Your Pie - Frisco

There's only one location of Your Pie in DFW right now and it's located in Frisco. It's a really long way from Rockwall but I'm so glad I decided to go to their media dinner a couple weeks ago. The concept is like a Chipotle but for pizza... you basically build your own. They also have Signature pizzas if you don't want to byo. We were there celebrating the first day of summer as well as the limited release of their Peach Prosciutto Pie.

Your Pie - Frisco
5110 Eldorado Pkwy.
Frisco, TX 75033
(469) 664-0768
https://yourpie.com/stores/el-dorado/
Price: $

Your Pie first started in Georgia in 2008. In 2016, they started expanding out of the Southeast. They have over 50+ locations across the US now. Quite impressive! I didn't have much expectations going in, to be honest. We have plenty of build-your-own pizza concepts in Dallas already and they're all pretty decent. But I was in for a very pleasant surprise!

When we arrived, we were warmly greeted. The PR ladies did a fabulous job at this event. They socialized, helped serve when needed, and came by to check on us frequently. :) Since it was a media event, we asked what we were supposed to do. They said just find a seat and they'll be bringing out some of the featured pizza.

Their pizzas are 10 inches... perfectly individual sized. And all $7.99~

Peach Prosciutto Pie (olive oil, mozzarella, ricotta, parmesan, fresh peaches, prosciutto, chopped basil, honey balsamic glaze) Seasonal. Back for a LIMITED TIME. 

I really didn't know what to expect from this pizza. It's definitely the first time I'm going to try a pizza with peaches on it. Y'all... it rocked my world. First of all, the pizza dough/crust is one of the best I've ever had. Ever. I was told that it's the owner's recipe. Well done, sir, cuz it's fantastic! The crust is just the right thickness and the texture was perfection. It had just the right amount of chewiness and the edges were crisped just enough. They cook all their pizzas in a brick oven, like they do in Italy. Plus the peach and prosciutto combo is kind of a popular pairing now. The peaches were juicy and not overly sweet. But the sweetness paired with the light ricotta cheese and salty prosciutto was just the perfect flavor. It was extremely popular with the media crowd that night. I ate a whole one by myself. And even when cold... it's still good! I never really eat cold pizza. So you better get your butt over there soon since this is limited time!!!

The Nat (basil pesto, mozzarella, feta, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, chicken). 

We wanted to try another pizza so we ordered this... also one of their signature pizzas. It was good, but after the Peach Prosciutto, it wasn't as interesting. haha. I think the main issue is that this pizza didn't have ricotta. The ricotta in the pizza really adds a light creaminess to everything. I think that should be a standard now. haha. But the chicken was super tender. And honestly, it was a great pizza, just overshadowed by the peach prosciutto perfection.

Southern Heat (buffalo sauce, mozzarella, red onions, jalapenos, chicken; served with ranch or blue cheese dressing). 

I got to try a slice of this. It was good that they didn't bring me a whole pie because I would've devoured it and hated myself. haha. This was sooooo good! It really does have some heat to it, so only get it if you can stand spicy. There's actual heaps of chopped jalapenos throughout the top. A friend ordered one and added bacon on top. Genius!!! I highly recommend this one as well.

Well... I pretty much ate TWO whole pizzas by myself that night. Great self control, amiright? :P But serious, that dough... it's just that good. I couldn't stop.

But then... we had to have dessert!! They offer several flavors of gelato. The flavors change often and they also feature seasonal flavors from time to time.

Gelato:
1 scoop $1.99~
2 scoops $2.99~
3 scoops $3.99~

After trying EVERY SINGLE flavor. I settled on the Strawberry Balsamic which is limited edition too. It was so good. You can see there are actual chunks of strawberries throughout. It wasn't overly sweet or heavy, so I didn't feel more guilty about more eating. haha.

