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I was meeting up with a friend for dinner a couple weeks ago. I suggested Lekka since I've been meaning to go try it. One of my friends told me it's really good and the reviews online were also great. It's where Obzeets used to be, and they've got a pretty awesome patio. Now... we just need cooler weather!
Lekka Cafe & Gifts
17606 Preston Rd.
Dallas, TX 75252
(972) 735-8425
www.lekkashop.com
Price: $$
I was meeting my friend at 6:30PM, but I decided to go there early and do some work. I arrived around 4:30PM and decided to get dessert first. :P I've heard amazing things about their cakes and pies as well. The dessert case was pretty sparse that day, but everything they had in there looked good.
I decided to get a slice of the Banana Caramel Pecan Pie $6~ And a cup of hot tea.
An elderly gentleman at the restaurant was telling me that their desserts are the best and they don't skimp on the portions. Soon after, the waitress brought my pie, and O.M.G... it was like 2 slices of pie as one. O.O WHOA!! This thing was massive and so amazing looking. I think I almost cried! haha. And it sure was tasty! The loads of caramel made it a tad too sweet for me, but pairing it with a hot tea was great. I had to will myself to stop eating since I was still having dinner! :P
Once my friend arrived, we perused the menu. It was still Happy Hour! And she got an appetizer.
Warm Artichoke Dip (blend of cheese, spinach, artichokes; served with tortilla chips and salsa) $5~ It was a lot of food. The dip was cheesy and gooey. Can't say I've had an artichoke dip I haven't liked yet. haha.
She ordered the Veggie Tramezzini (mozzarella, spinach, artichokes, roasted red pepper) $9~
A tramezzini is a grilled Stuffed Pita Bread. All tramezzinis are served with side house salad or Ribbon Fries. My friend chose the fries since the waitress recommended it. It was a lot of food. With a huge side of fries. The tramezzini was good and so were the fries. She said it reminded her of Arby's fries. Me? I like pretty much anything fried and these fries were perfectly crispy, and can still taste the potato.
I got the Texan Tramezzini (fiesta blend, pico de gallo, guacamole, grilled chicken; served with salsa for dipping) $10~ With Side House Salad and house vinaigrette.
This is basically a loaded quesadilla. There was plenty of chicken and cheese. The outside was nice and crisp. Yum! I'd totally get this again.
We had a good time. The food portions were large and quality was good. I had half to go for my lunch the next day. The service was good too and decor is very eclectic. They have a store section where you can buy stuff, and the big, covered patio in the back.
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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
I've never been a fan of Tex-Mex... I always find it a bit repetitive. But... I LOVE Mexican food. There's a big difference!
Two of my friends were in town for the weekend from NYC so of course Mexican food is on their list. I found this place and they had mole!! OMG! I love mole and ever since I had it again in Cancun, I was dreaming about it. So I suggested this place.
Lalo's Fine Mexican Cuisine
18484 Preston Rd. Ste 118
Dallas, TX 75252
(469) 298-3017
www.lalosmexicancuisine.com/
Price: $$
I didn't even know about this place! It had really high Yelp reviews too. Looks promising! We arrived on a Saturday around 6:30PM. The place wasn't completely full but business was pretty good. I thought the decor was nice. Casual yet somewhat elegant.
We got some complimentary chips with salsa and black bean dip. The salsa had a kick to it! :) And the black bean dip was almost as good as the ones at Gloria's... almost... hehe.
Mango Strawberry Frozen Margarita. My friend got one of these. It was really pretty. And she said it was good. I couldn't try it though since I'm allergic to mango. I'll take her word for it though.
Chile Con Queso. Her husband had thought this was "chili" so he was a little surprised. teehee. But this was really good. He totally enjoyed it. It was great with the chips and the salsa.
