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Ah.. Bin 303. One of the shiny gems of Rockwall. We can always count on them to deliver a great meal. Since we finally tried their burgers, we knew we had to go back again, on a Tuesday, for their $10 burger night. In fact... we went back TWO Tuesdays in a row! haha.
Bin 303
105 Olive St.
Rockwall, Texas 75087
(972) 771-5303
http://bin303.com
Price: $$-$$$$
Their burgers are normally $14 each but on Tuesday they have a special $10 deal. Honestly, it's worth the $14, but a special deal just makes the food taste that much better. hehe.
First time back, I decided to try a different burger. (They only have 3 options.) Bin Burger (blue cheese mayo, nueske bacon, arugula, port braised onions; in a brioche bun) $14~ With side of barley salad.
I was a little hesitant on the blue cheese mayo since a little blue cheese goes a longgg way. I don't like too much of it. But honestly, I could barely taste it. The braised onions and bacon were great toppings. And I love the pepperiness and slight bitterness of the arugula to kind of round off the heaviness of the meats. And again, that bun... ohhhh sooo good! It certainly holds everything together well. I think the Texican I had last time still has the edge, but only because it has guac on it. :P
My fiance stuck with the Cheese Burger (aged cheddar, shredded lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles; in a brioche bun) $14~ With side of sweet potato fries. He really enjoys this one so why mess with a good thing? And OMG, lurrrrrrv those sweet potato fries.
We also decided to try the Apricot & Cranberry Potato Hash $5~
It was a side dish. I think they recently updated their menu for the fall? Not sure, but it certainly sounded tasty. It was not what I expected. Usually I think of chunkier potatoes in a hash. This one was pretty much all mashed together and then seemed like it was pan fried? Either way, it was yummy.
The following week we went back with some different friends. I wasn't super hungry that day, and was trying to be good... so I opted for a salad. Gasp! I know... why am I getting a salad when there are $10 burgers?!! haha.
Crispy Avocado Salad (bed of greens, roasted red pepper vinaigrette, seasoned crab meat, jicama, pico) $15~
The waiter highly recommended this. And as he was describing the crispy avocado to me, I was like, "done, order it, do it." haha. Avocado covered with breadcrumbs and fried. What's not good about that? It was a delicious salad. There was a ton of crab meat and they were so light. The vinaigrette was super flavorful and everything was so fresh. And then you get the creaminess from the avocado. Yum. However... it did not fill me up. I guess my stomach wanted a burger. hahaha. I highly recommend this though.And my fiance got his usual Cheese Burger so I got to have a few bites. :)
It was our friends' first time there. They both loved the burgers. AND the sides too. :)
Always a good time there. Love the ambiance of being in a cozy home setting. Service is always friendly. And the food yummy.
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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
When friends come to town, it usually means good food! My friend from NYC was here Labor Day weekend so we got a group together to go check out Remedy for dinner. I've been dying to go. I've done there brunch which is pretty good, but mainly I really really wanted one of their epic sundaes. hehe.
I'm really loving all the new places in Lower Greenville! There are so many spots I still wanna try. Just parking is quite lacking... We went on Friday night at 6:30PM. The place was already pretty packed. It's a small restaurant though, so make sure you get reservations! Some of our friends were there early so we were directed to the table as soon as we got there.
Remedy
2010 Greenville Ave.
Dallas, TX 75206
(469) 294-4012
www.remedydallas.com
Price: $$-$$$$
Our waiter greeted us quickly. He was super friendly. I think his name was Christopher. Shout out to the great service! He brought us waters and ome people ordered drinks.
Old Tom Pink Lemonaid (gin, grapefruit, juice, lemon juice, sugar, soda) $10~ A pretty drink. My friend said it was pretty good. And the paper straws are super cute, but not really that functional cuz they get kinda soggy after a while.
RX Painkiller (white and dark rums, tropic thunder soda, orange juice, coconut flakes) $10~ Also looked fun. I'm not a fan of shredded coconut, but it was pretty much just decoration. The drink itself was quite tasty. My friend really liked it.
