Artin's Grill - Early Birthday & Father's Day Dinner

This past weekend, my bf's parents came to visit so we decided to celebrate an early Father's Day as well as my bf's birthday (which was this Tuesday). My bf wanted to go to Artin's Grill. I had told him I wanted to take him there for his bday last year, but we ended up doing dim sum. So this year he really wanted to go check it out.

Artin's Grill
5840 Legacy Cir.
Plano, TX 75024
(469) 366-3660
www.artinsgrill.com
Price: $$$$

I reserved a table on Opentable.com with no issues. This place has been on my list for a while considering I live about 5 minutes from the Shops at Legacy, but just never got the time to go.

We arrived about 10 minutes late but didn't have any trouble and was seated immediately. The restaurant was nicer than I expected. Dark wood decor, mood lighting, but still modern. Our waiter was really friendly and immediately asked about the birthday and Father's Day celebration. I had included the info in the notes section when I made the online reservation. I was happy that the restaurant actually paid close attention to it. And our waiter continued throughout the night to make both of them feel special on their special day. :) Bonus points for our waiter!

My bf got the Mango Mojito (Bacardi Mango Fushion Rum, shaken with muddled mint, Mango and simple syrup, floated with soda, mint sprig, berry garnish) $10~ It looked really good and he said it was. I'm allergic to mango so I'll take his word for it. He ordered a second one when the entrees came.

Our waiter told us about their specials and then took our orders.

We got the Spinach Artichoke Dip (with spiced crostini) $10~ to start. 

 

It was bubbling when it was served. Mmmmm! The dip was great! Cheesy, lots of spinach, and I loved the toasted breadcrumbs on top. The spiced crostinis were a bit salty, but still was good overall with the dip.

Time for the entrees.

My bf got the Sashimi Grade Ahi Tuna (pan seared, sesame crusted Sashimi grade Ahi tuna, Asian slaw) $31~ 

This is the main reason we are at this particular restaurant. Ahi tuna is pretty much his favorite thing. (And also the reason why I wanted to bring him here last year!) It was a beautiful plate. The deep color of the tuna with the slaw and the duo of sauces on the side. He was impressed with the portion size of the tuna. It was really fresh and paired really well with the wasabi cream sauce. He asked for more sauce too. The slaw was refreshing and a good compliment to the tuna. He loved it. It was exactly what he was looking forward to. Success! I'm always happy when I make a good recommendation. hehe. :)

Scottish Salmon (simply grilled, pecan currant cous cous, lemon beurre blanc) $26~ 

His mom ordered this. The salmon was cooked well, but I thought the star was the cous cous. It was so light yet flavorful. I loved the combo of the pecan and currant. It was pretty tasty.

Redfish Pontchartrain (blackened redfish, crab, shrimp, roasted garlic mashers, cajun cream sauce) $32~ 

His dad chose this dish. It was pretty impressive looking. Layers of different kinds of seafood. The sauce was rich and smoky. Really bold flavors.

I got the Braised Beef Short Ribs (mushroom mac & cheese, cabernet jus, haricot verts) $27~ 

 

The waiter said this was his favorite dish on the menu. And it was delicious. I love braised meat and they did it well. It was tender, juicy and full of flavor. I also loved the mac and cheese and onion strings with it. I love it when restaurants use Cavatappi pasta in mac and cheese. The shape is fun and has good texture. I'm really glad I got this dish, I definitely recommend it.

Wild Mushroom Medley $8~ We got this side dish. It was good but I felt it was a bit excessive since the entrees were all pretty big. The potatoes were a bit underdone in my opinion but everything else was great.

Our waiter was great through the entire meal. He was fun to talk to, very attentive and made an effort to make my bf and his dad feel special. :) They all commented that the service was top notch.

As the meal came to an end, our waiter came out with a Warm Chocolate Brownie Sundae (vanilla ice cream, toasted almonds, caramel sauce, berries) $7.50~ 

He also put a candle on it for my bf's birthday. I was almost as surprised as my bf was! I never even asked them to do this so it was extremely thoughtful of the restaurant to bring him a complimentary birthday treat. The brownie was gooey on the inside and had a nice crust on the outside. It was a very good ending to a fantastic meal.

