Category Archives: Dallas

Baboush: Mediterranean-Lebanese food in Dallas

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Baboush Market & Bar

What: Mediterranean/ Lebanese fusion

Where: West Village, Uptown Dallas

How did I not know about this place? It was a nice surprise as Ryan and I were walking to get a pizza from Grimaldi’s and I’m so glad we decided to give Baboush a shot. We sat outside, and despite it being really hot outside, we loved being able to dine al fresco.

I decided to cool off by ordering one of their “sexy drinks”– the Lebanese Night. Vodka, guava nectar, fresh strawberries and lime juice. Really delicious if you like something fruity.

Ryan went with an exotic Lebanese beer.

At first glance at the menu, we were impressed by the decently priced menu items…especially for an uptown venue. When we actually received the dishes, we understood it was more of a tapas-style place. Smaller portions. But that’s ok.

We started off with their hummus. It was creamy and smooth, and the pita bread was warm and fluffy. And we got another basket full of the pita bread.

I was excited for my falafel to arrive, but was a bit disappointed. They were over-fried. They were extremely tough and hard to get my fork through. On the side is a lemon tahini sauce. I’m willing to give it another go just because I haven’t found a whole lot of falafel spots in Dallas.

On the side I had their saffron couscous with chickpeas, raisins and white onions. It wasn’t all that flavorful, but there’s something about couscous. I just love the texture. It went well with the hummus too.

Ryan enjoyed the grilled chicken kebabs with a tabbouleh-like salad underneath.

All in all, I think Dallas needs more Mediterranean spots like this. I truly hope the falafel will be cooked to perfection next time I stop by. Otherwise, the hummus and pita and cocktails were enough to get me back there. Also, if you’re into hookah, they have that too.

Bonus: Scout Mob just posted they have a 50% off deal right now. Just download Scout Mob on your smart phone, show the deal to your server, and voila! You’re welcome!

Bon Appétit,

That Foodie Girl

Gluten Free Strawberry Cupcakes

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These little babies were quite a hit at our 4th of July get-together if I do say so myself.

Meet the gluten free strawberry cupcakes, made from scratch. No gelatin, no box cake mix. Just pure goodness. Recipe came from A Dash of Sass. I added a pinch of baking soda, substituted rice flour for self-rising flour and nixed the red food coloring.

It was a great way to use the giant bin of fresh strawberries I bought on sale at Whole Foods!

For the 4th of July, we headed to the Belmont Hotel to hang out with friends. This was our view:

Great view, great weather, great company.

I even got to celebrate with Ryan despite his exhaustion due to being overworked as an investment banker.

So he took a nap and represented his patriotism while doing so. (and wearing 2 pairs of Ray Bans). haha.

What did you do to celebrate?

Bon Appétit,

That Foodie Girl

A perfect Saturday morning treat

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You know it’s going to be a good weekend when your Saturday morning begins like this. At 11am. Sun is shining, coffee is brewing, and it’s time for waffles and a side of peanut butter of course.

Please excuse the missing bites out of this waffle..I was hungry. I was missing the maple syrup (new apartment…oops!), so I made my own healthier version of a sweet beginning. Waffle + plain Greek yogurt + blueberries + drizzle of honey. Oh and an occasional dip in the PB jar. It was so good and kept me full.

How did YOU begin your weekend?

Bon Appétit,

That Foodie Girl

What I Ate Wednesday: eat the rainbow edition

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Happy WIAW everyone! So happy to be participating again this week.

This week’s WIAW is actually what I ate today (Wednesday), not my eats from yesterday or last week. Today. See? I’m getting better about posting now that I have a routine.

Is there anything more glorious than a big bowl of fresh fruit, yogurt & raw oats first thing in the morning? How about with the sun coming in? Taking this photo made me happy. Eating this bowl made me satisfied.

This bowl of plain Greek yogurt + peaches + strawberries + blueberries + bananas + raw oats kept me full for 4 hours or more. It was so delicious, I can’t wait to go to bed tonight so I can wake up and do the same thing tomorrow. Am I weird?

When lunch rolled around, I wasn’t that hungry, but decided to take advantage of my fridge full of fresh produce. I find that when I fill my fridge with the rainbow, I eat all that produce, and love it more than a usual sandwich lunch. This bowl contains a bed of arugula + spinach, sautéed yellow tomatoes, zucchini, bell pepper, fresh sliced avocado and a fried egg. A little bit of everything, I guess. It was yummmm.

