Photastic Pho in Richardson: Pho Pasteur

As a huge pho lover, I couldn’t wait to introduce Sara to the hot, steamy goodness. I have never met a bowl of pho that I didn’t like, but I have heard several great things about Pho Pasteur (located in Richardson and Carrollton). We decided on the original Pho Pasteur location in Richardson, which was in a part of town I did not even know existed. Tucked away on Beltline in Richardson, Pho Pasteur is hidden in a small strip mall. I knew this meant it would probably be legit, but it made Sara even more skeptical.

We sat down for lunch and I immediately noticed how spacious and clean this spot was. Sara opted for the Pho Ga (white meat chicken) and I ordered the Pho Tai Nam (eye round steak and flank steak). I usually am a chicken pho gal, but I decided a change would be nice. The bowls came out quickly, along with the usual accompaniments. 

The pho here is very good, probably one of the better bowls that I have had in the metroplex, and I’ve had my fair share, i.e. Pho is for Lovers, Pho Colonial, Pho Bac, Pho Que Huong, Pho Bistro. The broth at Pho Pasteur is what makes these bowls of noodles special. The broth is very flavorful, and the sodium is not overdone. I really enjoyed both steak options, and Sara was impressed by her first go at pho.

Overall, Pho Pasteur gets the Taste Buds stamp of approval.  If you are out in the North Dallas area, whether Richardson or Carrollton, then check out either location. The pho is authentic, and you can easily (and affordably) enjoy a hot bowl of deliciousness.

Start - A Healthy Drive Thru? Yes, Please!

Haley and I had been wanting to try Start for a while now, but had heard mixed reviews. Not to be deterred by what we might hear, we headed out to Start one day after work to check it out. The whole concept of a healthy and environmentally conscious “fast food” restaurant was intriguing and frankly the menu looked yummy. We met at 6:30 on a Wednesday evening and there were several people in the restaurant. The décor was really nice and felt environmental with the wood and metal accents. There were several tables, booths and a counter along the window with electrical outlets underneath so you could plug in your laptop – good idea! They also have a little patio which would be really nice for good weather. Sometimes they even have live music. The menu isn’t huge but everything is some combination of organic, local, whole grain, free-range, grass-fed, nitrate-free, etc. This is a fast food concept you can bring your children to and feel good about it.

After dutifully stalking the menu online before we arrived, we already knew what we wanted. We walked right up to the counter and ordered. Haley ordered the Savory Chicken Tator, a baked sweet potato with Chicken, Spinach, Blue Cheese & Scratch-Made Buttermilk Dressing. She said it was very good and that the ranch was excellent. The blue cheese and ranch weren’t too overpowering either.

I ordered the PB & Banana Sandwich with Gluten Free bread and a side of baked tater tots. The PB&B came with local honey and the bread was lightly toasted so everything was just a little warmed up. It was very gooey and very yummy; the perfect nostalgic sandwich, which was exactly what I wanted. The tater tots were also really delicious. They were crispy and salty, and I couldn’t even tell they were baked. I really think they were the best tater tots I’ve ever had! Sorry, Sonic – you’re done here.

Haley and I both really enjoyed our food and although it is more expensive that normal fast food, you really do get what you pay for. There are alternatives for gluten free people, lactose intolerant people and peanut allergies. In fact, my sandwich was so good and comforting that I swung back by since our foodie adventure and drove through the drive thru for it! This is something I could get used to. My only question? When is the second location opening up!

http://www.startrestaurant.net/index.php

Strip Mall Success: Carrollton's Ethnic Cuisine

For our latest adventure, we headed to our hometown to try out Peruvian cuisine. Inca’s Café is tucked away in a strip mall in central Carrollton. It also happens to be a few doors down from one of our favorite foodie finds, International Bakery-Cuban Dulceria. We headed to the restaurant for an early lunch on a Saturday.

The first thing we noticed about Inca’s is the large menu with a variety of dining options. It took us several minutes to browse the menu and decide what we wanted to try. We started with a side of fried yucca. The yucca fries came out with two sauces, a more mild red and a spicier green option. The fried yucca was very enjoyable, and I particularly liked the green sauce.

