Big, Rich and Texas

Saturday night of KRLD Restaurant Week brought us to Tillman's Roadhouse and the biggest, richest meal of the week, and I can't tell you when I have eaten richer food than I did Saturday night.  Ready for some weekend fun, I grabbed some friends and headed out to one of the best steakhouses in Dallas.  The Bishop Arts District is a great place if you are looking to step away from the stereotypical Dallas nightlife -- it has a little less of the see-or-be-seen attitude and more of a laid back vibe, even at a steakhouse.

We knew it was going to be a good night when we called the restaurant to inform them we would be late and they had no issue changing the reservation -- quite the accommodation during a popular week like Restaurant Week.  Once we arrived, we went to the bar to grab a glass of wine.  The bar isn't very big but has some great seating and plays old movies on one of the walls.  It has that homey, relaxed vibe that makes you want to grab a seat and stay awhile.  Comfy couches and a giant table with barstools add to the ambiance.  I even found a friend of mine sitting and planning out her fall football tailgating strategy with a group of friends.  Hankering for some tequila, I ordered the blood orange margarita and was impressed with its freshness.  The orange was a little sweeter than I would have liked, but it cut the tartness of the tequila well and hit the spot for a fun Saturday night cocktail.



Blood Orange Margarita & Truffle Popcorn

While our beginning experience was great, the service once we got to our table was not.  Our waiter seemed frustrated by any questions and even cut me off before I had finished asking him about one of the items on the menu.  I have found that the one thing missing with Restaurant Week is the service.  Stephan Pyles was the only waitstaff that did not seem annoyed at our presence in their restaurant, a problem that hopefully the restaurants will work on for 2013.

Similar to chips and salsa at a Mexican food joint, Tillman's had small bowls of their famous Truffle Popcorn on the table.  Lightly coated in truffle oil and seasoned only with salt and pepper, it was a great start to the meal and was quickly devoured by our crew.  The popcorn was light and the pieces were large enough that I didn't find myself stuffing fistfuls in my mouth like I would at the movie theater.  This allowed us to actually taste the truffle oil and take time between pieces so as not to ruin my appetite — although I wouldn't complain if they sold this by the bag to eat at home later.



Heirloom Tomato Salad
*picture courtesy of Tillman's website

Tillman's had two choices for the appetizers: an heirloom tomato salad or avocado soup.  I went with the tomato salad.  Thick slices of tomato were topped with crumbled white cheese and an amazing pecan pesto.  I could have drunk the pesto on its own and am hoping to be able to recreate it at home at some point.  I stole a bite of a friend's avocado soup and while it had a nice kick, I was happy with my choice.

Since we were at a steakhouse we all had to go with the steak for our main course.  It came with baked red potatoes, wilted spinach, cherry tomatoes and a creamy, rich bacon sauce.  All of the add-ons were amazing but surprisingly for a steakhouse the steak itself was sub-par.  I ordered mine medium rare and it came out with only a slight pink in the middle -- AKA medium.  For those not familiar with the levels of doneness on a steak, rare is the most raw and then medium rare, medium, medium well and well-done (most done).  My friend ordered his medium well and it came practically well done.  It may not sound like a big deal, but here in Texas we expect to get what we order for levels of doneness on our steaks.  There was lots of trading around of steak pieces, each plate came with about 4 small pieces of steak, in order to get the right flavor levels and luckily we had so much food no one went hungry due to lack of steak.  The creamy bacon sauce was way too rich for my taste.  It drowned the spinach and tomatoes.  We also ordered a side of mac & cheese and grits.  While they were good it wasn't anything worth writing too much about -- just more starch and cheese to add to our already rich meal.


Chocolate Mud Cake



Just in case we weren't already stuffed from our previous courses, the group decided to order two desserts for the night.  While there were the regular dessert options as part of the Restaurant Week prix fixed menu (chocolate mud cake and a bread pudding), we went with Tillman's other famous food: the table-side s'mores!  A platter of sugar coated graham crackers, slices of rich and creamy dark chocolate and three types of flavored mallows (pistachio, pumpkin and maple) are brought to your table with a small fire and skewers to toast them.  The presentation is awesome!  Taking a skewer and toasting a marshmallow to the perfect level of doneness brought me back to childhood campfires.  While I much prefer plain jane marshmallows, the flavored ones made things fancy and added an interesting taste to the childhood fun.  The maple flavor was great, but the pumpkin tasted too sweet (even for a mallow).  The pistachio was OK but I ended up putting my chocolate mud cake on top to cut some of the nuttiness -- classy, I know.  Love pistachios and love mallows, but not so much together — but half the fun of this dessert is sitting at a restaurant toasting s'mores so we enjoyed the experience and even burnt a few along the way :).  I would recommend it for a fun date to bring out your inner pyro.



