Dallas Restaurants~Bolla

I'd like to start this post of with a disclaimer. Mike and I do not extravagantly eat out a lot.  We may eat out more than the average couple, but we usually eat dinner at home more times a week than we eat at a restaurant. 
Just to make myself feel better and justify our eating out; we bring lunch from home almost every day.  This is partially to eat healthy and to save money.

A couple of weeks ago we went on a real "date" and got all dolled up to go to Bolla at the Stoneleigh hotel in the heart of Dallas.  I had bought a Travelzoo deal, and had to use the coupon before mid-October.  The meal started off with two glasses of wine.

Seared Sea Scallop with Smoked Cheddar Grits, Spinach, and Red Eye Gravy. This appetizer was recommended by our server and it was a great start to the rest of our meal!

Intermezzo-Cucumber sorbet with tomato. I thought that this was a refreshing palate cleanser. 

Baked Seabass with parsnip puree, brussels sprouts, and citrus salsa

I wanted to order the seabass, but was skeptical about eating the parsnip puree and brussel sprouts. Our server ensured that the brussels sprouts were not bitter and that only the delicate leaves of the brussels would be served.  Our server was right, and I actually enjoyed the brussels sprouts.

Prime Ribeye with whisky goat cheese potatoes, hen of the woods mushrooms, served with a Zinfandel Redux.

Mike ordered the prime rib and was a little underwhelmed with the dish. The meat was a bit chewy, but the flavor was good. I really enjoyed the cheese potatoes (see the picture below).

Look at the presentation of those potatoes. It was served with an extremely crispy pieces of bacon.

Patron Cafe Bread Pudding. The bread pudding was heavier than I would have liked, but we were stuffed from consuming the rest of our courses, that it did not matter.  

Bolla

The Stoneleigh Hotel & Spa

2927 Maple Avenue
Dallas, Texas 75201
800-921-8498

Dallas Restaurants~Abacus

It's that time of the year again. th KRLD Restaurant Week! This past Tuesday my book club friends and I visited Kent Rathbun's Abacus restaurant. Kent Rathbun was one of the few chefs that actually won against the Iron Chef's on the TV Food Network. I would classify Abacus as a fine dining restaurant with an Asian flair. 

We started the dinner off with lobster shooters. EVERYONE talks about the lobster shooters. If you check out the yelp.com reviews, people rave about these deep-fried lobster won-tons in a coconut curry sauce. The presentation is cute and served using a sake set and the sauce is poured over the won-tons.

There were five of us there. Guess who had the extra shooter? Me! I guess I should not open my mouth and say that someone had to eat it before the wonton got really soggy.

Cumin crusted scallop sope, chipotle creama, and charred sweet corn relish

Soy marinated duck spring rolls, napa cabbage slaw, spicy peanut sauce, apricot syrup

Crispy Maryland softshell crab, meyer lemon aoili,living watercress, smoked tomato vinaigrette. This is what I ordered and it was delicious!

Intermezzo: Cucumber-Lime Spritzer

Pecan crusted pork chop, blue cheese polenta, fuji apple-golden raisin slaw, shiner bock bbq glaze. This picture does not do the pork chop justice. This piece of meat was dinosaur huge!

Blackened Trout, smoked tomato-jack cheese grits, crawfish-nantua butter. I debated between ordering the trout (who eats trout if you're from Hawaii?) and the salmon. The waiter recommended the trout and it was tasty.  I loved the crunchy grits and liked the cajun-asian flavors.   

Hickory grilled Kobe hanger steak, smoked marble potatoes, grilled leeks, applewood bacon-roasted garlic vinaigrette

 

Applewood Smoked Bacon "Shells and Cheese" Meh, this dish was mediocre. I had one bite and was overpowered by the strong massive amount of cheese.

Mixed berry buttermilk pie, Banana chocolate mousse cake with bananas foster sauce, Peach almond shortcake with orange liquor whip.  I was a bit underwhelmed by the desserts here. I felt that the appetizers and main dishes outshone the desserts.  

 Tonight we are off to Lonesome Dove with another bunch of friends.  Mike and I enjoyed Lonesome Dove last year so much that we chose to go back again this year!

