Crepe Expectations

There have been a few different restaurants over the years in the little hut type establishment  located strangely in the middle of the Jason’s Deli parking lot on Beltline in Addison. However, none had sparked our interest as much as when we saw advertisements for “Flippin Out” crepes and coffee. I read up on yelp to see some suggestions and even though it had only been open for a week or two, there were already several very positive reviews.

The crepes that I have ordered in the past are pretty plain and simple. This is definitely a new take on crepes, almost making them almost into wraps using the crepe as the bread. These crepes are satisfying for any meal of the day. The place is small and you can either go in or use the drive thru. We went for brunch and opted on going through the drive thru to avoid battling the miserable heat.

I ordered the “Tyson Chandler” that consisted of chicken, mushrooms, spinach and a bacon cheese sauce. I know anyone that reads our blog consistently is very surprised my choice. The crepe is wrapped up around all the goodies inside, which makes it much easier to eat. The bacon cheese sauce was really delicious and came on the side, so you can add as much as you would like. I really enjoyed my crepe; however it was very, very salty. Sara did not enjoy it as much and said it was too salty for her.  I happen to have an extremely salty palette, so even though it was very salty I did not mind. Especially after the type of night I had the previous day, if you can read between the lines.

Sara had the “Lemon Chicken” crepe with chicken, herb crusted asparagus and parmesan and lemon sauce.  Again, her biggest complaint was that there was a bit too much salt in the crepe. She said it was nowhere near as salty as mine, however she would have preferred much less. We both agreed that it was probably the chicken, and that maybe another day it would be less salty. Neither of us saw any reviews mentioning too much salt.

Ben, who is privileged enough to accompany us on a great number of these outings, had the “Philly Cheesesteak” crepe, with a steak, mushrooms and peppers stuffed in a crepe. It was really, really good. Sara said that it was her favorite and Ben finished every bite. I snagged a bite and agreed that it really was tasty. There was no complaint of salt on this one either.  Each crepe comes with some chips that are much like the “terra chips” you can buy at the store. They were a good compliment to the crepes, since they are not salty.

Each of us had a Palmer Grey to drink (frozen lemonade and tea) that was really perfect for a hot summer’s day. I really wanted to try the coffee, but it was so hot that I just was not in the mood. There were a number of other items that looked awesome including breakfast style crepes, a “Caprese” crepe and dessert crepes featuring a “Nutella” crepe. All of us agreed that it was worth another trip in the near future to try some different options. So even if our first trip was a little salty, I would definitely still recommend it to our readers as it is such a different idea that is truly unique here in Dallas.

Flippin Out Crepes

Keep on Food Truckin': Gandolfo's New York Deli

Sara told me about a food truck that we needed to check out called Gandolfo's New York Deli, which serves deli sandwiches in different locations in Dallas. We both decided to "like" them on Facebook so we could see where they were each day. Looking at their posts, it seems as though they spend most of their time in the Arts District and Downtown areas of Dallas.Much to my surprise and excitement, one day I logged on and saw that they were coming to Lewisville for lunch (where I work). I recruited my co worker Jeff, a self-proclaimed Reuben connoisseurof sorts, and we headed out to get some food on wheels.

We got to the food truck location at a business parking lot off Corporate and I-35 and waited in a short line for our sandwiches. They had a lot of options including Hot and Cold choices depending on your taste. They also had options for half size sandwiches that are smaller (and cheaper) than the full size. We quickly browsed the menu and decided on what to order. It took only a few minutes and our sandwiches were handed to us through the mobile kitchen's window.

I ordered the half size of the "New Yorker" that came on a hoagie with roast beef, banana peppers, onions, tomatoes, feta cheese and oil and vinegar. It comes with mayo as well, but I am not a fan so opted out. The sandwich was absolutely delicious. Even though we had a picnic in the car because it was over 100 out, I still ate every bite of the hot sandwich. The hoagie roll wasn't too tough, the roast beef was tender and the combination of the banana peppers with the feta cheese really made the sandwich unique and interesting. When I go back, it will be hard for me to make a choice to try something else.



