Snug on the Square

Last month, I had a car appointment in McKinney so I took the opportunity to get some lunch in downtown McKinney beforehand. I called up a friend that works in the area and we met up at Snug on the Square. This place used to be just a small cafe, but it's now taken over the space next door and is now also a restaurant. I'm not so sure when the expansion happened but I love it!

Snug on the Square
109 N. Kentucky St.
McKinney, TX 75069
(972) 548-7684
http://snugonthesquare.com
Price: $

The food pictures I saw online were all pretty amazing looking. The restaurant itself was homey and cozy. You order at the counter and they bring the food to your table.

I went with the Any Breakfast Sandwich + Coffee $6.95~ (Build Your Own Egg Sandwich: mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, baby spinach, cheddar cheese, jalapeno, and sausage; green salsa on the side) The lady at the register said I could sub with hot tea.

I got this thing loaded! It was quite tall. And super yummy. The bread was fluffy and held everything together. Layers and layers of egg, sausage and veggies. I'd totally get this again. The hot tea took some effort. Their hot water machine was broken apparently, but the lady at the register didn't know when she said I could sub for hot tea. I waited around for awhile, since the drinks were all self-serve, for someone to help me. Finally, one guy had to go next door to the cafe to get me some hot water. Yeeesh.


My friend got the Pick Any Sandwich + 1 Side $7.95~ Club Melt (roasted turkey, honey ham, bacon, melted swiss, honey dijon, lettuce, tomato; served on butter brioche) $6.50~ With Soup of the Day: Broccoli Cheese (I think?). 

She said the soup was really good. And her sandwich was pretty loaded too. We swapped halfsies and I got to try hers. Yum!

It was a fun lunch. I totally enjoyed the food. I'd like to go again soon!

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And since I'm there, I gotta stop by Emporium Pies! :)

Emporium Pies
107 S. Tennessee St.
McKinney, TX 75069
(214) 491-1577
http://emporiumpies.com
Price: $

Got the Buttercream Gang (buttermilk pie) $5~ I love me some buttermilk pie and theirs is great.

It was a good day. (Despite paying $$$$ for a set of new tires.) hehe.

~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

Artin's Grill - Early Birthday & Father's Day Dinner

This past weekend, my bf's parents came to visit so we decided to celebrate an early Father's Day as well as my bf's birthday (which was this Tuesday). My bf wanted to go to Artin's Grill. I had told him I wanted to take him there for his bday last year, but we ended up doing dim sum. So this year he really wanted to go check it out.

Artin's Grill
5840 Legacy Cir.
Plano, TX 75024
(469) 366-3660
www.artinsgrill.com
Price: $$$$

I reserved a table on Opentable.com with no issues. This place has been on my list for a while considering I live about 5 minutes from the Shops at Legacy, but just never got the time to go.

We arrived about 10 minutes late but didn't have any trouble and was seated immediately. The restaurant was nicer than I expected. Dark wood decor, mood lighting, but still modern. Our waiter was really friendly and immediately asked about the birthday and Father's Day celebration. I had included the info in the notes section when I made the online reservation. I was happy that the restaurant actually paid close attention to it. And our waiter continued throughout the night to make both of them feel special on their special day. :) Bonus points for our waiter!

My bf got the Mango Mojito (Bacardi Mango Fushion Rum, shaken with muddled mint, Mango and simple syrup, floated with soda, mint sprig, berry garnish) $10~ It looked really good and he said it was. I'm allergic to mango so I'll take his word for it. He ordered a second one when the entrees came.

Our waiter told us about their specials and then took our orders.

We got the Spinach Artichoke Dip (with spiced crostini) $10~ to start. 

 

It was bubbling when it was served. Mmmmm! The dip was great! Cheesy, lots of spinach, and I loved the toasted breadcrumbs on top. The spiced crostinis were a bit salty, but still was good overall with the dip.

Time for the entrees.

My bf got the Sashimi Grade Ahi Tuna (pan seared, sesame crusted Sashimi grade Ahi tuna, Asian slaw) $31~ 

This is the main reason we are at this particular restaurant. Ahi tuna is pretty much his favorite thing. (And also the reason why I wanted to bring him here last year!) It was a beautiful plate. The deep color of the tuna with the slaw and the duo of sauces on the side. He was impressed with the portion size of the tuna. It was really fresh and paired really well with the wasabi cream sauce. He asked for more sauce too. The slaw was refreshing and a good compliment to the tuna. He loved it. It was exactly what he was looking forward to. Success! I'm always happy when I make a good recommendation. hehe. :)

Scottish Salmon (simply grilled, pecan currant cous cous, lemon beurre blanc) $26~ 

His mom ordered this. The salmon was cooked well, but I thought the star was the cous cous. It was so light yet flavorful. I loved the combo of the pecan and currant. It was pretty tasty.

