Beto & Son

First post of 2017, y'all! I'm really going to try hard and do consistent posts this year. #newyearsresolution :P

I had the pleasure of dining at Beto & Son this past weekend with another food blogger friend of mine. I was invited through @bestfooddallas. :) The restaurant knew we were coming and we were supposed to meet with Chef Julian. Chef Beto and his son Julian opened their new restaurant in Trinity Groves just 2 short months ago. The place was packed when we arrived! They call their concept "next generation Mexican food", everything's from scratch, locally sourced, and had a "chef-to-table experience".

Beto & Son
3011 Gulden Ln #108
Dallas, TX 75212
(469) 249-8590
www.betoandson.com
Price: $$-$$$

We were warmly greeted by the hostess when we walked in. I gave them my name and that I was supposed to meet with Chef Julian. The hostess seated us quickly and sent over our waitress, Bree (sp?). She was super nice, got us our drinks and menus and gave us some info on the restaurant concept while we waited. Chef Julian showed up soon after. He was super friendly as well. We didn't really know what to expect from this visit... I was just thinking we each order and entree or something but he told us he would just send out some stuff so we can get a variety and feel of the food. And if we wanted anything else, we can just ask. He also brought out the dinner menu, which had more items so we can try everything. (We went for lunch.) The only thing we requested was one of their noodle bowls. We've both been perusing the pictures on Yelp and both wanted to try that. He mentioned the dinner menu has a Salmon Noodle Bowl and we were sold!

So we just kinda sat back and waited to see what surprised they were going to bring out! :)

We got started with some Housemade Tortilla Chips (with salsa and bean hummus). 

This is complimentary for every table. Everything is made in-house. The chips were fantastic. They were super thin and light and crispy. Chef Julian says the idea is to keep things light so people don't fill themselves up on just chips. That bean hummus though.... OMG. It was awesome and interesting. The texture reminded me of the black bean dip from Glorias which is amazing. I think I can slather this bean hummus on everything.

Chef Julian brought out 3 appetizers. He personally served every course by the way. It made us feel so special! And he explained every dish, their ideas behind it, what the elements were, and how they were made. I always love the background info on what chefs are thinking when they create something. You can definitely tell he takes pride in all their food.

Mexican Poutine (scratch crafted masa fries, chicken tinga, queso blanco, tomatillo sauce, queso fresco, pico, fried egg) $11.99~ 

Sooooooo good!!!!!!!!!! Definitely one of my favorite dishes of the meal (I had lots of favorites...haha). Totally loved the potato/masa blend of the fries. I think it created a better texture than just pure masa. So many different flavors but all blended so well. That perfectly runny egg was just the cherry on top. Yolk porn, y'all! I can totally order this as my entree.

Gulf of Mexico Ceviche Tower (shrimp, slaw, avocado, pico, mexican cocktail sauce) $14.99~ 

A play on the sushi towers you find at every Japanese restaurant. Any food in stacked form is cool I think. This was very refreshing and the Mexican cocktail sauce added just a hint of heat. The slaw was crunchy, avocado was creamy, and the shrimp was cooked well. It was a nice contrast to the Poutine which was heavier. It went really well with the tortilla chips.

Street Elote (charred shaved corn, garlic aioli, chile de arbol, queso fresco, crema cilantro) $6.99~ 

Yesss!!!! I love me some elotes. This is their take on it. Loved the charred corn with a hint of smoky flavor. The aioli and crema added the creaminess. An explosion of flavor! Another favorite!

We had to fight the urge to keep eating it all. Since we only just got started! We asked them to pack most of the appetizers away so we wouldn't be tempted. haha.

Before the entrees came, our waitress told us another table had ordered the Liquid Nitrogen Mango Margarita. It is made table-side and it's pretty freaking cool! They use liquid nitrogen to make the frozen margarita. So much smoke!! Definitely a fun thing to do when you're out with friends. :)

Time for the entrees!

Sour Cream Chicken Tinga Enchiladas (shredded chicken tinga, sour cream sauce, melted cheese, avocado, pickled slaw; served with achiote rice and charro beans) $11.99~ 

They decided to do an open faced enchilada. What a great idea because you get so much more tortilla real estate to put stuff on! They use white wine in their sour cream sauce to add a different flavor and also make it less heavy. The addition of the pickled onions and watermelon radish brightens up the entire dish and adds vibrant colors. I don't like corn tortillas so I never really order enchiladas. I liked the idea of it being stacked and I think if they did it with their bomb flour tortillas, it would be that much better!

Fajita Skillet (caramelized peppers and onions, chimichurri, calabacitas, fried onions, chile de arbol glaze; served with fresh tortillas, achiote rice, and charro beans) Chicken $15.99~ or Fajita Steak $19.99~ 

The skillet came out sizzling and the smell filled the room. Ahhhhhh. We got a combination so we can try both meats. Both the chicken and steak were tender and flavorful. The fried onions are coated with a Mexican seasoning. It is reminiscent of cajun... tons of flavor and complimented the meats well! Their housemade flour tortillas were magnificent. It just about stole the show! So light and soft but doesn't tear, however much you fill with goodies! When our meal was over, Chef Julian said he would give us each some tortillas to go. Yay! If he hadn't offered, we would've asked anyways. hehe.

