Dog Haus Biergarten

So... I need to preface this post by saying I've never been a huge fan of hot dogs. Not saying I don't eat them... but I don't crave them, if there are other options I usually choose the other, and the whole "mystery meat" thing just kinda makes me nervous. HOWEVER, once I tried Dog Haus, my life has been changed! I'm so glad I took the invite to go check them out. They're right across the street from my work too. I just never felt the need to go... Kinda slapping myself for that now. Check out my epic visit below!

Dog Haus Biergarten
744 S. Central Expressway
Richardson, TX 75080
(214) 935-9121
http://richardson.doghaus.com
Price: $-$$

First of all, this place is a cool place to chill. They've got a great, casual set up, and a pretty impressive outside/patio area. Too bad the night we went was cold and pouring rain. Definitely a great place to hang out once spring hits though.

We met the owner, Ron, who was super nice and gave us all sorts of great info on the business. For example, all the meat they use for the hot dogs and sausages are closely monitored and they use the best meats. Definitely NO mystery meats here! The meats are all hormone and antibiotic free. Cool tip: they are also King's Hawaiian's largest commercial customer. He also told us about the collaboration he's doing this year with some big name chefs to benefit No Kid Hungry. $1 per item sold from this special menu is donated. 

I kind of squealed a little when I saw the flyer because I recognized most of the names on the list. HEAVY HITTERS! Several of these chefs have competed on Top Chef (one of my favorite cooking competitions/shows) and have WON their season. The chefs change every 2 months so you gotta keep going back to see what's new. I cannot wait for March.. Stephanie Izard is also one of my all time favorite Top Chef contestants. (She won her season AND was the first female chef to win Top Chef, btw, no big. haha!)

Currently on the collab list is the Salty Malty (salty caramel shake with salted caramel swirl, malt, dulce crispearls).

Created by Chef Brooke Williamson, an amazing chef... one of my favorites in her season on Top Chef. She was runner up that season. And she's currently back on Top Chef again! Y'all, this shake is amazeBALLS. You see, cuz it's got crunchy balls in there. haha. :P No, it's legit good. I especially like the crunchy dulce crispearls in there, adds a nice texture. The combo of sweet and savory is on point. AND you can get it gluten free by removing the malt and crispearls. :)

Dutch Chocolate Shake (made with Fosselman's soft serve) $4.99~ We also tried the chocolate shake. Almost reminds me of a Frosty, less thick, but just as delicious. The chocolate wasn't overwhelmingly sweet, but still decadent. Desserts before dinner, eh? On to the food!

Ron just told us he was sending out some stuff. I didn't realize we were getting half the menu! haha. There were only 3 of us. Needless to say, we all had a TON of leftovers to go.

ROUND 1:
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HausSausages - hormone and antibiotic free sausages served on King's Hawaiian rolls - $7.49~ each
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Porchetta 'Bout It (pork belly sausage with rosemary, fennel, garlic and lemon zest; topped with garlic aioli, giardiniera and chicharron; served on grilled King's Hawaiian rolls). 

Created by Chef Bruce Kalman. This is also one of the collaborations for Jan-Feb. Chef Kalman is no stranger to food shows either, having been on Top Chef and Chopped. I've definitely heard of his restaurant, UNION, in LA. This sounded awesome, especially with those chicharrons on top. Just look at the griddle marks on those rolls! We all loved that they use Hawaiian rolls for everything. For one, it made for easy sharing, just cut along the lines! :P Plus that bit of sweetness with the savory hot dogs and sausages really elevated everything. The chicharrons added great texture. You got less than 2 more weeks to try this!

The Big "D" (smoked jalapeno cheddarwurst, chili pepper relish, chipotle aioli, cotija cheese). Tons of flavor. The sausage had a great snap to it. I thought it had a bit too much sauce so the flavors were a bit muddled though.

Reservoir Hog (polish kielbasa, haus chili, haus slaw, yellow mustard). Loved the slaw, not a fan of yellow mustard in general. Still good though.

The Love Boat (fries, haus chili, haus slaw) $3.99~ The fries were good. Again, I loved the slaw. It added some freshness to the fried potatoes.

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HausBurgers - hormone and antibiotic free beef, served on King's Hawaiian rolls - $7.99~ each
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Little Mule (fried egg, avocado, pickled jalapenos, chipotle aioli, cotija cheese, white american cheese). 

Who knew a place that specializes in hot dogs would be amazing at burgers. But OMG. I think this is one of my top 5 burgers now. I freaking loved this!! It was most definitely my favorite of the night. Using Hawaiian rolls as the buns just made it even better. Super fluffy and slightly sweet. The meat patty was juicy but not greasy and I loved every single element in this burger. I've been thinking about this ever since that night. I need to go back soon!

