I’ve searched long and hard for a frozen food that I can put in the microwave rather than the oven, and have it come out both delicious and cooked well. Actually, delicious might be asking too much, so I’ll downgrade to pleasantly palatable. Often you get two choices on how to prepare your frozen food unit and a lot of the time the oven makes a big difference on the outcome. For example, pot pies. There is a monumental difference in quality between how you choose to cook your pot pie. (The oven is always the right choice.) But who always has time to heat up the oven when you just want a quick bite from the freezer? I know I don’t.
Well thank goodness these Side Shots have come along. Don’t be expecting frozen burger nirvana from these little bites, although they will deliver on taste and are one the best frozen burgers I have had. The bread doesn’t get too chewy which is great, and the inside doesn’t turn into an atomic lava pit, waiting to flow out and leave your mouth burnt for a week. With only 0 grams of trans fat, they fall just this side of ‘not that bad for you’ and despite the unfortunate name, I’m recommending them. The one thing to take note of though, is that these two little burgers won’t fill you up. They should be thought of as more of a snack to keep you going during your strenuous day. Look for these at your local market soon and let us know what you think if you get a chance to try them. Tom Thumb had them listed as a new item so I can’t be sure how widespread they are in the food distribution circuit. Hot Pocket doesn’t even have them listed on their website!
UPDATE: Freezer Burns likes them too. Go check out his video review
Hi, I’m Michael. I go to school in Austin, Texas and I like to eat. I’m a friend of Michelle and Brian. The result? I’m going to start writing some things for the little dish that involve eating in Austin. It’s going to be great, I promise…
Lambert’s is a great restaurant in downtown Austin that refers to itself as “fancy barbecue.” It’s housed in a great looking, old two-story building that apparently dates back to 1873. The interior is cozy but modern, and manages to feel exactly how you would think an upscale barbecue joint should. (In other words, the hardwood to brick to leather ratios are on point.) The open kitchen is definitely a plus in my book.
The second floor is home to the main bar, which is just as charming as the main dining area downstairs. A small stage frequently hosts live music acts. There’s a great neon “LIQUOR” sign hanging over the staircase. I’d like to take it to hang in my apartment, but they’d probably notice. Most importantly, this bar is where my evening gorging took place. You see, from 5 to 7 PM, seven days a week, Lambert’s has happy hour. And during said happy hour, all of their (already reasonably priced) bar food is half-price and all drinks are 2 dollars off.
We started with some Roasted Green Chili Queso and a round of drinks. The queso was good, though I wish the green chiles would have been a bit more prevalent. I’m not sure what kind or combination of cheese they use, but it was a little mild/Velveeta-y for my tastes. However, my two dining companions had no complaints. The tortilla chips though, were awesome—fresh, perfectly crunchy, and not greasy at all.
I ordered the Wood Grilled Natural Cheese Burger. Brian (who had eaten their previous on a trip to Austin) raved about this burger, so I had high hopes. I was not disappointed. It’s a very straightforward burger, but executed extremely well. The beef is flavorful and was perfectly cooked; the dressings (mayo, mustard, lettuce, and red onion) provide a good counterbalance to the richness of the meet and cheese. The taste and aroma of the wood is definitely there. The bun is thick enough to last the entire meal without getting soggy, but so heavy that it gets in the way of the main burger goods. I could eat the mustard with a spoon all by itself. Really, it’s just an awesome cheeseburger. I want another one right now.
The herbed waffle fries that came with the cheese burger were also great. Crispy outside, fluffy inside, and tossed with a nice seasoning that coated all the fries pretty evenly. I dipped them in the mustard. And then dipped my finger in the mustard a few times, too. Seriously.
The Crispy Wild Boar Ribs with celery and daikon slaw were pretty spectacular, too. Each rib had a fairly small amount of the flavorful (but not gamey), lean boar meat. However the serving was large enough to be satisfying. They had a sweet and sour glaze with a great tang to it, and gave the ribs a bit of an asian inspiration to match the garnish of daikon slaw.
The third dish at the table was a Barbecue Plate with chicken, jicama slaw, and green chili grits. I didn’t taste the chicken, but it didn’t look like it was overcooked, which seems to be the problem with chicken at most barbecue places. I did, however, steal a bite of the sides. I love jicama and grits and green chili, so I naturally expected to like both of them. And I did…especially the grits. Even before you taste them them, there’s something kind of inherently fun about green-tinted grits.
To finish, we got an order of Bread Pudding for dessert that doesn’t appear to be on the websites menu. It came out steaming hot with a perfectly round scoop of in-house homemade ice cream on top. I only had a bite, but it was a great bite. The custard perfectly saturated the bread (not too mushy, not too dry) and there was plenty of spice from the cinnamon. The cold and creamy ice cream melting down into the pudding was…cold…and creamy…and melting down into the pudding. Real good. I wished I wasn’t so full and could have eaten more of it.
The only thing I didn’t enjoy was the Habanero BBQ sauce. I liked the heat, but it seemed like—both from flavor and color—they had tried to cut the spice with the sweetness of ketchup. I could be wrong about the source, but there was definitely a sweetness that I was not digging too much.
Overall, it was a great early dinner, especially for the price. If you’re ever in Austin looking to get some drinks and a great bite to eat, the Lambert’s bar should definitely be towards the top of your list. Get the burger. Eat the mustard. Booyah.