I ordered the chicken empanada plate that came with rice, an avocado salad, and fried plantains. The size of the dishes at Inca’s are more than generous and we could have easily split an entrée. The empanadas were fried nicely and more herbaceous than others I have tried. I was surprised by the lack of spice used in the dishes, but I think that may be characteristic of Peruvian food. The avocado salad was irrelevant to me, after eating the slices I didn’t go back for more. The rice was tasty, but the fried plantains stole the show. They were the quite possibly the best plantains I have tried. They were sweet and flavorful and could have served as a dessert. Overall, I was pleased with my choice.

Sara ordered a traditional Peruvian dish called Lomito Saltado. The dish consists of sirloin, onions tomatoes, served over french fries. The dish was served with rice and a fried egg. Initially, Sara was confused as to what exactly she was eating. She kept saying that she liked it, but just didn't understand it. We later found out that the dish is a representation of the melting pot culture found in Peru: Latin and Asian.  After awhile, she thoroughly enjoyed it and I liked the few bites that I stole. Sara loved the rice and said that it was her favorite dish at the restaurant.

Even though we were stuffed after our meals at Inca's, we had to stop by International Bakery for dessert. Sara ordered a meringue with dulce de leche and I had my usual guava pastry. Sara said the meringue was more decadent than others she has had before and enjoyed it. I, as always, loved every bite of my flaky and delicious guava pastry.

We left feeling a little more prideful of Carrollton, knowing that we have found several truly unique and delicious restaurants in the area. You may have to sift through strip-mall parking lots to get to these delicious Latin destinations, but trust us it is worth it.  

Inca's Cafe

International Bakery

The Lot - Lakewood's New Local Destination

One of our friends told us about The Lot opening up in Lakewood, so we took the first awesome weather Friday to go check it out. We stalked the menu ahead of time (of course) and were already excited. Upon arrival, there were immediate parking issues. I’ll chalk it up to the first good patio weather of 2013, but I seriously circled for 15 minutes before getting a spot (that I had to mildly fight for). The place was PACKED! Our wait was supposed to be 45 minutes, but surprisingly 10 minutes in we were seated outside. Our first observation was that The Lot is kid friendly times a million. There is a giant playground for the kiddos and there were tons of young families all throughout the restaurant. We were seated at a very long picnic table that we had to share with a group of about 6 guys. No biggie – sharing is caring, right? So we sat and waited, and sat and waited, and sat and waited, and waited, and waited for someone to A: bring us a menu and B: offer to get us a glass of water. Cut to 45 minutes later, we flagged down some random waiter and asked him if he could find us a menu and maybe help figure out who our waiter is supposed to be. He was extremely nice and offered to wait on us himself, even though it wasn't his section. He did a great job so that was a plus. We started off with cocktails. Haley and I ordered the fresh pressed juice of the day with Tito’s vodka. It was carrot/ginger/apple or something but when it came out it tasted like PURE carrots – something adult Bugs Bunny might like. Oh well, we went for it and felt mighty healthy drinking it. Our friend, Diana, opted for a glass of sangria. She liked it but I thought it was way too sweet.

After we got our drinks we decided to hurry up and order since we were forewarned by our waiter that the kitchen was really backed up and things were taking a while to come out. We got the yucca fries with malt vinegar dust and garlic mayo dip as an appetizer. They were pretty good. A little too tart for me with the tangy dip, but I loved the texture of the crispy yucca.

For our meals, Haley ordered the grilled pimento cheese with bacon and LOVED it. I think that was probably best thing we ordered. She also got a side of kale chips which were incredible. She won the ordering contest by far –all her choices were really good.

Diana ordered the burger with ham, cheddar, onion, lettuce and red chile smear and fries and said it was a normal burger and fries – nothing much else to say.

