FEBRUARY: The Henry

My favorite restaurant of February is The Henry! Very new to Dallas, it only opened in February, and it's already wowed me. This is another restaurant under Fox Restaurant Concepts, the restaurant group that brought us North Italia, True Food Kitchen, and Flower Child... some of my favorite places! So I can't say I was surprised that I loved this place.😄

The Henry
2301 N Akard St., Ste 250
Dallas, TX 75201
(972) 677-9560
Price (brunch): $$-$$$$

First of all, the decor is on point. Upon walking in, I already knew I loved it. They called this a "blend of Gatsby-era elegance and modern industrial cool". The color scheme is dark blues and deep wood. It automatically makes you wanna order an Old Fashioned and hang out. They also have a separate coffee and pastry counter. So if you didn't want to have a full sit down meal, you can just order there. And lemme tell you... their pastry selection looks GOOD! One of everything please!!

I've been to The Henry twice since they opened, both times for brunch (Sat & Sun 10AM-3PM). So I am combining the foods from both visits in this post. I highly recommend you reserve because they are slammed! There goes my idea of going there everyday to hang out/read and eat. Haha.

For those who go to brunch for the drinks :P they have a Bloody Mary Cart $13~. How fun is that? They also make mimosas at the cart too. Classic Mimosa $10~ They have various flavors for the mimosas.

Short Rib Potstickers (toasted sesame, yuzu ponzu) $14~ 

This was so tasty, I had it both times. The texture of the potsticker wrapper and meat were both great. The best thing though, that sauce! They need to use that sauce on more dishes! The only complaint... I want more than just 6! Ha!

Brussels Sprout Caesar (romaine hearts, toasted torn bread) $12~ 

Another one that was so good I ordered it the 2nd time. Perfectly dressed, not too heavy, the flavors were just right. I loved the mix of brussels sprouts in there. And you know what... dip those brussels in the potsticker sauce. Yeah! Takes it to another level. They should really do a side dish of brussels sprouts in the yuzu ponzu. *Hint Hint*

Bread Pudding French Toast (caramel apple, chantilly cream, pecan) $10~ 

This dish is Vegetarian btw. And holy crap, this plate for just 10 dollars?! I think this is the best bang for the buck on their brunch menu. We got it for the table to share. There are layers in the slices of bread... almost croissant like? The use of pecans in the bread is great too. It's like it was pressed into the bread. Freaking love this dish. Highly recommend!!

Smashed Avocado Toast (crushed egg, farmhouse cheddar, poppy seed, crispy onion) $9~

This is also Vegetarian. Beautiful toast, great flavors. I especially liked the crushed egg on top.

Scottish Salmon (toasted grain risotto, roasted beet, marcona almond pesto, sherry pomegranate molasses) $27~

I believe this is also on the dinner menu. What a beautiful dish! Vibrant colors and flavors. I loved the roasted beats with the marcona almonds. The salmon was cooked perfectly. Quite filling without feeling too heavy.

Korean Prime Skirt Steak (double egg fried rice, bok choy, snow pea, pickled shiitake, spicy ginger butter) $32~ 

This dish is Gluten Free. Loved all the flavors in here, especially that spicy ginger butter. The skirt steak is a pretty lean cut of meat just FYI. This was like their most expensive dish on the brunch menu. I think that's pretty cool.

Spicy Fried Chicken Sandwich (green chile slaw, dill pickle, pepper jack cheese) $14~ 

It also comes with a side, so we chose the Parmesan Truffle Fries which were so addicting! The sandwich looked incredible! I liked everything about it except that it was not spicy at all. Haha. But it was fried well and the flavors were good. And those fries! OMG... could not stop eating them.

Since I've been eyeing the coffee/pastry counter since we arrived, I had to try some stuff right?

Go North (espresso, cocoa, cream; served neat and cold) $5~ 

I got this on the first visit. Such a dainty drink. I felt really sophisticated drinking this. Haha. Also, loved it. My husband loved it too and ordered another for himself (AFTER he drank half of mine! LOL!) It's like a frothy dark chocolate/espresso milk. Yum!

The Dropout (espresso, colombian drip, chocolate, caramel, au lait) $5~ 

The second time I chose a hot drink. Surprisingly not too sweet, which is great. My coffee of choice are mochas so this is just like an elevated mocha. Stir it from time to time though, as the caramel sinks to the bottom.


Ham and Cheese Croissant, Almond Croissant, Nutella Rugelach, and Cream Cheese Danish? 

The first time we went was during their soft opening. As the brunch service was ending, the manager came by and asked us if we wanted any pastries since they were not open for dinner. Heck yea!! OMG, she gave us EACH a box of goodies. I really wanted to try the Almond Croissant and IT WAS TO DIE FOR! Best almond croissant I have ever had. You can quote me on that. Please don't EVER change the recipe!! The other pastries were good too. And apparently the almond croissant sells out fast! I was not able to get any the 2nd time I went. T_T

Sticky Caramel Roll. 

