The Grape - A Burger to Remember

Cyberspace: http://www.thegraperestaurant.com

Where to Find It: 2808 Greenville Ave, Dallas, TX 75206

Food Group: Neighborhood Wine Bistro

How Much to Fork Over: $$$

The Grade: A

Faves: Outdoor Seating, the Burger, Famous Mushroom Soup, Wine List

Peeves: the Burger is only available Sundays and Mondays

The Jibba Jab:
Ageless Lovey-Dovey. The Grape definitely has an adorable and romantic scene; from the twinkling lights that frame the small and cozy outdoor patio to the segmented rooms on the inside that create an intimacy that is unique to Dallas. Also, their service is so impeccable that it makes you wonder why they don’t send Lindsey Lohan here as a Finishing School. She could learn a thing or two from these guys. Now, their food is just as serious and sincere as their service because Chef and Owner Brian Luscher does not mess around, and when combined with that dreamy ambience and finely tuned service this place could make any date leave weak at the knees.
Starting off with the Roasted Corn, Jalapeño and Crab Hush puppies, these things could make Nene Leakes just shut up and enjoy the darn things in silence! Growing up in Conroe, TX I would consider myself somewhat of a Hush puppy connoisseur because you couldn’t drive 10 feet without finding a All You Can Eat Catfish establishment, which are always accompanied with hush puppies. If you don’t really know what they are, well….you definitely aren’t from Texas or better yet the South. Hush puppies are basically a corn dog with out the dog (or the stick), and shaped into balls about 1”-2” in size. These hush puppies had a little more ‘ummph’ and pep to them with the addition of kernels of corn, spicy jalapeno and sweet crab. They were not too shabby!
Next, I was told that The Grape’s Famous Mushroom Soup was an absolute must, so I wasn’t going to skip out on it…..and…..I think it just might cause Campbell’s Soup to recreate their Cream of Mushroom recipe. They wouldn’t even have to do much digging around because The Grape is more than happy to give it to you. I have it and will post it below just in case you would like to try it out! I think I will.
Now for the main reason we came to The Grape…..the Burger, which is only offered on Sundays and Mondays, and merely available until they run out. It was incredible…. Meatier than Beyonce’s rear end and had more juice running down my arm than tears shed on Extreme Makeover. Definitely come here for the burger if not for anything else. I almost obtained my goal of finding the most incredible burger in Dallas, but I know something out there could be slightly better…..I just know it.

Roasted Corn Jalapeno and Crab Hushpuppies

The Mushroom Soup

The Burger

Trying to show the juice oozing from the burger

The Grape's Famous Mushroom Soup
Makes 16 Servings
 
2.5# button mushrooms, washed and chopped (it's easy to do in a food processor)
1 large onion, small dice
2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
1 dry bay leaf
1 sprig fresh thyme
1/4 c dry sherry (optional)
1/2# unsalted butter (2 sticks)
1 c all-purpose flour
3 qt beef broth or stock, or the equivalent made with beef bouillon cubes
2 c heavy cream
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
 
In a heavy bottomed 6-8qt stock or soup pot, melt the butter over medium low heat. Add onion, garlic, bay leaf and thyme, and cook until translucent. Add the chopped mushrooms and cook until most of the water comes out of them. Add the sherry, if you like, and reduce by ½. Add the flour and stir well to avoid lumps (if you do get some, it’s okay-they can be pureed out later). Slowly whisk in the broth or stock and bring to a simmer over medium high heat. You must continue to stir the soup at this point, or the bottom may scorch. When the soup comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally. Finish by adding the heavy cream and nutmeg, and add salt and pepper to taste. Remove the thyme and bay leaf, and puree the soup either in a blender, or with a hand held blender.

This recipe may easily be cut in half, but it is worth making the whole batch because it freezes so well.

Easter Bites by Chef Lee White

A bit of traveling got in the way, so I apologize for the delay of this post.  I wanted to get this out much earlier because this Chef deserves every bit of praise.  His creations were incredible and I've heard quite a few people who attended the party still talking about what he produced for us!

