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Did y'all know that this is the 10th year of my blog, CHOMP!? Woohoo! But apparently the actual anniversary month was Feb... which I totally missed. *face palm* So I'm going to make April my anniversary post! It's my birth month AND this restaurant feature is a great one!!! LET'S CELEBRATE!!
My choice for April was an easy one. The EPIC 5 course media dinner at Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse in uptown. Meant for 7 people but due to weather, only 3 of us showed up! Haha. Lucky us! We had undivided attention, so many fantastic dishes, and the bad weather never even happened!
Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse
2323 Olive St,
Dallas, TX 75201
(972) 490-9000
delfriscos.com/steakhouse/dallas/
Price: $$$$$+
Dress Code: Business Casual
I had never dined at Del Frisco's before so I was SO psyched when I got invited. The location is quite convenient as they have complimentary valet as well as a parking garage where you can get validation. Upon walking in, the space is sophisticated and upscale. There are large windows in the dining area so lots of natural light. We (the 3 of us) were sat at a big round table... originally meant for 7. When we realized no one else was coming, we got to spread out. Yay! And the table was just the right size for all the food they were bringing out. Our awesome waiter, Jerome, warned us not to fill up on the bread. Which was very good btw. But I just had one bite. He told us that they were just going to bring stuff out, so we can sit back and just enjoy ourselves.
There was a cocktail served with every course. Not specifically a pairing though. I told them no cocktails for me. I would DEFINITELY not be able to drive home if they did! :P So I'm not going to comment on the cocktails very much. Other than the fact that they were all very beautiful and the other 2 people loved almost all of them.
FIRST COURSE:
Double Eagle Margarita (Casa Dragones Blanco, Grand Marnier, Lime, Monin Agave) $18.50~
Charred Octopus (gigante beans, tomatoes, olives, capers, lemon, cold pressed olive oil) $19.50~
When they served these 3 dishes, I think I actually jumped out of my seat with excitement. First of all... I LOVE octopus and this looked divine! The end of the tentacles were perfectly charred and crispy. The rest was just cooked to perfection! One of the best octopus dishes in Dallas for sure.
Seared Rare Wagyu Beef Carpaccio (baby arugula & shaved fennel salad, capers, parmesan, Creole mustard aioli) $18~
Carpaccios are hit or miss for me. This was definitely a hit! The beef quality was amazing and paired so well with all the toppings and flavors. The meat was melt in your mouth tender.
Thick-Cut Nueske's Bacon Au Poivre (bourbon molasses glaze) $16~
I actually clapped when I saw this. I was SO HAPPY! This is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen! That thick pepper crust with the sweet glaze was heaven. One of the top bites of the night for sure. And only $16?!? I'll just go by myself one day and get this as my entree. Ha!
SECOND COURSE:
The Plum Rose (Wheatley, Amaro Montenegro, Lime, Plum Preserves, Sparkling Rose) $15.50~
Heirloom Tomatoes & Burrata (aged balsamic reduction and pesto) $15~ This is gluten free! I love a good burrata. And this was very good. My favorite out of all the salads.
Blue Cheese Lettuce Wedge (iceberg, cherry tomatoes, crisp bacon, Danish blue cheese dressing) $11.50~ I wasn't a huge fan of this... Blue cheese is very iffy for me and I think this one was just too strong. The iceberg lettuce was crisp and fresh though.
Del's Salad (mixed greens, tomatoes, shaved carrots, croutons, crisp bacon) $11~ Pretty standard salad. Loved whatever that green dressing was on top. Green Goddess dressing, perhaps?
THIRD COURSE:
Pomegranate Martini (Tito's Handmade, Pama Pomegranate, Cranberry) $15.50~
Seared Chilean Sea Bass (crab fried rice, black bean garlic sauce) $47~ Absolutely gorgeous piece of fish. Both of the fish actually. This one was just a tad better cuz of the freaking crab fried rice. I mean... just give me a bowl of that on its own!
Bay of Fundy Salmon. Normally this would be served with crab hash and lobster tomato jus. Perfect crust on top and beautifully pink in the center. Just needed a tad more salt on the whole thing.
