Sad News: Rathbun's Blue Plate Kitchen is Closed :(

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*)

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True Food Kitchen

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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John Tesar's Spoon Bar & Kitchen

Yesterday I was treated to dinner by 2 of my friends. They are also huge foodies so when I told them Chef John Tesar's new restaurant, Spoon, just opened, they said we should go there. Wheeee! Sooo excited! 

I've been reading articles and seeing pictures about the restaurant for many weeks now, even before it opened. I knew it was gonna be good! Plus Chef John Tesar is competing in this season's Top Chef Seattle! He's kicking butt too! Way to represent Dallas. :) 

Spoon Bar & Kitchen 
8220 Westchester Drive, Suite B 
Dallas, TX 75225 
(855) 947-7666 
www.spoonbarandkitchen.com 
Price: $$$-$$$$+ 

The place is already very popular. We were only able to get a reservation at 5:30PM. Walking in, I loved the decor. It was a bit dim but the ocean/seafood theme was carried throughout but not overwhelming. I liked the color scheme with the subdued aqua-ish blue. The bathroom handles were giant spoons, I thought that was fun. Even though it was fine dining, the decor still felt light-hearted and comfortable. :) 

The menu just sounded amazing all around, but I already knew what I wanted! 

A guy came around with a huge bread basket with a bunch of different kinds of bread. We asked him to explain the different kinds but it seemed like he wasn't so sure. I'm not sure what I got. But one of my friends wanted the baguette and ended up getting the same thing as me...hahaha. The bread was good, would be better if it was warm though. The butter was nice and soft and spreadable. 

After ordering we were served an Amuse Bouche: Monkfish Liver and Tofu (in chili oil). 

So delicate and pretty. I've never had monkfish liver before and I'm not really a liver fan. It was awesome! The liver was like butter...rich and creamy with a hint of the fishiness which actually worked really well. In one little bite (which I split into 3 bites to savor it..haha) there were so many flavors. It was topped with a little sprinkle of sea salt which made the dish. It really brought out all the different flavors. Really great start to the meal. 

First We got the Grilled Octopus, Crispy Pork Belly (black garlic piquillo peppers, avocado, celery hearts) $16~ to share. 

This was one of the dishes I've been hearing about and really wanted to try. It was beautiful! The different pop of colors from the sauce and avocado against the black on the grilled octopus, very appetizing indeed! The octopus was cooked perfectly. So tender, lots of flavor and paired really well with all the other elements. I told my friends "I can't believe I'm saying this, but for once the octopus outshines the pork belly!" I'm such a pork belly fan, this really means that the octopus was great. The pork belly was good too but could've been a little crispier. I took my time savoring this dish!! 

Pasta 
For my entree, I've been thinking about the Squid Ink Pasta (little neck clams, Nantucket Bay scallops, lemon garlic, olive oil) $29~ since before the restaurant opened! haha. 

It was delicious!! I'm pretty sure they make all their pastas in house. The pasta was cooked perfectly al dente. I loved the texture. The scallops and clams were also cooked perfectly. The flavors were light yet complex, very well seasoned. I think there were also some chili flakes in there that gave it a hint of heat. Loved it! 

Lobster, Alaskan King Crab and Uni Butter (cannolicchi) $50~ 

One of my friends ordered this. It sounded so decadent and it was MORE than expected. Jumbo lumps of crab and lobster. The pasta was cooked perfectly and I loved the shape. It was rich and creamy and so sinful. I loved all the dishes we had but if I had to choose... this edges out on top. The price was a bit steep. But you can't deny that they used really great ingredients and the preparation was spot on. 

Fish 
Roasted Monkfish (turnips, carrots, long bean, Asian mushrooms and lobster miso dashe) $34~ 

My other friend ordered this. I don't actually think I've had monkfish before. It's a really weird and ugly looking fish, but I've seen it used quite a bit on Top Chef episodes. The fish was cooked well and the flavors were clean. The best part was the dashe. It was super clear but had such bold flavor. I would love it if they made a udon noodle soup with that or something. hehe. 

Before dessert we got a Palate Cleanser: Coffee Ice Cream with Peppermint Pavlova. The pavola were fun and crispy. The coffee ice cream was good too. Nice little intermission before the finale. hehe. 

Desserts 
Caramel Pudding Pave (peanut butter streusel with bananas brulee finished with micro basil and sea salt). 

Very pretty presentation. So small... haha. The texture of the pave was interesting. It tasted like a great caramel candy but was softer and slightly gelatinous. We used the pave to pick up all the streusel which was my favorite part. Bananas had a nice crunchy brulee on top. Some of the parts with more sea salt was a little too salty though. 

Black Magic Chocolate (chocolate cardamom cake, milk chocolate crunch, feuillitine, cocoa nibs with soft chocolate ganache, white chocolate ice cream). 

