Monthly Archives: March 2012

A trip to the Dallas farmer’s market

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This past weekend was such a blast. My mom came to visit as you may know from my Toulouse Cafe post, but we did everything from walk the Katy Trail to stop at my favorite wine bar (Veritas) to even make a trip to the farmer’s market.

It was a warm Saturday and the market was swarming with people. I loved this guy’s “Tow mater”sign and I even got him to pose for me. By the way, those tomatoes were sweet, perfectly ripe and all around mouth-watering.

I’m now finally getting caught up on my blog posts here–so I’m happy to just say hello and share some things I’ve been enjoying. The farmer’s market was one of those things.

The fruit was picture perfect. Does that not look like a painting? Only drawback? They weren’t organic. That explains the perfect looks…

I also purchased some of these sweet potatoes. They were HUGE! A few nights ago I enjoyed them by slicing them into thin sticks, drizzling olive oil on them, salt, pepper and into the oven for 20 minutes. They were such delicious and much more nutritious sweet potato “fries”.

I have some more meals I’ve been loving lately–and both my parents will be back here in Dallas this weekend so that means lots more good food. And hopefully we will find an apartment for me! Graduation is just a short month away!

Bon appétit,

ThatFoodieGirl

Le Gourmet Valet: a Dallas gourmet delivery service

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I got the chance to sit down with Becky Nelson, owner of a new gourmet food delivery here in Dallas. She named her delivery Le Gourmet Valet after she realized there was a need for a gourmet food delivery service shortly after her friend was mugged in a Whole Foods parking lot.

[My friend] said she would never go out by herself and she would hire a personal valet,”Becky said. I thought, what about a personal valet that just brought food to provide the convenience?”

And that’s exactly what Le Gourmet does today. Becky cooks comfort food meals and desserts out of her home and delivers warm meals to families, lunches to offices and even gift baskets to friends in need. She’s also available for party favors and even weddings.

It’s a fun job to have– being the bearer of good news,”she said.

The best sellers are definitely the shortbread cookies, she said. Meal wise, the turkey meatloaf is her signature entrée.

Meals rotate on the menu of the week, where you can conveniently find on her Facebook page. It may not be an extensive menu, but all the ingredients are fresh and local.

Whether you’re having a busy week, or you just want to treat the family to a warm meal brought to your door step, Le Gourmet Valet stays true to their motto, Delivering deliciousness to Dallas through homemade creations and baked treats.

And a quick Q&A to get to know Becky:

Favorite restaurant in Dallas?

Mi Cocina, Frankie’s on Royal (it’s BYOB!), Victor Tango’s

Favorite grocery store?

After Central Market, Sprouts.

Ideal meal?

Red snapper with roasted vegetables, anything with dill

Favorite dessert?

Southern devil’s food cake with ice cream

Vanilla or chocolate?

I love vanilla, but I have to have some chocolate. I’m 50/50

Favorite coffee drink?

Wet cappuccino

V Spot: a vegan spot (get your mind out of the gutter)

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V Spot Cafe

Happy Meatless Monday everyone!

This weekend I got the chance to try V Spot Cafe for lunch.

V Spot Cafe

What: vegan upscale

Where: Knox/Henderson

You walk into V Spot and you’re greeted by a juice and smoothie bar. Walk further in and you find a cozy 8-10 table nook where vegans and non-vegans come to treat their bodies right.

We were seated immediately and were handed waters right then. After that, my famished stomach had to wait about 20 minutes until the waitress came back to take our order.

We started off with the portabella mushroom fries (after we waited a good 20+ minutes more). Our stomachs took over and we continued to wolf down the little battered and fried pieces of portabella mushrooms and dunked them in their delicious sauces: jalapeño ketchup & spicy cajun aioli. They were so good, they actually made up for the really long wait. Oh, and I didn’t get time to snap a photo because I was that hungry.

I had the wild mushroom risotto with roasted butternut squash and white truffle oil and thyme. I found the risotto to be quite bland, so I asked for more of the spicy cajun aioli to mix in which proved to be a great concept. It was a hearty lunch, but it was missing that creamy element which is definitely hard to achieve in a vegan setting.

My mom was really bold and ordered their raw coconut kale enchiladas. These were the real winners of the entire meal. Marinated kale wrapped in coconut tortillas (who knew!?) with “nacho cheese”, “sour cream”and pico de gallo. The cheese was some sort of cashew sauce I’m guessing, and the sour cream was just a non-dairy substitute. These enchiladas were mouth watering good, the guacamole fresh and the sauces on top would be worthy of their own dish.

