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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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

Battuto Italian Kitchen

This past Sunday I finally made it to Battuto, owned by Gene and Julie Gates from the Lite FM morning radio show. I've heard them on the radio for many years now and thought it was interesting when I learned that they were opening up a restaurant. I expected it to be in uptown or downtown of course, so I was pretty excited to find out they've chosen North Dallas and it's close to me! :) 

Battuto Italian Kitchen 
18101 Preston Road, Ste. 204C 
Dallas, Texas 75252 
(972) 930-0558 
http://battutodallas.com/ 
Price: $$-$$$ 

They feature rustic Italian cuisine with farm to table ingredients and homemade pastas and pizzas. I've seen the menu before and everything sounded delicious. 

We had a reservation on Sunday at 6:30PM. When I arrived, the restaurant was pretty empty. I had no idea the place was so big! The decor was simplistic and unpretentious. We all commented that we liked the look of the restaurant. Although it was freeezing in there! It was already pretty cold when I walked in but our table was under a vent or something. Brrrr! The place filled up more after we ordered. The clientele was pretty eclectic. This can be a date place or place for family dinner.

Three of us arrived on time and were waiting on the rest of the group. We were starving though so we got something to share. It would've been nice if we got some bread for the table or something. But oh well... 

Mac and Cheese Pizza (with Nueske's bacon) $9~ 

It just sounds awesome, doesn't it? It looked and tasted amazing. Served on a wooden board, I liked the presentation. The cheese was hot and melty, lots of bacon on there, and the mac was cooked well. Wasn't too overcooked and soft. The crust had great texture too. I'd totally recommend this. My first time having mac and cheese on a pizza! 

While we were waiting for our food, Gene Gates came around and greeted us. We told him we were starving and he personally served the pizza to us. When he walked away, I told my friends, "I think that's Gene Gates from the morning show!" haha. That was pretty cool. 

For the actual dinner, I ordered the Cauliflower Soup (with roasted garlic) $6~ 

One of my friends got the same. The soup was huge! I can probably dunk my face in the bowl, is how big it was. haha. Good value for the money! The soup was yummy. Pureed smooth and velvety. Topped with bits of roasted garlic, you can definitely taste the roasted garlic pureed into the soup as well. The bread on the side was also very good. Nicely charred on the grill but still soft in the middle. Great for dipping into the soup! I had to take half of mine to go... My friend killed hers!! Impressive! 

We also both got Gnocchi Modo Mio "My Way" (an homage to the amazing talent of Chef Rino Brigliadori light-as-a-cloud potato pasta with pesto tomato sauce) $14~ 

I love gnocchi, so it's hard for me to not order it when I see it on the menu. Although there were plenty of other options I wanted to try. The gnocchi were soft and pillowy. The texture was very nice. I also liked the pesto tomato sauce. It had a lot of flavor. I would've liked to have some sort of meat in there and/or something crunchy to give more of a textural contrast... but overall I enjoyed it. Again, the bread went amazingly with the pesto sauce. My favorite gnocchi of all time is still at Michael Chiarello's Bottega in Napa, but this one is also pretty dang good. 

One friend ordered the Bison Pasta (Comanche buffalo and pork ragu with handmade pappardelle noodles) $13~ 

It was one of my options when I looked over the menu. I love pappardelle and you can definitely tell the pasta was made in house. The flavors were very light, not bland, which I liked. The bison wasn't too dry (I think that's because it was mixed with pork). My friend enjoyed it. 

Another friend got the Branzino (whole grilled Mediterranean sea bass with vegetables) $24~ 

It's a whole fish, minus the head. The fish looked very impressive when it was served. The grill marks looked awesome! The fish was super tender, flaky, moist and lemony. It was very good! The sides however did not live up to the main protein. The potatoes were a bit too salty and the fennel and (I think) zucchini? slaw/salad was kind of bland and boring. I think some sort of rice/cous cous/quinoa would've been a better side option? Just a thought. hehe. 

