venezuelan pan fried corn flour cakes that are stuffed with sweet or savory fillings of choice. They are delicious! And they're gluten free, which is in line with the whole gluten free trend that's happening right now. Also, different items can be made vegetarian or vegan by just eliminating a topping or two.
Arepa TX
5355 Dallas Pkwy #600
Frisco, TX 75034
(603) 366-8471
www.arepatx.com
Price: $-$$
I recently got an amazing sneak peek at the food. I was 1 of 2 people to be invited by @prestonroyalsw to dine at the chef (and owner's) home!! What an honor! I've been to a good amount of media/blogger events at this point but this is the first time I was invited to someone's home. The hospitality from the Arepa TX team was beyond amazing. From the moment we walked in, we were treated like friends and family. They were all just super friendly. We immediately smelled the food cooking and my mouth started to water. How amazing is it to have the chef cook for you in her own home? I geeked out a little. hehe.
They were plating when we got there. I cannot wait! We got some drinks and sat around chatting with Jammil (the chef's son who is handling the management and finances of the restaurant) and his wife, Susana. Along with their friend, Eric, who's in charge of Development and Design. We got some background and insider info on the development of the restaurant and menu items. Everything sounded delicious and I was getting hungry.
We were seated in the dining room and I was glad that several of the family members sat down to dine with us. The conversation just kept flowing like we've all known each other for a while. Then they started bringing out the food.
First up... Brisket & Chimichurri Arepa (tender and juicy slow cooked brisket in an ancho and guajillo sauce with pickled onions and avocado). It was served with a side of Plantano Frito (sweet fried plantains) and Seafood Cocktail (shrimp and crab cocktail in spicy clamato, with crunchy white onion and avocado).
Everything was fresh and made from scratch. I'll start with the arepa... pressed thin and the outer layers were nice and crispy. The brisket and chimichurri combo was fantastic. Beef is always great with chimichurri... and of course, they make their own chimichurri! It's so creamy... but there's no cream! I've never had chimichurri of that consistency. I loved it. I poured it on everything that night. The brisket was tender and the combination of flavors was well rounded. The plantain chips were great too. Super crispy but not at all greasy. Went really well with the shrimp/crab cocktail and/or chimichurri sauce. I had a refill on the chips. I'd take these over potato chips any day! The shrimp and crab cocktail was a nice little side. The addition of the crab added a variety of texture, plus it's more seafood, so who's gonna complain. :P One of my friends that went with me is Mexican and she said she makes her shrimp cocktail with very similar flavors. So it's pretty damn authentic, I'd say.
The next one is their "Banh Mi" Arepa (tender chicken with radish, carrot, cucumber, and avocado crema).
I'm usually weary when I hear non-Vietnamese restaurants say they have Banh Mi. But you can't take this literally... they have components of a typical banh mi, but the flavors are very much their own. The chicken that was in there was unreal! It was incredibly tender and that was probably my favorite protein of the night. The radish, carrots, and cucumber added freshness. And the avocado crema was a nice creamy element. It was really fantastic. I don't care what they call it, I can eat this every day.
After the 2nd arepa, they realized we were all getting full so they made a mini version for the 3rd one. They will have both sizes at the restaurant btw, to accommodate all appetites. The last one we sampled was their Vegetarian Arepa (black beans, avocado, caramelized onions, sauteed peppers, queso fresco).
It had no meat, but can you believe that this was our favorite one? It had so much flavor!! Whatever that sauce was... I bow down to it. I can only imagine if I added the chicken from the Banh Mi one into this... it would be SO FREAKING AWESOME! :P
We also got to try some Yucca Frita ( crisp slices of yucca, served with chimichurri sauce). I love yucca fries and this is by far the best I've ever had. It was PERFECTLY fried and so crispy. When you see that translucency on the outside, you'll know you have a perfect fry. Yucca is a really starchy root, so to get it to that texture was amazing. I wanted to eat more... I was stuffed.
And then they brought out the desserts. haha. Luckily they were mini. They will also feature homemade custard popsicles at the restaurant. There are two sizes, regular and mini. These mini pops are so adorable! Mini Frozen Custard Popsicles: we got to try the Flan and Dark Chocolate flavors.
I'm so excited about the flan flavor... I love flan and this was great. My friend said she doesn't like normal flan, but loved this popsicle. Because these are frozen custard instead of regular popsicle mixture, they are a lot richer and more decadent. Just one or two mini ones had satisfied my sweet tooth. The dark chocolate was so smooooooth. Yum! I can't wait to try all the other flavors when they open. Supposedly they have a Horchata flavor too!
