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This past weekend was busy busy! My fiance's parents came to visit and we did a lot of wedding planning stuff. On Friday, they wanted to see the wedding venue and check out some nearby hotels. My parents joined us as well since they haven't seen the venue either. We were very productive and even finished everything ahead of schedule. So we planned on having dinner together at Whiskey Cake. His parents have never been, and since we were in Plano, we wanted to take them there.
Whiskey Cake
3601 Dallas Pkwy.
Plano, TX 75093
(972) 993-2253
www.whiskey-cake.com
Price: $$-$$$
This is one of our go-to places. We especially love the brunch at Whiskey Cake. And of course... the whiskey cake. hehe. No other dessert there has ever been better. I called as soon as our last hotel visit was over to get our names on the list... It was only 5:15PM at this point, and we were 5 minutes away. They actually told me the wait for 6 people was an hour! What?!? Wow... business is good! So we decided to go anyways, normally the wait is faster than what they quote you. As we pulled up, the parking lot is pretty packed and there were people waiting outside the restaurant. Uh-oh... not a good sign. We walked in and I checked in with the hostess. I also looked around to see if there's room at the bar to hang out. Nope! But then she said "if your entire party is here, we can go ahead and seat you." Wait... what? Apparently a table was no-show so we get it! Woohoo! How lucky are we?
We were seated in the side room. There were several tables still open, so I wondered if they were reserved... Our waiter, Kedus, was super friendly, and brought us some waters. Then he asked if we wanted to order drinks. My fiance is pretty picky about cocktails so he was asking a bunch of questions and whether Kedus had recommendations. Nothing too citrusy, or spicy, or strong... Kedus took it as a challenge and begin recommending stuff. Most of it got shot down.. haha. Then my fiance decided on the Hot For Teacher $11~ which is a bourbon based drink. My fiance took one sip and was like "nope". Luckily his dad really liked it so took it from him. My fiance couldn't decide on another one so told him to come back later.
Moments later, Chris, the other waiter who was helping Kedus, brought over a cool looking drink. He said he saw a challenge and decided to have their bartender (who are actually trained mixologists) come up with this concoction. Apple Cinnamon Julep.
My fiance loved it! Chris explained it's a play on their normal mint julep. Well yay, we have a winner! My fiance felt extra special that they took their time to find something he would like. And turns out, Chris was the manager in training! Future boss man... also super friendly.
My dad decided to get a cocktail as well. He went with As You Wish (aylesbury duck vodka, jalapeno, mango, orange, cranberry, lime, agave) $9~ per Kedus' recommendation.
My dad is a light-weight, like me, so I was a little nervous when he ordered a drink. haha. But he seemed to enjoy it. Said it had a kick to it from the jalapeno. Neither me or my mom could try it though, since we're both allergic to mango. Yea... see where I got it from?
We were off to a great start. We were given the specials of the day... which Kedus really recommended since the staff just got to try some earlier. hehe. And we finally got around to ordering.
We got Fried Green Tomatoes (remoulade, lemon zest, parsley) $6~ Usually it comes with 5 pieces, but they gave us another since we had 6 people. The tomatoes were fried nicely. I liked the remoulade, had a good tang to it.
I got the Crispy Atlantic Cod (watercress and napa cabbage slaw, tomato, zesty tartar sauce, french hoagie; served with house kettle chips) $11~
This thing was huge! Kind of looks like a po-boy mixed with a banh-mi. It was yummy too. Hard to eat since it was so loaded with slaw on top. Definitely messy. hehe. The fish was fried well, and still really tender on the inside. They definitely didn't skimp on the fish either. The tartar sauce was basically the remoulade from the fried green tomatoes but I like it on both dishes. I always have a fear that this type of bread is too hard... I've cut my mouth on extra toasted French bread before. This wasn't the case. The bread was soft and paired well with the fish. Although, it was so full, things kept falling out. My dad really liked my dish. He was going to order it but changed his mind... and I think he regretted that. So I gave him a few bites. :P
I also got a side of the Country Ham & Parmesan Brussels Sprouts. Of course. hehe. It was nicely charred and yummy.
Special of the Day: Arctic Char (with blue corn grits, fresno chiles, corn) $18~ Both my fiance and his dad went with the special. Arctic char looks kind of like salmon, but is generally less oily and fatty. It's a good fish, I've always liked it. His dad got it the original way.
The blue corn grits were yummy. He really enjoyed it. My fiance wanted the same sides as the Salmon dish because he was worried that the fresno chiles would be too spicy.
