If I told you that the city’s best pad thai doesn’t come from a small, authentic, family-owned and semi-unpronounceable restaurant, you’d probably be really surprised. If I went even further and told you that it’s made in some trendy West Village joint, you’d be shocked. Well, get ready. As potentially controversial as it is to throw around the term “best”, I feel pretty confidant when I declare that Tom Tom Asian Grill’s pad thai is the best in Dallas.
Lately Maggiano’s has been my new hang out. Possibly because I was given a hefty little gift card to the joint, or maybe just because it’s a cool place to be, who knows? On my visits I usually get something to eat and (since I love the Italian food) it works out quite nicely. Usually I’m quite skeptical of the chain-style Italian restaurant, (Olive Garden and Johnny Carino’s to name a few), but Maggiano’s falls in the mid-level acceptable group along with Macaroni Grill and Buca di Beppo.
Chocolate + Macha Green Tea = ?
After the first Vosges chocolate bar I reviewed generated such dubious responses, I thought it would be nice to pick one of their less-controversial flavors to try. I decided to go with the Macha Exotic Candy Bar because well, you’ve already seen that I like mixing tea with all kinds of things. According to its official description, “grassy and bamboo undertones of Japanese macha green tea gently rise around deep milk chocolate.”
Full disclosure: Before becoming a writer, I worked at this restaurant briefly in 2002 about a year after it opened. It was my first and last stint as a waitress. I (as it turns out) was not very good at it. Anyway, the restaurant was named Blowfish back then and was really good. I have no “kitchen horror” story whatsoever to share. I’ve been back a few times since, but because of the fast-paced nature of the industry, it is like an entirely new restaurant when I go in now—a new name even! All new faces, new sushi chefs, new menu items. So, I write this review as a once-but-no-longer semi-insider.
On sunny afternoons, there are few things I love as much as sushi. I can probably count the times I’ve eaten sushi during the winter on both hands. Whether it’s the fresh taste or light texture, there is just something about sushi that makes it more fitting for warmer weather. Today was lovely, so I decided to swing by Piranha Killer Sushi because it’s been a small eternity since I’ve eaten there. (If you talk to people who like sushi without all of the fuss of fancy dining, they’re bound to mention this place.)
I’m just not a big fan of the cake. I enjoy the cup-cake, maybe because it’s just so compact and efficient in delivering its deliciousness. I enjoy ice-cream cakes too, but when presented with the options for desert, cake just doesn’t sit real high on my priority list. Despite all this, there are a few kinds of cake I do like. Lemon or Chocolate would probably be my birthday choices. Who doesn’t love a big glass of ice filled milk and a rich, dense slice of chocolate cake, maybe with a little fudge drizzled all over for good measure? Right? So I guess what I’m trying to say is that I like certain cakes, but they aren’t really my go-to desert when presented with choices.
I’ve never had a cupcake actually ruin my day. The very thought of it was ridiculous to me. While yesterday’s doughy travesty didn’t become the first, it got very, very close. To explain, I’ll start at the beginning and work my way up…
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Chocolate + Bacon = ?
It’s definitely the wildest chocolate combinations I’ve ever tried, but I seriously loved it. This innovative pairing came from Vosges Haut Chocolate, a luxe chocolatier who makes this exotic bar called Mo’s Bacon Bar. It’s rich milk chocolate mixed with applewood smoked bacon and alderwood smoked salt. The combination is a little crazy, but the result? Delightful. The sweet chocolate mixes elegantly with the salty, savory bacon. Pleasing to the palate and wonderful in texture (smooth with little crunchy bits!), this is an adventure in taste and very recommended.
Price: $7.50 (yeah, you heard me)
I think it’s really fitting that our first recipe review is one from Giada De Laurentiis. I don’t know if you’ve encountered this strange phenom in casual conversations or online, but this lady is seriously polarizing. (Check out the vicious goings-on in this post from our buddy Consumer Machine and you’ll know what I’m talking about!) You either love her or hate her and I don’t think many people fall anywhere in between (well, unless you’re me or Anthony Bourdain, but I’ll get to that in a minute).
Not sure about you, but I grew up camping. California beaches, Northwest forests, Missouri rivers, Arizona deserts…well you get the picture. Anyway, the one constant no matter where I was and what time of year, was that we always had s’mores around the fire pit. The hot marshmallows, toasted to a golden brown perfection, mixed perfectly with the chocolate (I rolled dark) and graham crackers (I rolled cinnamon). There was nothing better as a kid, and still to this day I harbor a love for the irresistible treats.
Well, to my pleasure and hopefully yours, Dough Monkey has gone and done something special. They have decided to make a top-notch s’more, with quality ingredients, making us nostalgic for the bygone days of camping vacations, right in our own kitchens.
If you are not familiar with Dough Monkey they are a newly re-opened bakery at Snyder Plaza in Dallas. We will definitely be doing many more posts on the delicious products they serve up daily. Go check their website for an updated list of the trump delights they decided to bake up for the day.
Anyway, the S’Mores are amazing. Pop them in the oven for a sec, and then prepare yourself with a stiff glass of milk and a fork, for the gooey mess that you are about to indulge in. The rich chocolate, specialty graham, and honey enriched marshmallow all come together nicely and make for an awesome desert. Go try one now, even if your idea of camping is hotel rooms and resorts, I guarantee you’ll still love it.
Price: $6
6708 Snider Plaza | Dallas, TX
214-890-1300
I’ll come right out with it. I’m a big, big fan of the blue cheese wedge salad. Studies have shown, if on your menu somewhere, you have the words salad, blue cheese, and wedge, in a semi close proximity, there’s a 87% chance I’ll order it. It really just depends on the last time I had a blue cheese wedge salad, and if it wasn’t at breakfast, then there you go. Anyway, at the Cliff Cafe next to the Bellmont in Oak Cliff, I found a version of said salad and it wasn’t the best or perfect BCWS I’ve ever had, but it definitely had some promise. My two major concerns were the over cooked bacon that felt like little rocks in my mouth, and the absence of a blue cheese dressing on the menu — it was served with a balsamic vinaigrette. Now the former sin cannot be forgiven — over-dried crunchy as hell bacon has no place in a fresh salad or anywhere else in the world of eats. The later problem wasn’t too much of an issue, but I definitely could have gone for a nice spicy blue cheese dressing instead. The main fault that ruined an otherwise tempting display of ingredients, was that the salad was not dressed, but rather drowned in the balsamic dressing which overpowered every other aspect of the dish. Seriously, you can’t tell from the picture, but this thing was swimming.
I’m not usually one for ‘dressing on the side’ bit, but at the Cliff Cafe my recommendation is to go that way, or try the ranch instead. It’s also a great salad to share, so step up to it as a starter on your next date to the Cliff Cafe. Then head over to the bar at the Belmont for a nice time getting boozed up on their friendly patio. It’s definitely one the official drinkeries of the Little Dish staff.