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Last Friday, I got to go check out the new Kent Rathbun restaurant, Hickory. It's located on 121 and Tollway where the old Zea Woodfire Grill used to be. (I miss Zea.. that was a good place...) I was pretty excited about it since I like all of Chef Rathbun's restaurants. My favorite being Blue Plate Kitchen before it closed. :( Still makes me sad when I think about it. I was hoping Hickory would be a good replacement. Plus it's so close to my house!
Hickory
8100 Dallas Pkwy. #115
Plano, TX 75024
(972) 712-7077
www.hickoryplano.com
Price: $$-$$$
I had looked it up on Yelp before going, mainly to check out all the food pictures. hehe. But I noticed the reviews were all hit or miss. The misses mainly being service was slow or the waiters didn't know what they were doing. Hmm... I've always had spot on service at Blue Plate, let's see what happens here.
We arrived at 6PM. Since they don't currently take reservations we decided to go earlier. The parking lot was already super packed... wow. I was a little nervous. I circled the lot like 6 times! But walking in, the place was only about 25% full. I guess all the people from the parking lot were going to Blue Mesa next door? My friends got there a few minutes before me and they were already seated and gotten their drinks.
After I sat down, our waitress came to bring my friend her cocktail, and asked what I wanted to drink. I just asked for a water. Then we were chatting as we waited for another friend to show up. Haven't gotten my water yet... My friend arrived. The waitress came to take his drink order...he got a beer. I reminded her of my water. She said "of course". She brought him his beer. Still no water for me. I'm thinking she forgot my water. :( So when she came back again to go over the menu... I asked her for a water again. At first she responded like this was the first time I ordered one. And then a few seconds later, it's like a switch came on and she realized she never brought me one. "I'll go get your water right now," she said. Weird... I finally got the water.
She kind of went over the menu. Told us what the tacos were for the day, etc. And left, to give us more time to decide. We decided to get a few BBQ meats and sides and do family style. All the sides sounded delicious. I think I can make a meal just out of the side dishes. haha.
When the waitress returned, I took charge and ordered for the group. For the BBQ meats, they were measured by the half pound. I casually asked her how big the portion size was for the brisket since I wanted to be sure we're getting enough food. I also gestured with my hands to her to see if she can give us a general amount. At first she points to the menu and says "It's $11". Huh?? Yes, I know it's $11, it says so on the menu. So I gestured again... What is the portion size? Waitress: "oh, it's half a pound". *FACE PALM* Yes, duh, I know it's half a pound. It says that on the menu too. So I'm still trying to gesture with my hands... like this [ ] much meat? Or THIS [ ] much? Waitress: "um, it's half a pound". Ok... I give up. I stopped asking and just ordered. Apparently she didn't know how much meat came in each half pound order. Which we later found out is about 4-5 slices of brisket.
The food all came fairly quickly and they all looked yummy.
Smoked Pepper Crusted Wagyu Brisket (chef's choice) 1/2lb. $11~
Not the moistest brisket I've had, but it was still very good. The chef's choice is a good cut. I wish parts of it had a little more fat but it's not a big deal. It also had good flavor. We all liked it a lot. We decided to order another half pound. Careful with the jalapenos though. The ones we got that day were on FIRE! I can handle spice... but whoa!
Thinly Shaved Roti Pork Shoulder (mustard-brown sugar glaze) 1/2lb. $9~
This was yummy as well. The meat was super tender and I loved the flavor of the glaze. It kinda reminded me of a Chinese dish for some reason... thinly sliced pork belly with a garlic sauce. I think it's probably the way the meat was sliced. If you are looking for pulled pork or something of the sort, this ain't it. I think it's better. :P The BBQ sauce on the side is the same as the brisket. At first I thought it was a bit too sour, but the more I ate the more I liked it. I thought it paired with the brisket and pork well. A little goes a long way though.
So the main dishes were good... but the side dishes were the stars.
Crispy Brussels Sprouts $5~ Gotta have the Brussels sprouts.. duh! Nicely charred and full of thick cut bacon. Noms.
