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In October, I had a lot less media events to attend so I used my free time to connect with friends I haven't seen/talked to in a while. Plus I got to go to some of the places that I've been wanting to go for the first time, or return to cuz the first time was so good. City Hall Bistro blew me away when I went for a media dinner. I dreamed about it all the time so when I planned a brunch with a friend, I suggested it. She also loves this place so it was quickly decided. We just can't stay away!
City Hall Bistro
1321 Commerce St.
Dallas, TX 75202
(214) 651-3686
www.cityhallbistro.com
Price: $$-$$$
Checking out their brunch this time. They have a pretty small brunch menu, the rest of the options are available on their dinner menu as well. But everything sounded yummy. My friend is gluten free so we couldn't share a whole lot. I love my carbs. :P So naturally we over-ordered. She got 2 dishes and I got 2... and sampled each others.
We started with her choice, Chia Seed (apple, date, dried fruit, goji berries, cinnamon, labneh) $12~
The chia seeds are soaked in coconut milk (which is good cuz she's dairy free as well). The only dairy was the labneh that they usually dollop on top. So they just put it on the side. What a beautiful dish! Just lightly sweet the texture of the chia seeds were perfect. The fruits on top were strategically placed, I just loved the plating. It was a nice, light start to the meal.
Next was my pick: Hazelnut Waffles (nutella, banana) $11~ Too bad they don't have a gluten free options. These are yummy. I especially loved the hazelnut crumbles on top. It didn't really even need the maple syrup. The waffle texture was good, it didn't feel heavy. Which means I can eat more! :P
Her choice: Black Rice (harissa chicken, kale, sofrito, poached egg) $17~ I wanted this too, so I was glad she chose it. hehe. Also a beautiful dish. Loved everything about it. The flavors were great. I love black rice. The poached egg was so soft it just mixed with everything. And I like the greens in there since we didn't really have any other vegetables in the meal.
Lastly, this is not part of the brunch section but I wanted to try it since the first time I dined here. House-Made Cavatelli (braised short rib, fresh peas, parmesan) $14~
I love all pasta. And when it's mixed with short rib? Sold! Freaking loved it. This was my favorite. The pasta shape is fun... although you can also say they look like bugs. But delicious bugs! :P And the texture is on point! The short rib was SUPER tender. The peas and pea greens added a nice freshness since this is a heavier dish. I'd eat this dish again any day.
It was such a great meal. I loved catching up with my friend and enjoyed the lovely ambiance of City Hall Bistro. Got to try 4 new dishes there too so it's definitely a success. Hopefully I'll get to go back soon. There are more things to try!
Quality of Food:
Service:
Ambiance:
Value: (for brunch):
Overall Experience:
~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
Last Monday, I attended one of the dinners from FT33's Guest Chef Series. I wanted to go last year when I first heard of these dinners but never made it out. I was sure to try it this year!
They have it every 3rd Monday of each month. 8 course menu for $105 per person. Optional wine pairing +$55~ I reserved for 7 people on Monday, 6/15. The hostess informed me that the doors open at 6PM where there will be passed appetizers and cocktails. And we'll be seated for dinner around 6:45PM.
FT33
1617 Hi Line Dr.
Dallas, TX 75207
(214) 741-2629
http://ft33dallas.com
Half of the group arrived at 6PM. We hung out at the bar where they were making their featured cocktails.
Guest Bartender: Matt Orth
Cocktails:
Balvenie 12yr. Doublewood Penicillin. I opted for this one and asked to it to be a little sweeter. It had honey and lemon in it. It was sooooo good. And I NEVER drink whiskey because I've never liked it in anything. They definitely converted me! I usually don't drink on a weeknight either but I got a 2nd one before dinner started. :P It's all included, why not?
Balvenie 14 yr. Caribbean Cask Old Fashioned. Most of the guys ordered this. It's more of a manly drink. hehe. One friend that knows his stuff about liquor said it was really really good. The bar ran out before we were seated for dinner though.