Redfish Pontchartrain (blackened redfish, crab, shrimp, roasted garlic mashers, cajun cream sauce) $32~ 

His dad chose this dish. It was pretty impressive looking. Layers of different kinds of seafood. The sauce was rich and smoky. Really bold flavors.

I got the Braised Beef Short Ribs (mushroom mac & cheese, cabernet jus, haricot verts) $27~ 

 

The waiter said this was his favorite dish on the menu. And it was delicious. I love braised meat and they did it well. It was tender, juicy and full of flavor. I also loved the mac and cheese and onion strings with it. I love it when restaurants use Cavatappi pasta in mac and cheese. The shape is fun and has good texture. I'm really glad I got this dish, I definitely recommend it.

Wild Mushroom Medley $8~ We got this side dish. It was good but I felt it was a bit excessive since the entrees were all pretty big. The potatoes were a bit underdone in my opinion but everything else was great.

Our waiter was great through the entire meal. He was fun to talk to, very attentive and made an effort to make my bf and his dad feel special. :) They all commented that the service was top notch.

As the meal came to an end, our waiter came out with a Warm Chocolate Brownie Sundae (vanilla ice cream, toasted almonds, caramel sauce, berries) $7.50~ 

He also put a candle on it for my bf's birthday. I was almost as surprised as my bf was! I never even asked them to do this so it was extremely thoughtful of the restaurant to bring him a complimentary birthday treat. The brownie was gooey on the inside and had a nice crust on the outside. It was a very good ending to a fantastic meal.

I don't know why it took me this long to make it to Artin's Grill, but I'm so glad I got to go for 2 special occasions. I couldn't have asked for a better evening. Spot on service, delicious food, and great company. :) I will definitely be back. And I recommend this place for any occasion!

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

Nazca Kitchen

On Tuesday I had lunch with my L2E crew from work. It's getting harder and harder to meet up with everyone, now that we're all on different teams... I suggested Nazca Kitchen. I was supposed to go there last week but ended up not going. The menu looks fresh and healthier. :) 

Nazca Kitchen 
8041 Walnut Hill Ln. 
Dallas, TX 75231 
(214) 696-2922 
http://www.nazcakitchen.com/ 
Price: $$ 

Nazca features South American cuisine... mainly Peruvian inspired foods. This type of cuisine is hard to find in Dallas so of course it's worthy of a try! The decor is open and bright, quite inviting. We were immediately seated at a booth. 

There were so many things I wanted to try on the menu, but I decided to stay healthy... But later I sabotaged myself with dessert... hahaha. :-/ 

I got the Perico Wrap (Spinach and bacon with scrambled eggs, cheddar, cilantro, onions, peppers) $6~ 

It was under the "lite" section in the menu. It was a good size for the price. I really liked it. Especially with the salsa on top. There was lots of spinach which was great. The eggs were cooked well and I got the saltiness from the bacon. Overall it was light but still filling. I took half of it to go for my lunch the next day! 

I also got the Baby Kale Side Salad (tossed greens, kale, carrots, feta, avocado, mustard seed dressing) $5~ 

I picked the carrots off since I don't like carrots. Everything else was great. It was really fresh. The dressing was unique...slightly sweet. I liked it. I took half of that to go as well! :P 

One friend got the Spinach Talon Chicken Wrap (Peruvian style aji amarillo chicken, spinach, cheddar cheese, eggs, pepitas, herb sauce and criolla) with side of Butternut Squash (butternut squash, red onion, cranberries and almonds) $10~ 

I was also looking at this. It was pretty similar to my wrap. I only got to try the butternut squash side, which was delicious! The squash was sweet and cooked well. The added almonds gave it a nice crunch. 

Another friend got Chile Jam Chicken Wrap (grilled chicken, leaf lettuce, almonds, criolla, yogurt and spicy chili jam on a sun dried tomato tortilla) with side of Quinoa (quinoa tossed in tahini glaze with broccoli, tomato, feta and pepitas, peppers, pecans and olives) $10~ 

I was also looking at this too! Haha.. all good choices. I tried a bite of the quinoa. Pretty standard if you've had quinoa before. Light and fresh. They both said the food was pretty good. 

Rum-Bread Pudding $6~ 

So I saw a check-in deal on Yelp to get a free bread pudding so I HAD to do it. Doesn't get any better than free dessert!!! Even though I'm supposed to be eating healthy during the week. haha. The bread pudding was super moist!! It wasn't overwhelmingly sweet like it looked. I thought it was pretty good. Would've liked more whipped cream on the side though. That little bit melted very quickly. 

The service was uber slow! It turned out to be a longer lunch break than we wanted. We also had issues splitting the check. But despite the lacking service, I enjoyed the food a lot. I think I would go again... just when I'm not in a rush. 

