RGB = Resto Gastro Bistro

Shared Patios at Trinity Groves Overlooking Big D

The Trinity Groves development across the new Calatrava bridge in the former slum off Singleton Boulevard in Dallas is urban redevelopment with the noblest of intentions. Although at heart I am a preservationist, scraping off the detritus of a century of blighted landscape and replacing it with a warehouse enclave re-purposed as a restaurant incubator district is a pretty cool idea.  Phil Romano, the restaurant concept genius behind Macaroni Grill, Fuddruckers, Eatzi's and  numerous other brands where you've spent money for most of your life, is the brains behind this unique endeavor--give up-and-coming restaurateurs a location and seed money to develop their concepts, and then share in their success if they are a hit. Their are nine and counting new restaurants in this newly created dining destination, with another ten or so in the works. It's fun and funky and creative and progressive.  I love it.

Last Saturday we ventured across the bridge and stopped in to say hi to Jonn Baudoin, owner of Driftwood in Bishop Arts, and now Casa Rubia In Trinity Groves.  He's a former colleague who has done well for himself by opening two four-star restaurants in as many years.  I couldn't get reservations at his Spanish tapas temple before 10:00, so we went for a preprandial drink.  The place was swarming with happy hipsters, loving couples and large gatherings of friends and families.  I mentioned to him that we would have eaten there if I could have made an earlier reservation and he gave me his business card and said he'd get me in next time.  I felt like I had just scored a Willy Wonka golden ticket and I have every intention of taking him up on his kind offer.

Yay Organ Meat

Next we ambled down to Resto Gastro Bistro, which, although awkward sounding, turned out to be really delicious.  It was a little less boisterous than Casa Rubia, discounting the two shrilly chattering magpies seated next to us who received a fair amount of stink-eye from us which they either ignored or were oblivious to.  I finally asked them, very politely, to kindly shut up and they shrieked "no" and continued blathering about Kim Kardashian and their best friends' bad habits and how they were both like totally stuffed after sharing one tiny appetizer, which was a lettuce wrap. It was such endless drivel at an astonishing speed and high volume that I eventually had to stab them.  The world is now a much quieter place.  The restaurant manager thanked me and several customers high-fived me and offered me money, which I humbly refused as doing my civic duty is a responsibility I embrace with gusto.

Pretty Bar Balls

We started with an ambitious charcuterie platter that boasted assorted cured meats, cheeses and fruit on a big Steak and Ale type cutting board. (Remember that?)  It looked somewhat daunting at first but we managed to polish it all off except for a tiny dollop of whole grain mustard.  Next came the entrees:  mine was a spectacular stack of seared Ahi Tuna and red and yellow tomatoes with a pineapple hoisin sauce. Yum.  The sushi grade ahi was blood red in the middle and charred black on the outside, precisely how I like it. D's plate was called Twisted Chicken Piccata, which I guess was because they had wrapped it around a skewer to make a poultry curlicue, and it came with grilled corn, bacon, fava beans Clarice, tomato confit scallions and some foreign looking mushrooms. His plate was so clean at the end they didn't even have to wash it before plating it up for the next guest.  But I'm sure they did.

There are so many dining options in Trinity Groves and I can't wait to go back to try the new permanent pop up restaurant Kitchen LTO (Limited Time Offer) which changes chefs, menu, concept and decor every four months. Sort of seems like a high wire act since most restaurants start really finding their groove about three or four months in.  There's is also a fish place called Amberjacks, a Moroccan bistro named SOUK, a modern Chinese cafe, a barbecue joint and a hot dog emporium.  Plus a craft beer place called LUCK and some other places I forgot, and many more to come.  Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Trinity Groves has ascended from a pile of rubbish and syringes and become the newest shiny strand of pearls in the Dallas dining scene's bold new firmament.