Turned out, the tumeric roasted cauliflower was spicier than the fresno chiles (which weren't spicy at all). haha. So I ate most of the cauliflower.. they were yum!
His mom went with the Live Wood Grilled Salmon (tumeric roasted cauliflower, broccoli greens, sweet corn puree, cilantro lime emulsion) $19~ She said it was really good, and finished it all.
My parent shared the Grilled Texas Striped Bass (summer vegetable stone fruit slaw, watermelon relish, sweet pea crema) $19~
The kitchen actually split the dish for them, so what you see here is only half portion. That was nice of them. It didn't seem as good as the other 2 fish dishes. My dad said it was just ok.
They also shared the Farm Salad (greens, cucumber, carrots, grape tomatoes, white balsamic vinaigrette) $5~
For a $5 salad, the portion size is really good. Everything looked fresh too. No complaints there.
And of course we can't come all this way to Whiskey Cake and not get dessert! We just got one Whiskey Cake (toffee torte, bourbon anglaise, spiced pecans, whipped cream) $8~
Everyone was pretty full by then, so we started with 1. Glad we did that... it was just enough. Still one of my favorite cakes in Dallas. If you haven't had it yet... what are you waiting for?
It was a great meal. All the food was good, his parents loved everything they tried. Kedus and Chris came by periodically to check on us and chat with us. It was a very nice experience. They made us feel special, especially my fiance who got a drink made just for him! :P This is probably the best service we've gotten there to date. I hope Chris sticks around, cuz he's going to make a great manager! :)
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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
The birthday celebration continues! This past Saturday was my bf's bday dinner with his friends. I suggested Victor Tangos because from my experience in the past, they have an interesting menu and a pretty good bar. Also, they take reservations for large parties!
Victor Tangos
3001 N Henderson Ave.
Dallas, TX 75206
(214) 252-8595
www.victortangos.com
Price: $$-$$$
FYI. Parking on Henderson is pretty much nonexistent. But they offer complimentary valet. Trust me, just do the valet. haha.
We had a party of 17 people for 7PM. Most of us arrived early and they were able to seat us earlier. When arrived, there wasn't that many other people in the restaurant. I specifically made an earlier reservation because I knew VT gets super packed. And I was right. By 7:30 the entire bar was full and the dining room was getting there. And I was surprised for a restaurant that's not that big, there were 4+ groups of more than 12 people. One group had almost 30? The place gets pretty "energetic" so it's a little hard to hear when talking across the table. But I think it's the vibe at VT that draws a lot of people in.
Some people already got drinks at the bar. After we sat down, the waitress came by for more drink orders.
(Sorry for the grainy pictures... it was really low lighting in there.)
My bf got the Pepper Smash (gin, red bell pepper, local mint, lemon, clover honey) $10~ It was quite good! Sweet, so both of us liked it. You can taste the bell pepper but it just added a fresh sweetness to it. He really liked it.
I got the Passionfruit Gimlet (vodka, fresh thyme, passion fruit, freshly squeezed lime juice, extracted pineapple) $10~ I asked them to use gin instead of vodka. It was also really good. Definitely sweet enough for me but still strong. I enjoyed it very much. But it was time we got some food in our stomachs. haha.
We later got the Peach Blossom (gin, white peaches, Japanese basil, lemon, honey) $10~ (was too busy eating so I didn't take a picture, sorry. haha) But this was my favorite out of the 3 cocktails. Peachy and refreshing. Yum.
As we were looking through the menu, I noticed there were many changes from their online menu. I hate it when that happens! Cuz usually the dish that I want is the one that's not available anymore.. Same case this time. I wanted a pork belly dish that was no longer there... Same for one of the desserts. :( So it took me awhile to finally make up my mind. Most things sounded ok, but nothing really stood out.
Ahi Tuna Nachos $15~
Multiple people ordered this. My bf got one too. The dishes at VT are kind of made for sharing but I wouldn't say it's tapas style or anything. The nachos were good. Crispy chips with fresh bits of tuna. I really liked the chili cream sauce and the jalapenos on top. You know I like my spicy! Seemed to be a popular dish all around. I thought it was good, but I've had better.
I ordered the Summer Vegetable "Fried" Rice (green curry, poached egg) $11~
The waitress told me the rice was puffed rice. It sounded so interesting! It was delicious. The presentation was nice. The contrasting colors between the white puffed rice and green curry. She instructed me to mix it all together then eat. So I broke the perfectly poached egg and mixed it all up.
Really enjoyed it. Although the puffed rice got soft pretty quickly, the first few bites where it was still crunchy was fantastic. Lots of textures and flavors and wasn't too heavy.