Abacus

4511 McKinney Ave,

Dallas, TX 75205
214-559-3111

Dude, Sweet Chocolate

For the longest time, I've been wanting to go to a store called "Dude, Sweet Chocolate" far off in Oak Cliff (South Dallas). Last year, during a white elephant gift exchange at a Christmas party, I was fortunate (as compared to the Harry Potter Malfroy figurine Mike ended up with) to end up with a box of rose petal-containing truffles from this store. I do not even like rose flavored foods or rose petals, but found myself enjoying this strange combinations of flavor in this box of truffles.

Here's a picture of the different products Dude, Sweet Chocolate sells.

Dude, Sweet Chocolate is a tiny little store that almost looks like a warehouse.  One side of the store houses the kitchen where the chocolates are made (I think), and the other side serves as the store front. 
The saleperson was beyond generous with the chocolate samples. I think I tried about six different items, including an artisan chocolate (~$2/a piece).  The salesperson let us sample "crack in a box" which was like an extremely nutty rocky road. Dark chocolate coating a mixtures of macademia nuts, soy nuts, hazelnuts, and almonds.

We ended up purchasing a box of chocolate toffee and a box artisan chocolates. I really wanted to like the "Fungus Amoungus" which was a chocolate/toffee containing porcini mushrooms and pumpkin seeds-but the earthy musty flavor was a little too much for me. I kept thiking of moss and cleaning a stuffy room.
I also sampled the "Luchador" which was a chocolate toffee with apple butter and tamarind.
I settled on the "Vincotto" which contained red wine vinegar, figs, and argon oil. Mike and I didn't know what argon oil was and thought that it might be a chemical on the periodic table. We asked the salesperson and she said it was an oil from almonds or something. This toffee was pretty good.

I didn't realize it at the time, but after looking at the company's website did I find out that I bought the "DUDE" chocolates.  I think the chocolate flavors are geared to men's taste buds.  It's $12 for a box of six pieces.

This is a picture of the DUDE chocolates that came in the box I purchased. 
Parique -Louisanna tobacco, cognac
Irish Channel - Laphroaig Irish Whisky, pure pine
Marakesh - fresh dates, raz al hanout
Black Gold - black garlic, sweet wild mushrooms
Puro and Olive - 74% San Dominican, black olive salt
Miso Happy - red miso, tahini, black sesame

SWEET chocolates, that I decided against purchasing. I think I would have enjoyed the sweet chocolates better.  I did not care for any of the DUDE chocolates. Mike and I both concluded that some of the DUDE chocolates tasted like chemicals and had odd flavors too them. The best one that I could stomach was the black olive salt one.

Tahitian - passionfruit, ginger salt
Sassy Frasy - banana, sassaparilla, birch bark
Hill Country - Zip Code honey, lavender, Dallas Mozz. Co. goat crema
Lemon Buttermilk - fresh lemon, buttermilk
Indian Rose - rosepetal jam, marzipan
Baccus - Texas cabernet, golden raisin

I have mixed feelings about "Dude, Sweet Chocolate." I'd like to think I have an adventurous palate, but I'd prefer chocolates with simple flavors and additions. I admire Dude, Sweet Chocolates flavor experiments, but I think that the flavor combinations are too extreme for me.  My advice would be sample the adventurous flavors of chocolate prior to purchasing them. 

Dude, Sweet Chocolate is a  small cute hip place to visit in Oak Cliff. I kind of enjoyed my first visit to the Oak Cliff, Bishop Arts District. It kind of reminds me of West End in Brisbane, Australia or what I imagine Portland, Oregon would feel like. 

Dude, Sweet Chocolate
408 West 8th Street
Dallas, TX 75208
(214) 943-5943

Texas Restaurants~Lawry's The Prime Rib

One of my friends that I go running with recommended Lawry's The Prime Rib restaurant.  She's a deal-hunter too and told me that there is a coupon for a BOGO Sunday brunch in the Entertainment Book.  So what did Mike and I do?  We went there at 1:30pm for "lunner" (lunch +dinner).  Of course Mike did not agree to skipping out on dinner, but he was excited to go to this fine dining establishment for lunner. 

We started the meal off with complementary orange juice and mimosas, blueberry muffins, and sourdough bread. The blueberry muffins were delicious, soft on the inside, and crunchy on the outside. 