Destination Dining: Nora

Afghanistan Is The Plan

Last night we treaded into uncharted waters and decided to try Nora on Lower Greenville in Dallas.  We'd noticed this sexy, pretty place when it opened a few months ago nestled amongst the everchanging watering holes frequented by SMU students, mustachioed hipsters, and tattooed street kids expressing their individuality by sporting identical arcane Chinese symbols and inspirational phrases written in Latin. It has a sleekness and regal curb appeal more in keeping with shinier parts of Dallas than a raggedy strand of bars and clubs.  It also stands out by serving authentic Afghan fare, which is as rare as seeing someone driving without a cell phone stuck to their head in this vast western landscape of upscale steak houses and taco chains.

I guess it's authentic Afghan cuisine, anyway.  I know my way around Tex Mex, Thai, Greek, Japanese, and even Canadian (ugh, poutines), but the menu put in front of me by the welcoming hostess could have been written in ancient runes for as well as I could read or understand it.  We were seated in the back half of the busy bar, as the restaurant side had a private party that sounded fun, if a bit shrill, and rewarded with crafted cocktails.  Mine was a Cardamom Spice Martini, which was created from cardamom infused vodka shaken with a touch of rosewater.  It tasted like unsweetened liquid cinnamon, weirdly delightful.

Sampler For Two

Our server, who was named either Jim or Theodore, happily navigated us through the menu, thoughtfully guiding us through the offerings which at first glance seemed to contain nothing but random vowels and consonants. At his suggestion we ended up with a sampler of appetizers:  Bulanee, which was a potato filled fried pastry sprinkled with cilantro and served with mint sauce; Kadu, while sounding terrible ended up being my favorite, was cooked pumpkin with garlic yogurt and meat sauce.  I know, right?  Also Sambosa Goshti, lightly fried pastry with ground beef and chick peas, and Aushak, steamed leek dumplings with minted yogurt.  The platter came very quickly after we ordered it, making me think it had been sitting under a heat lamp awaiting the private party, and indeed, all the food was a little bit cold but still incredibly tasty. I'd definitely order it again.

Mmmmmeatballs

D had the Kofta Chalao as an entree:  Lamb meatballs simmered in fresh spices, garlic, onion and dried plum served alongside some steamed rice.  Audible moaning was evident throughout mastication. Less adventurously, I had the grilled Ribeye Kabob, perfectly cooked medium rare and served with grilled vegetables and saffron rice.  I really wanted to order the Bastani for dessert:  Cardamom and rosewater ice cream topped with crushed pistachios, but I talked myself out of it since it sounded a lot like my martini plus milk and minus the vodka.

Total Afghanistan adventure was just under an hour and well under a hundred bucks, my kind of trip.  I forgot to say the chef/owner delivered our entrees and apologized for them coming out so late even though we hadn't really noticed a long lag time due to the pleasant ambiance and delicious appetizers.  It was a fun, unexpected outing and we will definitely return.  Or as they say in Punjabi, ਸਾਨੂੰ ਵਾਪਸ ਹੋ ਜਾਵੇਗਾ, which might be really wrong since I couldn't find Afghanistan's language of Pashto on Google Translate.

Un Deux Trois

It's As Easy As 123

Spending the weekend before Christmas in New York City has become a fun tradition with us.  The pretty lights and decorations, the green and red illuminated Empire State Building, the smell of chestnuts roasting on a greasy grill, hookers in Santa outfits with fishnet stockings...these are all sensory images that make holiday magic for me.

We usually see a Broadway show, usually a Saturday matinee, and we like to brunch beforehand.  (Gosh I sound so urbane and sophisticated when I use "brunch" as a verb like that. Watch out, next I'll be "summering" in the Hamptons.) Last year we stood in line at the Shake Shack Times Square for an hour and a half for an over-priced hamburger with really fresh lettuce before laughing our heads off at the Book of Mormon.

This year's outing was Kinky Boots, Tony award winner of 2013 for best musical and lucky for us, still with the original cast intact.  In case you don't know, it's about a gentleman who saves his failing shoe factory by partnering up with a drag queen named Lola to market flashy footwear for men who are in touch with their inner RuPaul. It's all about a steel reinforced heel that won't break under the weight of a fully grown man in a great big wig and tons of facial spackle.

