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One of the most anticipated restaurant openings in Rockwall... My friend first tipped me off that HG Sply Co was going to open something in our neck of the woods months and months ago. For the longest time I thought it was going to be a second location but never really heard anything about it. Last week, I realized it was going to be a different name, Standard Service. I've actually seen the name on Facebook at some point a while back but the name didn't jump out at me. So the opening kinda snuck up on us! Do you have any idea HOW exciting it is to get a new restaurant in Rockwall? There's not many great places to choose from and something with the caliber of HG Sply Co and Remedy is huge! hehe.
Standard Service
760 W. Ralph Hall Pkwy
Rockwall, TX 75032
(469) 651-1100
www.thestandardservice.com
Price: $$$+
Once I found out Standard Service is the new restaurant name, I followed it's opening closely. Unfortunately they pushed back their opening date a few times since I started checking on it. We (a group of us) had been talking about going yesterday, then we found out the opening day got pushed to Monday, 10/10. Booo... Well, me being me, I decided to do a drive by with a friend Friday afternoon just to see maybeeeee they're doing a soft opening?! It's super close to my house anyways. As I drove by, I saw a lot of people inside. So I decided to park and go inside. They were doing training still so all the staff was there. I confirmed with them the opening date. MONDAY! And then they told me I'm welcome to sit at the bar and get a drink. Ooooo. So I casually asked if they are serving food as well. They said food service started at 6PM and it would be on them since they are still doing training. What?!? They're serving food AND it's free?? I immediately texted my husband and said change of evening plans and we're going to Standard Service! haha. I met back at the restaurant with my friend and her hubby at 6:30PM. The hostesses were super nice and said we can totally sit at the bar to eat and drink. Turns out they were having their friends and family night with mock services to practice. We felt so special that we were still allowed in since we're neither friends nor family. Although after the meal we felt like friends. :P
The space is super cool. High ceilings, lots of wood, the bar has a large window that opens up to their big patio. There's a ping pong table in the patio too. Definitely a cool place to hang out now that the weather is cooler.
We were given a smaller menu for their mock service night but the entire drink menu was available. We were so excited we didn't know whether to order food or drinks or just keep looking around the restaurant. Our bartender (who also took our food orders) was Jessica. She was super friendly and gave a lot of suggestions. You can tell she was very excited about the restaurant opening and their offerings. And... they have Moscow Mule and Old Fashioned cocktails on draft! What what!?! That's pretty freaking awesome. And they were good too. We tried both.
*I'm including the prices of all the menu items but the meal was on the house since it was a mock service. Sooo freaking awesome!!! :D
HG Moscow Mule (42 Below Vodka, Lime, Ginger Holy Kombucha, Agave) $10~ Very refreshing and definitely strong (for a lightweight like me) haha.
Right Grain Old Fashioned (Old Grand-Dad Bonded Bourbon, House-Mashed Barley Syrup, bitters) $10~ My friend really likes Old Fashioned and she said this one was really good.
Bison Chili Frito Pie (South Dakota bison, kidney, pinto, black beans, fritos, shredded cheddar, lime crema, guacamole, green onions) $9~
This was their only appetizer option of the evening so we go it first while still trying to decide what entrees to get. This was a pretty damn big portion imo. And it was definitely the prettiest frito pie I've ever seen. hahaha. Delicious!!! All the ingredients were super fresh and the flavors all complimented each other well. There wasn't too much of one thing or another. And it had the slightest little spicy kick to it. Yum. This could easily be a meal too.
The B-Webb (The Last Word: High Born Gin, Maraschino, Chartreause, Lime) $12~
Partial proceeds go to St. Jude Children's Hospital. They told us that they feature 5 different cocktails (the line up changes every so often) and each one has proceeds that go to a different charity. That's really awesome. Drink for charity, amiright? My friend got this. It was a pretty drink. It has a bitterness to it but is very smooth. Another winner.
