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First post of 2017, y'all! I'm really going to try hard and do consistent posts this year. #newyearsresolution :P
I had the pleasure of dining at Beto & Son this past weekend with another food blogger friend of mine. I was invited through @bestfooddallas. :) The restaurant knew we were coming and we were supposed to meet with Chef Julian. Chef Beto and his son Julian opened their new restaurant in Trinity Groves just 2 short months ago. The place was packed when we arrived! They call their concept "next generation Mexican food", everything's from scratch, locally sourced, and had a "chef-to-table experience".
Beto & Son
3011 Gulden Ln #108
Dallas, TX 75212
(469) 249-8590
www.betoandson.com
Price: $$-$$$
We were warmly greeted by the hostess when we walked in. I gave them my name and that I was supposed to meet with Chef Julian. The hostess seated us quickly and sent over our waitress, Bree (sp?). She was super nice, got us our drinks and menus and gave us some info on the restaurant concept while we waited. Chef Julian showed up soon after. He was super friendly as well. We didn't really know what to expect from this visit... I was just thinking we each order and entree or something but he told us he would just send out some stuff so we can get a variety and feel of the food. And if we wanted anything else, we can just ask. He also brought out the dinner menu, which had more items so we can try everything. (We went for lunch.) The only thing we requested was one of their noodle bowls. We've both been perusing the pictures on Yelp and both wanted to try that. He mentioned the dinner menu has a Salmon Noodle Bowl and we were sold!
So we just kinda sat back and waited to see what surprised they were going to bring out! :)
We got started with some Housemade Tortilla Chips (with salsa and bean hummus).
This is complimentary for every table. Everything is made in-house. The chips were fantastic. They were super thin and light and crispy. Chef Julian says the idea is to keep things light so people don't fill themselves up on just chips. That bean hummus though.... OMG. It was awesome and interesting. The texture reminded me of the black bean dip from Glorias which is amazing. I think I can slather this bean hummus on everything.
Chef Julian brought out 3 appetizers. He personally served every course by the way. It made us feel so special! And he explained every dish, their ideas behind it, what the elements were, and how they were made. I always love the background info on what chefs are thinking when they create something. You can definitely tell he takes pride in all their food.
Mexican Poutine (scratch crafted masa fries, chicken tinga, queso blanco, tomatillo sauce, queso fresco, pico, fried egg) $11.99~
Sooooooo good!!!!!!!!!! Definitely one of my favorite dishes of the meal (I had lots of favorites...haha). Totally loved the potato/masa blend of the fries. I think it created a better texture than just pure masa. So many different flavors but all blended so well. That perfectly runny egg was just the cherry on top. Yolk porn, y'all! I can totally order this as my entree.
Gulf of Mexico Ceviche Tower (shrimp, slaw, avocado, pico, mexican cocktail sauce) $14.99~
A play on the sushi towers you find at every Japanese restaurant. Any food in stacked form is cool I think. This was very refreshing and the Mexican cocktail sauce added just a hint of heat. The slaw was crunchy, avocado was creamy, and the shrimp was cooked well. It was a nice contrast to the Poutine which was heavier. It went really well with the tortilla chips.
Street Elote (charred shaved corn, garlic aioli, chile de arbol, queso fresco, crema cilantro) $6.99~
Yesss!!!! I love me some elotes. This is their take on it. Loved the charred corn with a hint of smoky flavor. The aioli and crema added the creaminess. An explosion of flavor! Another favorite!
We had to fight the urge to keep eating it all. Since we only just got started! We asked them to pack most of the appetizers away so we wouldn't be tempted. haha.
Before the entrees came, our waitress told us another table had ordered the Liquid Nitrogen Mango Margarita. It is made table-side and it's pretty freaking cool! They use liquid nitrogen to make the frozen margarita. So much smoke!! Definitely a fun thing to do when you're out with friends. :)
Time for the entrees!
Sour Cream Chicken Tinga Enchiladas (shredded chicken tinga, sour cream sauce, melted cheese, avocado, pickled slaw; served with achiote rice and charro beans) $11.99~
They decided to do an open faced enchilada. What a great idea because you get so much more tortilla real estate to put stuff on! They use white wine in their sour cream sauce to add a different flavor and also make it less heavy. The addition of the pickled onions and watermelon radish brightens up the entire dish and adds vibrant colors. I don't like corn tortillas so I never really order enchiladas. I liked the idea of it being stacked and I think if they did it with their bomb flour tortillas, it would be that much better!
