Lunch @ Sixty Vines

Sixty Vines... quickly becoming one of my favorite places in Plano. It's just such a beautiful space, and of course the food is fantastic. I was invited to come check them out for lunch and I was ecstatic! Luckily I had a doctor's appointment in Plano in the morning so I took half a day off work and had a long lunch with a friend.

Sixty Vines
3701 Dallas Pkwy.
Plano, TX 75093
(469) 620-8463
https://sixtyvines.com
Price (for lunch): $$

Did I mention I love the decor and space? We were initially seated by the kitchen which was an open space so you can see them work. While I love that, it was a little dim. So we moved to their covered patio seating. The weather was cool and kind of overcast, perfect for taking photos!

Our waitress was Kirsten. She had only been working there for a few months but was extremely knowlegeable of the menu and their VERY extensive wine menu. The name IS Sixty Vines... meaning they have 60 wines on tap. Yes. ON TAP. And tons more by the bottle. So naturally they feature a lot of drink specials. :)

Bubble Monday - Half Off all bubbly
Rose All Day Tuesday - Half off all sparkling and still Rose
Wino Wednesday - Half off all premium and super premium wines

They also have an ipad for all the wine options which is really helpful if you want more information on certain wines, which dishes on their menu pairs best with which wine, and flights for those who want to try multiple types. You can probably spend a whole day going through and reading their selections.

Kirsten told us they also have a Frose (frozen rose with a splash of Rosa Regale). I don't really drink, but I do love sweet wines like moscato... and Rosa Regale is one of my favs. So I got the frose to try, plus it's really pretty.

My friend ordered the Rosa Regale per Kirsten's recommendations (and mine. hehe). She loved it. Had a 2nd one! :P

We started with the Garden Vegetables (fresh chilled vegetables, pears, lettuces, green goddess dressing) $11~ 

The veggies change depending on the season. I knew we were going to order a bunch of carbs for the main dishes so this is my attempt to be a little healthier. ha! It IS super healthy. The bowl was so colorful and pretty. You can just FEEL the freshness by looking at it. Other than the celery, I loved all the different veggie selections. My favorites if I had to choose... the tomatoes and asparagus. But they were all good. And that green goddess dressing was absolutely necessary!

For the entrees we got several different things to share. And I wanted to get things that I haven't tried before.

Tonnarelli (coconut and cilantro infused noodle, jumbo gulf shrimp, spinach, basil, cracked black pepper, pecorino romano) Full Order $15~ You can also get half order for $8. 

I freaking love pasta... I will always choose pasta over pizza. The coconut and cilantro infused noodle sounds so interesting. However, neither of us could taste those flavors. The shrimp, while super plump, overpowered the entire dish imo. I did like the hints of basil throughout. Their pastas are made fresh daily, so our pasta was literally made like 2 hours before we got there. So fresh!

Weekly Pizza: Autumn Flatbread (acorn squash and sage infused white sauce, provolone, halloumi cheese, butternut squash, herb roasted turkey, cranberry, arugula, freshly grated Pecorino Romano) 

When Kirsten started describing this to us... we kept nodding our heads cuz we knew we had to get this. I love anything with butternut squash. This is fall in pizza form. The acorn squash and butternut squash made it sweet and savory. The dough had a nice chewy texture. I loved the arugula on top to add a little peppery-ness. Our only complaint was it was a little dry. A drizzle or dipping of sauce of some kind would be perfect.

Short Rib Sourdough Melt (red wine braised short rib, basil pesto aioli, tomato, fresh mozzarella, balsamic, sourdough, duck fat lemon potatoes) $15~ 

Y'all. This dish stole the show! Not only did it look and smell amazing. It tasted even better. I'm not even a sourdough fan. But the bread was nice and crispy. The short rib was tender. The aioli and cheese and balsamic added so much flavor. And my friend extra loved it cuz it was saucy. Definitely an extra napkin sandwich if you are going to pick it up. hehe. Huge portion too. We each ate half and it filled us up! The duck fat potatoes were great too.. but we had too much food to pay that much attention. haha. Highly recommend this!!