Chicken Salad Wrap (chopped chicken breast, celery, green grapes in green goddess dressing, marinated tomatoes, cucumber, parsley, green onion, lemon, extra virgin olive oil, crispy brown rice; with side of potato salad) $13.50~
My husband chose this as his entree. I really liked the potato salad. You can also choose potato chips as your side. He liked the wrap... I thought it was ok. The flavor was fine but it was too saucy for me.
The Standard Stack (herbed smashbrowns with caramelized onion and jalapeno, green goddess dressing, marinated tx tomato and arugula; with choice of protein). Kansas City Kobe Beef Burger $15~ My friend's husband got this. He said it was good.
The Standard Stack (herbed smashbrowns with caramelized onion and jalapeno, green goddess dressing, marinated tx tomato and arugula; with choice of protein). Scottish Salmon $18~
I got the stack as well but with salmon. I shared it with my friend since we wanted to try everything. She said this was better than her husbands kobe beef burger stack. I ordered the salmon pink in the middle and it came PERFECTLY cooked. I mean.. just on point. And those smashbrowns... so good. Nice and crispy and flavorful. The whole thing was delicious and very well rounded. It didn't feel heavy at all. And at first the portion looked small to me, but its quite filling. Highly recommend this.
My friend got the Chicken Fried Chicken (sour cream and chive mashed potatoes, green beans, chicken gravy) $16~
We also shared this one. Jessica (our bartender) recommended this one. They use chicken thighs instead of breast so the meat was extra juicy and tender. The color on the batter looked dark but it wasn't overcooked. I really enjoyed the crunch on the batter. The mashed potatoes were fluffy and the gravy wasn't too heavy. I think the chicken was my favorite thing of the night. Then the salmon and smashbrowns were a close close second.
We were having such a great time and the restaurant had completely filled up. The noise level is a little high but it's energetic not overbearing. We chatted with Jessica a lot throughout the night. It was very cool sitting at the bar watching them make all the drinks too. Since it's still their training, it's like we got a behind the scenes look at the restaurant. For their first night of food service, we thought everything went really well. The service was fast, attentive, and friendly. The food was spot on, no major snafus on anything. I'd say they're ready to open!
Finally we decided to ask if they were serving dessert even though it's not on the limited menu and they said yes. They only have 2 dessert options. One is a coconut blondie, called The Lucy. The other was The Ricky (dark chocolate brownie topped with vanilla ice cream, peanut butter and chocolate sauces, chopped peanuts, whipped cream) $11~
Such cute names! You can guess which one we got. hehe. It was pretty freaking awesome. I was on a no sugar diet, but I cheated and had 2 bites. The brownie was super fudgy and they gave enough ice cream to brownie ratio (this is important!) We killed it pretty quickly.
What a fabulous night! I saw the executive chef, Danyele McPherson, walking around the dining room later in the night but didn't get to meet her. She seems really nice. I saw her when she competed on Top Chef and have kinda been following her movement since. She used the be the chef de cuisine at The Grape then moved to Remedy and HG Sply Co sometime in 2014. I freaking love Remedy... especially their burger. I'm very pleased to see that the burger is going to be on the menu at Standard Service.
If you haven't noticed my excitement for this new opening... I'm telling you now... They open on MONDAY! Lunch & Dinner - 7 days a week! What a great addition to Rockwall. Go check them out. :) And say hi to Jessica for me!
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Man... I've been busy lately. It's been a while since I've posted something. But that doesn't mean I haven't been eating! :P A few weeks ago I met up with some friends for dinner. They live in Flower Mound and I'm in Plano so we decided to meet in Lewisville. I came across a little cafe in downtown Lewisville that seemed pretty good.
Square One Cafe
136 W. Main St
Lewisville, Texas 75057
(972) 221-8200
http://squareonecafe.com/
Price: $
I've never been to downtown Lewisville. I might wanna check it out when it's bright out. By the time I arrived it was already dark. The cafe was pretty much empty when we got there. There was only 1 other table and they left soon after I got there. We ordered at the counter and they brought the food to our table.