Jalapeno Jack-Blue Corn Grits (roasted tomato butter) $6~
I liked everything but I'd have to say this was my favorite of the night. (Just by a little.) It was so interesting. I guess I've never had blue corn grits before. The texture is different than regular grits. It was creamy and a richness from the tomato butter.
Texas Cheddar Mac & Cheese (parmesan cornbread crumble) $7~
I love it when restaurants use Cavatappi pasta for mac and cheeses. It has a lot of texture and the shape is fun! The pasta was al dente which was great. I loved the crumble. It's also really cute in the mini skillet.
Our waitress came by to check on us regularly. We didn't really need anything most of the time, but she filled our waters and stuff. But, when we were almost done eating, she brought over this little carrier with condiments and pickles.
We all thought it was really strange. There was maybe enough pickles in these tiny containers for like one person. But why give it to us this late in the game? I wonder if it was just an off day for her. But I'm thinking she just needs more training in general... It was a bit surprising to be at a Kent Rathbun establishment and not get good service. But it is fairly new, so I'll let it slide.
We decided to share a dessert. My friend chose the Skillet Cobbler $7~
The seasonal fruit was nectarines and that sounded really good. The waitress said the ice cream was vanilla bean from Henry's. It was pretty good. I really liked the crumble. And the cobbler was nice and hot. The ice cream however, was a little weird... I love Henry's Ice Cream. It's always super rich...but this once seemed icy. The consistency was just a bit off. Still tasted good though. The dessert didn't compare to the rest of the food though, in my opinion. It was just good.
So... the food was yummy. The prices are pretty comparable to other BBQ restaurants I guess, but it didn't feel like going to a BBQ restaurant. I'm not sure how I feel about that. haha. Something weird about eating BBQ without the butcher paper and roll of paper towel for the mess. :P The service was along the lines of what the bad Yelp reviews mentioned. I think our waitress just needed more training. She couldn't answer our questions and seemed confused half the time. She also messed up our split checks. She gave one of my friends a crumpled up pieces of receipt that looked like it was supposed to be in the trash and then picked back out, and the amount was wrong. We were scratching our heads with that one as well. Lots of head scratching during this dinner. hahaha. At least she was nice. I might give it another chance. There are some burgers there I'd like to try. But I'll wait a few months and let the wait staff get their bearings.
Oh... and I still miss Blue Plate Kitchen. :(
Quality of Food:
Service:
Ambiance:
Value:
Overall Experience:
~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
Last last weekend was the first ever Chipotle Cultivate Festival. It was held at Lake Carolyn in Irving on Saturday, October 18. And the best part? Admission is free!
I first found out about this festival when I went to pick up some dinner at Chipotle. They had a poster up. Food festival? Free? And FOOD?!? I'm soooo there! I immediate looked it up online and sent the info to all my friends to let them know about it. I also told my fiance we were not to schedule anything else for that day! haha.
Other than the reasons I've already presented... I was super excited because there were also chef cooking demos and the line-up was fantastic.
First up was Chef Paul Qui from Austin. I love this guy. I first cheered for him on Top Chef Texas, which he won. Woot! Then I was lucky enough to dine at his restaurant (Qui) over Christmas last year and got to meet him!! Can you tell I'm a fan?? haha. And he is just the nicest guy ever. He made Filipino Squid Adobo.
I haven't had much Filipino food in my lifetime but I'd really love to try. But I do love baby squid, my mom used to cook it a lot when I was young. It looked so good. I wish it was one of those demos where the audience could sample the finished product... Oh well. After the demo, people lined up to take pictures with him. Of course I was there! I got my picture. And better yet, he signed my CHOMP! shirt. *Squeal* Oh and did I mention that my fiance was actually wearing the shirt? hehehe. I know I got a good one when he lets other dudes sign his chest. :P So the day started off really well. I was super psyched to check out the rest of the festival.
After the demo, we walked around for a bit. They had several areas set up with different exhibits and demos. You can learn about fresh vs. processed foods, GMO (genetically modified organisms), how livestock is raised in factories vs. those that are responsibly raised and more. The festival was created by Chipotle to celebrate food that is "responsibly raised, skillfully prepared and delightfully enjoyed." It's such an awesome way to spread awareness for better processes and ingredients for food.
