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Bin 303 only does brunch on the 2nd and last Sunday of each month so we usually miss it. But this past weekend, my bf's parents happened to be here and it was the 2nd Sunday! We jumped at the opportunity to take them to brunch. :)
Bin 303
105 Olive Street
Rockwall, Texas 75087
(972) 771-5303
http://bin303.com
Price (for brunch): $$
We arrived around 11:30AM and there were only a couple other tables taken. It was a unusually quiet day. But that's fine, that just means we get the place to ourselves! :P
Everything I've had there in the past were good but I wanted to try something else. So I got the Texan Style Bin Benedict with Hollandaise (Nueske smoked bacon, avocado, tomato, english muffin, poached egg) $13~
I love eggs benedict, mainly because of the hollandaise sauce, and it did not disappoint. Every part of this dish was good. Starting with the two perfectly poached eggs on top. It was glorious as I cut into it and the yolk runs out.
I liked this twist on eggs benedict... the addition of avocado and tomato was nice. I like both of those. The avocado added another layer of richness to the dish. And the tomatoes provided freshness, I did wish there was a little bit more tomatoes. I also really liked that they cubed the English muffins so I didn't really have to cut anything. It was already bite sized! And the yolk and hollandaise soaking into the bread was delightful. It would get partially softened by the yolk and sauce but still have parts that are crunchy and toasted. Different textures, that's my thing! The roasted potatoes had that lightly burnt/crispy edges which I like. They had lots of flavor too. Went well with the eggs and English muffin. My bf really liked this too, said I had the best dish of the day.
He got Kammer's Choice of Quiche (with mixed greens and balsamic dressing) $9~
The quiche of the day was spinach, bell pepper and goat cheese. I'm not a fan of goat cheese so it wasn't even up for consideration for me. haha. I did try a bite though. Despite the goat cheese, which I still didn't like, the quiche texture was great. The eggy center was fluffy and the crust was buttery. The salad was good too, I liked the dressing and wasn't overpowering. He ended up trading half his plate with his mom and she cleaned the plate!
Both his parents opted for the Breakfast Quesadilla with Seasonal Fresh Fruit (eggs, cheese, bacon, potato, red pepper, onion, house roasted salsa) $10~
Biggest quesadillas ever. They were really loaded up with eggs, potato and bacon. I tried a few bites and it's delicious. I love any kind of breakfast burritos/tacos/quesadillas and this was good! The salsa was a nice compliment too.
It was a nice quiet brunch on a lazy Sunday.
They certainly don't skimp on the portions here. Haven't had a bad dish at brunch yet! If you haven't been, I suggest you go. :)
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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
On Friday I went to Townhouse at the Galleria with some friends. I had purchased a Living Social coupon a while back and it's time to cash it in!
Townhouse Kitchen + Bar
13270 Dallas Parkway
Dallas, TX 75240
(972) 300-0986
http://www.townhousedallas.com/
Price: $$-$$$
I've met friends there before but didn't actually eat there. I like the decor of the place but it's so big... I wonder if they ever fill all the tables. I've heard that it's usually pretty dead. :(
We had a party of 9 and I didn't make a reservation given the reviews that they are not that busy. The hostess was really nice and told us to wait a few minutes while they put the tables together.
We got there around 6:30PM to catch the tail end of their happy hour which ends at 7PM. Happy Hour is Mon-Fri 3-7PM. We started off with some happy hour appetizer specials. (I've included the original price and happy hour prices.)
Deviled Eggs $5~ ($3)
The eggs were topped with Sriracha which was a great move for anything. I really liked it. It was creamy and spicy. But also a tad too salty... For $3, I thought it was a great deal!
BBQ Duck Quesadilla (with blueberry-lime salsa) $12~ ($6)
This was one item I really wanted to try but was disappointing. The flavors weren't that great and the texture of the duck wasn't that appetizing either. The salsa was good though, it really helped the quesadilla. My friend actually said it reminded him of something from Taco Bell. Yikes. Definitely not worth the full price if you don't go at happy hour.
Roasted Red Pepper Hummus $8~ ($5)
I quite liked the hummus on the sliced cucumber. The cucumber was crisp and refreshing and the hummus had good flavor. The pita chips seemed a bit stale though.
Crispy Calamari $9~ ($5) Pretty standard calamari. The flavor was good and the batter was crispy.
For the entrees, there were so many items I wanted, but after the appetizers I was already getting full. haha. I ended up splitting the BLT Wedge Salad (with blue cheese dressing) $8~ with a friend.
