NOVEMBER: Ebb & Flow

One of the most fun event I went to this year would only be fitting for my last post for 2019! My November pick is the newly opened Ebb & Flow in Deep Ellum. First of all, I loved the decor of this place. The gorgeous front covered patio has flowers all draping down the ceiling. Definite wow factor. The interior is just as pretty!

Ebb & Flow
2561 Commerce St.
Dallas, TX 75226
(972) 913-2322
ebb-flow-restaurant.business.site

This was a media event. The whole restaurant was closed for this private event. So fancy! I arrived a little late because traffic and parking were horrible, but I got there right when they were serving the appetizers.

My friends had already started with various cocktails. This was one aspect that impressed me a lot. Y'all know I don't drink much at all. I'm pretty sure I'm allergic, so I'm very picky when it comes to alcohol. It's only worth it if it tastes good to me. I freaking loved their drinks. I had 3 different ones (didn't finish them all cuz I'm lightweight, but still!!) Their cocktails are unique, beautiful, and the flavors are very well thought out.

Cocktails:
Velvet Butterfly (Deep Ellum vodka, Velvet Falernum, Butterfly Pea Flower, lemon, bubbles). The purple color is so gorgeous... these pictures definitely don't do it justice. Depending on the lighting they came out bluish but the 2nd picture is closer to the actual color.

Influx (Ford's gin, ginger liqueur, blood orange, lemon, Paychaud's, Aquafaba). It's SO pretty!

Undertow (vanilla vodka, Kahlua, Nobel Coyote cold brew coffee, lavender, Baileys, Almande foam). I think this is the best coffee cocktail I've ever had. Usually it's either too bitter from coffee or too much alcohol. This was perfectly blended, rich and frothy. I can probably drink the whole thing.

ElderFlow (frosecco, pear vodka, elderflower liqueur, lemon; served frozen). One of my favorites of the night. First of all, it's frozen which makes it fun. And so bright and refreshing!

Cocoloma (coconut tequila, cream of coconut, sparkling grapefruit, tajin). This wasn't my thing cuz I don't like tequila or tajin. My friend was obsessed with it though. I have to agree it's a very creative concoction. Lots of complex combinations of flavors.

Appetizers:
I think the appetizers were the best course of the night. All the dishes we had were solid and I'd happily eat any of them again.

Toasted Ravioli (beef ravioli with spicy marinara and parmesan). Each order comes with 4 pieces. The raviolis are fried and seasoned well. The sauce was a great pairing. 

Stuffed Jalapenos (jalapenos stuffed with brisket, pimento cheese, wrapped in bacon). Also four to an order. What can go wrong with bacon, jalapeno, and pimento?? Yum!

Cubano Egg Rolls (pork, ham, swiss cheese wrapped in rice paper and fried; spicy mustard, chipotle bbq sauce, pickles). My absolute favorite food of the night. It was perfection. I've had "cuban egg rolls" before and it wasn't good. The flavors were muddled and the wrapper was greasy. This was definitely WAY better than that. Perfect crispy outside, layers of flavors inside. I can taste all the elements of a Cuban sandwich in every bite. Highly recommend!!

Salads:
Sal's Salad (romaine, hard boiled eggs, crispy salami, blue cheese, cucumber, tomato, pickled red onion, avocado, chicken, house ranch). The crispy salami made this dish. A hearty salad. Lots of great ingredients and flavors.

Southwest Salad (beyond meat tossed with jicama, pico, black beans, roasted corn, avocado, salsa). Ebb & Flow serves Beyond Meat, y'all! If you haven't tried beyond meat yet, it's pretty good. Before this, I've had it in burgers and tacos and even noodle bowls. This was a nice topping to the salad. It definitely added more substance to the salad.

Handhelds:
The Burger (two 3oz akaushi beef patties with smoked cheddar, shredded lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, brioche bun). I have to be honest and say that the highlights for me were the cocktails, appetizers, and salads. Everything after was just ok... for various reasons. For example, the burger patty was lacking in seasoning. So the burger is fine but not the best. Maybe because we got smaller sample sizes of all the entrees... Hmmm. 

Mahi Mahi Wrap (blackened mahi mahi with mango pico, avocado and slaw, garlic tarragon spread). I was told this was really good but since I'm allergic to mango, I did not taste it.