FOURTH COURSE:
Blood Orange Manhattan (Redemption Rye, Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth, Solerno Blood Orange, Angostura) $15.50~
14 Day Dry-Aged Colorado Prime Lamb 22oz $58~ I don't like lamb. Can't really stand the smell or taste... but it LOOKED impressive! It makes me wish I liked it. That crust looked delicious.
Wagyu Tasting (Japanese A5, Australian, Rosewood (TX) 3oz each) $160~
OMG! A wagyu flight? Get outta here! This has been such a dream already. So buttery, every slice. Loved the coarse salt to dip in... totally heightened the flavors of the meat. My palate was already in overdrive so I can't be sure, but I think I liked the Japanese and Australian better than the Rosewood. If I had to choose... they're all great.
Tomahawk (long-bone ribeye) 32oz $110~
OH. EM. GEE. I've only had tomahawks a few times in my life. This is the best one ever. THIS IS THE BEST NIGHT OF MY LIFE! Hahaha. Wow, this steak is beyond amazing. I think we all agreed that it just might be better than the wagyu flight! So much flavor on that crust, the meat was SO tender, and you can taste the beef itself. It's wonderful. And you know what? Reheated in the microwave the next day and it's still as tender as ever.
Our last course came with several side dishes. They were served to us by several waiters/waitresses while we took a million pics and videos of the steaks. So I didn't get great pictures of the sides.
Chateau Mashed Potatoes $12~ There were chunks of truffle on the potatoes. CHUNKS, not slices. CHUNKS! Wow!
Creamed Spinach (smoked bacon, egg, mushroom, aged sharp cheddar) $12.50~ I am a huge fan of creamed spinach!
Sauteed Wild Mushrooms & Pearl Onions $14.50~ Loved this. You can really taste mushroom flavor. So rustic!
FIFTH COURSE:
Del's Delight (Nocello Walnut Liqueur, Creme de Cacao Chocolate Liqueur & Vanilla Ice Cream) $11~ Basically like a boozy milkshake. Pretty awesome.
Lemon Cake (6 layers, lemon buttercream icing, lemon glaze) $12.50~ Dense and rich and so lemony. We were so full though! So most of the dessert were taken to go.
Butter Cake (butter pecan ice cream, fresh whipped cream, caramel sauce) $11.50~ Wowow! Fantastic crust on the butter cake. Definitely recommend this!
Thank you SO MUCH to Del Frisco's for having us! This has been one of the best dining experiences I've had in a while! Wonderful service, superb food, and I'm glad I got to enjoy it with 2 of my friends. Will definitely be back for that bacon and tomahawk. And FYI... they have HH on M-F 3-6:30PM!
~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
I recently got invited to a media dinner at Cane Rosso at White Rock. But it wasn't just a regular dinner... it was BRUNCH for dinner. Heck yea!! I'll take brunch all day, every day! They recently rolled out a new brunch menu and I was one of the lucky ones to check it out for free. :D I got to bring a friend, so she was lucky too. hehe.
Cane Rosso - White Rock
7328 Gaston Ave #100
Dallas, TX 75214
(214) 660-3644
www.canerosso.com/white-rock
Price (for brunch): $$
Brunch is every Saturday and Sunday from 11AM - 3PM.
My friend and I arrived super early so we got a head start on the drinks. Or... my friend got started on the drinks. haha. I prefer to eat my calories. :P Plus I don't really drink much alcohol. She started with a Raspberry(?) Hibiscus Moscow Mule. I think it was raspberry... not completely sure. But it was pink! She really liked it. Quite refreshing, and pretty, if we weren't sitting in a dark room. haha.
Then she moved on to the Spiked Sangria $6~ She loved it. Had about 3 glasses throughout the night. Haha. I don't drink, but I sure do bring friend that do! :P
Once everyone arrived, we started the dinner (er... brunch) with the Bomboloni (fluffly italian doughnuts filled with nutella; 3 per order) $8~
It smelled soooo good. Nothing smells better than a warm fried dough with nutella, you agree? I tried to get a good picture but it was quite dark in the dining room and it just kinda looks like a boob. hahaha. But the dough was nice and fluffy. I had to scrape off some of the sugar though, it was too much. And I wish they had actually done a cinnamon sugar instead of just sugar. Nutella is awesome. And they needed more of it. It wasn't completely filled inside the dough. Mostly just the dollop they pumped into the middle. It was yummy, but a few tweaks here and there would make it even better I think.
