skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Brunching with friends is one of the best things ever!! We decided to go check out Pink Magnolia in Oak Cliff. It's the newest restaurant by Chef Blythe Beck... known for her Southern, fried, and "naughty" cuisine.
Pink Magnolia
642 W. Davis Street
Dallas, TX 75208
(469) 320-9220
http://pinkmagnoliadallas.com
Price (for brunch): $$
We had a reservation but upon arrival, the place wasn't very full. We were seated immediately. The decor is interesting... faux grass, lots of colors. It's kinda like a garden party. I guess I can dig it.
Everything on the menu sounded yummy. But I'm a sucker for southern food, AND brunch. I asked our waitress for recommendations but she wasn't much help. She said all their menu items are the best versions she's ever had. I guess she has to say that right?? But it's of no help to me. haha.
I went with the Hoecake Stack (cornmeal cakes, grilled spicy sausage, bourbon maple syrup) $14~ I liked how the sausages and hoecakes were stacked but I wished the dish came with more... It was good, not great. I did like the sausage a lot.
Oak Cliff Cristo (smoky ham, honey turkey, melted swiss, strawberry port jam; with side of fries) $14~
My fiance got this. It was pretty yummy. The strawberry jam was an interesting addition to the savory sandwich. The fries would've been good if they were hot. It seemed like they were sitting out for awhile before being served.
Ham Benedict (toasted English muffin, sauteed spinach, grilled ham steak, poached eggs, cayenne hollandaise; with side of fries) $12~
A friend got this. She said it was ok. The eggs were kinda watery... like they didn't drain it enough after being poached. Eh.. The hollandaise was tasty though. And same slightly cold fries.
Bacon Cheddar Meatloaf Sandwich (melted cheddar, black pepper aioli, toasted ciabatta; with side of fries) $14~
Another friend ordered this. I was looking at this too, I'm totally regretting I didn't get this. I got to try a bite.
Oh it's sooo delicious. That bacon wrapped around the meatloaf. Om nom nom! By far the best thing we ordered. My fiance was sad that he didn't order this either.
I've heard nothing but great things about Pink Magnolia's desserts. So we had to try some. We were all pretty full so we got one thing to share. Maker's Mark Banana Pudding (vanilla wafers, whipped cream, caramelized banana) $10~
Ooooo wheee! This thing is LOADED with bourbon. Is it ok that we start day drinking?? It was super strong, and yum. That one banana pudding was large enough for the 4 of us to share.
It was an ok meal, aside from the awesome meatloaf. We were all a little disappointed. And the service was lacking despite business being slow. :( I saw Chef Beck in the back several times, but she never came out to greet the diners. Oh well.. I doubt I'd go back any time soon. There are so many more places to check out on my list.
Quality of Food:
Service:
Ambiance:
Value:
Overall Experience:
~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
Saturday afternoon, my cousins, who are also huge foodies, recommended that we check out Anaheim Packing District for a late lunch. I've never been, but the way it sounded got me excited.
Anaheim Packing District
440 S. Anaheim Blvd
Anaheim, CA 92805
(714) 533-7225
http://anaheimpackingdistrict.com/
It's also called Anaheim Packing House apparently. Same thing, so you don't get confused. I love it!! A center full of food vendors and small shops, all flea market-esque. I love these types of places. We walked all the way around to check out all the different food options. OMG. I wanted to eat everything... but finally chose one since they were prepping the meat at the window... drool! But of course it was one of the vendors with the longest line. haha. Everyone else went off in search of other stuff.
The Kroft
Prochetta Sandwich (ciabatta, pork belly/loin, cracklings, salsa verde) $10~
Like I said, they had a guy at the window at the front chopping the meat and assembling the sandwiches. Looked freaking fantastic. The sandwich was packed full with pieces of pork. And oh, it was so juicy! The cracklings were amazing. Each bite had so much flavor. Legit! I totally want one right now... I ate half of it and gave the other half to my cousins/aunt/uncle to try. Everyone liked it.
Brussels Sprouts and Bacon $5~
I also got this as a side. It was pretty good. A little soggy/greasy but I liked the flavor. It was a bit sweet... I think there was balsamic vinegar on it.
Overall Experience:
Here's what other people got.. We had a feast going! Our table was wayyy too small.
Adya: Fresh Indian Flavors
The Chippy: Fish & Grill
I was full, but I had to get some dessert.