Sides:
Garlic Parmesan Fries. Loved the fries but I think they were over fried, which was great for me cuz I love crispy fries. Haha. 

Tater Kegs. Basically giant tater tots. Very tasty. 

Mac & Cheese. Was more like pasta with some cheese on top. Was quite dry but pasta was cooked well.

Plates:
Stuffed Chicken Breast (whole chicken breast stuffed with spinach, mushrooms, parmesan, alfredo sauce; broccolini). My favorite element on this dish... the broccolini! So much flavor. The chicken was again, fine, but not spectacular. 

Salmon Piccata (8oz pan crusted salmon, angel hair pasta tossed in light lemon vinaigrette with caper cream sauce). This was pretty good. The salmon was cooked well and the cream sauce was tasty. I, personally, am not a huge fan of angel hair pasta.

Dessert:
Trio of Gelato (vanilla, mint chocolate chip, salted caramel). The mint chocolate chip was my favorite. They were nice colors on the side of the carrot cake.
Carrot Cake (homemade). Apparently this is an old family recipe. If you like carrot cake, you'd most likely love this one. I've heard several people say it's amazing. I don't like carrot cake though, so it was fine. :P

Despite the height of the food peaking half way through the meal, I had a blast at this event. The vibe was great, the cocktails were flowing, and to be honest, I was already full after the salads anyways. Lol. And I loved seeing all my blogger peeps! I would definitely go back and I would give them another chance on their entrees. Thanks so much for having me, Ebb & Flow!

~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

LOCAL Celebrates 15 Years!

I feel so special to have been included in LOCAL's media peek for their 15th Anniversary. 15 years, y'all. Just think about that. It's an enormous feat to have lasted so long in the ever changing Dallas food scene. It was my first time there (I dunno why I never went... kicking myself for that). But those who have been dining there for many many years says it's just as good as ever. Apparently LOCAL was among the very few to do locally sourced ingredients back in the day.

LOCAL's 15th Anniversary promotions will kick off February 1st and last the whole month. Perfect for Valentine's Day, y'all! *hint*hint*
"Guests dining at LOCAL in the month of February can toast to the restaurant’s decade and a half of success with a complimentary champagne cocktail, available to anyone who dines at LOCAL between February 1st and February 28th.
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Additionally, Chef Tracy Miller will offer a special anniversary tasting menu all month, featuring remarkable French wine pairings. Adding in a complimentary course to her standard seven-course tasting menu, the eight-course tasting menu will be available for $75, with optional wine pairings for an additional $35." 

Scroll to the bottom of the post to see what's in store for the 8 course tasting menu.* :) This is such a steal! Most chef tastings of this caliber generally costs well over $100. Jump on it!

LOCAL - Deep Ellum
2936 Elm Street
Dallas, TX 75226
(214) 752-7500
www.localdallas.com
Price: $$$$+

If your interest hasn't been peaked yet, just you wait. There's a feast heading your way! We had an EPIC dinner... we didn't know what or how many courses we were having, the chef just kept bringing stuff out! I kind of overdid it right off the bat... was struggling at the end, but I made sure to taste EVERYTHING!

Champagne Cocktail (with grapefruit rosemary sorbet). Their flavors change from time to time. And as the sorbet melts in the champagne the flavor changes as well. Very cool! I don't really drink so I just tried the sorbet. So refreshing and the rosemary really takes it to another level. Herbacious and fragrant. Yum!

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup (with sweet potato crisp). These are the cutest little cups for a soup taster. I'm so glad she did tasting portions cuz I would've had the whole bowl given the opportunity. It was sooooo good. I loved the contrast in texture with the crisp.

Our Fried Green Beans (thyme scented dipping sauce) $14~ I think these are a staple at LOCAL. Those who have dined there were already anticipating it. These are like crack, y'all. So freaking crispy and delicious. I just kept eating... and telling myself they're vegetables.. so... yea. :P

Cheese & Crackers (LOCAL's evolving cheese collection, apple savoy cabbage slaw, fruit conserve, crostini, warm baguette) $22~ If you love cheese boards... theirs is ever changing! 

