Cane Rosso Brunch @ White Rock

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 ~~

Blog and Brunch at Fearing's

I look forward to Blog and Brunch with my food blogger friends every month. The months where I'm busy or out of town, I'm always so bummed. I'm glad I was available this month though! Because we're having brunch at Fearing's inside the Ritz Carlton, y'all! I have never accepted an invitation so fast in my life! haha. This is definitely going to be a special treat. :D

Fearings - The Ritz Carlton
2121 McKinney Ave.
Dallas, TX 75201
(214) 922-4848
http://fearingsrestaurant.com
Price (for brunch): $$$$

If you haven't heard of Chef Dean Fearing, you probably don't go out to eat much or you just moved to Dallas. haha. He's a huge name in the Dallas food scene. You can read up about him here. We were all super psyched to be here!

We were seated at a large square table in the back dining room, right by the kitchen and the action! The place was packed and everyone was slightly dressed up. It IS the Ritz... gotta fancy it up a little, ya? hehe.

Get Rattled - Food/Drink Specials & Live Music

Some people started with some sangria. White Peach Sangria $12~ It's so pretty and full of fresh fruits. Waiters came by with either still or sparkling water.

Then we got to meet the Executive Chef. Chef Eric Dreyer was super nice and greeted our table. He's quite young! It was such a treat to be personally welcomed by the chef, especially of such an establishment. He actually came by and checked on us a few times througout the meal. And we got a group photo with him at the end. :)

As we looked over the menu... everything looked amazing. It was really hard making a decision, but we all knew we wanted the Breaking Bread (Pecan Brioche Cinnamon Rolls, Bacon/Cheese/Chive Scones, Banana Bread, Buttermilk Biscuits; mixed berry jam, honey, Vermont butter) $5~ You get 2 of each kind of bread. 

They served us 3 samplers. THREE. That's a lot of carbs. Wonderful, delicious carbs. It was my cheat day obviously so I'm going all out!! My favorite was the buttermilk biscuit. It was perfect with the butter and berry jam. But everything else was good too. I liked that the scone was savory since everything else was sweet. It was a nice variety. We had a ton left over. And guess who got to take it all home?! ME!!!! Yaaassssss!

To give you an idea on how brunch at Fearing's works. You can either do 'The Whole Enchilada' - Choice of Starter, Main Course, Dessert for $42~ Or order everything 'a la Carte' - Starters $12~, Main Course $26~, Dessert $10~ If you are hungry, go for the Whole Enchilada for sure.

STARTERS:
Dean's Tortilla Soup (with South of the Border Flavors). This is Fearing's famous tortilla soup. We got a taster of it. It was poured table side, which I love... always a great presentation. The flavors of this soup is really bold. I liked the thin strips of tortilla and radishes in the soup. The little chunks of avocado was nice too. I'm not really a soup person so my opinion is not the best to judge by... but EVERYONE at the table were Mmmm and Ahhh-ing all over it. It was a HUGE hit. So the hype is real.

Chilled Shrimp Campeche Cocktail (with avocado/jicama salad, and chile lime plantain chips). I really enjoyed this though. The shrimp were plump and tender. The dish was very refreshing. All the elements complimented each other... the creaminess of the avocado and the crispness of the jicama. Yum! And eat it with the plantain chips for that added crunch!

House Smoked Salmon Flatbread (with whipped goat cheese, hand picked dill, crispy capers, pickled onions, heirloom tomatoes). I did not try this as I don't like smoked salmon OR goat cheese. So I let the others enjoy it.

Warm Buttermilk Doughnut Holes (with honeycrisp apple butter, and house made sage sausage). 

It was unanimous at the table that we order this. I really liked the presentation but somehow it just doesn't turn out in photos. This dish is not as expected. I'd have to say I was a little disappointed. Although I liked the sage flavor in the sausage, it was lacking salt. Since there was not much salt, the sausage was almost more sweet than savory. The donuts themselves had good texture but without dipping a lot of the apple butter, it wasn't sweet enough. Overall it was just a little lacking.

HOT PLATES:
Gaby's Migas (chorizo and scrambled eggs in a flour tortilla with salsa verde, queso fundido and charred tomato/avocado salad). 