We'll Always Have Paris

Our friend K, the famous food snatcher and native New Yorker, suggested we meet at Un Deux Trois at 44th and 7th. While walking there I checked Google Maps to see the street number and felt rather foolish when I saw that it was 123 West 44th. The place feels very Parisian with cozy butterscotch walls, high ceilings, big windows and fancy chandeliers but you know you're not in France because the servers there are actually nice.

New York is even more crowded than usual at Christmas time, and we watched hordes of tourists scurrying past our beautiful table in the window, glancing up into the lush interior and thinking to themselves it was too expensive as they shoved their way into Ruby Tuesday across the street. (Okay, I know that sounded a little uppity, get over it.)  But it is not really expensive at all: The $22 prix fixe  gets you brunch plus a mimosa, bloody mary, or screwdriver.

I had the smoked salmon eggs benedict, which was delicious if a little heavy on the Hollandaise.  Other selections included a generous burger and a passel of pommes frites, and a delicious quiche (a long time ago when I was a restaurant server in Kansas City I had a customer order one but she pronounced it "quick-ee").  Un Deux Trois has been there a long time and it deserves to be.  It looked like a lot of local families who were honoring their own holiday or pre-theater traditions, and there was tinkling background music, great aromas, and not a single person twerked or made a selfie. Sometimes I like being a grown up.

Happy Hollandaise To You

Arm and arm, the five of us wound our way to the Al Hirschfeld theater (coincidentally walking past Sardi's on the way, where his notable caricatures of faded Broadway stars nobly hang) and soon discovered why Billy Porter won his Tony for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (although to be truthful it probably should have been in the actress category--that guy can rock some stilettos!)  It was Broadway at its best and Cyndi Lauper's score was hilarious, moving, and awesome.  (I'm buying the cd because I like singing along to show tunes at the gym, and people usually leave a wide berth around me for some weird reason.)

We ended our traditional Saturday at the usual place, the Fairy Tale lounge with its armless centaurs and purple unicorns.  We got a New York pizza pie from Sal's down the street.  The bar is in Hell's Kitchen, which used to be the scariest place in the city to go to besides Bergdorf Goodman's, but is so gentrified now the panhandlers wear ascots.

Ah New York...just like I pictured it.  Skyscrapers, and everything.

Destination Dining: Stampede 66

Like most people who live and dine out often in Dallas, I'm a pretty big Stephan Pyles fan.  When I first moved here in 1997 I think it was the last year of his mega-successful Star Canyon run and regrettably, I ate there only once but I remember that experience quite fondly even though my waistline has never recovered.  He opened another couple of restaurants afterwards (AquaKnox was way ahead of its time, when Texans had yet to discover that fish didn't necessarily have to be battered and fried to be edible.) Then he blasted into the big time again with the eponymous Stephan Pyles restaurant which has resolutely stood the test of time and taste buds.  It's darned expensive, however, so it's kind of a once-a-year place for us. He opened Samar on the ground floor of the building I work in a few years ago and it is a fun place to share Indian, Spanish and Mediterranean dishes with odd sounding names and unfamiliar spices.  I usually have minor gastric distress afterwards but it's worth it, kind of like soreness after a strenuous workout.  He used to have hookahs outside on the patio under little cabanas but they kept blowing over in the windy canyons of downtown Dallas so he gave them to some hookers.  J/K.

This Little Piggy Stayed Home

About a year ago the unstoppable Chef Pyles opened Stampede 66 as what I can only think of as his unapologetic bromance with Texas.  I mean you walk into the place and it is so western and snazzy and cocky it takes every bit of your will power to not start dancing the Cotton Eyed Joe. The decor is Pure-D awesome with metal horse heads, a big old lit up snake, mounted longhorns and a gigantic hog sculpture made out of pork rinds, which is kind of Silence of the Lambs-esque, like creating an outfit for someone using human skin.

