Max's Wine Dive - Dallas' New Down Home/High Class Hot Spot

Not to be left out from the crowd, the Taste Buds hopped on the bandwagon and headed over to the West Village to check out the one of Dallas’ newest foodie hot spots. Only open for a short amount of time and yet crowded with people wanting to see what exactly a wine dive has to offer, Max’s Wine Dive was a bustling brunch destination. We were greeted by one of the nicest, most gentlemanly waiters we’ve had who made the experience that much more fun for us. We ordered our must-have mimosas and he actually suggested that we should take advantage of the discounted champagne during brunch hours and get the bottle – fresh squeezed orange juice was on him! Of course, we took his advice.

We perused the menu trying to decide what sounded best out of all the deliciously sounding entrees and were trying to narrow down between a couple of options. Haley was between the fried chicken and the flapjacks & wings. I noticed our neighbor had the flapjacks & wings so I politely asked him what he thought of his meal. He candidly told us that the wings were good but that the flapjacks were NOT. He even heard a couple a few tables over ask for a refund for the flapjacks. Apparently they had a strange flavor as if they were being cooked on a griddle that is also used for other food items. Grateful for the tip, Haley opted for the fried chicken. Haley’s “MAX’s Famous Southern Fried Chicken” had a jalapeño-buttermilk batter and was served with mashed potatoes, collard greens and Texas toast. She said the flavor was really good on the fried chicken, but the breading wasn’t super crispy like she likes. The chicken was super juicy though which was a nice surprise. The sides were good too, especially the mashed potatoes.

I settled on the “Crab Apple” Omelet with Texas blue crab, apple and arugula with jalapeño cheddar grits. My waiter suggested I have some habanero salsa to go with it. I also ordered a side of bacon – just for grins. My omelet was really moist and fluffy – one of the best executed omelets I’ve had. The salsa was very spicy, but did pair nicely. The jalapeño cheddar grits were seriously the creamiest grits I’ve ever had and had great flavor - I basically inhaled them. The bacon was normal, BUT our waiter let us in on a little secret. In about a month, once the kitchen gets its sea legs, Max’s Wine Dive will start making their own bacon in-house!! So excited for that.

As we were eating our brunch and sipping our mimosas, we couldn’t help but overhear a couple of more people complaining to their waiters about the bad flapjacks. We heard they had a weird spicy/savory flavor on them. Hopefully, Max’s has worked out the flapjack kinks since then. We would hate for something so simple to be such a hang up for them. All in all, we enjoyed our experience. It was fun to check out the new thing in Dallas and would happily go back for a few glasses of wine or a fun meal. With locations already in Austin, Houston, and San Antonio, we are sure Max’s will be a great addition to Big D.

http://www.maxswinedive.com/index.php

Going Vegan: What in the Sea Nugget?

After eating heavy over Labor Day weekend, we sought out a light and healthy place to eat for our latest adventure. We had noticed a Vegan restaurant that opened up in a random strip center in Addison a few months back, so we decided it would be the perfect healthy adventure to explore. I looked up Loving Hut online before we went and noticed that it is actually an international chain. So, even though we were a bit skeptical, we decided to go for a full out Vegan adventure.

We arrived on a Thursday evening to a pretty empty restaurant. The restaurant is spacious and clean, and we noticed a buffet station that operates during the lunch hours. Sara and I looked over the menu, a bit unsure of what to order after seeing things like “soy protein” and “sea nuggets.” We asked the waitress what she recommended for Sara since she is gluten-free; she suggested a dish with either vegetables or sea nuggets. Sara was a bit hesitant to go for the sea nuggets, so we started out with some unique drinks and browsed the menu a bit longer.

Sara decided on the Shitake Bok Choy, stir-fried mushrooms and bok choy. I ordered the Spicy Cold Noodle, with carrots, cucumber, and tofu. I must admit that the pictures on this restaurant’s menu did not help to settle our skepticism. However, when we received our dishes we were pleasantly surprised to see that they looked much better than on the menu.