This was the last one when I went the 2nd time, so I snagged it! It definitely lives up to its name! Very sticky and caramel-y. I kinda wished it was warmed up a little... I think that would've made it better. I liked the flavor, but it really was quite sticky, making it a little hard to eat. But the inside has layers, like a fusion of a croissant and roll.

Loved it all! The service was also top notch. They had a few kinks during the soft opening, but all the servers and managers and anyone who's walking around and working were all SO nice and accommodating. It's no wonder they call this "The Greatest Neighborhood Restaurant". I really want to hang out there all day. Their rooftop area opens at 4PM btw... it seems cool but I haven't actually made it up there to scope it out. I also think the menu offers a variety of foods to appease everyone. They have many dishes that are vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free friendly. 

I love you, Fox Restaurant Concepts. My friend from Phoenix keeps saying we also need a Culinary Dropout! *HINT HINT* :D

~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

Earls Kitchen + Bar

Last week, I had the pleasure of checking out Earls in Legacy West for the first time. I had been hearing great things of the restaurant so I was excited when I was invited to come check out their new Fall Menu. I'm obsessed with Legacy West btw... and I cannot wait for their Food Hall to finally open! So far every restaurant in this area has been excellent.

Earls - Legacy West
7401 Windrose Ave. Suite D100
Plano, TX 75024
(469) 969-2490
https://earls.ca/locations/legacy-west
Price: $$$+

Earls is a Canadian restaurant chain but each location is regionally specialized as far as the menu goes and I believe how they source their ingredients as well. The menu is pretty eclectic... worldly. It ranges from Asian influences, to some Jamaican inspired dishes.

On a Monday night, the place was pretty busy! The decor is warm and dimly lit. Not the best lighting for food bloggers but definitely has a more intimate atmosphere if you want to do date night. But is also good for groups as well.

They started us with some cocktails. Y'all know me... don't really drink. But I sampled 2 of the cocktails.

Charred Jalapeno Margarita (El Jimador reposado tequila, Ancho Reyes, Triple Sec, charred jalapeno, fresh lime) $9~ 

If you go on Mondays, this is $5 all day! They have some pretty amazing Happy Hour specials btw. AND they have Reverse HH too. Lots of food and drink specials. My friend enjoyed this. It does have a kick to it!

Jasmine (Tanqueray gin, Cointreau, Campari, fresh lemon, peach and black tea bitters) $10.50~ A beautiful cocktail. I liked it but was still too strong for me so my friend helped me drink it. If you like sweet, this is a good choice.

We got a preview of some of their new seasonal items before it rolled out the next day...

Maui Ahi Poke (sesame soy marinated ahi tuna, avocado, mango, with tortilla chips) $13~ 

A colorful dish. I had to get mine without the mango since I'm allergic, but the mango really added a splash of bright colors. Really enjoyed this. The tuna chunks were large and tender, very fresh. I loved all the veggies in there as well. A great starter to share with friends.

Blackened Swordfish Tacos (two flour tortillas with melted white cheddar, roasted jalapeno crema, pico de gallo, fresh cilantro) $12~ My favorite thing about this? That roasted jalapeno crema!! It definitely made this dish. The fish was a bit tough and dry, but swordfish is generally quite dense. 

Warm Kale Salad (black kale, baby potatoes, roasted brussels sprouts, cranberries, toasted almonds, brown butter vinaigrette) $16~ 

This dish typically comes with Grilled Chicken but we got a version without meat, which is fine because I was already getting full. haha. Freaking loved this salad. So many textures and flavors! My favorite part was the roasted brussels sprouts but it was all delicious. Everyone raved about this salad. I don't think I even needed the chicken, but having chicken would definitely make a filling meal. The salad was dressed perfectly, not drowning and not bland. I would totally eat this again.

Jamaican Jerk Chicken (chicken breast in an authentic jerk marinade, glazed with sweet tamarind and seared to a smoky finish, served with coleslaw, dirty rice, and black beans) $20.50~ 

We got mini versions to sample, thank goodness. Cuz the full portion is huge!! You can totally feed 2 people easily. Love this dish too. Bold flavors, you can really taste the smokiness, and everything worked together so well. The chicken was super tender. I loved the crispy toppings on the chicken too, more texture.

We were stuffed but they were serving us pie. Yaassss! Pumpkin Pie (cinnamon, sugar, chantilly cream) $8~ 

I thought we were going to get sample portions but no, they basically gave us each a quarter of a pie! Wow. Needless to say I had to take most of it home. It was a good pumpkin pie. I wish the crust was a bit more flaky with crunchy edges, but the flavor itself was great. And loved the whipped cream on top.

