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I'm sooooo very excited that North Italia at Legacy West Plano is officially opening tomorrow!!! Tuesday 6/27. Have you made your reservation yet?!
I went to the Austin location about 2 years ago and absolutely loved it. From the decor to the food. It was very exciting to have North come to Dallas. :) I got a sneak peek last Thursday with a friend of mine. We were both basically squealing with excitement. hehe.
North Italia - Legacy West
7501 Windrose Ave. Suite D190
Plano, TX 75024
(214) 291-6996
www.northitaliarestaurant.com/nso/plano-tx
Price: $$$$
We arrived at 6:15PM for dinner. The place was already packed with people. We were seated immediately. I love the open space... high ceilings and wood decor. I especially love their large glass lamps. We sat in one of the booths. We were given menus and were warmly welcomed for like the third time and ready to enjoy our evening. Our waitress, Kariel, greeted us and asked for our drink orders. We asked her for some suggestions and she was very helpful. This is the first of their friends and family nights so the staff is still in training.
Neither of us really drank so my friend got the Strawberry Spice Mule (dripping springs vodka, clove spiced gran gala, lime, smashed strawberry) $11~
It was recommended as one of the sweeter options. I just took a sip cuz that's enough for me. haha. The drink is very pretty. I loved the actual muddled strawberry throughout the drink. It's very refreshing too. My friend really enjoyed it.
For our appetizer, we chose the Burrata (heirloom tomato, basil, mint, cucumber, crouton, saba) $12~
We had several items that we wanted to try... so I guess we'll be going back. haha. The burrata was gorgeous! I loved the presentation... rustic and colorful. The burrata was to die for. So incredibly creamy yet light. The tomatoes were fresh and paired beautifully. I also loved the freshness of the mint and basil. The saba (I think it's kind of a balsamic reduction/vinaigrette) was delicious. They didn't overdress it. My friend wanted more saba, but I thought it was just right.
During the course of our meal, we were greeted by several people. Bianka from Giant Noise PR came over to say Hi. So did Meredith, the general manager, and England, the manager. They were all SUPER nice and we got to chat with each of them for a while. They really took the time to make sure we were enjoying ourselves throughout the night and made us feel welcomed. :)
For the entrees, they mixed up my order and served me the Red Wine Glazed Short Rib (heirloom carrot, swiss chard, creamy mascarpone polenta) $26~
I had ordered the short rib pasta. So they quickly fixed the issue and gave us the Short Rib entree as well! Well, yes please! I never say no to extra food! :P The short rib doesn't really photograph well but I assure you it smelled divine! That mascarpone polenta was so luscious. I can eat that by itself. The short rib was tender and had great flavor. I also like that there were actual green veggies (swiss chard) in the dish. I always prefer to have some sort of green vegetables at every meal.
Short Rib Radiatori (parmesan cream, fresh horseradish, wilted arugula, herbed breadcrumb) $20~
My actual order. Amazing. It was my favorite entree of the night. I love interesting pasta shapes. The Radiatori was perfect in collecting all the cream sauce in all its nooks and crannies. And the texture on the pasta was perfect. The short rib in the pasta was even more tender than the entree I think. The addition of the horseradish was a nice touch. It brightened up the cream sauce so it wasn't too heavy. Totally recommend this!
My friend chose the Filet of Beef (crispy potato, roasted mushroom, cipollini onion, marsala) $38~
She got it medium well... booo. I think all steaks should be med rare. hehe. But you know what... even at med well, the steak was really tender and the flavor of the meat really shined. The marsala sauce paired beautifully with the beef, mushrooms, and onions. And those crispy smashed potatoes? They almost out shined the steak. Another great choice.
Diver Scallops (sweet corn risotto, asparagus, crispy shallot, pancetta gremolata) $25~
We also really wanted to try the scallops so we talked them into giving us another entree. :P (Although I have to say, we ordered this 3rd dish before we got the short rib... too much food you think? Nahhh. ha.) Beautiful vibrant colors on this dish. And you get FOUR plump scallops instead of the typical 3. We both liked it. The scallops were cooked wonderfully. But I have 2 complaints on this dish. 1) It needed a bit more acid... a squeeze of lemon maybe? or some lemon juice inside the sweet corn sauce. And 2) more sear on the scallops so the tops are crispier. Other than that, it was still a yummy dish.
We each got a box for our leftovers, because we need to save room for dessert! Duh!
Dirty Almond Chai (two shots espresso, almond milk, chai tea; shaken and served cold) $5~ This drink sounded really interesting. I don't really drink coffee but I wanted to give it a try. My friend can't handle the caffeine that late in the day so she just got a "clean" Almond Chai (without the 2 shots of espresso). Hers was delicious. Mine... wasn't sweet enough for me since I'm not a coffee drinker. But I do love that it's served cold. It almost tastes like a cold brew (according to my friend anyways).