This meal kept us satisfied for 7 hours+. We found ourselves not even hungry for dinner, it was that satisfying.

Whether you’re a vegan on the search for more restaurants or you just like good food (and you enjoy treating your body well), I’d stop by V Spot on Henderson if I were you.
Bon appétit,

ThatFoodieGirl

Toulouse Café, a wonderfully French eatery in uptown Dallas

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Toulouse patio Dallas

Toulouse Café & Bar

What: French

Where: Uptown Dallas

This weekend was wonderful because my mom came to visit me in Dallas and we managed to patronize 7 different restaurants. That’s 7 in about 2 days. Our amazingly culinary weekend was rounded out with a perfect brunch on the patio of Toulouse.

I’ve seen it a million times, I’ve heard about it plenty, but I had never gotten the chance to eat there. We got in at just the right time (10am on a Sunday) and were seated almost immediately at a table for two out on their patio. The weather was perfect and so were the views—especially of the Katy Trail goers, more importantly the jump-roping man.

We started off with a cup of hot coffee. I got the Omelette Provençal.

I was too hungry to photograph what the inside of the omelette looked like. Let’s just say this was the best omelette I’ve ever had. The inside was bursting with vegetable ratatouille, goat cheese and sautéed spinach. It was the perfect savory brunch item I could have dreamed up. The breakfast potatoes on the side were crispy and a great side to the omelette.

My mom ordered their New Orleans style beignets.

These doughy little puffs of heaven were a bit cakier than your standard beignet, but with the light hints of lemon and a generous shower of powdered sugar, they were melt-in-your-mouth good. On the side came cappuccino sauce. A great choice for the sweet tooth bruncher.

But back to the atmosphere. They couldn’t have done a better job creating that European feel. I’ve been all over Europe and I can truly say I felt that spark you feel when you enter a European cafe. Besides my omelette, I’d say that was my favorite part.

Here’s to wonderful meals with wonderful mothers.

A little Akumal, Mexico eatery called Gynn’Ak

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Hi, I’m back!

I went from Las Vegas, Nevada (stayed at the Cosmopolitan Hotel)

and then to Akumal, Mexico

It was my last spring break ever, so I figured I’d get two great spots in.

I apologize for my absence, but once I get the time back, I’ll be devoting much more time to TFG. I missed you all!

Some things I came back with from SB 2012:

  • a nice sunburn patch on my shin
  • a beautiful seashell Ryan found on the beach for me
  • some sand in my suitcase
  • relaxed muscles due to a beachside massage (thanks Laura!)
  • and finally a more functional left foot. (hallelujah)

I’ve got so many exciting posts for you all, so first we have:

Gynn’AK (pronunced [jean-awk]) <— ha don’t laught at my phonetics

Where: Akumal, Mexico

What: Thai/Mexican cuisine

A quaint little 5ish table restaurant in the heart of Akumal, Mexico rests Gynn’AK, the culinary product of Gynna Sainz. Cousin of Ryan Wolfe (my boyfriend), Gynna has been cooking for a long time and was formally trained at culinary school as well. She started out as a caterer and private chef, but she’s now open for business and is also rated #1 on Trip Adivsor.

She cooks the food, she seats you and her doggies and kitties will happily join you at your feet. It’s a warm place (quite literally) for an ice cold ginger lemonade and her house special: the lion fish. I started off with the hibiscus tea, better known as “Agua de Jamaica” if you want to sound like you know what you’re talking about.

Lion fish have said to have been released from an aquarium somewhere, and they now take over the seas in places like Akumal. Because their spines are poisonous, they dominate most sea life. Gynna and her family took it upon themselves to hunt each and every lion fish down, and she even serves it up at her restaurant.

I was all fished-out, so I went with her coconut curry chicken tacos with a side of the (amazing) Thai slaw. The slaw was the best part–slightly tangy with a crunch.

If you’re lucky, she will serve you the food herself. If you’re luckier, she’ll take a break from her lunch rush to sit and eat a bite herself:

Be sure to stop by if you’re near the Riviera Maya.

Bon appétit,

ThatFoodieGirl

 

Back on March 19th

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Foodies–

Thanks for sticking around during my absence. I just wanted to let you all know I’m currently in Las Vegas and will be heading to Akumal, Mexico tomorrow until March 19th.

Don’t worry, I’m eating at plenty of awesome restaurants and I can’t wait to share with you all!

Be back soon.

 

Things to look forward to on That Foodie Girl

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Don’t worry…I’m still here.

…and it’s almost time to celebrate That Foodie Girl’s 1st Birthday!