I ordered the pulled chicken salad with green apple, almonds, hardboiled egg, carrot and romaine, and it was pretty normal. The pulled chicken was really good though, so I think the rotisserie chicken would be a really good menu option.  I also ordered a side of gluten-free mini buttermilk biscuits with butter because I will take any opportunity to have an old, carby favorite that won’t make me feel sick. Unfortunately, they were so dry they were practically inedible. No amount of butter could save those puppies. I was sad.

Then, for dessert, we ordered the butter pecan skillet cake which came with ice cream on top. Haley and Diana couldn’t get enough of it – it was a success.

  

As we were paying our checks and trying to leave, the guys sharing our table were also wrapping up. We overheard some comments about how they had a bad service experience as well. We are thinking it’s because the place is new and there are always some kinks to be worked out.  We would go back to The Lot if we happened to be in the area, but all agreed we wouldn't go out of our way for it again. There are just too many other Dallas foodie hot spots our on list for that, so onward!

http://thelotdallas.com/

Velvety Goodness: Velvet Taco

I joined Haley and Sara for a Warehouse Sale in Dallas’ Design District last Friday, and at Sara’s suggestion, we decided first to visit Velvet Taco off Knox/Henderson for dinner, since no girl should shop on an empty stomach.  Haley and I had never been, so we were especially excited because we’d both heard great things. Also, who doesn’t love tacos?

The first (and best) thing I noticed about Velvet Taco was the variety.  As I poured over the huge menu on the wall, I saw as many as 20 different types of tacos.  There were a ton of ethnic cuisines represented on the menu, spanning a huge breadth of flavors from classic Indian and Mediterranean fare to Thai curries.  They had every kind of meat you could want, as well as seafood and vegetarian options for the non-meat eaters or fish taco lovers. 

Haley and I both opted for the Rotisserie chicken taco with herbed goat cheese, lettuce, tomato, smoked bacon, avocado, and basil crema in a corn tortilla.  We also ordered a side of Rotisserie corn, "elote-style", which was piled high with queso fresco, asadero, Valentina, crema, and lime.  The taco had the right balance of chicken to goat cheese and bacon, both of which are flavors that can overtake a dish if it’s too heavy handed.  The corn tortilla was just slightly crispy, which made for a nice bit of texture alongside the basil crema and avocado.  The elote-style corn was especially delicious, creamy yet crunchy with a dash of acidity from the lime. 

Sara ordered two tacos, both in lettuce wraps instead of corn tortillas: the Ahi poke with ginger-soy vinaigrette, avocado, golden beets, pickled fresnos, sesame seeds, and pea tendrils, and a Roast Pulled Pork with Thai basil, grilled pineapple-habanero salsa, and a spiked BBQ sauce. I snagged a bite of the Pulled Pork taco and it was delicious, though extremely spicy due to the habanero salsa. 

We all ordered frozen margaritas, which were nice and strong and pretty inexpensive at only $5.00 a pop.  The tacos range in price from $4.00 to $7.00, so you can get a couple of tacos and a margarita for around $14.00.  Well worth it considering the quality of the food and the overall pleasant atmosphere.

Velvet Taco is a casual dining experience with an “order at the counter” system.  If it’s crowded like it was on Friday night, you may have to wait a few minutes to order, but the line moves quickly and the cashier and food runners are pretty on top of their game.  The only drawback is finding seating. On a crowded evening, you may end up standing awkwardly in a pretty small space waiting to pounce on empty seats like a cougar on the prowl, but it’s not such an inconvenience that it should be a deterrent from going.  Velvet Taco is definitely worth a trip if you like creative takes on the classic Mexican dish. 

Velvet Taco

Jamaican, Mon! at The Island Spot

The Island Spot had been at the top of Haley’s Adventure list for a while now. So, we finally made some time to fit a little Jamaican into our schedules. The Island Spot is a tiny restaurant in a strip center in Carrollton that doesn’t lend itself to any excitement when you see it driving by. Honestly, we grew up in Carrollton and it’s been there for several years, but it just recently jumped onto our radar.