We couldn't decide so we got 2 desserts. Cuz why not? :D
Hazelnut Torta (nutella cream, hazelnut toffee, salted caramel gelato) $8~
I can't say I've seen tortas served in this shape... it made me think of a molten chocolate cake. But it wasn't molten inside of course. Torta basically means a dense and chocolatey rich cake made with a few simple ingredients. The torta wasn't super dense which I would've been fine with either way. The salted caramel gelato was great on top. The toffee added a nice crunch. This'll definitely satisfy your sweet tooth.
Strawberry Mascarpone Tart (lemon crema, basil, almond crust) $7~
This could not be more different than the torta. This was light and fresh. The tart itself reminded me of a shortbread and wasn't overly sweet. The mascarpone added the richness but wasn't heavy. And the basil was the most genius touch. We both agreed that without the pop of basil, this dessert would be kind of generic. The brightness of the basil definitely elevated the dish. Yum!
If you can't tell... we loved it. We both had pretty high expectations going in and they definitely didn't disappoint. The food was fantastic, but I really enjoyed meeting all the people in the restaurant. We lingered a little after dinner and chatted with England and Kariel. They're both so great! I hope they'll remember us the next time we go back. :)
They officially open to the public TOMORROW!! Tuesday 6/27!!
Thanks so much to North Italia for having us. Even though I live 50 minutes away, I hope to be back really soon. :)
*The meal was comped but all opinions are my own.*
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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
2 weeks ago we had a work outing to check out the new grilled cheese restaurant in the new Richardson CityLine. I've been keeping up to date with the opening of this place with a few of my co-workers. We finally planned for a day to go. Hopefully by now the initial rush has died down a little. We had a fairly large group of 9 people.
Tom + Chee
1251 State St.
Richardson, TX 75082
(972) 677-7482
www.tomandchee.com
Price: $
Tom + Chee was originally from Cincinnati and after being picked up on Shark Tank (an ABC show), they expanded rapidly across the nation. They use fresh ingredients, roast their own meats, and makes all the sauces from scratch. They have gluten-free and vegetarian options.
We were all super excited. None of us had been there before. We arrived around 11:45AM on a Tuesday. There was a line, but it wasn't super long and moved fairly fast. The dining area was pretty full but we got lucky and secured a table. I guess most of the people in line were waiting for to-go orders. Worked out for us! Everyone went up to the counter and ordered. They give you a number and bring the food to your table.
Almost everyone got something different so lots of pictures to see! :)
The Tom + Chee (diced tomato, garlic seasoning, mozzarella, cheddar, hardy white) $4.95~ Plus Diced Bacon +$2~ Already sounds great on its own, but bacon makes everything better! She absolutely loved it.
Pesto Turkey (roasted turkey, pesto, mozzarella, hardy white) $5.95~ She subbed ham for the roasted turkey. I tried a bite of this. I think this was my favorite savory sandwich of the day, and I'm usually not a fan of ham. The pesto was awesome. I'd totally get this next time! (But with turkey... hehe.)
Grilled Mac + Chee (mac & cheese, cheddar, hardy white) $5.95~ Plus Potato Chip Crunch +$0.50~
They have a "crunch" section on the menu that has different flavored chips in every sandwich, but you can also make any sandwich a "crunch" by adding chips. I felt the chips were necessary in the Grilled Mac + Chee because it adds texture. The mac n cheese itself was very good but I would recommend adding chips and maybe bacon! :P
Ham + Chee (ham, pickle, american, hardy white) $5.95~ Simple, to the point. Tasty.
BBQ + Bacon Crunchy Grilled Cheese (bbq potato chips, bacon, american, hardy white) $6.45~ This thing was LOADED with bacon. I didn't get to try but my boss loved it.
Italian Crunchy Grilled Cheese (salt & vinegar chips, pepperoni, ham, mozzarella, hardy white) $6.45~ Plus Soup Dipper (a small soup to dip your grilled cheese in) +$1~
He chose the Classic Tomato soup. This was good, I liked the salt & vinegar chips addition. But I felt the pepperoni and ham combo was a tad too salty for my preference. I did not get to experience the sandwich dipped in soup combo, but my co-worker said the soup was good.
Crunchy Garlic Chicken (roasted chicken, grilled onion, diced tomato, sweet hot mustard, garlic seasoning, parmesan garlic chips, pepper jack, wheat berry) $6.45~ This was my other choice, but I ended up not getting it. It's pretty loaded. Looked awesome. I may try this one too next time. hehe.