I was hungry so we went to find some lunch. There wasn't that many options for food, but they all sounded really yummy.
ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen (a new concept of Chipotle)
Meatball Bowl (Jasmine rice, green curry, green papaya slaw, herb salad, charred green beans with chili jam & crispy garlic) $6~
My fiance got this. I wanted to try it too. I absolutely loved it. The meatballs were super tender, and that green curry was delicious. It had a spicy kick to it too. The papaya slaw on top added a crunch and freshness to it. It was the best dish of the day, in my opinion. It was a little too spicy for him though, he ended up liking my kale salad more. Seriously though, we totally need a ShopHouse in Dallas (currently there's only 2 or 3 states in the US that has it)!!
Kale Salad (Baby kale, roasted corn-escabeche, crumbled cotija, crispy tortillas, and chipotle-honey vinaigrette; Choice to add grilled steak) $7~
I'm loving the whole kale craze because I think it's a great vegetable and so good for you too. It was a little salty... I think they were a little heavy handed with the cotija. I do like the steak addition, it had a lot of flavor. Overall it was good, lots of textures and flavors. But the meatball bowl was better.
Sofritas® Tacos (Sofritas® organic tofu, in soft corn tortillas with fresh tomato salsa, Romaine lettuce and shredded cheese) 2 for $6~
A friend of mine got this. I have to say, it looked a bit sad. Other than the lettuce and hot sauce, I didn't see anything else. I tried a bite. The tofu was cut into little teeny tiny pieces and I really couldn't get much of it at all. I wonder if their chicken taco was better...
Next, we moved on to the Artisan's Hall. There were many local vendors showcasing and selling their products. More food! Yay! hehe. A lot of the products looked yummy, but I had to choose one... I was already a little full.
Texas Honeybee Guild
Whipped Honey (cinnamon) $9~ I've never even heard of whipped honey but it sounds cool! My fiance said he's had them before and it's awesome. So he got a jar of the cinnamon one. I tried it when we got home and it's pretty tasty. And I'm not even a huge fan of honey!
Pop Star Handcrafted Popsicles
Cucumber Lemon Mint $3~ He also got a popsicle. Personally I would've opted for the strawberry lemonade flavor but I had my eyes set on a different vendor. The cucumber popsicle definitely tasted like its listed ingredients. It wasn't too sweet and was very refreshing. He really liked it. That combo isn't for me...
Butterfield Gourmet
Chocolate Pie Slice (topped with whipped cream) $5~ I got a slice of pie. It looks so ooey gooey, I just had to try it. Yummers! The filling was dense and gooey. A bit too sweet for my friends but I liked it. I wish I had some ice cream or milk though. The bottom of the pie had kind of caramelized so it was even sweeter during a few bites. It's definitely very decadent. Thumbs up.
They also featured several other businesses that have partnered up with Chipotle for the event. One of them was Tabasco! Holla. Shout out to one of my favorite hot sauces. And I'm traditional, just the original flavor for me thanks. All the mini sample bottles were so cute!
Then it was time for the next chef demo I was waiting for... Matt McCallister of FT33. The hottest restaurant in Dallas right now I'd say. And I agree, I think it's probably the best restaurant in town.
I was lucky enough to go to a special event there with my friend and got to eat a 3 course meal prepared by the chef. I ate lamb! I never eat lamb because I don't like the flavor, but his dish, I cleaned it. That's a VERY big deal. We got to the tent after it had already started so I wasn't sure what he was preparing. It was a porridge of some sort? But using different grains/oats that I wasn't as familiar with. He showcased his knowledge on a variety of ingredients. And the final product looked delicious. I also got a picture with him and he also signed the CHOMP! shirt! :) Wheeeeee!
After the demo, we hit up Ben & Jerry's. Another partner business and one of my all time favorite ice cream brands. They were giving out free samples! Chocolate Fudge Brownie.