This was my choice. Also very nice presentation. The cardamom was very present in the cake. I loved the addition of the spice. At first the cake seemed a bit dry. But I liked the pairing with the ice cream and the crunchy layer on top. I'm not sure what the crumbly looking white thing was but I really liked it. Almost like a crumble of really rich cream? Very interesting. I think this was also topped with a light sprinkle of salt which really brought out the chocolate flavor. 

Post Dessert 
We got another surprise after dessert. Oh man.. we were quite full already! (from front to back) Caramel Fudge, Almond Cake, Peanut Butter Truffle, Lemon Marshmallow, Raspberry Pates de Fruits. 

So cute! They were all good but the peanut butter truffle was my favorite... super creamy and just immediately melted in my mouth. My friend's favorite was the Raspberry Pates de Fruits (which is almost like a little fruit jelly candy). 

And that's not the end of the surprises! We all received a To Go Gift: Coffee Muffin. Wow... I've gotta save that for later because I'm stuffed!! 

This has been an epic meal! I wanna thank my friends for treating me. :) I think this has been one of the best meals I've had in Dallas in a while. Very few criticisms and most of them are kind of nit picking. Our waitress was lovely, friendly and very attentive. The other people in the restaurant were also very welcoming. Several people came by our table to check on us throughout the meal. And the cherry on top... we got to meet Chef Tesar and take a picture with him! :D We saw him running around the kitchen and took a few minutes out of his busy schedule to do a photo op with us. Really nice guy! I will continue to cheer him on as I follow this season's Top Chef Seattle!!!! 

I'll definitely be back here in the future! Make sure you make your reservation soon! 

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Dive Coastal Cuisine

I've known about Dive for awhile now and never had the chance to go. Last week I met up with a friend for lunch so I suggested this place.

Dive Coastal Cuisine
3404 Rankin St.
Dallas, TX 75205
(214) 891-1700
http://www.dive-dallas.com
Price: $$-$$$

It's located in Snider Plaza. Business during lunch is really good! It was tough to find parking. We got there just in time and was able to find a table. It filled up soon after that. You order at the counter and they bring the food out to you.

Everything sounded so good but I've always seen pictures of their wraps so I thought I'd give that a try. I got the Curry Shrimp Wrap (coconut rice, greens, granny smith apples, cucumber, creamy curry dressing; in a spinach tortilla) $13~

Every part of this sounded awesome. It was super fresh. There were plenty of greens which I really liked. The shrimp was jumbo and cooked well. The best is the curry dressing with the wrap. It added a richness and flavor to the freshness of the other ingredients. I also liked that they pan fried the wrap. It made the tortilla a little crispy on the outside. For the price, I thought the portion was too small. For $13 it should at least come with a side or something. Although it ended up being quite filling. I would totally eat this again.

My friend got the Seared Ahi Tuna Wrap (ginger slaw, cucumber, avocado, coconut rice with sweet chili and ponzu sauce; in a spinach tortilla) $13~ This is one of their most popular dishes. The color of the tuna against the greens was beautiful. He said it was really good. I just might have to try it for myself next time.

We also got the Shrimp & Tuna Tartare (cucumber, tomatoes, guacamole; served with house-made plantain chips). It had a different name on the menu but I can't remember what it was or the price... 

The tartare had a lot of flavor. A touch of acidity from lemon juice, a hint of spice and a creaminess from the guac. The plantain chips were fried perfectly. Super crispy but wasn't greasy. A good compliment to the tartare.

I really enjoyed the food. Everything was tasty and really fresh. I just think the prices are a tad high... But I would go back and try more items in the future.

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Hopdoddy Burger Bar

After dinner, we decided to go back to Hopdoddy to get some milkshakes.

Hopdoddy Burger Bar
6030 Luther Ln Ste 100
Dallas, TX 75225
(214) 363-2337
http://www.hopdoddy.com/
Price: $

It's a really cool looking place. The decor is very "Austin", since it came from Austin. hehe. I liked it a lot.

So the system is a bit weird. You line up to order. While in line, the waitresses will give you a table number where you'll sit after you order at the register and they'll bring the food out to you. The weird thing is, they have to seat by groups of 6. Something to do with the way they fire their orders, only 6 at a time to make sure the burgers are cooked properly or something. So we had 8 and had to be split into 2 tables. So if you have more than 6, be prepared to be split up.

Once at the register, they wanted everyone in one table to all order together....even though we were paying separately. It was very inefficient. We all had to order, and then they had to call out each order for us to go back up and pay. Kind of stupid in my opinion. So we were all standing around confused and blocking the walkway. Wouldn't it be easier just to take an order, have them pay, and then move on to the next person?? Like most other order-at-counter establishments? I can see why they had a huge line earlier now...