Have a great evening everyone!

Bon Appétit,
That Foodie Girl

roasted brussels sprouts, fried egg and chocolate cake

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Step 1: Slice brussels sprouts in half, place on baking sheet, drizzle coconut oil, salt & pepper. Roast for 10 mins on 400 degrees, flipping over half way through.

Step 2: Fry 1 egg, place over brussels, poke yolk to let the egg run.

There you have it! Roasted brussels sprouts with fried egg and the natural egg yolk sauce. For some of you, you may be repulsed. But for other egg lovers out there–you know this is the good stuff.

I had seen this particular dish on food blogs and fit blogs and I knew I had to try it. It was filling and nutritious. My other dish last night was a baked sweet potato topped with plain Greek yogurt and a dusting of cinnamon. I usually roast my sweet potatoes and dip them in ketchup, so I thought this would be a new fun way to enjoy sweet potatoes. For some reason, this way was much too sweet for me, I could only take a few bites, then threw the rest out. BUMMER.

So it was dessert time. I made a 3 min chocolate cake in a mug!

I found this recipe in an US magazine while getting my toes done. I would have cooked this in the microwave for only 2 minutes as this ended up being too dry.

Have you ever made a chocolate cake for 1?

Bon Appétit,

That Foodie Girl

Mason Bar Dallas: more than drinks

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Mason Bar

What: American, bar

Where: Uptown Dallas

Although this place may look like just a little bar from the outside, they also have a full menu with food you wouldn’t normally find at a bar. Pictured above is their lemon thyme chicken with mushroom risotto. The chicken was cooked to perfection and the entire dish took me right back to my favorite dish at Extra Virgin in NYC. Delicious.

Something green at a bar? Yep, you heard it. I was starting to lose faith in the ability for a restaurant in uptown Dallas to actually serve healthy AND good options. This salad hit the spot in the 100+ weather. Mixed greens, strawberries, candied pecans, goat cheese, balsamic and “pickled fruit”. The pickled fruit were thinly sliced apples.

As far as drinks go, I had their hurricane: rum, orange, lime & passion fruit juice, simple syrup, grenadine & cherry. It was super sweet, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Ryan had their dark and stormy (dark rum + ginger beer).

The vibe of this place was Depression era bar. It felt so classic with a candle at each table, this charming little bar tucked in the State Thomas neighborhood is a good spot for not only an old school drink, but a delicious meal as well.

Bon Appetit,

That Foodie Girl

Breakfast meets dinner

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Good morning foodies! How are you? It’s almost 9:30am and I’m finally getting into a working-from-home routine.

It’s nice to work from home for many reasons, but one of the downsides is being so close to the kitchen…I have found myself “hungry” more than the usual amount. But! I get to eat healthy meals that I make for myself and just eat when I’m hungry. I was reading an article in Women’s Health last night about how many people eat at their set meal times when they’re not even hungry. It’s much better to eat when your stomach is asking for it, and this includes snacks.

Last night at 9pm my stomach was finally ready for dinner…errr…breakfast. So breakfast for dinner it was! This was so easy to throw together and so filling and nutritious. This is the best looking omelet I’ve ever made so I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to photograph it. Sprinkled on top is Daiya vegan cheese, inside is bell pepper and zucchini, 2 eggs.

Sides were slightly toasted Seeduction bread (from Whole Foods) with a bit of Earth Balance spread, sautéed leftover zucchini and bell pepper that didn’t make it into the omelet and blueberries for my sweet tooth.

Do you like to eat breakfast for dinner? Waffles? Pancakes? Eggs? I think eggs are great for any meal…

Bon Appétit,

That Foodie Girl

first homemade meal in the apartment

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Hello everyone!

Today I got the pleasure of preparing and enjoying my first homemade meal inside my new apartment. I had my camera close by and thank goodness, the lighting is great in here right around lunch time! Phew!

Today I had a side salad of spinach + arugula + orange bell pepper with a dollop of Zilk’s balsamic roasted garlic & red onion hummus and a new Cindy’s dressing…

So deliciously versatile that my chicken is currently marinated in it. Updates on that later. The hummus + this dressing was a really odd combo, but I really wanted hummus so it was going to have to do.