I don't know why it took me this long to make it to Artin's Grill, but I'm so glad I got to go for 2 special occasions. I couldn't have asked for a better evening. Spot on service, delicious food, and great company. :) I will definitely be back. And I recommend this place for any occasion!

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

Vegas Trip: Table 10 @ Palazzo

Our last dinner was at Table 10 in Palazzo Hotel. And it's also the last day of Vegas' Restaurant Week. It's owned by the famous celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse. The menu looked really tasty online!

Table 10 - an Emeril Lagasse Restaurant

3327 Las Vegas Blvd, South Suite 2900

Las Vegas , Nevada 89109
(702) 607-6363
http://www.emerils.com/restaurant/11/Table-10/
Price: $$$$$+

We had to push our dinner back a few times because we were running late and also not very hungry. We finally made it there around 9PM which is their last seating time. The restaurant was pretty empty by then but they put us in one area of the dining room with all the other diners. The area we were sitting felt a little cramped. One of my friends basically said that we could just reach over and take the bread off the table next to us. hahaha. And it's true... The decor was nice. Warm tones, tall ceilings and I liked the wall of wine bottles we sat by. It was just kinda too close to the other tables.

I was super full from earlier in the day so I opted not to do the Restaurant Week again. Everyone else did.

They started us off with an amuse bouche. Salmon tartare over a baguette topped with avocado. The bread was a bit too hard but the salmon was fresh.

We also got some bread...

FIRST COURSE:

Iceberg Salad (with buttermilk dressing, shaved radishes and bacon).

The lettuce was fresh and the bacon was good but it was pretty basic.

New Orleans Chicken and Andouille Sausage Gumbo (with steamed rice).

They brought out an empty bowl and a pot with the gumbo in it and poured it in at the table. That was a cool presentation. The gumbo was good, the rice was cooked well but wasn't memorable either.

Carlsbad Aqua Farms Black Mussels (steamed with Fat Tire Ale, caramelized shallots and crusty baguettes).

One of my friends got this and I actually ordered this off the regular menu as my entree since I wasn't very hungry. All the appetizer portions were quite big. The mussels were cooked well and the broth was light. I thought the broth could've used a bit more seasoning or herbs or something though. The flavors weren't that exciting...

So during the first course, the manager came by and introduced himself and said he was a friend of Jason, our waiter from Sage. And brought out some Thick cut Bacon with Bourbon Maple Syrup (on the house) for us. Awwwwesome!!

The bacon was thick cut, sweet and salty and really delicious. It was sweet enough so didn't need the Bourbon syrup. But I tried a bit of the syrup and you can really taste the Bourbon, it added an interesting kick to it. Yummy~

SECOND COURSE:
Whole Roasted Suckling Pig "Porchetta" (with Wiser farm heirloom carrots and roasted garlic sauce).

I've been thinking about this dish since we made the reservation. It sounded so interesting and delicious and I was eager to see how it actually turns out! It was a big disappointment. The giant slab of meat actually looked really impressive and the waitress described how it was cooked. Basically they take the pig and remove all the bones then put it back in the skin and roast the entire thing for a really long time. Sounds yummy right? Well the meat was surprisingly dry... :( And there was no difference in texture so it was pretty boring. I think if they had crisped up the skin (like how I had imagined it would be) it would've been sooo much better. It was very one dimensional, both texturally and flavor wise. My friend also said it was really heavy. Both the meat and carrots were heavy... it needed some greens to lighten it up I think. Booo...

Braised Beef Short Ribs.

This was a heafty plate too. I was very surprised by the big portions in every course! I only got to try a bite. The beef was a little salty. My friend finished it all but wasn't particularly impressed with it. I think he was just hungry since we ate so late. haha.

THIRD COURSE:
Emeril's Banana Cream Pie.

Now this was definitely the best course in my opinion. But by then we were all super stuffed! This was my favorite dessert out of the 3 but the other ones were good as well. The banana pie was super tall, very cool looking with all the layers of bananas in there. The bananas were fresh and the whipped cream was light and fluffy. I particularly loved the crust. It was different than your typical pie or graham cracker crust. It seemed more crunchy to me. It wasn't overly sweet either. If I wasn't so full I probably could've eaten the whole thing!