Tropical Salmon Noodle Bowl (roasted fideo pasta, seared salmon, calabacitas, chipotle cream, pickled onions, avocado) $17.99~ 

Dinner menu only. This was the one thing I really wanted to try... the noodle bowls. I didn't realize they had a salmon version until Chef Julian mentioned the dinner menu. I'm so glad we got this one. The pasta is toasted first then cooked in the same stock they use to make their tortilla soup so it already has a bunch of flavor. The toasting process makes it a little nutty. And that salmon...oh the salmon. I KNEW it was going to be amazing before I even cut into it. It was cooked PERFECTLY. Pink on the inside, fork tender, and so moist it just flaked right off. One of the best pieces of salmon I've eaten to date. Not just recently, but my whole life. And I've had a lot of salmon, y'all. Highly highly recommend this dish!

What an amazing meal. I loved all the variety their menu offers. I never get Mexican food because I find it to be the same thing most of the time. Here... you have a ton of choices. I challenge you to pick just one!

Of course the meal can't end without dessert. I was hoping he would bring out the flan and he did. I love flan!
Luna de Noche Flan (chocolate cake, flan, whipped cream, cajeta) $7.99~ 

The presentation was great. I normally don't care for the half cake half flan thing. Since the flan is always so much more moist than the cake, it makes the cake feel even drier. Not the case here. The cake was just the right thickness, it melded into the flan. And that cajeta (caramel sauce)... oh man. A dessert lover's dream! The flan is a good size too, totally shareable. But if you don't, I won't judge. hahaha.

Thanks to Beto & Son for having us out. It was more than what I expected for sure. Chef Julian showed us a great time. His choices of dishes gave us a really good range of their menu. And that salmon.... ahhhhhhh! Like butter! The place has a fun vibe, but the lighting wasn't great for food photos (hence the rating). But I'll be back for sure. Food trumps lighting! haha. :P And you should definitely check it out!

Quality of Food:

Service:

Ambiance:

Value: (comped)

Overall Experience:

~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

Barley & Board - My Birthday Brunch

Part 2 of my Barley & Board experience. 
I could not stop thinking about the amazing experience we had back in Feb. Especially that burger!! Plus we had gotten there too late to partake in their Sunday brunch menu. So for my birthday this year, my only wish was to go back and have brunch. I had been on a month long diet all of March to prep for the wedding, but for my birthday (4/2), I made an exception and Barley & Board was what I wanted. I also really wanted to take my then fiance to try this place...cuz I can't stop talking about it. haha.

Barley & Board
100 W Oak St.
Denton, TX 76201
(940) 566-3900
http://barleyandboard.com
Price: $$-$$$

I connected with Narciso and he said they were happy to have us come out again. He was there at the restaurant to greet me, and I even got to meet Jason Lee (one of the investors). Yes, the Jason Lee, the actor. He was super nice and chill. Just having brunch with his family in a corner booth. How cool!

We didn't go AS crazy with the ordering this time, but still ordered enough to feed a family of 4. hahaha.

He got the Sarah Brown (vodka, kahlua, maple syrup, half & half) $8~ It was yummy. Like a White Russian, but with maple syrup. It's a great brunch drink. And it matches their plates (which I totally love)! Thought that was fun.

Truffled Portobello Fries (mustard aioli) $10~ This was amazing! Super thick cut portobello fried to perfection. Can you believe this was just ONE portobello cap?!?! Them and their giant produce! haha. We wanted to finish the whole plate but had to remind ourselves that this was the first dish. hahaha.

Kind of Blue Pancake (blueberry, lemon maple, with homemade whipped cream) $12~ 

Narciso highly recommended this. I can't say no to pancakes. I love them. This blew our minds. Both the presentation and the flavor. This was literally a pan "cake". It was over an inch thick, sitting in a lemon maple syrup and topped with a mound of homemade whipped cream. It was so epic we could not stop staring at it. Even tables next to us were staring at it. haha. And it was so good. Nice and fluffy, I felt like I could eat the whole thing. I didn't... but I could've. :P That syrup was bomb. When they boxed up the leftover pancake, we asked them to pack us some extra syrup.

Mi Masa (masa corncake, chorizo, sunny side up egg) $12~ Another pretty dish. I love it when restaurants stack food. I realized I'm not a fan of masa tho. I've only had it a few times but it reminds me of corn tortilla, which I don't like. But the other parts of the dish was good. And it was some serious #yolkporn!

 

 

I thought their brunch items were reasonably priced. Their menu has a good range of prices. They have a lot of options under $15 each, but also has dishes around $30 a plate or so.

Sweet Pig & Angry Bird (half rack ribs, brazen quail, slaw, b&b pickles) $28~ They had just added this to the menu. I definitely wanted the quail again and this way I get to try the ribs too. The quail was great. It's good that they are consistent with their quality. It was too spicy for my fiance so all for me! :D The ribs were great. Nice and tender. And those pickles!!!!!!!!!!

B&B Burger (sweet onion, b&b pickle, house sauce, american cheese) $12~ Can't come to Barley & Board and not get their burger. It's just like I remembered. My fiance bit into it and said I didn't exaggerate on how good it is. Don't believe me? Go try it for yourself!

Another successful visit. We were stuffed and had a lot of leftovers for the rest of the weekend. Our waiter was awesome and took care of us well. Again, the meal was comped... Happy Birthday to ME! But we gave a nice tip. Sigh, if they were closer I'd make monthly, or even weekly visits. So jealous of Denton right now! XD

I love you, Barley & Board!

Quality of Food:

Service:

Ambiance:

Value: *comped*

Overall Experience:

~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~