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

The Fatted Calf

I went to The Fatted Calf 2 weeks ago for brunch. I love brunchy food and their menu sounded yummy. 

The Fatted Calf 
112 E Rusk St 
Rockwall, TX 75087 
(972) 722-3343 
http://www.thefattedcalfrestaurant.com/ 
Price (for brunch): $ 

It's located in downtown Rockwall, which is pretty small. Reminded me of an even smaller version of downtown Plano. The decor is pretty eclectic. I liked the wood panels and animal hide as decoration. I also liked the art on the walls. 

Everything sounded good but I love me some pancakes so I went with that!  
Pancakes (with blueberries and granola) $7.50~ (plus $1 for 2nd topping). 

It comes with 2 per order. They were pretty big! Not the best pancakes I've ever had, but pretty damn good. Fresh berries on top and inside the pancakes, crunchy granola, fluffy pancakes. No complaints! I'm especially glad I added the granola, added a crunch and nuttiness to it. :) I ate it all!!!! haha. 

They had a jar of homemade Strawberry Preserves at the table. It was awesome! I put that on my pancakes and it made it even better. We had finished pretty much the entire jar at the end of the meal. hahaha. 

The Monterey Omelette (avocado, local tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, spinach; with side of wheat toast and hashbrowns) $8.50~ 

My bf ordered this. The omlette was fresh and yummy. A little smaller than I expected but with the sides, it was still a big portion. I asked for the hashbrowns extra crispy and they were delish! The strawberry preserves on the toast...NOM!! 

It was a great late brunch. No complaints from either of us. And the waitress told us you can buy their preserves in the shop next door! (Too bad it wasn't open on Sundays, cuz we wanted some!) 

If you're looking for a good brunch spot in Rockwall, check out The Fatted Calf. Just the name alone should tell you they got some tasty food! haha. 

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 ~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

The Beehive - Boston

The last day in Boston, we met up with some friends that live there for brunch. I picked The Beehive, there was no discussion there for the location. haha. That is the only place I really wanted to revisit since my first visit a few years ago. It's a cool place and they have some pretty great food. AND I saw their head chef compete (and WIN) on an episode of Chopped! :)

The Beehive
541 Tremont Street
Boston, MA 02116
(617) 423-0069
http://www.beehiveboston.com/
Price: $$

They serve kind of a "Bohemian bistro cuisine". The decor is very eclectic. And they have live jazz during the weekend brunches.

I've dreamed of their French Toast ever since I had it the first time. It is by far the best French Toast I've ever had. And I've hyped it up so much I was afraid my friends wouldn't like it. haha.

I remember their French Toast was massive so I decided to try something else and order a small version of the French Toast. Spinach, Kale, Onion & Swiss Omelette, Mixed Salad & Frites $14.50~

I had forgotten that their portions were massive all around. It was huge plate! But surprisingly I finished almost all of it. :P The omlette was massive, but fluffy. I liked all the spinach and kale inside. I would've preferred a sharper cheese though. The swiss was a bit mild...it needed a bit more cheesy flavor. The salad on the side was nice and refreshing. And I had forgotten how awesome their frites were. It's like chips, it's like steak fries, the best of both. Sooo crisp on the outside but yet still has the potato satisfaction of a thick cut fry.

I also got a Kiddie French Toast $5~ on the side.

This could've been a meal on it's own! It was still pretty big. AND just as amazing as the first time I had it. The bread was thick and fluffy and just the right amount of crispness on the outside. The whipped topping added a hint of extra sweetness. OMG AMAZING! My friends tried it and totally agreed that it's the best they've ever had. YAY!

My cousin got the Basket of Beignets $9~

It was different than beignets you'd get in New Orleans but it was still very good. The outside was nice and crispy and inside was hot and fluffy. A little denser than your typical beignets. I enjoyed it a lot.

Many people in the group opted for the Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict (with frites) $14~

Again, the frites were awesome. The eggs benedict was good overall, but they all said the salmon was quite fishy... I would have to agree so that was a bummer. Another friend got the Ham Eggs Benedict and I thought that was much better. I really liked the hollandaise particularly. It was slightly different tasting than some I've had in the past. It had a hint of sweetness? I don't know, but it was yummy.

Needless to say, we were all super stuffed after that. It was a great meal to end the trip. And I was happy to actually introduce this place to my friends who LIVE in Boston and have never been! hehe.

Also, as a huge fan of anything Food Network related. I asked if the Executive Chef, Rebecca Newell, was there. She came out and greeted the table and I asked her about her experience on Chopped! How cool was that?! And I know for a fact she makes some spectacular food. Definitely go for brunch here. And get the French Toast!!

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~