Square One Cafe

Man... I've been busy lately. It's been a while since I've posted something. But that doesn't mean I haven't been eating! :P A few weeks ago I met up with some friends for dinner. They live in Flower Mound and I'm in Plano so we decided to meet in Lewisville. I came across a little cafe in downtown Lewisville that seemed pretty good.

Square One Cafe
136 W. Main St
Lewisville, Texas 75057
(972) 221-8200
http://squareonecafe.com/
Price: $

I've never been to downtown Lewisville. I might wanna check it out when it's bright out. By the time I arrived it was already dark. The cafe was pretty much empty when we got there. There was only 1 other table and they left soon after I got there. We ordered at the counter and they brought the food to our table.

The lady at the register turned out to be one of the owners. She was very nice. I took a look at the menu and wanted to try many things...

I ended up choosing a bunch of sides to make a meal since I had been doing a low gluten/sugar thing that week.

Dill Bacon Potato Salad $1.85~ (bottom) This was pretty good. A bit too much sauce though and the potato chunks should be bigger. Other than that I enjoyed it. 
Squash Medley with Mushrooms $1.85~ (top left) My friend and I really liked this. It was just sauteed on the flat top with herbs and stuff. But it had lots of flavor and the veggies were cooked well. 
Tarragon Chicken Salad $2.31~ (top right) I asked to try a sample before getting this. They make all their food in house. The chicken was very moist and tender and I love it when people put tarragon in chicken salad. It had large chunks of grapes, chicken, celery and cucumber I believe. I don't like celery but I was able to pick most of that out. I liked the addition of cucumber. I usually sub the celery for cucumber when making chicken salad at home. :) The sides were a good size for the price and filled me up.

One friend ordered the Sriracha Honey Chicken (grilled chicken, sriracha honey mayo, smoked Gouda, Applewood smoked bacon, spinach, avocado) $7.16~ The panini was really good. I had a small bite. It had lots of flavor and I definitely got the hint of sriracha. The bread was pressed and crisped nicely. Oh man... it was good to eat some bread after a week of not having any. hahaha.

She also got a Tomato Basil Soup (bowl) $4.75~ The soup was not bad. It reminded me a bit like spaghetti sauce though. haha. I tend to prefer chowders personally.

My other friend got the Square One Burger (1/2 pound all natural Kobe burger, Vermont cheddar, romaine, tomatoes, red onions, spiced mustard) $8.31~ The burger was pretty hefty. The beef patty had tons of flavor and was really juicy. I also really liked the bread. It held up the patty juices well.

They also got a side of the Hand Tossed Mac and Cheese $1.85~ Pretty simple with penne pasta in melted cheese but it was good. A good little side.

It's a pretty chill cafe with some yummy food. Good for a lazy afternoon with friends or families. They closed by 8pm but the owner told us we can take all the time we needed since she was in no hurry to leave. That was nice of her. She later came over to pick up the dishes and chatted with us for a bit. Apparently they are going to open a small market across the street in the coming months. They'll offer different craft beers as well as a kitchen set up where they'll do cooking demos and classes. That sounds so much fun! And they hope to have locally sourced eggs and milk and other stuff too. I look forward to that. Definitely need to go check it out once that opens. :)

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Vegas 2012 - Holsteins Shakes & Buns

This past weekend I went to Vegas with a few friends. I'm not a big partier or gambler so of course it was mainly about the foooood!! Vegas is definitely a great destination for some epic food. 

We kicked off the trip at Holsteins for lunch on Saturday. This is definitely one of my favorite places to eat when I go to Vegas. I recommend it to everyone! 

Holsteins - Cosmopolitan Hotel 
3708 South Las Vegas Boulevard 
Las Vegas, NV 89109 
(702) 698-7940 
http://holsteinslv.com/ 
Price: $$ 

I'm glad I made a reservation, it was packed at 1:30PM... line out the door! 

We got some complimentary Salt & Vinegar Popcorn after we sat down. I didn't think I would like it but it was sooo good! Just enough vinegar to give it a bite and the salt balances it out. 