Smoked Brisket (hardy white, cheddar, bbq sauce, pickles, red onion) $6.95~
This was mine. It was the special for the day. Since it's not always on the menu, I knew I had to try it. The brisket wasn't what I expected... it made me think more of sliced roast beef? But was still moist. A little too much bbq sauce, but then again, I never like much sauce. But overall was really yummy. The bread was nice and crisp but still soft. Mmmmm!! I would order it again and just get a little less sauce. And it wasn't that heavy, surprisingly. I ate half of mine, and then a bite or two of 4 other ones. AND a little bit of dessert. And I wasn't overstuffed!
OF COURSE we had to try their donut grilled cheeses! I think we were there more for the dessert than the other food. haha.
The Fat Elvis Grilled Cheese Donut (fresh banana, peanut butter mascarpone, mozzarella, marshmallow, bacon, donut) $4.95~
This was also the special of the day. It's like The King, but with marshmallow and bacon. We shared this among 4 people. It was so goooood! The peanut butter mascarpone was rich and creamy but wasn't super thick like just pb. The bacon added a smokiness, it was awesome. We all loved it.
S'more Grilled Cheese Donut (chocolate pieces, graham cracker, marshmallow mascarpone, donut) $4.95~ Another co-worker got this. I got to try a teeny bite. This donut was grilled to perfection.. you can see the color on it. It was yummy too, but the Fat Elvis won it for me.
We had a great lunch. Everyone raved about the food. The service was great too. You'd think with a "fast-food" type set up there wouldn't be much service. But they were constantly cleaning off tables, came around a few times to make sure we were enjoying everything. Just very friendly and hospitable. I can't wait to go back again. I have so many more things to try!
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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
This place has been bookmarked on my Yelp for awhile now. Even though we were super full from dinner, we still had to go. How often are we in Houston? And it was only like an 8 minute drive from dinner. They have rotating flavors for each season and some of them are super unique. I really had my eye set on the hazelnut miso.
Cloud 10 Creamery
5216 Morningside Dr.
Houston, TX 77005
(713) 434-6129
http://www.cloud10creamery.com/
Price: $
Unfortunately they did not have the hazelnut miso, or half of the seasonal list actually... booo. But since we're here. Still gotta try something. It's a cute place. Bright walls/decor, fun.
My fiance's sister got the Mascarpone-Blueberry Tart (almond shell, mascarpone cream, blueberry compote, pink peppercorn) $5.25~?
Very interesting looking. Although it was premade and prepackaged. It was kind of like a shortbread cookie with cream and compote inside. It was frozen so quite hard to bite through. I wonder if it would be better if it was thawed out a little. Cool looking, but eh.
I got a Small Scoop in Waffle Cone (2 flavors: nutella marshmallow and passion fruit with white chocolate). $3.85 + cone $1.35~
The small scoop comes with 2 flavors. Both of my choices were really great. I particularly loved the passion fruit. It was really refreshing yet still creamy. Still bummed they didn't have the flavors I initially wanted to try, but it was still good. Not the cheapest place though. I guess next time I will call ahead to see what flavors are available before going.
We also tried the Marzipan ice cream, which had an almond flavor. Delicious. We got a pint to take back to his parents. $10 a pint! OMG! In Dallas we can get a quart...
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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
The birthday celebration continues! This past Saturday was my bf's bday dinner with his friends. I suggested Victor Tangos because from my experience in the past, they have an interesting menu and a pretty good bar. Also, they take reservations for large parties!
Victor Tangos
3001 N Henderson Ave.
Dallas, TX 75206
(214) 252-8595
www.victortangos.com
Price: $$-$$$
FYI. Parking on Henderson is pretty much nonexistent. But they offer complimentary valet. Trust me, just do the valet. haha.
We had a party of 17 people for 7PM. Most of us arrived early and they were able to seat us earlier. When arrived, there wasn't that many other people in the restaurant. I specifically made an earlier reservation because I knew VT gets super packed. And I was right. By 7:30 the entire bar was full and the dining room was getting there. And I was surprised for a restaurant that's not that big, there were 4+ groups of more than 12 people. One group had almost 30? The place gets pretty "energetic" so it's a little hard to hear when talking across the table. But I think it's the vibe at VT that draws a lot of people in.
Some people already got drinks at the bar. After we sat down, the waitress came by for more drink orders.
(Sorry for the grainy pictures... it was really low lighting in there.)
My bf got the Pepper Smash (gin, red bell pepper, local mint, lemon, clover honey) $10~ It was quite good! Sweet, so both of us liked it. You can taste the bell pepper but it just added a fresh sweetness to it. He really liked it.