Fajita Skillet (caramelized peppers and onions, chimichurri, calabacitas, fried onions, chile de arbol glaze; served with fresh tortillas, achiote rice, and charro beans) Chicken $15.99~ or Fajita Steak $19.99~
The skillet came out sizzling and the smell filled the room. Ahhhhhh. We got a combination so we can try both meats. Both the chicken and steak were tender and flavorful. The fried onions are coated with a Mexican seasoning. It is reminiscent of cajun... tons of flavor and complimented the meats well! Their housemade flour tortillas were magnificent. It just about stole the show! So light and soft but doesn't tear, however much you fill with goodies! When our meal was over, Chef Julian said he would give us each some tortillas to go. Yay! If he hadn't offered, we would've asked anyways. hehe.
Tropical Salmon Noodle Bowl (roasted fideo pasta, seared salmon, calabacitas, chipotle cream, pickled onions, avocado) $17.99~
Dinner menu only. This was the one thing I really wanted to try... the noodle bowls. I didn't realize they had a salmon version until Chef Julian mentioned the dinner menu. I'm so glad we got this one. The pasta is toasted first then cooked in the same stock they use to make their tortilla soup so it already has a bunch of flavor. The toasting process makes it a little nutty. And that salmon...oh the salmon. I KNEW it was going to be amazing before I even cut into it. It was cooked PERFECTLY. Pink on the inside, fork tender, and so moist it just flaked right off. One of the best pieces of salmon I've eaten to date. Not just recently, but my whole life. And I've had a lot of salmon, y'all. Highly highly recommend this dish!
What an amazing meal. I loved all the variety their menu offers. I never get Mexican food because I find it to be the same thing most of the time. Here... you have a ton of choices. I challenge you to pick just one!
Of course the meal can't end without dessert. I was hoping he would bring out the flan and he did. I love flan!
Luna de Noche Flan (chocolate cake, flan, whipped cream, cajeta) $7.99~
The presentation was great. I normally don't care for the half cake half flan thing. Since the flan is always so much more moist than the cake, it makes the cake feel even drier. Not the case here. The cake was just the right thickness, it melded into the flan. And that cajeta (caramel sauce)... oh man. A dessert lover's dream! The flan is a good size too, totally shareable. But if you don't, I won't judge. hahaha.
Thanks to Beto & Son for having us out. It was more than what I expected for sure. Chef Julian showed us a great time. His choices of dishes gave us a really good range of their menu. And that salmon.... ahhhhhhh! Like butter! The place has a fun vibe, but the lighting wasn't great for food photos (hence the rating). But I'll be back for sure. Food trumps lighting! haha. :P And you should definitely check it out!
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Mexican Sugar is the latest restaurant to open in Shops at Legacy. It is the same owners as Whiskey Cake (one of my go-to places) and Velvet Taco. I've been getting notices of it's opening a couple weeks before it actually opened. Looking at the menu, I was excited to try it.
Mexican Sugar
7501 Lone Star Dr. Ste B 150
Plano, TX 75024
(972) 943-0984
mexicansugarcocina.com
Price: $$-$$$
Once it opened, it immediately became a new hot spot at the Shops at Legacy. I heard that there's a wait every night and it's been a hit. I decided to get some people to go try it on a Thursday night.
I got there around 7pm and it was packed. The hostess told me it was going to be about a 45 minute wait for 4 people... Should've reserved. Oh well, I'll know for next time! We decided to walk around the area to find something to munch on. But they sent me a text about 30 minutes later. I like the whole texting notifications for a table. This way we can leave and not be stuck just standing around.
The place is pretty big! We were seated in the back room. I liked the decor a lot. It did remind me of Whiskey Cake a bit since it was the same decorator. A bit loud with the acoustics but more energetic than annoying. I also saw a few familiar faces in the wait staff that used to be at Whiskey Cake. haha.
We were greeted by our waiter and he said 2 of them were gonna help us. We got some waters and took some time to look at the menu. We actually waited quite a long time for them to come back... And once they came back, I ordered an appetizer as my main, and I think the guy thought I was just ordering an app for the table and walked away without taking anyone else's orders. haha.. Errrrr?