First of all, we have been celebrating Easter on a Saturday for the past few years, so MT and I didn’t have to drive back to McKinney really late on Sunday because my Aunt, who usually hosts this holiday, lives in Houston.  This year, we decided to add another celebration to the event and host a Slurp and Burp a.k.a Meet the Baby party for my good friends and their newborn baby boy.  Also, normally my Aunt and I are stuck in the kitchen preparing food all day and not able to socialize with family and friends, so she decided to hire a chef to give us a break from the madness, and I’m so glad that she did! 

Chef Lee White is his name, and his handiwork is insane!  After knowing that we had a personal chef for the day, I headed into the kitchen to meet him immediately upon arrival.  He was incredibly friendly and was very eager to show me all of his makings; answered all of my questions, and even threw in a few tips for me.  He also brought his kind father along to show him a behind the scenes look into his job, and to have a little extra help. 

He was in a relaxed frenzy preparing almost everything on the menu to be popped into the oven for baking or roasting.   First, he started the feast off with two great appetizers.  Brie topped with toasted walnuts and a homemade caramel sauce, yes it was homemade, all baked in puff pastry......sounds incredible right?  Well it was!  But then.....if you think you can't get any better than that....he made Prosciutto wrapped dates stuffed with Mascarpone cheese, baked crispy, and served with a side of maple syrup for dipping….. salty, sweet, creamy deliciousness….ummmm....yea!  I will make them some day!  They were more than amazing!  After gorging my way through those, I made my way back into the kitchen to check out the mains, and he was nice enough to give me first dibs tasting them.  Bacon Wrapped Cornish hens with an Apple and Golden Raisin cornbread stuffing, and a Roasted Leg of Lamb….oh my!  Garlic and Rosemary Fingerling Potatoes, and Roasted Fresh Asparagus….oh yeah!  I was able to take a peek at him splitting open the Cornish Hens when they were ready for carving.  The meat was so juicy, tender and flavorful from the bacon and then the sweetness of the stuffing was a perfect compliment to its saltiness…..pretty much the best Cornish hen I have ever tried, which is also saying that it’s better than my own that I made for Christmas a few years ago.  But wait....their is more.....he made a glaze to pair with the hens that was made of green apples, brown sugar, clove, vinegar, and cinnamon..  It added another layer of bold flavors and luscious sugariness that elevated the cornish hens to another realm beyond reach.  Now, if you haven't had enough yet, let us move on to the lamb.  After he sliced a few pieces for a tasting all I could think of was….Wow and Double Wow….I have never had a Leg of Lamb that was so beautifully cooked, making it incredibly moist and aromatic, which goes to say that I have no idea what he did to that leg, but I’m guessing it was nothing close to liposuction.  That lamb was treated well in its former life and after!

On to the sides, beginning with the Roasted Fingerling Potatoes, which were lying on the counter after coming out of the oven, and the fragrance of rosemary and garlic just begged anyone close by for a try before dinner was served, so I did.  How in the world can you get potatoes to become….I guess….al dente?  Like a well cooked pasta?  And then the added layer of pungency from the rosemary and garlic….Yum!    Along with a salad big enough to feed 20 Easter Bunnies, the fresh asparagus decorated the serving table with a beautiful brightness of green, showing the guests that it was springtime.  Also, if you needed a little bit of sweetness to balance your palate amongst all of the savory dishes, their was a gorgeous platter of fresh berries and pineapple on hand.  I would say that no one at this party was going home hungry. 

In the end, after everyone had gone back for seconds or thirds and were delightfully full, we gave away whole Cornish hens as party favors because we had so much food left over, which made the attendees very happy!  I would say that Chef Lee gave us a meal that was presented without a glitch in sight!  He was amazing, and I know that my Aunt will be using him again sometime soon.  I see my sister’s engagement party in sight!!

