Dallas Restaurant Week 2013: Nonna

Week 1 of Dallas Restaurant Week is over... I went to Nonna last Friday with some friends for their last day of participation. I had never been there before, but it came highly recommended so I added it to my list of RW restaurants this year. 

**Just some brief info on Restaurant Week for those who don't know.. Restaurants across Dallas participate every August and this spans from 1 week to some places that do it for 3 weeks. It is $35 a person for a 3 course meal. Although this year a lot of the restaurants upped their prices to $45 a person (not including tax and tip). And 20% of each check goes to the North Texas Food Bank in Dallas and Lena Pope Home in Ft. Worth. It's my favorite "charity" event!! :D

Nonna
4115 Lomo Alto Dr.
Dallas, TX 75219
(214) 521-1800
http://www.nonnadallas.com/
Price (for RW): $35 a person

The restaurant is pretty small. It's quite unassuming on the outside. Inside was rustic with a hint of modern. Dark mood lighting, seems like a good romantic spot. A little too dark for my preference though.

Most of us arrived on time for our 8:30PM reservation. There were people at our table so we had to stand around and wait for a little bit. The bar area was pretty small so we couldn't really all fit. We had a party of 8, and they only had 1 large table to accommodate. The table was located by the bar and right by the front door. Luckily the weather was really nice Friday night so the opening and closing of the door didn't bother us at all. I'm thinking in the winter, it'll be freezing to sit in that area...

The hostess was pretty friendly. We were seated immediately after the other party had left. We also got menus and waters very quickly.We were all chattering about what we're going to get so I didn't really pay attention to what's going on around me. But so far, I'm excited about the dinner and things are going well!

We were given some Olives for the table. 

And after our orders were taken we also got some Bread. 

The bread was yummy. It was like warm fluffy pita bread. Slightly brushed with oil (I think) and topped with some (sea?) salt. I loveeed the texture of the bread. But we all wanted something to spread or dip it into. Like hummus or tapenade or something would be cool. They kept refilling the bread btw.. we didn't really even have to ask! It might get deadly! hahaha :P

I believe the entire restaurant had the RW menu. The regular menu wasn't available for this week.

First Course
Sformatino (of Italian creamed corn with smoked prosciutto and frico). 

 

A few of us got this, including me. The creamed corn sold me on it. I wasn't super sure what a Sformatino was but oh well. Always up for trying something new. It was very interesting! In a good way. hehe. The best way I can describe it is like a corn mousse. And trust me, it tastes better than it sounds. haha. The corn mousse patty thing was seared on top (you can't see it under the frico), which I really liked. The frico was a tad salty but was nice against the light/fluffy and slightly sweet corn. The prosciutto added a level of smokiness to the dish. And then a genius idea!! I spread everything on the bread they gave us. Perfect!!! :P

Prosciutto Tasting (Americano and Italian speck with Texas fruits). A meat and fruit plate. I tried a piece of the speck by itself... very salty... My friend said the dish was good enough. haha.

Grilled Heart of Romaine (with roasted pancetta, avocado and parmigiano). Everyone else got this. The romaine had a nice char and smokiness to it. It's always good to have pancetta! Pretty good dish.

Second Course
Lasagnette (with ricotta stuffed squash blossoms and tomato sauce). 

This was my choice... mostly because of the squash blossoms. You don't see that on the menus very often. It was a very flat lasagna, hence the "nette" in the name I guess. haha. But I liked the charred/crisp edges on the pasta. The squash blossoms were stuffed full with ricotta and I really liked that. But it's definitely missing meat. If they had put some meat sauce in there, it would've been a great entree. I liked it enough though.

Pappardelle (al ragu Bolognese). This was the better pasta and my friends agreed. The pasta was freshly made, and quite delicate. The bolognese had the right amount of meat and flavor. It was delicious.

Wood Oven Roasted Halibut (with tomato, olives, capers and heirloom sweet peppers).

This was supposed to be a red snapper but they ran out or something and switched to halibut. It was a very small dish to be an entree... There was the fish and then nothing else really. The fish had a nice sear and was very tender. I thought it was pretty good. My friend thought it was just alright.
Porchetta (with Anson Mills polenta and cannellini beans). 

Porchetta is like boneless roast pork. It reminds me of pork belly with the layers of fat in it. It looked awesome. The meat was tender and, yes, fatty!!! The best kind! haha. The meat itself was a little salty, but I liked it paired with the polenta and beans a lot.

White Pizza (of littlneck clams, sweet onion, panna and fresh herbs). 