We walked in and grabbed a table – it wasn’t very busy. Upon surveying the place, we noted all the cute island decorations, the full bar, the Reggae jams and the chalk boards decorated with $2 Tuesdays drink specials. Too bad it was Wednesday! Oh well – mental note for the future. We started off our meals with some fried plantains. They were crispy, chewy, soft, sweet, starchy– everything you’d expect and want. Kind of like a banana French fry of sorts.

Then we ordered our meals. We already knew we needed to get the oxtail and the jerk chicken; it was just a matter of who gets what. I went with the jerk chicken and Haley went with the oxtail. We can be diplomatic, plus it’s not like we aren’t going to share anyway. I let the person waiting on us decide what sides I should get with my jerk chicken and he recommended fries. Who says no to fries? My plate came out with 3 pieces of perfectly crispy and spiced chicken (2 legs and a thigh) and a HEAP of crinkle fries that were so crispy and seasoned that we both couldn’t stop shoveling them into our mouths. The chicken was very spicy and piping hot. The meat was so juicy and came right off the bone, and the skin was crispy all over. I am typically not a huge dark meat fan, but this chicken was so well cooked that it rivaled Babe’s smoked chicken, our current chicken champ.

Haley’s “Uncle Rupert's Oxtails” came with about 5 pieces of braised oxtails in this super rich and flavorful sauce. She ordered saffron rice and spinach for her sides. The spinach reminded her of grandma’s which I take as a good sign and the rice was fine. The oxtails themselves were obviously the star here. They were meaty and fatty and just so flavorful. The meat came clean off the bone here too. Clearly, The Island Spot knows how to cook some meat. We were very impressed.

We were way too stuffed for any kind of dessert but we did linger a bit and jam to some more Reggae music. Overall, The Island Spot really impressed us. We definitely agree with the Dallas Observer on the “Best Jerk Chicken in Dallas” award. This is a spot we will be returning to in the near future for 3 reasons: $2 Tuesdays, First Fridays Live Reggae Music, and really well done food for a great price.

http://www.theislandspot.net/

Two Years as Taste Buds: The Grape

There seems to be a laundry list of Dallas restaurants we cannot wait to try, so when discussing where to go for our two year blog-iversary the choice was difficult to say the least. We finally came to a decision to go to The Grape, one that has been thrown out a number of times, but we had yet to make the trip. Of course when going to The Grape, it must be planned around their infamous “Best in Texas” burger as ranked by Texas Monthly, which is only offered on Sundays and Mondays.

We arrived at The Grape on a Sunday at 11, after wisely making reservations. We witnessed the party before us being turned away because they had failed to do so. We were seated right away and decided on what cocktail we should enjoy. We noticed the normal mimosa and bloody mary offerings, but then saw “wounded yellow bird.” When Sara asked the waiter how he “felt” about the drink, he said, “I feel pretty good.” We were sold. The drinks were light and refreshing, if you are like us and like grapefruit juice.

I HAD to order the burger; even though my eyeballs kept leading me back to the chicken fried biscuit. Sara ordered the steak frites after debating between that and the ox tail and banana pepper hash. Honestly, at first glance the menu looks creative and appetizing the whole way through. I would be interested in returning to try out several of the other dishes.

 Our food came out fast, and we eagerly dug in. The burger comes with the usual accompaniments, and is topped with bacon and white cheddar cheese on a “pain au lait” bun. The burger was juicy and the fries were exactly how I like them. The bun could arguably be what makes this burger special. The white cheddar also added something different than your usual cheddar or American cheese. However, while eating, I kept thinking “but is this the BEST burger I have ever had?” For me, that is difficult to answer.

 Sara had the steak frites, while she seemed to enjoy her meal, after sneaking a few bites of my meal, the center of conversation still hovered around the question to whether this was the best burger we have ever had. This burger is delicious, and I couldn’t think of a necessarily “better” burger I have had, but I am still hesitant to put the word “best” in front of something that a number of other places make the same seemingly elusive proclamation. So, with that said the jury is still out. I would gladly go back to The Grape for the burger. Overall, our brunch was quick, enjoyable, and effortless. The ambiance at The Grape is quaint but still unique. We are definitely new fans.

Thanks for the 2 years fellow Taste Buds!!!