Addison Food Truck Festival

This past Saturday was the Addison Food Truck Festival at Vitruvian Park. I didn't even know this part of Addison existed! It was a pretty cool area with some niiiice apartments.

Vitruvian Park
3875 Ponte Ave
Addison, TX 75001

I thought I'd give this festival a try since The Belgian Waffle truck from Austin was back in Dallas for the week. They ran out before I got to try it at the TX Food Truck Festival a few weeks back so this was my chance again.

The festival was from 3-10PM. Considering everything was sold out by the time I got to the last festival around 7:30PM, this time I was determined to go earlier. I met up with a few friends there around 4:45PM. I was happy to see that there were no lines at all! But I quickly learned that it's because it was freakishly hot... Oh well, better make the most of it!

We walked down the street to see all the trucks first. There were about 12-14 trucks during the course of the festival. Most of them I've seen before but not tried.

We stopped first at The Butcher's Son. I've seen their menu online and it all looked delicious but my friends have had some bad experiences with them. I was a little weary but the menu just looked so amazing.

Especially The Dead Elvis Slider (nutella, peanut butter and bacon on a Brioche slider roll) $2.89~ We HAD to get it...this is something you don't pass up. It was amazing. I'm still dreaming about it. So simple but so delicious. The gooey, melty, creamy peanut butter and nutell with the salty and crispy bacon inside the soft buttery brioche. Everything worked together and there was just enough elements of everything. If you don't like sweet+savory, just go ahead and skip this. But if you love it, this is for you! I would eat this over and over again. I thought their pricing was a bit odd though. Why not just round up to $3 or at least $2.90?

We also got the Southern Hospitality Slider (buttermilk fried chicken tenderloin, garlic potato spread and white country gravy on a Brioche slider roll) $2.89~

This didn't compare to the Dead Elvis but was still yummy. The chicken was fried well and really juicy. There was just the right amount of mashed potato and gravy. And I always love brioche! I think it would be awesome if they made a jalapeno gravy or had the option of adding some sliced jalapenos or something.

I think they have better sliders than Easy Slider truck. The elements and flavors were better.

Overall:


I tell everyone about the Coolhaus truck. I'm always interested in seeing what crazy new flavors they have. And it was great that there were no lines because we got to sample a bunch of the different flavors.

I ended up sharing the Hot Cake Cookies (fluffy pancake with real maple bits) with cherry cheesecake ice cream $5.50~

The cookie was fantastic. We all agreed. I especially liked the crunchy maple (toffee-like) bits in the cookie. The ice cream was nice with slight tartness from the cherry. Although I ate a piece of the cherry itself and it was a little too sour for me. I can't handle sour stuff...

My other friend got Hot Cake Cookies (fluffy pancake with real maple bits) with coffee Oreo heckman ice cream $5.50~

I loved the coffee flavor with the hot cake cookie. I didn't care for the oreo bits. For one they were too big and kinda made it too sweet. Plain coffee ice cream would've been perfect.

Overall:


Nammi (Vietnamese Food Truck) 
My friend wanted the Grilled Pork Banh Mi (Vietnamese sandwich on 12" baguette with garlic mayonnaise, cucumbers, pickled daikons & carrots, jalapenos, cilantro) $7~

I still think Nammi has the best bang for your buck when it comes to their portions. And I like their bread a lot. But I feel like the texture of their pork is a bit off...too soft almost?

Later, another friend got the Tofu Banh Mi (Vietnamese sandwich on 12" baguette with garlic mayonnaise, cucumbers, pickled daikons & carrots, jalapenos, cilantro) $7~

I just tried a piece of the tofu. I actually really liked it. I thought it was better than the pork. I tasted a bit of lemongrass I think. He said it was a bit too salty though after eating the whole thing.

Overall:


I've heard great things about Ruthie's Rolling Cafe so I've wanted to try them for a while.  