Han's Homemade Ice Cream
There was no line when I walked by so, yes, this is it! They had some interesting flavors. Twinkies being one of them.
Bourbon Peach (in waffle cone) $4~ Deeeelicious. You can totally taste the bourbon without the bite. It wasn't too sweet, and there were chunks of real peach throughout.
Overall Experience:
Popbar
This was by far the most popular vendor. The line was literally out the door the entire time we were there. But my cousin wanted to get some so I went up to the line with her. I wanted one too, but was too full. All their popsicles are made fresh daily with natural ingredients.
Pistachio Popsicle (dipped in dark chocolate, topped with chopped pistachio and hazelnuts) $5~
Banana Popsicle (dipped in dark chocolate, topped with chopped pistachio and hazelnuts) $5~
They were doing an anniversary special that weekend where the dips and toppings were free, but normally those cost extra. Quite expensive for a popsicle, but they are sure yummy to look at!
It's such a fun place. I wish Dallas had something like this.. I think we may be getting something similar in Plano in the near future?? Fingers crossed!
Overall for the entire center:
Only complaint is not enough seating!
~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
I got to go to my first ever soccer game this past Saturday at the Toyota Stadium in Frisco. And it just so happens that The Downtown Frisco StrEATS festival was the same day! Woot! So we headed over there in the afternoon to get some food before the game.
This would be my 3rd year going to this food truck festival. Seems like they got the set up pretty much down now. It was basically structured just like last year. There were quite a few trucks there. Most of which I've either tried already or didn't care to try.
There were 1 or 2 that I've never seen before and one was The Guava Tree truck. It is a Cuban American truck. I love Cuban food and wanted to try something new so here I am. Plus they didn't really have a line which was also quite enticing. haha.
They only had 3 choices so I got the Cuban Sandwich (sliced ham, slow roasted pork, swiss cheese, sliced pickles; drizzled with guava mustard on freshly pressed Cuban bread) $9~
It sounded pretty awesome. I have to say I was disappointed when I saw it. The bread was supposed to be pressed! Where was the crispy part on the bread? And for $9 it wasn't very big. It was really tasty though. And the bottom bread was crispy which I really liked. The ingredients had good flavor, although I didn't get any "guava" from the mustard. I would totally get this again, IF it was $3 cheaper. They had these guava and cream cheese filled mini donuts that looked yummy but I resisted because I wanted ice cream. Ha! :P
Overall Experience:
My bf went to the Nammi truck. He got the Rice Bowl (Honey ginger pork, Jasmine rice, red cabbage sautee, cucumbers, pickled daikons and carrots, cilantro) $9~
I've only had their Banh Mi, so the rice bowl was also something new. I really really liked the red cabbage sautee. He loved it. The whole thing was pretty filling and not greasy or heavy. The fresh and pickled veggies added a lot of freshness with the meat and rice. I thought the meat could've been more tender but it was good enough. He liked it over the rice bowls at Ssahm from last year's festival.
Overall Experience:
I mainly wanted ice cream and was disappointed that Coolhaus wasn't there. But no fear! What's Da Scoop was there! And I know their ice cream is good! :)The bad thing about a nice day is that everyone wants ice cream. We spent the majority of our time at the festival standing in line. But I gotta have my ice cream!!!!
He got the Bourbon Street Sundae (Bourbon Cherry Compote, Vanilla Ice Cream, Crushed Graham Cracker & Pecans) $6.50~ He opted for no pecans. It was delicious, but this for $6.50? A bit steep if you ask me. Oh well, how often do we go to one of these food truck festivals. Yum!
I had my eyes set on the Cherry Amaretto Fudge (amaretto ice cream with cherry fudge and black cherries) Single Scoop $3.25~ Plus waffle cone +$1~ (the scoop was bigger than the picture, it was melting so I had to eat some!)
Of course I had to get a cone. That's one of the best parts of having ice cream. The ice cream was amazing. Creamy, smooth, with lots of chocolate fudge swirls and large chunks of juicy cherries. My bf regretted not getting the same flavor. haha. But of course I shared! :P Really really really good, I was craving it again the next day! I hope they have this flavor again next time I see them.
Overall Experience:
I'd say our trip to the festival was a success! With the ice cream being the ultimate winner. Got to try all new things and everything tasted good. If only I can just get more of the cherry amaretto ice cream!!
~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
Posts
