JUNE: Table 13

Now that July is almost over... I guess I need to post my June pick. Haha. I'm starting to doubt my ability to do this "one post a month" promise I made myself. The new job is great but SUPER hectic. It's hard to get anything personal done these past few weeks. Anyways... here goes!

I knew once this dinner at Table 13 started, that it would be my June favorite. It's got a great vibe with live music, creative cocktails, and amazing food. What a great find too... cuz my new job is about 8 minutes from the restaurant!

Table 13 - Addison
4812 Belt Line Rd.
Addison, TX 75254
(972) 789-9558
www.table13addison.com
Price: $$$$

Walking in, this place had an older/classic vibe. The theme is reminiscent of early 1960's, so it definitely fits. While waiting for the rest of the group to arrive, people ordered some drinks! The cocktails were pretty and had cute little animal decorations on them. Fun! We did a mini photoshoot with the drinks and lighting. Everyone else said the drinks were fantastic.

In the Pocket (Herman Marshall, HM80 whiskey, lemon juice, simple syrup, Malbec floater, cherries) $12~

Giggle Water (Absolut Elyx vodka, lime juice, Chareau, Martine Honey Suckle, topped with prosecco and cucumber garnish) $12~ I didn't get a cocktail, but if I had, it would probably this one.

All the Buzz (Western Son Grapefruit, Italicus Liqueur, lime, ginger beer, lime wheel) $10~

Daddy Old Fashioned (angostura bitters, Larceny Bourbon, Gomme syrup, orange twist, bing cherry) $12~ And look at the cute giraffe!

Our media dinner was in their Continental Room. Oooo, fancy! Get ready for a 7 Course Meal!

We got to meet the Executive Chef, Chef Curd. (I'll never forget his name btw, cuz it's a food. Haha.) And he went over the tasting menu with us. It sounded great. And I liked that there wasn't too many carb heavy items.

Amuse-Bouche -
Watermelon Cube (with basil chiffonade and balsamic). I don't like watermelon. It's becoming a well known fact. But... OH EM GEE, this was my favorite course of the meal. (I think) Chef Curd told us he picked the best watermelon from his farm in Rockwall and it was the best watermelon I've had in a LONG time. The pairing with the balsamic and basil was perfection. And that basil chip was kind of amazing. Anyone who can make me like watermelon is a culinary genius in my book! Wow... can't wait to try the rest of the courses!

Appetizer -
Seared Ahi Tuna (with Thai peanut sauce, Asian vinaigrette, seaweed salad, and pickled ginger). Again, LOVED! Everything just worked together so well and interestingly this was the first ahi tuna paired with seaweed salad that I've had. Makes so much sense to put them together but most restaurants don't do that combo. I can definitely have a larger portion of this as an entree.

Soup -
Lobster Bisque. Creamy, rich, and large lobster chunks. Yes!

Salad -
Greek Salad (with lemon thyme vinaigrette, crumbled feta, kalamata olives, tomato, bell pepper, and pepperocini). Yummy! Not your typical Greek salad. I think I like this version best. :)

Not on the tasting menu, but someone requested Deviled Eggs, and we got Deviled Eggs. I won't ever say no to a deviled egg. Hehe.

Entree 1 -
Petite Filet Mignon (garlic whipped potatoes; topped with truffle mushroom demi). Super tender meat. The crust on the steak was amazing. The whipped potatoes didn't look like much, but oh man, it paired perfectly. Delicious.

Entree 2 -
Red Snapper (spun vegetables al fresco). Light but full of flavor. I love that there were so many vegetables incorporated into this meal. The courses weren't heavy so I wasn't stuff yet at this point.

Dessert -
Chocolate Mousse Torte. Luscious dark chocolate. There were 2 layers... one was light and creamy, the other was dark and thick and fudgy. Freaking wonderful.
Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt (with fresh lemon curd). For the people who want a lighter dessert. Personally I prefer the rich chocolate, but this cake was great too.

Thanks to Table 13 and Chef Curd for a spectacular meal. I ate the whole thing without feeling like passing out. I think that's a win in and of itself! Plus the watermelon... swoon! Definitely go check this place out, y'all. They've also got a pretty great lunch menu. $13 with a lot of options and includes a complimentary glass of champagne or chef selected dessert! You bet I'll be there for this at some point!