Like I said, get excited people! The food is freaking amazing and made with so much love. You can absolutely see the passion pouring out of everyone on the Arepa TX team. And I truly believe that when someone cooks with love, you can taste the difference. I think Arepa TX will do so well in Frisco, and cannot wait for them to expand through the rest of Dallas. Come to Rockwall, please! :P
I'm just still in awe of this phenomenal family team. They welcomed us into their homes with open arms, fed us amazing food, and showed us the love they have for their business. I really wish the best for them. Thank you Chef Mary Ann, Peter, Jammil, Susana, and Eric. This had been one of the best experiences for me to date. And a huge THANKS to @prestonroyalsw for inviting me and sharing this experience. :)
Their grand opening is April 1st. They will have some great deals I'm sure. Definitely go check them out. I want to try everything on the menu!
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Recently I got a recommendation for a crepe place in Frisco. I haven't gone to the Frisco area for a while now and I don't really know what new places popped up. I happened to schedule a dinner last Friday night with 2 of my friends so I suggested we go try Chef in Blue.
Chef in Blue
4710 Preston Road, Suite 312
Frisco, TX 75034
(469) 252-0486
http://chefinblue.com/
Price: $
It's located in a strip mall. Just look for Cedars Woodfire Grill when turning in. It's a small cafe type restaurant. Not too fancy on the decor but I did like all the large pictures of their food. Everything looked delicious. I was the first to arrive so I was looking over the menu. The guy at the register was very friendly and made some suggestions and answered my questions. I was told that the had a pumpkin crepe that wasn't on the menu so I asked him about it. It sounds like it's a new addition and they might put it on the menu soon? As you know, I'm obsessed with pumpkin so I already decided that was going to be my dessert. :P
Everything looked good on the menu. It was very hard to make a decision... We all got different things. Yay! More stuff for me to try. haha.
Specialty Crepes:
Latina (baked chicken, ham, spinach, pineapples, mozzarella, honey Dijon dressing) $8.75~ Their crepes are huge!! Completely stuffed with fresh ingredients. My friends really liked this one. It was good, but I didn't care for the honey dijon dressing. I liked the other crepe better.
Savory Crepes:
Spinach, Potatoes, Mushroom, and Cheese Crepe (with choice of cheese) $6.80~ Plus Ham +$1.90~ My other friend ordered this. He ended up liking the Latina better. I liked this one better... especially the cubes of potatoes in there. It's like a breakfast crepe almost. Again, stuffed to the brim. My friend finished it, but he was pretty full after.
Chef Combos:
Sandwich or Panini/Salad Combo (1/2 sandwich or panini with a small garden salad) $5.75~ I got the Roast Beef Chimichurri Panini (choice of white or multigrain ciabata with Swiss cheese, roasted beef, chimichurri sauce, fresh tomato and mayonnaise).
I chose the multigrain and also added spinach in there. I knew I was getting dessert so I wanted to keep it light. It was just the right amount. I loved the panini. The multigrain had extra texture from the grains/seeds in the bread. It was pressed nicely where the outside had a crunch. The ingredients were all fresh. I didn't really taste the chimichurri, which was my main reason for getting this, but it didn't even matter. It was delicious. I was actually getting full after this.
We got 2 Dessert Crepes between the 3 of us:
Pumpkin Pie Crepe (pumpkin pie filling, cinnamon, whipped cream, topped with ice cream) $7.75~
This was yummy. And quite big as well. Not as big as the savory crepes though. The first few bites along the edges I didn't get much of the pumpkin, but the middle was filled with it. The pumpkin had so much flavor. The added cinnamon and ice cream was the perfect pairing. One of my friends didn't care for pumpkin so he didn't really have any of this. My other friend was too full, so I think I ate about 3/4ths of this myself. XP AND I ate part of theirs!
Apple Cinnamon (brown sugar, fresh apples, caramel,topped with whipped cream) $7.75~ Plus ice cream +$1~ This was pretty good. The apples were cooked down a little so they're softer to eat with the crepe which was good. I liked my pumpkin one better but both were good.
We were all so stuffed after. It's a lot of food! And all so yummy. The quality of the ingredients were all nice and fresh. It wasn't really heavy either. We just overstuffed ourselves. haha. The service was really great too. You order at the counter and they bring it out to you, but during the course of our meal, they came out to check on us, ask how the food is, etc. I will definitely be back in the future. Go check them out! Help them stay in business!! And thanks to my friend for the recommendation! :)
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I got to go to my first ever soccer game this past Saturday at the Toyota Stadium in Frisco. And it just so happens that The Downtown Frisco StrEATS festival was the same day! Woot! So we headed over there in the afternoon to get some food before the game.