Pollo Oaxaca (chicken breast simmered in Oaxaqueno Mole served with beans refritos and arroze blanco) $14.99?~
I already knew I was going to get this. Normally I see mole on enchiladas, which I always end up subbing the corn tortilla with flour. But this is perfect because there's no tortilla at all (less heavy)! It was delicious. The mole wasn't as good as the one from Mexico, but it was still really tasty. Lots of complex flavors with that tiny hint of sweet from the addition of chocolate. Just a disclaimer: I am by no means an expert on mole. I just know what tastes good to me. hehe. The chicken was super tender. I didn't even use a knife. I loved the pairing with the sauce and the rice. I asked to sub the beans for veggies. It was the perfect side to the chicken and rice. I also liked the slaw on the side. The whole thing was great. I would totally go back and get this again. And it was a big portion too. I took almost half of it home. And it was still good the next day when I had it for lunch. :)
Carne Asada (grilled steak or grilled chicken breast served with Mexican rice, Sopa de Frijol, guacamole and pico de gallo). My friends shared this since they weren't too hungry. Also a good sized portion. The guac was very good. And the Mexican rice had good flavor. They both liked it.
Tres Leches Cake. I love tres leches so I ordered it before I even finished my dinner. Even though I wasn't that hungry either. haha. It was good, not the best I've had but I would get it again. I wish they had served it on its side with more milk to soak up but it was still surprisingly moist and fluffy.
Sorry I didn't include the prices. I forgot to take a picture of the menu... But both dishes were arond $14-15 which was decent for the portion size. And my friends paid for me... again... Sigh. Everytime they come visit, they always end up grabbing the check. I feel bad. I'll get them one day! haha. And I have such awesome friends. :D
It was a great dinner. Our waiter was also really nice and attentive. The ambiance was nice. I will be back for sure!
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I'm so sorry I haven't been posting lately. But as of tomorrow night, I will be done with school FOREVER!! Yes... after 8 long years of part-time school, I will be graduating! Woohoo! Needless to say, this last quarter has been very stressful.
I'm gonna try and get all caught up. I've got several places I need to write about!
Of course I did Dallas Restaurant Week this year. I posted about Hibiscus earlier and our second location was III Forks. I've been there twice back in 2012. I was sad to hear that my favorite waiter was no longer there. :(
As most of you know. Restaurant Week runs for anywhere from a week to 3 weeks in Dallas, depending on the restaurant. It's either $35 or $45 a person and partial proceeds go to the the North Texas Food Bank and Lena Pope Home. III Forks was still $35 a person, and from what I remember, they give quite a bit of food!
III Forks
17776 Dallas Pkwy.
Dallas, TX 75287
(972) 267-1776
http://www.3forks.com/
Price (RW): $$$$
We had a pretty big group of 12 people and an early reservation at 6:15PM. I was surprised that the restaurant was already packed by the time we arrived! And if you've been to III Forks, you know the place is huge! We waited at the bar for a bit for everyone to arrive and for them to prep our table. This time we were sat "outside". It seemed like we were outside but it was covered and there was A/C, thank goodness. haha.
The waiter came by and took our drink orders and I gave him the Central Market 4th Course certificates. We had enough for everyone. Yay! (Some restaurants offer a 4th course which you can get free if you get these certificates. However, you have to spend $25 at Central Market to get one.)
Lobster & Lump Crab Shooters.
These were interesting, I'm not sure if it's in a good way. I wasn't too impressed with them. No one could really figure out which was the lobster and which was the crab. Even though one of them had a chunk of the meat in the shooter. We think thats the crab...? The one on the right was cold, which caught me off guard. Almost like a cold tomato soup, maybe gazpacho? But no chunks of lobster or crab in that one. The other was warm. I'm not sure which one I liked better. Both were meh. Can't compete with the awesome lobster shooters at Abacus that's for sure. I dipped some bread into the soups and that was better.
First Course
III Forks Salad (green apple slices, Wisconsin blue cheese, toasted pecans and field greens with housemade vinaigrette) Pretty standard salad. Although they kinda went blue cheese happy with it. Great if you like blue cheese a lot. haha.