*The meal was comped but all opinions are my own.*

Paul Martin's American Grill

I recently got invited to go check out Paul Martin's American Grill. I see it all the time since I go work out at ZYN22 which is in the same shopping center. But it was never on my radar since it's kind of in the corner of the center. However, when I got invited, I scoped out their menu online and wondered why it was never on my radar. haha. Their menu sounded yummy!

I made it a date night with my husband. We went and saw Spiderman Homecoming first, then headed to dinner. Our reservation was at 6PM... upon arriving, the place was already somewhat busy. At least the parking lot was. Not the best set up for self parking and valet in front of the restaurant. But know that there's plenty of parking behind the restaurant as well.

Paul Martin's American Grill
3848 Oak Lawn Ave. Suite 210
Dallas, TX 75219
(214) 521-0116
https://paulmartinsamericangrill.com/locations/dallas-restaurant/
Price: $$$$+

We were seated immediately. The manager came by to greet us... Jorge was very nice and welcoming. Then our waiter, Aaron, came to take our drink menus and tell us the specials for the day. A very soft spoken man, but he took care of us wonderfully. He was also very detailed when he described the specials, which I appreciated.

Then the manager came back with an Amuse Bouche (watermelon, feta, caviar) from the kitchen. 

I love the contrasting colors of the watermelon and caviar. And Aaron brought us some Bread (with whipped butter, sea salt). What a lifesaver! I was starving!! The bread was soft and pillowy in the middle, and the butter spread so easily. Loved the touch of sea salt on it.

We had 2 different menus to look over. One was for their Happy Hour specials. They have it every day from 3-7PM. Every Day! That's pretty awesome. We ordered 2 appetizers from the HH menu.

Signature Deviled Eggs (cold smoked, crispy La Quercia prosciutto) $6~ I don't think I've ever had a bad deviled egg. I love eggs and I'm not picky on how they're prepped. They came 5 to an order.. for 6 bucks?! That's a great deal.

St. Louis Duroc Pork Ribs (hoisin glaze, green onions) $9~ 

I saw that a friend had gone a couple weeks earlier and ordered this...it looked so amazing I had to have it. O.M.G. Freaking delicious. The meat was super tender. My husband barely got his fork in the meat and it slid right off the bone. It was juicy, flavorful, and had just the right amount of fat to meat ratio. I also loved the glaze and sauce that came with it. It definitely did not disappoint. In fact, with my already high expectations, it easily exceeded it. I would totally go back for HH and just order this. It was by far my favorite thing that night.

My husband ordered a cocktail. Elijah Craig Ginger Punch (12 year bourbon, Domaine de Canton Ginger liqueur, fresh lemon juice, honey, topped with ginger ale) $9~ 

I don't drink, and he's not a big drinker either, but he always wants to try. I had a sip... it was too strong for me. He seemed to have liked it, but then didn't finish. I think he focused on the food once the entrees came and was too full to finish the drink. haha. We do always tend to stuff ourselves silly at a media dinner.

For the main dishes. I went all out. Why not? :P
Prime Bone in Ribeye (22 oz, grass-fed, certified Black Angus; grilled over a live fire) $56~ Side of Chimichurri Sauce. 

Aside from prime rib, ribeye is my favorite cut of steak. And since they only offer prime rib on Sundays, my choice was easy. It was a huge slab of meat. Yaassss! The color on it was great and it came with a cheesy roasted tomato of some sort. I think all their steaks are a la carte, so you'd have to order the sides separately (which we did). I ordered it medium rare but it looked more medium, and some areas even medium well. It was not very pink in the center. Bummer. I know that it's grilled over a live fire, so I wonder if it overcooks easier? If this happens consistently, I would definitely recommend you order your steaks more on the rare side. However, it was still pretty juicy and had enough flavor to stand on its own. I thought the chimichurri sauce was a little bland, but I liked having the herbs with the steak.

