Brunch @ City Hall Bistro

In October, I had a lot less media events to attend so I used my free time to connect with friends I haven't seen/talked to in a while. Plus I got to go to some of the places that I've been wanting to go for the first time, or return to cuz the first time was so good. City Hall Bistro blew me away when I went for a media dinner. I dreamed about it all the time so when I planned a brunch with a friend, I suggested it. She also loves this place so it was quickly decided. We just can't stay away!

City Hall Bistro
1321 Commerce St.
Dallas, TX 75202
(214) 651-3686
www.cityhallbistro.com
Price: $$-$$$

Checking out their brunch this time. They have a pretty small brunch menu, the rest of the options are available on their dinner menu as well. But everything sounded yummy. My friend is gluten free so we couldn't share a whole lot. I love my carbs. :P So naturally we over-ordered. She got 2 dishes and I got 2... and sampled each others.

We started with her choice, Chia Seed (apple, date, dried fruit, goji berries, cinnamon, labneh) $12~ 

The chia seeds are soaked in coconut milk (which is good cuz she's dairy free as well). The only dairy was the labneh that they usually dollop on top. So they just put it on the side. What a beautiful dish! Just lightly sweet the texture of the chia seeds were perfect. The fruits on top were strategically placed, I just loved the plating. It was a nice, light start to the meal.

Next was my pick: Hazelnut Waffles (nutella, banana) $11~ Too bad they don't have a gluten free options. These are yummy. I especially loved the hazelnut crumbles on top. It didn't really even need the maple syrup. The waffle texture was good, it didn't feel heavy. Which means I can eat more! :P

Her choice: Black Rice (harissa chicken, kale, sofrito, poached egg) $17~ I wanted this too, so I was glad she chose it. hehe. Also a beautiful dish. Loved everything about it. The flavors were great. I love black rice. The poached egg was so soft it just mixed with everything. And I like the greens in there since we didn't really have any other vegetables in the meal.

Lastly, this is not part of the brunch section but I wanted to try it since the first time I dined here. House-Made Cavatelli (braised short rib, fresh peas, parmesan) $14~ 

I love all pasta. And when it's mixed with short rib? Sold! Freaking loved it. This was my favorite. The pasta shape is fun... although you can also say they look like bugs. But delicious bugs! :P And the texture is on point! The short rib was SUPER tender. The peas and pea greens added a nice freshness since this is a heavier dish. I'd eat this dish again any day.

It was such a great meal. I loved catching up with my friend and enjoyed the lovely ambiance of City Hall Bistro. Got to try 4 new dishes there too so it's definitely a success. Hopefully I'll get to go back soon. There are more things to try!

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

Village Marquee Texas Grill & Bar

I went to Marquee Grill (now named Village Marquee Texas Grill & Bar) this past Tuesday. I met up with a couple friends for happy hour then dinner. I had a giftcard so I wanted to use it. :)

Village Marquee Texas Grill & Bar
33 Highland Park Village
Dallas, TX 75205
(214) 522-6035
http://marqueegrill.com/
Price: $$$-$$$$$

I had been there for brunch before but always wanted to check out their happy hour and dinner options. The restaurant is deceptively huge. The bar is upstairs and has some really nice seating areas. For the HH the specialty cocktails are $2 off. Still quite pricey since they range from $11-14 a pop. I normally don't drink very much and definitely don't on a weekday but we were at HH! Didn't want to leave my friends hanging. haha.

But before I drink... I needed some food! I was starving. Their HH doesn't include food specials though. :( Me sad. But we decided on the Mini BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches (citrus slaw, fresh cilantro) $10~ as recommended by the bartender.

You get 3 to an order. They were so cute and looked amazing. SO delicious! The buns were toasted and buttery. The pulled pork was tender and juicy. And the flavors were so bold! I especially loved the crunch from the slaw with the pork. I would totally eat this again!

I ordered a girly fruity cocktail. Don't remember the name of it and it doesn't seem to be on their online menu. But it had Veev Acai in there. It was super pink! $11~

It was quite light which is good for me. I didn't taste the alcohol so much. My friend got the Scarf Dancer, one of their signature drinks. (sorry no pic) It was a beautiful cocktail. Deep pink/purple color from the berries and it was quite good. I liked that better than mine.

We chose to sit outside for dinner since it was such a nice day. Everything looked great on the menu... so hard to choose!

We were given some corn bread and flatbread/crackers after we made our orders. I really like their corn bread. Nice and buttery!