White Chocolate Malassadas.

This is basically like a filled beignet or donut and then dusted with sugar. It was quite sweet and didn't need the creme anglaise that came on the side. But tasty!!

Hawaiian Vintage Chocolate Mousse and Raspberry Parfait.

This was the biggest glass of mousse I have ever seen. The mousse was creamy and chocolatey, but not too sweet. And of course chocolate and blackberries are a great combo. But the portion was definitely too big. I think they could've easily reduced it by like 60% and still have a great dessert. So most of it had to go to waste since we were leaving the next morning and can't really take anything to go... :( Such a waste...I was sad. haha.

So it was another disappointing meal, other than the desserts. They earned some points back for that course. hehe. But yea... didn't meet expectations for the most part. The service was good though and the bacon was a nice gesture.

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

Jacques-Imo's

OMG....it's time for our ACTUAL dinner. hahaha. I'm sooo full already!

Jacques-Imo's Cafe

8324 Oak Street

New Orleans, LA 70118

(504) 861-0886

http://www.jacquesimoscafe.com/

Price: $$

The restaurant owner is Jacques Leonardi, who is also the owner of Crabby Jack's (I had no idea!). This place was featured on Food Network's "Best Thing I Ever Ate" so I was really looking forward to trying it.

I'm so glad I called and made a reservation (even though the earliest availability was 9PM!) cuz the place was packed! We had to go through the bar to get to the hostess stand. O.M.G. The number of people in the bar was INSANE! You cannot move at all. I almost wanted to
give up the reservation and leave... I get claustrophobic and that was not a good experience!

Luckily the dining area was in a completely different area. Whew. When we finally got to the hostess, we had to squeeze our way back to the front of the bar to go to the dining area. The restaurant decor was very colorful and eclectic. Lots of different art, pictures, drawings on the walls, very random.

We were given complimentary Cornbread after we ordered. I'm not usually a cornbread fan but this was really good. The crust had a nice crunch to it and the inside was pretty moist. I would've liked some chunks of corn in it though.

A friend of mine ordered Fried Green Tomatoes (with shrimp remoulade) $7.50~ appetizer. It was definitely different than the remoulade we had in our po-boy earlier in the day. It was actually whole shrimp..in the shell and everything. I liked the crust on the green tomato but I think it needed more seasoning. I find green tomatoes kind of flavorless so I think some sort of sauce is necessary for flavor.

I just got an appetizer because I was still really full. Fried Rabbit Tenderloin (with Creole Mustard Sauce) $7.50~ I've never had rabbit before so I really wanted to try it. I thought the presentation looked kinda funny... It was ok... The texture was very similar to white meat chicken...a little tough and dry. Although I could taste a hint of some other flavor that differentiated it from chicken. I thought the crust could've been crispier too. I didn't care for the dish too much...

Half way through the meal, Jacques himself strolls into the dining room. Cool! He made his rounds at every table, greeting and chatting with all the customers. He seemed really friendly and laid back. When he got around to our table we told him this was our first time there and if we could take a picture with him. He was a good sport and even got on top of our chairs and did a goofy pose. haha! :) Then he asked if we got their Shrimp and Alligator Sausage Cheesecake $7.50~ (we didn't order it), so he gave it to us on the house since that was what they're famous for. It was the one featured on Food Network. It was definitely interesting...a savory cheesecake. Although I felt the texture was more along the lines of a quiche or bread pudding. I could see and taste the chunks of alligator sausage but didn't really get the shrimp. The sauce on top was kind of a creamy tomato-y sauce. I'm not sure if I really liked it that much but it was definitely something different to try.

Here are the entrees that other people ordered...
Each entree comes with house salad and choice of two sides. House salad is a spinach salad with a fried oyster and balsamic dressing. The salad was really good. Fresh and the dressing was tasty and not overpowering. The fried oyster on the side was pretty dang good as well.

One friend got the Cajun Bouillibaisse (oysters, shrimp, mussels, fresh fish) $19.50~ This was kind of like a seafood stew. There were lots of different kinds of seafood in there. I had a piece of shrimp...it was overcooked. :( The flavors were pretty nice though.