My husband got the Special of the Day: Risotto Frutti di Mare (shrimp and mushroom risotto, 8 oz lobster tail, 2 shrimp, crab and crawfish cake, asparagus) $45~ 

This was a very pretty dish. It was hard to capture all the different elements in a photo. I loved the flavor of the risotto. And the crab and crawfish cake was our favorite seafood element on the plate. The lobster was good but he thought the shrimp was overcooked. He liked his dish better between the two. I'd say flavor-wise, I have to agree with him. But I prefer meat over seafood any day. haha.

For the sides we got..
Mac & Cheese (Tillamook 2 year aged white cheddar, La Quercia prosciutto) $7~ I love nontraditional pastas... they used Sfoglini(?) or Trumpet pasta. I love the curly edges. The texture of the pasta was great. But the flavor was a little odd... it took me a while to figure out what it was. I think they were a little heavy handed with nutmeg? It had a spice/warm flavor that was a tad too strong. I'll still eat it though. I love pasta...

Sauteed Brussels Sprouts (bacon vinaigrette) $6~ I was a little surprised that they were roasted/charred, but then I didn't even pay attention to the menu, haha. I just saw brussels sprouts and ordered. It was a change from the typical charred ones (but I love them so). I liked the flavor though. I think it paired well with my steak.

My husband ate his entire plate... so he was pretty much out for the count. But I wanted to try dessert. I mean... I have to right? :P

So he got a Cafe Latte $4~ He said it was very good. They use Mr. Espresso oak wood roasted coffee. It's certified organic and fair trade.

Banana Cream Pie (layers of vanilla bean pastry cream, chocolate, bananas, fresh whipped cream) $10~ 

I couldn't decide on the desserts but ended up choosing the banana cream pie because it's lighter. I was pretty full too! And Aaron told me that it had a layer of chocolate between the crust and the banana filling so it would be enough to satisfy my chocolate craving. It was a nice big slice. I did love the layer of chocolate in the middle. It was just enough to differentiate this banana cream pie from most others. The whipped cream was airy and there was lots of bananas in there. My only complaint is that the crust was a little dry. But pairing it with the whipped cream helped.

It was a good dinner. Although the high point was the appetizer. I will definitely be back for HH to have those ribs again. Aside from their daily HH specials, they also have some other weekly promotions.

Sunday Prime Rib - Texas field green salad, roasted prime rib, mashed potatoes, house-made shortbread cookies and gourmet ice cream. $33~ 3 course meal for a pretty great deal! And I love me some prime rib.

Monday Wine Dinner for 2 for $60~
Texas field green salads, entrees of choice, one bottle of selected wine. This is also a great deal if you're a wine lover. For $60 this is a steal!

Thanks so much to Paul Martin's for having us. It's always nice when I can bring my husband to one of these media outings. :) And the service was great! Thanks Aaron!

*The meal was comped but all opinions are my own.*

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

Chelsea Corner - Media Dinner

Two weeks ago I got invited to a media dinner at Chelsea Corner. It was my first time there. This place has so much history and it was pretty interesting learning about it all. The original Chelsea Corner opened in 1974. Since then, the space has changed hands and renamed several times. But earlier this year, the space was restored, renovated and re-opened with the original Chelsea Corner name. The owners want this place to be the neighborhood spot, where people of all kinds and ages can come hang out. The restaurant/bar's decor is very eclectic. They have different rooms where you can hold private parties and events. I especially loved the back corner where it looks like outdoor patio seating, but it's inside! 

They also recently opened up an actual outdoor patio in the back. This is also a sports lovers dream, as the entire place is equipped with 16 large HD screens.

Chelsea Corner
4830 McKinney Avenue
Dallas, TX 75205
(469) 726-2211
www.chelseacornerdallas.com
Price: $$-$$$

As soon as I arrived, the bartender presented me with a Margarita. What service! 

I don't really drink but the other bloggers told me it was good. Before dinner, we got a tour of the whole space and hear the owners' ideas and inspirations behind the business. They told us everything is made from scratch in house. I love that! You definitely wouldn't expect that in a bar setting... We were seated in the front of their open patio area. It was a beautiful day too, wasn't too hot or cold.

While we waited for everyone to be seated, they had a large platter of cheeses and meats. There was one cheese, the Red Dragon (whole grain mustard, sharp cheddar), so good. I love whole grain mustard. The other was a Havarti with dill.

