Holy Grail Pub

Holy Grail Pub
http://www.holygrailpub.com/

Location: 8240 Preston Rd, Plano, TX

Rating: C

Category: Pub Food

Pricing: $$

Pros: Beer, Ambience, Service, Price

Cons: Food

Beer, Atmosphere and Service are the top contenders at Holy Grail Pub, not the food. I was dying for this place to be a One Stop Shop for a phenomenal beer selection and delicious food to pair with it, but it just wasn’t. The ratings and reviews for Holy Grail are some of the best I’ve seen, so I was really excited to visit, but nothing that we tried came even remotely close to good food.

On the other hand, the service was impeccable. Immediately after sitting down outside our waitress, Jenny, greeted us, took our drinks orders and had them on the table in less than five minutes, and our appetizer, the Hummus Plate, came lightning fast soon after. Their wine menu is selective, but impressively decent, and the beer, well if I knew much more about beer then I could babble about it, but I don’t. Let’s just say their collection is extensive and almost tear worthy for all of you beer snobs, although, MT wasn’t feeling too adventurous and just ordered a Stella. I need to take my beer snob friend, David, here. Back to the food. The Hummus plate included Roasted Garlic and Red Pepper Hummus, Feta Cheese, Kalamata Olives, and Pita bread. I didn’t taste any Roasted Garlic, but it was the favorite hummus over the Red Pepper, which wasn’t saying much. The Red Pepper hummus had this horrible after taste that I couldn’t quite put place in my taste bud vocabulary. I didn’t try that one again…..maybe we should have ordered the cheese plate.

BEAUTY and ESSEX

RATING: B+

LOCATION: 146 Essex Street New York, New York

CATEGORY: Small Plates

PRICING: $10 to $20 for small plates. Wine, $48 and up.

FAVORITES: Short rib tamales, crispy spring rolls, and raw oysters

COMMENTS: Pawn shop from the outside, but enter through a secret door and you have found a huge immaculate dimly-lit restaurant. The small plates are served very small (in items of two or three) so if you have a group of four or more, make sure to order extras. Of the six items ordered for our group of four, one lacked flavor. Service was excellent!

In case you have a small bladder, don't be ashamed for you have an excuse...Beauty and Essex offers complimentary champagne from a bar in the restroom.

Grimaldi's Pizzeria

Grimaldi’s Pizzeria
http://www.grimaldis.com/

Rating: A
Location: 836 Market St, Allen, TX 75013

Category: Pizza

Pricing: $$

Favorites: Outdoor Bar and Seating, Pizza, Mediterranean Salad, Carafe of House Wine

Comments:

We have been regulars at Grimaldi’s ever since it opened at Watters Creek in Allen. I was first enticed by the place because of the indoor/outdoor bar they have in the front of the restaurant. The outdoor bar is such a great place to wait for friends or for your table (no reservations) while sipping on a beverage and enjoying a warm day or night. One side note is to come here with a party of 4 or more because their portions are huge and you will need to share everything from apps, to salads and of course the pizza or just take home some leftovers to enjoy the next day! When you walk inside every table is adorned with red and white checkered table cloths and pizza stands, and the walls are decorated with all types of New York memorabilia. Patrons also get a lovely view of the kitchen hard at work creating their pizza masterpieces and cooking them in a coal burning oven. If you still want to enjoy the great outdoors they have a fantastic patio overlooking trees, which are lit with white lights at night, a creek and large lawn area, which is used for concerts and movie showings in the warmer days or as a kid play area. You won’t be disappointed of the view.

Pesto Pizza with Mushrooms and Olives

Upon being seated, and if you are a wine drinker, don’t pass up their house wines. They are extremely well priced $15 for a carafe, which is about the size of a bottle of wine. I know not a bad price and it’s pretty decent tasting! If your prefer beer then have at it because they have several to choose from. We then always get a salad, usually the Mediterranean or the House Salad. The sizes on the menu are deceiving as well because the Small is quite large, feeding about 2-4 people and the Large is massive, feeding about 4-6 people. The pizzas are also quite hefty in size with a 12” Personal, 16” Small and an 18” Large. These suckers will feed a lot of people, and with a considerable amount of toppings to choose from you won’t be left unsatisfied. Also, don’t forget the 3 bases of pizza to choose from: White – no sauce, garlic and extra mozzarella, Pesto, and Traditional –secret tomato sauce. My favorite pizza combo is the Pesto with Mushrooms and Jalapeños….I may even add some Grilled Chicken or Italian Sausage on it every now and then. So good and I will be a crust snatcher if you leave it behind on your plate because it’s killer with that coal burning oven! This past visit one of the members of the table, a very tall man with a huge appetite, ordered a Calzone, which I had never ordered at Grimaldi’s. All I have to say is WOW! It was massive and looked like you could take it home and use it as a pillow!! If you still have room for dessert after all of that then you are a hero in my book. We never have room and always end up with a few pizza boxes of leftovers for breakfast the next morning. Not a bad way to end and begin a day!