The lady at the register turned out to be one of the owners. She was very nice. I took a look at the menu and wanted to try many things...
I ended up choosing a bunch of sides to make a meal since I had been doing a low gluten/sugar thing that week.
Dill Bacon Potato Salad $1.85~ (bottom) This was pretty good. A bit too much sauce though and the potato chunks should be bigger. Other than that I enjoyed it.
Squash Medley with Mushrooms $1.85~
(top left) My friend and I really liked this. It was just sauteed on the flat top
with herbs and stuff. But it had lots of flavor and the veggies were
cooked well.
Tarragon Chicken Salad
$2.31~ (top right) I asked to try a sample before getting this. They make all their
food in house. The chicken was very moist and tender and I love it when
people put tarragon in chicken salad. It had large chunks of grapes,
chicken, celery and cucumber I believe. I don't like celery but I was
able to pick most of that out. I liked the addition of cucumber. I
usually sub the celery for cucumber when making chicken salad at home.
:) The sides were a good size for the price and filled me up.
One friend ordered the Sriracha Honey Chicken (grilled chicken, sriracha honey mayo, smoked Gouda, Applewood smoked bacon, spinach, avocado) $7.16~ The
panini was really good. I had a small bite. It had lots of flavor and I
definitely got the hint of sriracha. The bread was pressed and crisped
nicely. Oh man... it was good to eat some bread after a week of not
having any. hahaha.
She also got a Tomato Basil Soup (bowl) $4.75~ The soup was not bad. It reminded me a bit like spaghetti sauce though. haha. I tend to prefer chowders personally.
My other friend got the Square One Burger (1/2 pound all natural Kobe burger, Vermont cheddar, romaine, tomatoes, red onions, spiced mustard) $8.31~ The burger was pretty hefty. The beef patty had tons of flavor and was really juicy. I also really liked the bread. It held up the patty juices well.
They also got a side of the Hand Tossed Mac and Cheese $1.85~ Pretty simple with penne pasta in melted cheese but it was good. A good little side.
It's a pretty chill cafe with some yummy food. Good for a lazy afternoon with friends or families. They closed by 8pm but the owner told us we can take all the time we needed since she was in no hurry to leave. That was nice of her. She later came over to pick up the dishes and chatted with us for a bit. Apparently they are going to open a small market across the street in the coming months. They'll offer different craft beers as well as a kitchen set up where they'll do cooking demos and classes. That sounds so much fun! And they hope to have locally sourced eggs and milk and other stuff too. I look forward to that. Definitely need to go check it out once that opens. :)
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This is quickly becoming one of our favorite places in Rockwall. Last weekend I went there twice. :)
The Life House
506 N Goliad St.
Rockwall, TX 75087
(469) 264-7962
http://www.thelifehousetx.com/
Price: $
I stopped by on Friday afternoon just to pick up some pastries. They had new items that I didn't see last time I was there so I wanted to try everything...
The Matrix (danish dough topped with mocha and caramel drizzle, powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar) $4~
The way they described this to me was their version of a donut. They don't fry the dough though. The dough texture was fine but there wasn't enough drizzle to dough ratio. It looked better than it was... If they had filled the pastry with some sort of cream or custard, it would've been a game changer! :P
Strawberry Hibiscus Scone $2.50~
Last time I was there, they were out of scones, so I got to get some this time. I love scones. I like the denseness of it (which is also the reason why some people don't like it... including my bf). But it's so good with tea! I really liked this one. It wasn't overly sweet and it wasn't as dense as most scones I've had before. It's actually a little fluffy! The hibiscus gave it a hint of floral flavor which I quite liked. It wasn't enough to make it taste like soap, just enough to make the flavors more interesting. I'd totally get this again.
