skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Back in May I was invited with the MyFab5 crew to check out the new pizza place in Argyle, TX. I hadn't even heard of Argyle and had no idea where it was. Turns out, it's far... far from me at least. Good news to the folks in Denton, it's just a little North of y'all. But this is the lastest concept from the team behind Barley & Board, which you know is my new favorite place! I have to support my peeps! So out of the 3 community leaders for MyFab5/@bestfooddallas, I was the only one that made it out there. It was a week night and quite difficult for everyone to make the trek.
Earl's 377 Pizza
427 U.S. 377
Argyle, TX 76226
(940) 464-4444
http://earls377pizza.com
Price: $$-$$$
It was their media night, so there were lots of other bloggers, writers there. The place is a converted fire station. It's really cool! It's like Barley & Board where they re-purposed materials already there, that has history and meaning, and use them in interesting ways. For example, they have shovel chandeliers, "shoveliers". Ha! Makes sense when the decor is done by the same team that did B&B.
At first I had a table for myself. I had mentioned that I didn't mind being placed with other bloggers but wasn't sure if that was going to happen. So I went ahead and ordered... Oh man did I represent! I ordered enough for like 5 people. haha. Gotta try a little bit of everything right?? But after I placed my order, Narciso (the PR guy) found me a spot with two girls from The Dentonite. They were super nice and welcomed me to their table. After some brief introductions the food started arriving. It was their orders first.
Isabella's Snack Board (prosciutto, salami, mortadella, marinated vegetables) $12~
My new foodie friends had ordered this. I had a bite of one of the meats, not sure which one. I've never been that into meat boards as cured meats are not my favorite. But I'll eat them, don't get me wrong. I'm just not the best judge on whether or not one is good. This looked pretty good to me. And the two girls seemed to really enjoy it.
Crawfish & Artichoke (roasted peppers, pepper jack) $9~
Then my appetizer came. It was still bubbling when they set it on the table. I liked that they used pizza crust as the bread. The crust on the pizza is usually my favorite part. I know that's not the norm... but a good dough with good texture can make or break a pizza for me. The dip was warm and cheesy. We all really liked it. It's quite heavy though, so good to share with people.
Baby Arugula (shaved prosciutto, parmesan, shallot, dried figs, balsamic vinaigrette) $10~
I had to try a salad since I like to have some fresh greens with every meal. The salad was huge!! Tons of fresh arugula. The figs were nice a juicy and it wasn't overly dressed. I hate it when restaurants drown the salads. This was perfect.
Chicken & Artichoke (ricotta, spinach, artichokes, mozzarella) Reg $12~
This was the first pizza to arrive. The other girls ordered this one. It was on my list, but I had too many already and had passed on it. I'm so glad I got to try it. It was one of my favorites for the night. I just love all the ingredients and it was simple and good. All their pizzas were good actually...
Yukon Gold (ricotta, smashed potato, bacon, roasted onions, rosemary) Reg $12~
We both ordered this so we had 2 for the table. haha. One of our absolute favorites. It's like a baked potato on a pizza. Sounds amazing right? I think potatoes need to become a standard on pizzas. And that bacon tho... I also wore my pizza shirt to match the food! :P
Forager (roasted mushrooms, sweet onions, spinach, truffle oil) Reg $12~
One of my orders. I freaking love mushrooms so I had to get it. It was good, but didn't live up to some of the other ones so it got lost in the mix. I think I was missing a meat element with this one. Next time I'd add sausage to it I think.
N'Djua (spicy prosciutto spread, shallot, ricotta) Reg $12~
This was the one I was most excited about, because of that prosciutto spread. I think I had an idea of what it was and I was right. The only thing is... it needed more of it on the pizza! Just load it up!! It had a nice kick to it too. Yum!
Meatball Sandwich (house meatballs and marinara baked with mozzarella and provolone; served with Deep River chips) $12~
I had to get a sandwich to try as well. This was epic. I just stared in awe as they set it in front of me. We had ran out of table space by then. haha. The meatballs were ginormous! And very tasty. I was only able to take a bite or two though since I was stuffed at this point. Loved the chips as well.
We tried to get one of their dessert pizzas but the kitchen ran out. Oh well, it's probably good that we didn't get it since I was about to burst! Plus I had a mountain of leftovers to take home. :D I'm gonna have to try it some other time. The food was great and the ambiance was super unique yet casual. I expected no less from the team behind Barley & Board. And I have to give a special shout out to the wait staff. Most of the wait staff was made up of teenagers (I think)...they all seemed really young. And all were just super enthusiastic and friendly. They were constantly checking on all the tables making sure everyone had everything they could ever need. They didn't even give us the chance to ask for drink refills. The 2 girls I sat with were drinking pink lemonades. They were constantly being refilled. One girl even brought over fresh cups when she saw that the ice had melted down a little in their current drinks. What service! And when our waiter had to deliver the news that the dessert pizzas ran out, he was seriously distraught and kept apologizing. haha. At first we thought maybe it was because it's media night, but then quickly realized that they were just good kids and really cared about the customers.
