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Having out of town guests means going out to eat! But then again... it also just means it's the weekend. hahaha. What else is new? :P
My fiance's parents were in town last weekend so I had made a reservation at Casa Rubia in Trinity Groves for Saturday night. I talked so highly about it the first time I went, my fiance really wanted to try it. Also, we wanted to show his parents the downtown cityscape. Usually when they come visit, we just end up staying around Rockwall. They've never really seen our downtown! Plus at Trinity Groves, you get the best view of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, which is probably one of the coolest structures we have in DFW! :)
Casa Rubia in Trinity Groves
3011 Gulden Ln.
Dallas, TX 75212
(469) 513-6349
www.casarubiadallas.com
Price: $$$-$$$$
We arrived on time for our 7PM reservation and was seated immediately. Our waiter greeted us and was very friendly. He took our drink orders and introduced the restaurant concept to everyone.
He asked if we'd like some Bread (with tomato and garlic spread) $8~
I had this last time I was here. It's not on the menu and one of the ladies I was with had to ask for it. This time the waiter suggested it. So that was cool, cuz we wanted to order it again. Although he also didn't tell us how much it was going to be. So for a second I thought maybe they started serving it as complimentary bread for the table. haha. Oh well, it wasn't free, but it sure was delicious! The bottoms were nice and crispy and the bread was warm and fluffy. The tomato/garlic spread had so much flavor.
We knew we were getting the Paella... which you can't order unless you have 4 or more people, btw... so take your friends and/or family with you. So we just got 2 other dishes. It's all tapas style so all the dishes are not super big.
Pulpo a la Plancha (Spanish octopus, duck fat potatoes, pickled onions, smoked tomato-jerez vinaigrette) $16~
My favorite from last time, so we had to order it again. Again, it was super tender. I don't know how they cook it to be sooooo tender. The sauce was a little tangy and paired well with the duck fat potatoes. A great dish once again. My fiance's dad even liked it. He's more of a meat and potatoes guy. Yay. Win! :)
Costillas Cortas de Cerdo (heritage pork short ribs, coriander-tomato jam, charred onion, rainbow chard, porcini emulsion) $17~
We also wanted a meat dish. This was soooo good. The meat was seriously falling off the bone tender. No need for a knife! My fiance liked this better than the octopus. I can't choose... I love them both!
We had a little time to chat and digest and then the finale arrived. Paella del Dia (squid ink, chicken, clams, mussels, shrimp, kale, peas) $50~
This takes 35-40 minutes to make, so make sure you order it early. And the price is market price, just FYI. When the waiter described it to us, he said it was black rice. I was thinking forbidden rice... but it's actually rice colored by squid ink. Score!
Both my fiance and I love squid ink. I've even had squid ink ice cream once. :P It was soooo yummy. The rice was cooked perfectly. I was a little disappointed that we didn't have as much chicken this time as last. The chicken was one of my favorite parts of the dish. The squid ink added a savory, sea-like quality... umami. Yummm! And I love the aioli the include on the side. Adds a tanginess and creaminess to the dish. We each got a pretty big plate full... and we still took half of the pan to go. Yea, this is why you need to take more people with you. But for us, we got leftovers for the next 2 days! Woohoo!
For once, we didn't over stuff ourselves! So we MUST get dessert! :P
Pan Calatrava (vanilla bean flan, Texas blueberry-almond bread pudding, ginger ice cream, sea salt caramel) $8.50~
I had this last time too. It was so good, I couldn't get myself to order a different dessert. Still just as good. That crust on the bread pudding is fantastic. So much complexity in texture between the creamy, silky flan and the bread pudding. And that caramel sauce just pushes it over the top. Deeeelish!
It was a fantastic dinner once again. His parents were so impressed, and we got to take a stroll by the bridge after. :) Service was great as well. I will definitely be back again.
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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
This past Friday, I was invited by a friend to a gathering of foodies at Casa Rubia in Trinity Groves. She told me it was going to be a group of foodies, friends, and friends of friends, and I could bring some people. So I asked 3 of my friends to join me, who I'd thought would enjoy the food. :) They specialize in Spanish cuisine. I have always wanted to go to Casa Rubia. Out of all the places in Trinity Groves, that was the main one I wanted to try. So, yay!
Casa Rubia
3011 Gulden Ln.
Dallas, TX 75212
(469) 513-6349
www.casarubiadallas.com
Price: $$$-$$$$
The reservation was at 8pm. My friends and I arrived about 15 minutes early so we just hung out at the bar. They all ordered drinks. Sangria, some sort of Blueberry fizz drink, Sparkling Sangria. None of them were my thing, but they all enjoyed them.