Deviled Affogato (devil's food cake, salted caramel ice cream, coffee caramel, nitro cold brew coffee shot) $7~ 

We got a dessert to share. I haven't had their desserts yet and this sounded so good. I recently started loving affogato. I don't really like coffee so it wasn't something I normally order, but since Starbucks Reserve in Legacy West, I've discovered that I LOVE affogatos. Mixing ice cream sure makes the coffee better! haha. This also is on a chocolate cake. It was wonderful. The coffee, caramel and ice cream gets soaked up into the cake. YUM!

It was a fabulous lunch. I got to catch up with my friend, have delicious food, and enjoy the nice fall weather. The food was great, just as I expected. And Kirsten was a fantastic waitress. We were given plenty of attention, she was extremely knowlegeable, and super nice. Also, at some point during the meal, everyone came to greet us, the manager, the chef, etc. We definitely felt very special. So get over there if you haven't yet. And keep in mind that Monday - Wednesday are great for drink specials! Ohhhh... and they told us that they are getting ready to roll out some new lunch menu items too. So keep an eye out for that!

Thank you so much, Sixty Vines, for having us. We will definitely be back soon! :)

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

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

The Eberhard - Now serving lunch on Fridays!

The Eberhard on Henderson... typically known as a cool bar scene. They have chandeliers, leather sofas, high ceilings, and a gigantic wall of bottles. However, did you know they also have good food? I went to check out their brunch sometime last year and was pleasantly surprised by all the options and food quality. And now they've opened up lunch on Fridays only. It used to be only dinners and weekend brunch. I believe lunch runs from 11AM-4PM every Friday now. The crew at @bestfooddallas were invited to go check out the new lunch menu. They said we could go at any time, so I went last Saturday night with my husband.

I've always loved the decor here. Especially the chandeliers. Just makes you feel fancy! :P

The Eberhard
2107 N. Henderson Ave.
Dallas, TX 75206
(214) 821-1100
www.theeberhard.com
Price (for lunch): $-$$$

We had an early dinner at 6PM. The place was still pretty empty. There was only one other table dining and a few people at the bar. We were immediately seated and our waitress, Barbara, came to greet us. She was super nice. Knew what we were in for and we were definitely well taken care of.

We started with some drinks.

My husband got the Knox Your Typical Old Fashion (Crown Royal, blackberry basil) $10~ He's normally super picky on drinks but he really liked this one. He actually finished it!

I normally don't drink. But I remembered a while back one of the @bestfooddallas Community Leaders went and featured a frozen cocktail with a popsicle in it. I asked if that was still available and she said yes. It's normally on the brunch menu, but I'm sure you can request it at other dining times.
Frozen Stoli Crush (Stoli orange, white wine, peach puree, tropical Red Bull, mimosa popsicle) $10~ She told me the popsicle flavor changes, but the frozen cocktail only comes in one mix. It is so cute!! And soooo delicious! I'm so glad I got it. Tasted like a peach slushie. And fresh peaches too... not just peach flavored syrup. The popsicle made it so much fun and kept it cold for a really long time. The mimosa popsicle on its own was great too. For once, I didn't need other people's help on finishing it. haha.

Our appetizers came out soon after our drinks. All of their lunch appetizers and flatbreads are $5 during lunch btw. Such a great deal.

Chef's Fancy Mac & Cheese $5~ I think Barbara said there's 5 different cheeses in here or something? It was really good. And definitely cheesy. We told ourselves not to finish it so we can have room for the other food but we ate it all... ha.

Avocado Toast (Toasted French baguette, avocado spread, roasted corn salsa, shaved asparagus, fresh radish) $5~ 

I always love avocado toast. I liked that this had a DIY element to it. You can top your toast with the corn salsa, asparagus, and/or radish. All the toppings were fresh and refreshing. I also liked that the bread wasn't super hard/crunchy. Most of the time baguettes are just too hard imo. Again... we weren't able to save any of it. haha.

For the entrees I chose the Duck Confit (confit of duck breast, savory bread pudding, butternut squash) $19~ 

My husband wanted this too but let me get it so we can try something else. (He ended up getting the better dish though. haha.) The plate was pretty. I was excited about all the elements. The portion of the duck was a little small but it's also the lunch menu. I was almost full anyways from all the appetizers. haha. The flavors were all very good, but the duck could've been seared a little more. The skin was not crispy at all. And the meat itself was a little dry, but still very tender... I also wished the bread pudding had some crispy parts. It would add a variation in texture. Overall the flavors were great but lacking in texture. I probably wouldn't order it again.