My friend got the Tiramisu Bam-Boozled Shake (mascarpone ice cream, ladyfinger crumbs, Patron XO Cafe Dark, chocolate syrup, cocoa powder, espresso beans) $11~ They're known for their burgers and spiked milkshakes. This was sooo good! Better than the ones I tried last time I was in Vegas (like 2 years ago...). 

I got the Hen House (beef with fried egg, bacon, lettuce, tomato & onion with mustard & ketchup; served with side of steakcut fries) $15~ Any burger with an egg on top is good in my opinion. The egg was cooked perfectly. The yolk burst and ran down the burger as I cut into it. :) Very tasty. 

The Longhorn (beef patty topped with Texas smoked beef brisket, whiskey BBQ sauce, creamy coleslaw & dill pickle; served with steakcut fries) $16~ I didn't get to try this but my friend said it was really good. It looked amazing. Beef patty AND brisket?! Nice! 

Gold Standard (dry aged beef sirloin burger with smoked bacon, aged goat cheddar cheese, tomato confit, baby arugula & garlic-chive aioli) $17.50~ Sub for sweet potato fries +$2~ I really liked this despite hating goat cheese. I was willing to overlook the goat cheese stank with this burger. haha. The tomato confit and arugula was great with the meats. 

The Rising Sun (kobe beef, teriyaki glaze, nori furikake, crispy yam, spicy mayo & tempura avocado) $17~ Sub for thick cut onion rings +$2~ This was totally interesting. Slightly sweet with the teriyaki sauce but not too much. The tempura avocado added a creaminess. It was delicious! And I was told to try the onion rings. They are definitely better than the fries. Super crispy! 

El Machete (beef patty, fire roasted anaheim chili, avocado, borracho onions, pepperjack cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion & spicy "Machete" aioli; served with shoestring fries) $16~ I loved this as well. hahaha. I liked all of them, what can I say. This one was spicy, which I love. Nom Nom Nom! 

OMG. I tried 4 different burgers, 3 types of fries, 1 onion ring, and a shake... Needless to say, I was too full to get a shake for myself. haha. Nommy! The burgers are a bit pricey but you are in Vegas!! And it's worth it! Still one of my favorites. Go check it out!!! :D 

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Vegas Trip: Michael Mina @ The Bellagio

This past weekend I went to Las Vegas with my bf and 2 other friends. One of them got comped for a room at Aria Hotel and invited us!! Thanks! :) So the guys left it up to the girls to plan the fooding places. That's my specialty!! haha.

So I come to find out that it was the last weekend Vegas is having their Restaurant Week!! Woot woot! Can you imagine? Restaurant Week in Vegas with ALL those celebrity chefs and amazing restaurants?!? I was psyched!

This is their 5th year of RW and it raises funds and awareness for the Three Square Food Bank. The participating restaurants offer either breakfast, lunch and/or dinner with $4, $5 or $6 donated per meal respectively. You get a 3-course meal (some places offer 4) for $50.11 per person.

Friday night was my pick. I chose Michael Mina at the Bellagio for 3 reasons. 1) I've heard of the name Michael Mina before and he's got one Michelin Star at his restaurant in Vegas. 2) We were going to watch Cirque du Soleil's "O" Friday night so it works out that we would have dinner there. 3) The RW menu looked pretty tasty. hehe.

Michael Mina @ Bellagio
3600 Las Vegas Blvd South,
Las Vegas, Nevada 89109
(702) 693-8199
http://www.bellagio.com/restaurants/michael-mina.aspx
Price: $$$$+

Our reservation was at 7:30pm. We arrived a few minutes late and were seated immediately. The restaurant isn't that big. We were seated right by the kitchen so you could hear and see all the action. It was a little loud but I liked seeing the plates come out. The decor was more classic, sophisticated... warm colors, pretty simple.

We were given the regular menus along with the RW menu and the Chef's tasting menu. We all opted for the RW menu since it was definitely the best deal. We also got some bread before the meal. The wheat bread was pretty good, nice crust on the outside, fluffy and warm on the inside.

FIRST COURSE:

Market Greens & Roasted Beet (Goat Cheese, Marcona Almond).

I didn't get to try it but my friend said it was ok.

Soup & Grilled Cheese (Heirloom Tomato, Lobster Soup).