Tableside S'mores

After the richness of cheese, bacon, steak, chocolate, mallows, etc. we were filled to the brim and had to wait it out for a bit before being able to walk to our cars.  I think I am still dieting to try and overcome my caloric intake of the night.  Overall it was a fun night and a great experience.  I would go back to try other parts of the menu or to hang out at the bar and drink margaritas and eat truffle popcorn.  So not great steak or service but the appetizers, sides and desserts were yummy!  B+ for this dinner experience but I would still claim Tillman's as a staple restaurant to try in Dallas.

Food with a View

Five Sixty in Downtown Dallas proved once again that no one does Asian fusion better than Wolfgang Puck.  Every single item we ordered was fantastic.  Day 3 of KRLD Restaurant Week is my favorite so far, leaving high expectations for the rest of the week.  From the moment you show up, they are ready to serve.  The elevators don’t even have buttons, instead the concierge calls them for you – talk about high class!

Once we got upstairs, our table wasn’t quite ready so they recommended the lounge to order drinks and wait.  In case you didn’t know, Five Sixty is a 560 foot high restaurant at the top of Reunion Tower with floor to ceiling windows to give you a 360° view of Dallas.  If you have someone visiting and can afford the price, take them here!  The entire restaurant spins while you eat so that you get to see the full view of what Dallas has to offer – and don’t worry, it spins very slowly. 

As a twenty-something on a budget, Five Sixty was a family affair (read: Dad is awesome and picked up the tab.  Thanks Dad!) and we caught up on life and checked out the view as we waited for our cocktail waitress.    After looking over the larger cocktail list my parents were overwhelmed and ordered gin & tonics.  Sister went with the Pavlov’s Dog (gin-based) and I had the Pepito’s Revenge.  This tequila-based drink with a hint of basil and cucumber was light, refreshing and beautifully presented.  Although the cocktails are expensive ($16 apiece) they were both well made.  The restaurant’s eventual plan is to have a menu of 48 specialty drinks.  Not sure if that will be overwhelming or fun.  Maybe they will include options for those of us without a $16 per drink wallet!

Pavlov's Dog & Pepito's Revenge

Once we were seated and had ordered, the waiter brought over Wolfgang Puck's famous szechuan green beans.  Touted as one of the best things to eat in Dallas, the green beans are lightly steamed and tossed in olive oil with sesame seeds and walnuts.  They are light and refreshing with a good crunch.  Gotta love the complimentary amuse-bouche!

Lamb Samosas

For an appetizer, I took the waiter's recommendation of the lamb samosas.  A samosa is an Indian fried turnover usually filled with minced meats and/or veggies.  These were filled with lamb and were delicious!  Three samosas came with a mint sauce that made the flavors pop.  They also weren't as coated in oil as I would have suspected considering they are fried.  Sister ordered the mussels  and as good as the broth was, the shellfish itself wasn't anything special.  If you are wanting a seafood appetizer I would go with the shrimp & lobster spring rolls.  I had them at last year's restaurant week and loved them.  Rolled in a crisp wanton shell they are a great combination of the shrimp and lobster and come with a spicy honey dipping sauce to accentuate the flavors.

Spicy Sushi

Although we did not go to Central Market to pick up a fourth course coupon, I had learned from 2011 to order the additional fourth course here.  This year was a spicy sushi roll of tempura shrimp and avocado topped with a spicy tuna and tempura jalapeños.  Warning: do not put wasabi in your soy sauce as this has a great kick all by itself.  They do have this roll on their regular sushi menu if you happen to go there after the RW festivities have ended.

Shanghai Noodles with Tiger Prawns

Having had salmon the night before but still wanting something lighter I went with the stir-fry noodles and tiger prawns for my main course.  Wrapped in a spicy glaze, the thick Shanghai noodles had the right amount of spice to add to the light prawns.  There were also a good number of prawns — which is always important in a pasta dish including meat.  The last thing you want is too much noodle without some meat to it.  I would definitely order this dish again.

Dessert Trio

We finished the night with their dessert trio.  Five Sixty was the only place I have been to that does not have multiple Restaurant Week dessert options.  Instead each person is offered a plate of three smaller desserts to try.  There was a crème brûlée  cheesecake, a rich chocolate cake and a small scoop of peach ice cream.  The cheesecake was good although so small you barely had time to enjoy all the flavors.  The cake was so rich that I had to take a bite of the peach ice cream after each bite of cake to cut the thickness.  Overall, I wasn't too impressed with the dessert but everything else was so tasty it didn't matter.