This way I can still sample everything else and not totally stuff myself! haha! They were really cool and split the salad for us. (So the picture you see is only half the salad.) The salad was fresh, lettuce was crisp. There was just a bit more dressing than I preferred but overall just what I wanted as a lighter dinner.
My bf got the Pecan Pork Chops (bourbon glaze; with side of broccolini and jalapeno bacon hash browns) $21~
Originally it came with 2 other side dishes but they let him substitute. YAY! So I got to try the 2 sides I really wanted to taste. The pork chop was just a tad overcooked and so was a little dry. But with the sauce I thought it was still good. The bourbon pecan glaze was quite sweet but I love savory and sweet together. If you don't like that combo as much, then this dish is not for you. The broccolini was cooked well and I really liked the hash. A few bites with jalapeno actually had a spicy kick. I couldn't really see the bacon in there, but I definitely got the flavor. The saltiness of the hash worked well with the sweet glaze.
A few friends got the Townhouse Burger (gouda, arugula, bacon jam; with side of hand-cut fries) $13~
The bacon jam sounded interesting...and it's exactly what it was. You get bits of bacon and it's slightly sweet. I thought the burger was pretty good. I especially liked the bun...buttery...Mmmmm!
Asian Turkey Burger (pho spices, sriracha aioli; with side of hand-cut fries) $12~
We were all interested in this burger. Pho spices? I've never seen anyone use that in a burger before and can't go wrong with sriracha aioli! hehe. It was decent. The bun was more of a wheat/grain bread and it got soggy pretty quick, I wasn't a fan. The burger flavor was good but none of us could really tell the "pho" flavor. My favorite part was actually the slaw that was on top of the patty. It was crisp and refreshing and added a nice contrast of texture.
I've read many reviews where people complained about their service. I guess we got lucky then! The hostess was really nice and our waiter was great. He checked on us a lot and answered all our questions. My friend had ordered a cocktail which they served in a chilled flute and half way through the meal, our waiter brought a new chilled glass and poured the rest of her cocktail into it. That was a nice touch. :) The only thing that threw me was that he brought the check without asking us if we wanted coffee or desserts or anything. Luckily we weren't planning on ordering those anyways so it didn't bother me as much. We lingered around and chatted for a long time after that. They didn't try to get rid of us or anything so I appreciated that. And during the course of dinner, business was actually not bad. I'd say at one point 75% of the place was filled.
I would go back. There are some more items on the menu I'd like to try. Hopefully they stick around for a while.
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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
We went to Tillman's Roadhouse for dinner after Bar 828. I went there earlier this month for brunch but I've always heard their dinner is much better!
Tillman's Roadhouse
324 West 7th Street
Dallas, TX 75208
(214) 942-0988
http://www.tillmansroadhouse.com/
Price: $$$
Since we snacked a bit beforehand, I just planned on getting dessert and mooch off some of my friend's food. hehehe. :P
We were seated outside on the patio. The weather was super nice to dine outside. Our table was in the corner and kinda small though. Cute...but not practical for eating dinner on.
We were given some Truffle Popcorn to start. I liked it a lot. I think truffle is either love or hate since it's quite potent. It definitely added some complexity to the popcorn.
One friend got the Chicken Fried Steak (roasted garlic mashed potatoes, poblano cream gravy, bacon lardons, haricot vert, cherry tomatoes) $25~
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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
Went to Cafe Flair over the weekend for a light dinner. I had been there few times before and wanted to take my bf.
Cafe Flair
3231 Preston Rd. #13,
Frisco, TX 75034
(214) 864-9124
http://www.cafeflair.net/
Price: $
You order at the counter and they bring your food out to you. It's a small little cafe... cute and simple. They also feature lots of drinks, smoothies and boba.
We got 2 savory crepes and a dessert crepe to share.
Chicken Quesadilla (grilled chicken breast, avocado, onions, cheddar, tomatoes, side of sour cream) $6.95~
All the crepes I've had here are all very fresh and light. It's a pretty large plate but you never feel heavy after eating it. It was the same this time. This was really good. The chicken was tender and the avocado and cheese added a creaminess on the inside. The crepe itself was light and fluffy.
La Provence (grilled chicken breast, scrambled egg, tomatoes, mozzarella, house pesto sauce) $6.25~
This was good as well. I really liked the pesto sauce, I wish there was more of it inside the crepe. The chicken was also very tender. It was so light, definitely gives you room for dessert! hehe.
