Square Burger

Square Burger

Rating: A

Location: 115 N. Kentucky St, McKinney, TX 75069

Category: Burgers

Pricing: $$

Favorites: Lamb Burger, Sweet Potato Fries, Draft Beer!

Comments:

McKinney has been in dire need of a good Burger and Beer place, and now it has finally arrived! Square Burger has been open for a little while now, and No it hasn’t taken me this long to eat there….let’s just say I went when it first opened and was fascinated by the beer selection (36 beers on tap!!), but not so much with food, therefore, I did not want to write about it. I figured that they needed a few months to work out a few kinks before I could truly judge what they had to bring to the table.

Well, last night MT and I ate there, and the food definitely made a turn for the best! It definitely cleared up the former trip I had there. We ordered a couple of beers, the House Salad, Sweet Potato Fries and the Lamb Burger to share. Of course, the beers were cool and refreshing; the salad was fresh and delicious using apple as one of the main ingredients, naturally suitable for fall, the fries were crisp, salty with a hint of sweetness….MT couldn’t stop eating them….but the grand finale was the burger…WOW! I was the one who kept going back for more. The lamb was incredibly juicy and the tzatziki sauce was such a complimentary accompaniment for it….so delicious!! Although, we didn’t order an actual beef burger, if they can get lamb right then I’m sure they can get the beef right. I won’t hesitate to go back and taste the other burger selections!




Mmmm....Beer!

 



Sweet Potato Fries



House Salad

Lamb Burger

Cavalli Pizzeria

Cavalli Pizzeria

http://www.cavallipizza.com/

Rating: A

Location: 6851 Virginia Pkwy, McKinney, TX

Category: Pizza, Wine Bar

Pricing: $$

Favorites: Tartufo Pizza, Outdoor patio, wine, Service

Comments:

New Pizzeria in town + Wine Bar = I’m There! If you don’t know about my obsession with pizza by now, well get used to it and more reviews about places that serve it, especially those that have a Wood Fired Oven like Cavalli’s. They opened about 3 weeks ago in Adriatica, which is a Croation themed planned community about 2 miles from our house, so MT and I just had to get our pizza fix there, hoping for the best because it’s so close to our house.

Upon arriving, the place was packed, but we only had to wait about 15 minutes for a nice table out on their beautiful covered patio out back. Their wine choices are nothing spectacular, but the prices are sure to please your wallet. We decided on a bottle of the il Poggione and were not disappointed. They have quite a few selections for pizza, but if you’re not in the mood for that then they have an alternative of plates that come out tapas style, or you can start with those as an appetizer, along with a choice of salads and the soup of the day. We opted to share the Irving Salad to begin the evening, which consisted of mixed greens, glazed pecans, goat cheese, dried cherries tossed with a special vinaigrette, and we loved it. Because MT and I are both sticklers for anything Truffle, we ordered the Tartufo Pizza with Chicken as our main course, which had No Sauce, Fresh Mozz, Ricotta, Mushrooms and Truffle Oil….Delicious! I am the type of person who believes that the crust is the best part of the pizza…watch out for those of you who leave yours behind because I will take it when you aren’t looking…and the crust at this place is absolutely incredible! It’s very rustic Napoleon style with those perfect bubbly imperfections randomly situated around the pizza and the wonderful charred spots on the bottom. Oh so good…I was happy with just the crust! After a nice session of gorging ourselves with pizza and wine, we ended the night on a good note. Next time I’m thinking about biking there to work off the goodness!

