Not Quite "Love" Shack: Dude Where's My Fries?

If you know me well, you know I have an odd obsession with Top Chef, considering I believe boiling pasta is a successful dinner creation.  Having watched the show and seeing Chef Tim Love hailing from Ft. Worth appear as both a judge and a competitor on Top Chef Masters and Iron Chef, I was very excited to find out one of his restaurants was coming somewhere more accessible to me.  Tim Love is known for using for wild game meats and making urban southwestern food. It is not uncommon to see ostrich or rabbit rattlesnake sausage on his menu in his upscale Steakhouse in Ft. Worth. I was informed by some co-workers that Chef Love decided to make a fast casual chain known as “Love Shack” that recently opened in Denton. I was more than excited to get to try some wild take on a normal burger.

Love Shack is tucked away in downtown Denton, where I appreciate its quaint and welcoming charm. We walked into the Love Shack that donned the catch phrase, “Live, Drink and Eat Well.” I quickly abided, as this is pretty much my personal motto.  The setup is fast casual, but does provide a waiter/waitress. The crowd was filled with a good mix of college students and others on their work lunch. The motif is rustic, casual and complete with a large patio and open seating. This is where the first problem began. Having the main indoor dining and the patio connecting, means you may have some unexpected company to your meal. By that, I mean flies. We had pesky flies coming in and out of our space throughout our lunch. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good picnic, but when you are actually trying to eat inside this is just not a pleasant experience. I ordered a “freshly made root beer” that tasted as though it had been poured directly from a barrel behind the bar. However, be warned that there are no free refills with this tasty drink.

The menu is definitely a different take on Burgers than your average burger joint. Think more along the lines of Twisted Root. There were options ranging from hot dogs with sauerkraut, fried Portobello mushroom veggie burgers, burgers complete with boar bacon and the list goes on and on.  One of my co-workers had the “Gobbler” turkey burger and stated that it was really tasty. I ordered the specialty “Dirty Love Burger” that comes complete with lettuce, tomato, pickles, “love sauce”, American cheese, bacon and a fried quail egg. Yes, I said quail egg. All burgers are cooked medium, just the way I like it. The burger came out and was just as I had presumed, delicious. It was cooked just the way I like a good burger, the bacon was thick and juicy and whatever the love sauce is, it tastes darn good. I also loved the touch of the quail egg, it wasn’t overpowering and for you less adventurous taste buds, no it does not taste any different than a regular egg. I was expecting to be stuffed after this burger, but I was happily satisfied and not overly full. Note: you can order a double if you are really looking for a full tummy.

However, just like love usually goes, the shack has its downfalls. We ordered a large basket of fries, and never saw them. I snuck a few off my co-workers plate, however his came out cold and a little limp. They tasted as if they had potential to be pretty good if they were hot. However, after not receiving our order and tasting the cold ones served to him, I opted not to hound the waitress for them to come out. There are also “crazy good onion rings” and “chile parmesean chips” that maybe would be a good option for the next visit. The service however, was awful. She did not bring the fries, and when asked to remove them from our ticket, it took about 20 minutes and 2 trips to the cash register for her to figure things out. That combined with the flies buzzing all over, made the ambience a bit less than ideal.

Here’s the bottom line, the food can get me to a place, but the experience makes me want to put it into my regular rotation. The burger was good, really good. The root beer tasted like what I imagine people drink in Heaven. However, I am yet to reserve the “best burger” title to a burger that replaces my dreams of bacon.  I would go back, because the food was good and I am willing to give the “experience” another shot. Maybe this time I will get my fries…

Torchy's: A less fussy (and more delicious) Fuzzy's.

With Fuzzy’s Taco Shops becoming as available as a Starbucks in the metroplex, we took a few friends’ advice to try something different and headed to Torchy’s Tacos. Originally an Austin staple, it has finally opened a location in North Dallas at Preston and Forest. We headed over to try the tacos and see how they measured up on the recent craze for gourmet tacos.

The restaurant is setup in a fast casual atmosphere with a user friendly menu and a lot of appealing, $3-5, wallet friendly options. For starters we had a bowl of queso with chips, which was one of the most delicious bowls of queso I have ever had, especially for fast casual. It was complete with queso fresco, green chilies, guacamole and cilantro. When planning your meal, make sure you save enough room for the queso to start.