I got the Passionfruit Gimlet (vodka, fresh thyme, passion fruit, freshly squeezed lime juice, extracted pineapple) $10~ I asked them to use gin instead of vodka. It was also really good. Definitely sweet enough for me but still strong. I enjoyed it very much. But it was time we got some food in our stomachs. haha.
We later got the Peach Blossom (gin, white peaches, Japanese basil, lemon, honey) $10~ (was too busy eating so I didn't take a picture, sorry. haha) But this was my favorite out of the 3 cocktails. Peachy and refreshing. Yum.
As we were looking through the menu, I noticed there were many changes from their online menu. I hate it when that happens! Cuz usually the dish that I want is the one that's not available anymore.. Same case this time. I wanted a pork belly dish that was no longer there... Same for one of the desserts. :( So it took me awhile to finally make up my mind. Most things sounded ok, but nothing really stood out.
Ahi Tuna Nachos $15~
Multiple people ordered this. My bf got one too. The dishes at VT are kind of made for sharing but I wouldn't say it's tapas style or anything. The nachos were good. Crispy chips with fresh bits of tuna. I really liked the chili cream sauce and the jalapenos on top. You know I like my spicy! Seemed to be a popular dish all around. I thought it was good, but I've had better.
I ordered the Summer Vegetable "Fried" Rice (green curry, poached egg) $11~
The waitress told me the rice was puffed rice. It sounded so interesting! It was delicious. The presentation was nice. The contrasting colors between the white puffed rice and green curry. She instructed me to mix it all together then eat. So I broke the perfectly poached egg and mixed it all up.
Really enjoyed it. Although the puffed rice got soft pretty quickly, the first few bites where it was still crunchy was fantastic. Lots of textures and flavors and wasn't too heavy.
I also got the Roasted Mushrooms (leeks, black garlic and pea greens) $12~
I didn't mean to get 2 vegetable dishes, just happened that way. But I loved both of them. This was my favorite of the night. Different types of mushrooms gave it different textures. The black garlic sealed the deal. It had such bold flavors. I even scraped up the bits of garlic and sauce and ate it with the fried rice. Mmmmmm! So good. I wish the portion size was bigger!
Here are things other people ordered...
Jar of Pickled Baby Vegetables $4~ The sourness hits you like a truck, but then slightly mellows out. Had some sweetness to it. Not my thing, but I'm not a huge fan of sour stuff in general.
Mini Crispy Carnitas Tacos $10~
Also a popular item at our table. And probably the most bang for your buck! It was massive. Our friends said there was like 6 tacos or something, all loaded to the brim. And they said it had lots of flavor. I think at VT you take a chance with the portion size, some things are quite filling, and some are not. But they all taste good.
Tempura Asparagus with Olive Aioli $10~ Didn't get to try but looked good.
Sweet Tea Marinated Short Ribs (with Spring garlic and cucumber salad) $24~
Loved the presentation on the wood platter. The bright vegetables peeking out from the charred meat. It was tasty. You can't taste the sweet tea marinade though.
Whole Market Fish (crushed lemony potatoes, crispy capers, pimenton aioli).
This was an impressive dish. Also served on a wood platter for some added drama. hehe. It was a big piece of fish! I think I overheard someone saying it was a branzino. Normally the whole branzinos I've seen in other places are 2/3rds of this size. The fish was cooked well and had lots of flavor. Only downside.. a lot of bones. But that can also make it a fun challenge to eat! hehe.
Green Bean Panzanella (avocado green goddess, smoked trout roe) $11~
Pretty dish, quite small. I got to try part of the egg topped with the trout roe with the green beans. Very good. All the elements worked together well. My friend said that if you don't eat all the elements together though, it didn't really work.
Warm Sticky Toffee Cake (with mascarpone cream) $9~
I ordered this when I ordered the entrees and asked them to bring it out later with a candle. Holy crap! This thing is massive! I saw pictures online and knew it was big but it was at least another 30% bigger than I imagined. It was literally the size of my face! (And believe me... I got a pretty big face. hahaha.) The cake was warm and the mascarpone cream was essential to it. The bites without the cream was a bit dry. But overall a good dessert. Doesn't compare to the whiskey cake at Whiskey Cake in Plano, but was still a success with the group. We passed it around and everyone was able to take a big bite or more!
It was a good dinner. I think everyone enjoyed themselves. Some people did say they were still hungry though since some of the portions were smaller. But overall everyone said the food was tasty. The service was good too. The waitress had no problems dealing with the big group. The food came quickly and she was always around when we needed something. The water glasses were always filled. And the checks were split with no issues.
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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
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