Irving Salad

Tartufo Pizza with Chicken

Wine Bar

Round Rock Donuts

Round Rock Donuts

http://www.roundrockdonuts.com/

Rating: A

Location: 106 W. Liberty, Round Rock, TX 78664

Category: Donuts

Pricing: $

Favorites: Glazed Donuts, Sausage Kolache

Comments:
My brother and his wife recently moved to Georgetown, TX (about 30 miles north of Austin), and I do my best to visit them as much as I can now, especially to see their children, my gorgeous and Oh so cute twin nieces. NYC came down for a visit as well, so we were able to hang out in G-Town with the fam together. The last day of NYC’s trip and on the way south to the Austin Airport, we decided to hit Round Rock Donuts for a late breakfast. Now if you haven’t heard of Round Rock Donuts it’s been shown on Man V Food for its Texas Sized Donut and in Bon Appetit Magazine as one of the Top 10 Best Places for Donuts in America. That’s a pretty big deal! NYC and our sister-in-law love donuts….I’m never been a fan, but I really wanted to check the place out, so we had to make a stop there. Another plus, is it’s only 11 miles from my brother’s house. The place is a lot smaller than I expected, but who cares because their donuts WOWed me! We only ordered the glaze, but that was enough for us. The orange tint from the glazed donut was a little perplexing because you kind of expect some sort orange flavor, but supposedly it’s from using just egg yolks. The first bite was incredible….light and fluffy, not dense and cakey at all, with just the right amount of glaze on top. Superb!! Also, we got some kolaches (not a fan of either), but they were tasty as well. The bread was a little sweet and light on the outside with a nice appetizing sausage on the inside. None of us were disappointed, and I would definitely recommend a stop there if you are ever in Round Rock. It’s not far off I-35, so go there if you can….it won’t take long!



Glazed Donut - Do you see the orange tint?



Texas Sized Donut

Sausage Kolache



I Tried Cow “Gizzards” in Mexico

So MT and I traveled to Playa del Carmen, Mexico this past weekend for a wedding and stayed at an All-Inclusive Resort for the first time. The beaches were gorgeous, but the All-Inclusive was OK. No matter what drink you ordered, you were getting tequila in it. Vodka and Soda please….nope, its Tequila and Soda. Even when you would watch them pour “Smirnoff” in your drink, it tasted like Tequila. Gross! I only like Tequila in one drink and that’s a Margarita. We had to scope down one of the bars that actually poured vodka in your drinks, which I basically survived on with the addition of Cerveza. Also, don’t even think about drinking the Red Wine because it was Absolutely Un-drinkably Disgusting! The food wasn’t too shabby, they definitely made some great Guacamole, Pico De Gallo, Carnitas, Roasted Chicken and Beef, but just forget about keeping down the fruit because it was unripe and tasteless.


Now I have to tell my story about Cow “Gizzards”. After the wedding ceremony, which was a beautiful set up on the beach, we ate at a Brazilian Style Restaurant on the Resort, which is basically a place that serves you a Never-Ending stream of any type of meat you can think of. We definitely had our fair share among a huge selection, but the most unforgettable were the Cow “Gizzards”. Now, if you don’t know, the cow does not have a gizzard, only birds, reptiles, and some fish have one, so what was the “Gizzard”? Well, we had a member of the table ask the waiter and all he could do was point to his head….Cow Brains? Yep….I ate Cow Brains….and I liked it! I’ve always thought, never in my life would I ever eat brain, but before knowing it was brain, I ate it. A little chewy and dense….not gamey, just interesting and tasty! On the other hand, I don’t think I’ll ever eat it again just knowing what it is, but I can now say that I’ve tried it.

Texas State Fair

I love the State Fair and I always have to get my fix of it at least once during its procession.  Although, despite warnings from some friends, this year we chose to visit on the day of the Texas v OU game because NYC, her husband, and a few other friends were in town to attend the game.  BIG MISTAKE.  Never, ever go right before the game or better yet, on game day.  The lines are tremendously long and it’s as crowded there as

Bourbon Street

during Mardi Gras.  No thank you!  The one saving grace was that the crowds died down once the game started, but we didn’t stick around long after that because I was sick of crawling through people just to get our dose of Beer, a Turkey Leg and a Corn Dog.  We didn’t even get to try any of the crazy fried foods, go to the Auto Show, Wine Garden or through the Food Pavilion, which are a few of my favorite things to do while I’m there.  Bummer, but I’m over it.  I couldn’t stand to be in those crowds anymore.  NYC did tell me that she tried the Fried Beer and spat it out because it was so disgusting, but the Chicken Fried Bacon was decent.  Lesson Learned:  Go to the Fair during the week or on a Sunday that’s not during Texas v OU weekend.

POKE SUSHI

LOCATION: 305 E. 85th Street New York, NY RATING: B+ CATEGORY: Sushi, Japanese FAVORITES: Truffle and X'Mas rolls COMMENTS: Affordable cash-only BYOB restaurant with an extensive list of sushi rolls. The very fresh rolls were smaller than average sized rolls but delicious. I definitely recommend this place if you are looking not to spend much money on dinner and want something casual.