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I recently got invited to go check out Paul Martin's American Grill. I see it all the time since I go work out at ZYN22 which is in the same shopping center. But it was never on my radar since it's kind of in the corner of the center. However, when I got invited, I scoped out their menu online and wondered why it was never on my radar. haha. Their menu sounded yummy!
I made it a date night with my husband. We went and saw Spiderman Homecoming first, then headed to dinner. Our reservation was at 6PM... upon arriving, the place was already somewhat busy. At least the parking lot was. Not the best set up for self parking and valet in front of the restaurant. But know that there's plenty of parking behind the restaurant as well.
Paul Martin's American Grill
3848 Oak Lawn Ave. Suite 210
Dallas, TX 75219
(214) 521-0116
https://paulmartinsamericangrill.com/locations/dallas-restaurant/
Price: $$$$+
We were seated immediately. The manager came by to greet us... Jorge was very nice and welcoming. Then our waiter, Aaron, came to take our drink menus and tell us the specials for the day. A very soft spoken man, but he took care of us wonderfully. He was also very detailed when he described the specials, which I appreciated.
Then the manager came back with an Amuse Bouche (watermelon, feta, caviar) from the kitchen.
I love the contrasting colors of the watermelon and caviar. And Aaron brought us some Bread (with whipped butter, sea salt). What a lifesaver! I was starving!! The bread was soft and pillowy in the middle, and the butter spread so easily. Loved the touch of sea salt on it.
We had 2 different menus to look over. One was for their Happy Hour specials. They have it every day from 3-7PM. Every Day! That's pretty awesome. We ordered 2 appetizers from the HH menu.
Signature Deviled Eggs (cold smoked, crispy La Quercia prosciutto) $6~ I don't think I've ever had a bad deviled egg. I love eggs and I'm not picky on how they're prepped. They came 5 to an order.. for 6 bucks?! That's a great deal.
St. Louis Duroc Pork Ribs (hoisin glaze, green onions) $9~
I saw that a friend had gone a couple weeks earlier and ordered this...it looked so amazing I had to have it. O.M.G. Freaking delicious. The meat was super tender. My husband barely got his fork in the meat and it slid right off the bone. It was juicy, flavorful, and had just the right amount of fat to meat ratio. I also loved the glaze and sauce that came with it. It definitely did not disappoint. In fact, with my already high expectations, it easily exceeded it. I would totally go back for HH and just order this. It was by far my favorite thing that night.
My husband ordered a cocktail. Elijah Craig Ginger Punch (12 year bourbon, Domaine de Canton Ginger liqueur, fresh lemon juice, honey, topped with ginger ale) $9~
I don't drink, and he's not a big drinker either, but he always wants to try. I had a sip... it was too strong for me. He seemed to have liked it, but then didn't finish. I think he focused on the food once the entrees came and was too full to finish the drink. haha. We do always tend to stuff ourselves silly at a media dinner.
For the main dishes. I went all out. Why not? :P
Prime Bone in Ribeye (22 oz, grass-fed, certified Black Angus; grilled over a live fire) $56~ Side of Chimichurri Sauce.
Aside from prime rib, ribeye is my favorite cut of steak. And since they only offer prime rib on Sundays, my choice was easy. It was a huge slab of meat. Yaassss! The color on it was great and it came with a cheesy roasted tomato of some sort. I think all their steaks are a la carte, so you'd have to order the sides separately (which we did). I ordered it medium rare but it looked more medium, and some areas even medium well. It was not very pink in the center. Bummer. I know that it's grilled over a live fire, so I wonder if it overcooks easier? If this happens consistently, I would definitely recommend you order your steaks more on the rare side. However, it was still pretty juicy and had enough flavor to stand on its own. I thought the chimichurri sauce was a little bland, but I liked having the herbs with the steak.
My husband got the Special of the Day: Risotto Frutti di Mare (shrimp and mushroom risotto, 8 oz lobster tail, 2 shrimp, crab and crawfish cake, asparagus) $45~
This was a very pretty dish. It was hard to capture all the different elements in a photo. I loved the flavor of the risotto. And the crab and crawfish cake was our favorite seafood element on the plate. The lobster was good but he thought the shrimp was overcooked. He liked his dish better between the two. I'd say flavor-wise, I have to agree with him. But I prefer meat over seafood any day. haha.