I’ve been tied up with school, midterms, physical therapy, work…must I go on?

And I’m on my way to Las Vegas and Mexico come Friday.

But to make it up to you all, I have lots of fun posts coming up. Things to look forward to:

  • vegan brownie recipe
  • a new-to-me gourmet delivery service in Dallas
  • Las Vegas dining.

Oh, and go check out my newly “Timelined”Facebook fan page for That Foodie Girl. Click here to become a fan.

Austin, Texas: Abel’s by the Lake, waffle shots, Maudie’s and Rudy’s BBQ

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Sunday evenings. One of my favorite times of the week. A time to relax, be productive, eat good food, catch up on tv shows and be with your loved ones.

Tonight I’m blogging from my house in Austin, where I’ve spent the weekend eating lots of great food, being with friends, hanging by the pool, bar hopping on 6th street, snuggling with my pups and getting in some quality time with my parents. I feel lucky to get to come home here to Lake Austin and luckier I’m only a 200 mile drive away!

After hitting some of the fun Austin places I knew would be popular amongst the friends from SMU who had never been to Austin before, I realized I’ve never blogged about these places! I eat at the same places in Austin, but have never thought to blog about them since it’s nothing new for me. THAT is something I am going to work on in both Austin and Dallas to bring you more reviews here at That Foodie Girl.

First stop was Rudy’s BBQ.

Let me just say I ate/drank many things I have not consumed in months…time for detox week before Las Vegas this weekend! I had a brisket sandwich.

Morning after 6th street activities was brunch at Abel’s on the Lake.

I had only been for lunch, so the mimosas and egg dishes were a treat to someone who lives for brunch (you’re looking at this girl right here). It was a beautiful morning on the lake, sun was shining and there’s no better spot to brunch than on Lake Austin. I had their veggie frittata:

It came with a bit too much parmesan and was a bit bland for my taste, but it was pretty much the healthiest item on their menu. Speaking of healthy, Ryan had their special for the day, their chicken fried steak (I think so?). Health aside, it was necessary due to the activities that were indulged in the previous evening.

And finally, a super special brunch item that was really pushed by the waitress. Their “waffle shot” that supposedly tastes just like waffles.

That’s a shot of Jameson, chased by a gulp of OJ, then a bite of bacon. In that order only. The verdict? He said it tastes like whiskey paired with OJ and bacon. No waffles involved.

And finally, my family’s favorite, Maudie’s Tex Mex.

I had their chicken fajitas and a skinny margarita. And too many chips and queso. But hey, you only live once right? That’s what I was telling myself this weekend. It’s ok to cheat every now and then.

We rounded the night out with a trip to the movie theater to see Project X. It was horrible. Don’t waste your money. I felt sick afterwards due to the handheld camera work and copious amounts of drugs and alcohol (that was occurring in the movie obviously, haha).

Enjoy the last moments of your weekend!

Bon appétit,

ThatFoodieGirl

My new favorite things about Whole Foods

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As if I wasn’t already in love with Whole Foods simply for their quality of foods and choices of products, I went in a few mornings ago to grab breakfast before my physical therapy session and my life was changed.

OK, that’s dramatic. But to anyone who wasn’t aware–Whole Foods has an oatmeal bar set up in the mornings, including a vegan oatmeal. You have plenty of choices of mix-ins, and I decided to go with the vegan oatmeal with vanilla granola, slivered almonds, flax seed, a pinch of brown sugar and berries. Today the oatmeal was a bit runny for my taste, but the first time it was heavenly.

And yes, this is two different occasions of oatmeal at Whole Foods. I loved it that much. It was perfect for on-the-go (as you can see these photos were taken in my trusty Mustang) and it was great alongside my green smoothie of peaches, banana, spinach & OJ.

Today I tried this almond milk iced coffee drink:

It was sickeningly sweet. I don’t recommend it. Has anyone tried it before?

So now you know how much I’m at Whole Foods and how in love with the place I am. I even had dinner there last night:

I had a big healthy bowl of raw kale, spinach, Texas caviar, black beans, vegetable jambalaya, bell pepper, cucumbers, quinoa & mushrooms. It was delicious and I got all my necessary nutrients in for the night.

And finally, I leave you with a parting photo that is slightly out of focus.

A chocolate macaron from Creme de la Cookie. My late afternoon snack that has me craving more, more, more! Classic French macarons are hard to come by in Dallas and these things are not just pretty to look at—they melt in your mouth. Now to come up with a recipe to create my own…wish me luck.

Hope everyone is having a great Thursday evening!

Bon appétit,

ThatFoodieGirl