What a fantastic dinner. I was beyond impressed with the quality of food. That dough.... OMG. I can still remember the texture of it while chewing. Droolingggggg! I really hope business continues to boom for them. And pretty please open up a few more locations in Dallas (ahem*Rockwall*ahem). That would be great, thanks. :P

*The meal was comped but all opinions are my own.*

Quality of Food: 

Service: 

Ambiance: 

Value: (comped)

Overall Experience: 

~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

Hickory

Last Friday, I got to go check out the new Kent Rathbun restaurant, Hickory. It's located on 121 and Tollway where the old Zea Woodfire Grill used to be. (I miss Zea.. that was a good place...) I was pretty excited about it since I like all of Chef Rathbun's restaurants. My favorite being Blue Plate Kitchen before it closed. :( Still makes me sad when I think about it. I was hoping Hickory would be a good replacement. Plus it's so close to my house!

Hickory
8100 Dallas Pkwy. #115
Plano, TX 75024
(972) 712-7077
www.hickoryplano.com
Price: $$-$$$

I had looked it up on Yelp before going, mainly to check out all the food pictures. hehe. But I noticed the reviews were all hit or miss. The misses mainly being service was slow or the waiters didn't know what they were doing. Hmm... I've always had spot on service at Blue Plate, let's see what happens here.

We arrived at 6PM. Since they don't currently take reservations we decided to go earlier. The parking lot was already super packed... wow. I was a little nervous. I circled the lot like 6 times! But walking in, the place was only about 25% full. I guess all the people from the parking lot were going to Blue Mesa next door? My friends got there a few minutes before me and they were already seated and gotten their drinks.

After I sat down, our waitress came to bring my friend her cocktail, and asked what I wanted to drink. I just asked for a water. Then we were chatting as we waited for another friend to show up. Haven't gotten my water yet... My friend arrived. The waitress came to take his drink order...he got a beer. I reminded her of my water. She said "of course". She brought him his beer. Still no water for me. I'm thinking she forgot my water. :( So when she came back again to go over the menu... I asked her for a water again. At first she responded like this was the first time I ordered one. And then a few seconds later, it's like a switch came on and she realized she never brought me one. "I'll go get your water right now," she said. Weird... I finally got the water.

She kind of went over the menu. Told us what the tacos were for the day, etc. And left, to give us more time to decide. We decided to get a few BBQ meats and sides and do family style. All the sides sounded delicious. I think I can make a meal just out of the side dishes. haha.

When the waitress returned, I took charge and ordered for the group. For the BBQ meats, they were measured by the half pound. I casually asked her how big the portion size was for the brisket since I wanted to be sure we're getting enough food. I also gestured with my hands to her to see if she can give us a general amount. At first she points to the menu and says "It's $11". Huh?? Yes, I know it's $11, it says so on the menu. So I gestured again... What is the portion size? Waitress: "oh, it's half a pound". *FACE PALM* Yes, duh, I know it's half a pound. It says that on the menu too. So I'm still trying to gesture with my hands... like this [   ] much meat? Or THIS [            ] much? Waitress: "um, it's half a pound". Ok... I give up. I stopped asking and just ordered. Apparently she didn't know how much meat came in each half pound order. Which we later found out is about 4-5 slices of brisket.

The food all came fairly quickly and they all looked yummy.

Smoked Pepper Crusted Wagyu Brisket (chef's choice) 1/2lb. $11~ 

Not the moistest brisket I've had, but it was still very good. The chef's choice is a good cut. I wish parts of it had a little more fat but it's not a big deal. It also had good flavor. We all liked it a lot. We decided to order another half pound. Careful with the jalapenos though. The ones we got that day were on FIRE! I can handle spice... but whoa!