Jeff had the full size of the Reuben Sandwich and got it with the classic "Russian dressing" instead of spicy mustard. Having eaten some pretty good Reubens in his day, at first he was skeptical of how the sandwich from a truck would hold up. He ate the whole sandwich and praised how much meat they put on their Reuben. His only complaint was that there wasn't as much sauerkraut as he would have cared for in the sandwich. Overall, he said it was a really good sandwich and would be glad to go back with me when they come back to Lewisville. Sara actually went to the food truck the next day in Downtown Dallas and had half a Reuben as well and gave me great feedback, especially how full she was!

I am so excited that we are seeing more and more food trucks in Dallas and I can't wait to find new ones as well as go back to Gandolfo's! Follow them on Facebook to see when they will be by you, and go grab yourself a sandwich. I honestly believe food just tastes better from a truck!

FOLLOW GANDOLFO'S ON FACEBOOK!



So much more than pizza...

I was first made aware of Il Cane Rosso in Deep Ellum at the 1^st Annual Iron Fork Competition. There was something like 100 Dallas restaurants that set up stations and were handing out tastings of a representative dish from their menu. Diana (frequent guest star) and I were wandering around gathering samples and drinking wine when toward the end of the event, I stumbled upon Cane Rosso’s station and decided to try their caprese skewer. It was a cherry tomato, a large basil leaf a chunk of freshly handmade mozzarella and a drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette. I swear to you, out of all the 20 or so restaurant tastings we tried, this was my absolute favorite! I had 4 skewers. The most impressive part was the mozzarella. I’ve had freshly made mozzarella before that was bland (blasphemy!). This was the most flavorful mozzarella I have ever encountered. I asked if I could just buy some cheese from the restaurant and the guy gave me a weird look…he said maybe.

Anyway, cut to a few months later, Haley, a new guest star cleverly nicknamed “The Bonz” and I decided to trek out to Deep Ellum and enjoy a delightful lunch. I forcefully required that everyone share the caprese salad with me to start and then we decided on 2 delicious sounding pizzas. Before I forget, I should note that this restaurant is devoted to creating authentic Neapolitan pizza made according to the strict guidelines of the Associazone Verace Pizza Napoletana and actually began as a food truck (hooray!!). The salad was delightful and the mozz was just as good as I remembered. 

Our pizzas were excellent too! We ordered the Delia: fresh mozzarella, roasted grape tomatoes, spicy bacon marmalade and arugula and the seasonal pizza: goat cheese, fresh mozzarella, pesto and sun dried tomatoes. My favorite was the seasonal, but I think the others preferred the Delia due to the spicy bacon marmalade (I thought it was a tad sweet). One thing we all agreed on? That pizza crust was quite literally the best crust ever! They make their dough in-house from imported, all natural “Double Zero” Italian flour. I thought I knew all there was to know about pizza, but suddenly I was both surprised and educated. This is what pizza crust is supposed to taste like. I get it now. Consider it my pizza a-ha moment. 

In addition to the delectable caprese salad and pizzas, I also brought dessert back to my office. I asked my co-worker what I should get and she requested the Zeppole: fried dough, powdered sugar and chocolate sauce. I admit, I was skeptical due to past experiences with Italian places trying to take on the beignet, but I decided to just roll with it. Boy was I surprised! The fried dough balls were nothing like beignets, nor did they try to be. They were soft, moist, doughy and slightly cakey with a crispy crust, and the chocolate sauce was like a cross between chocolate mousse, chocolate pudding and chocolate sauce. I never thought I'd be so obsessed with fried dough dipped in chocolate....oh well, could be worse!

Moral of the story, Il Cane Rosso is now my favorite Dallas pizza destination. What’s yours? We’re dying to know!

http://www.ilcanerosso.com/

What does Dallas taste like? Deliciousness.

The Taste Buds decided to get a whirlwind foodie experience this past weekend when we set out for Taste of Dallas. The festival featured over 60 local restaurants and a lot of interesting vendors from across the state. All tastings were much like "samples" of the restaurant's cuisine and ranged from $1-3. We arrived hungry and truly ready to find out what Dallas tastes like.

The first tent we stopped by was Farmers Branch's "Nuevo Leon." The samplings offered both brisket tacos and tamales. We had one of each and dug in. The brisket taco was extremely juicy and we added pico, onions and salsa to really give it that extra kick. The tamale was tender inside and absolutely one of the best tamales I have ever tasted. We definitely noted that this is a restaurant we want to go to for a full feature. Let us know if you have been here, and what we must try!