This sounded totally interesting. Clams on pizza? I haven't had that before... It was a pretty big pizza too. The crust was awesome... very similar to the bread we got. It had a hint of sweetness, not sure if it's from the onions or clams. But I didn't get any clams on the bite I got. I actually didn't really see any clams on the pizza either.. I guess it was all under the cheese. My friend said it was ok.

Dessert
Praline Nougatine Semifreddo (with pistachios and Acacia honey). 

This was one of my choices but I ended up not getting it since I could try other people's. hehe. It was the biggest dessert out of the bunch. But it was super light. Semifreddo basically means half frozen. It reminded me of frozen whipped cream. So it was super light but still creamy. I loved the pistacios inside it. And normally not a fan of honey... this honey was a perfect pairing on top. Best dessert of the night.

Sticky Toffee Pudding. 

This is what I got. I thought it was very cute. The cake reminded me of the whiskey cake at Whiskey Cake in Plano. But it wasn't as good as WC. The parts with the caramel drizzle on top was yummy but the parts that didn't seemed less moist. I liked the whipped cream pairing.

Carrot Cake. Basically a carrot cake cupcake. Not bad. I liked the frosting a lot. Not as heavy as normal cream cheese frostings on cupcakes.

Fig and Raspberry Crostata. They messed up my friend's order and had to make him a new crostata. So he sat around watching us eat our dessert and then we watched him eat his. hahaha. I didn't get to try it. Looked like a pretty basic free form tart/pie.

It was a pretty good dinner. I enjoyed everything I tried but I wasn't blown away or anything... Everything seemed good quality and fresh overall. But would I go back and pay full price? For the portion... I doubt it. Our waiter was good. He was very efficient. He didn't interrupt us at all but got everything out quickly and had no issues with anything (including splitting the check). The water glasses were always refilled without asking.

Good start to my RW this year. I'm looking forward to my next location this coming Saturday!

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Driftwood

I've been dying to go to Driftwood forever!! Ever since I knew it was opening, I've heard great reviews. Plus my boss went and said it was one of the best meals he's ever had. Now I really have to go! I got lucky and was able to get a reservation on Saturday at 7:30PM. Initially the host told me only 5PM or 9:15!! Geez! 

Driftwood 
642 W. Davis Street 
Dallas, TX 75208 
(214) 942-2530 
http://www.driftwood-dallas.com/ 
Price: $$$ 

It's located in Oakcliff just outside of the Bishop Arts District. It's a tiny little place. Nice decor, classy yet rustic. The color scheme is mostly this aqua color which I really liked and then they hung pieces of wood on the walls for the rustic feel. It was just really loud since the space is pretty small. It was hard to hear the person directly in front of you!! 

We were immediated seated. I was told by my boss to get cocktails there because they are delish. So it's the boss's orders.. I got the Hibiscus Guava Sling (Cana Brava, orange liqueur, hibiscus, lime) $10~ 

Really pretty. But I'm not the expert on drinks. I only know I like super sweet stuff. haha. This was a bit tart for me but still tolerable. And ohhh... super strong for me. One is more than enough! 

Our waiter was really nice and informative and gave us a run down of the specials and popular menu items. 

I opted for the Crispy Seared Wild Halibut Cheeks (turnips, fennel confit, little neck clams, smoked marble potatoes, Nueskes bacon) $24~ 

It was a really pretty dish. I was surprised that I got 3 pieces of fish! The sauce and veggies on the bottom reminded me of clam chowder. Creamy and warm... yum! The halibut was crispy, I'm glad they didn't pour the sauce over it. I enjoyed it a lot. 

My friend got the Chargrilled Octopus (marble potato confit, Manzanilla olives, watercress, pickled onions, smoked tomato vinaigrette) $25~ 

This was one of their most popular items. Basically put them on the map, so I was eager to try. The portion was pretty small, but presentation was nice. However, I wasn't impressed. The octopus was quite chewy. The flavor was ok. The tomato vinaigrette reminded us of BBQ sauce... I guess it's the smokiness. But the texture of the main protein was just not cooked properly. The octopus at Spoon and Carnevino were just SOOO much better... :( 

We also got a side of the Crispy Brussels Sprouts (pork belly, fish sauce) $8~ 

THIS was the reason I was here. My boss would not stop raving about it. And you know I love brussels sprouts! With fish sauce?? How interesting! And I loved it. The brussels sprouts were cooked well, good texture. You can definitely taste the fish sauce which added a complexity to the dish and it was also a bit spicy. YUMMMMM!!!! I think I'll just get 2 orders of that as my entree next time! :P 

The meal was enjoyable but I was a little disappointed overall. For the price, I'd much rather go to Spoon! :) Since we had dessert before dinner. We were too full to order more. And business was really good, there were already people waiting at the door so we didn't linger! 