For the sides we got..
Mac & Cheese (Tillamook 2 year aged white cheddar, La Quercia prosciutto) $7~ I love nontraditional pastas... they used Sfoglini(?) or Trumpet pasta. I love the curly edges. The texture of the pasta was great. But the flavor was a little odd... it took me a while to figure out what it was. I think they were a little heavy handed with nutmeg? It had a spice/warm flavor that was a tad too strong. I'll still eat it though. I love pasta...
Sauteed Brussels Sprouts (bacon vinaigrette) $6~ I was a little surprised that they were roasted/charred, but then I didn't even pay attention to the menu, haha. I just saw brussels sprouts and ordered. It was a change from the typical charred ones (but I love them so). I liked the flavor though. I think it paired well with my steak.
My husband ate his entire plate... so he was pretty much out for the count. But I wanted to try dessert. I mean... I have to right? :P
So he got a Cafe Latte $4~ He said it was very good. They use Mr. Espresso oak wood roasted coffee. It's certified organic and fair trade.
Banana Cream Pie (layers of vanilla bean pastry cream, chocolate, bananas, fresh whipped cream) $10~
I couldn't decide on the desserts but ended up choosing the banana cream pie because it's lighter. I was pretty full too! And Aaron told me that it had a layer of chocolate between the crust and the banana filling so it would be enough to satisfy my chocolate craving. It was a nice big slice. I did love the layer of chocolate in the middle. It was just enough to differentiate this banana cream pie from most others. The whipped cream was airy and there was lots of bananas in there. My only complaint is that the crust was a little dry. But pairing it with the whipped cream helped.
It was a good dinner. Although the high point was the appetizer. I will definitely be back for HH to have those ribs again. Aside from their daily HH specials, they also have some other weekly promotions.
Sunday Prime Rib - Texas field green salad, roasted prime rib, mashed potatoes, house-made shortbread cookies and gourmet ice cream. $33~ 3 course meal for a pretty great deal! And I love me some prime rib.
Monday Wine Dinner for 2 for $60~
Texas field green salads, entrees of choice, one bottle of selected wine. This is also a great deal if you're a wine lover. For $60 this is a steal!
Thanks so much to Paul Martin's for having us. It's always nice when I can bring my husband to one of these media outings. :) And the service was great! Thanks Aaron!
*The meal was comped but all opinions are my own.*
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Back in Feb, my coworkers and I went out for lunch to celebrate one of my coworker's 10 year anniversary. My boss was going to be out of the office so put me in charge of making the plans. I gave my coworker a few restaurant suggestions and we decided on Mesero on Henderson. I drive by this place weekly when I go work out and always wanted to check it out. Plus I've heard that their Cinco Leches cake is no joke. :)
Mesero - Henderson
2822 N Henderson Ave.
Dallas, TX 75206
(214) 821-6426
www.meseromiguel.com
Price: $$-$$$
Since the lunch was on the company, we kinda let loose. hehehe.
Chips and Salsas. There were 3 types of salsas. I can't accurately tell you which is which but I liked the middle one most cuz it was chunky. I liked the texture of their chips too.
Micorita (herradura "el jimador", frozen or rocks) $11~ We only got 1 for like 6 people. But shhhh... don't tell the boss! ha! :P
Queso Mesero (queso chihuahua, spinach, artichoke, poblano pepper) $10.95~ Yum! This queso was rich and cheesy. Paired well with the guac.
Aguacates "Guacamole" Tipico (avocado, lime, tomatillo) $10.95~ Loved it. I'll eat avocados any way.
Shrimp Ceviche (tiger shrimp marinated in citrus fruit, serrano pepper, heirloom grape tomato, avocado) $14.95~
Totally not what I expected. Upon first glance, it looked like a block of avocados. Not that I'm complaining. But once you scoop into it, you find the large chungs of shrimp. They definitely didn't skimp on the shrimp. it was perfectly plump and fresh. And more avo! We probably had about a dozen avocados during this meal. hahaha. Plus this dish is just beautiful. Full of vibrant colors.
Las Combinaciones (crema queso chicken enchilada, tejano enchilada, arroz rojo; served with choice of black or pinto beans) $11.95~ One of my coworkers ordered this because he loves crema queso chicken enchiladas. He said it was really good.