Each entree came with a starter. Mike chose the Wild Mushroom Bisque.  It was a rich, potent soup that was a bit on the heavy side. It kind of reminded me a cross between gravy and a mushroom soup. I enjoyed sampling Mike's soup and thought that it could be a meal on it's own. 

I chose Lawry's famous "spinning bowl salad" as my starter. Our waiter put all of my vegetables into a stainless steel mixing bowl that was atop crushed ice and then started spinning the bowl. While the bowl was spinning he added in the dressing. 

I ordered the crab cakes egg benedict (~$18) with my hollandaise on the side. I know I know, why did I do that?  I am not a fan of soggy textures. I want to enjoy crispy crabcakes, not crabcakes soaked in hollandaise sauce. 

Mike ordered a cut of roast prime rib ($32), which was served table side.  Doesn't his food look wonderful? I'm not a connoisseur of meat, but I felt like I've tasted better prime rib.  Mike felt the same way as I did, but then again he finished his meal. 

Yorkshire Pudding

The service at Lawry's was superb! There was never a time when my water glass was less than half empty.  The food up until the main dish was wonderful. I'm on the fence whether I would recommend this restaurant. The prices were reasonable too, especially when we used the coupon. The entree prices included the mimosas and the starter dish. 

I think that we may have ordered the wrong dishes, but how could you go wrong with prime rib at a prime rib restaurant?  Mike said that he doesn't need to go back to Lawry's, but I'm willing to give it another chance.   

Lawry's The Prime Rib
14655 Dallas Parkway
Dallas, Texas 75254
(972) 503-6688

Texas Restaurants~Nobu

I picked this restaurant without knowing very much about the Nobu restaurant.  I told my mom that I was thinking about canceling this reservation and she mentioned that the Nobu's Hawaii location was receiving good reviews.  Mike and I decided to make this past Saturday a date night and went to the Dallas Symphony's Gershwin Favorites concerts after our dinner at Nobu. 

Here's Nobu's Restaurant Week menu.

Mixed Green Salas with Matsuhisa "Soy Onion" Dressing and Miso Soup.

For a few minutes, I could not figure out why I wasn't enjoying the salad as much as Mike. Then I realized there was wasabi in the dressing (I do not like wasabi).  Mike realized it before me and was surprised that I had been eating the salad.  My salad was then transferred to Mike's side of the table.

 Appetizer: California Roll

Appetizer: Chef's Choice-Rainbow Roll

Beef Tenderloin with Wasabi Pepper Sauce

Mike chose this against his instinct.  He knew that another beef dish would wane in comparison to the steak we ate at Tim Love's Lonesome Dove. 

Chef's Choice Restaurant Week Special Dish-Sea bass cooked tempura-style with two dipping sauces and chips.  I think this was a upscale version of Japanese fish and chips. 

Green Tea and Mango Mochi Ice Cream

Nobu's recap. We enjoyed d the food at Nobu's and probably would have liked it more if we hadn't gone to Lonesome Dove the week prior. The sushi was at par to your average sushi back home in Hawaii (yeah, we are spoiled), and overall, it's hard for us to compare mainland Japanese food to Japanese food served in Hawaii.

While we were enjoying our dinner at Nobu's, Mike and I ranked our favorite restaurant that we dined at.  We decided that Lonesome Dove was the overall winner for our favorite restaurant.  Nobu's won for best ambiance. Loft 610 came in a close second for best main dish, but Mike's complaint was that the portion was smaller than he wanted. 

Oh and here's a random anecdote:
A few weeks ago, I was asked how Mike and I can afford to eat at all these expensive restaurants.  I replied that it was "Restaurant Week" so the meals were cheaper.  Then my co-worker said, "Are you guys DINKS?"  I gave him a blank stare.  He then replied, "Dual Income, No Kids."  Never heard that term before, but yes, we are DINKS.

Nobu
400 Crescent Court
Dallas, TX 75201
(214) 252-7000

Texas Restaurants~Fearing's

Back in 2009, I was at the Research Chefs Association's annual conference in Dallas and helped to plate some of Dean Fearing's food. We got to meet the chef and got to eat some of the food that he had prepared for one of the events.  At that time, I didn't realize that he was one a famous and popular chef in Dallas. I thought that the food was underwhelming, but not my cup of tea.  I decided to give Dean Fearing's food another shot, so last week  I went to a girl's night out at Fearing's, which is known for upscale southwestern food.  