If anyone in the Houston area would like to use Chef Lee for an upcoming event, and I recommend it, you can reach him on his cell 832-420-4765 or by email larryleewhite@yahoo.com

Baked Brie

Prosciutto wrapped dates stuffed with Mascarpone

 Cornish Hens wrapped in bacon; topped with brown sugar - Before roasting

Cooked Cornish Hen being split open

Split open Cornish Hen and Stuffing

Cornish Hens

Roasted Leg of Lamb straight out of the oven

Carving of the Roasted Leg of Lamb

Roasted Leg of Lamb

Fingerling Potatoes

Fresh Asparagus before roasting

Fresh Asparagus after roasting

Salad and Fruit

Florida Day 2 - Casablanca Cafe, Rocco's Tacos, Macabi's Cigar Bar - Ft. Lauderdale

Casablanca Cafe

Cyberspace: www.casablancacafeonline.com

Where to Find It: 3049 Alhambra St, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304

Food Group: Mediterranean

How Much to Fork Over: $$$

The Grade: A

Faves: Outdoor Seating, Across the Street from the beach, Wine, Truffled Burrata Salad

Peeves: The name makes you think it’s a Moroccan restaurant

The Jibba Jab:

After meeting up with another of my Aunt’s friends, who I will call Hooty because she is a hoot to be around, we made our way over to Casablanca Café for some pre-dinner drinks and an appetizer.  Supposedly, this is a place that my Aunt and Hooty used to frequent back in the day, so I was excited to encounter their old stomping grounds.  I loved the place before even walking in because it was across from the beach, had a great patio that was packed with people and it just seemed to be calling my name; inviting me in to have some fun.  Of course, we couldn’t get a seat on the patio, so we sauntered over to the bar and luckily found 3 seats.  We took a peak at the menu, ordered a bottle of wine, and no hummus this time around, we chose to share the Truffled Burrata Salad (you know me and truffles).  Tip:  We turned it into an appetizer by asking for some pita bread, so we could use the burrata as a spread.  I could smell the truffles immediately after the server placed the dish in front of us.  It was a big ball of fresh burrata, which is basically an outer shell of fresh mozzarella stuffed with a mixture of cream and mozzarella, but with an addition of black truffles.  Outstanding!  It was so creamy, silky with a hint of the earthy pungent taste of truffles.  I wanted more, but decided to save room for our next food venture…..Rocco’s Tacos.

Truffled Burrata Salad

Truffled Burrata Salad - Inside

Rocco’s Tacos

Cyberspace: www.roccostacos.com

Where to Find It: 1313 East Las Olas Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301

Food Group: Mexican

How Much to Fork Over: $$

The Grade: B

Faves: Tableside Guacamole, Pulled Pork Taco Special

Peeves: Very Loud

The Jibba Jab:

We met a close friend of mine here, who just moved from Houston to Miami a few months ago, so I’ll call her H&M, for some Mexican grub.  Hooty recommended the place because she thought it would be a great place to write about on my blog.  The place was very vibrant and mobbed with people.  Loud music was bumpin’ in the background making it a little difficult to catch up with H&M even while sitting right next to her.  After desperately trying to here our server describe the specials, we were able to make out Pulled Pork Tacos, so we started with that, an order of tableside guacamole, and of course, margaritas.  Now, the tacos came out before the guacamole, and when the guacamole came out, it was already made.  Where’s the tableside?  We were quite upset!  Also, we noticed the table next to use first, get the tableside guacamole experience, and they got salsa on top of that.  Where is our salsa?  Apparently, you have to order it.  What?  A Mexican restaurant that won’t give you complimentary chips and salsa?  Toto, I guess we are not in Texas anymore!  What kind of state is this?  Well, I got over it after having some guacamole and then one of those Pulled Pork Tacos….Man, those were good!  We finished up our food and ritas, and headed to our next destination, Macabi’s Cigar Bar.

Margaritas

Pulled Pork Tacos

Non-Tableside Guacamole

Ummm....Not sure what my Aunt is doing
to that Indian

Macabi’s Cigar Bar

Cyberspace: http://cigarbarfortlauderdale.com/las-olas/

Where to Find It: 1221 E Las Olas Blvd, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301

Food Group: Bar (no food)

How Much to Fork Over: $$

The Grade: B

Faves: Cigars, Wine

Peeves:  The owners are a bit odd

The Jibba Jab:

This is one of Hooty’s favorite spots, but she thinks that the wife’s owner is far from nice.  I have to say they both were a little off their rocker.  First, the place is very small and narrow, and the bathroom is at the very back, so you can see who goes in and out of it.  The owners got a little freaked out about a woman who was supposedly in the bathroom too long.  They thought she was doing drugs back there, but it was quite obvious that they were far too paranoid because the woman seemed fine and she hadn’t been in the bathroom that long.  Next, they seemed to rush us out the door shortly after arriving.  They clearly wanted to go home and didn’t really care about their customers.  Oh well, I really didn’t notice all too much because I was in awe of the 2 Naval Officers in their whites sitting at the other end of the bar.  This is purely a fascination of Top Gun and nothing else because I am very happily married to a wonderful and dashingly handsome man.  I was quite obsessed with Top Gun when I was younger and even wanted to be a pilot because of it, so seeing these guys in their uniform made me a little giddy.  I had already had a few drinks, so it made it that much easier for me to go talk to them, and I am so glad that I did.  I told them my love of the movie and how thankful I am that they are fighting for our country.  They were extremely nice in return, and even ended up showing me pictures of their families.  Also, I found out that they are going to be in NYC at the same time I will be there for NY Fleet Week.  I was amazed, and they invited me to go see them fly.  I am so there!  They just made my day, and then some!

Hooty and H&M had to check out early because they had to get up for work the next morning, but my Aunt and I decided to keep hitting up the town.  We wanted to find a few other bars further down the street, so we tried to hail a cab, but found a woman riding a pedicab instead.  She was an interesting character, but very nice, and she took us to a spot where a few swanky bars/clubs were located.  We tipped her quite well.  Having no idea what bar to go into, we just picked the one that looked less bumpin', if that's possible.  Well, we didn't stay around there very long because the place was filled with "douche bag dumdums".  Now, we thought it was a good idea to head downtown......and we ended up dancing with Haitians at a Reggae bar.  Yep, that's the truth.  What a crazy night in Fort Liquordale!!

Myself with the 2 Naval Officers

Florida Day 2 – Ocean's Beach, Bar, and Bistro

Ocean’s Beach, Bar and Bistro

Cyberspace: www.oceans234.com

Where to Find It: 234 NE 21st Ave, Deerfield Beach, FL 33441

Food Group: Seafood, American

How Much to Fork Over: $$$

The Grade: B-

Faves: Outdoor Seating looking at the beach, Mojitos

Peeves: Food was mediocre

The Jibba Jab:
On our second day in Florida we decided to have lunch somewhere that overlooked the beach, so we found Ocean’s Beach, Bar and Bistro.  I couldn’t have asked for a better view of the beach while dining.  We immediately ordered a pitcher of mojitos and the Lobster Hummus to munch on until Boca’s husband arrived to dine with us.  The mojitos were extremely refreshing and the perfect cocktail to sip on while people watching.  Granted, we saw quite a few hot bods walk around, but they were usually covered up, so I must say, why is it that the women who shouldn’t be revealing too much are always the ones who do?  I guess it’s the combination of sand, sun and water that makes certain people think they are “hot stuff” when clearly they should be covering up their derrières instead of having their cheeks bounce around in between a thong.  The same goes for the tatas!  As I digress. 

Boca’s husband arrived, so we all polished off the Lobster Hummus while ordering our entrees.  I decided on the Citrus Sesame Seared Tuna Salad because I saw the tuna came with seaweed salad, which I absolutely love.  I know it sounds crazy weird, but it’s delicious….and nutritious… ..now I’m bustin’ rhymes again.  The other patrons at the table ordered the Grilled Vegetable Wrap, Poached Pear Salad, and the Dolphin Sandwich.  Everything was…..mediocre….nothing exciting, but nothing to remember, which is quite typical for a restaurant on the beach.  You pay for the view. 

Mojitos

Lobster Hummus

Poached Pear Salad

Grilled Vegetable Wrap

Dolphin Sandwich

Citrus Sesame Seared Tuna Salad

The Girls

Florida Day 1 – Lemongrass Asian Bistro & Johnnie Browns - Delray Beach

My Aunt, a flight attendant based out of Miami, and I recently took a trip to Florida.  She needed to retrieve a car that was being shipped to Ft. Lauderdale to replace her older car that she has to drive around Miami in between flights.  We were able to meet up with a couple of her friends in the Ft. Lauderdale/Miami area, including one of my own, and had a blast during our stay.

