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Aside from our EPIC feasting at the Austin Food + Wine Festival at the end of April. We also had regular meals and snacks! Duh! :P
My fiance really wanted to try Gourdough's. Last time in Austin we went to their restaurant and it was awesome. But the original is still their trailer with made-to-order donuts.
Gourdough's
1503 S 1st St.
Austin, TX 78704
(512) 707-1050
http://gourdoughs.com/
Price: $
Like I said, it's sold out of a trailer, so all the seating is outdoors. So on a day like we went... 90+ degrees, it got hot quick! We ate a few bites and took the rest to go.
Naughty and Nice (rolled in cinnamon and sugar; served with honey butter) $4.75~ I tried to go a little "lighter" with this one since all their other ones are usually piled high with stuff. NOt sure if I succeeded since we poured honey butter on top. haha. They still have the best donuts. First of all, gigantic! And always warm and fluffy and fresh. And the dough is just the perfect texture.
Black Out (chocolate icing, brownie batter filling, brownie bites, with chocolate chips) $4.75~ My fiance wanted one with chocolate so I recommended this one. I had it over 10 years ago and I still dream about it. It is insane!! Talk about getting chocolate wasted!! It's phenomenal. Be sure you get a large glass of milk or something. It's over the top and glorious.
Needless to say, we did not finish these. haha. Gourdough's - 1, Us - 0. It lasted us a good 2 more days. Serious noms! If you haven't been there in Austin, I dunno where you've been. Definitely my favorite donuts ever!
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On the drive back towards Dallas, I realized that Baked by Amy's was a short detour from our route. Remember at the Austin Food + Wine Festival, they had given me a pair of coupons for free baked goods? Well... they ain't going to waste! :P
Baked by Amy's
13265 N Hwy 183
Austin, TX 78750
(512) 918-2253
http://www.bakedbyamys.com/
Price: $
The coupons were for a cupcake or bar from Amy's. We each chose a cupcake. Mexican Vanilla (left), Oreo (right)
They were pretty huge. Everything in there looked amazing. Too bad they were still baking the macarons when we were there otherwise we would've gotten some of those too. But yay to free food! Thanks Baked by Amy's!!! They made it all the way back to Dallas with us. We cracked them open that night. Nommy!!
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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
Recently I got a recommendation for a crepe place in Frisco. I haven't gone to the Frisco area for a while now and I don't really know what new places popped up. I happened to schedule a dinner last Friday night with 2 of my friends so I suggested we go try Chef in Blue.
Chef in Blue
4710 Preston Road, Suite 312
Frisco, TX 75034
(469) 252-0486
http://chefinblue.com/
Price: $
It's located in a strip mall. Just look for Cedars Woodfire Grill when turning in. It's a small cafe type restaurant. Not too fancy on the decor but I did like all the large pictures of their food. Everything looked delicious. I was the first to arrive so I was looking over the menu. The guy at the register was very friendly and made some suggestions and answered my questions. I was told that the had a pumpkin crepe that wasn't on the menu so I asked him about it. It sounds like it's a new addition and they might put it on the menu soon? As you know, I'm obsessed with pumpkin so I already decided that was going to be my dessert. :P
Everything looked good on the menu. It was very hard to make a decision... We all got different things. Yay! More stuff for me to try. haha.
Specialty Crepes:
Latina (baked chicken, ham, spinach, pineapples, mozzarella, honey Dijon dressing) $8.75~ Their crepes are huge!! Completely stuffed with fresh ingredients. My friends really liked this one. It was good, but I didn't care for the honey dijon dressing. I liked the other crepe better.
Savory Crepes:
Spinach, Potatoes, Mushroom, and Cheese Crepe (with choice of cheese) $6.80~ Plus Ham +$1.90~ My other friend ordered this. He ended up liking the Latina better. I liked this one better... especially the cubes of potatoes in there. It's like a breakfast crepe almost. Again, stuffed to the brim. My friend finished it, but he was pretty full after.