I ordered the “Green Chile Pork” taco with slow roasted carnitas with green chilies, queso fresco, cilantro and lime. The taco was flavorful but yet not overdone with sauces or anything to distract from the flavor of the pork and green chilies. Sara and Diana tried the “Trailer Park” complete with fried chicken, green chilies, lettuce, pico with poblano sauce.  Order it “trashy” and they will take off the lettuce and add queso (yum!). Sara also had the “Crossroads” that included smoked brisket, grilled onions, jalapenos, cilantro, jack cheese and avocado. Everyone enjoyed their food and raved that we would all become regulars.

There are other items on the menu that I am excited to go back and try; the “Mr. Pink” seared tuna taco that I have heard great things about as well as the “Fried Avocado” taco that sounds like heaven on Earth.  Overall, my experience at Torchy’s was very pleasant and would highly recommend checking it out. It is cheap, a taco and splitting queso filled me up perfectly, and it is fast. In my opinion, and Sara and Diana’s, it is much better than Fuzzy’s. My only complaint about Torchy’s is the fact that they do not serve alcohol. I couldn’t help but think how delicious my green chile pork would have been with an ice cold Negra Modela. I hope to see more Torchy’s coming to the Dallas area; however I will happily make the short drive over to Preston/Forest to have a delicious taco anytime.

Torchy's website

The Brunch Bamboozle

As avid “deal hunters” and subscribing to every possible groupon/voice/living social deal of the day, Sara and I are always on the hunt for some delicious food at a more reasonable price. Sara purchased a 60% coupon off of a meal at Kathleen’s Sky Diner, located on Lovers Lane just west of the Tollway. We perused the online menu and decided that the brunch looked like our best bet.

We headed to Kathleen’s early on Sunday morning and arrived around 9. The place was not too crowded, but appeared to have a steady crowd. We were seated in a back table and did not see anyone for about 10-15 minutes. Another waitress came up to us and asked if we had been helped; as we told her we had not she stated that she would go find our server. Our waitress came up a few minutes later and seemed very “uninterested” but confused as to how we could have possibly been waiting for so long. She apologized and took our drink order, and we saw her again about 5 or so minutes later. Sara ordered fresh squeezed orange juice, which just might be the highlight of this diner. We agreed that this was the best OJ we had ever had. However, note that the small order is about as big as a healthy mixed shot you would order at a bar.

They brought us a basket with two muffins in it, a little stingier than Breadwinners, I thought to myself. The muffins were decent, nothing to rave about. However, they came in handy for holding us over to our long awaited meal.  The manager then came over at this point and asked if she could move us to another table as there was being work done on the roof. We abruptly left the table and moved, as we were informed that our meal would be comped.  This put us at ease a bit after the unpleasant beginning to our experience. 

Then we waited for our entrees, and we waited. About an hour into our wait the manager came over again and stated that they had lost our ticket, that she was again very sorry and wanted to comp our next meal there as well. We looked to each other and slightly smiled in disbelief of our unfortunate and lucky experience. We both admired that the manager acknowledged her wrongdoing and was very persistent in making sure we knew that they were at fault and wanted us to have a better experience in the future.
Our food eventually came out. Sara had the “lighter than air” ricotta pancakes with walnuts and banana praline syrup. The pancakes were true to their name and were very fluffy and delicious. I had the Rigo’s Especial, which was a play on Egg’s Benedict using chorizo instead of ham and with a jalapeno hollandaise. I must say that the jalapeno hollandaise was actually just a jalapeno on top of the sauce, which I was disappointed with. Overall, it was a decent meal and had I paid the actual price for the entrée I probably would have cared for it less.

Although our experience was less than ideal, the staff did ensure that we will return shortly. We now have two trips to make, another free meal and using our coupon! There are some other items on the menu that look “blog worthy” including a breakfast pasta with bacon. If not, I suppose there is always  that heavenly orange juice.

Cinnamon Rolls? Now, I'm a Believer.

Anyone that knows me, Haley, well, knows that I have some weird aversion to cinnamon. I am not sure if it is the texture of the spice, or something that just made me unhappy in my childhood. However, I know that I have never been a fan of cinnamon rolls. I have ventured from Pilsbury to Cinnabon, trying my hand at liking the very high acclaimed treat, but nothing has ever hit home with me. Then I went to Mecca.

Mecca was featured on the Food Network in Chef vs. City, where they learned the tricks of the trade to create their famous cinnamon rolls. I went on this Foodie Adventure with slight hesitation, but was eventually convinced due to my father’s rad reviews and Sara’s convincing that maybe this cinnamon roll would “be the one.” Little did I know what I was in for.

