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Sorry for the delay but here's my July pick!
My boss wanted to take the new team out for a team lunch and we decided to go to Cattleack BBQ. I've been wanting to go there but always heard there's a long line. Luckily it's like 5 minutes from our office.
They're only open for dine-in on Thurs-Sat, I think. And lunch only. I think we arrived a little past 11AM and ended up waiting over 75 minutes. Damn. The line didn't seem long at first, but once you get inside, the line wraps all around the place... it's deceiving. Was totally STARVING by the time we ordered. I may have gone a little overboard. Haha. And sorry for the lack of pictures. We were too hungry.
Cattleack Barbeque
13628 Gamma Rd.
Farmers Branch, TX 75244
cattleackbbq.com
(972) 805-0999
Price: $$$
Brisket (moist or lean) $18.99/lb~ For the meats I got a pound of Brisket, moist of course! Gotta get the good fatty meats. The half pound seemed too little, but once he piled the whole pound on the tray, I was like "whoa". Haha. The brisket was amazing. So freaking moist and tender. I'd highly recommend this.
Pork Ribs $15.99/lb~ I also got half pound of this. Also very tender but the brisket stole the show. As far as ribs went, these were great.
Sausages $5.50 per link~
Original, Hatch Chile & Cheese, Spicy Texan, Triple "B"
I never order sausage. I usually just want one bite. The ones I tried were pretty good. They always tend to be a little too salty for me.
We got the sides to share. A few pints of each.
Burnt Ends Beans. Pretty good! Beans aren't my thing though.
Cole Slaw and Potato Salad. LOVED the potato salad. The slaw was great too. I would get these two again.
We ate so quickly... and the meat sweats hit before we got back to the office. Hahaha. I'm not sure if I'd stand in line for this again, I don't like to wait for food... but it's legit good. Next time you have a party, you can pre-order so you don't have to wait. 20 lbs minimum per pre-order though. Enjoy! Hehe.
Last week, some of my co-workers treated me to lunch to celebrate my recent graduation. How sweet of them!
I chose this Peruvian place that's close to the office but I've never heard of before. I just found it online.
I can't say I've had much Peruvian food before. I know La Duni does some Peruvian stuff... but I don't think they are specifically Peruvian. I always want to try it more. I do love Latin food.
Tineo Peruvian Cafe
525 W Arapaho Rd.
Richardson, TX 75080
(214) 256-4535
http://tineoperuviancafe.com/
Price: $$
This is definitely a hole in the wall, although it was a pretty big space. It's at the end of a nondescript shopping center. It was pretty bare when I walked in. No decor to speak of. There were a few people in line to order at the counter. And not only is it a restaurant, it was also like a mini convenience store. They had some Peruvian snacks and drinks for purchase. Oh, and some good looking bakery goods too!
I was the first to arrive so I waited in line to ask the guy if I can pull some tables together. The service is pretty slow. Even though there were only 2 people in front of me, I waited quite a while. I realized that they only had one guy manning the register and front of house, and I think one person in the kitchen.
We thought we had to order at the counter but the guy finally emerged with menus and said we can sit down and order. He was very friendly, although not so good in English. It was a little difficult to ask questions about the menu (which I always end up doing.) :P Yes, yes.. I'm the difficult customer. haha.
We finally all ordered. We waited quite a while to get our food since it seems like there's only 1 person cooking in the back. None of us really minded though, we weren't in a hurry. However, they didn't really turn on the heat in there so we were all freezing to death. Definitely go when it's warmer or bundle up!! Finally the food came out one by one. We told others to start eating so the food doesn't get cold. Every plate looked yummy and huge! I thought the prices were a bit expensive but then you see the portions and it was better.
Tallarin Saltado a la Criolla (flamed beef or chicken with sauteed onions and tomatoes; served with noodles) $10.99~
3 people ordered this. 2 got beef, and 1 got chicken. It was on a large plate and was overflowing. The noodles came out steaming hot too. Looked amazing. I was starving by then. They used spaghetti noodles which my mom uses at home when she makes stir fry noodles because they hold their texture well. It was very good. All of them loved it. And 2 of them cleaned their plates! Impressive.
Seco de Carne (beef, potatoes, and cilantro stew served with beans and rice) $10.99~
2 other co-workers got this. It looked really good too! Definitely a great choice for such a cold day. The beef was nice and tender. The beans were an interesting pairing but worked well. They said the rice was flavored with something and kinda threw them off a little. But overall they loved it.