Heirloom Tomato Salad (UglyRipe beefsteak tomatoes, pickled onions and Bosque blue cheese) I was told this was good. I didn't get to try.
Crawfish Bisque (a rich Southern Louisiana specialty with simmered crawfish, tomatoes, cream and cognac).
I knew I wanted to get this when I first saw the menu a month prior. I loveee bisque and crawfish too! It was a pretty big bowl with quite a bit of crawfish in it. However, by the time it came out, it wasn't that hot anymore, you can see the film over the top. I didn't care for this soup either. The crawfish was too fishy... And the bisque flavor needed something, either another spice or some type of crunch maybe? I didn't finish it... Hmm... maybe this is why the past two times I came here I ordered off the regular menu?
Entrees
Aged Midwestern Beef Filet Mignon (with Colbert butter and Worcestershire demi-glace). This was highly recommended by the waiter. And his recommendation was valid. The steak was cooked well and super tender.
Georges Bank Flounder (pan seared with blood oranges and fennel pollen, with basil-hazelnut pearl couscous).
I opted for the fish. I've had their seafood before and I know it's good. I liked it over the filet. The portion was huge! The fish was flaky and buttery. I loved the sauce. And pearl couscous is probably my favorite type of couscous. And as always, their creamed corn is pretty awesome. I enjoyed my plate a lot!
USDA Prime Hanging Tender Steak (four pepper crusted, with brandy cream reduction and caramelized cipollini onions). I didn't get to try this one but from the description it sounded tasty. I heard it wasn't as good as the filet though.
I was pretty full by now. I finished my entire entree! The dessert was chef's selection so we didn't really know what we're getting. There were 2 options when we ordered and we didn't get much of a description for each.
I got the chocolate cake.
I think it was the better choice. I loved the thick ganache layer on the top and side. It was super chocolatey and rich. The cake itself was a tad dry though. And this is nothing compared to their regular dessert menu which is amazing.
Summer Bread Pudding (cold bread pudding with berries).
When I found out this was cold, I knew I didn't want to order it. It was strange. Bread pudding shouldn't be cold. I think if they had called it Berry Trifle or something, we would've accepted it better. haha. Someone commented that it would've been better if it was just the berries and cream. The bread part made it weird.
For the most part, everyone seemed to enjoy the meal. I was disappointed. I know for sure now I will order from the regular menu, especially for dessert. It's like night and day! The waiter(s) were nice but service was slow. We were there for almost 3 hours and some of the food came out warm instead of hot. Oh well, at least I really enjoyed my entree and got to spend time with some great people. So that ends my Dallas RW for this year. Until next time... I hope they add some new places next year!!
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Last Friday was Good Friday and it was a work holiday! Holla! So I planned to go check out True Food Kitchen with 2 of my friends for lunch. Due to some last minute schedule conflicts/cancellations, I was all of a sudden on my own. Booo. I've never really dined out by myself, so I was a bit nervous.
Walking to the restaurant, I saw there were groups waiting outside. AND people waiting inside. It's already 1:30PM! I told the hostess it was for 1 and she said there's open seating at the bar, whereas a table was a 30 minute wait. So I guess being by myself worked out! The place was very bright and energetic. The bar area was nice and open and you can see into the kitchen. I sat down and was immediately greeted and brought a water. So far I'm liking it.
True Food Kitchen
The Plaza at Preston Center
8383 Preston Center Plaza Drive
Dallas, Texas 75225
(214) 377-3333
http://www.truefoodkitchen.com/
Price: $$-$$$
*FYI, the location on Yelp is wrong. It's in the same shopping center as Sprinkles Cupcakes on Preston and NW HWY. I almost drove to the wrong place!*
I've been wanting to try this place for awhile. It was my initial choice for my birthday dinner but it didn't work out. Looking at the layout, it probably wouldn't have worked with a group of 30 people anyways. It's quite loud in there since it's just one open space.