Strawberry Cheesecake (cheesecake filling, strawberry sauce, whipped cream) $4.95~
When we made the order, we asked them to make the dessert a little later so it doesn't get cold. They brought it just when we were finishing the savory crepes. :) The dessert crepe looked smaller. :( I think it's because the filling is less so they could fold the crepe over more. This was really good. I usually opt for something with chocolate or nutella but wanted to try something different. The filling was this gooey strawberry cheesecake sauce. It wasn't super sweet but definitely satisfied the sweet tooth. I think with a scoop of ice cream and some chocolate sauce, it would be even more awesome! hehe.
I've liked Cafe Flair everytime I go. I don't feel heavy after so it's makes a good light lunch or dinner. AND I can still get dessert! hehe. If you like crepes, go check them out! :) Their drinks are pretty good too!
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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
Since last time in LA I didn't have time to check out any food trucks, I made it my mission this past weekend to hit all the ones I wanted to try. Plus food truck just started popping up in Dallas lately so I wanted to have some comparison.
The first one (and main one) I wanted to try was the Nom Nom Truck. Ever since I watched The Great Food Truck Race on Food Network, I've been cheering for them. They really should've won. I still think the final challenge screwed them over.
Anyways, I was happy to discover that food trucks tend to park in groups. According to Twitter (which I signed up just to follow the food trucks...hahaha) a bunch of trucks were going to be at Westside Food Truck Central, this lot on Washington and Overland in Culver City. http://westsidefoodtruckcentral.com/ The trucks on Friday were Nom Nom, Twist Burger, OG Tempura, Danky's Doners, and the Boba Truck.
NOM NOM TRUCK
http://nomnomtruck.com/la/Twitter: @nomnomtruck
Price: $
The Nom Nom Truck uses local ingredients and eco-friendly products. It's cooked to order so everything is hot and fresh. It was definitely the most popular truck. It was the only one that had a long line as well as a group of people waiting on their orders.
I was so excited. One of the girls that was on the Food Truck Race was taking the orders in the truck! For me, it's almost like meeting a celebrity. hehe. She was super nice. I told her that we were fans from Dallas and she threw in a taco on the house! :)
Grilled Pork Taco (2 corn tortillas with grilled pork topped with carrot/daikon, cucumbers, jalapenos and cilantro). Normally $2.50~ 
The pork had nice flavor and the veggies were light and fresh. However, I do not like corn tortillas at all. I've tried really hard to like them but there's just a flavor I really dislike. That's also a reason I don't like tamales or enchiladas.. :( But I do like tortilla chips. So without the tortilla, I thought it was good. haha.
The main thing I wanted to try was the Banh Mi (Vietnamese Sandwich). We got The Deli Special Banh Mi (12 inch Baguette with mayonnaise, Vietnamese headcheese, meatloaf, ham and pate topped with pickled carrot/daikon, cucumbers, jalapenos and cilantro) $7.50~ 
Pate is a savory traditional liver spread and I always like it in banh mi. I really enjoyed this. The baguette wasn't too hard so it was easy to eat. The bread had a nice crunch with the different types of meat inside and the crisp veggies. It was a tasty sandwich!
I liked it overall. I did think it was pricey for Vietnamese sandwiches though. If you go to a Vietnamese restaurant, banh mi's are usually less than $5. But I think its more about the experience and novelty of it all. Also the ingredients were high quality so it was still definitely worth trying. I also got a picture with the girl! Yay~
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We also wanted to try some of the other trucks. Twist Burger smelled so good so we got something from there too.
TWIST BURGERS TRUCK
http://www.thetwistburgers.com/Twitter: @twistburger
Price: $
#1 The Classic Double Twist (grilled homemade Prime Angus beef patties served with your choice of bread, tomatoes and iceberg lettuce) $7~ 
We also added Gorgonzola cheese and Wild Mushrooms (oysters, Paris, Portobellow and Shiitake Mushrooms). It was also made to order so the burger was nice and hot w/ the cheese all melted. :) Unfortunately, they forgot the mushrooms.. boo. Oh well. The gorgonzola was a nice touch. Delish! The burger was good! The 2 beef patties were super juicy and tender and the lettuce/tomato was crisp and fresh. Not too shabby at all!
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Finally we stopped at the Boba Truck to get something sweet.