Gene had come back to chat with us a bit later. One of my friends told him we were fans of the radio show. :P He was super nice and we talked for awhile. Chatted about good restaurants around town. I also gave him my card for CHOMP! :D 

We were all super full but I can't try a new restaurant without dessert! Especially when I've been seeing delicious pictures on yelp. hehe. 
I got the Red Wine Chocolate Cake (chocolate ganache and topped with fresh raspberries) $9~ 

We all shared it. It was beautiful. haha. It was clean and sophisticated and the layers were thin and delicate. But it was super rich, moist and full of chocolatey goodness!! I loved the ganache. I'm assuming it's a creme anglaise on the bottom, that was good too. The fresh raspberries paired really well with the rich chocolate. It was a little pricier than I expected (there's no dessert menu), but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I got to take part of a piece home and it's even good out of the fridge 2 days later! NOM! 

It was a delicious meal. I had pretty high expectations after reading all the reviews on Battuto and I wasn't disappointed. The service was good, the owner is very welcoming. This location hasn't been very lucky in the past, but I hope Battuto sticks around for a long time! I'll be back for sure! :) 

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

Nick & Sam's Grill

Nick & Sam's Grill
2816 Fairmount Street
Dallas, TX 75201
(214) 303-1880
www.nick-sams.com
Price: $$

I went to Nick & Sam's Grill last weekend with a group of my friends. One of my friends knew someone that works there. It's located on Fairmount Street close to Hotel Zaza.

The place isn't very big, but has a great patio area. Unfortunately it was VERY hot! The inside dining area was packed so where did we get seated?? Outside of course... GAHHH. X_x They were very accommodating though. Tried to move the tables into the shade as much as possible and in the direction of the fans.

There was a huge group of us so it took some time for all the drinks to come out. Then they took our orders. Everything looked great on the menu...I couldn't decide for the longest time!

A friend of mine ordered appetizer of Mussels (Kaffir, lime, lemongrass, white wine) $8~ This was delicious. I'm typically not a mussels fan but these were a nice size and full of flavor. It was cooked well and absorbed the flavor of the broth. The lemongrass gave it a thai-ish flavor.

These were the entrees ordered:

I got the Green Market Club (Roasted market vegetables, herb mayo, whole wheat bread) with side of house salad (mesculin, strawberries, honey champagne vinaigrette) $9~ This was really good. There were zucchini, squash, roasted red peppers in the sandwich...and guess what I just realized...I was so busy taking pictures of other people's food...I forgot to take a picture of my own sandwich! :'( I'm sad... Well I totally recommend it. I did not miss the meat. The sandwich was very hearty but was still light. The salad was also very good.

Pork Chop (Hot & sweet mustard glaze, sauteed broccoli) $13~ This was one of my other choices. Notice the pork CHOP...not chop(s). There was only 1 chop with some broccoli. The mustard glaze gave the chop very bold flavors. I liked it a lot. The pork was also cooked well. But for those of you that are really hungry...this might not satisfy you.

The special of the day: Ahi Tuna (with sugar snap peas and napa cabbage). Not sure how much this was.

My friend did not like it at all. The tuna didn't seem that fresh and was drenched in sauce. The sauce was also very acidic.

Trout (Peas, toasted almonds, lemon butter) $12~ The trout was pretty tender. The fish itself was a little underseasoned I thought. But the lemon butter sauce helped balance it out. My friend didn't really care for the sauce, but I thought it was good.

Georgia Banks Cod (Potato crusted, red pepper sauce & Mandarin oranges) $14~ I got to try a bite of this. The crust on the cod was great but I didn't care for the sauce. I think the cod with the trout's lemon butter would've been better! hehe. But my friend loved the cod dish...she was very happy with her selection.

Pot Roast Strogonoff (Beef short ribs, buttered pappardelle noodles) $14~ This was also one of my choices to order. I'm glad I didn't order it. My friend took one bite of it and could not eat anymore. First of all, the short rib was bone-in, which wasn't specified on the menu and my friend had issues with meats that are on the bone. I actually like meats that are bone in but that wasn't even the issue. The entire dish tasted the same, which was bland...and the noodles were kinda cold. The texture was also kind of mushy... Just wasn't appetizing at all. I think this is the first short rib that I didn't like! So he asked the waiter to take it back...he said he would pay for it still but just did not want to look at it.