 

 

Corn Muffin

Dean's Tortilla Soup with South of the Border Flavorings

Mesquite Grilled Wild Salmon Glazed with Apricot Barbecue Sauce,

Black-Eyed Peas and Living Watercress Salad (I ordered the salmon)

Chili Braised Short Ribs with Queso Fresco Corn Whipped Potatoes and Crispy Tobacco Onions

Watermelon/Jalapeno Glazed Berkshire Pork Tenderloin

on Sweet Corn Pan Stuffing with Gunbarrel City Greens and Fried Okra

Duo of Dessert

Caramel Brownie Sundae and Texas Peach Parfait

A lot of people that I talk to really enjoy this restaurant, after all it is supposed to be one of the best restaurants in Dallas, TX.  But I left the restaurant feeling the same way I did after eating Fearing's food back at the RCA conference.  The food was "okay" nothing spectacular or any dishes worth recommending.  Maybe the food was just "okay" because we ordered off the Restaurant Week menu.  Maybe the regular menu has better food options.  Maybe the atmosphere is more upscale and elegant in other parts of the restaurant (it seemed like all the Restaurant Week patrons were seated in a separate room from the main dining area).  Maybe my palate just doesn't like upscale southwestern food.  Maybe there was just too much hype around Fearing's being a great restaurant.  My conclusion is that there were too many "maybes" about the restaurant that I told Mike that it would not be worth his time and money to try Fearing's out.  
If I had left Mike home when I went to Lonesome Dove, there would be no question in my mind that I would say, "Mike, you have to try out Lonesome Dove, I'm sure you'd really enjoy it." But nope, I have the complete opposite opinion of Fearing's. 


Fearing's
at the Ritz Carlton 
2121 McKinney Avenue
Dallas, Texas 75201 
(214)922-4848

Texas Restaurants~Lonesome Dove Western Bistro

Last Saturday Mike, a friend, and I made the trip to Fort Worth Texas to Tim Love's Lonesome Dove Restaurant.Tim Love's Restaurant Week menu was one of the more limited menus, nevertheless the food was superb!

Again, the dish I chose is in a pink font, and Mike's choice is in blue. 
Salad Course - Choice of:

Butter Lettuce, Bacon Lardoons, Chili Pepitas, Red Chili Buttermilk

Mike and I ended up switching appetizers because I enjoyed the soup more and he enjoyed the salad more. 

Roasted Summer Squash Soup, Shaved Gruyere, Creme Fraiche

We also ordered a couple of dishes that were not part of the Restaurant Week menu.

 Elk sausage sliders, seared foie gras, blueberry jam ($14). 

Mike and Sean really enjoyed these burgers.  They were debating whether they would rather eat 4 sliders plus the dessert we had or the beef tenderloin  Mike and Sean both would choose the burger and the dessert. 

White Truffled Mac and Cheese ($12).

This dish was really rich and creamy and had a nice subtle truffle flavor.  It was topped with 

Main Course - Choice of:

 Roasted Garlic Stuffed Beef Tenderloin, Western Plaid Hash, Syrah Demi Glace (this dish is normally $35)

The meat was awesome! Yes mom, I ordered a whole hunk of meat and really enjoyed it.   If you all know me, I'm not a big meat eater, but this steak was so tender and well-flavored, it was perfect.  I think this might have been one of the best steaks I've eaten in my life. 

Pork Chop, Three Bean Ragout, Crispy Parsnip(we didn't order this)
Flounder en Papillote, Shallot, Summer Vegetables, Spanish Olive Oil (we didn't order this. i was debating whether I wanted to eat fish or meat, and Mike rationalized with me and convinced me that steak is usually the best choice at at steakhouse)

Dessert Course

Caramel Budino (Butterscotch Pudding with Salted Caramel and Fresh Cream).  I don't even like butterscotch or caramel, but this was simple and delicious.  I liked how the salt slightly muted the sweetness of the caramel.  

Lonesome Dove has definitely made it to my list of "Favorite Restaurants in Texas."  Even thought it's all the way in Fort Worth, TX (about a one-hour drive from where we live), we'll have to go back when people come and visit us.

Lonesome Dove Western Bistro
2406 N. Main Street,
Fort Worth, TX 76164.