Traditional Pizza with Sausage and Jalapenos

Top: Pepperoni Pizza; Bottom: Calzone

Closeup of Calzone

IGNAZIO'S

RATING: A+++

LOCATION: 4 Water Street Brooklyn, NY

CATEGORY: Pizza

PRICING: $17 to $27 for medium and $21 to $33 for large pizzas. Bottles of wine, $24 and up.

FAVORITES: Everything, especially "The Pizza."

COMMENTS: Situated around the corner from Grimaldi's, this waterfront hidden gem is sure to please your taste buds! The pizza is made from fresh ingredients, including the whole milk mozzarella lightly covering the pie, fresh basil leaves, and tomato infused sauce. Wine is served in goblets and the pizza in bent tin pans, but one bite of that pizza, and all of the diveness goes out the window. Although this place is a one-and-a-half mile walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, it is all worth it end the end! Great for small or big groups.

Savor Dallas - Wine and Cheese Pairing @ Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek

Savor Dallas – Wine and Cheese Pairing with Paula Lambert, owner of The Mozzarella Cheese Company, and Michael Flynn, the wine director and Sommelier for Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek.



My birthday was this past Saturday March 19 and because Savor Dallas was running the same weekend, as part of my gift/birthday celebration MT bought us tickets to the Wine and Cheese Pairing Event ($55/person). I was excited to finally see Paula Lambert in person. She is one of my local idols having started a delicious company full of my favorite savory treat…..CHEESE!
Well, I had no idea it was going to be held at the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek until right before we left to make the drive down to Dallas, so upon entering the room, I felt underdressed. Even more apparent was the fact that by far we were the youngest people in the room. I chose a place next to a bright window because it was freezing in the room, and not too long after a Food Writer for the Dallas Morning News sat right next to MT. I had to steal a few glances in her direction to take a few peeks at her notes. I so want to be her! The wait staff immediately placed a plateful of 8 varieties of cheeses and a few slices of bread in front of us and filled us up with the first wine tasting, which I didn’t wait to try. Although, I do wish they would have delayed the cheese presentation a bit because the aromas of stinky and nutty cheese wafted toward my nose for the next 30 minutes, which had me salivating and almost rabid by the time we were actually able to taste the first one. Energetic Paula spoke of the Mozzarella Cheese Company and stated that you can take a tour of it at anytime, and they teach you how to “Cut the Cheese”…..not really….MT made me put that one in there. They also offer some classes that can either be Hands-On, which means that you will actually make some cheese, or you can just to the Wine and Cheese Pairing. I really want to take the Hands-On class. Another good fact that I learned was that Julia Child, my absolute idol, stayed at the Mansions and she filmed a few of her cooking shows there!

Finally, we get to taste the cheese!

8 cheeses (#1 is at the very bottom to the left of
the bread then go clockwise from there)

Here is the list of everything we tasted along with a few notes: (a * means that it was a favorite)

1) Crescenza cow’s milk cheese – creamy and slightly tangy with a low butter fat content; paired with a 2009 Gruner Veltliner Laurenz V from Austria - very subtle and smooth.

2) Hoja Santa Goat cheese – wrapped in hoja santa leaves, which were a little bitter for my taste, probably the least favorite cheese; paired with a 2007 Terroir Coquerel Sauvignon Blanc from Napa – strong herbal fragrance, cheese made the wine less harsh

3) Herbed Goat Log*(MT’s fav) – creamy and tangy with sweet basil, tarragon and thyme herbs; paired with a 2007 Riesling Muhlheimer Sonnenlay from Mosel – slightly sweet, but not too much, very nice with the cheese

4) Smoked Scamorza Cow – smells and tastes like a campfire, the smokiness was too much even for MT, who loves smoked cheeses; paired with a 2009 Folie a Deux Chardonnay from Napa – very dry

5) Montasio Festivo*(my fav) – dark red wine ancho-chile rind with a lovely nutty and salty flavor, similar to Manchego; paired with a 2007 Barbera Tre Vigne from Vietti Piedmont Italy – finally a red!