We started with Deviled Eggs (Southern style with crispy pancetta and house pickled red onions) $3~ per piece. 

The chef explained this was like grandma's recipe. It was absolutely delicious. I love deviled eggs and the filling in this one had a nice velvety texture. Loved the crisp texture of the bacon. After everyone had photographed the plate, I casually asked if we can eat those too. Score! :P I can probably eat a dozen of these.

Fish Tacos (blackened Mahi Mahi with Asian slaw) Normally comes with 3 to an order. $15~ You can also choose fried fish as well. 

This was served on corn tortillas which I've never been a fan so it was just ok for me. The overall taco was a little dry. However, we all loved the sauces that came with the tacos. The green one was my personal favorite. I just slathered that taco with it.

The Barnyard (pepperoni, canadian bacon, ricotta, mozzarella, spicy italian sausage). $15~ The crust is made with yeast dough with honey and from scratch. It had a really good texture and added a hint of sweetness to all the pizzas. I thought all the meats made it a little too salty, but I also try to eat less sodium these days so my standard is probably different than most. Everyone loved the pizzas.

Big Daddy White with Chicken (fresh ricotta, oven dried roman tomatoes) $14~ +$2 for chicken. This was my favorite out of the two. I generally like white sauce vs the tomato based sauces. It was lighter in flavor but you can appreciate all the ingredients more, I think. Really yum!

Steak Sandwich (grilled beef tenderloin, brandy butter, caramelized onion, manchego cheese) $22~ 

You get 2 sandwiches with fries per order. This was literally a tender steak between 2 pieces of super soft bread. It was amazing. I'm glad you get TWO because one surely isn't enough!!

Image provided by Chelsea Corner

3 type of Fries: Original, Parmesan Truffle, Texas Ranch Dusted. Sorry no picture because it was really dark by then. But all the fries were well fried. I loved all the different flavors. I basically just mixed them all together.

House Made Warm Chocolate Chip Cookies. $4~ 3 to an order and you can add a glass of Ice Cold Milk for +$1~. 

I was so full but these cookies are BOMB!!! Warm and thick and full of melty chocolate chips. A really really solid cookie... Dang, I want some right now! :P They also brought me a glass of milk. It's perfect, makes me feel like a kid again! I was able to get a 2nd cookie to go, so I totally scarfed down the rest of my first cookie. :P

It was a good dinner. I can see every one of these dishes pair well with a beer, cocktail, or wine. It's great hang out and drinking food. If I lived closer, I'd be there all the time for those cookies. haha. I have to give a shout out to the wait staff that served us. They were great with our large party. I mentioned to one of the waiters of my mango allergy and he specifically went to the kitchen to reconfirm that mango wasn't in any of the dishes. Our water glasses were consistently refilled. And they had a positive attitude the entire night. Thank you, Chelsea Corner, for having me!

Here are some info of the space and weekly events from their press releases:

"The 4,500 square foot space can host 180 people for seated dinners, with plenty more room at the bar. There’s a game room, just like at the original, and large garage doors that open to the climate-controlled patio. Wednesday through Saturday nights, rotating DJs will take over at 10PM with a sound system that rivals New York City night clubs. And if there’s a game on, just look toward one of the 16 HDTVs that pepper the interior.
The large venue includes multiple spaces that can be reserved for private events, making Chelsea Corner an ideal spot for Super Bowl parties, showers, corporate functions, birthdays and dinner parties. And the TVs and sound system are at guests’ disposal to ensure their audio/visual needs are covered."

"Chelsea Corner has live Jazz every Tuesday from 8PM - 11PM, live music every Thursday 8PM - 11PM, Live Video DJ’s every Friday and Saturday 10PM - 2AM"

"Brunch will be served Saturdays and Sundays from 10AM to 4PM"

*The meal was comped but all opinions are my own.*

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

New Year's Day Brunch @ Savor Gastropub

Happy New Year everyone! Hope you all had an awesome holidays/vacation/staycation/etc...

So we had some crazy cold front come on NYE eh? Kinda sucks but my friends and I stayed in and had a house party. It was a great time. New Year's day was just cold and dreary as ever. I think it's nature telling us all that vacation is over and back to real life we go. Booooo. And perfect weather to stay in and sleep. But I had a friend in town and we planned to meet up for a late brunch. Luckily, the roads didn't freeze and traffic was very light. It didn't take long for us to get to our destination.