Pan Seared Maine Lobster Cake (crispy baby beet, carrot & frisee slaw, meyer lemon dill cream) $17~ One of the most beautiful dishes of the night, imo. And freaking delicious. The lobster cake was delicate, yet crispy on the outside. I love the brightness from the frisee.

Honey Nut Squash & Chevre Ravioli (delicata broth, young spinach, crispy prosciutto, snowing parm) $17~ I love a good pasta. The ravioli was cooked perfectly, not too soft. It's got goat cheese in it, which I normally cannot stand. But it was mild, and I didn't mind it. Gasp!

Charred Radicchio & Torn Lacinato Kale Caesar (roasted yellow teardrops, pecorino shaved, toasted crumbs, white anchovy dressing) $16~ My new favorite salad! I love a good warm salad cuz it makes you feel less like you're eating rabbit food. haha. The charred radicchio had SO much flavor. It was soft from the cook and paired well with the sturdy kale. I can have this for a meal any day.

Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese. Another mini soup! So cute! The grilled cheese was buttery and rich. It paired so well with the soup by dunking it in there. This is just a tasting version... their normal portion is a bowl of soup with 2 grilled cheeses I think. Great for the winter!

Cornflake Panko Crusted Seabass (creamy parmesan reggiano risotto, herb beurre blanc, haricot vert) $36~ This was one of my favorites. Seabass is one of my favorite fish... next to cod. They're both so flaky! The crust on this was perfect. You can even see it from the photo. It balanced so well with the tender flaky fish. The risotto was the star though... so creamy, but not mushy.

Anson Mills Grit Cakes (fennel tomato relish) $9~ So pretty. I love all the plating she's done with her dishes. All so clean and simple, yet lots of contrasting textures. The fry on this was nice. It's a good side to have with fish or meat.

Pinot Noir Glazed King Salmon (parsnip whip, flash fried spinach, green apple pinot finish) $31~ I love salmon, but I underestimated this. I thought... oh salmon is salmon. But nooo... one of the most tender salmon I've ever had. The cook was spot on and that glaze made it slightly sweet. It was a lot of people's favorite. The parsnip whip was also really great. The only thing I would change is to cook the spinach a bit more. I know it was flash fried but I think I would've preferred mine sauteed.

Panko Crusted Tator Tots (house ketchup) $9~ Really fancy fries basically. I thought they were mozzarella sticks at first because they were the size of them! Perfectly crispy.

Are you keeping count btw?? Cuz at this point most of us were about to tap out. So full! But we can't stop!

Roasted Root Vegetables. I only had a small bite, but it was so good. Super tender. And whatever glaze was on those things... yum!

Herb Marinated Seared Scallops (yukon gold acorn squash risotto, citrus glaze) $32~ Oh man... I can't pass up a good scallop. These were seared well and so big and plump! I loved the potato and squash risotto underneath. So delicate against the buttery scallops. Another one of my favorites of the night.

Grilled All Natural Tenderloin (grilled stone ground polenta, brussels sprouts, roasted garlic butter). This is only on their normal tasting menu. They really did save the best for last. Not only was it plated beautifully. I love it when foods are stacked. The beef was super tender. I freaking LOVED the polenta cakes. And you KNOW Brussels Sprouts are my jam! It's a pretty perfect dish. I just wished I had more stomach room to eat more!

And of course there's dessert! Everyone got their own sampler plate... I have to say, I didn't finish. I'm so sad.

Deep Ellum Honey Cake
Cardamom Scented Donut Holes
Fresh Fig & Port Ice Cream

Chocolate Milkshakes. I found out that they make their ice cream in house too. Wow!

*Special 15th Anniversary 8 Course Tasting Menu*

"Also, throughout the month of February, LOCAL will collect socks as part of the Socks For Sandwich initiative, a non-profit that collects socks for those in need. Additionally, for every bottle of Lord Sandwich Red Table Wine sold, a new pair of socks is given to someone in need. Keep an eye on LOCAL’s social media pages for more details on this initiative."

Thank you, LOCAL, for having me. It was such a phenomenal dinner and I'm so grateful to have been a part of your 15th Anniversary celebration. Here's to 15 more! :)

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

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

Nicola's - Shops at Legacy

This past Saturday has been some pretty good eatin'! 