Waiters/waitresses also came around with white wine and a rose.
Passed Apps:
All the appetizers were nicely plated and were passed around by the waiters. Everything was tasty. We were off to a great start!
Don't remember what this is, but tasted like shrimp chips! This was pretty good, and it just kept getting better.
Baby Corn Elotes. So cute! I love elotes.
Tomato Madeleines. My favorite of the night. They were cute, buttery, and full of flavor. And the serving platter was beautifully done with tomato vines since it was a tomato flavored madeleine. :)
Chocolate Liver Mousse Macaron. This was very interesting. The macaron is chocolate and sweet. The liver mousse filling was savory and rich. It had so much contrast but everything went together so well. The outside was crunchy, the inside was smooth. Sweet and savory. A very unique but wonderful combination.
Finally, we were all being seated at our tables. They had a pretty structured system for the dinner. Before the meal, the waitress collected all of our credit cards to enter in, then quickly returned to all of us. This way, they can get the check to us at the end of the meal without having to deal with collecting everyone's payments then. It really made a difference. We were not left waiting when we wanted to leave.
I went to the restroom before dinner started and walked by the open kitchen. I saw dozens of plates laid out and all the chefs plating the first course. I love that we can see through the kitchen. I love watching them plate. It always seems like an art form.
They welcomed everyone to the dinner and did a brief intro on the guest chefs and we are off!! Guest Chefs: Kim Floresca and Daniel Ryan from [ONE] in Chapel Hill, NC. I didn't know anything about these chefs but I'm sure that if Chef Matt McCallister invited them, then they are good at what they do.
So the way the menu was structured is that Chef Matt McCallister prepped and served dishes alternating with the dishes from Chef Kim and Chef Ryan. It wasn't what I expected. I had thought that the 3 chefs would all work together and make dishes together. All my friends kind of had the same expectation too, so we were all kinda surprised. The dishes from Chef Matt will be labeled (M), the Chefs from [ONE] will be (K/D).
(M) Summer Squash lightly cooked, Vegetable Tea, Nori.
First course. As we were being served, everyone at the table was talking. All of a sudden I see this tattooed arm reach over me, pouring the vegetable tea. Then I looked up, and was like "Hey! This is the Chef!" Chef Matt was personally serving our table. Cool! :) It was a nice beginning to the meal. The plate was pretty and clean... in both style and flavor. Everything was light, but not bland. A good start.
(K/D) King Crab, Carolina Gold Plantation Rice, Soured Corn, White BBQ.
This was the guest chef's first dish. OMG. So freaking amazing. It was so simple yet so complex. It's a cold dish. The large chunk of king crab under the rice was cooked perfectly. The rice with the sauce was also perfection. I wanted a giant bowl of this and I'd be happy with the dinner. The olive looking things were actually not olives and it added a nice acidity to everything. Everyone was blown away by this. This turned out to be my favorite dish of the night.
(M) Field Peas, Dried Goat Cheese.
You know me... I hate goat cheese. But since it was dried, I could eat around it and the flavor wasn't too strong. The peas were an assortment of flavors and textures. Some seemed to have been fried/crisped, which the others were softer. I loved the difference in texture, especially the crispy ones... they had a smokiness to them.
(K/D) Black Garlic and Squid Ink Cavatelli, Krill, Aleppo, Crumb made of Pig Ears and Skin.
This was the dish I was most excited about when we got the menu since I love squid ink anything and cavatelli isn't something I get often. It wasn't what I expected... it was SO much more interesting! First of all, the cavatelli was jet black and kinda shaped like fat meal worms. haha. A little gross, but also kinda cool. It was perfectly al dente and the flavor of the cavatelli alone was wonderful. The toppings with the crumbs and krill provided a crunchy texture. Normally I don't like krill, but in this case it paired wonderfully. A friend of mine said the same thing about the krill. So much flavor and texture... again. The guest chefs are certainly outshining Chef Matt. (Which I was shocked!)
