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Ahhhhh... I can't believe I haven't really blogged about Hopdoddy yet. I've done their fries and shakes but not their awesome burgers!
We were running around looking at venues this past Saturday and realized it was time for lunch! I suggested Hopdoddy and my fiance immediately said yes, let's go. We decided to go check out the new one in Addison since it's close to the next venue visit.
Hopdoddy Burger Bar
Village on the Parkway
5100 Belt Line Road #502
Dallas, TX 75254
(972) 387-2337
http://www.hopdoddy.com/
Price: $$
It's in the same shopping center as the new Whole Foods on Beltline and Montfort but those familiar with that area, also knows that's a pretty freaking huge shopping center. I hadn't been since all the new shops went in so I didn't exactly know where it was. It was a beautiful day so we just parked and started walking around. We walked all the way to Whole Foods and realized it wasn't there so I called the place. She told me they were on the complete opposite end of Whole Foods, by the AMC theater. I had no idea where the theater is either haha. But we just started walking to the other side.
Finally we found it! And there was a line... not really a surprise. But it was almost 2pm by then. The line wasn't too far out the door so we decided to wait. I wasn't hungry when we arrived but was close to starving when we got to the register. haha. It gave me plenty of time to decide what I wanted though. I couldn't decide between 3 options.
You order at the counter, but while in line, someone comes and assigns you a table number. We chose to sit outside cuz it was so nice! The Luther Lane location doesn't have any outdoor seating but the Addison one has lots! :) And then they bring your food to your table. And everyone's so friendly there! From the guy that's directing the line, to the girl at the register, and the guys that bring your food out to you.
I ended up with the Goodnight/Good Cause (Angus Beef, Tillamook Cheddar, Hickory BBQ Sauce, Caramelized Onions, Sliced Jalapenos & Sassy Sauce) $8.25~
And it was for a good cause (hence the name!). $1 from each sale is donated to Heroes for Children to help families affected by childhood cancer. Sassy sauce is their house blend of horseradish, mayo, and honey mustard. I really liked it! I asked for the BBQ sauce on the side which was a good move because it didn't really need it. I'm not a huge fan of bbq sauce so I thought I'd be cautious. Their burgers are LEGIT!! So freaking good. The meat was cooked perfectly. I love the slices of jalapenos, although I could've used more. I dipped my burger in sriracha for some added heat. hehe. I love the buns...buttery, soft, with a slight crispy edge. It held up the the meat and sauce inside very well! And their burgers are always so delicious yet not too greasy. I finished the whole thing and didn't feel heavy or stuffed. I wanted MORE!! :P
My fiance already knew what he was going to get. It's his absolute favorite! Ahi Tuna Burger (Sushi-Grade Tuna, Sprouts, Teriyaki, Honey Wasabi, Nori Chips, Pickled Ginger, Mayo) $12.25~
I have to say, this is one of the best burgers ever. And it doesn't even have beef!! And everyone I know that's tried it says it's their favorite. Isn't it beautiful? Other than the perfectly seared ahi tuna, my favorite is the nori chips, basically fried seaweed. There's so much flavor and texture in this burger. The ahi tuna is super fresh. He got the mayo on the side, which it doesn't even need mayo... the wasabi was plenty good. Totally worth the wait.
They gave out samples of the Chocolate Stout milkshake to the people in line so we decided to get shakes as well.
He got the Chocolate Stout Shake $5.50~ (left) He's the target market when people give out samples cuz he will buy what he just tried. haha. And this is yummy.
Nutella & Chocolate Pretzel Shake $5.50~ (right) Me, on the other hand, I try a sample of something and then I wanna get something else, so I can try another flavor. hehe. This is my favorite shake here. You got the salty sweet between the pretzel and chocolate. And NUTELLA!! Who doesn't like nutella? There's sooo much crushed pretzels in there, so much crunch. I love it. Use a spoon!! You get more stuff that way. And check out that glop of nutella on the side of my cup there... You know I scooped that up for my first bite! :P
One of my absolute favorite burger places in Dallas. I'm happy they have multiple locations now! Bring one to Rockwall please!! There's always a line, but it moves fairly fast and trust me, it's worth the wait.
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We went to the new Lyfe Kitchen in Plano earlier this month for a light lunch. We had just gotten back from our all-inclusive Cancun trip so we didn't want to eat too much. Need to get back in shape!
Lyfe Kitchen
1900 Preston Rd. #111
Plano, TX, 75093
(972) 867-5933
http://restaurant.lyfekitchen.com/
Price: $$
I had been here once before. I thought it was pretty good but slightly expensive. However, they have this awesome brussels sprouts side dish for just $4! And you get quite a bit! I had my eyes set on that one again.
