What the… It’s been a long time since we’ve updated! Good news though is that there’s a lot in the works: an interview with a local chef, a new correspondent, etc. Great stuff, so stay tuned.
Lately it seems like there’s been a lot of new places opening in the metroplex. We’ve tried Park a couple of times; it’s the newest opening in the restaurant-loaded Knox/Henderson area. It’s a really charming place that doesn’t need a glowing review from us. (It was packed both weekends we went.) But Park isn’t just about location, location, location. Their food is simple, but good and their drinks? Even better.
What I initially liked about Park was their outdoor patio. Sitting on a tree stump under strings of white lights, I felt like I was eating in a little urban forest. It’s very cute. Smitten for the ambiance, I also fell for Park’s philosophy on food. They have a rooftop herb garden, try to use a lot of local and organic products, and prepare their dishes to be uncomplicated and delicious.
The panzanella is a beautiful stack of local mozzarella, tomatoes, brioche, and a portabello pesto. It’s not groundbreaking cuisine, but it was delicious. The Live Oak Picnic Basket was unbelievably good: Windy Meadow Farms roast chicken, creamy fingerling potato salad, flaky biscuits, and a side of honey served in a red and white checkered basket. The Jones Taco Platter was a straight-forward presentation of a nice taco plate with short rib, chicken, and black bean varieties.
Food aside, Park would still be a destination I would visit because of their unique cocktail menu. A lot of them had savory components. Take the “Garfunkle”; it’s a gin collins with mint and ginger. The “Little Wing” was mixed with Hendricks, cucumber, basil, and a dash of cranberry.
My favorite was the “Marsha Marsha Marsha” with cognac, muddled blackberries, and sparkling white wine. Summer in a glass. Sangria by the pitcher was a good deal after we did the math and we were happy with it.
Crème brulée was an evening special and it was arguably one of the best I’ve had at a restaurant. Although, I’m really a bad judge because crème brulée is one of my favorite desserts and I love it most of the time
So to sum this all up: Park has a lot going for it. What’s not working in their favor, they really can’t help. The weekend clientele is kinda what you’d except for that area. If you’re not there to to see and be seen, it’s a little hard to just chill. Good for their businness, but it’s why I liked Park better on a Tuesday when we could enjoy that pretty patio in peace.
1921 Henderson Ave.
Dallas 75206
214.824.3343
Quick Rant:
Is it too much to ask for a burger that doesn’t fall apart halfway through trying to eat it? I understand the appeal of a messy burger; in fact, I prefer them sloppy. What I don’t like is my bun getting soggy and splitting apart before I’ve reached the end of my meal. It’s not a hard thing to remedy, although the majority of burger joints don’t seem to have a grasp on this technique. It’s simple science: slightly butter the bun, and then grill it for a quick second or two. This will create a simple, yet effective barrier to hold off the burger sauces from soaking into the bun. Can someone please put out a memo? Thanks.
Now that’s out of the way…
I’ve been hearing here and there that Mooya Burgers is the In-n-Out of Texas and at first glance those comparisons seem to be founded, but let’s not be hasty without an investigation.
Interior & Menu:
White tiles with accents of red and a plain simple menu, both harken to comparisons with In-n-Out. At Mooya Burgers you can order a Mooya Burger that’s essentially a double meat, double cheese burger (Double Double). You can also get a Junior which is a single cheese, single meat burger. They have a few other items, a hot dog, the expected veggie or turkey burger option, and that’s about it. Simple, just like In-n-Out. Where Mooya burger stands apart is in its toppings. Similar to the approach of The Counter, you can choose from all sorts of different ingredients to top your burger with. While not as complex as The Counter’s, things like jalepenos, A1 sauce, BBQ, and grilled onions offer you a chance to customize your experience beyond the usual.
Shakes:
Straight from a machine, just like In-n-Out, Mooyah’s is slightly creamier and the chocolate version I had was less chocolately tasting. Still delicious.
French Fries:
Fries are cut from whole potatoes, just like In-n-Out, although these are bit thicker and (dare I say) a bit tastier. Let’s be honest here, if you’ve had fries from In-n-Out, they aren’t the best things in the world. Basically, you overlook the fries inadequacies because the burgers are so damn tasty. It’s the truth. Most of the time I don’t even order fries, especially when I’m rolling drive thru. In-n-Out fries never make it home in a edible manner.
Burger:
I ordered a Mooyah cheeseburger with mustard, Mooyah sauce, jalapenos, pickles and onions. As you could have guessed from my rant above, the freshly baked, honey wheat bun arrived home a bit soggy, but still edible. (I went there twice. Once I took it home, which is where this complaint comes from. The second occasion I ate my food there and the burger held together much better.) It was definitely a good-sized burger–well cooked, but not tough. There was plenty of cheese to hold things together. (I opted for American, but you get a choice.) I wasn’t a fan of their pickles; they serve the thicker style chips that aren’t dill enough for me. I prefer the thinner standard pickles that most places serve. The jalapenos were also a bit of a disappointment. They didn’t carry quite enough heat and suffered from being overly pickled. I know, ironic. I won’t fault Mooyah for these dissapontments, I’m sure some people prefer their pickles and jalapenos this way. The onions were chopped, which I like, so bonus points for that.