6) Black Pepper Caciotta*(MT’s fav) – garlicky and peppery; paired with a 2008 Altos Malbec from Mendoza, Argentina*(My fav) – fruity and bold red

7) Blanca Bianca – very strong and stinky aroma “like dirty socks” said Paula Lambert, creamy, but the rind was so bitter that I couldn’t get past it; paired with a 2007 Moscatel Seleccion Especial from Malaga Spain – very sweet but cut the overpowering flavors of the cheese, which made eating it bearable.

My empty plate except for the Blanca
Bianca and bread

8)Deep Ellum Blue **(we both fav) – mild blue, creamy with an almost “eggy” flavor; paired with 20 year old Ferrera Tawny port – tasted like maple syrup and with the cheese it was “like eating French Toast” according to MT. I was thinking “where’s the bacon?”
Along the way, one elderly lady actually complained that the white wine was too cold, which I’ve never heard anyone say before, and people kept knocking over a few nearby patrons wine glasses. As you can see, we enjoyed some good cheeses and quite a bit of wine, which had me feeling quite toasty by the end. The atmosphere was definitely different in the final half hour as well. I was hearing a lot of talking and clinking glasses and even a few stolen kisses between couples. It was a good time!
On final note: Rosewood Mansion does a Wine Chat every Thursday for $25/person, which I think would be something great to try!

Paula Lambert and Michael Flynn

Jeng Chi Restaurant and Bakery

Jeng Chi Restaurant and Bakery


Rating: A

Location: 400 N Greenville Ave, Richardson, TX 75081

Category: Chinese

Price: $
Pros: Soup Dumplings, Egg Drop Soup, Price, BYOB!

Cons: A little hard to find among all of the surrounding Asian restaurants

Comments:

A definite Diamond in the Rough!  This is a restaurant that won’t have me trekking all the way down to Dallas to get some really delicious Chinese food. Just Richardson, which is about halfway down from McKinney. Some of you may be skeptical of this place due to the overly ornate China Town shopping center that it’s located in, which will leave you speechless….go there and you will know what I’m talking about, and maybe even after finally finding the place among all of the other Asian restaurants located there, but have no fear this place is amazing!

Egg Drop Soup



Hot and Sour Soup



We immediately ordered soups, Green Onion Pancakes and the Soup Dumplings for the table. I opted for Egg Drop soup, which was the favorite compared to the Hot and Sour soup, which had such a wonderful silky texture, but just needed a touch of salt. Another table member ordered a big steaming bowl of Korean Style Seafood Noodles, which he very nicely allowed me to taste. It had bits of little clams, crab claw meat, scallops and long strands of noodles swimming in a gorgeous shade of orange broth. Slightly spicy, with a wonderful “in your face” taste of the sea. Next, the pancakes arrived, which were golden brown and crispy on the outside, and tender and flaky with little flecks of green onion on the inside….So delicious. But we weren’t here for the soup and pancakes; we were here for the Soup Dumplings……and what a presentation that was when those babies arrived. The waiter places a giant bamboo steamer along with two little dishes of the ginger dipping sauce in the middle of the table and pulls the top off revealing 8 beautifully wrapped pockets of pork (and 8 more underneath), which tossed aside my all of my mother’s hard work to make me a lady…..my manners were non-existent. I didn’t wait for anyone else to go first, I grabbed my chopsticks and dove in. I was told to take precautions before biting into these suckers because they will bight back with a squirt of boiling hot liquid, hince the 'soup' part of the name, either at you or the person next to you. I listened and poked into the dumpling to let out some liquid before taking a bite. They were they amazing!  Our well informed friend at the table told us that this type of Dumpling is hard to find, and that these are the best in Dallas. Supposedly, they are different because they add in fat (I’m guessing pork fat) along with the meat before wrapping them up and steaming them. Well whatever they do, they are good! If not for anything else, come here for the Soup Dumplings!

Korean Style Seafood Noodles

We left feeling very satisfied and full, especially our wallets.  The prices at Jeng Chi are extremely reasonable, so if you are traveling a little further than normal, it will just be gas that you are spending more of your hard earned money on.   Also, the gorgeous baked goods stare at you near the doorway on your way out hoping that you will grab one of them and take them home, but our stomachs were well expanded already.  Next time!

Green Onion Pancakes

Soup Dumplings and Ginger Dipping Sauce

Neighborhood Services Bar and Grill

Neighborhood Services Bar and Grill
http://neighborhoodservicesdallas.com/

Rating: B

Location: 10720 Preston Rd, Dallas, TX

Category: New American

Pricing: $$$

Pros: Outdoor Seating, Wine List, Brussels Sprouts

Cons: No good waiting area

Comments:

If you are in the mood for some decent comfort food that your mom or grandmother used to make, well Neighborhood Services is your place, but don’t assume that this will be an inexpensive meal.  Make sure to bring your wallet and a fat one at that or expect to be washing dishes for them for a week.