This would be my 3rd year going to this food truck festival. Seems like they got the set up pretty much down now. It was basically structured just like last year. There were quite a few trucks there. Most of which I've either tried already or didn't care to try.
There were 1 or 2 that I've never seen before and one was The Guava Tree truck. It is a Cuban American truck. I love Cuban food and wanted to try something new so here I am. Plus they didn't really have a line which was also quite enticing. haha.
They only had 3 choices so I got the Cuban Sandwich (sliced ham, slow roasted pork, swiss cheese, sliced pickles; drizzled with guava mustard on freshly pressed Cuban bread) $9~
It sounded pretty awesome. I have to say I was disappointed when I saw it. The bread was supposed to be pressed! Where was the crispy part on the bread? And for $9 it wasn't very big. It was really tasty though. And the bottom bread was crispy which I really liked. The ingredients had good flavor, although I didn't get any "guava" from the mustard. I would totally get this again, IF it was $3 cheaper. They had these guava and cream cheese filled mini donuts that looked yummy but I resisted because I wanted ice cream. Ha! :P
Overall Experience:
My bf went to the Nammi truck. He got the Rice Bowl (Honey ginger pork, Jasmine rice, red cabbage sautee, cucumbers, pickled daikons and carrots, cilantro) $9~
I've only had their Banh Mi, so the rice bowl was also something new. I really really liked the red cabbage sautee. He loved it. The whole thing was pretty filling and not greasy or heavy. The fresh and pickled veggies added a lot of freshness with the meat and rice. I thought the meat could've been more tender but it was good enough. He liked it over the rice bowls at Ssahm from last year's festival.
Overall Experience:
I mainly wanted ice cream and was disappointed that Coolhaus wasn't there. But no fear! What's Da Scoop was there! And I know their ice cream is good! :)The bad thing about a nice day is that everyone wants ice cream. We spent the majority of our time at the festival standing in line. But I gotta have my ice cream!!!!
He got the Bourbon Street Sundae (Bourbon Cherry Compote, Vanilla Ice Cream, Crushed Graham Cracker & Pecans) $6.50~ He opted for no pecans. It was delicious, but this for $6.50? A bit steep if you ask me. Oh well, how often do we go to one of these food truck festivals. Yum!
I had my eyes set on the Cherry Amaretto Fudge (amaretto ice cream with cherry fudge and black cherries) Single Scoop $3.25~ Plus waffle cone +$1~ (the scoop was bigger than the picture, it was melting so I had to eat some!)
Of course I had to get a cone. That's one of the best parts of having ice cream. The ice cream was amazing. Creamy, smooth, with lots of chocolate fudge swirls and large chunks of juicy cherries. My bf regretted not getting the same flavor. haha. But of course I shared! :P Really really really good, I was craving it again the next day! I hope they have this flavor again next time I see them.
Overall Experience:
I'd say our trip to the festival was a success! With the ice cream being the ultimate winner. Got to try all new things and everything tasted good. If only I can just get more of the cherry amaretto ice cream!!
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I went to go check out the new conveyor belt sushi place inside Stonebriar Mall a few days ago with a bunch of friends. It's located on the first floor atrium area under the theater. I was pretty excited when I saw it going in. We don't really have conveyor belt sushi here so I was really hoping it'll be good.
Wasabi
2601 Preston Rd
Frisco, TX 75034
(469) 995-1104
wasabisushi.com
Price: $
It's a cute set up with lots of bright colors. Each color plate indicates a different price from $2.50 to $5. It took us awhile to get situated but then we started perusing. I was already disappointed. The selection didn't seem that great... quality, eh, options, eh, quantity, eh. haha. The cheaper plates had tiny rolls and didn't seem that great. The more expensive plates weren't much better.
I finally got the Tyson Roll (topped with crab and seaweed salad) $5~ Trying to get the most bang for my buck. The portion was ok, but quality was meh.
Salad (with ginger dressing) $4~ I also got this to get some veggies in. It was bigger than I expected which was good. I liked the ginger dressing. But the cucumbers were old... ew..
Salmon & Avocado Roll (topped with tobiko - flying fish roe) $4~ My friend got this. It was decent, but the rolls were fairly small.
Another friend got the Sake Spritzer (blend of sake, grapefruit, ginger and lime) $6~ Bleh... no one liked this. It was watered down. :(
The other stuff weren't really worth documenting. Ultimately, the quality wasn't good and it adds up very quickly. Not cheap at all. None of my friends were full and ended up spending quite a bit of money. We totally hit up Cheesecake Factory after that. hahaha. Btw.. the new S'mores cheesecake? FANTASTIC!!!!!!
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