Corned Beef & Cabbage (confit of corned beef, steamed cabbage, potatoes in demi-glace) $14~ 

My husband chose this as his 2nd option. OMG. It was amazing. First of all, huge portion. And you can see the marbling in the corned beef. It was basically like thick slabs of brisket. The dish had so much flavor. I'm not sure what was on those potatoes, but they were yummy. The corned beef is made in-house and it was fork tender. Then I realized I've never actually had corned beef on its own. It's always in a sandwich or hash of some sort... But they just let the meat shine, and it was glorious! I would eat this any day. We ended up taking half of it to go because we were both full. (I made fried rice with it the next day... it was magical.)

We were stuffed! But of course... when you're checking out a new menu, you have to get dessert too. Fudge Brownie (a la mode). 

They were out of our first choice... an Oreo Brownie Bar or something. The dessert was actually the least remarkable of the whole meal. I expected the brownie to be thicker when I hear "fudge" brownie. But I did like the cookie-like crust on the bottom. That added a nice texture. It was ok. I think also we were just way too full. But I would rather get another Frozen Stoli Crush as my dessert next time. hehe.

Now... I know what you may be thinking... $19 is a bit steep for lunch. And it is... but we both ordered from the "entrees" section. They also have a "sandwich" section that has sandwiches, burgers, and wraps... all $10, which is very affordable for the quality.

My husband and I really enjoyed ourselves. It was like a little date night. And we both liked our drinks! That's a miracle in itself. haha. Get the Corned Beef. Seriously. Do it. Barbara was great. She answered all my questions, checked on us often without being too aggressive. I think the manager came around a few times too. He was in a blazer so I'm guessing he's the manager. Also super nice and made sure we're having a good time. Throughout our dinner, people started coming in. Most of them went to the side with the sofas though. Only 2 other tables were actually eating there. They have good food, people! Go eat there, but still get a drink. hehe. :)

**This was a comped meal, but all opinions are my own.**

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Value: (comped)

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

Vegan Pop Up Dinner + Floral Workshop

Back in November, I attended a Vegan Pop-Up Dinner in Bishop Arts District. I found this even through Instagram from someone I follow. Along with a 3 course vegan dinner, it also features a floral workshop. Sounds like so much fun! I got a friend to go with me, I was super excited.

This whole event was brought together through Instagram. I got to meet some great people and learn new things! Make sure you follow all these wonderful people!

Hosted by: @threetwelveco

Collaborators: @lalascakes, @wheatandsour, @wethebirdsmacarons, @vegannomstx, @clearlykombucha

Floral Workshop by: @thebackyardbouquet

Guest Speakers: @cgar1121, @plantbasedzak

We started with the floral workshop with Lauren from The Backyard Bouquet. It was lots of fun. She brought all these different types of flowers, herbs, berries, and other interesting plants. It was so eclectic. I love the addition of the herbs and berries. There was also wheat! We all got to pick our own plants and just let our creativity flow. Everyone's bouquets turned out so well!

 

 

Once the flowers were done, it was time for dinner! I've never had a full vegan meal. But I'm always interested in trying new diets and foods.

We started with the most amazing Butternut Squash Soup. With bread by Wheat and Sour. The soup was rich and warming and quite filling. The bread was fantastic with it. I used it to scrape the entire bowl clean. Soooo good!!

 

 

Clearly Kombucha provided the refreshments for the night. They were also the sponsors of the event. :)

Salad: Arugula, pear, radish, fresh lemon. It was light and fresh, really just highlights the ingredients.

Main Course: spaghetti squash, red sauce, roasted fall veggies, vegan provolone. 

This was delicious. I loved the red sauce on the squash. The flavors were also light, but still complimented each other. I love that you can taste all the ingredients on their own. And guess what? I never missed the meat in the entire meal!