We arrived to Mecca, sketchy neighborhood and all. Now, who wouldn’t want to eat next to a place where they can buy their cabaret lingerie? Gosh, I love Harry Hines. We went in, sat down and were ready to partake in a hearty (and high calorie) breakfast.

Sara and I ordered a Chicken Fried Steak breakfast, yes I said breakfast, complete with the main entrée, 2 eggs made to order (we chose over easy), biscuits and hash browns. All of this came in at a very reasonable $7.95. Diana chose to try the Denver omelet with ham, green peppers and onions. We all started with the famous Cinnamon roll.

The Cinnamon roll came out, and it was not kidding. It was large, in charge and gleaming with icing and butter. Yes, butter. We dug in, even me hesitating. I ate a bite. Then, like no other time, I ate another. And another. Could this cinnamon roll really be the one that made me a fan? Let’s not get too crazy. I ate about 5 or 6 bites and then I remembered why I didn’t like the treat to begin with. Remember me, and my odd complex with sweets. But, I must say with all things considered, this is by far the BEST cinnamon roll I have ever eaten. The girls concurred. The combination of fluffy masterpiece and salty butter really pushed this over the edge. Never have I ever continued to eat a cinnamon roll after one bite, and that is really saying something. We all came to agreement that this was by far the best cinnamon roll we have ever tried. A giant portion at $3.50, please try it. I even googled this roll and found that it was on the list of something that every Dallasite should do. So what are you waiting for? Go now!

The other food were really just understudies to the true star, the cinnamon roll. The Chicken Fried Steak was good, nothing beyond any other steak we have had but still delicious. The gravy was the star of the entrée, as it was both creamy and well seasoned. Diana enjoyed her omelet but again raved that everything after the cinnamon roll was really just an added bonus.

If you are looking for a new, cheap hole-in-the wall breakfast joint, I really suggest going to Mecca. If you are a cinnamon roll fan, you MUST go here. Delicious, fluffy, not to sweet and enough to share. Remember, that is all coming from someone that wouldn’t even think twice when eating any other roll.

Mecca Website


Food Network Special

A Taste of New Orleans

This past weekend Britney and I ventured to New Orleans and we knew our foodie selves were surely in for a treat. Sara has been to New Orleans many times and we took many of her suggestions when deciding what Creole cuisine to try out.

The first thing we tried when we got to NOLA were some authentic Po boys. We walked through the French Quarter and stumbled upon Johnny's Po Boys, a small, busy restaurant that we were sure would delight our taste buds. We entered the small venue and found ourselves amongst a long line of people anxious for a bite. We even found a sign that stated "even our failures are edible." Luckily, we did not receive anything close to a failure. The menu was extensive ranging from Roast Beef Po boys all the way to Crab Cake. We ordered a crawfish po boy and the daily special, half of a catfish po boy and a cup of seafood gumbo.

Johnny's Po Boys

Next, we had dinner at a Brennan family restaurant (as recommended by Sara) just on the corner of Bourbon street, called Bourbon House. We decided on this restaurant because it was conveniently located in our hotel, the Astor Crowne Plaza, as well as it's claim for the "best people watching restaurant on Bourbon." We were seated next to the giant window side of the restaurant, and got our fair share of the sport of people watching. This was our "classy" meal of the adventure, and it was surely both classy and tasty. 

Britney ordered the Garlic Crusted Fish with deviled crab dressing, browned butter and creole vegetables. The deviled crab dressing was definitely the star of the plate. Britney also loved her fish, and I kept sneaking off bites of the crab dressing. 

I opted for the Grilled Yellowfin Tuna, as I am a huge fan of the dish at a typical restaurant. It came with roasted artichokes, garlic and fingerling potato hash with smoked tomato butter. The fish was cooked to perfection and I am a huge fan of artichokes and made sure not to leave one behind. The fingerling potatoes were also tasty, although one Britney tried was slightly undercooked. Both entrées were moderately priced around $25 and the service was impeccable. I would definitely go back, or love to try another Brennan's restaurant after our experience. 

Bourbon House

After dinner at Bourbon House, I needed coffee and Britney needed dessert. So where else could we both be satisfied other than the famous, Cafe Du Monde. The staple of NOLA cuisine is a very busy place, as we passed by it several times during the day and opted not to wait in the ever so long line. We went around 8:30 and only had to wait for a few minutes. It is a very busy place and you have to scrounge the area for open tables, and wait for someone to come to you to clean them off. Make sure you have cash ready for the waitress. I ordered a cafe au lait, the famous coffee drink that is made with hot milk. It was indeed delicious and so strong that it woke me right up for our long night on Bourbon. We also split an order of the famous Beignets. I must preface my response to the NOLA staple, because I am not a sweets fan. I do not care for donuts or most desserts in general with few exceptions. So, I must say that I could go without a beignet next time I'm in town. However, Britney found them to be exceptional, and judging by the demand and constant lines...most people do too.