I shared half of my sandwich with him and he ordered an appetizer and side instead. He got the Calamari (Cornmeal crust, spicy marinara) $7~ and Sweet Potato Fries $6~ The calamari was pretty good. It had a nice crust with the cornmeal and the marinara was also very good. The sweet potato fries came in this little deep fryer basket....sooo cute! I think it has to be the best presentation of the night. The fries were very good. Nice and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside just like how it should be! :)

2 other sides were also ordered:

Nick & Sam's 'Damn' Good Fries $6~ The fries were pretty good...but were they 'damn' good? Eh...not really.

Nick & Sam's Macaroni & Cheese $6~ The mac & cheese looked really good. It had a nice golden crust on top with bread crumbs. But I thought it was a little bland and the pasta a little too soft. Sad...

So the food was completely hit or miss. We all opted to have dessert somewhere else. I probably won't be going back in the future.

However, I would like to point out the great service. Our waiter was a little inexperienced and had to go back to the kitchen to check when we had questions, but he was always very helpful and friendly. Also, when my friend sent back his pot roast, the manager came by and asked about. She was great...I wish all managers would be like that. She came over to apologize but also to get feedback from us. She wanted to know what was wrong with the dish and how they can improve in the future. She was amazing, always smiling and genuinely wanted to know what we thought of it and how they can make it better. I loved that!! Bonus points for them! :) Also, they took the short rib dish off my friend's bill.

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

My Birthday @ Palomino :D

Last weekend was my birthday! So that means it's time to go somewhere new and cool to eat!! hehe. My first choice restaurant was already booked...booo...so I decided on Palomino on Crescent Court in Dallas. It shares a courtyard area with Capital Grille and the Rosewood Crescent Hotel. the "courtyard" is very pretty with a big fountain in the middle.

Palomino
500 Crescent Ct # 165
Dallas, TX 75215
(214) 999-1222
http://www.palomino.com/
Price: $$-$$$$

I decided on Palomino partly because of some of the reviews I've read online and I also saw on their website that they have all day happy hour, everyday! This was a good option since I didn't have any idea what to do after dinner. So I thought we could all just go to the bar and have some drinks...and chill! Plus I had a party of 20 people, so it was tough finding the best place to have dinner. Palomino was very accomodating to my large party. Upon arrival though, I think it was partly because business wasn't too busy. :/

After we were seated the waiter came to take our drink orders and asked me about how we were going to handle the checks. THANK YOU!!! This is how it should be...if the wait staff sees a big group, they should figure out the best way to handle the check beforehand so people don't have to scramble or be frustrated later.

I love trying new places with large groups...cuz it means I get to sample all sorts of different dishes! hehe.

We were given bread after they took our orders....thank you!!! I was starving!! The bread with the tomato sauce was yummy...maybe because I was so hungry. haha.



To start...I tried the Brick Oven Roasted Mushrooms (roasted shallots, balsamic vinaigrette, fresh rosemary) $6~ It was under the 'small plates' section. Appetizers meant for 1-2 people. I love mushrooms! This was pretty good. The portion for the price was decent and was very flavorful.

Next, the Crisp Potatoes Gorgonzola (bechamel sauce, cracked black pepper) $9~
This was under the 'shared plates' section of the menu...appetizers meant for sharing with a larger group. This looked AMAZING! Everyone went "WOW" when they brought it to the table. It was basically waffle fries with sauce and cheese...but it looked so decadent and yummy! The fries were nice and crispy and the gorgonzola was soo delicious over it. Definitely not a low-calorie dish. haha. I would totally recommend this to share with a group of people. And guess what! This is half price at the bar for their happy hour!! What a steal! (I'll go into more detail on their hh later...)

For the main course I ordered the Grilled Wild Forest Mushrooms (mixed greens, walnuts, gorgonzola, garlic crostini) $13~ I really enjoyed this salad. There was a bit more dressing than I would've liked but the flavor was good and the dressing didn't overpower the salad. The mushrooms had good texture and flavor. The combination of the ingredients and flavors worked well together and the gorgonzola added a little extra something something. :) The crostini was nice and crispy and added a different texture to the salad.

My other choice for entree was the Rigatoni Bolognese (spicy italian sausage, pear tomato, crushed garlic, oregano, roasted red pepper cream) $18~ I LOVE rigatoni and this was fantastic! The pasta was cooked well! :) And I really liked the tomato cream sauce. This was everything I expected it to be. YUM! If you like rigatoni, I totally recommend this!