Dessert: dark chocolate pumpkin butter cups, chai vanilla orange spice macarons, spiced pear soaked vanilla sponge cake with vegan cinnamon buttercream, chocolate chip banana cookies. 

 

A cute assortment of mini desserts. All vegan! That pumpkin butter cup was the best thing ever. I also really liked the chocolate chip cookie.

This was the most wonderful event. :) I enjoyed every minute of it. Learning about new flowers, how using herbs and vegetables makes an arrangement so interesting! And I was completely blown away by the dinner. Great job to all the people that cooked. Not once did I miss meat! After the meal, we had a short presentation by the guest speakers on the values of vegans. I learned it's not just a diet but a lifestyle and moral code. And I totally respect that.

So much fun. I hope they do another event like this again soon. Make sure you follow @threetwelveco for future events and pop ups. :)

Overall Experience:

~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

The Capital Grille

OMG. My little sister is married, y'all! They didn't want to have a ceremony or anything. And actually eloped when they were on a trip to Spain... but decided to have a dinner with family once they returned. They chose The Capital Grille at Crescent Court. A great choice... I've never had a bad experience there (or the one in Plano).

The Capital Grille
500 Crescent Ct.
Dallas, TX 75201
(214) 303-0500
www.thecapitalgrille.com
Price: $$$$+

This was the first time both sides of the family met...can you believe it? It's been almost 7 years. haha. We had a long table in the first dining area. The party had about 16 people or so. Our waiter was super cool. Gave us time to do our greetings and introductions and everything before all sitting down to look at the menu.

The table was too big so I couldn't get photos of everything but trust me it all looked and tasted great!

We started with some appetizers for the table.

Prosciutto Wrapped Mozzarella (with vine ripe tomatoes) $16~ These were large pieces.. I only ate a little because I was looking forward to the entree!!

Lobster and Crab Cakes $19~ These had so much lobster and crab inside. Sooo good.

Bread Basket. I always like their bread baskets... a lot of variation. Some sort of raisin rye, cheese bread, and some type of lavosh cracker thing. Put the prosciutto mozzarella on the lavosh... now you're thinking! hehe.

Some people ordered salads to start. I got the Butternut Squash Bisque (cup) $8~ 

Love me some butternut, so I had to get it. It was really good. There were little cubes of apples in there which added a crunch and tartness. Oh man.. I'm already getting full!

My parents decided to share the Sliced Filet Mignon (with cipollini onions and wild mushrooms) $48~ 

The mushrooms and cipollinis were amazing. Really great flavor. The steak was also spot on. I'm not a fan of filet mignon though, not fatty enough. ha.

I got the Porcini Rubbed Bone-In Ribeye (with 15 year aged balsamic) $50~ 

A-mahhhh-zing!! First of all, it is massive! And then cooked perfectly medium rare with pockets of fat throughout. That rub on it had soooo much flavor. Loved it. My dad said it was better than his. haha. I actually made it through more than half! Proud. :P

My fiance got the Sushi-Grade Sesame Seared Tuna (with gingered rice) $44~ 

He has a soft spot for Ahi tuna. And also he knew we were getting dessert later so he wanted to pace himself. Giant piece of tuna, perfectly red in the center. I loved the gingered rice. Super yum.

We also had some shareable side dishes for the table.

Lobster Mac N Cheese $17~ Totally the winner. Just look at the lumps of lobster sticking out of the cheese. The pasta texture was great. Loved the bread crumbs on top.

Sam's Mashed Potatoes $10~ This is pretty standard. I decided not to waste any stomach space by eating too much potatoes. haha.

We also got Brussels Sprouts too (forgot to take a picture). Was a little disappointed. It didn't have that char that Brussels sprouts need to have.

It was a great dinner. The steak here is always on point. And seems their seafood is too. The waiter surprised my sister and her husband with a dessert tray. We got to sample a bite of that dessert. I think it's coconut cream pie... it was pretty outstanding. We were going back to their place for dessert and drinks so I didn't get to browse the dessert menu... next time, I guess.

 

Definitely a great spot for a special occasion. I actually noticed a lot of other tables celebrating for different reasons. They decorated the tables, and the ladies all got a single red rose. How sweet!

Congrats to the newlyweds. And good job for picking a great place to celebrate!

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~