Thinly Shaved Roti Pork Shoulder (mustard-brown sugar glaze) 1/2lb. $9~ 

This was yummy as well. The meat was super tender and I loved the flavor of the glaze. It kinda reminded me of a Chinese dish for some reason... thinly sliced pork belly with a garlic sauce. I think it's probably the way the meat was sliced. If you are looking for pulled pork or something of the sort, this ain't it. I think it's better. :P The BBQ sauce on the side is the same as the brisket. At first I thought it was a bit too sour, but the more I ate the more I liked it. I thought it paired with the brisket and pork well. A little goes a long way though.

So the main dishes were good... but the side dishes were the stars.

Crispy Brussels Sprouts $5~ Gotta have the Brussels sprouts.. duh! Nicely charred and full of thick cut bacon. Noms.

Jalapeno Jack-Blue Corn Grits (roasted tomato butter) $6~ 

I liked everything but I'd have to say this was my favorite of the night. (Just by a little.) It was so interesting. I guess I've never had blue corn grits before. The texture is different than regular grits. It was creamy and a richness from the tomato butter.

Texas Cheddar Mac & Cheese (parmesan cornbread crumble) $7~ 

I love it when restaurants use Cavatappi pasta for mac and cheeses. It has a lot of texture and the shape is fun! The pasta was al dente which was great. I loved the crumble. It's also really cute in the mini skillet.

Our waitress came by to check on us regularly. We didn't really need anything most of the time, but she filled our waters and stuff. But, when we were almost done eating, she brought over this little carrier with condiments and pickles. 

We all thought it was really strange. There was maybe enough pickles in these tiny containers for like one person. But why give it to us this late in the game? I wonder if it was just an off day for her. But I'm thinking she just needs more training in general... It was a bit surprising to be at a Kent Rathbun establishment and not get good service. But it is fairly new, so I'll let it slide.

We decided to share a dessert. My friend chose the Skillet Cobbler $7~ 

The seasonal fruit was nectarines and that sounded really good. The waitress said the ice cream was vanilla bean from Henry's. It was pretty good. I really liked the crumble. And the cobbler was nice and hot. The ice cream however, was a little weird... I love Henry's Ice Cream. It's always super rich...but this once seemed icy. The consistency was just a bit off. Still tasted good though. The dessert didn't compare to the rest of the food though, in my opinion. It was just good.

So... the food was yummy. The prices are pretty comparable to other BBQ restaurants I guess, but it didn't feel like going to a BBQ restaurant. I'm not sure how I feel about that. haha. Something weird about eating BBQ without the butcher paper and roll of paper towel for the mess. :P The service was along the lines of what the bad Yelp reviews mentioned. I think our waitress just needed more training. She couldn't answer our questions and seemed confused half the time. She also messed up our split checks. She gave one of my friends a crumpled up pieces of receipt that looked like it was supposed to be in the trash and then picked back out, and the amount was wrong. We were scratching our heads with that one as well. Lots of head scratching during this dinner. hahaha. At least she was nice. I might give it another chance. There are some burgers there I'd like to try. But I'll wait a few months and let the wait staff get their bearings.

Oh... and I still miss Blue Plate Kitchen. :(

Quality of Food:

Service:

Ambiance:

Value:

Overall Experience:

~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

Cali Trip: Anaheim Packing District

Saturday afternoon, my cousins, who are also huge foodies, recommended that we check out Anaheim Packing District for a late lunch. I've never been, but the way it sounded got me excited.

Anaheim Packing District
440 S. Anaheim Blvd
Anaheim, CA 92805
(714) 533-7225
http://anaheimpackingdistrict.com/

It's also called Anaheim Packing House apparently. Same thing, so you don't get confused. I love it!! A center full of food vendors and small shops, all flea market-esque. I love these types of places. We walked all the way around to check out all the different food options. OMG. I wanted to eat everything... but finally chose one since they were prepping the meat at the window... drool! But of course it was one of the vendors with the longest line. haha. Everyone else went off in search of other stuff.