I got to try a bite of their Paella (all natural prawns, clams, mussels, seasonal fresh fish, chicken, chorizo, Spanish saffron rice) $28~ This dish was pretty huge. It looked really pretty with the saffron rice and all the seafood. The flavor was pretty good, plenty of spices. However, the rice was a little undercooked...which didn't bother me because I like chewier rice but I don't think it was meant to be like that. I would say for the price, this wasn't worth it...

A friend of mine ordered the Seafood Louie (grilled fresh salmon, Dungeness crab, bay shrimp, kalamata olives, deviled egg, champagne vinaigrette) $19~ This was a MASSIVE salad, piled high with seafood. If you love seafood this was a good deal. I only got to sample a bite of the salmon which was cooked well.

My sister ordered the Whole Wheat Pappardelle (chicken, cherry tomatoes, broccolini, garlic bread) $??~ It was one of the specials of the night...so I didn't catch the price...I'm guessing it was around $18 or so. This wasn't that great. She didn't really enjoy it. It looked kind of bland and she said it was really light. The whole wheat pasta just doesn't have the same texture as regular pasta...a little more soft than I prefer.

This is the Brick Oven Long Bone Ribeye (char crusted in 600 degree brick oven with thyme, sea salt and black pepper. Served with panzanella salad. 20 oz bone-in ribeye) $38~ This looked super yummy...didn't get to try. They slightly overcooked it for my friend though.

It was a great dinner, but it's not over yet!! :P We decided to pay the check and have drinks and desserts at the bar. The checks were taken care of in a timely matter and I don't think anyone had complications or anything. SEE! It pays to prepare ahead of time *ahem*Salum&Craft*ahem*!! :P

We sat outside where the fountain was...it's soo pretty and the weather was pretty nice. :) So here's the deal with their happy hour. Apparently it's all day everyday at the bar. How sweet is that?!? :) $4 Drink specials (certain cocktails, some wines, and all draft beers), $5 Pizzas, and half off select appetizers! I wish I lived closer cuz I would be there ALL THE TIME!!

We got a couple of their Signature Brick Oven Pizzas (cracker thin, Roma style) to munch on with our drinks. Only $5!!! And they were pretty tasty!! Definitely big enough to share with several people. We got the Sausage (roasted mushrooms, basil infused extra virgin olive oil) $12~ and Roma Tomato (basil, shaved garlic, extra virgin olive oil, marinara, mozzarella) $10~

We also got dessert. OF COURSE!! :) Can't have a bday celebration without dessert! hehe. We got a couple to sample and share.

Chocolate Torte (Belgian chocolate ganache, espresso anglaise, vanilla bean ice cream, fresh strawberry compote) $8.50~ This was kind of a mix between a flourless chocolate cake and molten chocolate cake. The texture was dense like a flourless cake and had a little bit of molten chocolate in the middle...not enough though. It was good with the espresso anglaise poured on top and the ice cream/strawberry combo. But...Roy's still has the best molten chocolate cake!

Creme Brulee Duo (Grand Marnier and chocolate creme brulees, puff pastry beignet) $7~ There are different kinds of creme brulees and this is the one where it's denser/thicker. I liked it, but a little too dense for my preference. I wish the Grand Marnier had more orange flavor...I thought that was a little lacking. But this was the first time I got to taste a chocolate creme brulee...never had one before! YUM! The 'beignets' are super flaky...but truly puff pastries...haha. Can't be taken seriously as a beignet. :P

Chocolate Tiramisu (espresso, rum, zabaglione, biscotti, mascarpone) $8.50~ This was a DARK chocolate tiramisu! I've never had it like this before. Droool! The biscotti crumbles on top added an extra crunch. I would say this was my favorite out of the desserts. :)

This was a GREAT night! So many friends and delicious food...what more can I ask for?? :D Special THANKS to all my friends that came out to celebrate with me!!

I would recommend Palomino (very accommodating for large parties). Especially the happy hour specials. I might not go back for dinner (except for the Rigatoni) but I hope to go back soon for their happy hour!

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~