Main event was this guy:

So good. I know what I’m having for lunch tomorrow. It’s a tomato basil veggie pattie (found in the frozen section of Whole Foods) with Daiya vegan cheese all on grilled Seeduction bread.

If you’ve never had Seeduction bread from Whole Foods, you’re missing out. It’s slightly sweet and goes great with any meal. Mmmm so seeductive.

All enjoyed on my makeshift dining table. (aka a small side “stool”). It worked.

What do you love to have for lunch?

Bon Appétit,

That Foodie Girl

WIAW: I’m finally back!

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I haven’t been a part of What I Ate Wednesday in several MONTHS, and now I’m finally here, but going along with the “Sensible Snacking” theme, I just have random snacks over the past week to share with you.

First off, thanks Jen for hosting this, as it’s so much fun to make new foodie friends!

First off, I cut up a “personal watermelon” that yielded this giant container FULL of watermelon. It’s a great snack during the summertime–I’m so bad about drinking enough water in a day, so sometimes I’ll catch myself eating watermelon instead of drinking water. Priorities.

The other night I made this baby kale salad marinated in Cindy’s balsamic dressing topped with farmer’s market fresh yellow tomatoes and cracked pepper. I can finally say I like kale salad–because I soaked it for 30 mins in the fridge, it really made all the difference. This salad was so refreshing and there’s nothing better than fresh (and brightly colored) produce.

I got this kombucha at a little flea market near my house in Austin. I can’t remember the name of the company, but they have several flavors of kombucha on tap. That’s right, kombucha on tap. It was new to me, and I loved sampling a bunch. I ended up getting the pineapple super greens mix. You fill yours up in a jar and bring it back for a refill at a lower price. That’s what I call eco friendly!

Going along with the drinks, because it’s so hot here in Texas, sometimes snacks are best when cold and in liquid form. These smoothies are from Whole Foods. Don’t you love the rainbow of smoothies? I had the green smoothie–pineapple & spinach. (are you sensing a trend?)

What are YOU snacking on these days? If you would like to join this foodie party or maybe just check out what everyone is snacking on, head over to http://www.peasandcrayons.com

Bon Appétit,
That Foodie Girl

Five Sixty by Wolfgang Puck, aka the restaurant in the ball

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Hi I’m so sorry I’ve been neglecting poor TFG, but I’ll be back in the swing of things SOON I hope. I hate not posting regularly on here, but such is life, right? Wedding planning is just baaarely beginning and so are many other things, but that’s for another day. Right now I’m focusing on squeezing in a blog post before I meet a friend for a margarita!

Last week my Dad came into town and took us to two nice restaurants. The first one I will tell you about is Five Sixty by Wolfgang Puck.

Five Sixty

What: upscale Asian

Where: downtown Dallas

It’s been on my bucket list for years, so it was such a treat to get to take the elevator all the way up to this scenic spot in Dallas.

For those of you who don’t live in Dallas, you take an elevator all the way up what is called Reunion Tower (a.k.a. the ball) and once inside, the restaurant actually revolves a full 360 degrees every 54 minutes or so. It. was. trippy. But awesome.

We started with martinis.

They took about 45 mins to get them to us. But we weren’t too phased because of the awesome view that was constantly changing every minute.

Ryan and I both started with their white tuna roll. It was a little bit spicy, the fish was high quality, but the flavor and texture was a bit odd. The raw crunch of the asparagus almost catches you off guard–it’s nice to have a little crunch, but this is a huge contrast to the rest of the roll.

This is their calamari. Ryan didn’t have the best review on it, noting the calamari was extremely bland and had to ask for a side sauce to spice things up.

I had the chicken dumplings with a peanut sauce. This was a TINY dish as it was on their sushi menu, but I was expecting a little more for the $16 or $18 that it cost.

My Dad had their Wild King Salmon “Hong Kong Style”. It was a nice flavorful dish.

For dessert we had the Baked Alaska, and sadly, it did not come out on fire. But that’s ok. The merengue on the outside was great, as was the strawberry sauce. I was less than impressed with the dessert as a whole–the ice cream had that icy texture that reminded me of freezer burn. Time for some fresh ice cream in that freezer!

Overall, it’s a great experience up there in “the ball”. We left happy, but when reflecting back on the meal, it was so overpriced for not even great food. The service was just ok, but the view was spectacular.

Bon Appétit,

That Foodie Girl