The deviled eggs at R&D Kitchen called to the ‘taste buds’ like a mythological siren. Ok, it may not have been that intense, but we do love deviled eggs and heard R&D has some rockin ones. Generally, we try to keep our foodie adventures within a commonly acceptable budget, but today we were feeling fancy and wanted to try this place out (just roll with it). So, Haley and I met up at Hillstone’s newest Dallas restaurant (they also own Houston’s) to sample these little egg-y morsels…and eat dinner of course.
When we arrived, we assessed the scene and decided that R&D is loud and pricey, but still accessible. We liked it. The menu is very small and covers a strangely wide range of drastically different cuisines. There was sushi, a burger, meatloaf, spaghetti and meatballs, a BBQ pork sandwich, and much more. We told the waitress it was our first time there so she would give us her spiel and provide some recommendations. She recommended the burger (she said it was the best burger in Dallas actually - right, how many times have we all heard that??), the meatloaf, the Asian chicken salad, and the dip duo which consisted of guacamole and chilled queso. She said the chilled queso was very unique. We decided to get the deviled eggs, the dip duo and we’d split the Reubenesque sandwich.
The deviled eggs were awesome, I must say. They were slightly sweet due to a touch of sweet pickle relish and had some great texture from the chopped celery that was incorporated. They were very different, but very good – possibly top 3 deviled eggs ever, including favorite family recipes. Lofty statement, we know.
The dip duo came out next. It was “unique” indeed. The chilled queso reflected an odd cross between pimento cheese and the nacho cheese you get at American Airlines Center. I mean this in as weird of a way as it sounds. Cold, gooey, velveeta-y cheese dip. I kind of hated it. The guacamole was good though. It seemed to have orange juice in it, instead of (or in addition to) the traditional lime juice. This made for a delightful game of guess the unexpectedly delicious ingredient - we won. I focused on the guac, but would periodically turn back to the cheese just to make sure I still didn’t like it. I never did. It’s official. Sorry R&D, you get points for originality at least.
Our final course was the Reubenesque sandwich, consisting of corned beef, baby swiss, spicy mustard, coleslaw and toasted corn rye. It was ENORMOUS! Haley and I had both never had a Reuben and were really excited to try it for the first time. It was decent. Really expensive for a sandwich with no sides - $16 (everything is a la carte). We believe it could have been awesome, but the coleslaw was extremely overpowering and really too sweet. We couldn’t taste the swiss OR the spicy mustard. Those both have very strong flavors, so it was a pretty odd experience. Less slaw from now on, R&D…if you’re listening.
So our meal wasn’t the best ever, nor the least pricy, but we didn’t regret any of it. We were highly intrigued by the chilled queso and were excited to try a Reuben for the first time. Luckily the deviled eggs went above and beyond. I’d go back for a happy hour/appetizer situation…maybe even another meal. We may have just ordered the wrong thing. Who knows, maybe they DO have the best burger in Dallas……have you tried it? Let us know!
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