Unrefined Bakery - Rockwall

Rockwall recently got a new cupcake place and I'm super psyched!! They opened a little before Thanksgiving, and I didn't get to go check it out until December. Not only do they make cupcakes, they also make their own breads, fruit bars, muffins, granola, and more. AND... everything is gluten and soy free. They also have items that are corn-free, dairy-free, and egg-free (to name a few). And they have vegan and paleo friendly options. They also use the purest and whole ingredients: organic and non-GMO flours, sugars, fats, dried fruits, nuts, eggs... This makes them healthy right?!?! :P

Unrefined Bakery
557 E I-30
Rockwall, TX 75087
(972) 948-2414
http://unrefinedbakery.com
Price: $

They started off in Dallas, I believe, but now they have a total of 5 locations across DFW. That's amazing! My reviews are only on the Rockwall location.

They offer a Cupcake of the Week "COW", every Friday at noon and sell it for the following week until they run out. I follow them on Instagram and Facebook so I usually find out what flavors are coming soon. Could be a dangerous thing. haha.

The first time I went in was for the new COW which was Peppermint Hot Cocoa. Sounds amazing... Walking in, the store is pretty bare. They have some tables and chair set up and some shelves on the side for the breads and granola. I wonder if they're going to do more with the decor. Looks quite unfinished compared to their other locations. It also smells a little weird, not like how a bakery normally smells. Not sure if that's got to do with the different ingredients?? But the people were super friendly. One person immediately came up to greet me, and gave me a general blurb about what they do and what they offer. I liked that. I think it's important to inform the public about what makes their products unique. I've gone into other gluten free bakeries before where the employees offered no info whatsoever. Why would I spend extra money buying your stuff, when I can get a cupcake elsewhere for a few bucks less? Right??

I proceeded to try a whole bunch of samples. Haha.. I wanted to try them all! But didn't want to be greedy. :P

Peppermint Hot Cocoa (chocolate cake with chocolate mint creme, peppermint unbuttercream, cocoa dust, shaved chocolate) $5~ 

 

I'm so shocked that their cupcakes are gluten free or vegan...it's so moist! I remember having my first gluten free cake years and years ago and it was like eating dry cardboard. The gluten free desserts have certainly improved tremendously! They always have samples in the store too. I tried regular gluten free versions as well as vegan, and honestly, I can't tell the difference. They're all really moist. I mostly got the peppermint for my fiance since he likes mint. I'm usually not a huge fan. But I liked this one, just enough hint of the peppermint without overpowering everything else. I also enjoy their unbuttercream. They don't use butter, hence the name. Always smooth and creamy. I've never minded the texture. In fact, I like it more than most super sugary frostings.

Loaded Monkey (peanut butter, banana, nuts) $5~ Can't go wrong with this combination of flavors. Really enjoyed this one.

Brownie. They told me this is like crack, cuz it's so good. I can't say it's THAT good, but I did like it. Popped it into the microwave for a few and devoured it. Couldn't tell that this was gluten free.

All their COWs are $5, as well as the Loaded Monkey which is a Specialty cupcake. A little pricey, but I understand the ingredients they use, and the dietary restrictions are more expensive.

I've gone back a few times after that. Usually the COW is what brings me to the shop. I like to try new and limited time items.

Black Forest (chocolate cake, dark cherry chocolate ganache filling, dark cherry unbuttercream) $5~ 

Super moist, as always. I actually wished there were more chunks of cherries. I think they chopped them too small. But other than that, yum.

Salted Caramel Pistachio (pistachio cake, salted pistachio cream filling, vanilla unbuttercream, caramel, salted pistachios) $5~ 

This was the previous week's COW. They only had a few left. I really liked this one. Normally not much of a caramel fan, but the texture and saltiness from the pistachio was great. My fiance didn't like it much so it was all mine!! For some reason he has an issue with the unbuttercream texture. I have no problems with it.

They also gave me a couple cookies for free! The cookies were super hard. But were pretty good once I warmed them up in the microwave. Nothing spectacular though. I'll stick to their cupcakes.

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Kessler Pie Co.

I'm so behind on my posts... I almost don't want to do them anymore. Too many other things that take priority lately... mostly wedding planning. It's coming up in 3.5 months! Eeeeks!! So much to do still.

I thought I'd post about the really important places that happened in the last few months. :)

We start with the wonderful pies from Kessler Pie Co. They make all their pies and desserts from scratch. It's never frozen. They're currently offering pick up and delivery only. But they've recently announced that they are opening a store front soon!! Congrats to them. :) It'll be in Oak Cliff. Follow their Facebook page to get updates. And check their website for pricing and delivery options.

