Monthly Archives: December 2011

The best Dallas food of 2011

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So many best of 2011 lists you don’t know what to do with yourself. But, listen up Dallasites. D Magazine did their best new restaurants of the year, and so will I. But mine are in no particular order. Buckle up.

Oh, p.s. this is the last blog post of the year and it happens to be my 100th blog post!!!!

Thank you to all my readers. I can’t wait to see what 2012 brings. Much more blogging.

Best Restaurants of 2011

(simply click on the name of the restaurant to see the review I wrote for each restaurant)

Disclaimer: these restaurants aren’t necessarily new, but they were new to me this year.

As New York City taught me, if the restaurant has a one word name, it’s usually trendy and almost always delicious. Same applied for Dallas apparently.

1. Local.

The personable service combined with a melt-in-your-mouth kind of sensation at every bite, this place is a go. I was first drawn in at the concept of only serving up local ingredients, but was completely impressed with every detail of the evening. It’s a must.

2. The Porch

My go-to for cocktails, appetizers, main courses, desserts, you name it. Although, if I’m trying to be “good” and eat really healthy, I tend to avoid this place. I can’t resist their creamy spinach and artichoke dip and a strawberry basil cocktail on the side. Yummiest combo especially when enjoyed on their porch.

3. Smoke

A bit of a drive outside the SMU bubble, but completely worth it. Even though I’m not a huge meat-eater, I just love being inside the warm restaurant. It’s got that wonderful BBQ smell, it’s comfortable, the service rocks and so does their brunch. The food is outstanding.

4. Oddfellows

A new find for me, I’m always wanting to go back to the Bishop Arts District to continue trying eateries around the area. Although it may not appear to be the best neighborhood, the quaint little streets lined with local restaurants and business is very attractive to me. Oddfellows is a perfect spot for any meal, but mostly brunch with their giant coffee machines. Yum, yum.

5. Mr. Mesero

Owned by Mr. Mi Cocina himself, this place boasts authentic Mexican and actually does it right. Delicious everything, and Mi Cocina patrons, have no fear. You can still order your Mambo Taxis here, but they’re disguised as “El Santo”.

Have you all tried these awesome Dallas eateries? Agree? Disagree? Let me know what you think and….
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Bon appétit,

ThatFoodieGirl

My New Years resolution: cook more food

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It’s the second to last day of 2011 and naturally we’re all thinking about our new year’s resolutions…right? Ummmm, not really, but I just thought of mine. Cook more food. Now, do not fear. This doesn’t mean That Foodie Girl won’t be out on the town scoping out the newest and best (and sometimes not so great) eateries around Dallas. It just means she’ll be cooking up some great new recipes for all sorts of people to enjoy.

And because Pinterest is so “pinspirational” (shoutout to Ellen here) I naturally gather and hoard plenty of recipes I plan on trying. Here are my top 5:

1. Vegan cinnamon pull-apart bread


(www.naturallyella.com)

2. Roasted Veggie Strudel


(www.prouditaliancook.blogspot.com)

3. Butternut Squash Lasagna
butternut squash lasagna
(www.designsponge.com)

4. Strawberry Greek Yogurt Bites
strawberry yogurt bites
(www.weheartit.com)

5. Veggie Soup

(www.butterflyfoodie.blogspot.com)

Hope you all enjoyed my recipe choices. Here’s to 2012–the year I will come up with my own recipes, and cook even more!

Bon appétit,

ThatFoodieGirl

Vegan hearty stew: a perfect winter meal

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vegan stew

Hello everyone! Hope you all had a great Christmas or whatever else you celebrate! Now onto the countdown til New Years Eve…2012. Can you believe it?

I had a great Christmas complete with the Sony NEX-5 camera I wanted. Now for higher quality photos! You’re welcome! Just kidding, but really.

Last night my family had the pleasure of kicking back while my older brother Matt cooked up a vegan stew. (meet your vegan chef)…oops, blurry shot. sorry about that.

Since half my family is vegan (I’m half and half), this was a perfect way to satisfy everyone. My mom played sous chef and so did little Molly the pup.