Chef Combos:
Sandwich or Panini/Salad Combo (1/2 sandwich or panini with a small garden salad) $5.75~ I got the Roast Beef Chimichurri Panini (choice of white or multigrain ciabata with Swiss cheese, roasted beef, chimichurri sauce, fresh tomato and mayonnaise).
I chose the multigrain and also added spinach in there. I knew I was getting dessert so I wanted to keep it light. It was just the right amount. I loved the panini. The multigrain had extra texture from the grains/seeds in the bread. It was pressed nicely where the outside had a crunch. The ingredients were all fresh. I didn't really taste the chimichurri, which was my main reason for getting this, but it didn't even matter. It was delicious. I was actually getting full after this.
We got 2 Dessert Crepes between the 3 of us:
Pumpkin Pie Crepe (pumpkin pie filling, cinnamon, whipped cream, topped with ice cream) $7.75~
This was yummy. And quite big as well. Not as big as the savory crepes though. The first few bites along the edges I didn't get much of the pumpkin, but the middle was filled with it. The pumpkin had so much flavor. The added cinnamon and ice cream was the perfect pairing. One of my friends didn't care for pumpkin so he didn't really have any of this. My other friend was too full, so I think I ate about 3/4ths of this myself. XP AND I ate part of theirs!
Apple Cinnamon (brown sugar, fresh apples, caramel,topped with whipped cream) $7.75~ Plus ice cream +$1~ This was pretty good. The apples were cooked down a little so they're softer to eat with the crepe which was good. I liked my pumpkin one better but both were good.
We were all so stuffed after. It's a lot of food! And all so yummy. The quality of the ingredients were all nice and fresh. It wasn't really heavy either. We just overstuffed ourselves. haha. The service was really great too. You order at the counter and they bring it out to you, but during the course of our meal, they came out to check on us, ask how the food is, etc. I will definitely be back in the future. Go check them out! Help them stay in business!! And thanks to my friend for the recommendation! :)
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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
Sunday was my last day in NYC. My flight was at 2pm so I didn't have time to do much before I had to head to the airport. But there was one more stop I needed to make. I was debating on sleeping in or waking up early and making the trip out... But my friend I was staying with told me I HAD to go!!!
So I woke up early Sunday, got all ready and packed and took my luggage with me to my final stop. Levain Bakery in the Upper West Side. I was staying in Queens, which was pretty close to the airport, so the bakery would be going into the city in the opposite direction.
Levain Bakery - Upper West Side
167 West 74th St
New York, NY, 10023
(212) 874-6080
http://www.levainbakery.com/
Price: $
The commute actually wasn't so bad. Plus I got to meet up with a friend of mine one more time before I left. I got to the bakery and realized it was tiny. I guess living in Dallas makes me think of a bakery like a cafe where you can sit and chill and stuff. This place was smallll. It had a few stools inside but for the most part I saw people sitting on the steps and curbs outside.
We got lucky when we arrived because the rush of people had dispersed. So we actually got to sit inside! The place smelled amazing and it made me drool just seeing their baked goods on display.
My friend had never been there. She got a Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie (semi sweet chocolate chips and chunks of walnuts) $4~ (and a cup of milk!)
This was their signature cookie. They don't make one without walnuts... I wonder why? But each of their cookies are like 6 ounces. Freaking massive!! And SO INCREDIBLE! One of the best cookies I've ever had in my life. The cookie must've been almost 2 inches thick. The inside was warm and soft with melty chocolate chips. But the outside was the perfect crust. That slight crunch without being too hard or burnt. I really wonder how they get that thickness without either burning the outside or underbaking the inside...
I was getting a bunch of stuff to take back to Dallas with me.
Plus I got the Oatmeal Raisin Scone $3~ to eat there.
My friend that I stayed with said I must try their scones. It was yummy. I love scones. This wasn't like your typical dense scones. It had the nice crunchy outside but fluffy on the inside... almost like a biscuit? It wasn't too sweet and paired great with my hot tea. I totally loved it.