The restaurant is fairly small. But they have a big patio dining area. I saw that 2 long tables in front of the kitchen were empty. I figured one of those was for our group. A few people were running late so we just hung out at the bar a little longer. We later realized that half the other group was already there. So we made our introductions. The restaurant never once pressured us to get everyone there to seat us, so I thought that was pretty cool. Finally, we sat around 8:30pm. We had a total of 11 people. Everyone seemed to be getting along just peachy, considering it was 3 different groups of friends. :) Food always brings friends together.
We decided to do family style for the entire table, which is what they recommend anyways since it's tapas style. The guy that made the reservation took charge and ordered for everyone.
Quesos:
Manchego, Mahon, Cana de Cabra, San Simon, Idiazabal, Valdeon
Tasting Queso Plate $24~
Embutidos:
Fermin Jamon Iberico de Bellota, Lomo Embuchado, Chorizo Picante, Lardo Iberico de Bellota, Jamon Serrano, Mousse de Higado con Macetilla Vinaigre, Fermin Salchichon de Bellota
Tasting Embutido Plate $33~
We got the tasting plate for both the cheese and meat. It came on this hefty wood board, looked super impressive. It also came with some bread. I sat in the middle of the long table so I got a good look at everything! :P Everyone just dug in! There were so many different things and none of us knew what was what. haha. I got to try several different types of cheeses and meats. Honestly, I can't tell you what anything is. But my favorite was this pepper wrapped in some sort of fatty meat... I'd guess it was the Jamon Serrano.
Bread with Tomato and Garlic.
This wasn't on the menu but was requested by one of the ladies in the group. She was Colombian and was speaking Spanish with the waiter. He said they can totally do this. There was a name for it... starts with "M"? But I can't remember for the life of me. This was sooooo good. The bread was soft but had a really nice crunchy crust. The tomatoes and garlic spread had so much flavor. I'm gonna have to keep this picture to show the restaurant when I go back next time!
We got 2 of each of the hot dishes since we had so many people. The portions of each is not super big but was just the perfect amount for everyone to share.
Alcachofas (crispy artichokes, meyer lemon, fresno chile, mojama, saffron aioli) $12~
Baby artichokes are so cute! Each one is bite sized. So yummy. Not at all tough like artichokes can sometimes be. Great flavors from the chile and aioli as well.
Pulpo a la Plancha (Spanish octopus, duck fat potatoes, pickled onions, smoked tomato-Jerez vinaigrette) $16~
This was the one thing I really wanted to try. Not only did it not disappoint, it totally exceeded expectations. The octopus was cooked perfectly... sooo tender. And the dish was just exploding with flavors between the char on the octopus, the duck fat potatos, and the sauce. Best dish of the night, but only by a little since everything else was also delicious. Definitely a must order!
Rossejat (toasted fideos, chistorra, gulf shrimp, crispy calamari, charred citrus aioli) $15~
I also wanted to try this one. I saw a preparation for fideos on the Travel Channel once and have wanted to try it since then. It's like short pieces of pasta that's been sauteed and crisped up in the dish. Very interesting. The shrimp and calamari on top paired well with the fideos and sauce. Another winner.
Paella del Dia (market price)
Only available for 4 guests or more. We knew we wanted to get this. It comes in this gigantic pan. The waiter told us it takes 35-40 minutes to make this. So it was going to be our last dish. Initially we were contemplating getting 2, but my friend who's been there said it's A LOT and quite heavy. I'm so glad we only got one. They plated it out for us since our group was so big. That entire pot made 12 plates! And each portion was actually quite big.
It was soooo awesome looking! It was topped with a bunch of (I think) kale, peas, mussels, clams, shrimp and an entire chicken. I haven't had much paella in my life but this was great. I had heard some no so great reviews on it, but for us, it was delicious. The rice was perfectly cooked. I've had previous ones where the rice was too mushy or undercooked. This had good texture. The chicken was the star for me. Super tender and lots of flavor. If you have a group of 4 or more, don't skip this. Plus, it certainly makes for an impressive photo! :P It capped the night off just perfectly. Everyone was content, and I was surprisingly not exploding like I normally am. hehe.