This was certainly not my idea of migas. I thought usually it's tortilla chips or strips mixed in with eggs and meat and stuff. This was more like a burrito? But no matter... it was so good. I'd say it was my favorite entree of the day. That tortilla texture was fantastic and all the flavors were great. Especially that salsa verde. I even asked for extra salsa verde so I can dip my fried chicken into it. haha.

Granny Fearing's 'Paper Bag Shook' Fried Chicken (with whipped potatoes, all day green beans and tomato gravy). 

This was my choice. It's not very photogenic but that fried chicken was amazing. It's just barely breaded and fried so it's got the crispness without the heavy breading. The chicken was super moist and tender. The whipped potatoes were nice and creamy. The green beans and tomato gravy were kind of a let down. The green beans were pretty basic, kinda soft. The gravy... wasn't sure if they forgot to season it, but it didn't have much flavor. I just got the salsa verde from the migas and slathered my chicken with it though. Delicious! haha.

Red Chile Glazed Crispy Fish Tacos (wrapped in white corn tortillas with firecracker slaw, cilantro/tomatillo rice, and house made escabeche). A pretty dish. Lots of colorful veggies. It looked pretty light. I tried a small bite of the fish, but couldn't really tell anything from that. haha.

Buffalo Chili 'Benedict' (on jalapeno cheddar cheese biscuits with poached farm fresh egg and poblano hollandaise). Those soft poached eggs were unreal! I've never seen soft poached like that before. It's pretty impressive. They almost look like mochi to me. haha. Loved the biscuits on the bottom.

Dr. Pepper Braised Short Ribs (with 'Loaded' whipped potatoes and crispy tobacco onions). This was definitely the crowd pleaser of the day. Not only was it a beautiful dish, but that short rib was fork tender and full of flavor. The crispy onions on top was a great pairing. Everyone who got this cleaned their plates.

Grilled BBQ Glazed Filet (on Brazos Valley jalapeno grits with a tangle of greens, smoked bacon, poached egg, and traditional hollandaise). Also a fantastically soft poached egg. I only tried a bite of the grits which was good. But it looked like a well rounded dish.

We were all really full but we can't have a meal without trying the desserts! They had 3 on the menu so we got all 3 for the table. :P

DESSERT:
Banana Pudding (with homemade vanilla wafers, toasted meringue, bananas foster sauce and warm beignets). A cute presentation, but again, the photos don't do it justice. It was yummy. The best part was the banana ice cream imo.

Double Dark Chocolate Cake (with hazelnut mousse, blood orange sauce, and coffee toffee ice cream). 

This was the show stopper for me. Absolutely gorgeous presentation. That tuile/crisp though... So delicate and intricate and beautiful. Not to mention yummy! The cake was super moist. I love the coffee flavors in there. Helped to accent the chocolate. That hazelnut mousse was oh so luscious. I do have one little nitpick though.. they should've removed the strings from the mandarin slices. haha. I think it took away from the presentation a little.

Fried Blueberry Pies and Blueberry Crisp (with lemon cheesecake ice cream, and graham cracker crunch). 

Such a fun dessert. Cute presentation and ALL THE BLUEBERRIES! My favorite part was the fried pie. I loved the crust. I wish all the ice cream scoops were much larger though. We always run out of ice cream before everything else. :P

It was a great brunch overall. I loved spending time with my fellow bloggers, we always have so much fun. The ambiance was bright and energetic in the dining room by the kitchen. Chef Eric Dreyer took great care of us as well as the wait staff. There were a few misses here and there but there were so much other delicious foods that I was beyond full. I'm still dreaming of that Breaking Bread sampler. I love my carbs! :) And gimme that chocolate cake all day every day!

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

Quality of Food: 

Service: 

Ambiance: 

Value: (comped)

Overall Experience: 

~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

Dallas Fish Market - Menu Tasting

I recently got invited to check out Dallas Fish Market. I was pretty excited because it's always been on my list of restaurants to try but just never made it out. This past Saturday, my husband and I paid them a visit. We had a really early reservation at 5PM, right when they opened for dinner service. Upon checking in, the hostess knew right away that I was there for a menu tasting set up by their marketing department. She sat us right by the window... where there was the best light. Was that a conscious choice on the restaurant's part? I'd like to think so! (It was definitely smart!) :) And the lighting was perfect that day. (The rest of the restaurant was quite dim if you like a more intimate setting.)

