So today it was back to work. The holiday’s aren’t really over for me yet; I’m taking off the second-half of this week for New Year’s. Today was just a necessary snap back into reality for a day or two to get some work done. Yesterday we finished the long weekend with a little post-Christmas brunch. What better place to go than Hattie’s? It was beautiful, as always. It such an adorable restaurant—lots of white, an antique tin ceiling, dark wood & simple table arrangements.
(Looking back, you can tell we really love this place.)
On my plate was a slice of banana nut bread to start. Sourdough was the other bread option, but I decided to go sweet over savory. I sipped on a spicy Bloody Mary (the perfect choice for a Sunday morning, if you ask me) & decided I was definitely in the mood for poached eggs. Hattie’s offers their poached eggs atop crab cakes with a spoonful of hollandaise sauce. Sold.
The eggs were poached perfectly. They could have probably won a medal for them. Light & delicate, the crab cakes had just a minimal amount of breading & were really flavorful. As for the hollandaise sauce… ah-mazing. I know I should’ve trusted Hattie’s from the very start, but I was a little nervous about it. I’ve had some really unpleasant hollandaise sauce before: thick, gloopy, yolky, weird… I almost asked for the sauce on the side, but decided (daredevil that I am) to risk it. There was no need to worry. It was rich, but not overpoweringly so. The eggs liked it. The crab cakes liked it. I definitely liked it. On the side I had bacon, which was standard but very crispy (bonus!) & cheesy grits. Health food, basically. No matter. It was definitely worth a little more time at the gym.
418 Bishop Avenue | Dallas, Texas 75208
214.942.7400
Listed under “The Finer Things in Life,” excellent sashimi is one of the best culinary indulgences. It’s luxurious and smooth, sensuous on the tongue, and refreshingly light. After the Japan trip, I was worried that sashimi in the States would never be the same, but this weekend’s dinner at RA Sushi proved that wrong. But perhaps I’m jumping ahead, so let’s start at the beginning and work up to that…
This weekend we visited RA Sushi in Plano for the first time. Located in the Shops at Legacy, the place has such ambiance, you’d be shocked to find out they’re located nationwide. Choosing some of their newly added cocktails, we started dinner with a customary round of drinks…
Shiso Naughty: A good mix of sweet & sour. Sweet pineapple vodka & bright citrus yuzu is a nice combination. They incorporated a favorite savory herb, Japanese shiso, for balance, as well as something called X-Rated Liqueur (which sounds kinda gimmicky, but I’m willing to overlook because it was tasty).
Tea It Up: This is the Far East version of one of my favorite Summer drinks: Iced tea spiked with Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka. The idea is translated into Japanese with a zen green tea liqueur and a citrus twist.
Strawberry Soju Sunrise: The ultimate girly drink featuring Soju, yuzu, and fresh strawberry. Overall, their cocktails had a distinctly unique flavor that set them apart from the usual. I think this was because of the yuzu element, but I’m not completely sure. Call it drinker’s intuition.
White Sake Sangria: An updated take on a classic: Sauvignon Blanc, sake, peach, orange, and pineapple juice, plus a splash of yuzu sour. Delicious.
In addition to cocktails, RA also has some new additions to their menu, which (by the way) features a lot of options for those who don’t share in my exaltations of sashimi. They definitely won’t be relegated to boring chicken teriyaki.
To start, it was RA chips & salsa. Tasty & clever, it was a tuna tartar dip with avocado, jalapeno, cucumber, and cilantro. Served with fried wonton “chips” that would be delicious dipped in almost anything, it was a welcomed alternative to the usual edamame starter.
We also tried their Spicy Rice Crispy Treats for two reasons. One, because they sounded delicious. Two, because of the name. Cute! For the roll, they flash-fried sesame rice into strips of crunchy goodness, added spicy tuna, fresh lettuce, and avocado, and then wrapped them in soy paper. They were plated with two sauces: one soy-based, and the other a wasabi cream. Toasted nuts & bright red tempura flakes finished the dish, which I loved. Great taste and texture. If you like hand rolls, this would definitely be your thing.
Grilled Short Ribs with wasabi mashed potatoes found more favor with Brian than they did with me. They had a nice flavor & the potatoes were fabulous, but I’m always more interested in sushi. However, it was the perfect example of what I mentioned earlier: excellent options for those guests who don’t want to go raw. One other thing, these were under $8. Crazy.
Finally, the real highlight of the meal (where we started in the beginning) were the sashimi plates. They’re being offered as “RA Tapas” for the uber-reasonable price of $7.50. (Something that all of RA’s menu items seemed to have in common).
We chose the yellow tail with a garlic citrus ponzu sauce & scallions (above), as well as the salmon with marinated sweet onion dressing (below). Both were killer. Kill-ah. If you go to RA, you better try some of them or the little dish will wonder about your judgement.
While we have NEVER really talked about service on the little dish (we focus only on food), we feel we would be remiss not to mention our server, David. He was attentive and funny and knowledgeable, which is like a triple-threat in almost every profession.