So we didn't really know what to expect from the dinner. We just knew they were bringing out several of the dishes to share family style. Turns out, they served us the ENTIRE brunch menu. O.M.G. We realized it too late so half way through we were already getting full! And I have a problem with going back for seconds if the food is just there in front of me. I need to get that under control! Ha!
The Hylander (meatballs, marinara, mozzarella on a housemade savory waffle; with fried potatoes) $12~
I was really excited about this dish when I accepted the invite. It just sounded amazing. Not the easiest to photograph though... And half of us ended up taking the dishes outside so we can use natural light. My favorite part of this dish? The savory waffles. They're so thick and had great texture. It's a little denser than a sweet waffle but I liked that. I felt like the meatballs and marinara were a bit one-note though. It needs a little pop of something... maybe some herbs? like basil? Or maybe some sort of freshness to lighten it? The combo of the waffles, meatballs, and fried potatoes was quite heavy. Which I found a lot of the brunch items to be. Not saying it's bad. I think brunch is about indulgence and it's meant to sop up the hangovers from last night's drinking right? hahaha. Oh... and all the dishes are quite big. I think they are definitely shareable, unless you are just famished.
Vegetable Frittata (italian style omelette with seasonal vegetables and cheese, small mista salad, bacon marmalade biscuit) $12~
Between the two frittatas, this was our favorite. It was just a little lighter and I liked all the veggies in there. I loveeeed that bacon marmalade biscuit. I mean... who doesn't like bacon marmalade?!? I liked that this was also served with a side salad. A little lighter and brighter than all the other dishes. Now if I can just add the hot soppressata to this frittata, that would be perfection.
Italian Stallion Frittata (italian style omelette with cheese, sausage, hot soppressata, and prosciutto cotto, fried potatoes, bacon marmalade biscuit) $14~
If you can't tell from my previous comment... the hot sopressata was my favorite part of this frittata. It was yummy! Loved it paired with the biscuit. I wish this was served with side of salad too... the potatoes are getting really heavy. And no one was really eating them. Meaning they just kept taunting me, and I ate too much. haha.
Breakfast Pizza (toppings change weekly) $14~
I'm not sure what all is on here. I couldn't hear the chef when he was introducing it. But there ARE potatoes. haha. There's also bacon and some sort of peppers. The peppers were fantastic... whatever they did with it, it had so much flavor and added a nice heat to the pizza. The potato chunks were too big and kind of clunky to eat. If they can cut that down smaller and crisp them up even more. It would be bomb. Overall, everyone loved the pizza. Great dough, great flavors.
Mother Clucker (crispy fried chicken on a housemade bacon marmalade biscuit, drizzled with habanero maple syrup, with fried potatoes) $12~ Make it a Mother Cluckin' Bastard (+hot soppressata and bacon marmalade) +$3~
So they served both version at the tables but didn't explain the differences. So my part of the table had the plain Mother Clucker. So I was confused as to why we were missing the bacon marmalade and other yummy meats on top. So we had to waive a waiter over to explain. Then we had to track down a Mother Cluckin' Bastard down the table so we can try some of that. The difference is night and day. I don't really know why they even offer the Mother Clucker. The Mother Cluckin' Bastard was so freaking amazing. The fried chicken was moist, the bacon marmalade and hot soppressata on top was an explosion of flavor. And the sweetness from the habanero maple syrup just rounded out everything. The Mother Clucker was as plain as can be... Just do everyone a service and remove that option so they will always be eating the better one. haha. Oh man... I'm seriously drooling right now. Lesson of the day: ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS opt for the Mother Cluckin' Bastard.