Lunch is a blast.  Last time I went there I met a female friend who happens to be one of the brightest stars in the firmament of Dallas society (she is one of the nicest people you will ever meet plus she laughs at my feeble attempts at humor so don't judge) and we both seriously discussed healthy options like the Gazpacho and the Venison Taco Salad and then promptly ordered the BBQ Brisket Reuben with French Fries and Potato Salad.  It was $12 which is pretty much like free in a Stephan Pyles restaurant.  My friend and I always like to case the bathrooms in restaurants and Stampede 66 does not disappoint.  Instead of Dudes and Dudettes or Guys and Gals, they have name plates of famous Texans nailed to the front to indicate where to go. If you are a male and you option for door number two with Janis Joplin, Ebby Halliday and Farrah Fawcett among others you really need to start paying more attention to something other than your smart phone.

Dinner is a little less casual but not very much and the prices are again, insanely cheap for S/P food.  This man is a world famous chef and one of the founding fathers of Southwestern Cuisine and you can sink your teeth into his Chicken Fried Buffalo Steak and Mashed Potatoes with Potlicker Greens for 21 bucks, or fork over 16 smackers for Shrimp and Grits. My most devoted readers (I think I am up to almost ten now) know that I always usually skip dessert but I cannot resist his mason jar of Butterscotch Pudding with Salted Caramel and I have heard from trusted sources that his Chocolate Custard, Snickers, Dr. Pepper Float is every bit as ridiculously delicious as it sounds.  I know my fingers just plumped up a little while I was typing that so it must also be incredibly fattening.

The place is crazy busy and deserves to be.  The service is all Southern grace, the food is outstanding, the decor is at once deluxe and amusing, and it is not much more expensive than a Saturday Date Night at Denny's.  I really wanted to use the expressions "All Hat No Cattle" and "That Dog Don't Hunt" in this post because they are so truly Texan but they just don't apply here at all.  Nope, when I am at Stampede 66 I am Happier than a Big Tick on a Fat Dog.

Now do yerself a favor and git on over yonder pronto.

*****

Destination Dining: Savor at Klyde Warren Park

We celebrated a birthday last night with dinner at the snazzy new restaurant Savor in Klyde Warren Park--you know, the reclaimed air space perched on a slab over the sunken Woodall Rogers Freeway that's been planted with grass and flowers and food trucks and bocce balls.  I think it was brilliant to connect uptown and downtown by bridging the carbon monoxide canyon below and creating an inviting play space for downtown denizens forty feet in the air.  During the sweltering, super hot months in North Texas (basically February through November) kids splash and laugh in the sprayground and sweaty attorneys from Jones Day munch on Easy Sliders in suits and ties while wild-eyed, craft-crazed women from Lakewood adorn all the trees with yarn bombs. KWP is a place for all people and attracts a wide variety of visitors, from misty morning tai chi classmates to retired policemen looking for an afternoon pickup game of checkers.  The park's programming is designed to appeal to a little something in everyone, resulting in a monster mash-up of activities and a crazy kaleidoscope of non-related special events. (BTW the outdoor park is also non-smoking and offers valet parking for $15.  Now that's Dallas in a nutshell.)

Waiting for Mr. Big

The restaurant is following the park's lead, resulting in a pleasant destination for dinner despite the fact that it has a multiple personality disorder so severe they should have named it Sybil instead of Savor. First of all, it calls itself a Gastropub, which makes one imagine a rustic tavern or a hipster dive with hand-crafted, high quality food.  Folks, this place is all Dallas dazzle and flattering lighting and sumptuous furnishings.  It is so freaking gorgeous it burns your retinas, like Sofia Vergara in a smoking hot red dress. A more appropriate handle might be Gastropalace but I don't think that's in the foodie lexicon.  All the exterior walls are glass so when seated in the dining room surrounded by the lighted trees in the park you feel like you're on location for the next Sex and the City movie shoot. There is a very sophisticated, Manhattan vibe to the place that makes you want to wear a Tom Ford tuxedo and swizzle champagne until the wee hours of the morning, trading bon mots with your friends while impressing diners at nearby tables with your unstoppable, chic urbanity.

The chef is reportedly a veteran of Ritz Carlton Hotels, and the food really is quite tasty.  But here's the heart of the personality disorder I mentioned before:  A city park with a glamorous restaurant and a talented chef who serves delicious food that is as homely as the loneliest wallflower at a singles dance.  The ingredients are just sort of thrown on the plate and shoved around with no regard to color or contrast. In a city as preoccupied with appearances as Dallas, this is unexpected, to say the least.