It was soooo chocolatey and decadent. I pretty much love all their flavors and their creative names. I would LOVEEEE to work for Ben & Jerry's some day. :P
The next chef demo we watched was Chef Kent Rathbun, a big name in the culinary world (especially Dallas). Most of you have probably heard of his restaurants Abacus and/or Jasper's.
He also owned Rathbun's Blue Plate Kitchen which was my favorite restaurant in Dallas for the past many years. I found out this year that it closed down. :( I was devastated... He was demoing chili, but not your typical ground beef stuff, this was giant chunks of choice steak. When the breeze came through, you can smell the aroma. OMG! Salivating! We can definitely tell that he's more seasoned in doing demos because he seemed very comfortable on the stage and talking to the audience. Afterwards, I got to ask him about Blue Plate Kitchen and he told me to "stay tuned", things are in the works. That cheered me up some. I can't wait to see what he's going to do next.
It was a great day. The festival was going on til 7PM but we left around 3:45PM. Amanda Freitag was going on next, but we missed her... She's frequently featured on Food Network's Chopped as a judge and also competed on the Next Iron Chef. I wish I could've met her. I love all those shows.
I would say the festival went very well. It was well organized, all the people/volunteers were very friendly. They featured great food, information, demos, and oh yea, live music! There were multiple bands playing on the stage throughout the day. So a little bit of everything for everyone. :) I definitely look forward to next year's event. I would love to see them add more to the chef's demo list and also more vendors in the Artisan's Hall!
Overall Experience:
~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
I found out this past weekend that one of my favorite restaurants in Dallas has closed. I'm sad to say that Chef Kent Rathbun's Blue Plate Kitchen is no longer in business. I was devastated when I found out. It is one of the only restaurants that I consistently recommend to friends and out of towners. When people find out I have a food blog, they always ask one question, "what is your favorite restaurant in Dallas?" Blue Plate Kitchen is usually my answer. I consistently had great service there, never had a bad experience. Over the years, I've celebrated several birthdays, special occasions, company lunches, and friend get togethers... it holds a special place in my heart. I'm not sure why it closed, but I certainly hope Chef Rathbun decides to find a new location and reopen it. I will truly miss the awesome bread basket, best fried chicken, and most of all the amazing staff (which some have come to know me) which always made every visit a memorable one. I even celebrated my 50,000 views on CHOMP! there! (I think Blue Plate Kitchen also got my first ever 5 cookie rating, back in 2009 when I first started my blog...)
Sad face. :( I will really miss this place. What am I going to recommend to people now??!
I hope they see my plea to reopen it in a new location... (Plano perhaps?? *wink*wink*)
~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
Happy 11-11-11! hehe. I went to lunch with a bunch of co-workers this past Friday. Since it was on the company, my boss and I suggested Blue Plate Kitchen (one of our favorite places!) :P
We had a large group of 15. Good thing we made our reservation for an earlier time. By noon, the place was pretty packed!
Blue Plate Kitchen
6130 Luther Lane
Dallas, TX 75225
(214) 890-1103
http://www.kentrathbun.com/blueplate/dallas/
Price (for lunch): $$
The manager, Dennis, came by and greeted us. He's always so friendly! :) And it's such a nice feeling to be personally greeted because they know you. hehe.
There were too many of us, but I tried to take as many food pics as I can.
Some of my coworkers started with the Soup of the day. Black Eyed Peas with Andouille Sausage $7~
There was plenty of peas...not enough sausage though. I liked the flavors. Once you start chewing, you can really taste the different spices and complexity. It's a pretty hearty soup.
For my entree, I ordered the Pan Seared Fennel Dusted Salmon (celery root puree, roasted root vegetables) $17~
I was torn between several other options but opted for this since I liked all the elements and it seemed like a healthier choice. The fish was pretty small but perfectly cooked. I think I was thinking parsnip puree when I read celery root puree because it caught me off guard. I'm not a fan of celery and the celery taste was quite prominent. I still enjoyed it with the fish though. Next time I'll be sure to remember that celery root tastes just like celery! haha. I loved the root vegetables...a mixture of different kinds. It added texture to the plate with the tender fish. And it was surprisingly filling. I was very full after.