Man.. it was so hard deciding what to order. All of us wanted to try everything... After a longggg time scrutinizing over the menu, we were set.
We started with an appetizer. Jalapeno-Chive Hushpuppies (NC hot sauce butter) $9~
It had a slight kick to it. I wished it was spicier. Not the best hushpuppies I've had. I thought the outside was over-fried. It felt a little greasy to me. The flavor was ok though.
A couple of my friends brought their baby girl so they got this for her. Grilled Cheese (Cottonwood River cheddar, charred TX tomato on griddled sourdough) $11~ Choice of Hand-Cut Fries. It looked really good. I got to have a fry which was yummy.
He got the Brown Sugar-Cider Glazed Dry Aged Duroc Pork Chop (jalapeno sweet potato hash, mustard greens with roasted peanuts in hot sauce vinaigrette, crispy onion rings) $26~ A super thick, bone-in pork chop. It was cooked really well... juicy and tender. Everyone who tried it, loved it.
She got the Open Faced Beet Cured Salmon (house-cured Scottish salmon, smashed avocado, marinated cucumber, TX tomato, pickled red onion, arugula, on griddled ciabatta) $15~ with Mixed Greens.
Another friend ordered the same but with Cream of Tomato Soup.
Such a vibrant dish. The beet color on the salmon was amazing. I normally don't like smoked salmon, but this is nothing like it. It doesn't have that smoked flavor. The fish was very fresh, and it was quite light with the cucumber/tomato/arugula combo. The avocado added a richness to it.
I recommended this to a friend. I had it during brunch. House Filet O'Fish (panko breaded TX redfish filet, American cheese, shredded lettuce, tartar sauce on a griddled challah bun) $15~ Choice of Cream of Tomato Soup. He loved it. The fish was tender and flaky. A solid choice.
Summer Goat Cheese Dumplings (white corn broth, caramelized cipollinis, anise-pickled lemley's peaches, brown butter baby zucchini, crispy squash blossom, cilantro) $18~ This was the only dish I didn't try. The portion size seemed fairly small plus I don't like goat cheese. So it would be wasted on me. My friend enjoyed it though.
I got the Cheeseburger (Kansas City Kobe Beef, American cheese, house dill pickles, sweet onion, shredded lettuce, TX tomato, creamy mustard on a griddled challah bun) $13~ Choice of Mixed Greens.
It was between this or the BLT, and the waiter highly recommended this. I'm glad I took his advice. A solid burger. Simple, no exotic ingredients like some gourmet burgers these days, but just good. The meat was super juicy. I especially love their challah bun... soooo soft and buttery but still holds everything together. I would definitely go back and have this again. I didn't feel greasy or heavy after eating this. And I thought I'd have leftovers, but I ate the whole thing. :P So much for saving room for dessert... ha!
We also got some sides to share for the table.
I chose the South of TX Style Creamed Corn (grilled summer corn with red and green chiles, scallions, cream, hot sauce, cotija cheese) $7~
Their sides are quite sizable btw... We didn't expect the portion size to be so "healthy". hehe. Loved this. So much flavor. A slight kick from the hot sauce. And not super creamy like it's doused in heavy cream. Yum!
Cheddar Bacon Grits (hickory smoked bacon, aged cheddar topped with marinated baby tomatoes, green onions) $7~
I already knew their grits was good from my brunch experience. Also a big portion. It's soooo good. Texture and flavors are all spot on. A big hit with the entire table. A waitress tried to take it away with one bite still left and we all basically jumped on her. hahaha. No waste!!
We were all pretty stuffed, but I was here for the dessert so I had to get some. At first we all said we were gonna share, but with this group, we love food too much and almost everyone got their own. :P
A friend and I shared The Brian Corn Luscher. Specialty Sundae. (summer corn ice cream, port-soaked blackberries, goat's milk cajeta, cornmeal shortbread cookies, whipped cream) $9~
I don't like goat's milk, so we asked for the cajeta, which is kinda like a caramel sauce, on the side. The sundae was massive!!!! The summer corn ice cream sounded so interesting. But it was very light. For the first half, I could barely taste the corn because the blackberry sauce and shortbread overwhelmed it. The blackberry sauce was awesome though, so I didn't mind. And the shortbread was good too, added a much needed crunch. After we ate through most of the toppings, then I was able to finally taste the corn ice cream. It's really good. We had help eating this too, but we were beaten. We could not finish... since everyone else got dessert too.
