Origin Kitchen + Bar

My wedding planning has officially commenced, y'all! Last Saturday was my very first bridal show... I went with a friend of mine who is getting married this fall and some of her bridesmaids. Mine isn't until mid 2016 so I've only just begun. And it's only been a week so far... I'm already stressed! Venues are soooo expensive! XP We'll see what happens, I guess. I just know we gotta have some damn good food!! haha.

Anyways, this is about food, not the planning. The bridal show was in the afternoon so we decided to go for Sunday brunch beforehand. My friend told me that she started a cleanse so she can't have any meat and sugar for several days. So I suggested Origin. I've been wanting to go there for awhile and they seem to have healthier options.

Origin Kitchen + Bar
4438 Mckinney Ave. Ste. 150
Dallas, TX 75205
(214) 484-3970
http://originkitchenandbar.com
Price (for brunch): $$

I made a reservation for 6 of us at 11:30AM on Sunday. Good thing I did, cuz the place was pretty packed when we got there and by the time we got our food, the bar was overflowing with people waiting for a table. It's a pretty small space with an open kitchen and bar. I really liked the decor...lots of wood, rustic... that whole farm-to-table feel that became so popular lately. I really like that vibe.

Our waiter was really nice. He gave some suggestions to my friend who was on the strict diet and helped her pick out a dish. Everything sounded so good...we all had a hard time choosing what to order.

I had so many options to choose from but decided on The Diamond Head (blackened salmon, basil pesto, arugula, lemon aioli, toasted ciabatta, choice of side) $15~ For my side I ordered the Brussels Sprouts (normally $5~)

To be honest, having the ability to choose a side to go with my dish helped me make my decision cuz I really wanted the brussels sprouts. haha. And they were delicious. Charred perfectly... I still don't know how restaurants char their brussels sprouts cuz I can never get it to that level. The salmon comes in ciabatta but I saw on Yelp that someone got it in a pita. I asked the waiter and he says they can totally do that. It was so good! The salmon was cooked well, had so much flavor. The pita was warm and soft. The basil pesto and lemon aioli paired so well with everything. I was hoping I could take some to go but I finished everything! It was a good size too cuz I was full but not exploding. When we got the check I did notice there was a $1 extra charge for getting the brussels sprouts. The menu didn't indicate the upcharge and neither did the waiter when we ordered, but he told me later that because the brussels sprouts was a dollar more than the other sides, there's an extra $1 charge. Hmmm.. wish I had known that. But I don't think that would've really changed my order. Still, after tax and tip... I didn't think I'd spend over $20... 

My friend on the cleanse got the Seasonal Hash Bowl (two eggs your way, sweet potato, apple, bacon, toasted sunflower seed, dried currants, golden raisins) $8~ She had them replace the bacon with avocado so she can stay on track. It was a big portion. The sweet potatoes were cooked well. She really enjoyed it.

Man Cakes (Berkshire pork tenderloin, buttermilk pancakes, eggs your way, jalapeno jelly) $15~ This sounded amazing. I think the girl who ordered this was expecting a big portion. I think we all were. I mean... with a name like "Man Cakes" I want it to be a manly portion! It was pretty small. When they brought it to the table we all looked down and kinda laughed. She said it was good though. She finished it all and then ate the rest of her friend's dish. haha.

The King (vanilla French toast, rum spiced caramel, grilled banana, sea salt almond butter mousse, bacon) $15~ This looked awesome. We were all wishing we ordered it when it came. I got to try a bite. Yummmm! I loved the almond butter mousse. The toast was done well too. I'd get this next time I go.

Wake Up Omelette (chorizo, pickled jalapeno, Dallas mozzarella, avocado lime creme, frites) $12~ Looked like a pretty standard omelette... a little small, but my friend said it was tasty. The fries were really good. We couldn't stop eating them.

It was a great meal. I think everyone liked what they ordered. It took a while for the food to come out though, I wonder if that is normal since they were really busy. And most of the dishes came out at the same time except one... But we weren't in a rush so no worries. I'll definitely go back!

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

Opa Greek Taverna

My fiance recently told me about a Greek restaurant that was close to Rockwall. We decided to check it out last weekend. It's in Rowlett...only about 15 minutes away from us.

Opa Greek Taverna
3801 Lakeview Parkway, Suite 600
Rowlett, TX 75088
(469) 443-0508
http://oparowlett.com
Price: $$

Once we got there, I realized I had driven past this place many times and didn't think anything of it. It's not a big place. We didn't think to call ahead or reserve on a Friday night so when we got there, they were full. Luckily there were 2 seats open at the bar. We asked them to let us know when something opens up.

The bartender greeted us, he was really friendly. My fiance looked at the cocktail menu and decided to try Poseidon's Punch (served in a 32 oz. mason jar; 1 1/4 oz. shots of Bacardi Silver, Bacardi Gold, and Blue Curacao; mixed with orange juice and another shot of Bacardi 151) $9.99~ 

I wasn't really planning on drinking so I didn't really read the description that closely. So when the bartender started making it... I was like "whoa!!!" It was a massive mason jar. My fiance was in shock too. haha. He said he read the "32 oz." but didn't fully realize how much that is. It was a really pretty and colorful drink with a whole lotta booze in it. He liked it but it was too strong for me so I couldn't help much. We only made it through about half of the jar. Definitely for sharing!

As we were getting ready to order at the bar, the hostess told us there was a table open for us. It was an awkwardly placed table right in front of the entrance, I felt like it was out of place. And it was cold... We sat there looking at the menu some more, even though we were ready to order, and no one ever came to greet us. We didn't even have waters yet. So finally we flagged down a waitress. It didn't seem like it was her table but she was very apologetic and went to get some waters for us. Then she came back and took our orders. The serviced picked up from there. She was really friendly. I noticed that a booth opened up and asked if we could move over there. It was much better, no cold breeze when the front door opened and closed.