Dallas Fish Market
1501 Main St #100
Dallas, TX 75201
(214) 744-3474
www.dallasfishmarket.com
Price: $$$$+

The hostess gave us some menus to peruse but also explained that the chef was just going to send stuff out, so the menus were just for references. Soon after, we were served 2 glasses of champagne to start and some cucumber waters.

The first course came quickly after... Crab BLT (colossal crab, bacon jam, Thai basil). 

This was a cute little amuse bouche. OMG, it was so cute! Not only did it look good, it was yummy! The biscuit was buttery and flaky. The crab had great texture. And oh the bacon jam.... Yum! I also loved the use of Thai basil instead of Italian basil. It gave a sharper fragrance to the bite. Once the BLT was served, the chef, Chef Triptow, came out to greet us and kind of explained how the dinner was going to work. We basically sit back and let him surprise us with whatever he wanted us to try! Works for me! This way I won't have to choose between all the delicious sounding dishes. hehe.

We started with the Market Clam Chowder (little neck clams, smoked bacon, potatoes) $8~ 

I love a good chowder. And I like really creamy and hearty chowders. I'm usually not a fan of brothy soups. This hit on all my requirements for a good chowder. It was rich, hearty, and full of ingredients... Definitely lots of clams in every spoonful. It is a very rich soup. I'm glad we got to share it. Because if I had finished that on my own, I would've been full.

Steamed Prince Edward Island Mussels (lemongrass, red coconut milk, thai basil) $14~ 

I feel like the chef is reading my mind. So far he's sending out all the things I would've ordered on my own. I had been eyeing the mussels from the start. I absolutely LOVED it! It's less soupy than most mussels I've had. Just an observation, not saying either way is better. But that sauce was amazingggg. It was creamy and flavorful... I can definitely taste every ingredient. I loved the combination with the grilled bread and the sauce. The mussels were cooked well and were nice and plump. This was one of my favorite dishes of the night.

Housemade Biscuits (jalapeno, cheddar, maple syrup butter, sea salt). 

This was an unexpected little bonus between the starters and entrees. The biscuits were buttery and flaky and warm. I was intrigued by the maple whipped butter. You can definitely taste the maple syrup. And the addition of the sea salt intensified that sweet and savory combination. Loved the savory biscuit with the slightly sweet butter.

For the entrees, we got Scallops with Cauliflower Three Ways (cauliflower puree, roasted cauliflower, raw cauliflower salad) $34~ 

Again... reading my mind? I love scallops, but I rarely order them at restaurants because most place tend to give you only 3 tiny pieces are sometimes disappointing. The last time I ordered scallops at a nice restaurant (I won't name names), it was expensive, small, and the scallops were gritty! This was not the case at Dallas Fish Market! It's still a pricey dish, but you get FOUR good sized pieces of scallops. And it was cooked to PERFECTION. I have not had scallops this good in a long time! Perfectly seared, perfectly tender and the plating was beautiful. 

All the presentation so far have been great, but we really start to see the artistry with the entrees. Also, I love cauliflower. I eat it weekly. The puree was creamy and luscious. The grilled ones were my favorite... cooked with browned butter, it had added so much flavor to the dish. I just wished there was more of it. And the raw cauliflower florets added a slightly crunchy texture. I also have to point out the grapes. I've never had grapes with scallops before and it was genius. Just slightly sweet, it paired so well with everything. I started cutting them in half just so I can have a bit of grape with every bite. A+!

Fennel Coriander Crusted Ahi Tuna (mushrooms, sugar peas, serrano, black bean paste, mustard miso) $34~ 

The chef obviously read my husband's mind too because Ahi Tuna is like his favorite thing. Gorgeous plating, once again. That black bean paste was so bold in flavor. We've seen a lot of Asian influences so far and we're loving it. The tuna was tender and that crust was my favorite part of the dish. My husband really enjoyed the sauce and all the veggies in it. The serrano added a nice heat but wasn't overly spicy. The entrees didn't look that big, but were both quite full at this point.

