skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Sorry I missed posting in June, everyone. It's been a hectic yet fruitful month! I was too busy with job applications and interviews and round 2 interviews AND.... not one job offer, but TWO! Woohoo. That's right, this girl got herself a new job. I start Monday!
Also... I have to say that May was not an impressive month. Bummer. There wasn't a particular place that blew me away so I wasn't too enthusiastic in writing about any specific place. But I promised myself, and you, that I would post once a month so I'm still going to do a May post!
Here are 5 of my favorite bites, or sips, in May. (In no particular order.)
One of my favorite little shops in Bishop Arts District, Serve! Everything there is good but they recently introduced me to the Blackberry Almond Latte. Not only is it beautiful, it's probably my favorite latte at the moment. Also, bonus points to Serve for having reusable iridescent metal straws!
Detour Doughnuts. They're amazing. If you haven't driven at least once out to Frisco to get their donuts, you're seriously missing out. Their flavors change seasonally, so maybe you'll have to drive out 4-5 times a year. Haha. Their Beet & Ricotta (the bright pink one) was beyond amazing! And they make the BEST Creme Brulee donuts and mini fritters. This box was about $30? They just rolled out new flavors this past week!
Nutella Latte from San Martin Bakery. Served in a cool glass, comes with a cookie (baked in-house), AND it's less than $3. You will NEVER find prices like these anywhere else in Uptown. Yea, this place is in Uptown.
Jinya Bun from JINYA Ramen Bar in Victory Park. Slow-braised pork chashu, need I say more? They cooked it so well! Their ramen is pretty good too. Need to go back and try more things. And I freaking loved this wall.
I went to a media Happy Hour at Truluck's to check out their summer cocktails. The cocktails were beautiful and delicious but my favorite bites were the Prime Meatballs! During HH it's 3 for $6 or 5 for $8. Not too shabby! They have live music in the bar as well and it's a lovely time.
Happy July 4th week, y'all!
~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
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.*
Quality of Food:
Service:
Ambiance:
Value: (comped)
Overall Experience:
~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
This is going to be my favorite post for Taiwan. We had some awesome food, but the desserts in Taiwan are insane! One is more epic than the other.. haha.
Ice Monster
This was highly highly recommended by a friend. And we just happen to walk by one day! We had to go in. The specialize in snow ice, which is this super fine shaved ice, in different flavors with different toppings. I believe the original snow ice place was in the Shilin nightmarket. But Ice Monster took it to another level. The snow ice was even more fluffy and delicate than I remembered. We went there twice during our 2 week trip.
Pearl Milk Tea Snow Ice NT$180~
Freaking humongous. And freaking amazing. It's like a deconstructed pearl milk tea. The ice was the tea, the white pudding looking thing was the milk, and pearls came on the side in a bowl of syrup. Eat everything together and it tastes like a frozen pearl milk tea. The ice is so ridiculously fluffy. We had this both times we went. Definitely a winner.
Strawberry Snow Ice NT$280~
2nd time we went, we also got the strawberry one. Strawberry overload!! Strawberry ice, sorbet, diced strawberries, and milk pudding on the side. It was good, but easily trumped by the Pearl Milk Tea ice.
Jamling Cafe
My parents had discovered this place and wanted to take us there. My mom says their pancakes are so airy and light. For someone who doesn't eat dessert/sweets, that was a big deal coming from her. So we decided to take them there to celebrate their wedding anniversary. The specialize in pancakes, but in Mandarin, it translates to "waffle". I thought that was a little weird. It's a small place, super cute decor.
We decided to try a variety of things. They had sweet and savory pancakes. The savory ones sound interesting.. I didn't know what to expect with those.
Chocolate Strawberries (chocolate cream, strawberry sauce, vanilla ice cream, fresh strawberries) NT$260~ This was a featured special. 2 fluffy pancakes loaded with chocolate cream and strawberries, topped with ice cream. Pretty epic eh? The chocolate was awesome, semi-sweet so it wasn't overwhelming.
Jamling (crunchy honey butter) NT$180~ This is the "original" and probably the best sweet one because it was the most fluffy of all and not excessive. The other sweet ones were much denser because it was loaded with a bunch of stuff. It was almost like a souffle pancake. My fiance didn't like it as much though because he thought it tasted more egg-y. I'd agree, but I love eggs in any way so it make me like it even more!
Apple Cinnamon (apple, cinnamon, vanilla ice cream, slicedalmonds) NT$220~ My fiance's favorite. Also very good.
Okonomiyaki (bacon, cabbage, egg, bonito flakes) NT$240~ I was hesitant on the savory ones but this one turned out to be my favorite. The flavors and textures with the pancake worked beautifully. And they had a nice thick slice of bacon on there. Makes everything better!
We also got some drinks. Can't be afternoon tea without some tea! (and coffee.) hehe. Plus if you get a drink and pancake, it becomes a set and you get a discount for the combo.
Cafe Americano (hot) NT$110~
Japanese Green Tea Latte (hot) NT$150~
Earl Grey Tea (hot) NT$120~
18 Cafe. This was another recommendation from a friend. She said their cakes were so light. Afternoon tea set: 1 cake plus a drink for NT$250~
I got the Hazelnut Chiffon Cake.
With the Taiwanese Green Tea.This is the one my friend recommended. Initially I didn't see it in the display so I almost missed it! It was awesome. Super light and so fragrant.
He got the Black Tea Cheesecake.
With the Taiwanese Black Tea. The black tea cheesecake couldn't compete with the hazelnut chiffon, but it was still good. You can actually taste the black tea flavor which made it interesting.
Now for the grand finale!
This was one of the highlights of the trip. I took my fiance to the Dazzling Cafe. I had gone 2 years ago and it was epic!! So we skipped dinner to go here. I thought we were going to order one dessert and share but he wanted 2! Ambitious! And we flew all this way to Taipei... why not!