Savor Gastropub
2000 Woodall Rodgers Freeway
Dallas, TX 75201
(214) 306-5597
http://savor-relish.com/savor/
Price (for brunch): $$

I've wanted to try Savor's brunch for awhile now so I suggested it to her. Plus they take reservations. Yay. So we met there at 1PM. Parking there is pretty sparse, plus it was cold and wet, so I opted for valet. It's complimentary, so why not. It was pretty quiet in there. I guess most people decided to stay home. We were seated after everyone arrived. The restaurant was quite cold... since the entire place is glass windows. haha. But once we got some food in us, it was better.

My fiance ordered the Short Rib Tortilla Hash (short rib, fingerling, salsa verde, sunny-side up egg, chipotle hollandaise) $17~ 

I wanted to try that one too. The portion was quite big. He just cut up the egg and mixed everything together. It was yummy. The short rib was super tender. I liked all the flavors. It was a very comforting dish...good for a cold day like New Year's day. The tortilla was already mixed in, so it was pretty soggy. I wish they would've topped it, so it would be crunchy to start with. Other than that, I'd totally have this again.

I decided to keep it lighter. I got the Farro Salad (charred red onions, cherry tomato, pine nuts, basil mint vinaigrette) $13~ 

It was more like a plate of farro, than a salad. There was one big leaf of lettuce under all this. hahaha. But I didn't mind. The farro has incredible chewy texture. The flavors were light but not at all bland. And I loved the basil mint vinaigrette. Not heavy, but a little is enough to add great flavor to everything.

Brussels Sprouts (with bacon) $13~ 

I remembered the first time we came, their Brussels sprouts were really good. I didn't see it on the brunch menu so I asked the waitress if we can still order it. She says usually it's only available for dinner service... but she'll check with the kitchen. And YES! They'll do it!! :) It's considered an appetizer, that's why its $13. But it's a pretty big portion. I'd say about x3 what other places serve as sides. So the price balances out. Delicious!! The bacon gave just enough meat for my meatless farro salad. I'll probably order this every time I go.

Deviled Eggs (pepper relish, spiced pecan brittle) $8~ One friend ordered this to start. It was a very pretty plate. And it was very good. I really liked the spiced pecan brittle on top, added a crunchy texture.

He also got the Chicken Fried Steak (bacon and maple gravy, crispy breakfast potatoes, over-easy eggs) $19~ 

I got a bite of the chicken fried steak. It was pretty good, but in that bite I felt like maybe the meat was a little overcooked? I can't fully remember since there were so many other dishes and flavors going on all at once. He seemed to enjoy it though since he cleaned his plate. hehe.

Lemon Ricotta Stuffed French Toast (brioche, blueberry jam, spiced pecan brittle) $14~ 

Another friend ordered this. It was what I wanted... but opted for a healthier route. The waiter had said it was his favorite on the menu. It was so pretty... and looked AMAZING. And it tasted AMAZING! The whole thing was like a cloud, so fluffy!! The brioche was light and airy, the lemon ricotta filling was fluffy. Nothing was overly sweet, so it wasn't heavy at all! I ended up eating a fourth of her dish. hahaha. :P Oh man... next time I go, I'm totally getting that!!

Fried Chicken Salad (romaine, cheddar, cucumber, avocado, spiced pecans, tomato, honey mustard dressing) $16~ I didn't try any of this. Seems pretty standard... But there are lots of big chunks of fried chicken. :)

Nicoise Salad (coriander seared tuna, saffron aioli, olive tapenade, tomato, deviled egg, mixed greens) $19~ I didn't try this either but it looked really good. My fiance was sad that he didn't see that this had seared tuna in it.. his fav. hehe. My friend said it was good, but the salad part had a bit too much dressing, so he didn't finish that.

It was a wonderful brunch despite the yucky weather outside. I got to see people I haven't seen in over a year! Tried a new place for brunch and loved it! So far 2015 is looking pretty positive. :) And Savor is such a cool looking restaurant, definitely a good place to people-watch when the weather is nice.

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~