Anyhoo. A friend of mine ordered the Kennebec Fries.

Not sure how much it was. It was really good. Well seasoned. Nice and crispy. And one of the waitresses was totally nice, came by to check on us even though we weren't her table. And told us about their queso dips for the fries. She brought us some samples too. Both awesome. I liked the green chile queso just a tad bit more. I'll be back to eat that again I'm sure. Chile con Queso (the red one...has meat) Green Chili Queso (the green one).

Nutella & Chocolate Pretzel Shake $5.50~

I got this to share with a friend. Totally delicious. I loved the chunks of pretzels throughout the shake. I'd advise using a spoon for this one. The straw wouldn't pick up some of the pretzels. The sweet and savory combo was great. And the crunch from the pretzels. YUM-O!

Raspberry White Chocolate Shake (with Godiva liqueur) $5.50 + $5 (alcohol)~ You can add alcohol to their shakes. It's quite expensive though.

My friend got this. It was good, but not spectacular like my chocolate pretzel shake. And you can barely taste the alcohol. I guess for me that's a good thing.

So everything we had was good. Some of their cocktails were good too and reasonably priced. I'd definitely go back to try the burgers. They just need to fix their ordering process though. I would hate to be there during peak hours and have to wait and wait and wait....

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Rathbun's Blue Plate Kitchen

So my friends and I were gonna go check out the new Hopdoddy Burger Bar over in Preston Center on Preston and NW Hwy. It just opened like a week ago. But they don't take reservations and the line was out the door!!! No way we were waiting. So I suggested Blue Plate! We were so close and I haven't been in forever. :)

Blue Plate Kitchen
6130 Luther Lane
Dallas, TX 75225
(214) 890-1103
http://www.kentrathbun.com/blueplate/dallas
Price: $$$

We didn't make a reservation but were able to be seated within 5 minutes. Our waitress was super nice and brought us waters and menus. They have their new fall menu, so a lot of things have changed. I haven't been there since the beginning of this year... How time flies.

So many new things to try! We started with their awesome Bread basket (corn bread, gingerbread?, biscuits; served with housemade jam and butter). It's served warm from the oven and always delicious. We scarfed it down... haha.

2 of my friends got Gramma Minnie's Vital Farms Fried Chicken (cream cheese-roasted garlic mash, maple gravy) $21~ From my recommendation. Their fried chicken is always amazing. And it sure didn't disappoint. My friends loved it. The chicken was super juicy and the batter was nice and crispy.

Another friend ordered the Maple Leaf Farms Duck Cassoulet $26~

It sounded interesting so he wanted to try something new. It was seared duck breast over a bed of (I wanna guess Swiss Chard?) and beans. So that's what a cassoulet is... haha. The duck was a bit undercooked and tough so he had to send it back. The 2nd place was much better, and the skin on the duck was crisper. But the duck meat was still quite tough and we both thought the beans were slightly too al dente. I didn't care for it. Good flavors... but wasn't executed properly. :(

Another friend and I decided to share. We went with a bunch of different things.
Soup of the Day: Pureed Sweet Potato Soup (sweet potato, a little cream, nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, maple, brown sugar; with pomegranate and apple gastrique).

I've totally been craving sweet potato or pumpkin soup so when the waitress told us the soup of the day, I HAD to get it! They even split the order for us. (So the picture you see is only half portion.) The soup was AMAZING! Rich and creamy and sweet and savory. It could almost be a dessert with the sweetness, but then you get the savory undertones and rounds it out to be a soup. The gastrique on top added more complexity to the flavors. Delicious. I can probably drink a bucket of that... Needless to say, I scraped my bowl clean. And then sopped up any residual with the bread. hahaha.

The Blue Plate Fixins (sides) looked so good we just got a bunch to try:
Roasted Cauliflower $8~ Nicely roasted, great flavor. YUM!

Nueske's Bacon Brussel Sprouts $8~ Lots of bacon! The brussels sprouts were cooked well and had good texture. But I would've like it to be a bit more charred on the outsides.

Braised Short Rib "Stroganoff" Mac n' Cheese $9~ Really interesting. Super cheesy... where the cheese just stretches when you are spooning it out. The pasta is cooked perfectly al dente. There were short rib and mushrooms in there. Made for an interesting mac n cheese! Really good!

I realized after our soup, that Chef Jennifer, the Chef de Cuisine was serving our table! Whoa! That's pretty cool. I told her the soup was fantastic!! Felt kind of special to see the head chef out and about the dining area. And of course our waitress was great. Very sweet and accommodating. Another great time at Blue Plate. I feel like their price point has gone up though. A bit pricier than we anticipated for dinner since we were going to Hopdoddy, but all of us were satisfied. :)

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