I also got the Roasted Mushrooms (leeks, black garlic and pea greens) $12~
I didn't mean to get 2 vegetable dishes, just happened that way. But I loved both of them. This was my favorite of the night. Different types of mushrooms gave it different textures. The black garlic sealed the deal. It had such bold flavors. I even scraped up the bits of garlic and sauce and ate it with the fried rice. Mmmmmm! So good. I wish the portion size was bigger!
Here are things other people ordered...
Jar of Pickled Baby Vegetables $4~ The sourness hits you like a truck, but then slightly mellows out. Had some sweetness to it. Not my thing, but I'm not a huge fan of sour stuff in general.
Mini Crispy Carnitas Tacos $10~
Also a popular item at our table. And probably the most bang for your buck! It was massive. Our friends said there was like 6 tacos or something, all loaded to the brim. And they said it had lots of flavor. I think at VT you take a chance with the portion size, some things are quite filling, and some are not. But they all taste good.
Tempura Asparagus with Olive Aioli $10~ Didn't get to try but looked good.
Sweet Tea Marinated Short Ribs (with Spring garlic and cucumber salad) $24~
Loved the presentation on the wood platter. The bright vegetables peeking out from the charred meat. It was tasty. You can't taste the sweet tea marinade though.
Whole Market Fish (crushed lemony potatoes, crispy capers, pimenton aioli).
This was an impressive dish. Also served on a wood platter for some added drama. hehe. It was a big piece of fish! I think I overheard someone saying it was a branzino. Normally the whole branzinos I've seen in other places are 2/3rds of this size. The fish was cooked well and had lots of flavor. Only downside.. a lot of bones. But that can also make it a fun challenge to eat! hehe.
Green Bean Panzanella (avocado green goddess, smoked trout roe) $11~
Pretty dish, quite small. I got to try part of the egg topped with the trout roe with the green beans. Very good. All the elements worked together well. My friend said that if you don't eat all the elements together though, it didn't really work.
Warm Sticky Toffee Cake (with mascarpone cream) $9~
I ordered this when I ordered the entrees and asked them to bring it out later with a candle. Holy crap! This thing is massive! I saw pictures online and knew it was big but it was at least another 30% bigger than I imagined. It was literally the size of my face! (And believe me... I got a pretty big face. hahaha.) The cake was warm and the mascarpone cream was essential to it. The bites without the cream was a bit dry. But overall a good dessert. Doesn't compare to the whiskey cake at Whiskey Cake in Plano, but was still a success with the group. We passed it around and everyone was able to take a big bite or more!
It was a good dinner. I think everyone enjoyed themselves. Some people did say they were still hungry though since some of the portions were smaller. But overall everyone said the food was tasty. The service was good too. The waitress had no problems dealing with the big group. The food came quickly and she was always around when we needed something. The water glasses were always filled. And the checks were split with no issues.
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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
Week 1 of Dallas Restaurant Week is over... I went to Nonna last Friday with some friends for their last day of participation. I had never been there before, but it came highly recommended so I added it to my list of RW restaurants this year.
**Just some brief info on Restaurant Week for those who don't know.. Restaurants across Dallas participate every August and this spans from 1 week to some places that do it for 3 weeks. It is $35 a person for a 3 course meal. Although this year a lot of the restaurants upped their prices to $45 a person (not including tax and tip). And 20% of each check goes to the North Texas Food Bank in Dallas and Lena Pope Home in Ft. Worth. It's my favorite "charity" event!! :D
Nonna
4115 Lomo Alto Dr.
Dallas, TX 75219
(214) 521-1800
http://www.nonnadallas.com/
Price (for RW): $35 a person
The restaurant is pretty small. It's quite unassuming on the outside. Inside was rustic with a hint of modern. Dark mood lighting, seems like a good romantic spot. A little too dark for my preference though.
Most of us arrived on time for our 8:30PM reservation. There were people at our table so we had to stand around and wait for a little bit. The bar area was pretty small so we couldn't really all fit. We had a party of 8, and they only had 1 large table to accommodate. The table was located by the bar and right by the front door. Luckily the weather was really nice Friday night so the opening and closing of the door didn't bother us at all. I'm thinking in the winter, it'll be freezing to sit in that area...
The hostess was pretty friendly. We were seated immediately after the other party had left. We also got menus and waters very quickly.We were all chattering about what we're going to get so I didn't really pay attention to what's going on around me. But so far, I'm excited about the dinner and things are going well!
We were given some Olives for the table.
And after our orders were taken we also got some Bread.