It's a cute place, bright lighting and colors, and an herb garden/shelf thing as soon as you walk into the door. It helps to reiterate their concept of healthy and sustainable foods. They support local farms, promote sustainability, and is overall environmentally friendly. Nothing is fried, and they offer gluten free, vegan, etc. options. I totally love the concept. And I understand their need to price things a bit higher. You order at the counter and they bring the food out to you.
It was my fiance's first time here. I knew he liked flavored water and juices and stuff so I pointed those out to him. They have some interesting waters, juices, and smoothies.
Orange Ginger Chia (fresh-squeezed orange juice, filtered water, lime, raw ginger syrup, lemon verbena, mint and chia seeds) $2.49~
This was quite good! I was surprised I liked it since I'm not a huge ginger fan. It was very refreshing, not too sweet, and the chia added some texture. If you haven't been following the food health news, chia is a recent trend. Supposed to be super good for you.
Roasted Salmon, Tomato & Fennel (sustainably raised salmon served with pan-steamed fennel, red onion, broccoli, zesty tomato sauce) $14.99~
He wanted something with protein so opted for the salmon. The fish was cooked well, but the flavors were quite light. Almost seemed bland at first, but the more he ate, the spicier it got. He can't really handle spicy so it was borderline too much for him. I got the spiciness, but to me it was very slight. It was an ok dish. Definitely light and healthy though.
Quinoa Crunch Wrap (whole wheat tortilla stuffed with quinoa tabbouleh, fresh crunchy vegetables avocado, edamame hummus, fireman’s hot sauce on the side) $7.99~
This was mine. It was very pretty! I loved it. Lots of veggies inside with all sorts of flavors and texture. I liked the combo of the quinoa with the avocado. The edamame hummus was great too! I'd get this again.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Butternut Squash (with dried cranberries, dijon vinaigrette) $3.99~
This is what I came for. Two of my favorite veggies in one plate for only $4!! Delicious! I think I can just order 2 of these as my main meal next time. hahaha.
This time was better than the first. I enjoyed my food a lot more. Guess you just have to order the right thing here... If you are into healthy food and/or have a special diet, this is definitely worth checking out. I'm totally digging this new trend of more local foods, healthy, sustainability. I really hope it continues down this path. :)
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We went to Roy's again last Friday. Love that place! The main purpose was because my bf wanted to try their limited time Winter Trio. (And luck would have it, I happen to get a $20 off coupon in email! It was meant to be. haha) I had emailed the restaurant a couple weeks ago to see how long it's around for and they told me April 6th, so I made a reservation for 3/28. However, the day before our reservation, I came across an article saying that the dish is only through 3/23. Wait, what? So I called the restaurant to check. Apparently the lady I had first communicated with from corporate had sent the restaurant a message saying to have this for us when we went. How awesome is that? We definitely felt super special! :) Roy's has always had amazing service and I was completely impressed with this.
Roy's Hawaiian Fusion
2840 Dallas Pkwy.
Plano, TX 75093
(972) 473-6263
http://www.roysrestaurant.com/locations/tx/plano.asp
Price: $$$-$$$$
We arrived for our 7:30PM reservation and was immediately seated. I immediately noticed that they had changed the entire look of their menu. It's thinner and more sleek looking now. And they've just updated to their spring prix fixe last week.
We got some waters and their spiced edamame and ordered a couple of cocktails. We really like their low calorie Coconut Frappe and Mai Tai Ultra.
We started with the Lakanilau Roll (Wagyu beef, snow crab, asparagus, avocado, sesame miso, truffled greens) $16.95~?
I recently saw this posted on their facebook page and it just sounded amazing. A tad pricey for a roll but it was sooo worth it. The quality of ingredients were great. I could definitely get the hint of truffle which paired really well with the wagyu beef. Wagyu literally means "Japanese cow", they are well fed and have a high amount of marbling. In Japan, wagyu can be synonymous with Kobe. The beef was sliced thin on top, really tender, and the asparagus had a nice crunch to add texture. I normally like to dip sushi in a thick wasabi paste (meaning I put a bit of soy sauce with my mound of wasabi, haha) but the sesame miso was yummy on its own and I only used minimal wasabi. We both loved it.
My bf obviously got his Winter Trio (Hoisin-Glazed Duck, grilled Kalbi Beef Short Rib, Singapore-Style Crab Cake; served with Asian vegetables and noodles) $26.95~
I'd say the duck was my favorite. The beef short rib was his. He really enjoyed the dish, I thought it was just ok. I've had much better other stuff at Roy's. It was just a bit sweet overall. Everything was cooked well and tender. But the crab cake was too salty. It did taste better when we ate it together with the duck. The noodles were a tad overcooked, and I'm a stickler for soft noodles.