It was a great and delicious night. I made some new friends too! I got to talk to some of the owners as well, they were going around the room talking to customers. I told them I drove all the way out from Rockwall! They were very impressed. hehe. It was worth it. I have really high hopes for this team. I hope they continue to expand through DFW. (Please come more Southeast! *hint*hint* hehe.) Glad I was able to represent @bestfooddallas during their sneak peek. :)
Quality of Food:
Service:
Ambiance:
Value: *comped*
Overall Experience:
~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
About 2 weeks ago, I met up with a couple of friends for brunch. We're all huge foodies... but just too busy to meet up all the time. :( I suggested Proof + Pantry because I recently reposted an amazing picture of their French Toast on @bestfooddallas. I really wanted to try it. haha. Luckily, they haven't been either so it's going to be a new experience for all of us!
Proof + Pantry
1722 Routh St.
Dallas, TX 75201
(214) 880-9940
http://www.proofandpantry.com/
Price (for brunch): $$-$$$
It's located in One Arts Plaza. This is a cool little area by the Winspear but it doesn't seem to hold on to it's businesses. :( The last time I was here, it was the Commissary. Then it turned into a Greek restaurant or something before Proof + Pantry.
It's a cute place. Shelves full of stuff, which I guess is the "pantry" part, a full bar, and that day there was a live DJ playing music. My friends were already there when I arrived. They were lucky and found free street parking. I parked in the lot behind the plaza for $5, I didn't want to mess with parallel parking in the street. I'd be there all day! XP I was quickly greeted by our waiter and he brought me a water.
The brunch menu is fairly small, which is not a bad thing. This gives us less temptations to order more stuff. haha. We decided to do family style.
Benedict (pork belly, spinach, English muffin) $15~
This was really good. The pork belly was thick cut and seared well. The poached eggs were nice and runny. And those potatoes were so crisp, it really added a nice texture to compliment the benedict. I'd have to say this was my favorite. I ate one by myself. :P haha.
Dutch Cakes (Jarlsburg cheese, maple syrup) $14~
I saw a couple other tables with this and it was massive (see fork for size reference). The addition of the Jarlsburg cheese was quite interesting, although it seems like it was concentrated in the middle of the cakes... they should spread it out more. But the cakes were only slightly sweet, and the cheese added a savory factor. I really liked it. The maple syrup added more sweetness which worked well with everything. It was so big, we had half left over. I took it home to my fiance. He...did not like it. :( Because it was less sweet and more savory. You really need to like that combo to order this. Needless to say, I ate all the leftovers myself. OH well! :P
Stuffed French Toast (candied apples, mascarpone, maple syrup) $14~
The French toast wasn't what the menu described. The cream in the middle also had a savoriness to it and it wasn't apple. It was like strawberry cream cheese or something... I liked it, but it was my least favorite dish of the meal. I wish they had more cream in the middle or something. The savoriness was nice... but it would've been good to just have a normal sweet French toast too.
We all enjoyed the meal. I ate the most... what else is new. haha. Our waiter was super nice and quite fun too. Every time he came around to check on us, he told us a joke. Some were quite good actually! It was an interesting twist to the normal "coming by to see what you need" thing. The jokes made us laugh and made the experience better. I'd recommend this place. But only if you are ready for some interesting flavors in your sweet dishes. hehe.
Quality of Food:
Service:
Ambiance:
Value:
Overall Experience:
~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
I wanted to let you all know that I've recently been selected by MyFab5 as one of their 3 Community Leaders to represent their Instagram @bestfooddallas. Eeeeks! I'm so excited. The 3 of us basically take control of their Instagram account every week and share with the Dallas community what awesome places are in town to eat! So if you have Instagram, follow @bestfooddallas! And @chompdallas if you haven't already. :P You'll get to see my daily food (and other life... but mostly food) adventures. :)
Once the 3 Community Leaders were chosen and introduced to each other, we decided to meet up in person for fooding and meet-and-greet. Now, who doesn't like brunch?! We decided to meet at Lark on the Park for Saturday brunch. 2 of us had never been but was on our list to try.
Lark on the Park
2015 Woodall Rodgers Fwy.
Dallas, TX 75201
(214) 855-5275
http://larkonthepark.com/
Price (for brunch): $$
I had made a reservation online for noon. We were seated immediately once we arrived. Parking is pretty sparse over by Klyde Warren Park, so I suggest you do the complimentary valet at the garage right next to the restaurant.
I liked the space inside, it was bigger than I expected. High ceilings allowed the place to look brighter. It's also go big windows facing the park so you can enjoy the view.