Caramel Honey Toast (topped with whipped cream, ice cream, white chocolate, peanut brittle, caramel sauce, and honey to drizzle on top) NT$240~
Just look at it!! Did your jaw drop?? haha. It's basically half a loaf of bread. :P The presentation is amazing here. And the waitress comes to your table and carves this for you. (I will post the video on my CHOMP! facebook page if you want to watch some food porn. hehe) So she carves the sides and rearranges everything. And it's not a simple block of bread, every piece inside is individually toasted squares. Wow. Quite labor intensive it seems. We got additional honey to drizzle on it. So good!
Hazelnut Chocolate Honey Toast (with hazelnut spread, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, fresh strawberries) NT$290~
I've had this before and it's awesome. Not only are the pieces individually toasted, they also inject chocolate sauce into it. This one isn't carved tableside though since it comes in stacked slices. My fiance loved it. And we made it through 1 and a half, which I thought was very impressive! :P
I got a pot of Darjeeling Tea NT$160~
My fiance got the White Chocolate Matcha Latte NT$150~ We were surprised when we tasted coffee, since most matcha lattes are just matcha and milk. But this was so good. I don't even drink coffee and I loved it!
I love this place, I will go back in the future cuz I saw some waffle dish that also looked really good! ha!
~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
Wow.. January has been super busy! It's kicking me in the butt... so I've been behind on my posts. And haven't really had much time to try anything new lately.
As you know, last last weekend I was in Ft. Worth for a wedding. So on Sunday, we stayed in Ft. Worth for brunch! I chose to check out Brewed. The menu sounded yummy and the place seems pretty cool. They serve brunch on Saturday & Sunday from 9:30AM - 2:30PM.
Brewed
801 W Magnolia Ave.
Fort Worth, TX 76104
(817) 945-1545
http://brewedfw.com/
Price (for brunch): $-$$
The place is super cute! Very eclectic decor, reminds me of places in Austin. There are 2 different dining areas and also a small area with a bench and tables where you can chill or do some work. We were seated in the main room. It was cool how they had a bar area in the middle, one side was for coffee, the other was beer. Hence their name, Brewed!
They had some neat contraptions for making coffee. It made me wish I actually drank coffee so I could order one. haha. But they also had other interesting drinks so we tried a few.
Kombucha on Tap (blood orange flavor; 12 oz.) $4~
Kombucha is a "fermented tea filled with probiotics, antioxidants, enzymes and amino acids that will help "jump start" your digestive and immune system." Their taps change from time to time, so make sure to check for latest flavors. I've always heard of Kombucha but never tried it. I asked the waitress for some samples and she said sure! Not really my thing since I don't like fruity flavored teas. I like my teas simple... green or black, no fruit or spices or sugar. But my bf liked it so he got one. It's got a slight effervescence to it which was interesting. It's not overly sweet which was good. Hard to really describe it, so you're just going to have to try it for yourself! :P
He also got The Texas Honey (steamed local milk served with local honey; 12 oz.) $3.75~
He was coming out of a cold so wanted something to soothe his throat and it definitely did the trick. "Brewed is committed to providing local and sustainable Texas products, including local non-homogenized low-pasteurized, fresh milk from Mill King Dairy."
I got a Chai Tea Latte (a rich and spicy blend of tea and steamed milk; 12 oz.) $4.50~ Different than chai teas I've had before. It was quite spicy! Very interesting!
On to the food!
Cinnamon, Apple, and Cranberry Waffle (Belgium style waffle serves with Nueske's bacon) $8.25~
My bf got this. He knew he wanted this as soon as I showed him the menu online a week prior. haha. This was ok. The fruit on top of the waffle made it soggy pretty quickly. I'm picky about waffles, I like the crispy edges. But the flavors were good, you didn't really need any maple syrup. But I added some anyways cuz that's always yummy right? haha.
Scotch Egg (two soft-boiled farm eggs wrapped in house sausage, breaded and fried; served with arugula salad) $8~
This was my choice. I know what a scotch egg is but have never tried it before. The waitress says it's one of her favorite things on the menu. They were pretty big. And I loved it. The egg had runny yolk on the inside, the sausage had great flavor and the best part was the crispy breaded shell! The combo with the arugula was nice since arugula is kind of peppery and slightly bitter, it cuts the richness of the egg and sausage. It was also topped with some sort of lemon aioli. The acidity in the aioli rounded out the whole dish really well.
Side of Veggies (tri-colored cauliflower and Brussels sprouts) $3.50~
I didn't know the scotch egg came with an arugula salad so I ordered this as a side. Always gotta have my veggies! And I love everything in here. I was sad that I only got like 3 pieces of Brussels sprouts but oh well. It was a good side to my scotch egg.
Donut Dippers with Fresh Fruit Compote (apple and cranberry compote) $5.50~
We also wanted to try this. We ordered it at the beginning with everything else and they said they would bring it out first. But the food came out really slowly. I was noticing other tables not really getting anything either and the table next to us complained a little about not getting their drinks. Before this came out, our waitress came and apologized for the wait and said they went ahead and took it off the bill. That's nice of them. We were taking a slow leisurely day anyways so we weren't too upset about the wait. I WAS getting hungry tho! :P These were like cake donut holes covered with cinnamon sugar. They were piping hot. Yum! The compote was nice too. It tasted like the topping on the waffles.
Despite the wait on the food and drinks coming out, it was a good brunch. We loved the atmosphere and setting. The food overall was tasty. I loved my choice. hehe. And if I lived closer I'd probably go there all the time to work/study.
Quality of Food:
Service:
Ambiance:
Value:
Overall Experience:
~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
Posts