Cafe du Monde

The last foodie excursion of the trip, was certainly voted the best by the both of us. I had heard about Willie Mae's Scotch House via a good friend, and after some research on the internet, had found that it was voted the best fried chicken in the nation by Food Network. So, knowing we would be in town I knew this was one adventure we could not pass up.
Now, I love fried chicken and before going to Willie Mae's the best I had ever had was from Eischen's in Oklahoma. I didn't think there was something better out there, but boy was I wrong. 

First, if you are staying in the French Quarter make sure that you drive or take a taxi to Willie Mae's. It is only about a mile or so from Bourbon, but it there is a pretty run down area in between. We arrived at the James Beard award winning restaurant and found ourselves among a great number of others looking for the best fried chicken in the nation. The menu even lists the chicken as "America's Best Fried Chicken." Britney ordered green beans as a side and I had the butter beans. My late grandmother was from Mississippi, so I was born and raised on this type of cuisine. The chicken came out and we were ready to dive in to the glorious crispy chicken in front of us.

There is something to be said about the perfection that is the dark brown, thin and perfectly crispy skin on the juicy chicken at Willie Mae's. To me, fried chicken is all about the skin and this was the perfect skin-to-chicken ratio and had the perfect crunch. I am not a fan of fried chicken that you bite into and don't get anything but the batter. However, if I just had to eat the skin of this chicken, I would have been just as delighted. The butter beans were good, but the green beans were definitely more delicious. If you are thrifty like Britney, you can even take some of the skin from the chicken and put it in with your green beans. After eating the $10 a plate of 3 pieces of chicken and a side, we knew we could leave New Orleans satisfied. I HIGHLY recommend this place to anyone who wants a little slice of love infused cuisine. I even walked by the kitchen to go to the restroom and smiled as I could smell the friers working. America's best fried chicken? You bet.

Map to Heaven.

Ziziki's Taverna - Opa!

The Foodie Adventures Trio, aptly nicknamed the “taste buds” by one of our favorite followers, decided to check out Ziziki’s Taverna in Addison for our latest review. We had seen Ziziki’s at the 2010 Taste Addison Festival and heard really great things about their hummus, so when it was time for our next adventure we were all really excited to try it.

The décor is homey yet modern and the patio area looks like a lot of fun for the summertime. We were seated immediately and after taking our drink orders, the waitress brought over a small saucer with a handful of kalamata olives and some bright green olives that are imported from Sicily. Man – if you like olives, these will rock your world. They aren’t pitted and while I normally hate having to nibble around the seed, I actually liked it better that way. It made me feel like I was somewhere on the Mediterranean coast eating olives freshly picked from the surrounding trees. While the olives were delicious, buyer beware: you only get one tiny saucer of free olives for your table, so you better savor these little salty trinkets or be prepared to shell out a few extra bucks. That may not be a big deal, but we thought you should know :)

For our appetizer we ordered the Trio Platter, that way we could maximize our exposure. It came with artichoke hummus, eggplant spread, tarama and grilled pita. Luckily our waitress asked if we wanted to substitute hipiti dip for the tarama. She explained that tarama is a Mediterranean caviar spread and hipiti is a spicy roasted red bell pepper and Feta cheese spread.  Which one do YOU think sounds better? No brainer, right? We did the switch and were very glad. The artichoke hummus was awesome – tangy but not overly tart, the eggplant dip was really creamy and had excellent flavor and the hipiti dip tasted like greek pimento cheese (for all you southerners out there!). They didn’t give us a ton of pita bread with our trio upfront and after the olive situation we assumed we would have to pay for more pita…..but as it turns out we didn’t! You can totally have more pita bread – as much as you want! Yuuummmmmy.

For our entrees, Britney and Haley split the greekburger (ground leg of lamb char-broiled topped with cheese, lettuce and tomato) which came with roasted potatoes and I ordered the chicken souvlaki (skewered medallions of herbed chicken breast, served on hand made pita topped with onions and Ziziki sauce) which also came with roasted potatoes. The greekburger was perfectly cooked and seasoned, and the roasted potatoes were crispy and extremely flavorful. The cheese on the burger happened to be the hipiti dip from the appetizer trio, and instead of a bun the burger was sandwiched between the grilled pita bread.