401 West 2nd Street | Austin, TX 78701
512.494.1500
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Every year Dallas’ premier restaurants take part in Dining Out In Dallas, an annual fundraiser benefiting The Texas Neurofibromatosis Foundation. DFW chefs each donate a table for 10 to be bid on & the proceeds go to this excellent cause. This year, we had the pleasure of getting a table at Local with family & good friends. In one word, it was delightful. In a lot more words, here’s the rundown of the full menu & how it went down…
Warmed nuts were a salty prelude to the meal & a gentle reminder to never underestimate the goodness of a homemade snack mix. Fried green beans were the first starter & paired nicely with a Chardonnay Terrazas Reserva ‘07 from Spain. The green beans were dipped in a flavorful batter & served with a ranch sauce for dipping. Delicious & unexpected—they’re as salty & addictive as their potato counterparts.
Amuse-Bouche: A cream soup (broccoli?) with crispy fried leeks. Comforting & nice, even though I can’t remember exactly what flavor the soup was. Cream of…cream.
Short Order First Course: Eden Creek baby arugula salad, with brown sugar sauteed asian pears, crumbled Pure Luck dairy blue cheese, toasted pistachios, and a honey-balsamic vinaigrette.
Wine: Riesling Thomas Schmitt ‘04 – Germany
From the description, you can tell this salad was very sweet. It might have been too much so, but the bites of blue cheese & salted pistachios—as well as the wine—added balance. The pears were perfection & everyone at our table was impressed with the honey vinaigrette.
Short Order Second Course: Seared Hudson Valley foie gras, house-made Texas toast, fresh fig and madeira compote
Wine: Rioja Luis Canas Crianza ‘04 – Spain
The surprise of the night. I’ve had foie gras once, possibly twice before this point. I couldn’t remember the difference between pate & foie gras because the two had sort of combined in my mind in the “not great, but you can bear it” category. This foie gras came like a ray of light—a major epiphany. I loved it. With the figs, it was perfectly perched between sweet and salty…incredibly soft and tender…rich and luxurious in texture. Liver? Really? Yeah, you heard me. It’s awesome.
Tall Order: Grilled grass-fed beef tenderloin filet, creamy Anson Mills grits, flash-fried spinach, roasted garlic-butter balsamic finish
Wine: Bordeaux Chateau Mouton Jean Philippe ‘03 – France
Everything in this dish was excellent. My filet was served rare; Brian’s was more medium-rare, so there was a little variance in the cooking. No matter because both filets were supernaturally tender. The grits were creamy & the spinach was a perfect compliment. This dish was the highlight of Local’s skill in the arena of New American cuisine.
Baby Desert Tasting: Warm mini chocolate souffle, brownie cookies, Ovaltine-spiked chocolate malt, spiced cake donut holes
Wine: Moscato d’asti Marenco Scrapona
Whimsical and delicious, it’s one of the best mini-dessert plates I’ve ever had. Usually there’s at least one dessert that falls short, but that wasn’t the case here. The chocolate souffle was rich, indulgent, and actually just the right size. The shake was lovely, the brownie cookies were far beyond what I was expecting, and the donut holes were a playful take on an American classic. I loved the sparkling moscato. So sweet & refreshing, it could stand on its own if served as dessert.
At the end of our meal, just when we thought it was over, a final parting bite arrived at the table: homemade thumbprint cookies with a cranberry-chutney center. One little bite…tart & sweet…it was like a farewell wave & a reminder to come back again for more.
2936 Elm Street | Dallas, TX 75074
214.752.7500
Now when you’re in downtown Plano you can visit Urban Crust, a newly opened wood-fired pizza joint with a rooftop bar. When we arrived at 8:00 on a Saturday there was, of course, a wait. So, we started our dinner in the bar. It’s named “32 Degrees” because of the frozen bar concept. The place was packed, so if you actually want to sit at the frozen bar, you’ll have to get there early. It’s a nice area with a small, open-roofed patio & a wonderful view of downtown Plano. The only drawback is the size. Since it’s so small, be prepared to rub elbows a bit & brush up on your drink ordering skills because you’ll need them.
After the pager buzzed, we headed downstairs & ordered a few apps to start. We enjoyed the starter bread, which greets you as you sit down for dinner. It was an Italian-take on flatbread served with pesto and marinara sauces for dipping. The carpaccio was thinly sliced beef with shaved cheese, capers, chives, and truffle oil. The calamari was interesting; instead of just the typical rings, this serving included a handful of crispy-fried whole baby octopus. This is good/bad depending on how you feel about eating lil octos whole. I think our table was split 50/50. On the whole the starters were good, but not extremely impressive. Next time we’ll try their salads.
And there will definitely be a next time, because the pizza is worth going back for. We ordered the Quattro Formaggi: a blend of fresh mozzarella, fontina, Maytag blue cheese and grana padano, drizzled with truffle oil. Outstanding! All the cheeses melted perfectly together atop an excellent crust. Our other choice was the Margherita: tomato sauce, imported Italian buffalo mozzarella, fresh tomatoes and basil. We went with a simple choice so we could really evaluate the ingredients & crusts in an uncomplicated way. Rich ingredients and truffle oil can hide a multitude of sins. The question is: can you do a simple pizza well? Urban Crust didn’t disappoint.
What they really excel at is their excellent crust. Every true pizza devotee knows that this is crucial. Just like with a great sandwich, it’s all in the bread. Once you have the perfect base, it’s just a matter of selecting the right cheeses, meats, and veggies. Not everyone can mix, toss, and fire the perfect dough. We’re constantly disappointed with that average doughy “crust.” Urban Crust has come awfully close to perfecting the crust. It’s thin, chewy, and full of flavor—one of the best in Dallas. There’s a highly-spoken of rival across town that we have yet to review, but right now we’re content with what they’re tossing in Plano.
1006 E. 15th Street | Plano, TX 75074
972.509.1400