It was a great meal. I will definitely go back to Earls to try more things. In the mean time, y'all better get over there to try the seasonal menu items, they won't be around forever! Also shout out to our wait staff, they were all wonderful. Very diligent and accommodating with all the different food allergies in the group. Thank you so much for hosting me, Earls, and welcome to Plano! :)

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

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

Banh Shop

Earlier this month, my co-workers and I went to go check out Banh Shop for lunch. None of us had been but we wanted something Asian.

Banh Shop
5629 SMU Boulevard
Dallas, TX 75206
(214) 890-9776
http://banhshop.com/
Price: $-$$

We got there around noon, the place was pretty empty, which was good because we didn't have a lot of time. You order at the counter and they bring the food to your table.

I saw on Yelp that you get a Free Soup Shot or dessert if you check-in. They were out of desserts that day so I got the soup shot. It's a cute little cup of what looks like pho broth with a few stands of rice noodle. Way too sour for me, so I didn't finish it. Aside from the sourness, the rest of the flavors were not bad.

I also got the special for the day: Korean Fried Chicken Banh Mi (crispy hand dipped chicken breast in beer batter, a layer of house kimchee, a layer of house cured pickles with red pepper flakes; served with tangy Korean pepper sauce and sriracha aioli) $6.95~ 

 

I do love Korean fried chicken! And I always like trying new things. The rest of the menu items will always be there but daily specials can go away. It was a pretty big sandwich and piled quite high. The bread was toasted a bit too much in my opinion because it felt like it was going to cut the inside of my mouth. Also because the sandwich was so tall, I wasn't sure how it was going to fit in my mouth. haha. Aside from the slightly hard bread, the rest of the banh mi was great. The chicken was fried well. I loved the kimchi and pickles, and didn't have too much sauce. I hate it when things are over-sauced. It wasn't very spicy so I put sriracha on it. I quite enjoyed it. I would eat it again.

One co-worker got the Vietnamese-Style Chicken Soup (char-grilled chicken in a seasoned chicken broth with Asian spices, scallions, bean sprouts, cilantro, red onion, lime, bean thread noodles; served with a baguette) $7.50~ 

It was a large bowl of soup with thin, clear noodles in it. She said it was pretty good. I didn't try it, but I wondered if it tasted like my soup shot.

The other co-worker got the Banh Fire Bowl (stir fry of carrots, bean sprouts, red onion, scallion, cilantro, tossed in a spicy tamarind sauce and topped with peanuts, "Banh Fire" jalapeno pesto, and dollop of cooling sour cream. Served over white rice, choice of protein) $8.50~ 

He subbed rice noodles in place of the rice and chose chicken. The rice noodles were what you'd normally get in Pad Thai. I got the try a bite, the noodles were slightly overcooked and I felt there was too much sauce. But the flavors were good. i thought the addition of the pesto plus sour cream was an interesting touch. He enjoyed it.

It was a good lunch. We all liked what we got. I'm not sure if I would make a point of going back. But if I'm in the area, I wouldn't be opposed to going there. :)

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

ZaLat Pizza

My friends had a baby shower at DaLat mid last month. (She just gave birth last week! Congrats to them!) The owner of DaLat is one of their relatives so he hosted/catered. Which is awesome because I finally get to try some ZaLat pizza!

 

ZaLat
2519 N. Fitzhugh Avenue
Dallas, TX 75204
(469) 573-2007 (Text for orders)
https://www.zalatpizza.com/
Price: $$-$$$

So... same owner, obviously. ZaLat is his latest venture, just next door to DaLat. It's a take-out or delivery only pizza joint. But if you want to take it over to DaLat and enjoy it with some drinks, you can do that too. It is open daily from 4PM to 4AM. You text your orders to them along with the payment and then get ready for some amazing pizzas!!

Check out their website before you order. They have a template on how you should structure your text order for maximum efficiency!

I liked the food at the baby shower so much I decided to order a pizza of my own and take it home to my fiance. (He had to work that weekend. booo.)

Reuben (corned beef, salami, sauerkraut, mozzarella, swiss cheese, chives, thousand island sauce) 18" $18.99~ 

 

I've heard this is a very popular choice. I was able to get the last slice at the baby shower. It was already cold by then but still really good. It didn't take long at all before they texted me back to say the order is ready. OMG... the pizza smelled FREAKING amazing! I had to take a bite before I drove home. haha. Sooooooo good. And so different than any other pizza I've had. The crust had great texture. The toppings were well distributed on the pie. And my fiance loved it. I only ate a slice and he ate the rest. hahaha.

I need to go back and try some other ones. They have an "Elotes" pizza that's not on the menu! Doesn't that sound fantastic?!?!? GO GET YOU SOME!

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~