One coworker got the Grilled Texas Fish Selection of the Day (Sauteed brussel sprouts, long grain-wild rice) $MKT~
The featured fish was a Striped Bass I think. The fish was cooked well. I only got a bite so I can't fully remember all the different components. I liked the brussel sprouts. It was cooked perfectly. Not too soft and wasn't bitter or anything.
Another coworker ordered the Grilled Chicken Breast, Israeli Couscous (butternut squash, tart cherry, balsamic vinaigrette) $14~
This is one of their Heart Healthy options. This was initially my pick. I should've gotten this even though I liked my salmon. The chicken was good but the cous cous was the star of the show. It was al dente, had great texture and worked so well with the butternut squash and cherries. We both agreed that the cous cous was fantastic. It was a good size portion too. I would definitely get this again in the future.
We also got a few sides to share:
"Burnt End" Black Beans $6~ This had shredded brisket in there. The flavor was bold and you can really taste the brisket.
Applewood Smoked Bacon Brussel Sprouts $7~ I loved this. The brussel sprouts were also cooked perfectly and sooo much bacon bits and flavor. Bacon makes everything good! :)
They've updated the menu since I was there last (April...time sure passes fast!) And I noticed that they completely changed their dessert menu. No more buttermilk pie! :( But... there was Pumpkin Spice Cake (spiced rum glazed, cranberry compote) $8~
I was full but I HAD to try this. The main reason I like fall is because there's pumpkin everywhere! And I can't get enough! This was a mini bundt cake. SUPER moist, not too sweet. It was really good! I like the combination with the tart cranberries. And I think it was a cinnamon butter or something? Seemed a little too thick to be whipped cream... Yummy-ness!
Several people got the Chocolate Mousse (dark and milk chocolate, praline graham cracker) $8~
I'm not a huge mousse fan because I like to have texture. But this was a great mousse. Layers of milk and dark chocolate so it wasn't very sweet at all. I loved the bitterness from the dark chocolate. And the graham cracker layers added the texture. And I liked the little crisp on top.
Another great meal at Blue Plate. I'm always happy when I eat here. And once again, too full! haha. I did notice that their prices went up a bit though. :( That's why I take full advantage when it's on the company! hahaha :P I write about this place so much. If you still haven't gone yet, you need to go!!
Quality of Food:
Service:
Ambiance:
Value:
Overall Experience:
~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
The first annual Iron Fork event was this past Wednesday at the Fashion Industry Gallery. It was presented by Whole Foods and Dallas Observer and MC'd by Chef Kent Rathbun.
http://microapp.dallasobserver.com/ironfork/2011/index.php
It featured a bunch of local restaurants as well as a Chef Competition Iron Chef style between Scott Romano (Charlie Palmer) and Gilbert Garza (Suze), moderated by Chef Rathbun. They had to use a secret ingredient which was revealed to be California Avocados.
General Admission tickets at the door were $35 but I got the Observer deal for $12!! Woot! What a killer deal! The ticket gets you in the door and access to unlimited food and drinks from the Participating Restaurants. VIP tickets were $50 and they featured a few more restaurants and get to go in an hour earlier. And you also get some goodie bags.
I heard on the radio that morning that they had sold over 900 tickets. Sounds like the event is gonna be packed!! And it was... There was a long line when we arrived at 7PM, but they got everyone in pretty quickly. And you don't waste any time...you get right to the foods! :)
PARTICIPATING RESTAURANTS: (this is in order of my sampling...)
Dine with the King Designs: Chocolate Pecan Pie. This turned out to be my favorite dessert of the night. It was also the only table where I went back for seconds! I've never heard of them but if you ever come across them, get some pie!!
Gojo Ethiopian Restaurant: Lentil or Chicken Puffs. I only tried the Lentil one. It was pretty tasty! 
Bambu: fish cake with sweet/spicy sauce. Didn't care for it too much...
Snappy Salads: Asian salad with fried wonton & wasabi peas; lemon cookie. The lemon cookie was really good. I resisted taking more...