I knew there was going to be dessert but wasn't sure what we're going to get because desserts weren't listed on the menu.

The waiter brought out these cute little Black Sesame and Yuzu Ice Cream Cones (truffled honey, toasted quinoa). 

My eyes lit up as soon as I saw the black sesame ice cream. I'm obsessed with it and I'm sad that you can't really find much of it in Dallas. But what? We're at a non-Asian place and were served black sesame ice cream?! I'm officially impressed now. Biting into it, I also tasted something like lemon. So I asked the waiter what else was in it and he asked the chef. The chef actually incorporated Yuzu into it. Another ingredient I absolutely love but is really lacking in the Dallas food scene. NIce! The waiter also told us that this is not on the menu, and the chef decided to make it specially for us. Awww... He definitely made it for the right people because we love all these flavors. It was the perfect little bite to end the dinner.... Or so we thought...

But wait. There's more! (Of course! haha). My husband's eyes got really wide when more desserts came because we were both so full.

They brought out a Molten Chocolate Souffle (creme anglaise). 

The creme anglaise was poured at the table. The souffle was so hot, you could actually see the sauce pulsating inside of it. Since it was a molten souffle, the inside was a little denser and molten-y than a typical souffle. Which I enjoyed because I like denser desserts. Sometimes I find souffles too light. haha. Have you noticed I like things with more substance and heft? I also loved the top crust. That's usually my favorite part of a souffle. The chocolate was dark but not bitter. And it wasn't overly sweet. :)

The chef came back out when the desserts were served to see how we were doing and introduced the desserts. We found out then that he had just returned from a trip to Japan. His first time! We talked for awhile about our experiences as well as his. This is where the idea of the black sesame yuzu ice cream came from. He also said that he discovered more flavors from his trip that he's going to try and incorporate into future dishes. He's already got some ideas. That's really exciting. My husband and I both loved Japan and we look forward to what Chef Triptow brings to the table in the future. If he's already incorporating a lot of Asian flavors, his trip to Japan would definitely bring more creative ideas into the menu.

The last dessert was a Beet Ice Cream (citrus buttercream, chocolate crumble, candied beets) $8~ 

It was absolutely gorgeous. Basically art on a plate. The chef said he wanted to do a more savory dessert. This dish is actually not on the menu right now. They will debut it on the Mother's Day Brunch coming up this Sunday 5/14 (you can find the menu on their website). And then after that, I believe it will be added to the regular menu. The dish looked like a beautiful spring garden. The chocolate crumbles (made with hazelnuts, almonds, and peanuts) is the earth, and it's covered with bold colors of pinks, greens, and yellows. The beet ice cream was so good... you can definitely taste the beet but it wasn't weird. We both love beets so we inhaled this dessert. My favorite part on this dish though... that citrus buttercream. It's bright and creamy. I kinda want the Chef to create another dessert just around that citrus buttercream. So good!

What a wonderful dinner. I'm kicking myself for not going to the Dallas Fish Market sooner... it's been around for a long time (since 2007)! For a city that's not close to the ocean, I have to say that Dallas has some great seafood restaurants! We loved everything that the chef chose for us. I actually like being surprised like this. It takes the pressure off of me to choose what I want. Because I always want everything! haha. And the chef and I were totally on the same vibe because I probably would've picked everything he sent out anyways. The quality of the ingredients were top notch. The presentation was also great. And we had fantastic service. Multiple people waited on us, perks of going early when the restaurant is not full yet! Our water glasses never got past half empty (which my husband REALLY appreciated), and the timing between each course was just right. I would totally recommend it for a date night or special occasion. And a huge THANK YOU to Dallas Fish Market for having us out and filling our bellies. :) Can't wait to come back in the future.

*The meal was comped but all opinions are my own. Plus, always tip your wait staff even if you get a free meal!*

Quality of Food: 

Service: 

Ambiance: 

Value: (comped)

Overall Experience: 

~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~