Biscuits and Gravy (housemade bacon marmalade biscuits topped with calabrian chile sausage gravy) $8~
OMG... by now we were all very full. And this is another heavy dish. While I've been loving their bacon marmalade biscuits, it gets lost under this pile of gravy. And I love sausage gravy... usually. But didn't like this one. The flavor was very muddled. It was bland but wasn't? I don't know how to explain. But just having had the Mother Cluckin' Bastard with the explosion of flavors, this one just totally fell short. :(
Breakfast Panini (flavors change weekly; served with small mista salad) $11~
This is a behemoth of a sandwich. And it was my favorite of the night. Except I was too full to eat more than two bites of it. It was huge! And stuffed full of delicious things... the best part being this chili pepper spread. I think it was the same chili pepper as the ones on the pizzas. Soooo much flavor with a hint of heat. It elevated the sandwich. And the "bread" is actually pizza dough. Which is genius, because their pizza dough has great texture. Absolutely loved it. I just wish they wouldn't change the flavors weekly because the one we had was perfect.
Cane Rosso Hash (bacon, sausage, onions, potatoes, calabrian chiles, sausage gravy, and two fried eggs, small mista salad, bacon marmalade biscuit) $14~
The hash looked really good but there were a few elements I just didn't like. 1) The potatoes... oh the potatoes that we had with every other dish... they were too big. I prefer hashes to have smaller chunks of potato. Easier to eat imo. 2) The gravy is back as well. Still muddled and it just dulls the whole dish. I'd say remove the gravy and just load up the hash with the bacon marmalade/hot soppressata mixture. Yes? Yes? :P
Wafflebird (housemade sweet waffle topped with vanilla mascarpone, nutella, cookie butter, crushed speculoos cookies, toasted marshmallows, powdered sugar; with side of fruit) $9~
I thought I couldn't eat another bite... until the sweet dish came. It was b.e.a.uuuutiful! I mean.. just everything I love piled on a super fluffy (and surprisingly light) waffle. The waffle itself was perfection. I dunno how they get it so light and fluffy. The toppings were no joke... nutella, cookie butter, speculoos cookies? AND marshmallow? I'm glad there was a side a fruit so I felt a little "healthier". hahaha. But seriously, one of the best dessert waffles I've ever had. Easily one of my favorite dishes of the night. Get it. You know you want to.
It was a pretty epic meal. Mainly in the sheer amount of food I just consumed. haha. There were definitely some fantastic dishes, and some fell short. But I wouldn't be eating the entire menu next time I go so I know exactly what I will order again. Basically... bacon marmalade ALL THE THINGS! It is a great value for the money. All the dishes are very filling and the price point is all under $14 a dish. Thanks to Cane Rosso for having me. :)
*The meal was comped but all opinions are my own.*
Quality of Food:
Service:
Ambiance:
Value: (comped)
Overall Experience:
~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
Back in May I was invited with the MyFab5 crew to check out the new pizza place in Argyle, TX. I hadn't even heard of Argyle and had no idea where it was. Turns out, it's far... far from me at least. Good news to the folks in Denton, it's just a little North of y'all. But this is the lastest concept from the team behind Barley & Board, which you know is my new favorite place! I have to support my peeps! So out of the 3 community leaders for MyFab5/@bestfooddallas, I was the only one that made it out there. It was a week night and quite difficult for everyone to make the trek.
Earl's 377 Pizza
427 U.S. 377
Argyle, TX 76226
(940) 464-4444
http://earls377pizza.com
Price: $$-$$$
It was their media night, so there were lots of other bloggers, writers there. The place is a converted fire station. It's really cool! It's like Barley & Board where they re-purposed materials already there, that has history and meaning, and use them in interesting ways. For example, they have shovel chandeliers, "shoveliers". Ha! Makes sense when the decor is done by the same team that did B&B.
At first I had a table for myself. I had mentioned that I didn't mind being placed with other bloggers but wasn't sure if that was going to happen. So I went ahead and ordered... Oh man did I represent! I ordered enough for like 5 people. haha. Gotta try a little bit of everything right?? But after I placed my order, Narciso (the PR guy) found me a spot with two girls from The Dentonite. They were super nice and welcomed me to their table. After some brief introductions the food started arriving. It was their orders first.