I got the Arepa (griddled corn cake, ropa vieja, slaw, cilantro crema) $8~
It was 4 to an order, each corn cake was topped with shredded beef. This was really good. The beef was flavorful and great with the corn cake. The corn cake itself had nice texture. The cilantro crema rounded out the dish nicely. It ended up being the best savory dish of the night. So I ended up getting my dish first before anyone else had ordered.. eh... They need to check on us more often.
I also got a side of the Brussels Sprout Shred $3~
It was one of the menu items I really wanted to try since I love Brussels sprouts, but it was not what I expected at all. It was just like raw shredded veggies, some Brussels sprouts mixed with napa cabbage, onions and carrots. I expected something cooked. But I guess I just didn't ask and assumed. So I told the waiter it wasn't what I was expecting. He was nice and took it away and didn't charge me for it.
One friend ordered the Brasas Chicken Tacos (wood roasted chicken, salsa, roasted corn, pico, queso fresco, chipotle crema, macro cilantro; with side of Brussels sprout shred) $9~
It came 3 to an order. I heard that they make the corn tortillas in house which is cool. But they were kinda soft and floppy. It didn't hold up to the liquid from the salsa very well. It got soggy quickly. The taco looked good but was pretty bland. It definitely needed more sauce or something. But then, the tortilla would probably disintegrate. haha. Meh. And I also got to try a bit of the Brussels sprouts shred. I'm glad I sent mine back. Just raw veggies, not much flavor at all.
Another friend got the Tableside Tortilla Soup (roast chicken, tomato concasse, avocado, tortilla, queso fresco) $7~
The presentation is cool since they poured it at the table. And the portion was pretty big. My friend doesn't like avocado so I got to eat all of it. haha. They had nice big chunks of avocado and tomatoes in there which I liked. But overall it was just ok. My friend and I both agreed that it could be heartier. The soup itself seemed a little thin. And I think the flavors could be bolder.
Another friend came later and ordered the Pollo Torta (roast chicken, chipotle spread, queso Chihuahua, mixed herbs, salsa duo; with side of Dos XX) $11~
It's pretty cool that you can get a side of beer. haha. But it was a pretty small glass. The torta looked really good, and it was huge. Didn't get to try it but she finished it all. Although she said the bread was too hard and might've cut the roof of her mouth. I think generally tortas have a softer type of bread? This looked kinda baguette-y.
We had another late addition. He already ate so just ordered a Chicha Sour (homemade Chicha morada ice cubes, pisco porton, lime, simple syrup).
I think this is one of their more popular cocktails. The color was beautiful. And the homemade ice cubes were a nice touch. It was the same as the drink. So as it melts it won't water down the cocktail. It was strong!!!! But I liked the flavor. If you like sweet and fruity cocktails, this one might be for you. It was also cool when the waiter explained their draft cocktails. Yes, draft. They make a small batch of each at a time and pour it from a draft. This way it saves time and also keeps the flavors consistent, the waiter explained. I've not seen that before. Pretty neat!
Their desserts is what captured my attention the most. They didn't have many choices but all of them sounded awesome. And since they were out of the Pumpkin Flan, it made our choices easy.
Horchata 5 Leches (almond milk, rice milk, heavy cream, Mexican crema whip, goat's milk cajeta) $7~
I wasn't sure what to expect with this one but it's a super moist custardy/bread pudding-ish cake. It's gotta be moist with 5 milks right?! haha. It was sooo good. The Mexican crema whip on top was fluffy and heavenly. It paired perfectly with the cake. The goat's milk cajeta was a Mexican style caramel. I don't like goat's milk, and the flavor was pretty strong. I didn't like that at all. So I tried to eat the top half of the cake and not get any of the caramel that pooled on the bottom of the dish. haha. In the future I will request it without the cajeta. But delicious! Definitely recommend!