The rest of us did family style and ordered a bunch of different things to share.
Crispy "Daily Fish" Tacos (fish of the day, lightly battered, roasted corn, tomato, spicy ranch sauce, mesero slaw, arroz blanco) $12.95~ I'm not sure what the fish was but this was one of my favorites. Loved the charred corn in the tacos. The slaw was yummy too!
Pollo Tacos (roasted achiote chicken, iceberg, tomato, avocado, sauteed onion, arroz rojo) $11.95~ Also good, and very large.
Carne Asada Especial (10 oz grilled skirt steak, onion, serrano pepper, arroz rojo, pinto beans) $21.95~ Yum! The steak was cooked well. Quite tender even though it didn't look it.
Brussels Sprouts (serrano mango glazed) $7~ I'm allergic to mango so we got it without the glaze. A little greasy but still yummy. I'm a sucker for roasted brussels sprouts.
OMG. This was a ton of food but we had to have dessert!!!
Pastel Cinco Leches $7~ The one I've heard so much about. It did not disappoint. It was so moist and fluffy and it wasn't even drowning in milk like some other places try to do. I hate it when they drown it in milk and the cake itself is STILL dry. This was perfect. Not too heavy. Everyone loved it.
Choco Flan (chocolate cake, caramel flan) $7~ This was cool looking. But honestly, I could've done without one or the other. The flan was great on its own. And the chocolate on its own. Together, it didn't blow me away.
It was a great meal. Everything was yummy and fresh and soooooo much avocados! haha. Our waiter checked on us a lot though out the meal. It was definitely a great team outing. And save room for the Cinco Leches cake!
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2 weeks ago, we were attending the Fashion X Dallas event downtown. A friend of ours was showing some of her work for the runway show! :) We don't go to that area as often as I'd like, so I took the opportunity to plan an early dinner in uptown. Public School 214 has been on my radar since they opened at the end of 2014. They had one dessert that was the deciding item for us to choose this place. And you'll see it at the end of this post.
Public School 214
3700 McKinney Ave.
Dallas, TX 75304
(214) 599-6234
www.psontap.com/locations/ps214
Price: $$$
The fashion event starts at 6PM, but the runway show starts at 8. So we decided to get an early dinner so we can get to the venue around 7-7:30. The place was pretty empty still so we got a table immediately. The decor is eclectic but definitely has a school theme... globes, periodic table, and year books lined the walls. And super cute notebook paper napkins!The place was bigger than I expected. The bar was almost the same size as the dining area.
Our waiter greeted us with waters and was super friendly. He gave us a quick run down of their drink menu... they have a lot of specialty beers, and told us we can sample as many of them as we want. Uh oh... choices.. haha. While we were narrowing down options (by we, I meant him... I don't drink beer. haha) our waiter went ahead and brought us 3 samples to try.
It's like he read my fiance's mind because 2 out of the 3 he brought were the ones he wanted to try. The samples were so cute! We ended up getting the Rubaeus by Founders Brewing Co (nitro raspberry ale with a rich depth of flavor both sweet and tart) $7~ I actually kinda liked it. I've yet to find a beer I liked... not even ciders. I can't drink a whole thing of this, but I sipped on it throughout the meal.
We ended up taking way to long deciding on the drink. haha. But finally we ordered.
He went with The Temptress Stout Short Rib (shaved horseradish yukon mashed potatoes, caramelized onion au jus) $23~
It was a sizable dish. I loved the actual plate the food came in. hehe. It was yummy. The short rib was off the bone and pretty tender. Not completely fork tender but still good. We both liked the horseradish in the mashed potatoes, added another layer of flavor. He finished the entire dish... it was a lot.
I got the BBQ Bison Burger (grass fed, whiskey bbq sauce, emmental, pepper bacon mushroom topping; with side of kale & brussels slaw) $17~
I was a little hesitant to order this at first, because I'm iffy about BBQ sauce in a burger. Sometimes they just put too much. The waiter assured me that they don't put too much. And actually... I wish they had put more!! The sauce was great! It was a good burger. The meat was cooked nicely pink, and it was juicy, unlike how bison can sometimes be dry. Definitely not the best burger I've had in Dallas, but was still satisfying. The slaw on the other hand... was the star. I was a little shocked by the amount of sauce on the slaw...but it didn't even matter. It was so good...the two of us fought to eat it all. haha. It paired well with the burger.