 

The Kroft
Prochetta Sandwich (ciabatta, pork belly/loin, cracklings, salsa verde) $10~ 

 

 

 

Like I said, they had a guy at the window at the front chopping the meat and assembling the sandwiches. Looked freaking fantastic. The sandwich was packed full with pieces of pork. And oh, it was so juicy! The cracklings were amazing. Each bite had so much flavor. Legit! I totally want one right now... I ate half of it and gave the other half to my cousins/aunt/uncle to try. Everyone liked it.

Brussels Sprouts and Bacon $5~ 

I also got this as a side. It was pretty good. A little soggy/greasy but I liked the flavor. It was a bit sweet... I think there was balsamic vinegar on it.

Overall Experience:

Here's what other people got.. We had a feast going! Our table was wayyy too small.

Adya: Fresh Indian Flavors

The Chippy: Fish & Grill

I was full, but I had to get some dessert.
Han's Homemade Ice Cream 
There was no line when I walked by so, yes, this is it! They had some interesting flavors. Twinkies being one of them.

Bourbon Peach (in waffle cone) $4~ Deeeelicious. You can totally taste the bourbon without the bite. It wasn't too sweet, and there were chunks of real peach throughout.

Overall Experience:

Popbar 
This was by far the most popular vendor. The line was literally out the door the entire time we were there. But my cousin wanted to get some so I went up to the line with her. I wanted one too, but was too full. All their popsicles are made fresh daily with natural ingredients. 

 

Pistachio Popsicle (dipped in dark chocolate, topped with chopped pistachio and hazelnuts) $5~

Banana Popsicle (dipped in dark chocolate, topped with chopped pistachio and hazelnuts) $5~

They were doing an anniversary special that weekend where the dips and toppings were free, but normally those cost extra. Quite expensive for a popsicle, but they are sure yummy to look at!

It's such a fun place. I wish Dallas had something like this.. I think we may be getting something similar in Plano in the near future?? Fingers crossed!

Overall for the entire center:

Only complaint is not enough seating!

~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

FT33 Guest Chef Dinner with [ONE]

Last Monday, I attended one of the dinners from FT33's Guest Chef Series. I wanted to go last year when I first heard of these dinners but never made it out. I was sure to try it this year!

They have it every 3rd Monday of each month. 8 course menu for $105 per person. Optional wine pairing +$55~ I reserved for 7 people on Monday, 6/15. The hostess informed me that the doors open at 6PM where there will be passed appetizers and cocktails. And we'll be seated for dinner around 6:45PM.

FT33
1617 Hi Line Dr.
Dallas, TX 75207
(214) 741-2629
http://ft33dallas.com

Half of the group arrived at 6PM. We hung out at the bar where they were making their featured cocktails.

Guest Bartender: Matt Orth
Cocktails:

Balvenie 12yr. Doublewood Penicillin. I opted for this one and asked to it to be a little sweeter. It had honey and lemon in it. It was sooooo good. And I NEVER drink whiskey because I've never liked it in anything. They definitely converted me! I usually don't drink on a weeknight either but I got a 2nd one before dinner started. :P It's all included, why not? 

Balvenie 14 yr. Caribbean Cask Old Fashioned. Most of the guys ordered this. It's more of a manly drink. hehe. One friend that knows his stuff about liquor said it was really really good. The bar ran out before we were seated for dinner though.

Waiters/waitresses also came around with white wine and a rose.

Passed Apps:
All the appetizers were nicely plated and were passed around by the waiters. Everything was tasty. We were off to a great start!
Don't remember what this is, but tasted like shrimp chips! This was pretty good, and it just kept getting better. 

Baby Corn Elotes. So cute! I love elotes.

Tomato Madeleines. My favorite of the night. They were cute, buttery, and full of flavor. And the serving platter was beautifully done with tomato vines since it was a tomato flavored madeleine. :)

 

Chocolate Liver Mousse Macaron. This was very interesting. The macaron is chocolate and sweet. The liver mousse filling was savory and rich. It had so much contrast but everything went together so well. The outside was crunchy, the inside was smooth. Sweet and savory. A very unique but wonderful combination.