I got this because it just sounded so fun! I liked the presentation for its simplicity. But we all thought the sandwich was tiny... The ratio of bread to soup was off. The soup was really smooth and a little too tart for my preference. My friends liked it though. You could tell the ingredients were fresh. I liked the sandwich a lot. The bread was buttery and just the right crispiness. The cheese inside was mild and creamy. I never got any lobster though... not in the soup or the sandwich.

SECOND COURSE:

Phyllo-Crusted Sole (Crab Brandade, Horseradish Mascarpone, Sauce Dijon).

My bf got this because it was my other choice. hehe. This turned out to be my favorite entree of the night. The phyllo crust on the sole was light and crispy. The fish was thin and mild and paired well with the sauce. I really liked the sauce. There was a bright lemony accent in it, great for fish. And I thought it was a good portion. Again, the presentation very simple and clean.

Truffle-Stuffed Chicken (Savoy Cabbage, Sunchoke-Pear Puree, Foie Gras Rice).

One of my friends and I ordered this. Initially we asked the waiter if we could split a RW order since neither of us were that hungry. He said it wasn't allowed and assured us that the entrees were the same size as their regular menu but it wasn't overwhelmingly big. I think that was an overstatement. The portions for this dish was miniscule... Good thing we didn't share!! The presentation was whimsical, but seriously... imagine if you only ordered this dish off the regular menu (which is $36 btw). OMG. That's like $12 for one bite of chicken!! Among the trio, the preparation of the leg was my favorite. The skin was seared the best and the dark meat was juicier. However, the sauce on it was too salty. I really enjoyed the cabbage under the other chicken with the puree, but there was too little puree you almost didn't know it was there. Again, slightly salty.. The chicken on the left with the truffle stuffed under the skin needed a better sear on the skin and we both agreed that they wasted the truffles by stuffing them under in that way. It didn't add anything to the chicken in any way. :( And the foie gras rice was the selling point for me on this dish since it sounded interesting. Big Fail! The rice was severely undercooked and I saw no foie gras whatsoever. I don't even know if I even tasted foie gras since it was also very salty. Bleh... no good.

Filet of Beef (Mushroom Marmalade, Warm Spinach Salad, Pommes Puree).

Another friend ordered this. The presentation was pretty basic, wasn't super appealing. The steak, although the color looked right, was quite dry. we were a little baffled by that. The flavor was ok, honestly I don't quite remember.

THIRD COURSE:

Michael's Root Beer Float (Warm Chocolate Chip & Nut Cookies).

I knew I was going to get this from the beginning. It just sounded so fun. They kind of earned a few points with their desserts. I thought this was good. It's playful and a big portion! I haven't had a root beer float in forever, so it was nice to have a walk down memory lane. And the cookies were pretty awesome. Warm, chewy on the inside, slightly crispy on the outside, lots of chocolate! YUM!

Chocolate Brownie (Spiced Pecans, Cocoa Nib Ice Cream).

This was tiny compared to my dessert haha. It was pretty good. The brownie was dense and chocolatey. I wished there was more ice cream and cocoa nibs though. I didn't really get much cocoa nibs at all...

So... first night, not too great. There was some good dishes but overall just disappointing especially since it's such a famous chef and restaurant. The service was ok. Everyone was polite and courteous but attentiveness was lacking. It was hard to get anyone's attention even though we were sitting right by the kitchen! Our waiter was very precise and technical but wasn't really around enough. Several times I needed something but gave up because I couldn't flag anyone down... I've had better food and wayyy better service doing RW in Dallas and for $15 cheaper!

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Tre Wilcox @ Loft610!

I just wanted to let everyone know that Chef Tre Wilcox has taken over as the Executive Chef at Loft610 in Plano! He was one of my favorite contestants in Season 3 of Top Chef.

I went to a free cooking demo he did at Legacy Books. It was so totally awesome. He's a really nice guy and cooks some tasty food! He made Salmon with a Citrus and Tomato Vinaigrette. YUM-O! It was probably one of the best cooked pieces of salmon that I've ever had. Great sear on the top, tender, juicy, and no fishy taste whatsoever.

I really need to go check out Loft610 and you all should too!!! :)

(I normally don't post pics with people but here he is!)

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