We were both pretty dang full. But no.. we came for the dessert!! So we must order the dessert! :P Nutella Cookie Sandwich (bacon brittle, chocolate chunk cookies, vanilla bean ice cream) $6~
Oh em gee. This thing was massive. A giant chocolate chip cookie sitting on a huge dollop of nutella, topped with a scoop of vanill ice cream, topped with ANOTHER dollop of nutella, then capped with an equally as large chocolate chip cookie. It's enough for 3-4 people to eat I think... But there was just the 2 of us. And we keeeeeeled it!! We did ask for a glass of milk. haha. And the waiter brought us a giant glass of whole milk. Oh my. Talk about extra richness. We had to dilute it with water. The ice cream sandwich was sooo rich and sooo decadent.
The cookie wasn't as soft as I'd like, but still damn good. We also did not detect any bacon.. oh well. And our waiter did say that this usually doesn't come out this big. So we got lucky? Tell that to our overstuffed stomachs as we sit back in pain. haha. But a good pain right? I regret nothing!! I'd totally get this again, but maybe next time I'll start with the dessert and if I'm still hungry, then I'll order something else. hahaha. The dessert did not disappoint. We had to take a stroll around the area to try and digest some of the dinner. :P It was pretty epic.
This seems like a cool place to hang out with friends and grab a beer. Their brunch menu also seems pretty good. Our waiter, Moses, I believe, was great. Friendly and attentive. I'd go back in the future.
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I've been anxiously awaiting the opening of Ida Claire. It's the latest addition to Addison by the owners of Whiskey Cake (one of my favs), Mexican Sugar, and The Ranch in Las Colinas (still on my list to visit). It's got a Southern base.. with some other influences. I love me some Southern food!
Ida Claire
5001 Belt Line Rd.
Dallas, TX 75254
(214) 377-8227
http://ida-claire.com/
Price: $$$-$$$$
Before they even opened, I emailed and made a reservation for a party of 10 for mid August. Instead of going to Restaurant Week this year, I decided to try the many new restaurants in DFW that's on my list. Was anyone else bored by the RW list btw?? They need to add some new places to it... I've already been to most of the ones I wanna go. :-/
We arrived 5 minutes past our reservation. The parking lot was packed so we did the complimentary valet. They got a pretty cool system going too. Instead of giving you a ticket you can lose later, they text you with a link. When you are ready for your car, just follow the directions on the link and the car's waiting for you. No more waiting around the valet stand! Most of our group was already at the bar. And we were seated as soon as we walked in.
The place was packed and very energetic. The decor is very eclectic. Reminded me of Whiskey Cake but even more stuff on the walls, etc. The menu cover looked like a old-style story book. That's cute. It's like Sunday supper at your grandma's. hehe. When you see the food, take notes of some of the plates... very homey and old fashioned.
It took us awhile to chit chat and look through the menu until we finally ordered some appetizers. I was starving!!
Crawfish Corn Fritters (smoked mustard remoulade) $8~ These were yum. Stuffed full of corn and crawfish. The outside was fried nicely. It had a kick to it too... not sure what spice the put in it.
Sweet Potato Chip Duck Confit (goat cheese fondue, duck fat gravy, sunny side up duck egg) $11~
Totally NOT a fondue... I think that word was misleading. And you know me... I don't like goat cheese. Luckily, it was just in large chunks so I can eat around it. The sweet potato chips were good, but I didn't think it was a good base for the duck (which was tender and tasty). It would've been better on a bed of sweet potato hash or something. It was like weird nachos... But I still liked everything except the goat cheese.
Southern Tasting Board (turducken terrine, southern sausage, farm ham, pimento cheese, smoked mustard, jam, crackers) $13~ I didn't get to try everything but the turducken terrine was tasty! I also tried the pickled okra which was good.
Pecan Wood Roasted Oysters (french quarter butter, bacon, buttered breadcrumbs, wilted kale) $10~
You get 5 to an order. I liked the presentation. I'm normally not an oyster fan, but I do prefer them cooked vs raw. These were fantastic! I'd say the best apps we got. It had so much flavor, and lots of texture from the breadcrumbs and bacon. The kale was a nice touch too. I'll certainly eat 2 dozens of these!