Finally, we were all being seated at our tables. They had a pretty structured system for the dinner. Before the meal, the waitress collected all of our credit cards to enter in, then quickly returned to all of us. This way, they can get the check to us at the end of the meal without having to deal with collecting everyone's payments then. It really made a difference. We were not left waiting when we wanted to leave.

I went to the restroom before dinner started and walked by the open kitchen. I saw dozens of plates laid out and all the chefs plating the first course. I love that we can see through the kitchen. I love watching them plate. It always seems like an art form.

They welcomed everyone to the dinner and did a brief intro on the guest chefs and we are off!! Guest Chefs: Kim Floresca and Daniel Ryan from [ONE] in Chapel Hill, NC. I didn't know anything about these chefs but I'm sure that if Chef Matt McCallister invited them, then they are good at what they do.

So the way the menu was structured is that Chef Matt McCallister prepped and served dishes alternating with the dishes from Chef Kim and Chef Ryan. It wasn't what I expected. I had thought that the 3 chefs would all work together and make dishes together. All my friends kind of had the same expectation too, so we were all kinda surprised. The dishes from Chef Matt will be labeled (M), the Chefs from [ONE] will be (K/D).

(M) Summer Squash lightly cooked, Vegetable Tea, Nori. 

First course. As we were being served, everyone at the table was talking. All of a sudden I see this tattooed arm reach over me, pouring the vegetable tea. Then I looked up, and was like "Hey! This is the Chef!" Chef Matt was personally serving our table. Cool! :) It was a nice beginning to the meal. The plate was pretty and clean... in both style and flavor. Everything was light, but not bland. A good start.

(K/D) King Crab, Carolina Gold Plantation Rice, Soured Corn, White BBQ. 

 

This was the guest chef's first dish. OMG. So freaking amazing. It was so simple yet so complex. It's a cold dish. The large chunk of king crab under the rice was cooked perfectly. The rice with the sauce was also perfection. I wanted a giant bowl of this and I'd be happy with the dinner. The olive looking things were actually not olives and it added a nice acidity to everything. Everyone was blown away by this. This turned out to be my favorite dish of the night.

(M) Field Peas, Dried Goat Cheese. 

You know me... I hate goat cheese. But since it was dried, I could eat around it and the flavor wasn't too strong. The peas were an assortment of flavors and textures. Some seemed to have been fried/crisped, which the others were softer. I loved the difference in texture, especially the crispy ones... they had a smokiness to them.

(K/D) Black Garlic and Squid Ink Cavatelli, Krill, Aleppo, Crumb made of Pig Ears and Skin.

 

This was the dish I was most excited about when we got the menu since I love squid ink anything and cavatelli isn't something I get often. It wasn't what I expected... it was SO much more interesting! First of all, the cavatelli was jet black and kinda shaped like fat meal worms. haha. A little gross, but also kinda cool. It was perfectly al dente and the flavor of the cavatelli alone was wonderful. The toppings with the crumbs and krill provided a crunchy texture. Normally I don't like krill, but in this case it paired wonderfully. A friend of mine said the same thing about the krill. So much flavor and texture... again. The guest chefs are certainly outshining Chef Matt. (Which I was shocked!)

Two of my friends decided to order Whiskey Sour $6~ halfway through the meal. It was pretty. But not nearly as good as my Penicillin cocktail earlier. hehe. They liked it though. And it was only $6!!

(M) Pork Jowl, Braised Cabbages and New Crop Potatoes, Chicory, Chantrelle. 

 

I was also excited for this dish since pork jowls are usually really yummy. Which it was on this dish. It was like really thin shavings of pork. Super tender. The dish was good but I felt like it was missing something. The flavors were pretty one dimensional. I think a sprinkling of chili flakes would've really brightened it up?? I was a little disappointed.