Next we headed inside a very much needed air conditioned pavillion where there were loads of local vendors selling everything from olive oil, hot sauce, jams, soups, nuts and alcohol. We were drawn to the Texas Toffee tent where we were given a free sample of chocolate pecan toffee. Sara's favorite type of candy actually is toffee. We tried the tiny sample and were immediately in heaven. This was love at first taste for Sara. She even kept sending our other friends over to the tent to steal their free samples. The owner told us that he works out of Plano and has a website and will ship anywhere.

The pavillion also had a stand that featured a local version of "skinny margaritas." Instead of being a mix including the alcohol, this mix does not have alcohol in it. It only has 5 calories per serving, making it a 100 calorie drink when you mix in whatever tequila you choose. We each tried a marg and thought it was pretty good. I personally prefer the original version by Bethenny, but Sara stated that she enjoyed this one more and that it was sweeter. It is nice that you can use the mix how you see fit, making it stronger or weaker accordingly.

Both of us have heard nothing short of how amazing the BBQ is at Lockhart's Smokehouse, so we were ecstatic to see they had a tent at the festival. We tried one order of brisket and sausage and split. Both meats had an extremely smoky flavor that was mouthwatering. I preferred the sausage, while Sara preferred the brisket. Both tastings were small, leaving us interested in checking out the restaurant for a full meal.

Lastly, we tried the Woodfire by Kirby tent, featuring beef tenderloin with loaded mashed potatoes. The dish was served on flatbread and the beef tenderloin was well seasoned and flavorful. However, the real star of this dish were the loaded mashed potatoes. I would go visit this restaurant located on Lower Greenville just so I could eat those bad boys.

Overall, the experience at Taste of Dallas was great. We tasted food from several different restaurants that we will take a trip to check out. Also, I now know where I will be ordering Sara's next gift from. Have you eaten at any of these places? Let us know what we need to try!

Authentic Philly Cheesesteaks in Texas? Yes, please.

I have never been to Philadelphia, so I would definitely caution that I am no cheesesteak connoisseur.  However, in college sometimes nothing sounded better after a rowdy night than a big, cheesy, greasy cheesesteak from Texadelphia. Sara is also a huge fan of Texadelphia and typically chooses to go there when she is in the mood for a cheesesteak. Now, Texadelphia is always pretty good, but I know it is a far cry from a real “authentic” cheesesteak. 

My dad is one of my favorite foodie leads, since he is always traveling around the metroplex for work and trying whatever random place he can find. He told me about a place called Fred’s Downtown Philly Cheesesteaks in Carrollton near my parent’s house. I put it on our foodie list, but it was not until I saw the original location in Plano spotlighted on “Foodies DFW” that I thought we should really check it out.  The feature mentioned that Fred is originally from Philadelphia and is really true to the authenticity of his steaks. It also mentioned that he even gets the bread sent down from Philadelphia.

We went to the Fred’s in Carrollton on a quest to see how the sandwiches held up. Fred’s is small, the air conditioner was hardly operating and Sara looked around thinking “where the heck did you bring me?” However, we continued forward with our adventure. I ordered the Mushroom Cheesesteak with steak, mushrooms, onions and cheese. Sara ordered the Broadstreet Cheesesteak with steak, jalapenos, onions, peppers, mushrooms and cheese. Both of our sandwiches were around $5.  There are regular and large size options, depending on how hungry you are. I also noted some authentic “Utz” chips from Philly, which are crab flavored. Say what? Something in me wanted to try them, but I did not.  If you have tried these bad boys out, please leave a comment as I am highly intrigued.

Sara and I sat down and waited for our cheesy goodness to be prepared. Sara was a little put off on the “shady” aspect of the location and the fact that you could see into the kitchen from our seats. However, shortly after, both sandwiches came out hot, fresh and looked delicious. The sandwiches were just as they looked, incredibly tasty. The amount of food was perfect; we were extremely satisfied but not overly full. I could tell that these were much more like the authentic style of cheesesteaks than I had been accustomed to, yet I was not let down. The steak was well seasoned, thin and juicy while the cheese was gooey and not overpowering.  I also really liked the bread that they used and it did not get soggy.

Fred’s is the perfect place to grab a quick bite for lunch or a fast dinner. It is quick and cheap and there are several locations in the metroplex. I am excited to go back and try another sandwich or even check out the chicken cheesesteak. Maybe this time I will be in a more adventurous mood and even order some crab chips!

Fred's Website