On to the entrees. Mostly everyone got something different so lots of pictures to see!
Chicken in a Biscuit (crispy chicken, peppered bacon gravy, spinach, roasted tomato, sunny egg) $10~
This is definitely a "knife & fork biscuit" as stated by the menu. This was mine. Since it's a Southern restaurant I really wanted to try the fried chicken and gravy... and biscuits. hahaha. It was huge!!! The egg on top was nice and runny once I cut into it. It was delicious.
All the elements were great and the kale salad on the side was a nice refreshing compliment. The biscuit was fluffy (I only made it through the bottom half). The chicken was moist and nicely fried. I wish the gravy had a bit more pepper. But honestly, ever since I had the sausage gravy at Jacob's Pickles in NYC, nothing else has yet to live up to it. XP I got some tabasco and the dish was complete. I thoroughly enjoyed myself.
My fiance got the Tea Braised Pork Shank (whipped celery root mash, brussels sprouts, tomato, lardons, spiced tea gravy) $18~
Actually, I told him to get this. hahaha. But he loved it. The shank was huge and suuuuper fork tender. It just slid off the bone. Loved the brussels sprouts, of course. We took almost half of this to go!
BBQ Shrimp (gulf shrimp, Orleans BBQ butter, mirliton slaw, spiced mustard remoulade) $13~ Another knife and fork biscuit. Looked great!
Blackened Shrimp Frisee (gulf shrimp, pickled garlic, asiago, white anchovy, bacon vinaigrette) $13~ I got a bite of this... the vinaigrette was really good!
Bird of Paradise (pecan grilled half chicken, wild mushrooms, kale, cipollinis, local peas, hen jus) $14~ The skin on that bird looked amazing! I loved the color contrast on the plate too. Didn't get to try but was told it's good.
Chicken & Waffles (crispy 1/4 chicken, cornmeal waffle, chicory coffee maple syrup, hot sauce butter, chili dusted watermelon) $12~ The 1/4 chicken seemed a bit small after seeing all the other dishes. haha. My friend said it was really good.
Shrimp & Grits (Texas prawns, lardons, gristmill parmesan grits, sauce piquant) $18~ Apparently recommended by the bartender. My friend loved it. Cleaned his plate. It did look mighty tasty.
Wagyu Sirloin Steak (8 oz. A Bar N Wagyu, cast iron ponzu okra salad, wild mushrooms, shallot, ginger pan jus) $26~ I got a bite of the steak. Cooked well, really tender. Yummy mushrooms too.
Pimento Mac N' Cheese $4~ So. Freaking. Good. The pasta was cooked well. It wasn't smothered in cheese. One of my favorites of the night.
Brussels & Blistered Tomatoes $5~ I didn't eat this since my fiance had brussels sprouts in his dish. I'm assuming they're about the same.
Going in, I knew I had to save room for dessert because I already knew which cake I wanted. haha. But my entree was so good I ate all of it... But still, dessert!
Ida's Vice Cake (stout cake, tobacco simple syrup, coffee buttercream, smoked-candied bacon, ganache) $7~
OMG... just look at this. It's beautiful. And I love sweet and savory so I was very excited. First bite, I went for the back side where the bottom was decorated with bacon bits. The cake was moist, the coffee buttercream was smooth and the ganache was oh so good. The bacon? Super smokey... which is good I guess. But it really wasn't doing the cake any flavors. It can do without the bacon actually. It's plenty good on its own, the bacon flavor actually overwhelms it. But luckily the bacon doesn't cover the entire cake. So not completely what I expected but still very good. I'd eat it again.
Bartender's Cake (butter cake, spiced pecans, brown sugar cream cheese frosting) $7~ Good, but the chocolate cake was better. The cream cheese frosting on this though... on point! I can just eat that on its own. haha.
I wish they had a few more dessert options but I guess 2 is good too, so I wouldn't want to order too much. haha. It was a great meal, and lovely time catching up with friends. I will definitely be back. Yummy food, big portions, cool ambiance and good service. I've heard the cocktails are good too... and strong.
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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
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