Coconut Cream Pie (sweet coconut cream, toasted meringue, candied coconut flakes, traditional flaky crust) $8~ Very pretty and tasty too.
Lemon Blueberry Pie (lemon curd swirled with fresh blueberry jam, topped with whipped cream, grape-nuts in brown sugar-oatmeal crust) $8 Plus A la Mode +$2~ Kinda pricey for a slice of pie and ice cream but they're both really good. This pie was yum-o! The lemon wasn't too tart and the pie wasn't too sweet. I especially loved the grape-nuts/oatmeal crust. Never had that before. So awesome.
Nancy's Butterscotch Pie (butterscotch cream, toasted pine nuts, caramel, rosemary-infused traditional flaky crust) $8 Plus A la Mode +$2~ This was a super rich and thick pie. A little too sweet for my friend who ordered it so I took it home for my fiance (who loooooves butterscotch). The pine nuts on top elevated the whole thing, in my opinion. It was a great combo.
It was a great dinner. Great company, delicious food, attentive service. I will surely be back soon. I need to have that cheeseburger again! We also got some complimentary mints with our checks.
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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
Oh Shake Shack... It's the single most recommended place while we were in NYC. When the name was mentioned everyone started drooling and raving about how great it is and how it was worth waiting in the long lines for. At first I wasn't too into it, just because of all the hype and talks of long lines. Also it was compared to In and Out (even though everyone says it's WAYYY better). Just being compared to it makes me go bleh. (Can you tell I'm not a fan of In and Out?) haha. I just don't get why people go crazy about that place.
Anyways... last day there. We were eating in Eataly, just across the street from the Madison Square Park location of Shake Shack. It was raining and cold that day and we realized there was no line! My friend that was eating with us said it was amazing and we should go, even if it's raining and there's no covered seating for us to eat. She said it was worth it and she can totally eat standing up while holding on to an umbrella. hahaha. Hardcore fan!! So we decided to give it a shot, seeing how into it she was.
Shake Shack - Madison Square Park
11 Madison Avenue #1
New York, NY 10010
(212) 889-6600
http://shakeshack.com/
Price: $
Everyone says their burgers are simple, it is just great quality and delicious. They use 100% all natural Angus beef, no hormones and no antibiotics. And also offer fries, shakes, and other desserts.
So standing in the cold and rain with our 2 tiny umbrellas for 3 people.. we made our order. I'm so glad there isn't a line! But there were still plenty of people standing around waiting for their orders!
The wait to get the burgers was quite long. Very quickly, my feet was wet and my hands were numb with cold. :( And the number of people waiting on their orders quickly increased. So I wouldn't really consider this fast food... I think we waited at least 15 minutes before we got our order. They really should put out some big umbrellas in the seating area or something...
We got 2 Single Cheeseburger (with lettuce, tomato, pickle and onion) $4.05~ People were right. The burger is super simple but it was assembled nicely. The ingredients were super fresh. The meat was juicy and had so much flavor.
And the bread...OMG the bread! I think that was the best part. It was soft and fluffy but still was able to hold everything in. And the ingenious part was that one side of the bread (the bottom) was connected so it was basically like a bread taco and it held everything in. My friend and bf stood and ate while I held the two umbrellas up for them. hahaha. The bread held in all the juices...it wasn't messy to eat while standing!! Wow!
I got the 'Shroom Burger (vegetarian; crisp-fried portobello filled with melted Muenster and Cheddar cheeses, topped with lettuce, tomato and ShackSauce) $6.55~
It just sounded good. And tasted even better! The stuffed portobello was fried to perfection. It was crispy down to the last bite! It had so much flavor I totally didn't miss not having meat. The cheese stuffed inside was hot and gooey and wasn't too overwhelming. Everything just came together. Awesome! I would eat that again any day. And for that 7-8 minutes while I was eating... I totally forgot about the wet and cold. haha.