We decided to go to the Cake Bar to get dessert, but one guy wanted to get something here. Pan Calatrava (vanilla bean flan, texas blueberry, almond bread pudding, ginger ice cream, sea salt caramel) $8.50~
Everyone got to take a few bites... some more than others.. *ahem*me*ahem* haha. It was another winner. The portion was bigger than I expected. And it was excellent. The bread pudding had the most amazing crust and caramelization on top. The flan was creamy and contrasted the bread pudding texture well. The waiter poured the caramel on top. I always like tableside presentation. Loved it! I'm glad he spoke up and got a dessert when no one else did. hehe.
It was a fantastic meal. And we made some new friends. :) Thanks to the guy that ordered for the group, it was just the perfect amount and guess what... it came out to be $32 a person. What?!?! Yea... and that's including all the booze too. Wow. Ah-MAH-Zing!!! I will definitely be back. In fact, I already have a reservation for next weekend. hehe.
Quality of Food: 4.5
Service: 4
Ambiance: 4
Value: 4.5
Overall Experience: 4
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Oh yea... here's some of the cakes we got at Cake Bar. All super moist and delicious. You can get a slice a la mode (vanilla or chocolate ice cream). The Chocolate cake was the best.
Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake
Key Lime Cake (a la mode)
Chocolate Cake (a la mode)
~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
Saturday night after all the wedding activities we drove to Fell's Point to check out the area. Parking on a Saturday night is atrocious!! OMG! It took us at least 35-40 minutes to finally find parking!
I wanted to check out Pitango Gelato because they had a lot of exotic flavors.
Pitango Gelato
802 South Broadway
Baltimore, MD 21231
(410) 236-0741
http://www.pitangogelato.com/
Price: $
The place was pretty tiny and there was a line! They have all the available flavors on the wall. So many interesting flavors!! Like Rhubarb, Spicy Chocolate, and Quince to name a few.
They also scooped out the gelato from these canisters, I've never seen that before. The gelato texture seemed kinda sticky too. It was cool watching them scoop it out.
I got a Large Cup (3 flavors: Spicy Chocolate, Sicilian Almond, Cardamom) $6.50~
It's definitely pricey!! :( The Spicy Chocolate had a really good kick to it. It reminded me of this Tabasco Chocolate my friend got me in the past. The heat just lingers in the back of your throat. An interesting sensation. The Almond was good but the Cardamom was my favorite out of the 3. It had that slight warmth and spice but not too much. I should've opted for something other than the spicy chocolate even though I enjoyed it because it ended up overpowering the other two flavors.
It was a new type of gelato to try and I liked all the exotic flavors, but I'm still partial to my Paciugo back in Dallas. hehe.
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Afterwards we looked for a place to chill and get some snacks. We ended up at Tapa's Adela. The sign was what attracted me since it was red and lit up.
Tapas Adela
814 South Broadway
Fells Point, MD 21231
(410) 534-6262
http://www.tapasadela.com/
Price: $-$$
I wasn't really even hungry after the massive sushi buffet we had during lunch but some of my friends wanted some "real" food (other than gelato) haha.
They ordered several dishes... (and I ended up trying all of them...of course. haha) I don't eat to satisfy hunger. I eat because I love food!
Pan Seared Diver Scallops (pistachio & sage vinaigrette, roasted cauliflower, garlic baby spinach) $10.95~
The scallops were good and my friends loved the dish but I liked the cauliflower even more. I thought that was the star of the dish.
Maryland Jumbo Lump Crabcakes (sage sofrito, citrus aioli) $14.95~
The cakes were full of crab...almost no other fillers. Which was great! I loved the flavor and the sauces. YUM!
Beef Short Rib Cocas/Flatbreads (horseradish aioli, bacon bits, shaved Manchego) $10.95~
This was meh. The flatbread was a bit dry as was the short rib. I don't recommend this.
I ended up getting Albondigas de Calamari (calamari & pork meatballs, squid ink rice, lemon aioli) $8.95~ because it sounded so interesting.
The rice was puffy and slightly crispy. I loved the texture! Almost like the crispy rice in Korean Bibimbop. That stole the show for sure. The meatballs were good. I like the crispy outside. But I actually like the combination of the crabcakes with the rice even more! hehe.
The food was pretty good, a little expensive for the portions we got. It's quite dark inside and kind of loud so it wasn't such a good place to talk. The service was eh. They were just there to take our orders and serve the food...nothing spectacular.
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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
For the V-Day weekend, I chose to go to Samar with my bf. I've been wanting to go there for a long time plus my sister had gotten me a giftcard there that was almost 2 years old! Geez...how time flies...