Five Sixty earned an A from me Wednesday night.  With their great view and ambience, well made drinks and fresh food, Wolfgang Puck does it right.  I even took a gander at their sushi menu before leaving with the hopes of returning to celebrate another day.  This is a place to save your money for because they give you a great experience.

to Nosh or Not to Nosh

Night two of KRLD Restaurant Week brought an impressive lightning storm and a less impressive trip to Nosh on Oak Lawn with my dear friend Anna Beth.  When trying out new restaurants in Dallas, I tend to check the menus online first.  Nosh was no exception, and what I found had me excited for this dinner!

We started the night wanting a bottle of champagne as we perused the menus.  I had a feeling it was going to be an interesting waitstaff when we were immediately asked about a drink order by three different people but given no recommendations.  Once our waiter showed up he didn't even bother to help us pronounce the name of our wine and was not helpful in choosing a new selection after he told us they were out of stock.  We went with a much more expensive bottle of champagne than we had originally wanted -- no thanks to our waiter. 

First Course:

Crispy Calamari               &             Watermelon Salad

Nevertheless, we were not going to let our rude waiter ruin the night so we ordered and began to sip our champagne.  We noticed the TVs that show the inner workings of the kitchen, but quickly got bored because it was too panoramic to even know what each person was cooking and had the grainy camera view of a surveillance video.  How unromantic!  It's a good thought, but considering we seemed to be some of the youngest there, we didn't think it was all that fun for the patrons. 

Our appetizers quickly arrived and I realized (once again) I had been out ordered.  Luckily, Anna Beth is a true friend and we had already decided to split bites of everything.  Her watermelon salad included a light touch of basil, giving it a welcome freshness that combined well with the feta.  The cherry tomatoes were very fresh and burst perfectly to swirl all of the flavors together in my mouth.  The crispy calamari was very similar to my high school years -- It had great potential but never quite made it to the star student level.  The calamari was overly rubbery and although they didn't try to drown it in fried batter, the batter lacked any seasoning.  There was a nice mango salsa, but most of it was at the bottom of the bowl and there wasn't enough to make a statement.  The arugula seemed like an after-thought.  Thank goodness for the watermelon salad to keep my taste buds alive until the second course because the calamari did not cut it.

Second Course:

Salmon with Corn Salsa

Thank goodness I waited because the salmon was terrific!  It was buttery on the inside with a nice, crisp finish making for an incredible salmon flavor.  The spiciness of the corn salsa was a great kick and the additional veggies in the salsa made me feel downright healthy.  The chili aioli and frisee were nice visually but didn't add anything to the meal itself.  This salmon was worth it and considering how in season it is, they did a nice job of letting the freshness be the main flavor.


Duck Confit

Anna Beth's duck confit was cooked well and when combined with the fruity grapes and roasted brussel sprouts made for a wonderful combination of sweet and savory flavors.  Nothing special, but it was good.  The mashed potatoes were nice and buttery without being greasy.  The best part about the main course was the portion size.  In a day and age where bigger seems to be better, Nosh did a good job of not overfeeding us on each course. 

Third Course:

Banana Bread Pudding

I'm not even sure where to begin with the glory that was this dessert.  Just looking at the picture makes me do a little shimmy of glee.  A perfect cylinder of banana bread pudding sat on a bath of caramel with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream dripping down the sides.  The bread was moist enough to cut easily with a spoon but held its shape in order to be eaten with the ice cream. The caramel glaze was just sweet enough to compliment the bread and didn't harden with the cold of the ice cream.  It was heaven!  I didn't even eat more than a bite of the chocolate for fear of filling up without finishing this joy!

Anna Beth and her Chocolate Souffle Cake

If you are a choco-holic, order this dessert.  Normally when I order souffle, I expect light and fluffy.  This was not that.  The souffle was rich and thick with a crunchy sugar crust and side scoop of vanilla ice cream.  Unfortunately, the ice cream had somewhat melted by the time it got to the table (a sad oversight by Nosh). In order to make up for this sad situation, we mixed the melted vanilla with the rich chocolate to make a fancy version of birthday cake soup.  Although we tried to share, I couldn't get over the deliciousness of the bread pudding and left much of my chocolate on the plate.  

Final score at Nosh was a B- for the lack of hospitality and imagination in the menu.  I enjoyed the salmon, watermelon and bread pudding but couldn't get over the lack of service.  Now I've heard that some places choose to provide subpar food during restaurant week rather than try to gain patrons for a good cause, but I had never experienced it until now.  I couldn't get over the snobbishness of the place and doubt I will return.  To make matters even worse they did not check us in causing me to get an email from Open Table.com asking me why I bailed on my reservation -- don't worry, I got it fixed and received my reservation points.  Thanks Open Table!