Kessler Pie Co.
Oak Cliff
(469) 877-6800
www.kesslerpieco.com

I got my lovely delivery in December. They were so sweet to drive all the way out to Rockwall and hand deliver these. I felt so special! I got an assortment of mini pies in jars and one in a standard sized jar. They were super cute!

 

 

All the pies were great. I especially loved that flaky salty sweet pie crust on some of the flavors. Some I did close ups...

The Mellow Yellow (hand spun vanilla custard, banana, vanilla whipped topping, salty-sweet crust). Loved the crust, wished there was more banana. But this was a sample size jar so I assume the normal size will have much more fruit.

 

Apple Cranberry (granny smith apples, cranberries, house herb mix, salty-sweet nutmeg and cinnamon infused crust). Warmed it up in the microwave for a few seconds and it was oozing over!! Yaasss! Sweet and tangy. If you like tart, this is for you.

 

Banana Nut Bread. Nice and moist. Pretty standard banana bread. But that little jar was loaded with nuts!

BP214 (cubes of bread and raisins soaked in coquito cream). I always love bread pudding, but I think I also like the crispy edges when you bake them in a pan better. This was good, and the raisins were super plump, but no crispy texture.

Cherry Cream Cheese (graham cracker crust, sweet cream cheese filling, country red cherries). My fiance loves cherries and absolutely loved this one. I let him have most of it cuz I'm nice. haha. :P

The Coco Loco (hand spun vanilla custard, coconut shavings). I'm not a fan of shredded coconut so this wasn't one of my favorites. But again... awesome crust.

Blue Magic (graham cracker crust, fluffy cream cheese, blueberries) #1 Seller. This was in the regular jar size. I can see why this is their number one. It was my favorite as well. The mixture of the blueberries and cream cheese was fantastic. The cream cheese was super fluffy... like a really light cheese cake. Yum!! Not to mention the gorgeous color.

 

What a nice treat to kick us off into the holiday season. Thanks to Kessler Pie Co. for sharing some of their creations with me. And I'm loving this new dessert in jars trend. Much easier (and cleaner) to eat than a cupcake. hehe.

*Note: I received the pies for free. But these are my honest opinions.

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Foodie Brunch Crawl

I recently went on my first brunch crawl with the other two Community Leaders of MyFab5 (IG: @bestfooddallas), and another food Instagrammer/blogger from NYC (@moodyfoodyadventures). For those of you that don't know. I'm part of a team of 3 Community Leaders for MyFab5, with the Instagram @bestfooddallas. We bring you food recommendations and delicious food photos 7 days a week. Be sure to follow us!! You should also follow our individual Instagram accounts: @chompdallas @thediningdino @phileats_ and see food all day everyday!! :D

@moodyfoodyadventures was coming to Dallas and reached out to us to meet up for brunch. It's always great to meet other foodies! And since we all love brunch so much, one place is just not enough! :P

We met up on a rainy Saturday. The weather was dreadful but that's not enough to stop our eating!

Our first stop was at Meddlesome Moth. I had only been there for dinner before but their brunch menu looked awesome. Unfortunately, we found out that they don't have brunch on Saturdays, so we were given the lunch menu. Oh well..

Meddlesome Moth
1621 Oak Lawn Ave.
Dallas, TX 75207
(214) 628-7900
www.mothinthe.net
Price: $$$+

It wasn't busy at all that day. So we were able to get a seat by the window... for better photo lighting and all. Kinda sucks that it was so overcast outside.

Catalan (Prince Edward Island mussels, Spanish chorizo, charred tomato, fresh garlic) $15~ 

The Moth always has some great mussels. They have several flavor selections. This was yummy, as always. That broth is everything.

The One-Eyed Jack (Webster City bacon, pit-smoked ham, Tillamook cheddar, cheddar jalapeno bread, nested egg; served with fries) $11~ 

 

First time I've had this... always love a runny egg on anything! This made for some delectable pictures. #yolkporn The sandwich itself was pretty good... a tad salty. But I was starving so it was delicious. haha. The fries were good too. I had to remind myself that this was only round 1 so I forced myself to stop eating the fries.

Shrimp & Homestead Grits (jalapeno gravy) $24~ 

We all knew they had great shrimp and grits. One of my favorites in Dallas I think... it's totally the jalapeno gravy. The shrimp was nice and plump. The gravy was a vibrant green. It's truly a beautiful dish. And tasty of course.

It was a great start to the brunch crawl. Didn't overeat and got to make new friends! On to the next!

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Round 2 was at Kessler Park. I had never heard of the place at all. It's really close to Bishop Arts District. Driving up, it looks like a simple diner type place. Walking in... it's totally a diner. Wasn't much to look at as far as decor, so I really didn't know what to expect. There weren't that many customers in there either.