My dish came out first, and was a very generous portion. The noodles were tasty and the sauce was delicious, although I should have ordered very spicy instead of medium spicy. The carrots and the cucumbers added a great crunch to the dish, to balance the softness of the noodles and tofu. Overall, I was very pleased with the flavors of my dish.

Sara’s dish came out accompanied with brown rice. Again, the dish looked much better to the eye than on the menu. She stated that it was really good, that the sauce was very flavorful. I snuck a bite, and agreed it was flavor-packed. Sara (admittedly hungry) enjoyed her entire dish.

The great thing about eating at Loving Hut is you can really tell the ingredients are fresh and you don’t feel guilty after you clear your plate. We were very pleased that our skepticism of the menu was put to rest. However, I must mention I brought home a to-go order of Saigon Rolls for my boyfriend and they had sea nuggets in them. I had to find out what they tasted like. All I can say is they look like shrimp, but taste like imitation crab. All in all, Sara and I would be happy to go back to Loving Hut for a light and fresh meal. However, I foresee no sea nuggets in our future.

Loving Hut

Shinsei - KRLD Restaurant Week

For KRLD Restaurant Week, Haley and I thought long and hard about what new and adventurous foodie experience we wanted to have. Clearly, the ones that fill up in 24 hours (such as Abacus) were off the table, but we had always wanted to try Shinsei, especially after hearing so many local chef-lebrities speak so highly of it. We secured a reservation and immediately started stalking the internet for the RW menu. We always like to coordinate our courses and love checking out menus ahead of time.

We arrived and were greeted by our funny and quirky waitress. We perused the normal menu just to see what else we might be missing and I will say some of those sushi rolls looked awesome! For our first course, I had the Elvis’ Tuna Tartare (they have a sushi chef that is totally the Japanese version of Elvis!!) and Haley ordered the Coconut Chicken Jalapeño Poppers with Yellow Curry dipping sauce. My Tuna Tartare was awesome! It came on a bed of rice, on top of crispy wontons. I ate it like nachos. Something about it felt so rich and buttery – I loved it a lot.

Haley’s Coconut Chicken Jalapeño Poppers with Yellow Curry dipping sauce was very good as well. The poppers were wrapped in a Wonton wrapper instead of normal fry batter and the curry sauce was amazing. Haley said she would just drink the dipping sauce and used it as salad dressing on her accompanying mini salad.

For our main courses, I ordered the Seared Snapper with Asian Risotto and Soy-Brown Butter. It was literally the BEST fish dish I have ever had. The sauce was seriously mind blowing. The only disappointment was that this dish is not on the regular menu. What am I going to do?! Ugh, I am still thinking about that meal…

Haley ordered the Dean's Oooey Gooey Chicken with Creamy Scallion Whipped Potatoes. This dish is on the actual menu. Haley said the chicken was good – nothing too thrilling, but the sauce and mashed potatoes were amazing. There was some kind of flavor in the sauce that we couldn’t quite put our finger on but she loved it.

In addition to our RW main courses, we had to take the opportunity to try the fried rice we’ve been hearing so much about. We ordered it as an additional side (as if we didn’t have enough food) and couldn’t wait to see what all the buzz was about. At the time, we totally enjoyed the fried rice but weren’t exactly sure why it was so special. I mean it was great and tasted like it had really fresh, quality ingredients, but it was still fried rice. The next day, however we both confessed that we just couldn’t get that fried rice out of our minds. We think it might be one of those dishes that creeps up on you and becomes something you’ll crave periodically. We get it now!

Lastly, we tried to coordinate our desserts and order two different things, even though we both had our eye on the same one. I ordered the Gingersnap Banana Parfait. I heard our waitress telling someone else that it was the best dessert on the menu so I was preemptively excited. Once I dug in, it was one of the best desserts I’ve ever had. Since I try to avoid gluten, I planned to only have a little of the dessert and avoid the cookies as much as possible. Yeah, right! I basically licked the dish clean. Sometimes, you just have to give in and it was TOTALLY worth it. It has Bruleed bananas, banana pudding, crumbled gingersnaps and more soft bananas at the bottom.