It turned out to be better than I expected. It totally lived up to the hype and I can see why people line up for something as simple as this. It's just plain good! And even though we were freezing, it was actually a fun and different experience with friends. :) How often do you eat burgers while standing in the rain? hehe.
My bf said that was one of the best meals he had on the trip. I can't disagree...although we ate a lot of great stuff. We were still thinking of the burgers as we flew back to Dallas. It was a perfect ending to a great trip!! :)
Please open a Shake Shack in Dallas!!! Thanks~
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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
**Update 12.30.10**I went back for their NFL HH about 2 months ago. They have completely new menu items. Some are great additions, like the Country Fried Chicken Wings. YUM! But they took away the Chili Cheese Hot Dogs!! Nooooo! I kept trying to hint to them to bring it back...I hope they do!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I LUVVVV Chef Rathbun’s Blue Plate Kitchen!! It’s quickly becoming one of my favorite places in Dallas. Not only do they have great food, the service and specials are amazing!! :)
I went with some friends this past Sunday to watch the game and also to take advantage of their Sunday NFL Happy Hour which is every Sunday from noon-9pm. There are drink specials as well as food specials. They also have daily Happy Hour specials from 11am to 7pm and Reverse Happy Hour from 9pm to close (which is 11pm I believe). I recommend everyone go check it out!
Their NFL Happy Hour menu is pretty limited…only 4 items…I wish they would add more. So we ordered 1 of each to share (all $5 per order):
Ancho Honey BBQ Wings (topped with blue cheese, with blue cheese dip).
These were really good. The wings were cooked nicely and super tender. The honey glaze added a nice sweetness and the blue cheese crumbles on top added a creamy saltiness. One complaint is that it wasn’t big enough! :P
Cheeseburger Sliders. 
These were really cute and the flavor was good, but pretty normal. The meat patty could’ve been a little bigger and they could’ve added something to jazz it up…maybe a special cheese or some bacon! Hehe.
Chili Cheese Gourmet Hot Dogs (topped with jalapeno slices). 
There were 2 hot dogs, smothered with chili and topped with jalapeno slices. OMG. They were SO freaking delicious! The buns were nice and soft, the chili had great flavor and there was enough to smother the hot dog but not excess to make the bread soggy. The jalapeno slices on top were a nice bonus, added more heat to those who love spicy à ME!! This was my favorite of the night!
Black Bean Brisket Nachos. 
This was my #2 of the night. The portion was pretty huge. Awesome deal for just $5! It was loaded with toppings which included black beans, brisket, sour cream, and diced tomatoes. The brisket was cut in large chunks and there was so much meat…unlike most places where they give you like a few pieces. They were so tender and packed with flavor. All the components with the chips totally worked together. I couldn’t stop eating it!
**I want to mention just how great their service is… Not only was our waiter friendly and attentive (without being overly attentive…very important), the host/hostess were super nice. Also at one point my friend lost his contact and 2 of the waitresses quickly grabbed some flashlights to help us look for it! Totally awesome!!** :)
We watched the game for a bit then asked for the dessert menu. I noticed that they had slightly changed it since the last time I was there. They took out a few items and added new ones. Also they reduced the portion size as well as the price. Each dessert is now $5. Even though the Buttermilk Pie is my favorite, I decided to order the banana split for something new.
Banana Split (trio of Paciugo gelato with bananas, whip cream, and hot fudge). 
It was a different presentation than normal banana splits. It was almost like a mini version. The gelato was great…Paciugo is awesome! I felt like the bananas were a little under-ripe though. The Buttermilk Pie is still my fave! Even though the desserts are smaller, it still filled me up. I was really full after…very satisfied with the entire meal!
After the meal the waiter came with our check. He genuinely thanked us for dining with them and since we were their first customers for the NFL Happy Hour that night, the restaurant had comped our drinks! YAYYY! Blue Plate never ceases to amaze me!! Hopefully I will go back again in the near future.
In the mean time, I think everyone should go check them out! You won’t be disappointed!!
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~~CHOMP CHOMP~~
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