They got some interesting drinks so I wanted to try some.
Hangover Rx (coconut water, pineapple, vanilla, orange juice) $5~ I was able to get a sample of this since they pre-made it. It was delicious. I don't really like coconut water, so the first sip I was a little weary, but the more I drank the more I liked it. Very refreshing!
Green Arnie (matcha green tea, honey lemonade) $5~
I ended up ordering this since I love matcha. It was so green! I liked it, but not as much as the Hangover Rx actually. I felt like the honey lemonade overpowered the matcha. I really didn't get much of the tea flavor. And the honey was too strong. I'm not a huge fan of honey.. I'm slowly trying to get more used to it. But if you love honey and lemonade, this is a good choice for you.
I already knew what I wanted to order. The "Inside Out" Quinoa Burger (hummus, tzatziki, tomato, cucumber, red onion, avocado, feta) $12~ With side of kale salad and sweet potato hash.
The food came out really fast. I was soon stuffing my face with yummy quinoa. I guess it's good I got to sit at the bar, and get my food so quickly. I was starving! I pretty much loved everything about this dish. The quinoa patties were crispy on the outside. Loved it! I've never had crispy quinoa before, it adds amazing texture. The hummus with the veggies was fantastic and the kale salad added more texture. My favorite though, was the hash. The sweet potato pieces were still slightly crunchy, which I normally don't like sweet potato to be, but it had so much flavor. And the way it was diced made it ok that it still had a crunch. I think I can eat a large bowl just of this. But everything worked well together. It was gluten free AND vegetarian! It filled me up without pushing me over the edge. Although I think a fried egg on top of the burger might just be even more awesome. haha. Again, loved it, will totally order it again.
I got a drink to go for my bf. Cucumber Refresher (cucumber, honey lemonade) $5~ He totally loved it. Super refreshing. Again, heavy on the honey for me, but still pretty good.
I enjoyed lunch very much, even if it was by myself. My waiter at the bar was super nice and didn't make me feel self-conscious about sitting by myself for the first time. I know it's no big deal, but just something different for me. I can't wait to go back in the near future. But I'll make sure to make a reservation!
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Today is my 30th birthday. Man do I feel old! XP But in honor of today, the post will be about my bday dinner this past Saturday! And just so happens to also be my 450th post since CHOMP! started. :)
I wanted to have a big dinner with a bunch of friends. I had a guest list of over 30 people, and now I must find a venue!! Trust me, it's not easy finding a place to eat for a party over 20 people. But I called up one of my favorite restaurants in Dallas, Blue Plate Kitchen, and they immediately said they would love to take care of my group. Sweeeet! It's not hard to see why I love this place so much.
Rathbun's Blue Plate Kitchen
6130 Luther Lane
Dallas, TX 75225
(214) 890-1103
http://www.kentrathbun.com/blueplate/dallas
Price: $$$-$$$$
I spoke with one of the managers, Melissa, a week prior to the dinner and went over seating and menu options. I chose to just have everyone order a la carte from the full menu since everyone has their own preferences. I had the option to do a set menu though, that might be fun sometimes. She was super nice and accommodating and I was sure everything would be great. We had agreed on one long table and 2 smaller side tables since the group was so big. But when we got there on Saturday, they were able to fit everyone into the long table, and it wasn't cramped or anything! I was very happy with that.
We were warmly greeted as we walked in. A few people were already there and at the bar. With a group that size, you are bound to have late comers, but the restaurant never rushed us. We hung around at the bar for awhile and finally when most of the group arrived, we sat down. We had a waiter and waitress taking care of us. I found out our waitress had the same birthday as me! So happy birthday to her today as well. :)
They had just changed from the winter to spring menu earlier in the week. Just FYI.
