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Sorry for the delay but here's my July pick!
My boss wanted to take the new team out for a team lunch and we decided to go to Cattleack BBQ. I've been wanting to go there but always heard there's a long line. Luckily it's like 5 minutes from our office.
They're only open for dine-in on Thurs-Sat, I think. And lunch only. I think we arrived a little past 11AM and ended up waiting over 75 minutes. Damn. The line didn't seem long at first, but once you get inside, the line wraps all around the place... it's deceiving. Was totally STARVING by the time we ordered. I may have gone a little overboard. Haha. And sorry for the lack of pictures. We were too hungry.
Cattleack Barbeque
13628 Gamma Rd.
Farmers Branch, TX 75244
cattleackbbq.com
(972) 805-0999
Price: $$$
Brisket (moist or lean) $18.99/lb~ For the meats I got a pound of Brisket, moist of course! Gotta get the good fatty meats. The half pound seemed too little, but once he piled the whole pound on the tray, I was like "whoa". Haha. The brisket was amazing. So freaking moist and tender. I'd highly recommend this.
Pork Ribs $15.99/lb~ I also got half pound of this. Also very tender but the brisket stole the show. As far as ribs went, these were great.
Sausages $5.50 per link~
Original, Hatch Chile & Cheese, Spicy Texan, Triple "B"
I never order sausage. I usually just want one bite. The ones I tried were pretty good. They always tend to be a little too salty for me.
We got the sides to share. A few pints of each.
Burnt Ends Beans. Pretty good! Beans aren't my thing though.
Cole Slaw and Potato Salad. LOVED the potato salad. The slaw was great too. I would get these two again.
We ate so quickly... and the meat sweats hit before we got back to the office. Hahaha. I'm not sure if I'd stand in line for this again, I don't like to wait for food... but it's legit good. Next time you have a party, you can pre-order so you don't have to wait. 20 lbs minimum per pre-order though. Enjoy! Hehe.
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.*
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Last Saturday we were heading to Plano and I suddenly remembered that we still haven't tried the new Lockhart BBQ! I totally took the opportunity and suggested that we go there for lunch. Excited!!
Lockhart Smokehouse
1026 East 15th Street
Plano, TX 75074
(972) 516-8900
http://www.lockhartsmokehouse.com/
Price: $$
Walking in, I saw that there was no line!! No line!! That's freaking awesome. All I keep hearing was how long they still had to wait when they went to Lockhart. Apparently we came on the best day! Later after we sat down at the bar to eat, the bartender was telling us that they were swamped on July 4th with people coming in and ordering tons of meat for their "cookouts". And so the day after, it was much calmer, but still had a steady stream of people. We hit the jackpot on this one.
We waited about 5 minutes to order. That gave us time to look over their menu which was written on a chalkboard on the wall. As we got up to the register, they ran out of beans. Good thing we weren't going to order any!
We got a half pound of Beef Brisket (fatty) $7.99~ per 1/2 pound.
I asked if they had any more burnt ends but they didn't. But it's ok. The char on the brisket was fantastic enough. So much flavor. The brisket was just fatty enough to be juicy but not too fatty. I put some on bread with some coleslaw and made a pretty epic sandwich. I've heard that their brisket can be dry but we certainly got a good batch. :)
Pork Spare Ribs $6.50~ per 1/2 pound.
We got a half pound, and it was 2 ribs. TWO. Haha, they were a good size. I was so into the brisket sandwich that I only ate 1/4 of the ribs. We took the other one to go. The ribs weren't super tender but still very good. It did have a lot of flavor though. I still liked the brisket better, which is usually my favorite meat at a BBQ joint.
Lockhart Slaw (small) $2.50~
They also had a blue cheese slaw, but neither one of us are that big of fans of blue cheese. This was yummy. And SPICY! the heat starts slow and builds up as you eat more and more. My fiancee can't really eat spicy so it was all on me!! There were little chunks of brisket in there too. And it wasn't overly dressed and soggy. Yum.