Tallarines Verdes con Bistec (Peruvian style pesto on spaghetti; served with a thinly sliced steak) $12.99~
Last but not least, I got my dish. I really didn't know what to expect with this when I ordered it. I just know I like pesto... but I had no idea what Peruvian pesto is. haha. It was a pretty green color. TONS of noodles topped with a seared steak on top. The steak was pretty flat but I liked how the edges were seared and a little crispy. The noodles and pesto was good too. The pesto was slightly different than an Italian pesto. There was another spice/flavor that I couldn't really identify. I enjoyed it a lot. I only wish that there was some veggies in it as well. It would've been nice to have some freshness.
My co-workers all loved it and were already saying they were going to come back. I want to say that the food here is more "homey", maybe something people would cook at home for their families instead of restaurant cuisine. However, don't believe everything I say because I am really not an expert in Peruvian food/culture. I CAN say that I've never had Peruvian food like this before.
I took half of my dish to go because I wanted to save room for dessert!
Flan $3.25~ Like a typical Latin flan, it's much heavier/denser. It was good. Not the best I've had, but I would definitely eat it again.
Bread Pudding $3.25~ Some others wanted to try this. It was cold, since it was prepackaged and put into the fridge/display case. They loved it. The raisins were nice and plump. I thought it was ok. I personally like warm bread puddings with a little bit of a crispy edge. And I would've loved a rum sauce or creme anglaise or something.
Chocolate Cake $3.25~ I caved and also got a chocolate cake. From the display case, it looked soooo gooey and moist. However, after I opened it up, I realized they just drizzled some chocolate sauce on the top of the slice so it looks really moist. It was a pretty generic chocolate bundt cake. Compared to the other two it wasn't anything special.
What a great new find! The service is quite slow but the guy was super nice. And the place isn't anything fancy, but we all loved our food. I'm sure most of us will be back there again at some point. I can't believe they only had 2 people running the place! So go on a day you don't have much going on. hehe. And thanks so much to my co-workers for the great lunch! I feel so loved. :)
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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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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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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
These are some sit down restaurants we went to in Paris.
Del Papa
135 Avenue Malakoff
75016 Paris, France
01 45 00 36 73
http://delpapa.fr/
- Pizza Caruso (tomato, mozzarella, ham, mushrooms, chorizo, egg) 12€
- Vittel (still water) 3€
First night dinner by the hotel. We got bullied into paying for still water. They refused to give us tap... which you should ask for and it's free btw. :( Got the pizza to share. It was yummy. What's not good about an egg on anything?? haha.
le Comptoir (Relais Saint-Germain)
9 Carrefour de l'Odéon
75006 Paris, France
01 44 27 07 97
http://www.hotel-paris-relais-saint-germain.com/
We found this place on a blog about "cheap" eating in Paris. Paris is not cheap at all...but I guess for what we got it was pretty decent.
- Croque-Monsieur Saumon Fume (smoked salmon croque monsieur with caviar; side of baby romaine salad) 10€
The blog featured the Salmon Croque Monsieur. For the price, it had smoked salmon and caviar so I guess that deserves its spot on the list. The bread was crisped to perfection. I'm not a smoked salmon fan, but it was pretty good.
- Salade de Haricots mais Bearnais Acidules, Jambon Blanc, Roquette 9€
Some sort of bean with onions and bell peppers topped with thinly sliced ham and arugula. I randomly picked this from the menu. Everything was in French and I had to make guesses. I thought it was going to have green beans cuz I saw "haricot". But green beans are "haricot vert"...so I assume haricot just means "bean". But surprisingly good! It was a cold dish. It was good on bread and the sliced ham was so tender! I lucked out! :)
Leon de Bruxelles
95 Boulevard Gouvion-Saint-Cyr
75017 Paris, France
01 55 37 95 30
http://www.leon-de-bruxelles.fr/
This was our last night dinner. Literally 10 yards from our hotel. The pictures of the mussels looked delicious.
Leon's Menu Tradition: Starter + Dish 17,40€
- Duo of Wrapped Prawns with Salad
- Mussels "Au Gratin" (Riviera Styled - butter, garlic, parsley, tomato sauce and cheese; served with side of unlimited fries)
Baked mussels with cheese. Yum! Very flavorful with the cheese. The fries weren't as good as the fries from the Eiffel Tower!! hehe.
Leon's Menu Original: Starter + Dish + Dessert 22,50€
- Cheese Croquette with Salad
- Cocotte of Mussels (with Madras Curry; served with side of unlimited fries)
- Creme Brulee (with brown sugar)
HUGE pot of mussels. This is definitely a better deal than the baked one. I can't believe I finished it all! And definitely use the bread to sop up all that curry broth. And can't go to France without getting creme brulee. So even though I was stuffed, I made a point of ordering it. The creme brulees in Paris are so much bigger than the ones we get in the states. Very weird...since all the ice creams are so much smaller...
~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
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