Chocolate Avocado Cake (Ancho spiced chocolate cake, cinnamon meringue, chocolate avocado mousse, ganache) $7~
This was rich, rich, rich, and decadent. Definitely for the chocolate lover. The addition of the avocado is what intrigued me at first, but you really can't taste any of it at all. Avocado is too milk compared to the dark chocolate and got lost. But nonetheless, it was delicious. I love anything with ganache and this cake had like 3 layers of it! :) And the layer of cinnamon meringue in the middle was a nice surprise because the meringue was slightly crunchy and added a nice textural contrast. This cake with the Mexican crema whip from the Horchata was a great blend. :P
So... pretty cool place. A little loud but definitely a hip hotspot. The food was a bit disappointing but the desserts were awesome. I'd go back just for the desserts! Waiters were nice but service was slow overall. Hopefully they just need to get more acclimated to the large crowds. I'll be going back in the future. But I'll definitely make a reservation next time!
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One of the main places I wanted to check out in Chicago was definitely Chef Rick Bayless's Frontera Grill. I'm a HUGE fan of Top Chef and Rick Bayless won season 1 of Top Chef Masters.
Frontera Grill
445 North Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 661-1434
http://www.rickbayless.com/restaurants/grill.html
Price: $$$
Frontera Grill uses fresh ingredients, sometimes organic and custom-grown! Their goal is sustainability and works with the community and local farms. It's pretty awesome!
I wasn't able to make a reservation since it was fully booked but the host told me that they take walk-ins. And they don't open on Sunday or Monday so Saturday night was the only opportunity for me to go.
We arrive around 6:30PM. It was sooo packed! We were told there was a 2-2.5 hour wait. OMG! I read online that this would happen... But sometimes people luck out and get a table earlier. So we put our name down and a contact number. They said they would call if something opens up.
Since we've been snacking all day, none of us were really that hungry yet so it was ok that we eat later. Normally I would never wait around for 2+ hours... We decided to walk around some more until it was time for dinner. We got back around 8:45PM or so and the amount of people inside the restaurant and bar increased! Geez. It was super loud in there from all the chatter too... They said it was another hour.. Sigh~ Good thing I got a snack during our 2 hour walk! Luckily we were seated about 40 minutes later... I typically don't like to eat this late and all the waiting has kinda dampened my excitement... But we were finally seated!! I already knew what I wanted. haha.
We were given some Spiced Mix Nuts to munch on while we looked over the menu.
Although I already knew what I wanted since Chef Rick talked about it a lot on the show.
We started off with Queso Fundido Clasico (Samuels artisanal Jack cheese with garlicky roasted peppers, homemade chorizo, Mexican oregano) $8~ for the table.
You take the cheese and chorizo and wrap it in the corn tortilla. Now, if you've read some of my past reviews on Mexican places, you know I hate corn tortillas (which is why I don't like enchiladas). But this isn't Tex-Mex cuisine, it's real Mexican food. The corn tortilla didn't have that weird corn flavor I hated. It was very mild and soft so I liked it! The cheese and chorizo had bold flavors and the duo of salsas complimented everything well. I just wanted the cheese to be hotter and more melty? It cooled down pretty quickly and started to harden a bit.
Since it was pretty late my bf and I decided to share. We got the Ensalada Otonal (Roasted Nichols Farm beets & grilled Seedling apples, Bayless Garden greens, caramelized onion vinaigrette. Toasted guajillo crumbles, crispy ham hock, pecans) $8.75~
I was in serious need of some veggies. haha. The Chicago diet so far has been very carb and sugar heavy. :P I liked the salad a lot. There were some interesting elements that you normally don't see in most places. For one the little pieces of crispy ham hock added that slight bacon-ish feel. I liked the way they roasted the beets, which were thinly sliced. All the different components added a complexity of flavors. And it was really fresh!
Enchiladas de Mole Poblano (Homemade tortillas rolled around Gunthorp free-range chicken, doused with Mexicos most famous mole. Black beans) $18~
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This past weekend we went to LA for a wedding. Before all the wedding festivities, we went to Redondo Beach with 2 of my friends Saturday morning to do some beach side bike riding and brunch. :) The weather was beautiful and great for riding.
We went to Baleen at The Portofino Hotel for brunch because we all bought a Travelzoo deal. It was $45 for 2 people to have a 3 course brunch with unlimited mimosas or champagne. Amazing deal!! Unlimited mimosas?!?