Samar
2100 Ross Ave.
Dallas, TX 75201
(214) 922-9922
http://www.samarrestaurant.com/
Price: $$
Samar is another restaurant by Stephan Pyles that incorporates Spainish, Mediterranean, and Indian influences in the menu. They serve mostly tapas(shareable plates). The decor of the restauarant definitely gave the same feeling of those regions. It was slightly dark for my preferences but I guess it sets the mood for a more intimate setting.
At one point during dinner, they had a belly dancer come through the dining area. It was pretty cool. But they turned up the music during that part and it was a bit too loud.
Our waiter was pretty nice and attentive. He presented the specials for the day and let us look over the menu.
We got a bunch of things to try...
Foie Gras Brulee (Pedro Ximenez Quince and crispy Jamon Serrano) $9~
It was like a foie gras parfait. haha. I like the presentation and we were given these long skinny spoons to dig into the glass. I was a little confused because it didn't come with any sort of bread or anything for us to spread the foie gras on. Without some sort of carb, it was wayyy too heavy. It was like eating foie gras lard/butter or something. It was just way too rich.
Luckily we ordered some naan on the side and was able to eat them together. But as a dish by itself, they need to serve it with some bread. The first few bites were interesting and I definitely liked the crispy jamon/bacon on top. But the more we ate the richer it got. It was like putting a stick of butter in your mouth towards the end of it. We did not finish that tiny glass... Blechh.
Rosemary Garlic Naan $4~
Lots of rosemary flavor, not enough garlic. But it was warm and pillowy. I love naan!
Duck Confit Tangine (with Medjool dates, figs, and tri-color couscous) $9~
This was not what I expected. Usually I see duck confit with the bone in. But this way we didn't have to mess with it. It was really good. It was one of my bf's favorite dishes. The duck had great flavor and was super tender. The couscous was also cooked well and the mellow flavor was a great contrast after having the rich foie gras. I even put some of the foie gras with the couscous, that wasn't bad either!
The Shorba of the Day (butternut squash with cashew) $4~
This was the soup of the day. I was sold at "butternut squash". haha. One of my favorite things. It was interesting. It had sweet undertones from the squash but was still savory from all the spices. I loved the texture. It was rich, thick, and velvety, just how butternut squash soup should be. I don't like it when it's too watery. The more I had the more I liked. It was very different from your typical butternut squash soup because of the spices.
Chickpea Masala (with roasted root vegetables and minted ricotta) $8~
This was highly recommended in online reviews so I really wanted to try it. This was definitely my favorite dish of the night. It just had great flavor... I can't pinpoint any of the specific flavors, it just all worked together. Plus the different textures with the chickpea and roasted vegetables were very pleasant. I can eat it all day!
Fish Curry of the Day (with seasonal vegetables and saffron scented Basmati rice) $18~
The fish of the day was Merluza, a Mediterranean fish. The fish was fantastic. It was flaky and delicate, yet had a sturdy feel to it as well. The curry sauce paired it really well. I felt the rice was just a tad overcooked. But I personally prefer really al dente rice and pasta. This became my bf's favorite dish of the night. Mine was still the chickpeas but this was a close second.
We ended the night with dessert of course. :P
Caramelized Apple Empanada (with cinnamon ice cream) $4~
The waiter said this was one of their top sellers. I loved the cinnamon ice cream. It was richer than normal ice cream, I thought. The empanada was good, but it was quite small and you can't fully enjoy the filling. It could've been crisper on the outside too.
Saffron-Coconut Rice Pudding (cardamom) $4~
I realized that I liked the "idea" of rice pudding, but not the actual thing. It was like eating porridge in a sweeter sauce. I'm not a fan of porridge. haha. I felt it wasn't sweet enough, but then again, I didn't want it to be too sweet. There was too much of the rice flavor I guess. Something was just not great about it. We definitely could've done without it.
We ended up spending a bit more than the giftcard value. haha. But I'm glad we got to try many different things. We were very full after. I think for the 2 of us we could've done without the foie gras and rice pudding.... The service was pretty good. The waiter answered all my questions and the water glasses were always refilled. He did give me the wrong price for the fish dish though (which contributed to the higher bill than we estimated)... We had several people come by and ask us how we're doing, so that was nice.
Overall, I enjoyed the food. If you are not a fan of spices, this is not the place for you. They definitely do not hold back in that aspect.
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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
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