Shihzon puppy

It took lots of chopping and prep work, but it was well worth the wait. It’s hearty, it’s packed with veggies and the meat part was gardein “beef tips”, and if you’re not into meat replacements, just substitute chicken or actual beef. Either way, this soup warms you up and leaves you satisfied and healthy.

And no meal around Christmas is complete without the festive wine glasses:

Christmas wine glass

THE RECIPE (makes 4 servings)
1 package Gardein beefless tips (Frozen foods aisle!)

3 tbsps vegetable oil

3 ½ tbsps flour

3 cups vegetable stock

1 cup red wine

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 shallot, minced

2 potatoes, ½ inch diced

2 carrots, ½ inch diced

1 package mushrooms

1 bunch green onions, chopped

1 ½ tbsps fresh thyme

1 ½ tbsps fresh rosemary

Salt to taste

Black pepper optional

In a large saucepan, heat oil and sauté beefless tips for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally until browned on all sides. Remove beefless tips from saucepan and set aside. Add minced garlic and shallots to saucepan and cook for 3 minutes. Add carrots and and continue cooking for 3 more minutes. Stir in flour, vegetable stock, wine, mushrooms and potatoes then bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Let simmer for 30 minutes. Add beefless tips, green onions, rosemary and thyme and let simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with bread, or pour stew over rice (optional)

Bon appétit,

ThatFoodieGirl

Christmas Eve sugar cookies, wrapping & family time

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Merry Christmas everyone!!!!

 

Introducing…my family Christmas card. Left to right is my twin brother Travis who goes to USC, Maddy (junior in high school), my beautiful mommy, my skinny daddy, older brother Matthew (USC grad) and myself. This photo was taken on Kona, the big island of Hawaii. We were there at the end of May for my cousin Caroline and her (now) husband Mike’s wedding. Good times.

Anyway, today was filled with cookie-making, gift-wrapping, church-going and of course dining at Hudson’s on the Bend. Below are some photos from today.

I hope everyone who celebrates Christmas is having a great day today and I truly hope you all take a moment or two to truly recognize the reason for Christmas. Merry Christmas, foodie friends. Thanks for reading.

A wonderfully festive treat: WOW peppermint brownies

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Only 4 days til Christmas! I hope everyone is getting a chance to relax and spend some time with your families. If not, hopefully soon! Either way, I have a treat you might want to pick up before the 25th.

A seasonal flavor made by WOW Baking Company, these peppermint brownies are all-natural, gluten-free, and wheat-free. Holy yum. These brownies are perfectly moist, have just the right amount of peppermint flavoring and even have little bits of chocolate inside.They’re decadent but not dangerous because they’re just little bites. Dig in and get yourself in the holiday spirit!

To find these festive bites, head to your nearest health food store, organic food store or easiest, Whole Foods. They’re a tad pricey, but very worth it especially if you’re in a dessert crunch.

Other WOW products include peanut butter cookies, lemon cookies, cake mixes, cookie dough, individually packaged cookies and bagged cookies. Pick your poison and feel no guilt.

Bon appétit,

ThatFoodieGirl

Company Cafe: comfort food, uncomfortable service

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Company Cafe

What: comfort food, gluten free, organic

Where: Katy Trail location, Greenville location (Dallas)

First of all, happy holidays everyone. I’m so sorry I haven’t been posting as much as I want to, but I’ve really just been trying to feel better after my foot surgery.

Anyway, I finally got the chance to try Company Cafe for brunch with some girlfriends, and we headed to the newest location right on the Katy Trail. The inside was large and covered in oaky walls and smelled like barbecue…or just even a cozy ski lodge. It was a particularly brisk Dallas day, so we just went with it. The amount of natural sunlight in the restaurant was very comforting.

Because of the wood walls, the acoustics weren’t optimal. The sound level was really high especially for the occupancy level at the time. It was hard to carry on a conversation and it was 10am and a little over half the tables were filled.

Although the Katy Trail menu is a bit different from their Greenville location, I went with gluten free waffle with maple syrup. I asked for chocolate chips, but our unenthused waitress must have not been able to hear me in that loud room. Either way, she didn’t really seem to care too much. The waffle itself was a very dense texture and pretty soft. I loved it, but if you like your waffles crispy, this waffle isn’t for you.