For ROUND 2, we got The Mensch (pastrami, 1000 Island, haus slaw, white american cheese, pickles). Also great, but I liked the Little Mule better. The pastrami was a tad salty for me when paired with the patty. Also at this point we were getting full so our opinions may have been a bit skewed.

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HausDogs - hormone and antibiotic free, all beef dogs, served on King's Hawaiian rolls - $6.49~ each
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Sooo Cali (wild arugula, crispy onions, spicy basil aioli, avocado, tomato). We were getting ready to tap out, but then I found my favorite hot dog. If I had more room, I would've killed this. I discovered that I like their HausDogs better than the HausSausages. I just liked the flavor better for whatever reason. And the pairings with the toppings on this one was unique and delicious. Loved the texture from the crispy onions. Who would've thought to put arugula in a hot dog?! Loved it! I liked that it incorporated some veggies. I took most of this to go and had it the next night. Toasted it in the oven, and it was just as good!

Scott Baioli (top) (smoked bacon wrapped dog, caramelized onions, garlic aioli, cheddar cheese sauce). Thought this one was also a little too saucy. The flavors all melded together so I couldn't really get the distinction of the bacon around the dog. Again, I'm not a standard hot dog lover so my opinions will be quite different. I liked the arugula in the hot dog, haha. So the ones that are more standard weren't my favorites.

Cowboy (middle) (smoked bacon wrapped dog, bbq sauce, cheddar cheese sauce, crispy onions). Same on this one. Crispy onions were a nice touch though!

ROUND 2.5:

As if we hadn't had enough food... here are all the extras!

Cheeseburger Sliders (angus beef, mayo, white american cheese; served on King's Hawaiian rolls) $1.99~ Cute little sliders to snack on and share. The beef patty is just as good as the ones in the regular sized burgers.

Corn Dog Sliders (all beef mini dog dipped in haus made root beer batter) $4.49~ I only took one bite. Couldn't eat anymore. haha. But the batter was slightly sweet... from the root beer. I liked that. 

Onion Rings $3.49~ Massive! And fried well. Great to share with your friends!

Chili Cheese Tots $4.99~ I personally like super crispy tots, so I would not order them loaded with any sort of sauce or topping. I ate the edges. haha. Definitely nice and crispy. I think I liked their fries just a little more though.

I never thought in my life that I would crave a hot dog. But it's happened. haha. I pretty much think about the Sooo Cali hot dog and the Little Mule burger at least once a day. Good thing those are on the regular menu so I can go back whenever. Hopefully soon! But I cannot wait to see what Chef Stephanie Izard has in store for us in March. In the mean time, y'all gotta get in there for that Salty Malty!!!!!!

Thank you so much, Dog Haus, for having us (and changing my thoughts on hotdogs, hehe). The quality of ingredients show through, and I love the originality of the menu items as well as their names. :P

*The meal was comped but all opinions are my own.*

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

Berrynaked - New Richardson Location!

Y'all. You have no idea how freaking EXCITED I am that Berrynaked has opened their 2nd location in Richardson! Not only are they just a short drive from my work, it's also so much close from Rockwall! This could be dangerous!! Berrynaked makes high quality products. I've tasted their popsicles over the past 2 years and continue to see them evolve and improve. I think they have pretty much perfected their craft at this point. Everything is spot on... the right textures, consistency, and flavor. And I never feel guilty after eating one of their pops. :D

I got to have a preview on Wednesday before they have their Grand Opening this Saturday. The space is awesome! It's much larger than their Lovers Ln. location... there's chairs and tables and sofas. Definitely a cool place to hang out. And they have new menu items! Specifically their new Puree Bowls. You can choose between "Soulful" or "Sinful", or be like me and have both. haha. The Soulful selections are healthier... lots of fresh fruit base, topped with more fruit toppings. The Sinful is more fun imo... and definitely more decadent. But yet... it's still healthier than eating ice cream because they use all fresh ingredients and still some with a fruit base. I can eat their bowls instead of ice cream and be completely satisfied!

Their Grand Opening is THIS SATURDAY, JUNE 17th. You better make sure you mark it on your calendars! This is the full info on the event. It's gonna be super fun, yummy, and benefits the American Heart Association too! My favorite way to contribute to charity... eat! :P

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Berrynaked | Richardson Grand Opening Block Party

Saturday, June 17, 12pm – 2pm

326 W. Campbell Road | Canyon Creek Shopping Center

#Berrynakednation

Dallas-based Berrynaked is bringing it's organic popsicles and purees northward with the opening of a flagship location in Richardson! Stop by for family fun at the grand opening block party, benefiting the American Heart Association. Enjoy music, face painting, balloon art, and a variety of activities and giveaways from neighbor businesses like Pure Barre Richardson, Sun Lee Taekwondo, Smoothie King and more! Berrynaked will donate 20 percent of Richardson grand opening day sales to the American Heart Association, which will also be on site, along with 20 percent of Vitality Pops Series sales at both stores (Inwood Village and Richardson) for the entire month of June.

