Tag: restaurants in dallas

CBD Provisions

I was informed that Pimento Cheese is a Texas tradition.
As a life-long Texan, this was news to me.

A friend of mine wanted to meet for lunch at CBD Provisions, because she loves their food. I was thrilled to be close enough to snatch some coffee from Weekend. #Sold

I reserved a table for 12pm, via OpenTable and met a few friends there for lunch. Overall, I’m not as big a fan of CBD as my bestie is. I will admit their tomato soup is tasty – but it doesn’t hold a candle to Breadwinners’ recipe.

I did try the pimento cheese toast. I’m not quite sure why “toast + spread” has such a strong presence in Dallas restaurants, but I think it’s stupid. Paying $10 for 3 pieces of toast and 2 tablespoons of topping is ludicrous. The greens on the toast at CBD were wilted because of the excess dressing, and the toast was hard enough to knock a tooth out.

The Chef’s attempt at a shrimp cocktail was not horrible, but also not good. Sugar played a huge role in this appetizer, and it shouldn’t have been present at all. The beau liked this dish, but I think the chips allowed it to be edible. So far, I was not impressed. I held out hope until the main dishes came.

The carrot + avocado salad was surprisingly boring. The carrots were not prepared, aside from being tossed in dressing, and blanketed with cilantro. The chicken was perfectly grilled, but added nothing to the dish. In addition, the avocado mustard combination worked well – but I wish there’d been more than the dollop I received. Had I not ordered the chicken, I would have ended up with 3 large carrots + a spoonful of avocado crema. This dish was simply not memorable.

Melissa ordered the tomato bisque & pimento grilled cheese. She was absolutely in love with her lunch. The soup was creamy and flavorful, the sandwich was a bit too greasy (for my taste). The beau ordered the Steak Frites, and enjoyed his dish immensely. Since they didn’t mess up the steak, we may find ourselves back at CBD again, but I may wait until they’ve updated their menu. For a restaurant inside the Joule, I had high expectations. Sadly, those marks were not met.

What are your thoughts on overpriced toast, and salads that are just carrots + avocado?

Tags #DallasEats, @CBDProvisions, DallasCBD, restaurants in dallas

Daily Dose Law School

Study Break @ The Crafty Irishman

Post author By cerebellumchef
Post date October 22, 2016
No Comments on Study Break @ The Crafty Irishman

irishman-fc

Law school is stressful. Sure, there are those who shrug off the reading assignments and make it look easy – but I’m pretty sure they go home, throw off the facade and the panic attack ensues. Maybe it doesn’t, and you’re doing so great in school…but that’s not the case for me

Every now and then, the reading gets too dense and I need to take a break. Being at school in downtown Dallas makes it pretty simple to walk away for a yummy lunch, where we don’t utter a word about classes or assignments.

We’re serious about it too. My friend Matt actually made us put our phones in the middle of the table for a lunch recently and said, “You grab it, you buy for the group.” Annnnnd…since we’re all basically broke graduate students, we left our phones alone until the end of lunch. I highly recommend you do this from time to time and get to know your peers. Most of them are pretty amazing. :]

Right before midterms, a small group of us went over to The Crafty Irishman. It’s such a great place to snag a quick bite and (from what I hear, because I don’t drink them…) the beer selection is wonderful! This little gem opened a couple of weeks into law school this semester, and it has quickly turned into a class fave.

The fish and chips are good, but they’re deceiving. The batter looks crispy – that’s not the case. Which, is soooo disappointing. Sure, it’s flavorful, and the fish is (usually) well cooked, but this girl needs some crunch! Fish and chips should not be soggy. Sadly, this second trip was underwhelming. However, I will be back and hope that this dish has improved. I’m looking for some flaky-melt-in-your-mouth goodness, that was sorely lacking here.

Whit and Patricia ordered the Shepherd’s Pie. It must have been scrumptious because I wasn’t able to snap a picture of either dish before it was gone. Thankfully, Shel is a bit more patient (and possibly not quite as ravenous as the rest of us). She enjoyed the Scotch Eggs and said they “sound disgusting but are totally delish.” For those that don’t know, these are egg-stuffed sausage rounds that are then deep fried and drizzled with a mustard creme sauce. Though I haven’t tasted them yet, I can tell you – she didn’t leave a morsel on the plate. I’d say that’s high praise.

I for one am glad the Irishman is up and running. The owner is very approachable and always nice to the customers (except when you want to mix Irish Beers with “American Piss”) and the service is superb. I look forward to trying a few more dishes here, and maybe even sample some drinks. Lately, we’ve enjoyed lunch here; which is right before one of our classes. It’s not the easiest thing to recite case briefs and try to digest vodka. Take that as a tip, friends. Don’t drink and then go to class!