We got a Build Your Own Grilled Cheese (Hippie Health bread, pepper jack cheese, chicken, caramelized onions) $8+~

OMG!! So expensive for a grilled cheese! I had really high hopes for it. But once we got it, I knew I was going to be disappointed. It was NOT worth the price at all. It was so flat! And they used deli chicken... At least use a better cut of meat or something. And for a grilled cheese, it wasn't very cheesy. I expect grilled cheese to have melty cheese gooey and oozing out the sides. This one barely had cheese in there...

And the flavors were quite one dimensional. I ended up going to the Nammi truck and put some sriracha on it. Made ALL the difference in the world!! I think I would've paid MAX $3 for this. At least now I know... :(

Overall:


Finally, I was able to get my waffle from The Belgian Waffle Truck! Initially I was going to get the Cinnamon waffle but I asked about their Chocolate Waffle thinking that it was a chocolate batter. The guy was really nice and explained that they do the chocolate waffle in 2 ways. One is traditionally Belgium with the chocolate injected into the waffle. Another option is a regular waffle with nutella on top. The traditional one sounded a lot more interesting so I changed my order to that.

Chocolate Waffle de Liege (with whipped cream) $6~

This is pretty pricey for just a piece of waffle. And I noticed that they use canned whipped cream... For the price I would think it would be fresh. The service was good but the wait for the waffle was wayyy too long. I think we waited about 10-15 minutes for our order considering there wasn't a line in front of the truck. All the people in front were waiting. Finally I got my waffle. It smelled great. And was hot straight off the griddle. But then I cut into it... The outside was overcooked and slightly rubbery while the inside wasn't cooked through. I wonder if they tried to speed up the cooking process by upping the heat but then it just ended up cooking the outside too much and not enough on the inside. Blah! The chocolate sauce was nice but it was such a disappointment. :( Next time I want a great waffle dessert, I'll just go back to Sweet Mix! (If you haven't had their waffle sandwiches, you must go!) Plus you get more there for the money.

Overall:


By about 7-7:30PM or so, the crowd started picking up and it was cooling off. It was a cool area because people living in the apartments were coming over with their coolers and blankets and stuff. I think in the future the organizing party needs to put up more shaded seating areas. It was really a beating to be out in the sun from 5-7pm... But I'd say it was a much better festival experience than the one at Valley View Mall a few weeks ago. I doubt I'll be going to much more now that we're entering summer though. haha. Until the fall...

Overall Festival:


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Townhouse @ Galleria

On Friday I went to Townhouse at the Galleria with some friends. I had purchased a Living Social coupon a while back and it's time to cash it in!

Townhouse Kitchen + Bar
13270 Dallas Parkway
Dallas, TX 75240
(972) 300-0986
http://www.townhousedallas.com/
Price: $$-$$$

I've met friends there before but didn't actually eat there. I like the decor of the place but it's so big... I wonder if they ever fill all the tables. I've heard that it's usually pretty dead. :(

We had a party of 9 and I didn't make a reservation given the reviews that they are not that busy. The hostess was really nice and told us to wait a few minutes while they put the tables together.

We got there around 6:30PM to catch the tail end of their happy hour which ends at 7PM. Happy Hour is Mon-Fri 3-7PM. We started off with some happy hour appetizer specials. (I've included the original price and happy hour prices.)

Deviled Eggs $5~ ($3)

The eggs were topped with Sriracha which was a great move for anything. I really liked it. It was creamy and spicy. But also a tad too salty... For $3, I thought it was a great deal!

BBQ Duck Quesadilla (with blueberry-lime salsa) $12~ ($6)

This was one item I really wanted to try but was disappointing. The flavors weren't that great and the texture of the duck wasn't that appetizing either. The salsa was good though, it really helped the quesadilla. My friend actually said it reminded him of something from Taco Bell. Yikes. Definitely not worth the full price if you don't go at happy hour.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus $8~ ($5)

I quite liked the hummus on the sliced cucumber. The cucumber was crisp and refreshing and the hummus had good flavor. The pita chips seemed a bit stale though.