Potato Salad (small) $2.50~
The potato salad was good too. Also had chunks of brisket in there. The potatoes had a good texture. And it was creamy but not overly dressed either.
The food was great, we were having a lovely lunch, but the best thing of all was their special dessert of the day. Whiskey S'mores Bread Pudding.
We saw it on the board and had to get it. Sounded too amazing to pass up. As the girl at the register was scooping it into a container, I could already smell the chocolate. It was hot and gooey and chocolatey. So. Freaking. Good. We almost went back and got some to go but fought our temptations. haha. It was an amazing bread pudding. Probably in my top 3 of bread puddings ever. I can't say I tasted any of the whiskey but it didn't matter. haha.
We both thought the hype was legit. The food was great. And I was really impressed with the service. We sat at the bar but didn't order any drinks. The bartender was still awesome. Laid out paper towels for us, filled our water cups when it got low, and chatted with us. Very friendly and attentive. We really came on the perfect day. I bet when they get really swamped, they probably don't have the same amount of time to spend on each customer.
So 1 new BBQ place down, I dunno how many more to go. I really want to go to Pecan Lodge, everyone tells me it's even better. Some day... In the mean time, I will definitely return to Lockhart.
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It's finally time to eat at Qui!! Chef Paul Qui was my favorite contestant during Top Chef Texas and I was so thrilled when he won. Later I hear that he's opening up his own place! Been following it ever since. It's been open for about 7-8 months now? And business seems pretty great. I was so excited when I was able to get a reservation while in Austin! I basically emailed the restaurant 3 different dates and said whatever is available I'll take!
Qui
1600 E 6th St
Austin, TX 78702
(512) 436-9626
www.quiaustin.com
Price: $$$
The restaurant is pretty small, but it's very cozy and well designed. All the design elements and decor were so well thought out. There was a fun pattern that they used on their menus that was used throughout the place, on the walls, on the doors, etc. I thought that was really fun. The kitchen was wide open so you can see everyone working in there. I've always liked that type of layout.
We checked in with the hostess and she said our table was being prepped. So we waited at the bar for a little bit. The bar area was pretty small too. But the whole place was very cozy. I had asked the hostess if the chef was in and she said yes! And that she would send him over to our table at some point. OMG OMG OMG!! Excited!!
We were soon seated. And our waiter Kacey was super friendly. She got us started with some drink orders and went over the menu with us. She was definitely very knowledgeable of the menu and restaurant.
Mama Floyd's Cup o'Love (el dorado 12yr rum, lemon, orange, maple, spiced yunnan tea; served hot) $10~
My bf got this to share with me. He loved it! It was pretty tasty. If you like spice, mulled wine, cider, or all of the above, you'd like this too. It was very warming. And it came in the cutest bunny cup. Oh I wanted to take it. haha.
That English Devil (pimm's #1, tapatio tequila blanco, allspice dram, lemon, curacao, ginger beer) $12~ One of his sisters ordered this. It was too strong for me, and I'm not a tequila fan. But she is! And she said it was really good.
Kacey came back and gave us some recommendations on how we should order. We decided on the option of everyone ordering something different and share family style. She also suggested on the order of dishes to be served. Everything at the restaurant was thought out. All the plates, utensils, etc were specially designed. I loved how it was eclectic yet cohesive. :)
Kinilaw (amberjack filipino ceviche) $16~
Never had amberjack before but this was delicious. It kind of looked like yellowtail? It wasn't a fishy tasting fish. The texture was great and the sauce in the ceviche was creamy and tart and refreshing. The sauce was made of coconut milk, vinegar, yuzu juice and ginger. We all loved it. Kacey told us that the chef would like all raw fish to be eaten with chopsticks. Good! I would do that anyways. :)
Kuruma Ebi (orange, fennel, green garlic, chapulines) $20~
We found out that chapulines were crickets so one of my bf's sisters was extra excited. She's always wanted to try cricket. We were informed that the cricket was more of a relish on top of the Kuruma prawns which made it easier for me to eat it. haha. His sister was slightly disappointed in that little detail but it was quickly forgotten. It came 4 to an order which was kinda expensive. But it was soooo good. The body of the shrimp was pretty good. But then Kacey came over and told us that we should also suck the shrimp heads. I never suck shrimp heads. I don't do it with crawfish either... But it was AMAZING. I didn't know such a little piece of shrimp head can have so much flavor!! Definitely one of my favorites of the night.