(K/D) Lily Buds, Beef Cap, Vegan XO, Cucumber, Charred Eggplant. 

 

Another shining star. We didn't know what to expect with the vegan XO. The only time I've had XO sauce is in Chinese cuisine. The waiters explained to us that it is similar to the Chinese XO sauce, but instead of being made with meats/seafood, it was all vegan. The sauce on it's own was ok. But when paired with the beef. Magic happens!! Ahhhhhh! And the beef... oh the beef. Some of the most tender beef I've had that's not labeled "wagyu" or "kobe". Perfectly cooked. We all wished we had more than just the 2 pieces on our plates. For every bite of the beef, you had to smear it with sauce. It was delicious! This was a lot of people's favorite dish. And a very close second for me...IF I had to choose.

(M) Crocodile Tears, Seed Crisp, Basil Fermented Strawberry and Tomato. 

 

We were trying to guess what Crocodile Tears are the entire meal. We didn't want to google it because we all wanted to be surprised. hehe. But before this course, I went to the restroom. On the way back, some of the other tables already got it and it looked like a cheese plate. So Crocodile Tears turns out to be a goat cheese from Capriole farms in Indiana. Sigh... more goat cheese. This one was way more potent than the one in the beginning. I could smell it as soon as they put the plate in front of me. Ugh. It was almost unbearable. But I still tried it. Couldn't do it... after 2 bites.. I really tried! But I ate everything else. Another friend of mine doesn't like goat cheese either and she had the same reactions I did. This is by far my least favorite dish of the night. I felt bad for leaving pretty much the entire chunk of goat cheese on my plate. Good thing my friend took half.

(K/D) Carolina Peaches, Local Beeswax, Olive Oil Madeline, Angelica. 

The final dish of the night was a dessert by the guest chefs. The green licorice-like things on the plate was called Angelica. I had to look this one up... According to BBC: "Angelica may be familiar as the acid-green crystallized or candied strips used as a decoration on cakes and desserts, but angelica itself is a herb. It is known as ‘herb of the angels’ (hence the name) because it was believed to have medicinal properties. It’s a member of the parsley family, a tall plant with a long firm stem and bright green leaves. Candied angelica is made by boiling the stems in sugar syrup." It had a very unique flavor. Nothing I've ever had before, and I couldn't decide if I liked it or not. But other than the angelica I liked everything else. Those thin wafer things were by far my favorite. So buttery, thin, crispy, it held the dish together. the peach sorbet was a bit too sweet for some. I thought it paired with everything well. The beeswax cream was very interesting too. So many flavors in here that I don't have often!

It was a fun and interesting meal. I got to try a lot of new things I've never even heard of. But we all realized half way through the meal that we were liking all the dishes from the guest chefs. Their dishes were the clear winners of the night...every single one of them were fantastic. I was actually quite surprised. We all though that Chef Matt needed to step up his game... or wondering if he let the guest chefs have the spotlight?? I mean, we all agreed that his dishes were really good, but in comparison with the guest chefs, it wasn't as good. I really wonder what the thought process was for all the dishes from all the chefs to plan this meal. The other thing is that even though all the dishes were amazing, we felt that it didn't really have a cohesiveness for the entire meal. Wasn't that big of a deal though.

I definitely recommend getting in one of these dinners if you like to try new things. His next one is July 20th. I think that's the last one... I haven't seen any news of any other future dates. Also, if you like wine, I'd suggest the wine pairing. One of my friends regretted not doing it. And the table next to us said the wine pairing made their meal because it was so well done.

We had a lot of fun! The checks were brought out to us, included tax and gratuity already so the check out process was very fast. The service throughout the night was great too. Some of the waiters didn't know all the details about the different dishes but they were very eager to ask the kitchen and inform us.

Quality of Food:

Service:

Ambiance:

Value:

Overall Experience:

~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~