Hypnotic Emporium

Our 2nd dessert stop was Hypnotic Emporium. I've been dying to go here forever! I'm finally close enough to stop by. It's a cute shop right next to their donut shop by White Rock Lake. The front of the store is a old school candy shop with all different types of treats you may not find in a typical store. I went straight to the back tho, to where the ice cream/soda shop is. They don't have much seating, just FYI.

Hypnotic Emporium
9005 Garland Rd #150
Dallas, TX 75218
(214) 354-3414
www.hypnoticemporium.com
Price: $

They use ice creams from Beth Marie's which is a shop in Denton that makes some amazing flavors. Their ice cream is classified as "premium quality" which means more butterfat (14% to be exact), which makes it more rich and creamy. They have some interesting flavors such as Jack & Coke, and Bee's Knees which is honey lavender.

 

I'm here for only one reason. Well... two. 1) to treat the birthday boy to a dessert of his choice, 2) to try their donut ice cream sandwiches. No one wanted to share, so I had to get my own. I was pretty full already but since I'm here, I gotta get it.

Dream (Donut Ice Cream Sandwich) $6~
After sampling a ton of flavors, I decided on half Lemon Drop, half Banana Cream Pie. 

 

The Banana Cream Pie was everyone's favorite flavor. One friend got 2 scoops of it in a waffle cone. And the bday boy got it too. It was so good I got a pint to go before we left to take home to my husband. The donut sandwich was yummy. Too bad I was so full, I couldn't finish. :( I can't eat like I used to. Damn you, low metabolism!! The donut is unglazed and warmed when served. I really liked it. The donut was fluffy and I liked it unglazed. Glazed would've been too sweet and just a mess to eat. This way I could pick it up with my hands and not be too sticky. I was a little confused when they gave me the sandwich tho, they never asked me if I wanted toppings. So I assumed they were extra... but when I got one for the bday boy, they asked him what he wanted. Oh well, this time around, I probably couldn't have taken any additional food anyways. haha.

The bday boy got the same thing. Dream $6~ (All Banana Cream Pie ice cream and loaded with all the toppings: whipped cream, chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, strawberry sauce, peanuts, pecans, sprinkles, waffle cone crumble topped with a marachino cherry). 

Damns! You couldn't even tell what was under there after they put all the toppings on. You definitely can't pick that up with your hands! haha. It was a big ol' mess to eat, but he ate it all. He also ate the 2nd scoop and waffle cone from my other friend. This boy can put down the sugar for sure.

A little pricey but it is more of a novelty and they use really good quality ice cream. And I think I like donut ice cream sandwiches better than cookie ice cream sandwiches. It's a little less sweet and much easier to eat! I'll go back next time when I have someone to share with!

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

Whiskey Cake

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 ~~

Whiskey Cake Brunch

This past Sunday was St. Paddy's Day! We went for a late brunch at Whiskey Cake. I've only been to Whiskey Cake for brunch once and I remembered it being really good. And I just love this place in general... they frequently change their menu because they use seasonal and local ingredients. So I get to try new things from time to time. 

Whiskey Cake 
3601 Dallas Pkwy 
 Plano, TX 75093 
(972) 993-2253 
http://www.whiskey-cake.com/ 
Price: $$ 

My bf has never been there before and it's one of the main places in Plano I've been meaning to take him. I hope I didn't hype it up too much!! haha. 

There was a line waiting when we got there... It was almost 2PM! Crazy.. But we lucked out and they had tables outside. It was a little chilly but a table opened up under the heat lamps and they gladly let us move there. We also had the fireplace on the side. :) 

They changed all the brunch items since I've been there last. I wanted to try everything!! Guess I'll have to go back again soon. hehe. 

French Toast Switch-Up (a new creation whenever the mood strikes us) $11~ Their creation that day was French toast with fresh nectarines, pistachios, whipped cream cheese sauce, and maple syrup. 

He had been craving French toast for a long time now so immediately decided on that. It was an awesome choice. So delicious and nice to look at. I liked how they presented the plate. I also loved the fact that they put the sauce/pistachios/nectarines in every layer instead of just on top! Everything tasted so fresh. The nectarines are in season and were just the perfect sweetness and very juicy. It was a very filling dish but surprisingly not too heavy. And all the flavor combos worked together beautifully. I'd have to say it's one of the best French toasts I've had in a long time!! Now I'm curious what they're going come up with next! :) 

Skillet "Reuben" Hash & Eggs (sweet potato corned beef hash, melted fontina cheese, up eggs, hollandaise Louie) $12~ 

I got the eggs over medium. Since we got a sweet dish, I decided on a savory dish. I love hash AND sweet potato AND eggs. haha. There was nothing wrong in this combo. It was served on a cute square skillet. It didn't look very big but was a hefty dish. The salty corned beef hash with the sweetness of the sweet potato paired very well together. It had tons of flavor in every bite! The egg was just runny enough when I cut through it. And the hollandaise Louie added another depth of flavor. It was a little oily, but overall super yummy. The perfect compliment to the sweet French toast. 

I just wanted to mention that they use Farm fresh eggs from Noble Family Farms in Greenville, Texas. I really like the whole seasonal/local approach and I'm glad to see that trend gaining popularity in Dallas. 

To go with our meals we had ordered some drinks. I got Grow a Pear (Freshly juiced bosc pear, fennel, ginger, local honey, lemon juice) $5~ The name was pretty funny. haha. It was interesting. Very light and refreshing. I can definitely taste the fennel and ginger. I wished it was a bit sweeter though. I wouldn't order it again though. Once the food came, it overpowered the drink. 

He got an Irish Coffee (Jameson Irish Whiskey, cinnamon simple, spiced bitters, Oak Cliff Roasters coffee, hand whipped cream) $9~ It IS St. Patrick's Day after all! Can't go the day without something Irish! It was pretty with the whipped cream on top and I loved the little handle on the glass. I'm not a whiskey or coffee fan, but it was pretty good. And he loved it. It was a good start to Sunday brunch. 

We were pretty full after the entrees but since he's never been here before he HAD to try their whiskey cake! That's the whole reason I wanted to take him there! The whiskey cake is one of my favorite cakes in Dallas. 

Whiskey Cake (with fresh whipped cream) $8~ 

We got a corner piece! YAYYYY! I love the slightly caramelized edges. :) Topped with the candied pecans and freshly whipped cream...it's always yummy. He loved it. Good! I did not disappoint. hehe. And he liked the fluffy inside more so I got all the edges I want. :D 

It was an awesome brunch. I think the brunch menu options at Whiskey Cake is my favorite there. I mean the regular menu is fine, but I rather try everything on the brunch menu more! Our waitress was pretty good too...very friendly and timely. Definitely need to make it back soon and try something new. I highly recommend brunch there if you haven't been. Keep in mind they don't take reservations though. And they're very busy most of the time so there might be a wait... It's worth it!! 

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~