Good Food for a Cause

In case you haven't heard, this week is the annual KRLD Restaurant Week.  KRLD partners with local restaurants to let tighter wallets eat in Dallas restaurants typically meant for the looser budget.  For $35 you get a three course prix-fixed meal, AND a percentage of each meal goes to the North Texas Food Bank.

As a twenty-something with a craving for steak and lobster on a Ramon Noodle budget, this is one of my favorite events around town.  I have lined up some great restaurants with family and friends this week and plan to share each night with you.  So let's get started!

Monday night a few of my girlfriends and I headed over to Stephan Pyles in Downtown Dallas for some Southwestern fare.  Dress code calls the attire "casual elegance," but this is Texas so you are fine wearing jeans and heels -- just steer clear of the shorts.  They also have a fun bartender, so get there early to check out their award-winning wines and great cocktails before the meal.

The night started with a selection of three fantastic drinks.  I had the Cucumber Basil Mojito and loved it--I'm not one for sweet drinks, but this was light, refreshing and perfect for the triple-digit weather.  Not a mojito fan?  Try the From the Garden.  This gin-based drink is the perfect complement to any meal.  I tried the Sangria but didn't love it; it had a sweet red wine base that was all together too sugary.

Our waitress was very sweet and explained everything well.  These guys really know their stuff.  She didn't go over our heads and answered all of the questions.  We ordered everything at once and they did a great job timing the meal with our conversation.

First Course: 

Corn Soup and Compressed Melon Salad

While the rest of the table ordered the corn soup, I decided to get the compressed melon salad.  I think I got out ordered -- hate that.  The honeydew, watermelon and cantaloupe were all infused in different herb juices (spearmint, basil, etc.).  The salad also included a goat cheese panna cotta, arugula and crushed pistachios.  It was interesting, but I didn't feel like I could fully experience it -- the melon was great but it went too quickly.  The panna cotta was rich and a little too filling for a salad.  The other girls lapped up their soup though, giving me the feeling I'd been seriously out ordered. 

Second Course: 

Pork Tenderloin Wrapped in Bacon

Half of us ordered the pork tenderloin and half ordered the salmon.  The tenderloin was wrapped in heavy, fatty bacon on a bed of vinegar roasted brussel sprouts and pickled blackberries and came with a side of horseradish-whipped potatoes.  While the pork was fattier than I would have liked, everything else on the plate was fantastic!  I had the pleasure of trying pickled berries at an underground dinner a few years back and discovered I LOVE them.  If you ever get a chance, take the plunge -- don't think, just jump.  The brussel sprouts were what you would expect, but the kick of the horseradish in the potato offered a great balance to the fattiness of the pork.  I'm not usually one for horseradish, but I may need to try this at home.  After stealing a bite of the salmon, I can say the mix of the light salmon with hearty chorizo was a fun and unexpected flavor combination.  I wouldn't reorder the pork (with the exception of those amazing berries), but I'd get that salmon in an instant.

Third Course:

Capirotada with Cajeta

This course was definitely my favorite.  So good!  The capirotada was a Mexican bread pudding with a hint of cinnamon.  It included vanilla whipped cream and melted cajeta.  First, if you haven't had cajeta before, get off the computer, go to your nearest Spanish grocery store and buy some.  It tastes like a mix of caramel and nutella and is PHENOMENAL.  I was first introduced to it via lollipop form in Mexico (yes they come in lollipops!) and have loved it ever since.  Jill McCord, the pastry chef at Stephan Pyles, did not disappoint.  If not for social etiquette, I probably would have licked the plate.  We also tried the "choc"uterie plate (good but a little rich, the best part was the churros) and the lemon tart (not enough lemon to give it a good "kick").

Overall I would give Stephan Pyles an B+ for this meal.  As much as I love Stephan Pyles on a regular night, my order choices caused disappointment and a hankering for my friends' dishes throughout the night, but I will definitely be back again.  Stephan Pyles, you still have a piece of my heart.

the Start

Let me first say that if you have come here looking for a food critic feel free to click to the next blog option.  I am an amateur.  I am just as happy eating bad fast food as I am dining at 5-star rated restaurants.  But I am always looking to try new foods and new places.  So that is what I am going to write about.  The adventures of a Dallasite, eating her way around town.  

I have been thinking about starting this blog for some time.  I love food.  I will eat just about anything at least once.  And I am always up for an adventure.  So welcome and bon appetit!