Falafel (crushed garbanzo beans, parsley, and spices all rolled together, fried, and served with Tzatziki sauce) $5.49~ 

We got this as an appetizer but somehow it was served last. It was nice and hot though so I guess they were making it from scratch? The falafels had a nice crispy crust. I've had better, but we enjoyed it.

I went with the Moussaka (layers of eggplant, potatoes, seasoned ground beef, topped with a creamy Bechamel and tomato sauce) $11.89~ 

It was highly recommended by the bartender when we were at the bar. This is one of the only dishes where I'll eat eggplant. Usually I hate it. It was fantastic. Lots of flavor, tons of meat and eggplant and the sauce was great. Their pita bread on the side was warm and pillowy. Great dish...and I haven't had Greek food in a long time! Hit the spot.

Original Gyros Platter (layers of lamb and beef thinly sliced off the rotisserie; served with pita bread and Tzatziki sauce; with choice of one side: Greek Roasted Potatoes) $11.99~ 

Initially he was gonna get the gyro pita but changed his mind because this had more food. Again, Greek is the only time I'll eat lamb... I love gyro meat. I can't taste the lamby-ness at all. The meat was super tender. It was so good with the pita bread. I also love Greek potatoes. Nice and soft, lots of flavor. Another great dish.

Galaktoboureko (warm custard wrapped in phyllo, baked until golden, smothered in homemade syrup) $5.99~ 

 

We decided to try this dessert partly because the name was just so hard to pronounce. haha. The description also sounded delicious. It was fresh out of the oven/fryer, whatever they did. Super crispy on the outside, sweet and sticky from the syrup, and soft custard inside. Lots of textures. Yum. And it was big too! We took a third of it to go cuz we got too much food... as usual. :P

What a great find! I absolutely love Greek food and now there's a good one close to us. :) I have a feeling we'll be going back there soon.

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

NYE Eve @ Roy's

I kinda wrote this out of order... but oh wellz.

For NYE Eve, my fiance and I went to Roy's... our favorite place for special occasions. :) Also because they recently put out a new prix fixe menu which sounded awesome! We already had plans for NYE to eat dinner with my parents, so this was our fancy night out.

Roy's - Plano
2840 Dallas Parkway
Plano, TX 75093
(972) 473-6263
www.roysrestaurant.com/locations/tx/plano
Price: $$$$+

We arrived early for our 6PM reservation... we're old farts.. I know. :P I prefer to eat dinner pretty early. The place was pretty packed when we got there. So he went to the bar and hit up the happy hour while we waited for our table. Their hh goes until 6:30 or 7PM everyday. :)

Soon we got seated. Our waitress was super nice, as usual. We rarely have bad service here. And we already knew what we wanted to order.

We got the normal edamame with shichimi for the table. But they also brought out some compliments from the kitchen: Fried Duck Dumplings. 

Oooooo! Amuse-bouches are not standard here... although I've had a few since I've been there so much. The plate was so cute! The outside was fried nicely and the inside was creamy and rich. It was a good little bite. :)

We came here to try the new Creative Northeast Asia Prix Fixe menu. The 3 course meal is $36.95~ (not including tax or tip).

We started with the Grilled Filet Mignon Yakitori (shoyu, cucumber, yuzu kosho). 

It was a pretty big appetizer I thought. And although I found the meat to be a little underseasoned, it was sooooo tender. I was about to cut it with a knife, but it was completely unnecessary. Super super tender!!

Pumpkin Seed Crusted Ahi (kabocha squash dumplings, bok choy, citrus emulsion). 

The plating was very pretty and colorful...but not a big portion. The tuna was fresh and I liked the pumpkin seed crust. The kabocha dumplings were pretty good, similar to gnocchi in texture I'd say. But the plate lacked seasoning overall. It was very light in taste. I wish there was more sauce than that little smear in the middle of the plate. However, my fiance had a genius plan. He asked for extra wasabi cream sauce that they use in the Misoyaki Butterfish (which I ordered for myself) and it was awesome. That sauce can go on anything! The manager came over at one point and we got to chatting and he actually said he's put that sauce on mashed potatoes before! Sounds divine!

Apple Tasting (five spice cake, bruleed apples, apple gelee, caramel sauce). 

Since we got a dessert with the prix fixe, we didn't order another one. When the waitress brought it, I was like "whoa!" It's a pretty big cake! And it was very pretty, I loved the different types of apple chips, bruleed apples, and apple skin? on top. She did say the skin was more for decoration... may not be good to eat. We both really liked the bruleed apples with the crunchy layer of burnt sugar on top. I also really liked the gelee and sauce, gave the cake the moisture it desperately needed. I can totally taste the five spice and I liked the flavors overall, but the cake itself was too dry. And there wasn't enough sauce to make it better. I think a bit more caramel sauce, maybe a few dollops of whipped cream would work wonders. Or even better... a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Mmmm. Just a thought. :P

Of course I got the Misoyaki "Butterfish" (Alaskan Black Cod, baby bok choy, furikake rice) $34.60~ It's my absolute favorite, can never go wrong. The fish was melt in your mouth tender. And the sauce is always amaze-balls and the green is gorgeous on the plate. Thumbs wayyy up!

Ohh.. and the cherry on top... the couple in the table next to ours gave us a $25 off coupon as they were leaving. They got 2 in the mail and said one was to give to a "friend". Thanks friends!! It definitely made our night even better. :)

Another great meal. Everyone was so friendly, the food was good.... my butterfish still trumps all! Can't wait to go back again. Maybe I'll try something new next time... haha.

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~