Isabella's Snack Board (prosciutto, salami, mortadella, marinated vegetables) $12~
My new foodie friends had ordered this. I had a bite of one of the meats, not sure which one. I've never been that into meat boards as cured meats are not my favorite. But I'll eat them, don't get me wrong. I'm just not the best judge on whether or not one is good. This looked pretty good to me. And the two girls seemed to really enjoy it.
Crawfish & Artichoke (roasted peppers, pepper jack) $9~
Then my appetizer came. It was still bubbling when they set it on the table. I liked that they used pizza crust as the bread. The crust on the pizza is usually my favorite part. I know that's not the norm... but a good dough with good texture can make or break a pizza for me. The dip was warm and cheesy. We all really liked it. It's quite heavy though, so good to share with people.
Baby Arugula (shaved prosciutto, parmesan, shallot, dried figs, balsamic vinaigrette) $10~
I had to try a salad since I like to have some fresh greens with every meal. The salad was huge!! Tons of fresh arugula. The figs were nice a juicy and it wasn't overly dressed. I hate it when restaurants drown the salads. This was perfect.
Chicken & Artichoke (ricotta, spinach, artichokes, mozzarella) Reg $12~
This was the first pizza to arrive. The other girls ordered this one. It was on my list, but I had too many already and had passed on it. I'm so glad I got to try it. It was one of my favorites for the night. I just love all the ingredients and it was simple and good. All their pizzas were good actually...
Yukon Gold (ricotta, smashed potato, bacon, roasted onions, rosemary) Reg $12~
We both ordered this so we had 2 for the table. haha. One of our absolute favorites. It's like a baked potato on a pizza. Sounds amazing right? I think potatoes need to become a standard on pizzas. And that bacon tho... I also wore my pizza shirt to match the food! :P
Forager (roasted mushrooms, sweet onions, spinach, truffle oil) Reg $12~
One of my orders. I freaking love mushrooms so I had to get it. It was good, but didn't live up to some of the other ones so it got lost in the mix. I think I was missing a meat element with this one. Next time I'd add sausage to it I think.
N'Djua (spicy prosciutto spread, shallot, ricotta) Reg $12~
This was the one I was most excited about, because of that prosciutto spread. I think I had an idea of what it was and I was right. The only thing is... it needed more of it on the pizza! Just load it up!! It had a nice kick to it too. Yum!
Meatball Sandwich (house meatballs and marinara baked with mozzarella and provolone; served with Deep River chips) $12~
I had to get a sandwich to try as well. This was epic. I just stared in awe as they set it in front of me. We had ran out of table space by then. haha. The meatballs were ginormous! And very tasty. I was only able to take a bite or two though since I was stuffed at this point. Loved the chips as well.
We tried to get one of their dessert pizzas but the kitchen ran out. Oh well, it's probably good that we didn't get it since I was about to burst! Plus I had a mountain of leftovers to take home. :D I'm gonna have to try it some other time. The food was great and the ambiance was super unique yet casual. I expected no less from the team behind Barley & Board. And I have to give a special shout out to the wait staff. Most of the wait staff was made up of teenagers (I think)...they all seemed really young. And all were just super enthusiastic and friendly. They were constantly checking on all the tables making sure everyone had everything they could ever need. They didn't even give us the chance to ask for drink refills. The 2 girls I sat with were drinking pink lemonades. They were constantly being refilled. One girl even brought over fresh cups when she saw that the ice had melted down a little in their current drinks. What service! And when our waiter had to deliver the news that the dessert pizzas ran out, he was seriously distraught and kept apologizing. haha. At first we thought maybe it was because it's media night, but then quickly realized that they were just good kids and really cared about the customers.
It was a great and delicious night. I made some new friends too! I got to talk to some of the owners as well, they were going around the room talking to customers. I told them I drove all the way out from Rockwall! They were very impressed. hehe. It was worth it. I have really high hopes for this team. I hope they continue to expand through DFW. (Please come more Southeast! *hint*hint* hehe.) Glad I was able to represent @bestfooddallas during their sneak peek. :)
Quality of Food:
Service:
Ambiance:
Value: *comped*
Overall Experience:
~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
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