My bf ordered Grilled Mahi Mahi (with Pistachio sauce, asparagus, and shrimp); side of Corn Maque Choux and Mixed Greens) $18.50~ The fish was a nice thick piece of fish. It was cooked well, but I thought was lacking in seasoning a bit. The sauce wasn't really what I had imagined when I read the menu. What I really liked were the sides. The corn and greens were awesome! :)

Another friend ordered Blackened Redfish (with a crab shili hollandaise) $18.50~ I didn't get to try it but it looked pretty good.

One of my friends ordered Cowboy Ribeye with Onion Rings and Mashed Potatoes (22 oz. bone-in Ribeye) $36~ when he saw some guy in the table next to us with one. It looked really good. hahaha. I got to try one bite. The flavor was good I thought..but it wasn't as tender as I would like. And I didn't like the onion rings even though they looked good. The batter on the outside wasn't crispy...

OMG we were sooo full... I was at my max capacity and was starting to feel a little sick. haha. Needless to say we did not have any dessert. :P

Overall I was a little disappointed in the meal. I would definitey prefer Crabby Jacks out of the two. But I'm not sure if it's because I was already full to begin with...

There were some good parts and some not so good parts. But it was a nice surprise to meet Jacques thats for sure! All I can say is call ahead and make reservations!! Otherwise you'll be stuck waiting forever...

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First stop in NOLA!!

Weekend trip to New Orleans! My bf has been traveling there for work lately so we thought he could stay over the weekend sometime and a group of us go meet him for a weekend trip! :) The itinerary was super full...FULL OF FOODING that is! hahaha. That's what happens when they ask me to plan the trip. :P

We got in Friday night. First stop for dinner...

Drago's Seafood Restaurant

3232 N. Arnoult Road

Metairie, LA 70002

(504) 888-9254

http://www.dragosrestaurant.com/

Price: $$$-$$$$

I saw this place featured on Food Network's "Best Thing I Ever Ate". It was on the way to the hotel so we wanted to give it a try.

We went to the Metairie location (there's another one in downtown New Orleans). The parking was insane...totally packed and crammed spaces. Luckily the restaurant wasn't super full. We got a table right away. (They don't take reservations btw.) Walking in, you can see in the back where they are shucking and cooking the oysters over a giant fire grill. It was pretty cool.

Of course we had to try the featured item...

Drago's Original Charbroiled Oysters (half dozen) - $11.45~ "The Single Best Bite of Food In New Orleans." ...or so they claim... We only got half dozen because we wanted to pace ourselves for the rest of the trip. haha. Now I'm not a fan of oysters but these were pretty good. It was topped with cream and cheese then flame broiled so it had a nice char and crust. The oyster was nice and tender and didn't taste fishy. The bread was really good to sop up all the juices on the plate. My friend, who hates all seafood, tried one. And guess what?!? He liked it! WHOA!! He even had a 2nd piece!! It was quite tasty, but still expensive in my opinion.

We also got the Shrimp & Corn Bisque (cup) $7.45~ to share. I love any kind of corn chowder. This was really good. Wasn't too salty like some soups can be. The corn added a nice sweetness to it and the shrimp was cooked nicely. I liked it a lot. But for a tiny little cup, it was also too expensive...

My bf and I also shared a small Crabmeat Mediterranean Salad (Crisp romaine tossed with a light vinaigrette and Italian cheese-style dressing, topped with jumbo lump crabmeat) $7.45~ The salad was very generic but the lump crabmeat was good. It was super fresh and tender. Definitely made up for the meh salad.

My friend got the Blackened Chicken (Served with linguini and Alfredo sauce) $17.45~ Comes with a side salad. Again, the side salad was very generic and they put too much dressing on it...a little too sour. But he didn't like his entree at all. It was a little too salty and very heavy with the cream sauce. The chicken was ok but nothing special.

Overall the meal was good. The oysters were definitely tasty but I'm not so sure about being one of the best things I've ever had. The service was pretty good. But on the whole I just felt it was too pricey for what we were given. If you are only in NOLA for a short period of time, I would say skip this place...

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~