Haley ordered the Lynae's Famous Oatmeal Cookies because who doesn’t love a good oatmeal cookie! She got two and commented that they were lighter and fluffier than the normal dense oatmeal cookies we are used to. Definitely good, just not the best cookies ever. Haley enjoyed them and took one cookie and the leftover fried rice to go for later snacking.

Overall, we both loved Shinsei and want to go back. It’s pretty pricey though, so we may have to wait for a special occasion or a sudden surplus of disposable income. I think Shinsei just made it into my top 3 fine dining Dallas digs. Taste Buds <3 Restaurant Week.

http://shinseirestaurant.com/index.shtml

Food that makes you feel wildly American: Wild About Harry's

For our latest adventure, we decided to check out a Dallas staple, Wild About Harry’s on Knox. Wild About Harry’s offers hot dogs and frozen custard, that has become a classic to many people in Dallas over the years. We ventured out on a very hot Sunday afternoon to see what has made this hot dog and custard shop stand the test of time.

You are immediately greeted by a giant hot dog statue when you arrive, and it makes you feel like a kid again, hungry for a hot dog and ice cream. Sure, it is a simple meal, but sometimes it is all you really want. We went inside and saw the menus on the wall, offering a variety of different hot dog types and custard flavors. We started out with hot dog combos for just under $8.

Sara had the Texas dog with mustard, chili, cheese and onions with coleslaw. I opted for the Chicago dog with mustard, pickles, relish, sport peppers, tomatoes, and celery salt. For my side I had the onion rings. The food came out fast and we dug in. The dogs are served in a very fluffy and soft poppy seed bun. The dogs were both very enjoyable and we finished every bite. Sara said there was nothing not to like about her dog, and I agreed. Sara said the coleslaw was pretty average, and I thought the onion rings were stellar. There wasn’t too much batter and it was light enough to taste the onion. We decided that while WAH’s is not doing anything different or unique with their dogs, they are doing everything right.

Of course a trip to Wild About Harry’s wouldn’t be complete without trying the custard. Sara is gluten free so she ordered the gluten free vanilla with coconut as her topping. I chose the coconut custard with chocolate chips. The coconut custard was amazing, and went perfectly with the chocolate bits. I ate every bite and would definitely go back just for this.  Sara wasn’t as excited about hers since it was a plainer flavor, but still enjoyed it. Sara also let me know that you can buy WAH’s custard at Central Market, so I was more than excited to get to enjoy it again.

Wild About Harry’s is the perfect easy, quick, cheap place to grab a hot dog and custard. It is exactly what you expect for and hope for in both offerings. Sara said it best when during her meal she exclaimed, “I feel so American right now!”

http://wildaboutharrys.com/

Stratos - One Serious Adventure!

We were introduced to Stratos by Haley’s boyfriend who works in the area and swears by this Greek hidden treasure. Haley went a few times and decided that we had to go for an official Foodie Adventure ASAP! Upon arrival, one might be thrown a little though. Rumor has it that this restaurant is a renovated strip club and I believe it. The look of the place was enough to make me get out my phone and snap a picture immediately after getting out of my car in the parking lot. With that in mind, when asked if we wanted a table or a booth there was no question in our minds – TABLE!!!

All of the staff was really nice and the place was pretty crowded for a Monday night. It may be because of the half-price food on Mondays and Tuesdays. Gotta love a great deal! We started off with hummus which comes with toasty, buttery pita bread, carrot sticks and celery sticks. The hummus was pretty good – more nutty than garlicky. It wasn’t our favorite hummus ever, but it was above average for sure. The pita bread was really great. It was just so buttery and toasty. Not the afterthought it can so often be at lesser restaurants.