Recap:
Anybody who has been to an In-n-Out won’t be fooled by any of Mooyah’s similarities, although I can understand how the comparisons are made. Other than being a tad pricey and not toasting their buns, they have a great thing going. The staff is super friendly and informative, and I’ll definitely head back in every now and again when I’m too lazy to drive to California for In-n-Out, or Ft. Worth for some Love Shack.
(Several locations in the metroplex)
2720 State Hwy 121, Suite 600
Euless 76039
817.571.7575
Saturday night we all went to Tim Love’s new Love Shack location in the really difficult to find So7 development. What’s familiar about it? A really, really delicious Love Burger and onion rings. What’s different? Well, almost everything else. The overall feeling of this Love Shack is more contemporary and trendy. There was a dj, a couple of dancing girls drunkenly celebrating a birthday, and not a cowboy in sight. (Hey, it’s still Cowtown!) Outside on the patio was a game area with a beanbag toss and something involving washers. Oh, and I heard Lady GaGa. All of these things added up to a very different experience than the one at the original Stockyards location. It wasn’t bad, just different.
In fact in some ways, it could be considered better. It feels like there’s a lot more seating, which was nice because they were really busy. Also, there’s an indoor sitting area that’s open air but still covered enough from the elements so you could enjoy a Love Burger in the rain! Additionally, they have a full bar featuring a mixed drink menu that’s pretty novel. I sipped on a jalapeno cucumber margarita that was refreshing and yet really had some heat to it. Very different, but maybe a little pricey because of its small size. (That glass is shorter than it looks.)
Speaking of small sizes, we were a little confused by the potions of fries and onions, which were about half of what we usually get at the original Love Shack. We’ll have to go back; maybe it was just an off night for potion control.
Finally (and this difference between the two locations might be the most crucial), they have an expanded menu. Different sides, a lobster roll, a salad of the day–you won’t find these sissier options on the old Love Shack menu. However, when you love the original Love Burger as much as we do, there’s not a big incentive to stray. Oh! And there’s one more major plus about this location. They accept credit cards! Cha-ching!
(website doesn’t have info on the new location as of yet)
817 Matisse Ste. 445
Fort Worth 76107
817.348.9655
We’ve talked about Starbucks many times on the little dish, sometimes in their favor (celebrating the great caramel chai discovery, or the time I made a badass cake) and sometimes against (hooray for the underdog!) This time it’s different. This time, it’s in the interest of public safety. Yeah, you heard me.
Here’s the deal: I’m a slow sipper. Usually halfway through my cup of coffee, I have to warm it quickly in the microwave. Thirty to thirty-five seconds in any standard microwave and it’s practically like the first sip all over again. I’ve done it a hundred times. Earlier this week, I noticed a strange burning smell as I warmed my latte at work. I thought it was only a little weird, mostly because people cook ungodly things, singe popcorn, and so on in that machine,
Then, two days later, it happened again. I inspected my cup and THERE! ON THE BOTTOM OF MY CUP! A SINGE MARK. Today, it happened again. There was a burn mark in the exact same spot. Thirty seconds and no more, in a standard microwave and we’ve got a (likely carcinogenic) fire hazard! It could be some new cheap plastic or glue they’re using on the rim; it could be some metallic manufacturing residue. I just know that it’s potentially dangerous…and weird. I’ll have to run some more tests to be a good scientist, keeping track of what stores the cups came from, what microwave was used, etc. to be really sure of what’s going on, but I can tell you right now, it’s pretty suspicious.
Thanks to my friend EB for sending this. Apparently, Summer bliss is back at Jamba Juice! What’s your favorite? (Don’t say Chocolate Moo’d. That’s not a smoothie.)
This weekend was probably one of the worst to have a potluck, for me at least. I had my wisdom teeth taken out Thursday and spent the weekend sleepy, puffy, and sipping soup. That being said, I would never miss a date when this crew gets together and cooks. So, I nibbled my way through most of the dishes, appreciating the mouth-friendly orzo, chocolate mousse, and melt-in-your-mouth tuna the most. Everything was delicious though. Thanks to everyone for coming! It was so much fun. Next time, we’ll do a better job of snapping everyone’s picture, but it’s so hard when it’s time to eat!
Nick & Caitlin – Organic sweet potato orzo with pecans and parmesan; local pan-sauteed okra with lemon (pictured top left)
Michael – Golden brown chorizo empanadas (black bean version on hand for the vegetarians) (pictured top right)
Brian – Pasta shells stuffed with creamy ricotta and parmesan chessse, choped parsley, spinach, and sweet Italian sausage. Cooked in a spicy arrabbiata sauce (sausage-free version for the vegetarians!)
Andrea – Chocolate-topped toffee bars (which surprisingly did not contain toffee)
Mark & Kendall – Chocolate pudding with a crispy, nutty crust, topped with whipped cream
Michelle & Jen – Chocolate mousse
Jen – Spicy tandoori chicken with a tomato. onion, and Serrano jam, topped with creamy herbed yogurt, served atop pita bread (pictured bottom left)
Matt – Seared tuna slices with a mixed citrus, bell pepper, and red onion salsa, drizzled with a red wine vinaigrette (pictured bottom right)