Herrera's: Pork tacos with hot sauce, pico de gallo, guacamole; Pecan Praline; Chicken & Beef taquitos. The taquitos were a little dry...dipped in guac was much better. The tacos were a tad sweet. They were alright. The praline was pure sugar. Ick! 
Zen Baking Co.: Breadpudding w/ Raspberry; Chocolate Bacon Cupcake; Cake balls, PB & Nutella Cookie Sandwich; Chocolate Chip Cookie Sandwich; Brownie. This was one of the best tables of the night. There were sooo many options...I tried to fit as many as I could on a plate. hahaha. The bacon cupcake was AWESOME! It was full of bacon pieces. YUM! All the other desserts were great as well.
Panyu's Fresh Asian Cuisine: Fried Lotus Chip topped with Ahi Tuna; Marinated Beef wrapped around Pickled Daikon & Carrots. This was one of my friend's favorite. I was impressed with the large chunks of tuna on each plate but it was missing some salt. A little bland...
Boba Latte: Guava Fusion Tea; Black Tea; Jasmine Tea; boba. I tried the Guava Fusion Tea...never had it before. I liked it! I love guava!
El Centro: Walnut Fudge Brownies. These were gooey and chocolatey. It was hard not to eat too much cuz I had to save room for all the other stuff!
Il Cane Rosso: Caprese Kebabs, homemade mozzarella. This was really fresh and I heard they made the mozzarella in house. It was super fresh!
Torchy's Tacos: Sesame Seed flecked Ahi Tuna Nacho. I liked this ahi tuna better than Panyu's. I liked their chip better and I guess the sauce on top added a lot more flavor.
House of Blues: Corn Bread. I didn't try these...
J Black's Feel Good Lounge: Bruschetta with Prosciutto and sweet relish. YUCK! I threw it away after one bite. The bread seemed stale and that dollop of cheese on top just didn't go well... Worst of the night for me.
Bars were set up all around the venue. It was unlimited wine and cocktails!
Dallas Chophouse: Steak Tartare with Parmesan. Missing seasoning...bland...
Kenichi: Crab Ceviche? Also yuck. It was sooo fishy... :(
Sweet Tomatoes: Molten Lemon Cake. I really liked this! I'm not a lemon fan but this dessert was good!
Crawdad's! of Dallas: Crawfish. I didn't know how to eat this without a place to sit. Thought it was interesting that there was crawfish there though. haha.
Mozzarella Company: bread with homemade mozzarella with a layer of Pesto. The mozzarella was super fresh, but needed more flavor.
Dive Coastal: Key Lime Pie; Ceviche with Plantain Chip. I only tried the key lime pie. It was creamy and fresh and yummy.
Pizza by Marco: It was cold by the time we got to it...but still good!
Woodfire Kirby's: Pulled Roast Duck. By far the best savory dish of the night! The duck was sooo tender and juicy!
Chameli: Traditional Style Chicken Biryani. I only got 1 chunk of chicken with my rice but I liked it a lot. Lots of spices and the chicken was super tender.
Lockhart Smokehouse: brisket. Not as moist as I would like, but nice smoky flavor. 
Nothing Bundt Cake: White chocolate Raspberry; Lemon; Chocolate Chocolate Chip; Red Velvet. LOVE THEM!! Of course the cakes were amazing! :)
SPONSORS: (there were a lot of others...)
- Avion Tequila (free shots)
- Fuze
VIP:
Chocolate Secrets: Liquor Chocolate Truffles, Chocolate Covered Raspberries. I had a friend that was in VIP. I got to try one of the truffles. YUM!
IRON FORK COMPETITION:
Scott Romano won with his Avocado Scotch Egg (egg covered with avocado then deep fried).
Gilbert Garza made Scallops with Avocado Puree.
I wish I got to try some of these...
I'd say this event was a success! It was jam packed with people and everyone had a great time! I would say for the most part the sweets definitely trumped the savory dishes. I really hope they do it again next year! I hope they pick a bigger venue though. Hehe.
Overall Event:
~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
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