Crispy Calamari $9~ ($5) Pretty standard calamari. The flavor was good and the batter was crispy.

For the entrees, there were so many items I wanted, but after the appetizers I was already getting full. haha. I ended up splitting the BLT Wedge Salad (with blue cheese dressing) $8~ with a friend.

This way I can still sample everything else and not totally stuff myself! haha! They were really cool and split the salad for us. (So the picture you see is only half the salad.) The salad was fresh, lettuce was crisp. There was just a bit more dressing than I preferred but overall just what I wanted as a lighter dinner.

My bf got the Pecan Pork Chops (bourbon glaze; with side of broccolini and jalapeno bacon hash browns) $21~

Originally it came with 2 other side dishes but they let him substitute. YAY! So I got to try the 2 sides I really wanted to taste. The pork chop was just a tad overcooked and so was a little dry. But with the sauce I thought it was still good. The bourbon pecan glaze was quite sweet but I love savory and sweet together. If you don't like that combo as much, then this dish is not for you. The broccolini was cooked well and I really liked the hash. A few bites with jalapeno actually had a spicy kick. I couldn't really see the bacon in there, but I definitely got the flavor. The saltiness of the hash worked well with the sweet glaze.

A few friends got the Townhouse Burger (gouda, arugula, bacon jam; with side of hand-cut fries) $13~

The bacon jam sounded interesting...and it's exactly what it was. You get bits of bacon and it's slightly sweet. I thought the burger was pretty good. I especially liked the bun...buttery...Mmmmm!

Asian Turkey Burger (pho spices, sriracha aioli; with side of hand-cut fries) $12~

We were all interested in this burger. Pho spices? I've never seen anyone use that in a burger before and can't go wrong with sriracha aioli! hehe. It was decent. The bun was more of a wheat/grain bread and it got soggy pretty quick, I wasn't a fan. The burger flavor was good but none of us could really tell the "pho" flavor. My favorite part was actually the slaw that was on top of the patty. It was crisp and refreshing and added a nice contrast of texture.

I've read many reviews where people complained about their service. I guess we got lucky then! The hostess was really nice and our waiter was great. He checked on us a lot and answered all our questions. My friend had ordered a cocktail which they served in a chilled flute and half way through the meal, our waiter brought a new chilled glass and poured the rest of her cocktail into it. That was a nice touch. :) The only thing that threw me was that he brought the check without asking us if we wanted coffee or desserts or anything. Luckily we weren't planning on ordering those anyways so it didn't bother me as much. We lingered around and chatted for a long time after that. They didn't try to get rid of us or anything so I appreciated that. And during the course of dinner, business was actually not bad. I'd say at one point 75% of the place was filled.

I would go back. There are some more items on the menu I'd like to try. Hopefully they stick around for a while.

Quality of Food:

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Overall Experience:



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Brunch @ Marquee Grill

Last Sunday I met up with a group of friends I haven't seen in forever!! We were finally able to get everyone together for brunch. I suggested Marquee Grill in Highland Park because I've been dying to go there! Ever since it opened with Chef Tre Wilcox (from Top Chef) as the executive chef, it's been at the top of my list.

Marquee Grill
33 Highland Park Vlg.
Dallas, TX 75205
(214) 522-6035
http://marqueegrill.com/
Price (for brunch): $$
 
I was able to make a reservation for our party of 11 plus 2 babies really easily, the girl that took my call was super nice.

My bf and I were the last 2 to arrive. I saw Chef Tre talking to someone on the side right as we walked in. Yay! I was hoping he would be there!

We were seated in a long table by the window. It was nice and bright, perfect for brunch. The restaurant is nice. I liked the decor which was slightly Art Deco with a hint of modern. I didn't see the upstairs though. I heard the bar upstairs was nice too.