Two of my friends decided to order Whiskey Sour $6~ halfway through the meal. It was pretty. But not nearly as good as my Penicillin cocktail earlier. hehe. They liked it though. And it was only $6!!
(M) Pork Jowl, Braised Cabbages and New Crop Potatoes, Chicory, Chantrelle.
I was also excited for this dish since pork jowls are usually really yummy. Which it was on this dish. It was like really thin shavings of pork. Super tender. The dish was good but I felt like it was missing something. The flavors were pretty one dimensional. I think a sprinkling of chili flakes would've really brightened it up?? I was a little disappointed.
(K/D) Lily Buds, Beef Cap, Vegan XO, Cucumber, Charred Eggplant.
Another shining star. We didn't know what to expect with the vegan XO. The only time I've had XO sauce is in Chinese cuisine. The waiters explained to us that it is similar to the Chinese XO sauce, but instead of being made with meats/seafood, it was all vegan. The sauce on it's own was ok. But when paired with the beef. Magic happens!! Ahhhhhh! And the beef... oh the beef. Some of the most tender beef I've had that's not labeled "wagyu" or "kobe". Perfectly cooked. We all wished we had more than just the 2 pieces on our plates. For every bite of the beef, you had to smear it with sauce. It was delicious! This was a lot of people's favorite dish. And a very close second for me...IF I had to choose.
(M) Crocodile Tears, Seed Crisp, Basil Fermented Strawberry and Tomato.
We were trying to guess what Crocodile Tears are the entire meal. We didn't want to google it because we all wanted to be surprised. hehe. But before this course, I went to the restroom. On the way back, some of the other tables already got it and it looked like a cheese plate. So Crocodile Tears turns out to be a goat cheese from Capriole farms in Indiana. Sigh... more goat cheese. This one was way more potent than the one in the beginning. I could smell it as soon as they put the plate in front of me. Ugh. It was almost unbearable. But I still tried it. Couldn't do it... after 2 bites.. I really tried! But I ate everything else. Another friend of mine doesn't like goat cheese either and she had the same reactions I did. This is by far my least favorite dish of the night. I felt bad for leaving pretty much the entire chunk of goat cheese on my plate. Good thing my friend took half.
(K/D) Carolina Peaches, Local Beeswax, Olive Oil Madeline, Angelica.
The final dish of the night was a dessert by the guest chefs. The green licorice-like things on the plate was called Angelica. I had to look this one up... According to BBC: "Angelica may be familiar as the acid-green crystallized or candied strips used as a decoration on cakes and desserts, but angelica itself is a herb. It is known as ‘herb of the angels’ (hence the name) because it was believed to have medicinal properties. It’s a member of the parsley family, a tall plant with a long firm stem and bright green leaves. Candied angelica is made by boiling the stems in sugar syrup." It had a very unique flavor. Nothing I've ever had before, and I couldn't decide if I liked it or not. But other than the angelica I liked everything else. Those thin wafer things were by far my favorite. So buttery, thin, crispy, it held the dish together. the peach sorbet was a bit too sweet for some. I thought it paired with everything well. The beeswax cream was very interesting too. So many flavors in here that I don't have often!
It was a fun and interesting meal. I got to try a lot of new things I've never even heard of. But we all realized half way through the meal that we were liking all the dishes from the guest chefs. Their dishes were the clear winners of the night...every single one of them were fantastic. I was actually quite surprised. We all though that Chef Matt needed to step up his game... or wondering if he let the guest chefs have the spotlight?? I mean, we all agreed that his dishes were really good, but in comparison with the guest chefs, it wasn't as good. I really wonder what the thought process was for all the dishes from all the chefs to plan this meal. The other thing is that even though all the dishes were amazing, we felt that it didn't really have a cohesiveness for the entire meal. Wasn't that big of a deal though.