Cabbage (crispy chicken skin, fennel relish, spiced yogurt) $8~ This was good too. I particularly liked the crispy skin with the fennel relish. Never had fennel relish before. It added a sweetness to the dish.
Rib Rice (pork ribs, koshihikari, sofrito, aioli) $18~
Slow cooked rib meat in dashi-pork stock rice? OMG. Sounds awesome. And it was sooo good. The aioli on the side added another layer of richness. This was one of my top 3 dishes of the night. So many layers of flavors. Each bite, I would get a different flavor. I scraped that plate clean!
Pasta (sea urchin (uni), yuzu, chanterelle, squid ink, trout roe) $24~
This was my pick. Uni and squid ink? Done! The pasta was nicely cooked, and you can tell they made it in-house. And lots of uni on top! The uni was a little fishier than I've had in Japan. But that was Japan, and I've learned not to compare that with things in the states. hahaha. Everyone loved it. The creamy uni with the salty squid ink and earthy mushrooms. Yum.
Salt & Time Butcher's Cut (pork secreto...shhh) $20~
I asked what the pork secret was.. Kacey said it was the piece of meat behind the ribs. It's usually too tough to sell so the butchers take it home to their families. And since it's a tougher cut of meat, they cook it low and slow. It was really great. The meat wasn't super tender, but it had a good texture. And the seasoning on it was pretty light so you can actually taste the meat itself. It came with vinegar potatoes and kimchi which were both awesome. Never had anything like the vinegar potatoes before. That was a big winner at the table. And I ate the kimchi with the rib rice...which also paired extremely well.
I was actually quite full! I think the snack at East Side King helped though. hehe. But can't forget dessert! They only had 2 options so we got one of each.
Halo Halo (seasonal fruit, ice, milk) $6~
This had a lot of ingredients in it: rice pudding, pumpkin custard, toasted coconut, waffle crunch, candied pecans, pumpkin seeds, pears, eggnog, sweet potato gelato, spiced pate fruit, candied sweet potato. And a rum sauce was poured on it tableside. Wow... it was a little cup packed with stuff! It's more of a single serving but we all just wanted a bite or 2. Halo halo basically means mix mix, so we mixed everything together. Pretty yum! I got to down the last bit and got a big gulp of the eggnog and rum sauce at the bottom. That was amazing.
Cheddar Cheese Ice Cream (crispy waffles, goat milk cajeta, peanut praline, aged cheddar ice cream) $12~
This was the main dessert I wanted to try. It just sounds so interesting. Although I was a little hesitant on the goat milk cajeta since I don't like goat cheese. But it wasn't gamey at all, I didn't even taste any goaty-ness. :P This was the best possible end to an amazing meal. The perfect blend of sweet and savory. The waffles and praline added the crunch factor and all the flavors worked so well together. The perfect ending.
After the meal, the chef came to our table. OMG!!! I'm freaking out. hahaha. I'm such a foodie groupie. :P He was all smiles just like when he was on Top Chef. One of the main reasons I liked him. He seemed like just the nicest guy. And he was! Took pictures with our table and I got another pic with just me and him. :) Definitely didn't disappoint. In fact, we were all pretty blown away.