BOBA TRUCK
http://www.thebobatruck.com/Twitter: @thebobatruck
Price: $
We got the BT! Original Milk Tea (large with mini boba) $4.25~ 
The flavor of the tea was good! Not as good as the ones in Taiwan but good enough. The mini bobas were cooked perfectly...just the right amount of chewy and sweetness. It was a nice ending to a great lunch!
I give it overall.
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We hunted down another truck the next day. :)
KOGI TRUCK
http://kogibbq.com/Twitter: @kogibbq
Price: $
Kogi Korean BBQ To-Go has multiple trucks so it's much easier to find one close to us. This was one of the other trucks I really wanted to try.
My friend and I got a couple things to share...
#2 Combo - Any $5 item + 1 taco + 1 drink = $8~ We chose the Short Rib Burrito (beef, egg, kimchi, lettuce), Spicy Pork Taco, and a bottled water. 
Again, the taco was on 2 corn tortillas... bleh. But the filling was really good. I actually preferred the ingredients in this taco over the one from Nom Nom. The pork was really flavorful and I liked the mixed cabbage on top. There was also a nice spicy sauce. Bold flavors! 
The burrito was pretty awesome too. Lots of beef with egg, lettuce and kimchi. There were no beans and rice which was a nice change. It almost felt like a large breakfast burrito. YUM YUM YUM! For $5, we thought that was a really good deal cuz it was quite big.
I really wanted to get the Special: Loaded "Half Baked" Quesadilla (bacon, chinese broccoli, cheese, sour cream, habanero-basil salsa) $7~ 
I saw pictures of it on their website and also the description sounded soooo interesting. This was by far my favorite. The flavors were soo interesting! First of all, the habanero salsa is purple..and not spicy. It was more sweet and tart. Which paired with the quesadilla really well. I still don't know how the salsa is purple either... The bacon, chinese broccoli and cheese were a great combo. The sour cream added a coolness to it all. They just put a little too much on the quesadilla. But overall, amazing and so creative. I want it now as I think about it... drooool.... :P
I would say out of all the food trucks last weekend, this was my favorite!
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Finally, I wanted to check out Cool Haus Gourmet Ice Cream Sandwiches. I saw it being featured on one of the food shows and it looked so good. They make really interesting ice cream flavors and combinations, like fig and mascarpone or Cabernet or RootBeer Float! OMG. Sounds awesome.
COOL HAUS
http://eatcoolhaus.com/los-angeles/Twitter: @coolhaus
Price: $
I saw on their website that they also sell them in the ice cream section of several Whole Foods locations so we first went to the one at 225 Lincoln Blvd. in Venice. That was more in our way so we decided to try there first.
Chocolate Chip Cookie + Candied Bacon Ice Cream $5~ 
The bacon ice cream was one of the ones I really wanted to try. I was a little nervous to buy it from the frozen section since the cookie is no longer fresh but I was pleasantly surprised. The cookie texture was still good and the ice cream was awesome. There were chunks of salty bacon in it and you get an essence of bacon in every bite. With the chocolate chip cookie it was delicious. I really wish our Whole Foods sold them...
We were able to hunt down the actual truck the last day in LA. After the awesome sandwich we got at Whole Foods, I was determined to try a fresh one.
The truck only offered a limited selection of cookies and ice cream so I wasn't able to try a lot of the ones on their full list of flavors... OH well... There were still some interesting flavor options.
The guy in the truck was really nice, and we were able to get samples! :)
We got the Potato Chip & Skor Bar Cookies with Guiness & Pretzel Ice Cream Sandwich $5~ 
I thought beer and potato chips..that's a good combo right? hehe. The guiness ice cream was really good. I wish there was more pretzel pieces though. The cookie was good but not as interesting as it sounds. I actually wanted the cookie to be a little saltier to add contrast to it all.
Maple Waffle with White Chocolate Cookies with Chocolate Molten Lava Cake Ice Cream Sandwich $5~ 
The lava cake ice cream had big chunks of cake in it. I really liked that. The cookie was good but I didn't really get the maple waffle flavor. There was also a weird flavor, I'm not sure if from the ice cream or the cookie but it reminded me of something served in a Japanese restaurant... maybe ginger? or some sort of spice? I still liked it.
The only thing was that on a sunny day, the ice cream melts wayyy too fast. It soon became a race to finish it as fast as we can before it got all over us. The ice cream melted all over our hands and the rush to eat it kept us from truly enjoying it.. :( I would actually recommend getting the one from Whole Foods! Because it's in the freezer section, it melts much slower and the flavors are still there so you are not missing anything.
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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
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