For our entrees, Haley and I tried to cover our bases to make for an all-encompassing blog experience. She went with the lamb souvlaki and I went with the meat lover’s gyro plate. Haley’s boyfriend, Michael, ordered one of his favorites, the Pastitsio - greek lasagna. Haley’s lamb came with pita bread, rice, sautéed vegetables and she asked for Tzatziki instead of the lemon butter sauce. It was all really good. The lamb was flavorful and tender. The rice and veggies were good and the pita bread was awesome.

My meat lover’s gyro plate came with double gyro meat on a toasty open-faced pita, tomatoes, red onions, homemade Tzatziki, a cube of feta and kalamata olives. We all agree that this gyro meat is the best we’ve ever had. It was so much juicier than all the others, not to mention the awesome flavor. The Tzatziki was great – not too overpowering – and the feta and olives were the perfect accompaniment to this enormous plate.

Michael’s greek lasagna was really good, too. It had this awesome golden brown almost crust on top and the rest of it had just great flavor. The lasagna came with rice, garden vegetables, toasted pita bread and one dolma. He let me try some of the dolma because I haven’t liked any that I’ve had, and I seriously loved this one! I guess I’d only had sub-par dolmas until now.

After our meals, we decided that we need dessert since our bills would be just way too cheap with the half-priced cuisine (however we can rationalize it, right?). Our waitress recommended the Aphrodite’s Chocolate Passion which is described as “a sex bomb of a dessert”. It consisted of a brownie crust filled with chocolate mousse cake, chunks of cheesecake and caramel, topped with chocolate and almonds, and served with sides of whipped cream and vanilla ice cream. Holy dessert, Batman! We got it. We ate it. We loved it. It was indeed a sex bomb.

The meal was great and the service was good. Stratos is a definite Taste Buds favorite. BUT I cannot finish this review without the most interesting part of the night. While we were waiting for our food, the power went out! The power went out in a restaurant. That can’t be good right? This has happened to Haley on another occasion and the power stayed off for 40 minutes that time. This time the power was only out for a few minutes, but it was still bewildering/comical to say the least. Luckily we were good sports about it and just kept carrying on our conversations like nothing had happened. Opa!

http://clubstratos.com/

Fast Foodies: Dallas' Burger House

For our latest adventure, we picked a fast food destination that is a staple in Dallas, Burger House.  We had read several D Magazine write ups that they were voted best fries , and my family had recommended it for a quick bite. We met up on a Thursday night and had the restaurant to ourselves.

All of their burgers come with the standard toppings of mustard, pickles, onions, lettuce, and tomatoes. You can specify how you want your burger, and there are other options for chicken sandwiches and hot dogs. Sara ordered the hamburger and I went with the cheeseburger, both of us adding grilled onions. We also ordered “Jack’s Famous Fries” to split.

Our meals cost us each less than $8 and the food was ready in just a few minutes. We started with the famous fries we had heard so much about. There is a special seasoning on these fries that makes you wonder what exactly it is. I tasted garlic, salt, pepper, and another herb I couldn’t place. Sara mentioned that they tasted like greek fries. The fries are really, really good. They are thin, crispy, and the seasoning is really delicious.  Also, they are not greasy. We both agreed that these were the best fast food fries we have had. A large order is $2.29, and that is a steal for how good these are.

 We then turned to our burgers. The buns are nicely toasted and the patties are very thin. Luckily, we weren’t trying to stuff ourselves so a single patty was perfect for each of us. The grilled onions were a great addition, and we both finished our burgers. The burger seemed lighter than most other fast food joints, and it was not greasy, which we liked.

When recapping our experience, Sara summed it up the best when she said “If In-N-Out Burger and Whataburger had a one night stand, this burger would be their love child.” It tasted as though it was light and fresh like In-N-Out, but with the more “Texas” flavor of Whataburger. I said that I preferred it to In-N-Out, while Sara said she preferred it to Whataburger.

Overall, we would definitely go back to Burger House when we want a quick bite. The fries are amazing, and eating the burger didn’t make me feel guilty. There are several locations around the metroplex, so there is sure to be one that is convenient for you!