The chicken souvlaki was awesome as well. The chicken skewers had a ton of Greek flavor and the Ziziki sauce was the perfect compliment. I made it into a pita wrap and it was delicious.  In addition to my potatoes, there was also a little salad of pickled red onion, herbs and feta which rocked and was an awesome topper for my wrap.

By the end of the meal we were seriously stuffed. Britney even gave me half her greekburger to take for lunch the next day – thanks Brit! While Ziziki’s Taverna is a tad bit pricy, we LOVED it! We will definitely go back and we recommend it to everyone with a love of Greek cuisine. I can’t wait to go back and am still dreaming of those green Sicilian olives……vision of olives dancing in my head…..opa!

http://www.zizikistaverna.com/

Map it

Bacon Me Crazy

"LIFE EXPECTANCY WOULD GROW BY LEAPS AND BOUNDS IF GREEN VEGETABLES SMELLED AS GOOD AS BACON." -Doug Larson

Anyone that is friends with me (Haley) or has shared a drunken deep conversation with me (which happens pretty regularly), knows that the one food item I love more than anything, is Bacon. I am talking about an unhealthy obsession where if I don't get a regular "fix" I might throw a tantrum. My heart and cholesterol levels probably hate me for the fascination with the most glorious of all red meats, but my mouth and stomach keep telling my brain, "more." 


A friend, thanks Kevin, had sent me the link for "Bacon and Friends" a few months ago. I assume he saw some obnoxious bacon post via my Facebook wall. I was immediately more excited about this foodie adventure than any of the rest. Could there really be a restaurant dedicated to all things Bacon? I gathered the other foodies and we went to find out. 

We arrived at Bacon & Friends after a long, congested drive down 635E to Mesquite. Trust me, the 21 mile trek from Addison was well worth it. The place is a small, "come on in y'all and seat yourself" typical hole-in-the-wall diner. I knew that only good things were to come. We sat down, looked at the glorious menu that was full of what else, Bacon. Our favorite part of the menu was the notes to add "more bacon." These guys sure have things right, I thought to myself. 


We started out with the signature item that I was anxious and excited to try, CHICKEN. FRIED. BACON. Yes, you heard correctly. The generous portion came out complete with Ranch dressing. We shared the very un-heart healthy appetizer and knew we were in for a treat. Myself, Britney and Ben (Sara's boyfriend, and lucky guest star) loved the stuff. I honestly couldn't get enough, but kept thinking that I had to save room for the burgers. The chicken fried bacon comes out looking like a basket of chicken tenders, except for the sweet after taste of bacon as you eat. I know that I will be heading out to Mesquite anytime I need a greasy, bacon hangover cure.

Next, we ordered our Burgers. Of course, what is any true delicious burger without what, but bacon of course! I started out with the Crazy Texan Burger. I had read reviews online about the Fire Roasted Garlic, Jalapeños and Chiles that are blended into the signature Burger. Of course, Bacon was added on top. I must admit, this is a delicious burger. The meat wasn't the juiciest I have ever had, but the combination of the garlic and jalapeños made for a great tasting burger.

Sara ordered the Buffalo Bacon Burger, complete with Buffalo sauce. She was happy to find that not only was the burger and bacon tasty, but so were the fresh toppings. I don't know about you, but there is nothing worse than bad toppings on a good burger. Sara was pleased to have the bright green, fresh lettuce on her burger and raved that the Buffalo sauce made the burger extra tasty. I stole a bite, and admit it was one tasty burger.

Britney took her shot at Bacon Heaven (Yes, I am already a believer), by ordering the Avocado Bacon Burger. She agreed with Sara and I's prior reviews that the burger, bacon and topping were delicious. She also ordered hers with a side of sweet potato fries. I would go out on a limb here and say that these might be the best sweet potato fries I have had. Sara had a bit of buyer's remorse for her regular fries and kept sneaking ones off our plates.

Don't worry those who aren't looking for a new Burger joint, there is more than just Burgers at Bacon & Friends. Ben ordered a BBQ Chicken Sandwich, but of course it came with bacon too. He also ordered a side of onion rings, which had the perfect crunch as you bit into them.

We left Bacon & Friends with our bellies full of bacon and our bodies hating us a little. It is definitely a place I will be coming back to, and can imagine how glorious might be after an epic night out. For the heart-healthy vegetarians out there, Bacon & Friends might not be for you. However, Bacon lovers unite and check out the place that I am quite certain will soon become a staple in my bacon adventures.


MAP TO BACON!!!!!!!!