The waiter took our drink orders and we looked over the menu. I was a little disappointed because some of the items on the online menu were no longer available. :( They need to do some updating on their website!

After making our orders we got some complimentary bread. Mini basil corn muffins, cheese and sesame flatbread crisps. I really liked the muffins especially the addition of basil inside. It added an extra freshness to the buttery bread.

I already knew what I wanted going into the brunch. I've heard lots of good things about this dish and it's got everything I love. "Bacon" & Waffles (house cured pork belly, buttermilk waffles, huckleberry maple syrup) $12~

I can't pass up anything with pork belly in it. It's probably one of my most favorite cuts of meat. The plate looked a little plain but everything also looked delicious. The pork belly had a nice sheen from the caramelization of the sauce. I liked the slight crispiness on the outside of the pork belly a lot, and it was tender on the inside. It had just the right amount of fat in the middle so I didn't feel like I was eating just chunks of fat. The waffles had good texture and wasn't too sweet. It held up to the pork well. The huckleberry syrup was also good. It wasn't too sweet on the waffles. I was wishing for some freshness though. If it came with some greens or fresh fruit on the side it would've made it better. It was yummy but I think I still prefer the chicken and waffles combination. hehe.

My bf wanted the tuna which was no longer offered on the menu so he opted for the Marquee Grill Beeman Burger (bourbon ancho sauce, cipollini onions, cheddar, bacon, cajun parmesan fries) $15~

The burger here is also highly rated so being the burger buff he is, my bf decided to get it. The burger looked good. The ingredients were fresh. The meat was flavorful and juicy but there wasn't anything special about it. My favorite part (other than the awesome fries) was actually the bread. It was a good burger but we both agreed it's not the best we've had by a long shot...not for the price anyways.

Some other dishes my friends ordered included: Steak & Eggs (grilled flat iron steak, scrambled eggs, truffle butter, potato hash) $16~

It looked pretty good but a bit simplistic. I didn't get to taste or any feedback from my friend.

A third of the group all got the Southwest Chicken Sandwich (avocado pico, citrus slaw, cajun parmesan fries) $12~

It was a pretty big sandwich. And again, everyone loved the fries. They said the sandwich was good, but didn't rave about it.

Special of the Day: Classic Eggs Benedict (with side of potato hash). This looked really yummy. My friend cleaned his dish so I assume it's pretty tasty.  

We were finishing up our food and I've been talking about this butternut squash ice cream I saw on their website. We got the dessert menu, and it's not there either! Boooo... I guess it's a seasonal flavor. So none of us opted for dessert, we were all pretty stuffed.

However, I asked the waiter if we could meet the chef. He wasn't too thrilled about it and said something like the chef might be too busy or something but he'll ask. As he walked away one of my friends said that the waiter wasn't very good. She had been to Marquee Grill a few times before and have had great service. I told her that online reviews have mentioned that their service is hit or miss. Guess we got the miss this time around. He wasn't that bad, but it definitely wasn't up to the caliber of the type of restaurant this was. He later came back and said that the chef was busy prepping a party for later that night so he couldn't come over. I'm disappointed. It doesn't take that long to come say hi at the table and at one point my friend saw him just standing around the kitchen. I was sad that we weren't important enough for 2 minutes of his time. :( Sigh. It was one of the main reasons I chose this place to meet!

Anyways, the waiter brought the check. Just one check. So we called him back and asked if he could split it. I turned back to the table and started pointing out to him who were on the same checks together and my friend says "oh he already walked away..." WTH... Made me feel kinda dumb.

It was great to see everyone and catch up but the overall dining experience was eh. The food was good but I expected more. And I definitely expected more from the service and hospitality. It might just be one of those off days other people posted about. If I'm in the area, I'm still up for checking out their happy hour. I heard they make pretty good drinks.

Quality of Food:

Service:

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Value:

Overall Experience:


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