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If you haven't noticed that I'm obsessed with City Hall Bistro, then you haven't been paying attention. haha. So when I got invited to the January Blog and Brunch, I responded pretty much instantly, and then counted down the days! So excited!
City Hall Bistro - Brunch
1321 Commerce St.
Dallas, TX 75202
(214) 651-3686
www.cityhallbistro.com
Price: $$-$$$
Love the space. Duh. :P But a tip for foodies who wanna take photos... request tables in the back, where the windows are. Instant lighting! You're welcome.
We had a big group that day... 20 people or so? Biggest Blog and Brunch I've been to. And you know what that means?! MORE food! :P We had a feast that was to die for. Keep scrolling for all the pics. Also... follow @blogandbrunchdfw on Instagram! :)
Breakfast Bread (muffin, daily bread, croissant, pain au chocolate) $5~ I didn't know where to start first!
I wanted one of everything! But I had my eye on those chocolate croissants. Probably one of the best chocolate croissants I've ever had. Mainly because it was completely filled with chocolate. Most places have that sad little dab of chocolate in the middle. At City Hall Bistro, they're not stingy. The dark chocolate was awesome, and the croissants themselves were flaky and buttery.
Another favorite was the carrot (and maybe banana or zucchini?) bread. I normally get turned off by anything carrot, but the way they crisped the edges of each slice... it was bomb. Texture was so good. I won't be mad if I get my vegetables that way. :P
Cheese (fruit jam, honeycomb, raisin pecan toast) $12~ I skipped this one because I'm not one for cheese boards. Need more stomach room for all the other foods!
Papas Bravas (crispy potato, garlic aioli, smoked paprika) $5~ Freaking love these potatoes. They are packed with flavor. Highly recommend!
Greek Yogurt (pomegranate, blueberry, caramelized honey, basil, blueberry meringue crisp) $10~
This was surprisingly one of my favorites for the day. I NEVER order yogurt at restaurants because... why? haha. But this was SO good. I actually went back 2 weeks later and got it. By myself. I mean... it's healthy! The yogurt is swirled with vanilla bean. The best thing on there is the blueberry meringue crisp. Adds a light and crispy texture to the creamy yogurt. It's not too tart, not too sweet. Just perfect. Just a note: most of the stuff we got were for sharing so they were bigger portions. Like the yogurt, the actual portion is individual sized... see photo with spoon. It's still quite filling though, just not great for sharing.
Hazelnut Waffle (nutella, banana, pure maple syrup) $12~ Always a good choice. I've already had this before. It's a solid dish if you want sweet for breakfast.
Frittata (roasted mushroom, leek, arugula, cheddar, tomato chutney) $15~ Um. Probably one of the best frittatas I've ever tasted. I don't even know how they packed so many flavors into this little slice of egg.
Mushroom Tartine (tarragon mascarpone, pickled beech mushroom, mustard seed, soft poached egg) $13~ Prettiest dish you ever did see. They were topped with edible flowers, so it's literally a garden on a piece of bread. Check out the perfectly poached egg p0rn. :P
Shakshuka (farm egg, roasted pepper, spicy tomato, ciabatta toast) $16~ I think this is my first shakshuka. It's basically poached eggs in tomato sauce and spices. Not sure if it's "authentic" but it was quite delicious. I really liked the flavor of the spicy tomato sauce.
Creme Brulee Toast (kumquat, vanilla custard, mint) $14~ I was very excited about this dish as I love french toast. However, I think it was one of the weaker dishes. The presentation is clean and pretty, but I like a fluffier french toast. It was more compact and flat...
Cauliflower (golden raisin, smoked paprika aioli) $10~ I love their cauliflower dish. Especially when served on the wood board. The addition of the golden raisins elevates the dish imo. And just a tip... you can get this during their Happy Hour for $5. :)
What a fantastic spread. My favorites still tend to favor the sweet stuff. hehe. Thank you, City Hall Bistro and Blog and Brunch, for having me. I'm ready for their new menu items now. hehe. In case you didn't know.. they change up their menu items from time to time. So most of the dishes I've had the first time I went are already not available. T_T So you better make reservations soon, if you want to try any of these!
*The meal was comped but all opinions are my own.*
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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
Continuation of my Florida trip...
We found this place across the street from our hotel. It's freaking awesome and the food is amazing. It's right on the beach, they have a section in the sand with lounge chairs, hammocks, and games... like a day club. Too expensive for us to partake, but we managed to have dinner, lunch, AND breakfast there over the course of the weekend. And yes, in that order.