My drip coffee (bottomless) that’s pictured at the top of the post was not refilled one time. It angered me a bit that she never once came over to ask me if I wanted a refill.

The chicken fried steak and eggs. Gluten free. Topped with a jalapeno-honey gravy and a side of sweet potato fries, my friend Eme seemed to love the dish. And the best part about this? I have friends who order all sorts of dishes so you can see more dishes!

The Popeye. Egg omelet with spinach, tomato & feta with a side of challah toast and salsa. Yum yum yum. A perfect brunch with a big glass of fresh squeezed orange juice.

All in all, the food was high quality, but the service was a disappointment. The waitress didn’t even come back to retrieve our credit cards (the easiest part of the process) for a whole 30 minutes. It was annoying having to sit there for so long knowing she still had to run our credit cards. Oh, and when my friend’s omelet was served, the waiter threw the plate in front of her so that her challah toast went flying. His response? Oops *giggle* do you want new pieces of toast? My point is this: perhaps the new location needs to master the service aspect. Other than that, it was a fun little spot.

Bon appétit,

ThatFoodieGirl

Get to know That Foodie Girl: A holiday survey

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Hello foodie friends,

My apologies for the lack of posts lately, but I just had surgery on my foot yesterday (elective surgery) so I’m just trying to get over the pain etc and just get around! Since I will be on the couch for quite a while, I’ll have lots of time to work on my blog now. Yay!

I do have a Dallas restaurant review coming up, but for now, I just wanted to do a fun little “25 Questions” I found on a few other foodie blogs.

25 Questions: Holiday Style

1. Eggnog or hot chocolate?
hot chocolate. with peppermint.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
he does both. sets them under the tree and also does some wrapped–all in the same wrapping paper.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?
Colored on the tree!

4.Do you hang mistletoe?
Nope!

5. When do you hang your decorations up?
The day after Thanksgiving!

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?
Sausage cheese bread. My mom makes it every year and we have a few loaves made. I almost get more excited for the bread than the gifts!

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child?
Running to look at our stalkings. We have our stalkings in another room, so once we’ve ripped through our presents I remember being so happy there were still surprises left!

8. What is on your Christmas wish list?
A brand new camera. Perfect for the blog!

9. Do you open a gifts on Christmas Eve?
No, but we do “reindeer presents” starting 3 days for Christmas. My parents wrap up 4 gifts (one for each kid) and label each one with a reindeer name (Dasher, Prancer, Rudolph, etc.). We get to pick them up, shake them, etc, and guess which reindeer we are. We only get one guess each day, and if you guess right, you get to open the gift. Guess wrong, you have to wait til the next day. It’s always a fun tradition!

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
Lights, random ornaments & an angel on top!

11. Snow? Love it or dread it?
Love it, but we don’t get it over here in Texas on Christmas!

12. Real tree or fake tree?
Real. Ours is 14 ft tall this year.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
a beautiful ring from my boyfriend Ryan 4 years ago

14. What’s the most important thing about Christmas for you?
Family.

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert?
peppermint bark

16. What is your favorite tradition?
reindeer presents! or decorating the tree with Christmas music and cracking open the peppermint bark

17. What tops your tree?
An angel.

18. Do you prefer giving or receiving?
I absolutely love giving. I get more pleasure out of walking around giving everyone’s gifts to them than opening my own.

19. What is your favorite Christmas song?
Jingle Bells

20. Candy canes, yuck or yum?
yum in baked goods!

21. Favorite Christmas movie?
The Santa Claus

22. What do you leave for Santa?
Cookies and milk!

23. Do you have a Christmas morning tradition?
My little sister wakes up first, then struggles to wake the rest of us up. Then my parents put the music on downstairs, get breakfast ready and THEN we are allowed to walk downstairs and see what’s under the tree. Oh, and my dad STILL videotapes us walking down the stairs. This year I’ll be crutching down the stairs…

24. Do you prefer to shop on-line or at the mall?
Online this year. So much easier.

25. Christmas letter or Christmas card?
Christmas card. This year I got to do ours! I will reveal the photo soon…

Tis the season: homemade peppermint bark

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Homemade Peppermint Bark

(recipe adapted from Peanut Butter Fingers blog)

Ok, I’m a peppermint freak. There, I said it. It’s pumpkin season as soon as it turns fall til Thanksgiving Day. The day after Thanksgiving is all about the peppermint. There’s something about seasonal flavors that just make me a sucker. Marketing works on me.