I definitely recommend getting in one of these dinners if you like to try new things. His next one is July 20th. I think that's the last one... I haven't seen any news of any other future dates. Also, if you like wine, I'd suggest the wine pairing. One of my friends regretted not doing it. And the table next to us said the wine pairing made their meal because it was so well done.
We had a lot of fun! The checks were brought out to us, included tax and gratuity already so the check out process was very fast. The service throughout the night was great too. Some of the waiters didn't know all the details about the different dishes but they were very eager to ask the kitchen and inform us.
Quality of Food:
Service:
Ambiance:
Value:
Overall Experience:
~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
This past Saturday was Restaurant Week at Charlie Palmer in The Joule hotel. I thought their menu choices sounded really tasty and I've never been so it made my list this year. hehe.
Charlie Palmer @ The Joule
1530 Main Street
Dallas, TX 75201
(214) 261-4600
http://www.charliepalmer.com/Properties/CharliePalmerAtJoule
Price: $$$$+
Starting with the reservation process I've received nothing but great service. I was a little scared that I wouldn't be able to get my party of 10 in at a good time but they were totally accommodating and even gave us the private room that seats 10! :)
A few of my friends arrived early and they were seated first. I liked that they didn't make them wait for the rest of the party before being seated. We ran a few minutes late because the Valet service at the front was SUPER slow. The traffic was backed up and they couldn't get to all the cars in time. We actually arrived on time, but sat in the valet line for at least another 10 minutes or so... Walking in, the hotel is pretty awesome looking and the restaurant was very impressive with their glass wall wine displays. The hostesses were all smiles and really friendly and we were immediately shown to our room.
The private room was nice. It was brighter and more quiet than the main dining area. It was great to be able to talk to all my friends without distractions.
After making our orders, a waiter came around with a bread tray and we got to choose from 3-4 different types of breads. 
I liked my wheat bread. It was warm and had great texture.
We were also served an Amuse Bouche before the meal. It was a Wild Mushroom Arancini with Saffron Aioli. 
It's basically risotto with wild mushrooms formed into a ball and fried. It was fried perfectly. Delish!!
The great thing about dining with a bunch of friends is that I get to try all different kinds of dishes! :P
1st Course --
Cavatelli Duck Bolognese (wild mushrooms, fiore sardo). 
The waiter told us that the Cavatelli is made mostly with ricotta. I thought the texture was similar to gnocchi. I liked the pasta a lot. The bolognese was ok. I couldn't really tell the meat was duck since it was ground meat and it could've used a bit more spice. I feel like the sauce could've used a bit more punch.
Beef Tartare (capers, hardboiled egg, herb aioli, celery crisps). 
This was the best appetizer I thought. The beef tartare was fresh and had great texture. The meat was rich and velvety. The herb aioli was pretty awesome with the tartare.
Corn Salad (arugula, Van Sormon cheese, sherry-truffle vinaigrette, celery croutons). 
I didn't try this but my friend said it was really good. She finished it all.
2nd Course --
Chorizo Crusted Scottish Salmon (ratatouille, white beans, saffron foam, oregano). 
This was what I ordered. The chorizo was really the selling point for me. haha. It was interesting with the chorizo crust on top but I thought it should've had more of a crisp sear and more flavor. Typically chorizo has a ton of flavor and I didn't get it here. The salmon was cooked well, nice and tender and pink. Overall, it was good, but needed a bit more contrast in flavors.
Miso Glazed Cod (char siu pork cabbage roll, Chinese long beans). 
This was my other choice but my friend got it so I can sample. hehe. The cod was cooked well but flavor was just ok. The char siu pork on the other hand was pretty awesome. Great flavor and really tender. My friend thought the fish was a bit too salty but I didn't think so at all. We both agreed that it would've been good with a side of rice though! haha.
Grilled Hanger Steak (wild mushrooms, olive oil mashed potatoes, gremolata). 
This was agreed to be the best entree of the night. The portion wasn't that big but it tasted great. It had a great seared crust on the edges of the meat and was so tender. I loved the gremolata on top. The raw garlic really added a nice spice to the meat.