Hyde Beach Kitchen + Cocktails
111 South Surf Rd.
Hallandale Beach, FL 33009
(954) 699-0901
http://sbe.com/restaurants/locations/hyde-beach-kitchen-cocktails/
Price (for dinner): $$$
We had actually had dinner already and was just going for drinks... But there were a few items on the menu I just had to try, since there was a big chance we won't be back again for dinner.
Some of my friends did get drinks. hehe. They tried several but I only took a picture of the Hibiscus Punch (bacardi 8 year rum, freshly pressed lime juice, wild hibiscus syrup, licor 43, orange flower water, splash soda water, muddled fresh strawberries, muddled lime wedge) $14~ It was pretty cool looking.
Pumpkin Butter Rolls (maple butter, rosemary, salt) $7~
This just sounds amazing. I had to get it. We were all pretty full but I got another friend to agree to help me eat. It was better than I expected.. the texture was like a Hawaiian roll, but better! Slight crispy top and soooooooo warm and fluffy in the middle. It was dark, but looking at the picture I realized how orange it was. I loved the sprinkling of salt on the top, paired with the sweetness of the maple butter. FANTASTIC!!! I can eat this all day!
Oxtail Bucatini (red wine braised oxtail ragout, garlic bread crumbs) $16~
I wanted to try this as well. I love oxtail, you don't see it often, and I love Bucatini... also not a common pasta. It's basically like a thick spaghetti, but hollow. The texture of the pasta was on point! And I expected them to just have a ragout where the meat was pretty much blended in the sauce, but no! There were large chunks of super tender oxtail in the dish. And the cherry on top was the garlic bread crumbs. Such bold flavor and added an awesome crunchy texture to everything. Every element was perfection. I was so full but couldn't stop eating. Another friend tried a bite. She's usually not a fan of pasta and was already super full, but she couldn't stop eating either. hahaha. I have to say this is one of the best dishes I've had in a long time.
Sooooo freaking delicious. I really wish we had time to go back for an actual dinner, but we didn't have time. :(
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Saturday Lunch:
Price (for lunch): $$
The sun finally came out on Saturday!!! It had been raining since we landed. So we went to the beach!! Yeah!!!! Gettin' my tan on!
We decided to walk over for lunch. For breakfast and lunch, they only allow seating outside, and on the first floor. The second floor is opened up just for dinner. It was a beautiful day so sitting outside was perfect. I shall continue my much needed tan.
Ceviche (corvina, leche de tigre, tortilla chips) $9~ Pretty small portion but pretty. My friend didn't like it though... it was way too sour. And I agree.
Fish & Chips (cod, tartar sauce, malt vinegar; fries) $11~ Deeeeelicious. The fish was super moist and tender and fried well. The fries were awesome. And I loved their tartar sauce. I really wanted to finish all the fries but it was a little heavy while sitting outside in the sun.
8oz. Prime Burger
(aged cheddar, lettuce, tomato, mustard, onions, dill pickles; fries)
$11~ Pretty good burger, needed more seasoning. Although the natural
flavor of the beef patty was nice.
Rock Shrimp Taco (guacamole, pico de gallo, chicarrones) $7~ Really pretty tacos and fully loaded. Yum.
Mini Lobster Roll (butter brioche bun, home made chips) $9~ Truly a "mini" lobster roll. It was so cute! haha. Not the best I've ever had, but was good.
Two of my friends got cocktails. Ginger Mojito $14~ and Strawberry Mojito $13~ They came in these plastic cups and were pretty small. Same price as dinner cocktails but smaller, not a very good deal.
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Sunday Breakfast:
Price (for breakfast): $$
Our last day there, a few of us really wanted breakfast/brunchy food. So we got up early and hit up Hyde Beach for breakfast. Check out our spread!!!
Pumpkin Maple Sticky Bun $7~
I'm obsessed with pumpkin and since their pumpkin rolls were so good, I had to try these. Also delicious, but the rolls were better. I wish the top with the syrup was more caramelized with a crunch. Other than that it was yummy.
Mushroom Toast (sauteed mushrooms, sunny side up, greens) $7~ I also got a savory dish. Love, love, loved this. All different types of mushrooms, sauteed in this sauce. It was so flavorful!
Very Berry French Toast (brioche, mixed berries, mascarpone whipped cream, side of maple syrup) $11~ Plus side of Egg +$4~ The $4 egg was pretty ridiculous. haha. But the french toast was good. Nice sized portion, lots of fresh berries.
Green Eggs & Ham Benedict (french ham, basil hollandaise, English muffin, spinach) $12~ The basil hollandaise was delicious. The eggs were poached well, but I guess they didn't drain it well enough cuz there was excess water. But other than that, my friend loved it. It was just what she was craving for.