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

Triniti @ Tower Club Dallas

This past Saturday I went to dinner downtown with 3 of my friends. One of my friends had bought a deal on Travelzoo for dinner at the Tower Club. I've never heard of the place but the deal sounded good so I agreed to join. It was a bit confusing to locate since it was in a high rise office building. It's in the Thanksgiving Tower. I've never heard of that building either. haha.

Triniti - Tower Club
1601 Elm Street #4800
Dallas, TX 75201
(214) 220-0403
http://www.clubcorp.com/Clubs/Tower-Club-Dallas/Amenities/Dining 
Price: $$$

The restaurant's name is Triniti, located on the 48th floor of the Thanksgiving Tower. We were looking for valet but there is none. You can park in their parking garage.

The restaurant was really nice. Business casual to dressy attire. There were floor to ceiling windows to get a great view of the city. It was nice because we got to see the sunset.

The Travelzoo deal was for 4 people to dine for $110. We get 4 Appetizers, 4 Entrees, 2 Desserts, and 4 Glasses of Wine. (This does not include tax or gratuity.)

I don't drink wine but it's included so I had to order something. The only wine I drink is moscato because it's sweet. The sweetest thing they had was Saint M (Riesling) $8~ So that was my choice. Still not sweet enough. Bleh... I gave it to my friend. haha. Btw... don't ever listen to my taste for alcohol. hahaha. It's very limited and I'm usually not a fan.

We also got some assorted breads to start.

Appetizers:
- Sauteed Shrimp & Mussels (tomatoes, olives, garlic, arugula, chorizo, baguette) $14~

This was my choice. Easily the best choice at the table. The broth was super flavorful. The shrimp was plump and cooked well. I loved the addition of chorizo and arugula, it added different textures and flavors.

- Veal & Pancetta Meatballs (creamy peppercorn demi, tomato confit) $12~

2 of my friends ordered this because it sounded so good. It was a fairly big portion for appetizer I thought. But it looked better than it tasted. The flavors were good, but the meatballs were a bit overcooked and tough. The tomato confit was good on some bread though.

- Crawfish & Crab Cakes (celeraic remoulade, lime creme fraiche) $12~

We laughed because it came on a teeny little plate as opposed to the other dishes. haha. But it was very good. The cakes had lots of crab and crawfish flavors and were moist. I'm not sure if it was the same thing as the description on the menu since there wasn't much of a sauce. But the corn garnish was yummy!

Entrees:
- Pan Seared Sea Scallops (mushrooms, peas, couscous, shellfish nage, celery leaf salad) $30~

This was mine. Again, easily the best dish at the table. I really lucked out! hehe. I would say this is one of the best scallop dishes I've ever had. The scallops could've been seared more but I didn't care. They were like butterrrr! OMG. Soooo tender and juicy and just melts in your mouth. Plus the creamy couscous just made it even more buttery. It wasn't a large dish, but the creaminess definitely filled me up. I would totally eat this again.

- Pan Seared Halibut (green tea bonito broth, shiitake mushrooms, fingerling potatoes) $26~

This is normally Striped Bass on the menu, but they were out so they replaced it with Halibut. The green tea bonito sounded really interesting. It was a nice, thick cut fish. Unfortunately the entire dish just wasn't good. The fish was overcooked, dry and bland. The sauce just seemed like some sort of soy sauce...didn't get any of the green tea-ness. There wasn't any positives about it.

- Grilled New York Strip (roasted chipollini onion, sauteed leeks, crispy shallots, grilled asparagus, whole grain pilaf, tarragon bordelaise) $27~

This was also really good. The meat was cooked well and full of flavor. The sauce, onions and crispy shallots all worked together. It was a decent size too.

Desserts:
- Chocolate Banana Upsidedown Cake (dulce de leche ice cream, caramel sauce) $10~

This just sounded amazing. Bananas, chocolate, ice cream... what can go wrong? It was yummy. The chocolate cake had hints of banana and was moist and rich but yet still light. The ice cream was great. And I liked the addition of the fried banana on top to add a crunch.

- Frozen White Chocolate & Grand Marnier Souffle (strawberry consomme) $10~

This was interesting. The waiter told me that it's a frozen souffle so I shouldn't expect it to be like a normal souffle. We got it because it was something different. Very pretty. But so small. haha. It was delicious. It was almost like a frozen mousse. Light and creamy, it was a nice contrast to the chocolate cake.

It was a delicious dinner. For me anyways. haha. I lucked out with all the right choices. But overall we all had a good time. The setting was really nice and the view was great. The service...eh... was basically non-existent. The waiter was nice but we only saw him when each dish was served basically. No one really came to check on us throughout the meal. I mean, we didn't need anyone during the meal so it was fine. But a little more attention would've been preferred.