I came in with the mindset to try new things this time, since I normally get the butterfish. I decided on the Dynamite Baked Hawaiian Swordfish (bok choy tempura, oshizushi rice, dragon sauce) $26.95~
I think I've only had swordfish one other time in my life so I wanted to try it again. I know that swordfish is a denser fish and it was... it was more like a steak. haha. I loved this dish. It was on the heavy side with the dynamite sauce on the fish, the cream sauce, and the tempura but oh sooooo good. If you've ever had a volcano roll, it was like they took that sauce, covered the fish, and baked it. Deeeeelicious. The rice was seasoned and had a slight tang to it like sushi rice. It paired sooo well with the sauce. The dragon sauce is basically a Korean chili sauce, not really spicy and had some sweetness to it. And I've never had tempura bok choy before. It was nicely fried and added another texture to the dish. I liked my dish way better than my bf's. :P I scraped my plate clean! Had to get all that yummy sauce.
For dessert, my bf assumed we were getting the chocolate souffle cake, but guess again! Trying new things, remember? The waitress mentioned the Lemon & Ginger Creme Brulee (topped with berries), and it sounded really good.
I don't normally prefer creme brulee but the lemon and ginger combo sounded refreshing. And it was! The flavors made it seem lighter than normal creme brulees and it was a great finish to our meal since we were both pretty full.
Once again, we had a great time at Roy's. I got to try a bunch of new things. :) Our waitress was all smiles and did a great job. I'm sure we'll be back again in no time.
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Last weekend we went glassblowing with my sister and her bf. It was freaking cool! My sister had bought a Groupon months ago, and we finally got to go. It's worth trying at least once. I don't usually post anything not food related. But go check them out, it's a lot of fun! http://www.marrsart.com/
Anyways, on the way to glassblowing, we decided we should go check out Village Kitchen since it was on the way. Village Kitchen took over the old Marquee Grill spot by Highland Park Theater. The same chef, Andre Natera, from Marquee Grill is heading up VK. They basically revamped the decor and menu to move away from fine dining to more comfort food.
Village Kitchen
33 Highland Park Village
Dallas, TX 75205
(214) 522-6035
http://hpvillagekitchen.com/
Price: $$-$$$
We actually got there before dinner service started (which is at 5:30PM) so we had wait a while. But once they opened up the dining room we were seated immediately. Our waiter was very friendly and took our drink orders.
Bf thought this sounded interesting... VK Housemade Soda: Mint Ginger Beer $3~
So we asked for a little sample. I didn't see the menu item at first so I thought it was actually beer. It's not, it's just soda. And it was delicious!! Not too sweet and super refreshing. You can taste the ginger and the mint and both balanced well with nothing overwhelming the overall flavor. My bf had a slight stomach ache and this actually helped soothe it some too. Ginger is good for digestion! :)
We got a few things to share.
Pecan Lodge Smoked Brisket (burrata cheese, pickled vegetables, BBQ sauce) $13~
Since I don't know when we'll ever get a chance to go to Pecan Lodge, we can at least have a sampling of it on their flatbread. It was really good. I thought the portion size was great for the price. The brisket was definitely smokey and tender. I loved the melted burrata cheese on top. The pickled vegetables added a nice acidity with the rich meat and cheese. And I also liked the crust. Sometimes I don't like flatbreads because they make it too thin and crispy. This was more like a thin crust pizza, with just the right amount of chewiness in the dough but still thin.
Crispy Brussels Sprouts $7~
This is what we actually came for. haha. We remembered having it when it was still Marquee Grill and we both agreed that it was one of the best Brussels sprouts we've had. I'm soooo glad they kept it on the menu. It was still delicious. I don't know how they get the char on there and what all the flavors are but it's fantastic. I can eat like 3 of these. haha. We never actually understood why they closed down Marquee Grill. It was one of the best food we've had in Dallas. :( But at least they kept this dish in Village Kitchen! I'm happy. hehe.
Arctic Char (bok choy, mushrooms, miso butter sauce) $28~
The waiter informed us that this was the special fish of the day. As soon as we heard bok choy, my bf wanted to get it. For me, it was "miso butter". haha. So we got one to share. I love arctic char. It looks like salmon but it's not. I really enjoyed the crispy sear on the skin but I felt like the fish was just a smidgen overcooked than my preference. Still good though. The miso butter was delicious. But my favorite part was actually the mushrooms with the sauce. It had so much flavor! My bf was disappointed in the amount of bok choy. haha. I had a feeling it was just going to be more like a garnish but he had his hopes up. Overall a good dish, but not sure if I'd pay $28 to have it again... wasn't anything special.
For dessert we got a Fruity Pebbles Milkshake $5~ to share.