As if the peppermint Clif bar and peppermint brownies weren’t enough (product review coming soon), I decided it was time to make my own peppermint bark instead of buying the $30 canister of Williams-Sonoma. And it turned out great.

The recipe is super easy to follow. The key is to buy your favorite baking chocolate, and DO NOT try to melt chocolate chips. It won’t come out the way you want it to.

RECIPE:
1 lb. dark baking chocolate
1 lb. white baking chocolate
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 teaspoon canola oil
Candy canes (crushed)

Line a cookie sheet with foil (turn up the edges). Melt the dark chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring between each interval (This is to avoid burning the chocolate). Add 1/2 teaspoon canola oil to the melted chocolate and stir. Then, ladle all the chocolate onto the foil and spread into an even layer. Place in the refrigerator until it’s nice and firm. Next, melt the white chocolate using the same method. This time, add 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract and 1/2 teaspoon canola oil. **Be sure to wait for the white chocolate mixture to cool before spreading on top of the dark chocolate. While you’re waiting, take 5-6 candy canes, place them in a bag and crush them into tiny pieces. Once the white chocolate has cooled, you can spread it on top of the dark chocolate. If you don’t wait for it to cool, the white chocolate will melt the dark chocolate and it won’t come out as pretty! Then add your crushed candy canes on top. Place in the fridge until it has hardened, then break into little pieces. Voila!

I’ll be back in a few!

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I hate leaving you all hanging…so I just wanted to let you know THAT ^^ is what I will be doing until my exam Monday night.

If I have some free time, I will post ASAP. I have 2 posts waiting to be written–one Christmas recipe and one new Dallas restaurant. Stay tuned. I’ll be back soon.

Bon appétit,

ThatFoodieGirl

Newest Mexican restaurant in Dallas: Mr. Mesero

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Mr. Mesero

What: Mexican

Where: Uptown Dallas

Yes, my last post was an announcement of Mr. Mesero’s arrival on McKinney Avenue. But today I got the pleasure of actually tasting the food. It’s owned by restaurateur Mico Rodriguez (Mi Cocina, Mia’s, etc.) and it’s some delicious authentic Mexican food.

Whether you’re a Mi Cocina fan or not, this place rocks. The inside is clean, sleek and brightly lit, with friendly staff to go with it. The lunch hour was almost full, and it made for a great spot for conversation and great food.

Not only was the service fast, but the portions were perfect. Usually a Mexican lunch is overbearing because of it’s large and in charge sizes. Not here. It’s the perfect amount.

I had the grilled veggie tacos with a side of rice. The rice had little bits of carrots, and it was perfectly cooked (I love rice, can you tell?) On the side was their fresh slaw–cabbage, carrots and a few other veggies with a delicious dressing. I put the slaw in my tacos and it was a great combo with the warm veggies.

Not-so-authentic Mexican for our starter, we had their queso with spinach and artichoke. Let’s call it the Mexican version of spinach artichoke dip. It was really yummy with their large round fresh tortilla chips.

Another starter was the tapatias. Mini tacos with shredded brisket (?) and a little cheese and sour cream. They weren’t my cup of tea, but everyone else loved them.

Ryan had the enchiladas mexicanas–one with shredded beef with red sauce, the other with chicken and tomatillo sauce. Yum, yum, yum. Perfect amount, fresh and just perfection.

…and they convinced us to order dessert. Not sure what this one is, but it was moist and could almost be a chocolate tres leches cake, if that’s possible. Their desserts come from La Duni, so basically, they’re really good.

As if I couldn’t rave enough about this new Mexican (with a side of American) eatery, I went with my boyfriend and his mother who are both Mexican and even they were raving about the place and couldn’t believe the authenticity. It’s actually Mexican, people. But if you’re afraid of non-TexMex, they have some more “gringo friendly” options.

I also got the pleasure of meeting owner Mr. Rodriguez, and his presence at the restaurant was very inviting. The fact that he was there greeting guests and even back in the kitchen says a lot. Just go try it.

Bon appétit,

ThatFoodieGirl