Caramel Cinnamon Scone $2.50~ I got this for my bf's friends that were visiting from Austin...so I didn't get to try it. I hope they liked it! :)
Oatmeal Raisin Cookie $2~ There were only 2 of these left, and they were my favorite out of the batch of stuff I got the last time. So I took both of them. Still so awesome!
Fig and Honey Empanada $2~ I didn't like this so much. I tasted goat cheese (so I'm assuming they put goat cheese in all their empanadas??) The goat cheese flavor was much stronger in this one than the Ambrosia one I got last time. Yea... wasn't for me.
So that Sunday, we went back to get some late lunch. I've been wanting to try their sandwiches for a while.
I got the Garden Melt (spinach, onions, mushrooms, garlic chevre, in a pretzel roll) $5~
The pretzel roll is what sold me. They bake all their bread in house too so it's a homemade roll. It was yummy! Slightly salty from a bit too much cheese, but there were lots of veggies and I didn't really miss the lack of meat. The pretzel roll was great too. I'd get this again, but I would request less cheese.
I also got a Roasted Almond Tea Latte. I smelled their roasted almond tea blend and it smelled really good. It was nutty and fragrant. The latte was very lightly sweetened. Even though it had milk, it wasn't heavy at all. My bf liked it even more than I did! (He ended up drinking half of it... ) :P hehehe.
He got the Zebra Latte. We didn't see the zebra stripes, but I guess they shook it up before we got it. It was pretty strong coffee!
For lunch he got the Hole in One (egg, cheese, and choice of addition) $5~ He chose chicken sausage as his free add-on and then also added mushrooms +$0.50~ And got it on wheat bread.
I really wanted to try this. It would've been my choice if I didn't get the Garden Melt. It looked so cool. The egg was so perfectly nestled in the toast and cooked well. The yolk ran out as you cut into it. The extra piece they punched out was slathered with honey. It was delicious! I kinda just want a whole piece of toast like that! It was a really good sandwich. I think next time I'll get that.
One of his friends got the Chocolate Almond Croissant $3~
And also the Claudio (chicken, grapes, walnuts) $5~ This looked pretty fresh.
The other friend got The Captain (almond bread, cheese, choice of addition) $6~ He added chicken sausage and spinach, and mushroom +$0.50 each. He also added an egg to make it a hole in one.
This wasn't what I expected at all. I thought it was going to look more like the hole in one, but it's actually more of an open faced sandwich. The almond bread was interesting. A little grainy, kind of like a drier version of polenta. Smothered with cheese, you can barely see the egg in the middle. :P It was pretty tasty. A little too salty as well since there was so much cheese.
We also got some pastries to go. They had a basket of discounted items that were $2~ each. Those were items baked the day before.
Chocolate Chip Muffins (usually $3~) We later heated this up. It was good, wasn't too sweet. I liked the dark chocolate chips in there. Was good with tea!
Vegan Brownies (usually $4~) The texture was more like a muffin or cake. It wasn't as dense or fudgey like normal brownies but I didn't mind it. It was a nice light version.
It was a yummy weekend. Everything's fresh and homemade. And I like how in a matter of 2 days, I got to try a bunch of different things. I wonder what goodies they'll have the next time I stop by? Oh yea... My bf went back just 2 days later on his own. :P hahaha.
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We had our last L2E lunch of the decade!! O.O We decided to go somewhere healthier since there's so much eating going on during the holidays.
Zoes Kitchen
6800 Snider Plaza
Dallas, TX 75205
(214) 987-1020
http://www.zoeskitchen.com/Price: $
I had such a great experience at Zoes Kitchen in Plano, I suggested we go to the Dallas location in Snider Plaza...closer to my work. First thing I noticed walking in was that they had a smaller menu than the Plano location. I was actually looking forward to a particular item but they didn't have it. :( Oh wellz~
I ordered the Chicken Salad Sandwich (all white meat with lettuce, tomato, mayo on 7-grain) includes 1 side (potato salad) and chips $7.45~
The potato salad was pretty awesome. Lots of flavor and not heavy since it has no mayo. I could probably eat a tub of this...that would defeat the purpose of eating healthy tho. haha. The sandwich was very tasty and light, just what I wanted. It was also super filling.