We all kinda thought it was going to be awkward since none of us knew each other. But it wasn't at all. Food brings everyone together so we had a good base set already. It was just like having lunch with friends. We got to know each other, shared our favorite places to eat, etc. It was a lot of fun!
I chose the Asparagus Tart (fromage blanc, gruyere, prosciutto di parma, fried egg) $14~ It was a good portion size. I really enjoyed it. The tart was nice and flaky. It had a lot of flavor and I loved the prosciutto and fried egg on top. It was definitely filling without pushing me over the edge.
Smoked Salmon & Pumpernickel (salmon roe, cream cheese, cucumber, capers, tomato, red onion) $13~ (top right)
Fried Egg Sandwich (bacon, gruyere, toasted sourdough, arugula, fried potatoes) $12~ (bottom left) This was a huge sandwich! I got to try some of the potatoes. They were fried really well and yummy!
We had a great time. Hopefully we'll have another outing soon! :)
Quality of Food:
Service:
Ambiance:
Value:
Overall Experience:
~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
It's been a crazy month... work was insane, and then I've been sick. Stupid virus, I've been out of commission for almost a week now. Definitely not digging the indecisive weather of Texas. Hot, cold, hot, cold...no wonder I've been sick twice this year already. But enough weather griping... I've still had some good food outings!
Earlier this month, we discovered another new (to us) hidden gem in Rowlett. Seems like we gotta explore Rowlett more thoroughly!
Trying to figure out where to go for dinner on a Friday night, I pulled out my trusty Yelp app. And found a Austrian hole in the wall.
Fritzl's Euro Grill & Dessert Shop
3390 Lakeview Pkwy.
Rowlett, TX 75088
(972) 412-3555
http://fritzls.com
Price: $$
We didn't call ahead or anything. Neither of us really thought there would be an issue getting a seat. Man we were wrong. It's a pretty small place and there were already 2 parties waiting in front of us. Business is booming! And looked like they were pretty short staffed. Just a waitress at the front, and a guy, I'm assuming Fritzl, manning the kitchen. He also came out to take some orders.
One group got seated, and they vacated the small bar countertop. So we plopped ourselves down to wait. Then I asked my fiance if he's ok with just eating at the bar since it doesn't seem like anything is going to open up any time soon. The place was a madhouse! The waitress is trying to get to every table as fast as she can. They ran out of menus so we had to wait for some. But wasn't a big deal for us. This is definitely a hole in the wall, and very eclectic in its decor. Random signage, pictures and lots and lots of signed dollar bills covered the walls. It was quite entertaining trying to read everything.
While waiting for the waitress, we got Fritzl's attention and asked if we could eat at the bar. No problem, he said and found some menus for us. He was running around like a crazy person. Got us some waters and zoom, he was off to the kitchen again. He seems like he's a fun person to talk to when it's not too busy in the restaurant, but they were just hauling ass that night.
I haven't had much Austrian/German food in my life. I think this may be the first real Austrian restaurant I've ever been to...and so far it seems pretty legit, since the owner is Austrian (or German...I wonder if they get offended if you called them the other??).
I ordered the House specialty: Wiener Jaeger (Wiener Schnitzel stacked and covered with Jaeger sauce - cognac, mushroom cream sauce with garlic) Half $13.99~ All Schnitzel dinners are served with Austrian roasted potatoes and sauerkraut. Red Cabbage or Spaetzle can be subbed for $0.50 extra. A Schnitzel is a tenderized and seasoned piece of porkloin, breaded and fried. And I subbed for both the cabbage and spaetzle.
I've never had real spaetzle, but always wanted to try ever since I saw some people make it on Chopped (a cooking competition show on Food Network, for those who didn't know). hehe. And he said I lucked out because that was the last serving of spaetzle for the night! Wow...it wasn't even 8pm yet, and he was already starting to run out of things. It was delicious. The pork was thin and fried well. I totally loved the sauce... boozy, creamy and with mushrooms? What's not to like?! Spaetzle is basically fried dough... reminded me of unsweetened funnel cake maybe? Was a little salty for me but paired well with the pork. I liked the cabbage too. Everything went together very well.
Bratwurst Dinner (two grilled bratwurst) $12.99~ Served with Austrian roasted potatoes and sauerkraut.
My fiance loved his dish. I found the bratwurst to be a tad salty for my preference but it was still tasty. I loved the potatoes. I've never been a big fan of sauerkraut, but I was ok with this one. He totally cleaned his plate... actually we both cleaned our plates. Hit the spot, he says.
When you walk in, you see a dessert display case lit up in the middle of the room. Naturally I gravitated towards that while we were waiting. All the cakes and pastries (they have homemade strudels!) looked amazing, but I noticed one cake that was unfamiliar to me. One of the customers said it was an Austrian cheesecake, and it's light and fluffy. Sounds yummy.