You know the best thing about eating with a big group of people? The variety of dishes, which means LOTS OF PICTURES!! I went down the table and told everyone not to eat until I got a picture of every different dish. Bwahahaha! It's my birthday, I can do whatever I want right?? :P hehe. Fortunately, they served one side of the table earlier than the other, so no one was really sitting around for too long before I got a picture. You ready to drooool??
I always love their bread baskets. Homemade mini biscuits and cornbread madeleines. Comes with whipped cinnamon butter and housemade jam. Warm and buttery and soft, and we can get refills!! :P
There were quite a bit of cocktails floating around but this is one of ones we got. Deep Eddy (sweet tea vodka). If you like sweet tea, this is a good cocktail for you!
Appetizers:
Polenta Crusted Fried Green Tomatoes (thyme goat cheese, Round Rock ancho honey) $9~
I got to try a bite. I really liked the breading on the tomatoes. But I do not like goat cheese and definitely tasted some. If you like goat cheese, this will be a good app for you. My friends enjoyed it.
Crispy Calamari (sweet peppers, okra, black garlic aioli) $12~
Really good. Thick cut calamari so you can actually get the texture of the squid instead of just batter. It was fried nicely and I liked the pairing with the sweet peppers and aioli.
Wood Roasted Duck Confit Flatbread (orange marmalade, brie cheese, red grapes) $14~
We got this and it was delicious. I usually love their flatbreads. I'm surprised they took the cheesy bread off the menu actually. Everyone's always loved that. But the duck was tender, you can taste the brie and the sweetness with the duck was a great combo. I especially loved the arugula on top which added that pepperyness that contrasted the other flavors. The texture of the flatbread was also spot on. I'd totally eat this again.
Quinoa-Kale Salad (walnuts, THC blueberry balsamic) $14~ This is a half portion because they split the order for my 2 friends.
On to the Entrees:
Wood Roasted Texas Quail (cornbread waffle, fried Brussels, citrus syrup) $19~
My bf and I shared this because we also got a couple side dishes. It was really good. The quail was pretty small, but that's pretty standard. Our favorite was the fried Brussels sprouts. And with the citrus syrup it was sweet and savory and delicious. The waffle was nice and crisp on the outside and paired well with everything. The quail was actually my least favorite part about the dish but it was still very good. The meat was tender and the body was stuffed with something. That took me by surprise, but it was a good surprise!
Hickory Grilled Wagyu Burger (sharp white cheddar, crispy shallots, Madeira aioli) $15~
Several people in the group ordered this. It looked mighty impressive! However, I heard mixed reviews on this. One friend said it was cold, another few others said it was very heavy, and one said it was under seasoned. :( Guess it was just a bad day for the burger.
Herb Roasted Airline Chicken Breast (wilted spinach, roasted carrots, apricot glaze) $18~
This looked like a really healthy dish. But was tasty too from what I heard. The apricot glaze was a nice touch apparently. They had messed up a friend's order of this, but I thought the restaurant handled it really well. They ended up giving a few other dishes to my friends and comped their entire meal. With a huge group like this, mistakes are inevitable, but I was impressed with the way they fixed things. :)
Beeman Ranch Chicken Fried Steak (green beans, carrot puree, jalapeno gravy) $23~ This looked yummy. And everyone who had it said it was good.
Gramma Minnie's Fried Chicken (cream cheese roasted garlic mashers, maple gravy) $24~
This was the one dish I was highly recommending to everyone. I've never had a bad version of this. The chicken is always super juicy and fried to perfection. I'd say it was the most ordered item on the menu and everyone loved it!! It's a lot of food too! I got to try the mashers this time and it is addicting!! The maple gravy was sinful, I can drink it... haha. I kept eating it off of my friend's plate. :P LOL!
Niman Ranch Pork Chop (white hominy grits, root beer demi) $26~ I think I've had this in the past? Not sure, but my friend said it was really good.
Chef's Seasonal Fish (stir fried veggies, Jasmine rice, ginger-soy butter) $26~? The fish was Mahi Mahi and the veggies were cauliflower. This looked really good and healthy too. Those who ordered it said they really liked it.