From beginning to end, the meal was fantastic. The friendly hostess, to our awesome waitress, delicious food, and of course, Chef Qui himself. Even the other waiters/waitresses were super nice. I had asked Kacey to tell me the ingredients in the halo halo and she said she would write them down for me. Within a few minutes another waiter came by and gave me their notes to the entire menu for the night. It had every dish listed with ingredients, the stations it's prepped in, the utensils used to eat it (which we learned was called "marking"), and dietary considerations. Wow!! That's awesome. I will definitely file away these notes.
It was a wonderful meal with some amazing people. We still talked about how great it is the next morning!
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This past Saturday my bf and I drove down to San Antonio because he was gonna buy a new car! Long story...but basically there was a good deal with the car he wanted but they weren't able to ship it up to Dallas. Blehh... so we had to take the 5 hour drive down to SA. Oh wellz~ Might as well have some fun! :)
When we arrived in SA, we met up with his parents and decided to grab some lunch first since the dealership was probably gonna take forever.
Of course I wanted to try something local and new so I did some searches on google and on yelp. I found The Big Bib on yelp and it was really close to where we met up. It had crazy good ratings so I was intrigued!
The Big Bib
2427 Austin Hwy
San Antonio, TX 78218
(210) 654-8400
Price: $
First of all, this place is tiny! You order at the counter and there are only 4 small tables. It was full when we got there but luckily most of the groups were leaving. They had a steady stream of customers come in. Most people ordered to-go but there were still some that ate there. The other tables were never empty for very long.
The couple that worked there (I think they own the joint) were super nice.
Between the 4 of us, we ordered a bunch of stuff to share:
1 lb. Pork "Baby Back" Ribs $9.80~ 
The ribs were SUPER tender and juicy. OMG!! Definitely one of the best ribs I've had in a longg time. And the cut of the meat was slightly different than normal baby back ribs. It was just different in the way that the meat rips off the bone. The bbq sauce was really good too. A little tangy with a slight hint of sweet. It didn't overwhelm the meats, it enhanced it. Although I would've preferred a bit more heat, so I asked them for hot sauce which definitely hit the spot! The meats also came with either white or wheat bread. 
1/2 lb. Brisket $4.80~ (below: on the left) The brisket was pretty good, but some parts were slightly dry. The piece that I got was good though. But it was pretty basic.
1/2 lb. Pull Pork $4.78~ (above: on the right) The pulled pork was fantastic! I usually don't see pulled pork done this way, it almost looked like it was chopped up brisket! But the bark on the pork was flavorful and it had just enough fat to make it super tender. I can't decide if the pulled pork or the ribs were the best of the meal...but since they are both pork I guess it doesn't matter! haha. Seriously good food!!
Potato Salad Large $4~ The potato salad was good but pretty standard. It wasn't too heavy with too much sauce. It was just right.
Cole Slaw Single Serving $1.65~ So I'm actually not quite sure how much we paid for the cole slaw because they were actually running out. We got the last 3 scoops of it so they just put it in those little containers. The coleslaw was good, also pretty standard. It was crisp and refreshing with the meats.
Greens (Cabbage and Mustard Greens) Medium $3~ 
The greens were cooked with pork, but I didn't get much of the flavor. It wasn't anything special but it was nice to get some veggies though.
Finally, the dessert! Peach Cobbler $2~ 
This was one thing on the menu that all the reviews raved about. Some claim that this is one of the best cobblers ever. Now...I'm not a huge cobbler fan. But I still wanted to try it. My bf's mom LOVES cobbler and she LOVED it. For $2 it's a pretty big portion. My favorite part of cobblers are the crispy buttery topping...and there wasn't enough of it. But I do have to say that the flavors in the cobbler were really good. I wished there were more chunks of peach though. There was a lemon or orange flavor in the cobbler...definitely some sort of citrus, I couldn't pinpoint which one. But it definitely made the flavors for complex...added depth. That was a very nice touch. I enjoyed it a lot!
This is one of the best bbq experiences I've had so far. It's not like going to a typical bbq joint but the food is fantastic. If you visit San Antonio or better yet, live there..., definitely go check this place out! I've already told my friends in SA about this place! :)
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