We started with the Salt, Pepper & Chile Calamari (grilled Texas peaches, spicy arugula, chile-lime sauce) $14~

This is different than other calamaris I've had before. The way it was breaded and fried is what sets it apart. The sauce was sweet and spicy and a little tangy. It paired really well with the crispy calamari. The peaches added a refreshing sweetness. It was a nice addition. And I don't know how they fried it but was not greasy at all. A very nice dish. We all enjoyed it a lot.

Both my friends ordered the Jumbo Texas Shrimp & Grits (chipotle jack cheese grits, tequila lime sauce) $22~

This is the reason they wanted to go to Marquee. We were told by someone that they had the best shrimp and grits. I really liked the presentation. Kind of wasted space on half the plate but really unique as well. haha. There were 5 jumbo shrimp and it looked fantastic. The shrimp had a nice char on the outside and were very juicy. I really liked the grits. I think there should be more grits though. There wasn't enough to go with all the shrimp! They really liked it. And even though it didn't look like a big portion, it was quite satisfying.

I went with the Seared Alaskan Halibut (grilled octopus, black forbidden rice, tangelo lobster broth) $35~

It just sounded so interesting! The plate was beautiful. The bright greens and white fish on top of the dark forbidden rice. I loved the crispy sear on the halibut. Nicely done. The fish was recommended to be served medium. It was tender but I felt a hair overcooked for my preference. The flavors of the dish are pretty light and mild but I felt like I could taste every element of it. I got the lobster essence from the broth. The octopus were cooked nicely. The peas and asparagus still had a nice crunch to it. It was a light and healthy dish.

We also got a side of Grilled Asparagus $9~

It was good. I always like more veggies with my meal. But for $9, I was hoping for a bigger portion.

We were stuffed so we didn't get dessert. I have yet to have dessert there, so I guess I'll be back again. And looking in from the outside I didn't see Chef Tre Wilcox. Oh well, until next time. Hopefully I can see him (third times a charm) on my next visit. hehe.

Our waiter was nice enough but not spectacular. We were all catching up with each other so we didn't really pay attention to the service.

Overall, good dinner. My favorite of the night will have to be the pulled pork. haha. It is a bit pricey for dinner but you can tell they use good ingredients. I'd suggest brunch if you want to spend a little less. I heard they recently updated their brunch menu too! And if you are into cocktails, they do have some interesting mixtures. I would recommend checking it out!

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

LA!! Huge Tree Pastry

Saturday morning we headed towards Monterey Park to drop off one of my friends at his relatives' house. I had come across a Taiwanese breakfast place online and their menu looked really good.

Huge Tree Pastry
423 N. Atlantic Blvd. Ste 106
Monterey Park, CA 91754
(626) 458-8689
Price: $

I'm always up for some good Taiwanese food, we definitely don't have enough of that in Dallas. I was pretty psyched to go check this place out. They serve some pretty traditional breakfast dishes that I grew up with in Taiwan.

It's a pretty small place. They had some premade items displayed in cases and on tables. There was a line when we walked in. A lot of people ordering to go, and the dining area was full. We had a lot of time to look over the menu so we were ready to order when we got to the register.

Sweet Soy Bean Milk (cold; small) $1.30~ Tasty! Not too sweet. It was great with all the savory dishes.

Green Onion Pancake with Egg $3.95~

My friends have never had green onion pancake with egg before. Man, have they been missing out! It was delicious. Especially with some chili sauce on it!

Baked Wheat Cake with Beef and Pickled Mustard $3.25~ I grew up eating this stuff! My friends also really enjoyed it.

Salted Rice Ball with Pickled Mustard and Egg (with black rice) $3.50~

This is one of my favorite items. I've never had it with black rice before. It was a nice change. I loved the texture of the black rice. The egg and the pickled vegetables in there just made it even better. It's a taste of home. I miss it so! I just wished it was bigger! haha.

Pan Fried Dumpling (8 pieces) $5.75~

I'm not really a fan of pot stickers but my friend requested it. This wasn't that great. There wasn't enough of a crisp crust on it. The dough was too thick. Meh.

Red Bean Bun $1~

I got this at the end to go. They heated up for me too. It was a big disappointment. :( Wayyy too much dough, not enough filling. The dough was hard and chewy and the red bean flavor wasn't really right either. Booo..

Sticky Rice with Mushroom and Pork $4.99~

We also got this to go. The rice consistency isn't quite what it's supposed to be but it was decent. It needed to be warmed up though. We ate it at room temp since we were on the road and I think that wasn't the best way...

So some good and some not so great. It was still a great trip down memory lane. There was one waitress that was super friendly. And for the most part, the people there were nice. My friends enjoyed it a lot too. I would go back again if I was ever in the area. I just know what to order and what to avoid now. :P

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~