First, if you decide to eat here on a weekend then definitely call far in advance to get on the waiting list (such as 11 am the day of) or you will be waiting in a crowded bar area always bumping into the waiters for quite some time. Also, you will probably go broke before you even get to the food because their drinks are pricey. I was astonished to find that their Pop’s Martini Salad is $12! The rest of their signature cocktails weren’t much less, but I ordered the Martini, especially because of the blue cheese stuffed olive that was described on the menu. I was hoping for a damn good and giant martini, but received a small and mediocre one. They do give you a little jar full of pickled veggies, which was nice, and one small blue cheese olive…..so disappointing, but the bar was full leaving no place to rest my drink and jar, so I had double fist it for a while, which is not easy while trying to dodge the waiters. I did enjoy looking at all of the pictures and patriotic décor around the restaurant while waiting, but thank goodness we didn’t have to wait too long because I was about to spill my martini on some dining patrons. They did make it up to us by placing us in a very large booth….finally some room.

Pop's Martini Salad

Deviled Eggs Seattle Style

The wine list is quite good, and we found another one of our favorite Australian wines, Boarding Pass Shiraz, to enjoy during our meal. While reviewing the menu I was immediately drawn to the Deviled Eggs Seattle Style with cherry smoked salmon, cucumber, and dressed chicory. Who doesn’t love a good deviled egg? I was giddy, but sadly dissatisfied when we tried them. They were just ok with no real sense of creativity or seasoning for that matter. I could make better deviled eggs! For our entrée, we opted for the Pot Roast Short Ribs (I love some good short ribs) accompanied with Sweet Potatoes and then a side of brussels sprouts with pancetta and maple syrup…mmm…my favorite vegetable. The short ribs looked delicious and smelled fantastic when our waitress placed them in front of us, but the taste wasn’t quite there. The meat was perfectly cooked with no need to use a knife to cut into it, but the gravy just wasn’t up to par. Once again, I could make this dish better at home. It had a lack of seasoning and was a little too congealed for my taste. I just am not a fan of jiggly, wobbly, savory foods. It reminds me of aspic, which is a food that has always boggled my mind about the appeal of it. That’s something I’ll ask Julia Child when I get to heaven. As I digress. The cubes of sweet potatoes that were placed underneath the short ribs were quite tasty, and were made with the all of the herbs that remind me of Thanksgiving. Now, on to the Brussels Sprouts, which were my favorite dish of the evening. Perfectly cooked with a wonderful balance of salt and sweet from the pancetta and maple syrup….an amazing combination! We didn’t choose to have dessert, mostly due to our fear of the damage we did to our wallet….and we were right. They do give you a nice treat with your bill though…maybe to lessen the blow….two little boxes of Junior Mints. Overall, the ambience is very patriotic and cozy, the food was respectable, but the price was a little crushing.

Pot Roast Short Ribs

Brussels Sprouts



Seasons 52

Seasons 52

http://www.seasons52.com/

Rating: A
Location: 7300 Lone Star Drive, Plano, TX 75024

Price: $$$

Category: Modern American (Healthy)

Favorites: Ambiance, Wine List, Flatbreads, Arugula Salad, Dessert

Comments:

My first reaction to the currently highly esteemed Seasons 52 was almost pure disdain because it’s owned by Darden Restaurants, who also carries the brand names of Olive Garden and Red Lobster, which are never on my list of restaurants that I would choose to dine at….ever! After much hesitation, but intrigued by all of the hype from D Magazine and Urbanspoon, I was willing to give this place a try….and I’m so glad that I did.

I tried making reservations at this place several times on the day of, but they usually only had a "Senior Citizen" time or "In Your Early Twenties and Single" slot available, so I had to make the reservations on a Monday for a Friday night to get a decent dinner time. That is always a good sign. As usual, I brought along my trustworthy taste bud companion, my husband….and it was also our date night.

Grapefruit Martini

Walking up to the entrance is an “Ahhh” moment experience in itself because your first sight is the roaring Fire Pit outside on their gorgeous patio. I was entranced and wishing it was a warmer day so we could enjoy their outdoor ambiance, but then I became sidetracked when we walked in the door. The hostess, or rather hostesses, greeted us immediately, but we were early for our reservation, so we were directed to the bar area….very nice….another place that I want to dine at…..if we have a next visit. The bar was crowded, but we were able to steal two seats, which were rightly placed behind the piano in the middle of the bar, and perfect timing because the pianist/singer just got back from her break and ready to entertain. I ordered the Grapefruit Martini, which was a little pricey, but delicious and well worth the money, especially because they give you the excess drink in a shaker….so that equals two drinks to me. The husband ordered his favorite cocktail…the Cape Cod (cranberry juice and vodka).