Burger House Website

Fine Dining on a Dime

Finding the hidden gems in Dallas is our ultimate mission as Taste Buds, so we were more than excited when a follower suggested checking out the restaurant Technique at Le Cordon Bleu. He told us that the culinary students also run a restaurant serving a three course French meal, for a really low price. We made one attempt to go to the restaurant earlier this year, and found out that a reservation is a must and the days are limited to Tuesday-Fridays. After making a reservation about a month ago on Open Table, we secured a reservation and were excited to see what was in store.

The restaurant is definitely part of a culinary school and it is apparent from the moment you get there. You walk by the front desk of the school and the classrooms upon entrance. The setup is modest, white tablecloths and a dimmed lighting. The kitchen is open and you can see the students hard at work preparing your meal. Sara pointed out that the bread was under heat lamps, easily seen by the diners, which was a bit unappealing. The waitress (culinary student) came to our table and explained the menu. There are three courses, priced at $16. The restaurant also has a drink menu.There were a number of appetizing options and we asked her what her favorites were. She suggested for an appetizer the LCBLT salad or Salade Maison and as main courses, either the poached salmon or polenta cakes.

We received our bread from the heat lamp minutes later and I was unimpressed. Since Sara is gluten free, I was the sole judge. The bread simply tasted like a store bought baguette. Maybe we had a bad idea about it from the heat lamp exposure, but either way it was underwhelming. I started off with the Salade Maison with mixed greens, candied pecans, tart apple straws, blue cheese, sundried tomatoes , and a honey thyme vinaigrette. I really enjoyed my salad, and in retrospect, was the favorite of my three courses. The dressing was really tasty and there was a good balance of the other ingredients. Sara ordered the LCBLT salad with butter lettuce, bacon, pear tomatoes, and house made ranch dressing.  Sara was unimpressed by her starter dish, as the ranch dressing was bland and watery. I took a bite and really couldn’t even taste the dressing.  I declared myself a victor in round one.

For the main course, I ordered the steak frites, a 6 oz New York strip, béarnaise sauce, and hand cut pommes frites.  The béarnaise sauce was absolutely delicious and the fries were tasty. I kept dipping them in the sauce until I unfortunately run out. The steak was another story. This was probably the toughest steak I have ever received at a restaurant, and I ordered it medium rare. I kept trying to find its saving grace, but after Sara had a bite, we both decided there was not one.  Sara ordered the suggested polenta cakes with mushroom ragout, grilled asparagus, and truffle oil. She enjoyed the cakes, stating that they tasted much like cheese grits, but believed that they were missing a much needed sauce. She noted that her side salad with asparagus and truffle oil was tasty. Sara definitely won round two, although she was a bit perplexed this was the recommended entrée.

Lastly, we received our desserts. I ordered the spiced peaches vol au vent, which came out much like a deconstructed peach cobbler with ice cream. I was expecting the peaches to be warm, but they were cold. It was a tasty dish altogether, and I really enjoyed the lavender ice cream served as a side. Sara ordered the chocolate bomb, a chocolate mousse dome, devil’s food cake, and chocolate ganache. This dessert was in fact, the bomb. I even heard Sara say “I will eat this all day” mid course. I had a bite, and it was very tasty. This was definitely the highlight of both meals.

Overall, Technique at Le Cordon Bleu is exactly what you get for your money. It is “fine dining on a budget” and the presentation of all the dishes is very impressive. There were a few misses throughout both of our meals, but overall it was a fun and unique place to go.  Technique is somewhere I could take my dad and he wouldn’t feel overwhelmed by the “foo foo”,  but it is not somewhere I would try to impress a date. It is a great place for a couple, friends, or family to go and get something different for a very good price. We thought maybe we stumbled upon a place with five star caliber dining for a steal, but again the food is comparable to what you are paying for. Our waitress did tell us that they change the menu every six weeks, so we would not be opposed to checking it out in the future to see if our choices fare us a little better.