Tags #nom, #UNTDCOL, 1L, craft beer, craftyirishman, dallas noms, friends, irish food, Law School, pub, relax, restaurants in dallas, study break

Daily Dose Reviews

Eating Up Dallas

Last night, I was treated to such a superb meal! There were $1 Bellinis, plenty of laughs, and the tastiest of morsels.
As I stand in solidarity with my fellow foodies, I just had to share! This is definitely a new fave of mine in the Big D!

We flocked to Patrizio’s and noshed on several delectable dishes. Obviously, we started with an appetizer. Technically, we ordered FOUR:

Cauliflower Steak – A breaded and fried vegetable to confound the tastebuds. I actually plunged a forkful of the breaded yumminess into the Beau’s mouth before he could put up a fight. When told it was cauliflower he couldn’t believe it. Yes – this dish is that good!

Tender & Juicy, with a hint of a crunch from the Spinach

Garlic Cheese Bread – This is quite a standard option for an Italian food establishment, but what makes this notable is their take on a marinara sauce. The Marzano tomatoes make a world of difference and bring a sweet tang to the cheesy bread, when paired.

Bruschetta – Navy. Beans. I’m a HUGE fan of beans. I was thrilled when the bruschetta plate came up with both an eggplant mixture and a bean mixture, as well as the traditional version. The navy bean aspect of the trio was partially mixed with parmigiano

Calamari – Personally, I do not enjoy the full squidlets. I do however love the rings. The breading on this calamari could use an upgrade and reimagining. It is good, but not nearly as wonderful to the palate as the other dishes on the table. The marinara sauce and garlic aioli was perfect, and – quite frankly – I’d have been displeased had they ruined these two basic (and completely crucial) condiments.

No amount of cheese could have made this better. Well, maybe a bit more cheese…

The need to try a plethora of options meant that each of us ordered a different dish. My Fettucine Pappagano choice was too salty for my taste, but I was able to doctor the leftovers with some heavy cream, broccoli florets, french green beans, and julienned carrots. The bacon in this dish was too much and overpowered the light sauce on the perfectly cooked pasta.

This dish easily had a half pound of chicken atop it. Chunks, people. Huge, clunking pieces. Not sexy.

The Beau and Jules opted for the two lasagne choices. These pictures speak for themselves, but in case you don’t speak food and prefer to ogle, I should tell you that the chicken mushroom version is far superior to the three meat traditional. The chicken was succulent, supported by slightly wilted spinach, and a cream sauce that could damn near sing me a lullaby.

Our friend ordered the Chef’s Special for the night. It was apparently so delicious he refused to wait for anything further than a quick picture. There was not a speck of sauce left on the plate from this seafood scampi. The aroma was just the right tinge of garlic-meets-cream, with generous amounts of basil, lemon, tomatoes, and purple onions.

Some people don’t like their food cooling while a picture is snapped.Sorry for the blur.

Overall, Patrizio’s in Uptown was splendid! The food was right for the price, and (mostly) caressed my foodie passions in all the right ways. I strongly recommend you visit this quaint location, in the heart of Uptown, as soon as humanly possible. The atmosphere is lovely, there was no need to yell over our meals, and the waitstaff was swift and courteous. All great things.

Much love,
Cerebellum Chef

Tags Bellinis, Cauliflower, Dallas Best, foodie, Italian, Lasagna, Patrizio's, rave, restaurants in dallas, Uptown

Reviews

She Took Me to the Bahn [Mi] Shop

Post author By cerebellumchef
Post date October 20, 2014
No Comments on She Took Me to the Bahn [Mi] Shop

There’s this specialty restaurant on SMU Blvd, this teensy place where Mel’s been dying to get her snack on. Tonight, we decided to order out, and we’re pretty glad we did!

5629 SMU Blvd., Dallas.
214-890-9776.
banhshop.com

You may be wondering why there are no pictures (Never Fret – I included some mouth-watering ones from their site)….well, let me tell you – we ate way too damn fast!
There was no time for pictures.

Here’s the breakdown:

We ordered:
#1 Grilled Steak Bahn Mi – This lovely selection, grilled to perfection! That rhymed. The beau scarfed it down and licked his fingers, to boot! The steak was soft and succulent. A nummy treat!
#2 Pork Meatball Bahn Mo
Mel lurved her sammich! The meatballs were not anything like those found in traditional Vietnamese Pho, which is what I feared. They’re thick, tough to eat, and usually have an innocuous mixture of spices that just land in the vicinity of too damn peppery. Ugh. thankfully, this bahn mi’s meatballs were more like flavorful pork patties; crunchy, slightly sweet, with a deep smokey flavor that added to the over-all mouth-watering taste.