This is a flatiron steak with creamed spinach fritters, wild mushrooms and pearl onion.  That's exactly how it came out of the kitchen. Four shades of brown off center on an oblique, white plate.  The fritters were hot and messy, the steak very flavorful if a little chewy, which is to be expected with a flatiron, not my favorite cut of meat.  But oh, it looked so sad and self-conscious in that beautiful room filled with beautiful people, as if it were wearing a home-made sackcloth dress on prom night.

The Wedge Salad sounded unusual because it came with bacon and fried pickled onions instead of the expected diced tomato.  As you can see, this did not produce an inspired presentation either.  A baby iceberg lettuce head was chopped in half, thrown on a plate and then doused with pickled onions and blue cheese.  It would have looked fine in a roadside diner but in this sparkling space it was as drab as Miss Jane Hathaway at a funeral.

The four of us really enjoyed our meal. I had a short rib that was so tender it fell off the bone when I merely glanced at it.  Another plate was barbecued shrimp and grits, and the orderer of that dish is now a certified member of the clean plate club. We all shared some shrimp and calamari that were crispy with a slightly sweet chili glaze as well as some luscious lobster puffs with remoulade. I had a mild amount of sticker shock when the bill came because the menu is artfully constructed to appear moderately priced but it really is not.  I think people who can design that good of a pricing fake-out are geniuses.

Maybe the chef should ask whoever did that to help with the design of the plates...

The #1 Restaurant in Dallas?

A week or so ago, our dear friend J's brother B was in town.  We'd heard about each other for years but never met due to time and travel constraints.  On a recent cross country road trip he stayed with his elder sister in her exquisitely appointed, suburban manse and requested a night out with us. Not sure why, perhaps he'd heard we were charming and witty or possessed  unusual lingual skills like ventriloquism or the ability to talk like a pirate in fluent French. I don't really know but when we are summoned to dinner by Lady J, we do as we are told.

It was a Monday night, so our Go To option for out-of-towner, first time dinner meet-ups, DISH, was a non-starter since they are closed on Mondays. I'd remembered reading, somewhat surprised, that D Magazine had rated NHS Bar & Grill (aka Neighborhood Services) #1 out 100 restaurants in Dallas. Really?  Better than FT-33?  Better than Lucia?  Or even though it's not my personal favorite, the ultra-glam Fearing's?

We'd been to its short-lived sibling, Neighborhood Services Tavern on Henderson during the few months it was open and thought it was okay but we never went back so I guess we kind of voted with our feet. We'd not been to NHS and guessed it must be 1000% better to have ranked so highly in our city's most successful lifestyle magazine, if success is measured by the volume of ads for plastic surgeons, designer footwear and suited-up realtors standing in front of tract mansions.  I congratulated myself on thinking this the perfect opportunity to show brother B a good time at the best place in town.

Most of the food critics in town have this thing for the owner and chef of NHS, Nick Badovinus.  No clue why except that he looks like a blond rock star, has a funny sense of humor, opens wildly successful restaurants and his teeth sparkle like he's starring in a Dentyne commercial. I've never met Chef Nick but I'd like to because I think I'd like him based on articles and interviews I've read. Therefore, I hope he doesn't read this because I am about to go all Emperor's New Clothes on him. NHS is certainly not the #1 restaurant in Dallas.  It's not even #10.  If I had to hazard a guess I'd put it somewhere in the mid-30's with a slightly receding hairline and the beginnings of a paunch.

Don't get me wrong, it is not bad.  Service is brisk and efficient, not overly warm, but pleasant enough. The interior is small and cozy. The menu is written in a humorous, self-mocking way that I really liked. The food was good, although I had to go to the website and pull up the menu to try to remember what we ate and I still can't.  Sorry, Charlie, but I can still remember every layered flavor of the garlicky hummus and house-made ricotta at Cafe 43 several months ago, and the exquisite juniper roasted lamb loin I had at the French Room in 2006 but I can't even  recall what I ordered at NHS one week later.