Baleen @ The Portofino Hotel & Yacht Club
260 Portofino Way
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
(310) 372-1202
http://www.hotelportofino.com/
After riding we arrived at the hotel like 20 minutes earlier than our reservation but were seated immediately. The hostess was super nice. We were seated upstairs by the window and it overlooks the dock with all the sailboats. It was so nice and bright by the water...perfect for brunch!
Everyone got a mimosa except me. I opted for orange juice which were freshly squeezed and so refreshing! I don't like champagne so I don't care for mimosas. The orange juice was sooo fresh and yummy!
First Course --
I got the Strawberry & Yogurt Parfait (honey, lemon & granola).
It was a nice portion..full of toasted granola and fresh strawberries. The yogurt itself wasn't very sweet so the honey and granola added just enough sweetness to the dish. I really liked the pumpkin seeds in the granola as well. It was fresh and actually quite filling!
Crisp Calamari (lemon, smoky cocktail & tartar).
The presentation was really cute with the mini fryer basket. The calamari was fried well and had good flavor. It was pretty standard.
Smoked Salmon (crostini, Boursin, tomato, red onion & caper).
My friend thought this was amazing. The salmon was smokey and paired well with the cheese and crostini. It was definitely the best deal out of the starters. I'm not a fan of smoked salmon but my friend said it was really great. The Boursin cheese however, was phenomenal. I've never had this cheese before, and I'm not big on eating cheese on its own but I can eat spoonfuls of this on its own. It was creamy and milky and divine. I will definitely go get some of this cheese next time I go to a dinner party or something.
Main Course --
Fish Tacos (seared Snapper, cabbage slaw, avocado, Pico de Gallo, cilantro).
You get 3 tacos on corn tortilla. I only tried a bite of the fish which was cooked nicely. My friend liked it a lot.
Steak Frites (hanger steak, fries, arugula salad & housemade steak sauce).
This is what I got. It was a huge plate! I don't usually eat this much food for lunch! I ordered it medium rare but I think because it was so thin, it was a bit more cooked through than medium rare. But the flavor was great. It was definitely seasoned well. One of my friends ordered this as well. He ordered the steak medium but it was definitely overcooked...kinda dry. He still liked the flavors though. And neither of us cared too much for the steak sauce.
Huevos Redondos (black bean quesadilla, fried eggs, avocado, romesco, feta, cilantro).
My bf ordered this. I really liked it which was surprising because it was corn tortillas layered in there. I don't like corn tortillas at all and this was the first time I didn't mind it being in a dish! The combination of the beans, tortilla, avocado and sauce was great. YUM!! Without meat, it was still a very hearty dish.
Sweet (to share) --
One dessert is shared between 2 people and there were only 2 choices on the menu so we got one of each.
Chocolate Macadamia Torte (chiantilly cream & raspberries).
I really enjoyed the dark chocolate sauce on the plate, not too sweet and quite decadent. The chiantilly cream was also great on the torte. The torte itself was good but I wanted it to be a bit more fudgy. There was too much chopped nuts in there for me.
Lemon Meringue Pie (white chocolate anglaise).
I saw on online reviews that this was the dessert everyone raved about. I don't care for lemon desserts but this was awesome. I definitely preferred it over the chocolate torte which was surprising. First of all, the presentation was adorable and clean. I loved the torched little dome of meringue on top of the pie. And I really liked the fact that it was a mini pie, not a slice cut from a bigger pie. The meringue was fluffy and not too sweet. The lemon pie was velvety and fantastic. Just the perfect amount of sweet and tart. The white chocolate anglaise on the plate was a nice additional flavor to it all. I would sooo have this dessert again. I was already so full but I ate most of this myself! :p
I had read iffy reviews on Baleen about the quality of their food and service so I was a bit nervous since we already purchased the coupon. But I don't know what those people are talking about. We had a fantastic time! The hostess and waiters/waitresses were all super nice and accommodating. The food overall was very enjoyable with some hints of greatness (like the lemon meringue pie) hehe. The Travelzoo deal was amazing! And we definitely got our money's worth and MORE! Between my bf and 2 other friends, I think they had 20 glasses of mimosas or more... Hahaha! OMG!
It was a beautiful relaxing day to hangout with my friends and enjoy some good food. That's how vacation should be!! I would recommend Baleen for a relaxing brunch any time. :)
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