The first night, we were going to stay with one of my Aunt’s friends, who I will call Boca because she lives in Boca Raton, so immediately after landing from our flight we headed to a Publix and grabbed some essentials: Water, Wine, Champagne, Cheese, Crackers, and Sun Screen.  Upon arrival, we popped open the champagne, cheese and crackers.  Now, I have to emphasize on one of the cheeses that we bought because it literally the stinkiest, nastiest smelling cheese I have ever encountered and I’ve had Limburger before.  When it was opened, my Aunt thought the dog farted, and I thought a dead rotting animal carcass walked in the room.  It was so bad that we had to put it in a Ziploc bag and open a small slit if we wanted a nibble.  I just had to try this concoction with the un-godliest aroma because cheese is my dear close friend and I will not discriminate against those that are stinky.  I better get my gas mask for this one.  I quickly opened the bag, took a little slice and tried it.....hmmm….really strong, but really good and would be even better with honey or a fig preserve spread on it.  I really liked it!  The name of the cheese was Morbier Au Lait Cru made in France.  I would buy this cheese again just for the joke potential it has from the stinch!  After girl chitchatting for a few hours, we were hungry for something substantial, so we went out for a girl’s night in Delray!

Morbier Au Lait Cru.....Stinky!

Lemongrass Asian Bistro – Delray Beach

Cyberspace: www.lemongrassasianbistro.com

Where to Find It: 420 E Atlantic Ave, Delray Beach, FL 33483

Food Group: Thai, Sushi

How Much to Fork Over: $$

The Grade: B-

Faves: Outdoor Seating, Red Curry

Peeves: It’s both a Thai and Sushi restaurant

Sushi Side

Thai Side

The Jibba Jab:

Asian Confusion.  It was two different cuisines, Thai and Sushi, in two different connected rooms, respectively.  Why not just separate them into two different restaurants?  We came here for Thai food, but were seated in the Sushi room because the patio was full, and then had to stare at the chefs hard at work at the Sushi bar.  I studied the menu and was even more perplexed because it was mostly sushi or Japanese dishes with just a few Thai choices.  This clearly wasn’t Asian Fusion in my perspective. 

We ordered Edamame to tie us over until our mains arrived.  I opted for the Steamed Dumplings, my Aunt ordered the Red Curry, and Boca decided on the Green Curry with Tofu.  My Dumplings were decent, but the dipping sauce was incredibly sweet and had a very strong molasses flavor.  It was too much, so I took a bit of my Aunt’s Red Curry broth and used it as a dipping sauce…..much better…..her Red Curry was delicious.  I didn’t get to try the Green Curry, but she ate what she could and took the rest home, so I’m sure it was great. 

If I ever return to this area, I’m not sure if I would go back to this restaurant.  It didn’t really do much for me.  I was indifferent, but our next stop was a bit more interesting!

Green Curry with Tofu

Red Curry

Steamed Dumplings

Johnnie Browns

Cyberspace: www.johnniebrowns.com

Where to Find It: 301 E Atlantic Avenue, Delray Beach, FL 33483

Food Group: Bar

How Much to Fork Over: $$

The Grade: A

Faves: Outdoor Seating, Rod Stewart Look Alike, Customer Attire

Peeves: I can't do a one-arm push up on a table!

The Jibba Jab:

We didn’t try the food here, so I can’t rate this place on that, so my A goes toward the entertainment!  When we sat down, I had a flash back to the 80’s, especially my Aunt and her friend.  It was a Tuesday evening, and I guess that meant it was Rod Stewart night because not only did the singer look like him, he sang exactly like him as well.  He also had a few groupies in the crowd with some eccentric attire.  We had a blast watching these ladies almost molest the 2 man Rod Steward band!  Just take a peek the video below.  He put on a wig for the song Maggie, but also make sure to look at the keyboard player.  He isn't wearing a shirt!  Sexy huh?  Then check out the pics.

Groupie 1

Groupie 2 and 3 on the way!

Check out those tights on her!

Look closely, the woman is down at that guys crotch level.

Yes, he is doing a one-arm push up on a table!

Finally, a face shot....Rod Stewart, right?