Five Spiced Big Eye Tuna (bamboo rice, fried avocado, wasabi cream) $29~
This was my other choice, but we didn't get it. I did get to try a bite of the rice from a friend's. It was slightly green and infused with wasabi!!! Now I really wish I had ordered this. I LOVE wasabi. haha. One friend really loved it too, another didn't know the wasabi was going to be in the rice and that was a bit much for her. They also both said they wanted more of the wasabi cream sauce.
Pan Seared Diver Scallops (house pork jowl, English pea risotto) $31~ Really beautiful dish. The colors of the risotto against the red/orange sauce was very pretty. Looked yummy too!
Ribeye 10oz. Center Cut Bone-In (grilled asparagus, pink peppercorn butter) $38~
My sister got this. She's not a fan of sweet and savory so her options were pretty limited since almost every dish had a sweet element to it. However, there was a balsamic reduction on the steak which was sweet so she was kind of disappointed. She said they should note that on the menu. I tried a bite of the steak though and it was cooked well.
Shrimp & Grits. This was the Blue Plate Special of the day. I think it was either $26 or $30. Very pretty colors!
Sides:
House Bacon-Balsamic Brussels Sprouts $8~
Gotta order Brussels sprouts anytime they're on the menu! Yum! Tender, flavorful, and lots of chunks of bacon. Although my bf and I both liked the fried Brussels sprouts on the quail dish even better.
Sauteed Baby Bok Choy $8~ We also got this. I really liked it. It had a lot of flavor.(This was half eaten btw... I forgot to take a pic at the beginning...)
Parmesan White Truffle Fries $8~ Didn't try it this time, but I've had it before.
Crab & English Pea Mac n' Cheese $10~
My friend got this, and I loved it. I couldn't stop eating it. And just so happens it was the same friend who had the mashers I was taking too. hahaha. I think I ate half the mac n' cheese myself. It was cheesy yet not saucy. I'm not a fan of the "wet" mac n' cheese that swim in cheese sauce. This was perfect for me. Al dente pasta, a little bit of veggies, that nice char on the top. MMmmmmm! :)
Dessert:
Most people were too full after dinner so only a handful of us got dessert.
They gave me a dessert on the house for my birthday. Yay! I chose Chef's Bread Pudding (warm rum sauce, Henry's ice cream) $8~
It was chocolate banana-bread bread pudding. I was already leaning towards this but as soon as I heard it was made from banana bread? Sold!! It was a big size too, sitting in a pool of rum sauce. So delicious. The bread pudding was warm and soft, but not overly mushy. You can definitely taste the bananas. I just wanted more ice cream! hehe. Definitely a recommendation.
Chocolate Lava Cake (cinnamon sugar churros, house made ice cream) $8~ Didn't see any lava, but the cake itself was smooth and rich, very very good. The churros were playful and fried well.
BPK's Banana Split (strawberry panna cotta, peanut butter crumble, bruleed banana) $8~ This was interesting. I would've never thought panna cotta in banana split form. haha. Very pretty dessert.
Creme Brulee (seasonal berries) $8~ Biggest creme brulee ever! Compare that to the one we got at Roy's the day before... it's over twice the size!
We had a fantastic time. I know I always enjoy my visits to Blue Plate Kitchen. And I'm so happy that people enjoyed the food (for the most part). More importantly, they all enjoyed the dishes I recommended! hehe. The waiter and waitress did a great job, they were attentive and split the checks for everyone without problems. We were the last group to leave the restaurant and yet they didn't ever make us feel like we needed to rush out of there. I always feel so welcomed and comfortable here. I'm glad they helped me celebrate this special occasion. Special thanks to the managers Dennis and Melissa, our two waiters, and everyone else that took care of us throughout the night. I will definitely be back and will continue to recommend Blue Plate Kitchen to others. And thanks to all my friends who came out to hang out with me! I feel loved. :D
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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
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