I absolutely loved this place. The food is fantastic. The setting is awesome being beach-side and all. The service was also great. I wish I could go there everyday!!
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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
Last week I had dinner with a friend for her bday. It was a small group and she had chosen to go to Joyce & Gigi's. It's been on my radar for a while and I haven't gotten to try yet. I made a reservation for 6 people at 7PM.
Joyce & Gigi's Kitchen
1623 N Hall St.
Dallas, TX 75204
(469) 334-0799
http://joyceandgigis.com
Price: $$$
We arrived right on time. The place was empty, and it was a very small restaurant. Maybe fits like 40 people... maybe? The decor is nice, quite cozy. Apparently this is a mother-daughter duo so you get that homey feel. They specialize in South American food. I sure love me some Latin food!
Two of my friends were already there and ordered cocktails from the bar.
Sour Joyce (Creamy papaya, pisco sour) $12~ This was a pretty drink. A little tart for me but not bad.
Joyce and Gigi's (Rhubarb and strawberry sangria) $11~ This was delicious! And I never like sangria because I don't like wine. But it was like drinking juice. So yum!
We were seated immediate (duh!). The table was 2 small square tables put together. For 6 people, it felt quite cramped. :( I guess you can say "more intimate". Haha.
The waitress came and gave us the specials and took our orders. Then we were served their Homemade Mint Bread (with chimichurri butter).
It was fresh out of the oven. And it was heavenly! The bread had so much flavor, and that crust on the top was perfection. At first we thought the butter was chunks of cheese. But then we spread it on and realized it wasn't. It was really rich in flavor and went very well with the hot, fluffy bread. I found out that you can buy a fresh loaf to go for $5.50~ I decided to get one before dinner was over. hehe. They freshly baked one for me to take home. Made my car smell so good! You can buy 8 oz. of butter to take home as well...that's a lot! I think it's like $8.50 or something.
One friend got the Soup of the Day: Peanut Soup (with beef and noodles) $6~
Sounded very interesting. The waitress said it was more brothy. But one would think peanut soup would be more creamy/rich. It was a very dark soup and the flavor punches you in the face. It was really tasty but I don't think I could finish that bowl in one sitting. It was very strong and heavy. It went really well with the bread though.
For the entree I got the Milanesa (Chicken milanesa fritatta, served over chicken skin quinoa grits and a side of beurre blanc sauce, garnished with a pickled onion and herb salad) $16~
The waiter poured the beurre blanc over the chicken for me when he served this dish. It was not a typical chicken milanesa which is usually a pounded out chicken cutlet. This just looked like fried chicken. Tender juicy awesome fried chicken. haha. It was pretty damn tasty. The crust was really nice. It was on a bed of quinoa which I felt was a little soggy? But still went ok with the chicken. The pickled onion salad was a nice compliment with the fried foods.
Pescado Sudado (seared chilean sea bass served over a yuca root cake topped with dried chili broth) $27~
This was market price, just FYI. So ask before you order because the price will change. It was yummy! The fish was cooked really well and paired surprisingly well with the yuca cake. I thought 2 soft textures would be boring, but the flakiness of the fish and the creaminess of the yuca was great. The sauce had so much flavor. I don't know if I liked this more than my chicken!
Feijoada (Pork sirloin, pork shoulder, homemade chorizo and black bean stew, served with a pickled onion and tomato salad) $17~
This wasn't as good. It was mostly beans, which was actually cooked well. But I dunno if I'd want to eat all of this as a main entree. I didn't get to try any of the chorizo, but my friend said it was very dry. He didn't like it very much. :(
Majadito (Duck confit red risotto with plantains, topped with a poach egg, garnished with pickled onion and tomato salad) $18~
I almost ordered this, but 3 other people were getting it so I changed my mind. I'm so glad I did, cuz this did not live up to expectations. First of all, where's the duck?!? It was so finely shredded and mixed in that you couldn't really tell. And usually I find risotto as an entree is just too much carbs... too heavy. The flavor was actually good, to me. The flavors were surprisingly light. The poached egg was nice. But we also didn't see any plantains. I'm thinking that was probably mashed up and mixed in as well. One of my friends really did not like it so she barely ate. I took the leftovers home to my fiance. haha. One of my other friends really enjoyed it though. Just depends on your preference I guess. But it would've been nice to have actual sliced duck on top or something and more textural differences in the dish.
So the dinner started off good but then took a different turn. Some of us really liked our dishes and some hated theirs. The drinks and bread were amazing though. By the time we had gotten our food, the place was almost half full. It's definitely a quaint little place off the beaten path. I doubt I'll go back again, but I don't regret trying it.
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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
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