Tag Archives: Smoke

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

Smoke: a down to earth kind of place

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Smoke

What: BBQ

Where: Dallas

You’ve never been to Smoke? I was getting that quite a lot, and although Smoke has been on my “to-try list”, I finally made it. Although I’ve been on the vegan track (that means I’ve been trying to avoid dairy and meat as much as possible), I had to cheat at Smoke. Lucky for me, I went with quite a few friends who were nice enough to take photos of their meals and let me try almost everything.

First of all, Smoke is located in south Dallas (or is it west Dallas?) over by the Belmont Hotel. Though it was a long haul from the SMU bubble, it was well worth the drive that sunny Sunday afternoon. We headed in for brunch at around 1pm and were immediately seated at a large table. The outside looks like what you would think of a smokehouse– very Texan complete with cacti and everything. The inside is nothing short of cozy. Because it was a particularly breezy, chilly day, it was nice to see a fireplace and all the homey decor…that is, homey if you’re a Texan. The atmosphere was warm and inviting, and so was our waiter. The service was quick, and our waiter was very friendly, always smiling and answering all our questions. Even though Smoke is primarily BBQ, the service and atmosphere make for a slightly more upscale BBQ experience. It’s a dining experience, not just a grab-and-go, is what I’m getting at.

The BBQ was outstanding. As you can see in the first photo, I had the blueberry and ricotta cheese pancakes with vanilla poached apricots and cream. WOW. So rich and indulgent, these pancakes were some of the best I’ve ever had. The sweetness was a bit overpowering, but I should have known what I was getting myself into. Lucky for the rest of the table, my dish was passed around at the end as everyone else’s dessert. The waiter even swooned when I ordered the pancakes…I should have offered him a bite.

I think it’s a bit unfair I didn’t try a bunch of meats at a primarily BBQ place, but I will say I did try the brisket and it was heavenly. It practically melts in your mouth. Oh, and, everyone else who tried the meat dishes seemed to be in heaven too. See photo below for some tongue wagging:

Coffee Cured Beef Brisket sandwich:

Pulled Whole Hog BBQ Eggs Benedict:

And finally… how cute are these plates? They had all sorts of animals. If turn them over, it has a stamp that says “I stole this from Smoke”. We asked the waiter about it and he said they’ve lost so many of the plates, they figured that when the thieves went home with their plates, they might feel guilty once they saw the stamp on the bottom. Or maybe it just encourages more plate theft? It was tempting…

All in all, it was a wonderful experience and I highly recommend the place. If you’re a BBQ lover, even better.

Bon appétit,

ThatFoodieGirl