#4 Coconut Chicken Bahn Mi
This was the sandwich I chose, after having asked the (very nice & quite patient ) waiter what the most popular dishes were. He said this was the second most-beloved sandwich choice. Which now, after having eaten an entire one, begs the question – What the hell for?

I am so disappointed in this order. The chicken was bland, the bahn mi was wrapped in all-too-much mint, and there was truly nothing amazing about this sandwich.

We also ordered the Vietnamese street corn and summer rolls.
The corn was delicious! The nouc mam they mix in with the coconut milk is a pleasant change from the Dallas standard Mexican street corn. I say this with all my corazon, this corn is buenisimo! Though I still experience a significant amount of mouth-drooling at a few of our fave Dallas Mexican restaurantes, this shop is a pleasant change on a great snack for the beau and I.

Here’s a warning though – stay the hell away from the SUMMER ROLLS! They’re gross. Too much mint, no added protein, and not a hint of flavor in the wrapping. Both Mel and Angel agreed that these tiny packages were disgusting. Don’t let the picture fool you, loves!

What the three of us decided – these Bahn Mi sandwiches are wrapped in an insane amount of bread. Yes, I get that bread is a cheaper commodity upon which you can stuff your customers full of – but why skimp on flavor?
Let’s do better about this, YUM! foods (they own this place, along with Taco Bell & Pizza Hut). I’m pleased to say that, had I not researched the restaurant, I wouldn’t have figured it for a fast food place. It is reminiscent of a mom&pop establishment, with great personality and an awesome down-home vibe from the staff. The shop was clean, cozy, and adorable.

Stop in at this yummy place THIS week!
We may run by for a quick corn cup and the drunken noodles…the next dish I so desperately need to taste.

Have a delicious week!

Much love,
CerebellumChef

Tags asian, Bahn, bahn mi, Bahn Shop, corn cup, dallas, Dallas Best, Grilled Steak Bahn, Nouc Mam, restaurants in dallas, SMU, Summer Rolls, Vietnamese

Reviews

Grub – Winningest Shakes & Burgers

Post author By cerebellumchef
Post date August 31, 2014
No Comments on Grub – Winningest Shakes & Burgers

There’s this burger spot in what feels like the most awkward spot to park a restaurant along Greenville avenue.
When there are so many places to choose from along Dallas’ much-loved, mostly drunk-upon, street – why choose Grub?

Let me shed some light on why you’re eating at the wrong burger place.

You see, Grub’s located across the way from Desperado’s, Kosta’s Cafe, Rusty Taco, Start, and the soon to be nighttime Starbucks (which I will surely frequent). Grub has some serious food competition nearby, but nothing like their menu.
Burgers, shakes, and scary-ass ghost peppers…just a few of this couple’s favorite things.
Well, why lie – I wouldn’t eat a ghost pepper for anything less than one million dollars, but the beau sure does love the heat challenge. So do my two marine brothers, for that matter.
Just before David left for boot camp, we took him to Grub, thankfully – this establishment did not disappoint.

Now, you’re hearing this from a deeply proud Texan, who loves texas toast and Whataburger, but let me say this…Grub does it right, for the most part.

We started out with the luau fries and crawfish pistolettes. The latter were a bit too grainy for my liking. The bread was slightly undercooked, but the Mississippi Comebac Sauce – smooch! That tastiness should be on everything.
The luau fries have to be one of the most amazing pieces of fry art I have ever had the pleasure of eating. They have just the right amount of smoke on the pork, deep-fried to the perfect crunchiness, and slathered in more barbeque sauce than I should probably eat in one sitting (or seven).

The burgers were pretty great. They’re grilled just the way you like it, and the chef didn’t miss. I chose to faceplant into the Guacapotle, but was seriously bummed by their guac. My burger was cooked to perfection, then quickly ruined by the murdered-by-lemon guacamole.

The boys were much braver and decided on the Ghost Burger.
At first, everything seemed ok – then things took a turn for crazy-funny.
Add this to the “oh shit” list for Marines.

The Beau's face when the burgers arrived — The Beau’s face when the burgers arrived

David was in the process of trying to make-weight for his ship date, so he shared a burger with my big guy.
A few bites later, the spice kicked in…and so did his reality of a spicy death for his taste buds.

He tried to drink some water, but that didn’t help him at all.
We ordered a shake for him, but while we waited – all he could do was…laugh.
You should know that the milkshakes are so damn goooood. Thick, creamy, and the type that goes straight to your ass, but you just don’t care. Yep, that freaking good.

Really, this boy must have laughed for a good five minutes. I’m pretty sure that’s how he got through boot camp too.
He laughed, and dreamt of this “amazing burger.” He loved it. I loved watching him laugh.
Crazy kid.

This restaurant is one of our favorites. Stop in for a meal and you’ll see why!

Cheers,
CerebellumChef