We decided to get an Austrian Cheesecake $7?~
Fritzl told us all the pastries were made by him from scratch (as well as all the food). Impressive. So far we've loved everything. The cake was FREAKING AMAZING!! It had flavors of lemon and poppy seeds and was so light and fluffy...the cake layers AND the cheesecake center. We fought each other for bites of the cake. And then we decided to get another slice to take home. hehe.
When we were finishing up our cake, we noticed that they were doing the dessert service part of the evening. Plates and plates of cakes were lined up and they were doing an assembly line type process for efficiency. Plates and plates of desserts were served as we saw all the cakes were quickly disappearing before us. I'm glad we got a second piece before they were all gone!
While we were waiting for the check. A group walked in and Fritzl had to tell them they were sold out of food for the entire night. Wow... This was before 9PM. Crazy! I think we may need to go on a week night in the future, or just go super early!
Needless to say, it was a great find. And I think I can safely say it's authentic. We will definitely be back. And save room for more desserts!
Quality of Food:
Service:
Ambiance:
Value:
Overall Experience:
~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
My fiance recently told me about a Greek restaurant that was close to Rockwall. We decided to check it out last weekend. It's in Rowlett...only about 15 minutes away from us.
Opa Greek Taverna
3801 Lakeview Parkway, Suite 600
Rowlett, TX 75088
(469) 443-0508
http://oparowlett.com
Price: $$
Once we got there, I realized I had driven past this place many times and didn't think anything of it. It's not a big place. We didn't think to call ahead or reserve on a Friday night so when we got there, they were full. Luckily there were 2 seats open at the bar. We asked them to let us know when something opens up.
The bartender greeted us, he was really friendly. My fiance looked at the cocktail menu and decided to try Poseidon's Punch (served in a 32 oz. mason jar; 1 1/4 oz. shots of Bacardi Silver, Bacardi Gold, and Blue Curacao; mixed with orange juice and another shot of Bacardi 151) $9.99~
I wasn't really planning on drinking so I didn't really read the description that closely. So when the bartender started making it... I was like "whoa!!!" It was a massive mason jar. My fiance was in shock too. haha. He said he read the "32 oz." but didn't fully realize how much that is. It was a really pretty and colorful drink with a whole lotta booze in it. He liked it but it was too strong for me so I couldn't help much. We only made it through about half of the jar. Definitely for sharing!
As we were getting ready to order at the bar, the hostess told us there was a table open for us. It was an awkwardly placed table right in front of the entrance, I felt like it was out of place. And it was cold... We sat there looking at the menu some more, even though we were ready to order, and no one ever came to greet us. We didn't even have waters yet. So finally we flagged down a waitress. It didn't seem like it was her table but she was very apologetic and went to get some waters for us. Then she came back and took our orders. The serviced picked up from there. She was really friendly. I noticed that a booth opened up and asked if we could move over there. It was much better, no cold breeze when the front door opened and closed.
Falafel (crushed garbanzo beans, parsley, and spices all rolled together, fried, and served with Tzatziki sauce) $5.49~
We got this as an appetizer but somehow it was served last. It was nice and hot though so I guess they were making it from scratch? The falafels had a nice crispy crust. I've had better, but we enjoyed it.
I went with the Moussaka (layers of eggplant, potatoes, seasoned ground beef, topped with a creamy Bechamel and tomato sauce) $11.89~
It was highly recommended by the bartender when we were at the bar. This is one of the only dishes where I'll eat eggplant. Usually I hate it. It was fantastic. Lots of flavor, tons of meat and eggplant and the sauce was great. Their pita bread on the side was warm and pillowy. Great dish...and I haven't had Greek food in a long time! Hit the spot.
Original Gyros Platter (layers of lamb and beef thinly sliced off the rotisserie; served with pita bread and Tzatziki sauce; with choice of one side: Greek Roasted Potatoes) $11.99~
Initially he was gonna get the gyro pita but changed his mind because this had more food. Again, Greek is the only time I'll eat lamb... I love gyro meat. I can't taste the lamby-ness at all. The meat was super tender. It was so good with the pita bread. I also love Greek potatoes. Nice and soft, lots of flavor. Another great dish.
Galaktoboureko (warm custard wrapped in phyllo, baked until golden, smothered in homemade syrup) $5.99~
We decided to try this dessert partly because the name was just so hard to pronounce. haha. The description also sounded delicious. It was fresh out of the oven/fryer, whatever they did. Super crispy on the outside, sweet and sticky from the syrup, and soft custard inside. Lots of textures. Yum. And it was big too! We took a third of it to go cuz we got too much food... as usual. :P
What a great find! I absolutely love Greek food and now there's a good one close to us. :) I have a feeling we'll be going back there soon.
Quality of Food:
Service:
Ambiance:
Value:
Overall Experience:
~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
Posts