Kessler Park Eating House
1619 N Beckley Ave.
Dallas, TX 75203
(214) 782-9273
www.kesslerparkeatinghouse.com
Price: $$

We started looking at the menu, and they actually have a bunch of stuff that sounded amazing. We wanted to try so many things but had to edit down because we had a third location. hehe.(...but we failed. ordered to much. hahaha)

Chicken and Waffle (Chef Jon's tabasco brined chicken tender, fresh baked Belgian waffle, and peppered gravy) $11.50~ 

 

This was on their specials menu. Who doesn't like chicken and waffles, that was a must. It was a great looking dish. The waffles were soft and fluffy. I wished they were a little crispier on the outside, which is how I like my waffles, but it was still good. The chicken was fried nicely. I liked the fresh slices of jalapenos on top too, added a nice pop of color. It was a yummy dish, we all loved it.

Hunka-Hunka Burning Waffle (fresh baked Belgian waffle with peanut butter fluff, fried bananas, and bacon) $13~ 

It's Elvis' favorite! This was also on their specials menu. It's got waffles, peanut butter AND bacon! So we HAVE to get it! This was my favorite of the day. It's got all my favorite things. Again, nice and fluffy waffles (wish it was crispier). But that peanut butter fluff... not sure how they made it. It's more like a crumble... but it's like crack. I wanted a bucket of this. So. Freaking. Good. The saltiness of the bacon complimented the sweet elements well. Lurrrrrved it!! I'd soooo get this again.

Coconut Cream Waffle (toasted coconut waffle, coconut cream, whipped cream, toasted coconut) $11.50~ 

 

We were only gonna get the 2 other waffle dishes, but at the end of ordering, we threw this one into the mix. THREE waffle dishes. hahaa. But it was a win cuz all their waffles were fantastic. This was really good too. I'm not a fan of shredded coconut, but even I liked it. It was like a coconut cream pie, but in waffle form! The cream was fluffy yet still rich. It was some of the other people's favorite dish.

Chilaquiles (crispy corn tortillas with roasted chicken, smothered in tomatillo sauce with 2 eggs) $13~ 

This seemed like the odd man out. haha. 3 waffles and a chilaquiles. hahaha. It was HUGE! We definitely over-ordered. But everything was good. This dish barely got touched though since the waffles were sooo awesome. These were good, loaded with toppings, but was completely outshined. I ended up taking 3/4ths of this home.

This was an amazing find! Thanks to @moodyfoodyadventures. Otherwise I would've never known about this hidden gem!

Chocolate Cherry Muffins (with almonds and chocolate chips) Free~ 

So they were having issues with the register and credit card machine. We weren't in a rush so we were just hanging out. They came over and gave us a couple muffins on the house. They were big and packed full of stuff! Oh man, we were already full but I had to try some. We decided to cut one and save the other. This is one fluffy and moist muffin. I loved the combo of the chocolate chips and large chunks of cherries. They made this in-house. I'd say one of the best chocolate muffins I've ever had. And I got to take the other one home! A few seconds in the microwave the next day... ohhhh baby. :P

Loved this place. The service was warm and friendly. Large portions and yummy food. Definitely get something with waffles in it, you won't be disappointed!

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Round 3. Boulevardier. Always a great spot for brunch. I have yet to go for dinner, but it's on the list!

Boulevardier
408 N. Bishop Ave., #108,
Dallas, TX 75208
(214) 942-1828
http://dallasboulevardier.com
Price (for brunch): $$-$$$

We were almost all at full capacity so we ordered light.

Legs and Eggs (crisp duck leg confit, sunny-side up farm eggs, homestead stone-ground grit cakes, huckleberry preserves) $16~ 

 

I've had this dish before, it's one of their most popular brunch dishes I think. This time it seemed like the duck was a little drier, but still tasty. The grit cakes totally stole the show. Soooo good, everyone agreed. Just gimme a plate of those next time, thx. hehe.

The others wanted Raw Oysters. I'm not a fan of oysters in general, plus I was super full. So I passed. They said it was good so I'll take their word for it. :P

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Oh man... we were done! ...or were we? Since we're in Bishop Arts, we had to go to Emporium Pies. We HAD to!! So we stood in line... as usual, and slowly made our way to the front. I got 2 pies to go. I thought the others were gonna do the same, but they all got pies to eat there! Beasts! I was done... haha. Luckily a table opened up and we were able to sit down.

It was a great day. Meeting new people, eating great food, and taking lots of food pictures! hahaha. Sounds perfect.

Don't forget to check us out on Instagram!
@chompdallas
@thediningdino
@phileats_
@moodyfoodyadventures
@bestfooddallas


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