Maltagliati (oven dried tomatoes, basil, chicken liver, black pepper and truffle mascarpone).
This was quite interesting. It was the biggest entree portion out of everything. Maltagliati is almost like sheets of lasagna that were cut into wide strips, almost like pappardelle the waiter explained. I think I would've preferred actual pappardelle though. The pasta texture wasn't that great. A little softer than I prefer. The fried chicken livers were pretty awesome though. I was surprised that the pieces were that large. The batter on them were so flavorful and crunchy. YUM. The dish also needed a bit more depth of flavor...a spicy element would've helped.
A friend of mine also ordered an additional side of Creamed Spinach $9~ 
I loved the little bowl it came in. It needed more cream though. I like creamed spinach to be thicker and it was a bit more watery than I prefered. But the flavors were light and fresh.
Dessert --
Ruben's Tarts (daily selection: Passion fruit & blueberry tart, Dark Chocolate Ganache). 
Their desserts were the best part of the meal in my opinion. Everything was good. The passion fruit and blueberry tart was one of my favorites of the entire night. Bursting with passion fruit flavors with the plump fresh blueberries and buttery crust. YUM-O! The chocolate tart was deep and rich. Also a great dessert.
Milk Chocolate Brulee Cotta (chocolate crystals, dried cherry cocoa nib compote). 
We didn't really know what to expect with this since the description was kinda hard to picture. It was a pretty small dessert and didn't look super pretty or anything. But it was delicious. Imagine a mixture of creme brulee and panacotta on top of a thin layer of chocolate wafer crisp. The milk chocolate flavor really tasted high quality and the texture of the brulee cotta was creamy and smooth. One of my favorite elements was the wafer on the bottom. It wasn't too crunchy to overpower the brulee cotta on top. It was just the right contrast in texture.
Texas Peach and Blackberry Crisp (brown butter ice cream). 
This was my pick for dessert. I liked it a lot. The fruits were chunky and fresh. I loved the crisp and ice cream on top, I just wish there was more of it! I devoured the whole thing!
Now I want to take some time and recognize our waiter, Shawn (sp?). He was freaking FANTASTIC!! I would say it was the BEST service I've ever received in my life!! And all my friends agree. First of all, he was super nice and friendly and easy going. None of that arrogance you often associate with fancy restaurants. He was really knowledgeable of every aspect of the restaurant and shared many fun facts and tidbits throughout the course of dinner. I also noticed that he was really aware of everything. A few times he would hear our conversation about things in the restaurant or the food and he would jump in and offer cool information regarding that topic. He also joked and chatted around with us about movies and other subjects. He took care of us with such ease. Changing the silverware after every course, refilling water, etc. without ever disrupting our conversations. I noticed that he had proper etiquette and took the orders from the ladies first. You don't even see that in nice restaurants anymore... He checked on us just enough. He was there when we needed him. There were many other little things here and there he did that were just so thoughtful. These are things where if he didn't do them, we wouldn't even think about it. But the fact that he thought about it just made the dinner THAT much better! He also came at the end of dinner with all the checks split, without us even asking! I heart him!!
I was also impressed with the overall service of the restaurant. We had several other waiters bring the food and fill the water glasses and they were all very friendly and efficient. The hostesses greeted us warmly at the beginning and end. Also, when I went to use the restroom, one waiter was obviously going the other way to do something, he just dropped what he was doing and escorted me to the restroom...instead of most people would just point. My friend said another waiter did the same thing. What great service! It just made us feel so welcome and comfortable. :)
Overall the food was good, could've been better but the entire experience was fantastic. I really have to thank Shawn for giving us a wonderful dinner experience and I hope the restaurant recognizes him for that! I think I'll give the restaurant a call and put in a good word too! This definitely makes it to the top of my list for great Restaurant Week in all my years of participating.
Quality of Food:
Service (I would give 10 if I could!):
Cleanliness:
Value (for RW):
Overall Experience:
~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
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