Every critic, reviewer, blogger and self-described foodie is entitled to their opinion, and on a rainy Monday night, NHS was jam-packed.  It looked like a super busy Saturday night in most Dallas restaurants. So maybe the four of us were entirely clued-out, but we just didn't get how this little workaday, neighborhood friendly, pretty good restaurant could outrank all the other hot spots in town.  It doesn't push the culinary envelope like the food forward revolution going down in the Design District nor is it all dolled up in marble and crystal and other shiny objects we attractive urban swells of Dallas appreciate so much.  It's in a strip mall in an upscale neighborhood.  It's not super expensive.  And it's owned by a charismatic chef who apparently knows how to shop for new clothes befitting an emperor.

Clogged Arteries

Howdy Folks.  Er, Good-bye Folks.

Everyone knows that Texans brag a lot.  Those who don't live in Texas find it truly annoying. Those who live here understand why we do so, and quite smugly, I might add. Everything really is bigger and better here, except for a certain junior senator who shall remain nameless because he is the worst kind of self-promoting, ridiculously conservative tea party marionette unworthy of being identified in this blog, or any other respectable media outlet for that matter.

Our State Fair is a Great State Fair--naturally the biggest and grandest in the land.  Our fair lasts for nearly a month, and is celebrated in the largest collection of vintage Art Deco buildings in America.  They were built for the 1936 Texas Centennial and boast stylish murals and sumptuous sculptures ensconced in a pretty, beautifully landscaped parkland with fountains and flowers and flourishes unseen anywhere else in the world.

Happy Happy Corny Dog

In the last decade or so, the State Fair of Texas has evolved into the world's largest venue for impossibly crazy fried food inventions. Always known for Fletcher's Corny Dogs and Tornado Taters, the Fair has amped up its publicity for all new deep fried food alternatives.  Past winners include Deep Fried Grilled Cheese Sandwiches (served with a little ramekin of Tomato Soup for dipping) and a Battered and Deep Fried Snickers Bar, and they have stood the test of time and are now staples of provisions one can look forward to consuming each year.  Previous headliners that never returned due to unpopular demand include Deep Fried Butter and Deep Fried Beer.  (Were they even trying or was it all about a gimmick for shameless media ink?)  I kinda thought the trend might have run its course when the emblematic Big Tex was himself deep fried and self-immolated. But the new and improved Big Tex returned this year along with several new deep fried innovations. We tried them all last Sunday and ever since I've been hooked up to an IV in the emergency room with a 10% chance of survival.

Deep (Fried) in the Heart of Texas

Best of the bunch was the Deep Fried King Ranch Casserole, sort of a Tex-Mex lasagna with chicken and tortillas instead of ground beef and pasta.  It came with tortilla chips, salsified sour cream and a tiny Texas flag on a toothpick.  Totally Texas Tasty!

Thankfully, I Did Not Finish It

Fried Thanksgiving Dinner was not a favorite.  I tend to eat one food at a time during our national feasting day, so having turkey, stuffing, and creamed corn rolled up in a ball of seasoned corn meal, then deep fried and served with brown gravy and cranberry sauce was rather daunting.  I know the pigeons really enjoyed the chunks I accidentally threw on the ground.

The Deep Fried Cuban Roll had me doing spot-on Ricky Ricardo impressions until several unnecessarily PC passersby asked me to stop.  Maybe they would have been more impressed if I had some of those poofy sleeves and a set of imported bongos.  Slow-cooked pork shoulder, chopped ham, Swiss cheese, pickles and some kind of spicy spread was rolled into pastry dough and deep fried, then doused with mojo sauce. Ay-yi-yi-yi!

I think what finally did me in was the Texas Fried Fireball. Pimento cheese, pickles, cayenne pepper and bacon dipped in buttermilk and rolled in jalapeno batter, then deep fried and served with chipotle ranch dressing is not a recipe for gastric wellness. It wasn't long after that little experiment that I was seen trotting out to my car, Emergency Room bound, where I lay to this day. I am hoping they get my cholesterol down under 1,000 before the fair is over. I'm fixated on trying the Southern Style Chicken Fried Meatloaf. I mean how bad for you could that really be?