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Here's a peek at some of the menu items!

Soulful:
- The Runner: Pitaya (dragon fruit) base, pineapple, banana, coconut water, organic coconut butter, organic blue agave. This seemed to have been the crowd favorite of the night. I think it was the vibrant color of the dragon fruit!

- The Yogi: Acai base, strawberries, banana, coconut water, organic coconut butter, organic blue agave. My personal favorite. I've had several acai bowls in Dallas now and I thought this was by far the best. From the flavor to texture of the puree... it's on point!

- The Swimmer: Mango base, strawberries, coconut water, organic blue agave. I'm allergic to mango so I didn't try this. But it was my friend's favorite.

Sinful:
- Da Beach Bum: Strawberry base, cream, sour cream, condensed milk. It's served in a waffle bowl, topped with whipped cream, chocolate drizzle, crushed chocolate cookies, and 2 chocolate pirouette rolled wafers. This was freaking amazing. It's like fresh strawberry ice cream, with actual chunks of strawberries in the cream, and all that chocolately goodness.

We also had some Poptails!! Cuz it's not a party without some champagne! And how cute are the mini pops in each glass. All sorts of different fruity flavors... Great idea for your next party?? :)

Definitely go check them out, and bring your friends. I'm certainly going back soon!

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

Ten50 BBQ

Had a serious craving for BBQ a few weeks ago so my friends and I decided to go check out Ten50 BBQ in Richardson. It's right by my work so I see it all the time, but none of us have ever been. I've actually heard that it's hit or miss, most people saying it's overpriced and not that great. But it was a good middle point for everyone, so why not check it out!

Ten50 BBQ
1050 N. Central Expressway
Richardson, TX, 75080
(972) 234-1050
www.ten50bbq.com
Price: $$

The place is pretty huge. To get into the building, you have to walk through their patio seating area which is almost a restaurant on its own! Pretty cool too. Mist fans since it was still quite warm, a live band playing and outdoor bars set up. Once we walked in, we were a little confused where to order. Apparently, you have to go outside and around the corner, where you'll see the meat stations.

The lines were not so bad, which is good cuz I was starving! Initially we planned on getting several different types of meat and just sharing family style. But then we realized it's more economical to order the 2 or 3 meat combo platter individually. I think the 2 meat, 2 sides was around $12.99~ I was thinking seriously on which meats to order that I didn't take a picture of the menu. haha. So we all ended up getting the 2 meat platter.

I got the Brisket - USDA Prime (fatty) and the St. Louis Pork Ribs. Among the group, we also got to try the Sausage (mild), Chicken, and Pulled Pork.

First, the brisket... Boy was it fatty! A tad much for me, but also made it super juicy. The meat was really tender and I loved the char. My friends' briskets were slightly less fatty than mine. I trimmed off some of the fat and it was sooo good. Definitely hit the spot.

St. Louis Pork Ribs. I always love ribs and usually prefer the ones with dry rub like this. It was ok. It was tender, but I've definitely had better.

Sausage. They didn't have the jalapeno cheese available. This was good. Pretty standard.

Chicken. Or maybe it was turkey... I have no idea. hahaha. :P It was fine. I don't come to a BBQ joint to eat chicken. haha. 

Pulled Pork. Pretty good. Not dry like pulled pork can be sometimes. I'd say it's my 2nd favorite after the brisket.

With each of our platters we also got to choose 2 sides each.
Coleslaw. I enjoyed this. Not made with mayonnaise and wasn't so rich.

Potato Salad. I always love potato salad. This was pretty dang good. 

4 Cheese Mac n' Cheese. Not too bad. Pretty standard, so it's good. I loved the breadcrumbs on top.

Roll. The rolls are free. I really wish I had gotten more than one because it was awesome. Perfectly warm and fluffy on the inside. Paired so well with everything. I made my own stuffed roll. haha. With a bit of everything in one bite!

They also had some free condiments for you, like butter, onions, jalapenos, and pickles. The pickles also had a kick to them. Nice compliment to the BBQ.

And... we didn't know beforehand, but it was Ten50's 1 year anniversary. Happy Birthday, Ten50!! So they were giving out free Banana Puddings to all the guests. It was really good!!! Lots of banana, light, and yummy. :) Yay to free food.

Totally satisfied my craving. Not the best BBQ I've had in Dallas, but it wasn't bad either. I would go back again if I'm in the area. :) Oh.. and seems like they have a pretty good bar? Craft beers, and their mixed drinks were pretty cheap.

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~