My bf said we had to get it cuz he loves Fruity Pebbles. I like it enough, I'd rather some Cocoa Pebbles though. hehe. It was cute served in the jar. And I liked the garnish on top making it super colorful. It was good, I wish it was thicker. But it was like drinking cereal milk, which is pretty much what I expected. My bf wasn't blown away by it either but I think it's worth a try at least.
It was a delicious meal. I got my Brussels sprouts so I was happy. I think the 2nd thing I really liked was actually the mint ginger beer soda! haha. But the service was good, our waiter was very attentive. I will definitely go back to try more things. :)
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This past Sunday was St. Paddy's Day! We went for a late brunch at Whiskey Cake. I've only been to Whiskey Cake for brunch once and I remembered it being really good. And I just love this place in general... they frequently change their menu because they use seasonal and local ingredients. So I get to try new things from time to time.
Whiskey Cake
3601 Dallas Pkwy
Plano, TX 75093
(972) 993-2253
http://www.whiskey-cake.com/
Price: $$
My bf has never been there before and it's one of the main places in Plano I've been meaning to take him. I hope I didn't hype it up too much!! haha.
There was a line waiting when we got there... It was almost 2PM! Crazy.. But we lucked out and they had tables outside. It was a little chilly but a table opened up under the heat lamps and they gladly let us move there. We also had the fireplace on the side. :)
They changed all the brunch items since I've been there last. I wanted to try everything!! Guess I'll have to go back again soon. hehe.
French Toast Switch-Up (a new creation whenever the mood strikes us) $11~ Their creation that day was French toast with fresh nectarines, pistachios, whipped cream cheese sauce, and maple syrup.
He had been craving French toast for a long time now so immediately decided on that. It was an awesome choice. So delicious and nice to look at. I liked how they presented the plate. I also loved the fact that they put the sauce/pistachios/nectarines in every layer instead of just on top! Everything tasted so fresh. The nectarines are in season and were just the perfect sweetness and very juicy. It was a very filling dish but surprisingly not too heavy. And all the flavor combos worked together beautifully. I'd have to say it's one of the best French toasts I've had in a long time!! Now I'm curious what they're going come up with next! :)
Skillet "Reuben" Hash & Eggs (sweet potato corned beef hash, melted fontina cheese, up eggs, hollandaise Louie) $12~
I got the eggs over medium. Since we got a sweet dish, I decided on a savory dish. I love hash AND sweet potato AND eggs. haha. There was nothing wrong in this combo. It was served on a cute square skillet. It didn't look very big but was a hefty dish. The salty corned beef hash with the sweetness of the sweet potato paired very well together. It had tons of flavor in every bite! The egg was just runny enough when I cut through it. And the hollandaise Louie added another depth of flavor. It was a little oily, but overall super yummy. The perfect compliment to the sweet French toast.
I just wanted to mention that they use Farm fresh eggs from Noble Family Farms in Greenville, Texas. I really like the whole seasonal/local approach and I'm glad to see that trend gaining popularity in Dallas.
To go with our meals we had ordered some drinks.
I got Grow a Pear (Freshly juiced bosc pear, fennel, ginger, local honey, lemon juice) $5~ The name was pretty funny. haha. It was interesting. Very light and refreshing. I can definitely taste the fennel and ginger. I wished it was a bit sweeter though. I wouldn't order it again though. Once the food came, it overpowered the drink.
He got an Irish Coffee (Jameson Irish Whiskey, cinnamon simple, spiced bitters, Oak Cliff Roasters coffee, hand whipped cream) $9~ It IS St. Patrick's Day after all! Can't go the day without something Irish! It was pretty with the whipped cream on top and I loved the little handle on the glass. I'm not a whiskey or coffee fan, but it was pretty good. And he loved it. It was a good start to Sunday brunch.
We were pretty full after the entrees but since he's never been here before he HAD to try their whiskey cake! That's the whole reason I wanted to take him there! The whiskey cake is one of my favorite cakes in Dallas.
Whiskey Cake (with fresh whipped cream) $8~
We got a corner piece! YAYYYY! I love the slightly caramelized edges. :) Topped with the candied pecans and freshly whipped cream...it's always yummy. He loved it. Good! I did not disappoint. hehe. And he liked the fluffy inside more so I got all the edges I want. :D
It was an awesome brunch. I think the brunch menu options at Whiskey Cake is my favorite there. I mean the regular menu is fine, but I rather try everything on the brunch menu more! Our waitress was pretty good too...very friendly and timely. Definitely need to make it back soon and try something new. I highly recommend brunch there if you haven't been. Keep in mind they don't take reservations though. And they're very busy most of the time so there might be a wait... It's worth it!!
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