The gratuity was automatically added (to the full amount of the bill) so it came out to be about $40 per person. So we probably saved about $12 a person minimum. Not bad.. I could've done without the wine and saved that money though. hahaha.

It's a nice place to linger. We moved to the lounge/bar area for a little bit and enjoyed the night view. So pretty~

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

Village Marquee Texas Grill & Bar

I went to Marquee Grill (now named Village Marquee Texas Grill & Bar) this past Tuesday. I met up with a couple friends for happy hour then dinner. I had a giftcard so I wanted to use it. :)

Village Marquee Texas Grill & Bar
33 Highland Park Village
Dallas, TX 75205
(214) 522-6035
http://marqueegrill.com/
Price: $$$-$$$$$

I had been there for brunch before but always wanted to check out their happy hour and dinner options. The restaurant is deceptively huge. The bar is upstairs and has some really nice seating areas. For the HH the specialty cocktails are $2 off. Still quite pricey since they range from $11-14 a pop. I normally don't drink very much and definitely don't on a weekday but we were at HH! Didn't want to leave my friends hanging. haha.

But before I drink... I needed some food! I was starving. Their HH doesn't include food specials though. :( Me sad. But we decided on the Mini BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches (citrus slaw, fresh cilantro) $10~ as recommended by the bartender.

You get 3 to an order. They were so cute and looked amazing. SO delicious! The buns were toasted and buttery. The pulled pork was tender and juicy. And the flavors were so bold! I especially loved the crunch from the slaw with the pork. I would totally eat this again!

I ordered a girly fruity cocktail. Don't remember the name of it and it doesn't seem to be on their online menu. But it had Veev Acai in there. It was super pink! $11~

It was quite light which is good for me. I didn't taste the alcohol so much. My friend got the Scarf Dancer, one of their signature drinks. (sorry no pic) It was a beautiful cocktail. Deep pink/purple color from the berries and it was quite good. I liked that better than mine.

We chose to sit outside for dinner since it was such a nice day. Everything looked great on the menu... so hard to choose!

We were given some corn bread and flatbread/crackers after we made our orders. I really like their corn bread. Nice and buttery!

We started with the Salt, Pepper & Chile Calamari (grilled Texas peaches, spicy arugula, chile-lime sauce) $14~

This is different than other calamaris I've had before. The way it was breaded and fried is what sets it apart. The sauce was sweet and spicy and a little tangy. It paired really well with the crispy calamari. The peaches added a refreshing sweetness. It was a nice addition. And I don't know how they fried it but was not greasy at all. A very nice dish. We all enjoyed it a lot.

Both my friends ordered the Jumbo Texas Shrimp & Grits (chipotle jack cheese grits, tequila lime sauce) $22~

This is the reason they wanted to go to Marquee. We were told by someone that they had the best shrimp and grits. I really liked the presentation. Kind of wasted space on half the plate but really unique as well. haha. There were 5 jumbo shrimp and it looked fantastic. The shrimp had a nice char on the outside and were very juicy. I really liked the grits. I think there should be more grits though. There wasn't enough to go with all the shrimp! They really liked it. And even though it didn't look like a big portion, it was quite satisfying.

I went with the Seared Alaskan Halibut (grilled octopus, black forbidden rice, tangelo lobster broth) $35~

It just sounded so interesting! The plate was beautiful. The bright greens and white fish on top of the dark forbidden rice. I loved the crispy sear on the halibut. Nicely done. The fish was recommended to be served medium. It was tender but I felt a hair overcooked for my preference. The flavors of the dish are pretty light and mild but I felt like I could taste every element of it. I got the lobster essence from the broth. The octopus were cooked nicely. The peas and asparagus still had a nice crunch to it. It was a light and healthy dish.

We also got a side of Grilled Asparagus $9~

It was good. I always like more veggies with my meal. But for $9, I was hoping for a bigger portion.

We were stuffed so we didn't get dessert. I have yet to have dessert there, so I guess I'll be back again. And looking in from the outside I didn't see Chef Tre Wilcox. Oh well, until next time. Hopefully I can see him (third times a charm) on my next visit. hehe.

Our waiter was nice enough but not spectacular. We were all catching up with each other so we didn't really pay attention to the service.

Overall, good dinner. My favorite of the night will have to be the pulled pork. haha. It is a bit pricey for dinner but you can tell they use good ingredients. I'd suggest brunch if you want to spend a little less. I heard they recently updated their brunch menu too! And if you are into cocktails, they do have some interesting mixtures. I would recommend checking it out!

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~