I also got one of each cookie:
Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie (semi sweet chocolate chips and chunks of walnuts) $4~
Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie (dark chocolate cocoa and semi sweet chips) $4~ Super chocolatey. Sooo rich and decadent. I ate 1/5th of it on the plane and it was plenty! Can you imagine eating a whole cookie in one sitting? Heaven! And then sugar coma! haha
Oatmeal Raisin Cookie $4~ Love love loved this as well. So many plump raisins inside!
Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies $4~ Amazing! So much pb chips throughout.
Like I said, each cookie is like 6 oz. and massive!! But all of them had the perfect crisp exterior and soft centers. I'd really like to know how they achieve that. And the cookies last for quite a while. Even days after, I'd warm up a piece in the microwave and it would taste like it just came freshly out of the oven. Loves it! I've decided that these are the BEST cookies I've ever had in my life. No joke!! And totally worth every penny.
Cinnamon Brioche $3.50~ The brioche was soft and delicious. I wished they put more cinnamon spread inside tho. The ratio of cinnamon to bread was a little bit lacking.
Blueberry Muffin (with fresh blueberries) $3~ This was chock full of plump blueberries. Yummmmmmm!
I'm so glad my friend INSISTED for me to go to Levain Bakery. It was definitely worth waking up early and commuting across town for!! haha. But I'm also glad that it's not anywhere close to me on a daily basis because I'd just be like 400 lbs! XP
Great way to end my awesome trip to NYC. The best weather I've every experienced there, all the awesome people I got to hang out with, plus all the fantastic food!!!
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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
Last week my awesome boss took our team to our holiday lunch. He chose The Mercury (used to be known as Mercury Grill)... which is a fantastic place. I've been once before for dinner. So I was super psyched!
The Mercury
11909 Preston Road
Dallas, TX 75230
(972) 960-7774
http://www.themercurydallas.com/
Price (for lunch): $$-$$$
The Mercury has been in Dallas for a long time and has consistently done well. For lunch, business was booming and most of the customers were well dressed.
I knew the food here was good so the hard part is just picking what I want!
After asking our waiter like a million questions about different menu items I settled on the Pearl Couscous Carbonara (with soft poached egg and black truffle sauce) $13~
It was an appetizer but just sounded awesome. And it was! Really pretty presentation. All the different colors in the white couscous contrasted by the black truffle sauce around the edges. The taste was fantastic. The creaminess you want from a carbonara and then topped of with a beautifully poached egg. There was a slight tang from the black truffle sauce which helped contrast the richness of the couscous. I thoroughly enjoyed it. And it was rich enough as a lunch portion.
I also got a side of Butter Braised Brussels Sprouts $7~
You know me... love them brussels sprouts. haha. So cute in the little cast iron pot. They were cooked nicely. Still had great texture. And soaked in butter?? YES please!
My boss got the New Orleans Style BBQ Shrimp (with soft cheese grits) $17~ Delicious. The sauce on the shrimp and grits was the highlight. Very bold and complex. The grits had good texture. He really liked it. And it quite a big portion for lunch!
My co-worker got the Pecan Crusted Idaho Trout (with asparagus and pepper salad) $18~ It was large piece of fish. I liked the sauce on it and the crust was nice. I felt like it should've came with some sort of side though.
We all shared a Bread Pudding (with cherry sauce, pecans and cinnamon ice cream) $8~
Different than what I expected. It was a large slice of super moist bread instead of your typical chunks of bread. It was yummy. I especially loved the pairing with the cinnamon ice cream. The cherries were a bit too sour for me, but my boss and co-worker loved it. It was just enough to round out the meal because I was so full already.
It was a delicious lunch. Which is expected since my boss is also a huge foodie. :) Kind of a pricey lunch, but with the caliber of food, it's pretty standard. The one complaint is that our waiter wasn't the friendliest and didn't really give us the time of day. No real greeting when we were given the menus or anything. I know they were super busy, but I felt like he had no time for us. But the food was fantastic so I'm willing to overlook that a bit. haha.
And just a side note... I have the best boss ever! :)
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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
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