Check back tomorrow when we post pictures of the beautiful dessert that finished the meal. Hint: It could also be eaten with chopsticks!
7501 Lone Star Dr. | Plano, TX 75024
469.467.7400
Other locations nationwide.
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)
The Japanese are in love with presentation. Everything is precise there; dishes are beautiful and meticulously plated. During a cooking class at a culinary school in Tokyo, we got a first-hand lesson on how highly they pride accuracy. When making sushi, each individual piece should be very close to the same weight. The sushi rice for each piece is traditionally weighed to 20 grams, but good sushi chefs don’t have to measure that because they can do it by feel. The fish is then sliced a particular way to be laid out over the rice, and each piece of sushi is formed by hand following a step-by-step formula. They make it seem effortless. Of course, doing it yourself is a lot more complicated. One of the chefs did say that my sushi was “very cute,” so I basically felt awesome about it.
Most helpful tip: Keeping your hands moist with a mixture of vinegar and water while rolling sushi helps keep the rice from sticking to your fingers!
During the cooking lesson, we also made some tempura. Not nearly as precise a dish as sushi and something that we, as Americans, can really get behind. (It’s deep fried, ya’ll!) Surprisingly, the authentic thing really doesn’t differ from what we enjoy here. Even the variety of vegetables they recommended were the same (eggplant, zucchini, etc.) However there was one exception: shiso. This Asian herb is like a fennel-y basil and almost completely dissolves on the tongue after it’s been tempura fried. They dipped the batter on one side and let it stay in the hot oil until it turned a golden brown. Best. Snack. Food. Ever. I’ve been told that you can find it in the States at asian markets, so I’m going to keep by eyes open. (Although, I think the deep frying part should be kept at a minimum. Maybe I’ll find another way to cook with it?)
So, we’re safely home and finally feeling caught up on sleep; the fourteen-hour time difference made for a rough day of jet lag! As I mentioned last post, we had the amazing opportunity to go on a culinary tour of Japan, primarily in the Tokyo and Kyoto areas. The trip was unbelievable. If you haven’t been to Japan, you must put it on your vacation wish list; the closer it is to the top, the better. (Deacon, congrats on your engagement. You are going to LOVE Japan!)
I’m part Japanese, so going into this trip I thought I had a pretty good handle on Japanese food. My grandmother (in Japanese, obachan) would cook us all kinds of dishes like okonomiyaki, sushi, soba, sukiyaki, and curry. I grew up with those foods and felt comfortable with the things other kids looked upon as “strange” like wet, black seaweed on sticky rice or red bean paste for dessert. Eating in Japan, I wasn’t expecting too many surprises. After all, this is part of my heritage…right?
After my first real dinner in Japan, I realized how wrong I was. In the world of Japanese fine dining, there is so much that is unknown. Almost every night (and even for some lunches) we were served the most elaborate multiple-course meals. Each tray would arrive with little dishes, usually holding just one or two bites of food (Japanese amuse-bouche, if you will). And then one after the other, the procession would continue: little soup pots, little trays, slices of sashimi, and squares of marinated tofu. Some dishes were definitely more identifiable than others; I ate the freshest sushi, steamed lobster, rice speckled with whole sardines, wheat-gluten balls(?), and whole baby squids. Plus some of them I’m still not even sure of. We’re talking not even remotely identifiable. Some of it was really delicious. Some of it was more about a “cultural experience” than an enjoyable taste. Either way, it was amazing.
The meal above features different variations of yuba, the skin that is skimmed from boiling soy milk. It’s commonly referred to as tofu skin and it tastes kinda like tofu, but rubberier. To be sincere, I didn’t really love it. The taste was ok, but the presentation was much better. Accompanying dishes included pickled veggies, sashimi, freshly cooked tofu, and thinly sliced raw beef.
There’s so much more to say about Japan and the food we had, so consider this part one with more to come 
Thanks for your patience so far and the kind comments while we were gone! It’s good to be home.
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 picked up the lunch Maki Bento Box (to go!) and was, in a word, delighted. It’s a lot of food for 9.95: miso soup, tuna roll, cucumber roll, 1/2 california roll, and a tuna sashimi side salad. It’s not the finest sushi I’ve ever had, but it’s a definite solid standard that tasted very fresh. The miso soup had a great flavor, but was the weakest part of the meal for two reasons. One, the tofu squares were almost non-existent. I think I got two. Also, the seaweed pieces were cut very large and were really chewy. I dodged them and enjoyed just the broth.
The basic rolls were great and simply prepared. The nori wrapping was fresh (I hate chewy ones!) and the rice had a great texture. The tuna in the rolls was rich–beautiful in color and texture. The highlight for me was the tuna sashimi salad. The (generously portioned) tuna pieces were laid upon a bed of mixed greens and then drizzled with a spicy red chili sauce and some sort of creamy aioli (maybe with a hint of ginger?). Roe and sesame seeds were sprinkled on top to finish it off. Beautiful.
Price: 9.95
851 N.E. Green Oaks Blvd.
Arlington, TX 76006
817.261.1636
335 W. 3rd St.
Fort Worth, TX 76102
817.348.0200