The bread was yummy. It was like warm fluffy pita bread. Slightly brushed with oil (I think) and topped with some (sea?) salt. I loveeed the texture of the bread. But we all wanted something to spread or dip it into. Like hummus or tapenade or something would be cool. They kept refilling the bread btw.. we didn't really even have to ask! It might get deadly! hahaha :P
I believe the entire restaurant had the RW menu. The regular menu wasn't available for this week.
First Course
Sformatino (of Italian creamed corn with smoked prosciutto and frico).
A few of us got this, including me. The creamed corn sold me on it. I wasn't super sure what a Sformatino was but oh well. Always up for trying something new. It was very interesting! In a good way. hehe. The best way I can describe it is like a corn mousse. And trust me, it tastes better than it sounds. haha. The corn mousse patty thing was seared on top (you can't see it under the frico), which I really liked. The frico was a tad salty but was nice against the light/fluffy and slightly sweet corn. The prosciutto added a level of smokiness to the dish. And then a genius idea!! I spread everything on the bread they gave us. Perfect!!! :P
Prosciutto Tasting (Americano and Italian speck with Texas fruits). A meat and fruit plate. I tried a piece of the speck by itself... very salty... My friend said the dish was good enough. haha.
Grilled Heart of Romaine (with roasted pancetta, avocado and parmigiano). Everyone else got this. The romaine had a nice char and smokiness to it. It's always good to have pancetta! Pretty good dish.
Second Course
Lasagnette (with ricotta stuffed squash blossoms and tomato sauce).
This was my choice... mostly because of the squash blossoms. You don't see that on the menus very often. It was a very flat lasagna, hence the "nette" in the name I guess. haha. But I liked the charred/crisp edges on the pasta. The squash blossoms were stuffed full with ricotta and I really liked that. But it's definitely missing meat. If they had put some meat sauce in there, it would've been a great entree. I liked it enough though.
Pappardelle (al ragu Bolognese). This was the better pasta and my friends agreed. The pasta was freshly made, and quite delicate. The bolognese had the right amount of meat and flavor. It was delicious.
Wood Oven Roasted Halibut (with tomato, olives, capers and heirloom sweet peppers).
This was supposed to be a red snapper but they ran out or something and switched to halibut. It was a very small dish to be an entree... There was the fish and then nothing else really. The fish had a nice sear and was very tender. I thought it was pretty good. My friend thought it was just alright.
Porchetta (with Anson Mills polenta and cannellini beans).
Porchetta is like boneless roast pork. It reminds me of pork belly with the layers of fat in it. It looked awesome. The meat was tender and, yes, fatty!!! The best kind! haha. The meat itself was a little salty, but I liked it paired with the polenta and beans a lot.
White Pizza (of littlneck clams, sweet onion, panna and fresh herbs).
This sounded totally interesting. Clams on pizza? I haven't had that before... It was a pretty big pizza too. The crust was awesome... very similar to the bread we got. It had a hint of sweetness, not sure if it's from the onions or clams. But I didn't get any clams on the bite I got. I actually didn't really see any clams on the pizza either.. I guess it was all under the cheese. My friend said it was ok.
Dessert
Praline Nougatine Semifreddo (with pistachios and Acacia honey).
This was one of my choices but I ended up not getting it since I could try other people's. hehe. It was the biggest dessert out of the bunch. But it was super light. Semifreddo basically means half frozen. It reminded me of frozen whipped cream. So it was super light but still creamy. I loved the pistacios inside it. And normally not a fan of honey... this honey was a perfect pairing on top. Best dessert of the night.
Sticky Toffee Pudding.
This is what I got. I thought it was very cute. The cake reminded me of the whiskey cake at Whiskey Cake in Plano. But it wasn't as good as WC. The parts with the caramel drizzle on top was yummy but the parts that didn't seemed less moist. I liked the whipped cream pairing.
Carrot Cake. Basically a carrot cake cupcake. Not bad. I liked the frosting a lot. Not as heavy as normal cream cheese frostings on cupcakes.
Fig and Raspberry Crostata. They messed up my friend's order and had to make him a new crostata. So he sat around watching us eat our dessert and then we watched him eat his. hahaha. I didn't get to try it. Looked like a pretty basic free form tart/pie.
It was a pretty good dinner. I enjoyed everything I tried but I wasn't blown away or anything... Everything seemed good quality and fresh overall. But would I go back and pay full price? For the portion... I doubt it. Our waiter was good. He was very efficient. He didn't interrupt us at all but got everything out quickly and had no issues with anything (including splitting the check). The water glasses were always refilled without asking.
Good start to my RW this year. I'm looking forward to my next location this coming Saturday!
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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
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