K got the Greek Pita (chicken breast topped with lettuce, tomatoes, carmelized onions, feta cheese) includes 1 side (fresh fruit) and chips $7.45~ 
She said it was pretty good but she preferred the pita from Fadis, which is more authentic Mediterranean.
J ordered the Greek Chicken Marinara Plate (sauteed chicken breast topped with a Greek marinara sauce and lightly sprinkled parmesan cheese served over a bed of orzo pasta with Zoe's Greek salad) $8.95~ Sorry I didn't take a pic of this... :( The description sounded wayyy better than it actually was. When it came, everyone was like...this is it? It was just like red sauce over a plate of orzo. The chicken was hidden under the sauce...and the flavor was meh. The orzo was overcooked...too soft.
I enjoyed my dish, but I would probably not go back to this location. The Plano one had more selection and actually closer to my home. :)
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I saw on the Art Institute's online newsletter the other day about a culinary graduate serving up healthy food in Coppell. Since I'm currently going to AI Dallas and I love food...it caught my attention.
Healthy Me Art Cafe
240 North Denton Tap Road #440
Coppell, TX 75019
(972) 745-3900
http://www.healthymecafe.com/
Price: $
They serve healthy and tasty food at a reasonable price. Everything on the menu is under $10. This definitely interested me, and I had to go check it out.
The decor was eh...a small front area that sold healthy snacks and drinks, in the middle were tables and chairs and in the back was a kitchen (they do adult and kids cooking classes apparently). We placed our orders in the front register and sat down to wait for them to bring out our food.
I got the Cranberry Chicken Salad Sandwich (served on whole wheat bread with choice of side). Side: Strawberry Spinach Salad (baby spinach topped with sliced strawberries, crumbled bacon, diced red onion, toasted pecans, and feta cheese with poppy seed vinaigrette) $5.95~
This was a great deal. It wasn't too much food or too little. The portions were just right. The chicken sandwich was pretty good, slightly dry but I guess you can't expect a lot of mayonnaise on a healthy sandwich...hehe. It was very light but had good flavor. I would order it again. The strawberry spinach side salad was really good! The vinaigrette was slightly sweet and did not overpower the salad. The strawberries added a nice sweet contrast in flavor and texture with the crispy bacon and pecans. They use turkey bacon so its leaner and less greasy than regular bacon. I really enjoyed the salad, I would definitely get it again because it was tasty and very healthy. :)
We also got the Asian Shrimp Wrap with choice of side (grilled shrimp, spring mix, green bell peppers, green onion, sliced cucumber served with healthy soy sauce). Side: Sweet Potato Fries (baked sweet potato strips) $5.95~ 
The wrap wasn't as good. Everything was very fresh but I think they should've seasoned the shrimp more. It was a little bland. The soy dipping sauce was kind of weird, but it was ok. The sweet potato fries were good. I LOVE sweet potato fries and it definitely felt better that these were baked instead of fried. With a little bit of tabasco...they were MmmMmm gooood!
It was a good and healthy lunch. And it was quite filling. We also go the Chocolate Brownie (made with natural/organic ingredients infused with spinach, blueberries and oats) $1.95~ and had to take it to go. 
The brownie was moist and quite good. You can't taste the spinach and blueberries in it at all but its nice to know they are in there to add extra vitamins and minerals. It is definitely a nice alternative to satisfy that chocolate craving without as much calories and fat.
I would recommend everything we've tried except maybe the shrimp wrap. When I go again I definitely want to explore more options. I just wish it was a little closer to home... So if you are in the 121/Denton Tap area and you want more healthy options, definitely go check it out. Just don't expect much service...
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