We started off with a lunch reception held by 2 of my good friends. They recently got married in Taiwan (Congrats!!) and wanted to do a small reception for family and some friends that didn't make it overseas for the wedding... They chose Nicola's in Shops at Legacy. I've been there a couple times and have always enjoyed it. 

Nicola's Ristorante Italiano 
5800 Legacy Dr 
Plano, TX 75024 
(972) 608-4455 
http://www.nicolaslegacy.com 

Our group had the upstairs area which overlooks the main dining room below. It was nice and bright, a very nice setting for a small gathering. 

They had preselected the menu. We started with appetizers then our choice of soup or salad and entree, and concluding with dessert. Nice BIG lunch! haha. 

We had 2 dishes for appetizers... 
Focaccia Siciliana (savory baked flat bread with sun dried tomatoes, pine nuts, dice tomatoes and basil). 

The flat bread had good texture. It wasn't too thin or crunchy, still had a slight doughiness which I liked. It wasn't very heavy either since it wasn't covered in cheese. We were all pretty hungry and it went really fast! :P 

Calamari Fritti (lightly floured calamari with garlic aioli and tomato sauce). 

I've had their calamari before and I had forgotten how good it was. The batter was great and the squid was cooked perfectly. The texture was just right. 

Next course... 
Zuppa del Giorno (Chef's soup of the day - butternut squash soup). 

Now, I normally opt for salad over soup, but as soon as I heard butternut squash... OMG. Gotta have it! And I'm so glad I got the soup because it was awesome! It was rich and creamy and had chunks of the squash in there instead of a fine puree (which obviously I liked! hehe). I scraped that bowl clean! It was my favorite course of the day. 

Insalata Mista (mixed greens with tomatoes, balsamic vinaigrette). Pretty good size for the salad. Looked fresh... 

All the entrees sounded good... 
Cappellacci di Zucca (handmade pumpkin ravioli finished in a marscarpone cream). 

As soon as I saw "pumpkin" I knew I had to get this. I love pumpkin!! It was a very filling dish. I liked how the raviolis were huge and filled full with pumpkin! It's quite sweet since you have the pumpkin and I think some nutmeg and cinnamon in there. Love me some sweet and savory so it's totally up my alley. The pasta was cooked al dente too which is preferred. YUM!! 

Salmone al Pistacchio (dijon and pistachio crusted salmon with roasted brussels sprouts, carrots, artichokes, pancetta and red bell pepper sauce). 

Seeing "brussels sprouts" almost made me change my mind from the ravioli to this. haha. So my bf got it and I got to try it. Heck yea! It seemed like a really healthy dish! The salmon was cooked well. He totally loved it! So we both made the right choices. The brussels sprouts wasn't roasted enough... I like that char on the outside and it didn't have it. All the flavors and elements worked well together though. The pancetta was the icing on the cake! I enjoyed the dish overall. But I still liked my ravioli better. hehehe. 

Orecchiette con Salsiccia ("little ears" pasta with roasted Italian sausage, broccolini, garlic, anchovies and pecorino cheese).

Initially they brought out the wrong dish. It was orecchiette pasta but in a tomato sauce and nothing else in it... We all looked at it, confused and had the waiter take it back. haha. The sausage and broccolini was the main reason my friend ordered it! When they finally brought out the correct dish, it looked sooo much better. The pasta was cooked well and flavors were yummy. Another winner! 

What was initially served...

 
On to the desserts... 
Tiramisu (traditional lady finger cookies soaked in espresso, layered with mascarpone, coffee liqueur and cocoa). 

This was my choice. It was pretty good. Standard. The mascarpone was creamy and rich. I wish the lady fingers could've been more soaked though. My piece seems slightly dry. But still good. I liked the fresh berries on the side. 

Cannolo Siciliano (classic Sicilian cannoli filled with sweet ricotta cheese, honey, chocolate chips and pistachios). 

I'm not a fan of cannolis (if you read my Boston review on them...) Too much cream and usually too sweet for my taste. This was ok. But I don't think I'd eat the whole thing. My bf loved it BECAUSE it was sugary cream. hahaha. Guess it all works out! 

It was a great lunch. I got to see some good friends I don't see often and eat some fabulous food. Also, our waiter was really good. He noticed little things and anticipated what we wanted. :) 

Kudos to my friends for picking a great place. And CONGRATS again to them on their wedding!!! 

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~