Almost immediately after receiving our drinks our buzzer went off to be seated in the dining area, which is a cozy and inviting area with dim lighting, the right noise level of clinks, clatter and conversation, a good number of booths, and finally, my favorite, a nice view of the kitchen staff orchestrating it’s symphony. The hostess, who lead us to our table, handed us menus, offered two black napkins in place of the white on the table, which is a wonderful gesture for those who are wearing anything below the waist that’s a dark color and don’t want white lent on their apparel, and then she did something else that I’ve never seen before. She carried a piece of paper with her that looked like a receipt, but clearly had our names on it because she handed it to the waiter, who greeted us by name….Wow!....I love that they are trying to make it more personal. He then walked us through the “Winter” menu because they change by seasons, and talked about how every dish is under 475 calories, and then the Chef Specials. I also noticed that everything on their menu is very affordable, especially for such a top quality restaurant. Next, we dove into the Wine List on the back, which was very impressive for a few reasons….they have selections that aren’t of the norm and 100 of them at that, and also they have quite a few choices by glass. We looked it over and were shocked that they had Torbreck Shiraz, which was a small vineyard we visited during our trip to Australia last year, so we undoubtedly ordered that bottle. What a treat!

Ripe Plum Tomato Flatbread

Then, we opted to start of our meal with the Ripe Plum Tomato Flatbread with fresh basil, roasted garlic and melted Parmesan cheese, one of five choices of flatbread. If you don’t know by know, I love pizza or anything that comes close to it, and I especially love a pizza with super thin crust. Seasons 52 did not disappoint. Cracker thin crust + fresh ingredients = a damn good pizza….I mean flatbread! I also loved that it was in a long rectangular shape cut into triangles, therefore, everyone gets a slice of the crust (look at my photo). We boxed up a few pieces to save room for the rest of our meal.

Subsequently, because, as you may know, I love anything truffle, we ordered the Earthbound Farm’s Organic Arugula Salad with truffle dressing, Portobello mushrooms and Parmesan cheese. Now, DON’T SKIP THE SALAD, and I have a darn good reason for it because this was something extraordinary. I have only a select few restaurants in the DFW metroplex in which I never skip the salad, and now I’ve added another one to the top. The bitter arugula was an ideal pick of green to counterbalance the pungent flavor and creaminess of the truffle dressing, along with the Umami of the Portobello mushroom and parmesan cheese shavings. I could not think of a better salad and I know that it will haunt me for the rest of time in my dreams. I have to come back for another tasting!

For our entrée, we chose one of the Fish Selections on Special, the Grilled Swordfish with Shrimp Risotto and Roasted Vegetables. This is the one area that I wasn’t overly excited about during our meal. The fish was fresh and nicely grilled, but way under seasoned along with the roasted vegetables. I had to reach for the salt and pepper….and I hate that. The shrimp risotto was alright. It was cooked properly, but had a really grainy texture and the shrimp was not the freshest. I wasn’t disappointed by the dish, but wasn’t impressed either.

Earthbound Farm’s Organic Arugula Salad

Finally, the big finale, which was dessert, and what an experience! I am not usually one to order dessert because I like things simple when it comes to sweets, which could be a chocolate chip cookie or a bar of dark chocolate, but SAVE ROOM FOR DESSERT! Our waiter, who insisted we have dessert and by now we’ve had multiple friendly conversations with and are on a first name basis, brought out a show stopping presentation of shot glasses filled with 9 different “Mini Indulgences” as they call it. He explained all of them and we pointed out the two that we wanted, which are only $2.50 each by the way, the Mocha Macchiato (my choice) and the Pecan Pie with Vanilla Mousse (the husband’s choice). We thought our waiter was going to take the presentation away and bring us our individual dessert filled shot glasses in a few minutes, but he told us to take the one’s that we wanted…..Wait….What? They were presented so beautifully and perfect that both of us thought they were fake. Nope…how wrong we were. We felt like kids in a candy store, excited and giddy at the thought that we could have our pick of dessert right in front of us and eat it immediately. Who would have thought that something so simple could make you so happy! We ate happily tasting each other’s choice of indulgence and were so elated at the end of our meal that we were trying to plan a date to come back.

Grilled Swordfish

By the way, our waiter’s name was Alberto, he’s there everyday except Sunday and Monday nights. He was wonderful!

Mini Indulgences