Cantina Laredo (Frisco)

Cyberspace: www.cantinalaredo.com

The Grade: A-

Where to Find It? 1125 Legacy Dr, Frisco, TX 75034

Food Group: Mexican, Sexy-Mex

How Much to Fork Over? $$ (entrees range from $9-$27)

Faves: Outdoor Seating, Casa Rita, Chips and Salsa, Top Shelf Guacamole, Enchiladas de Mole

Peeves: Tortilla Soup

The Jibba Jab:

Seductively Spicy. It’s always summertime and living is easy at Cantina Laredo, especially when you dine outside on their amazing patio sipping on a Casa Rita and nibbling on Chips and Salsa, which are one of the staples that I rate Mexican restaurants on, and this place does not disappoint. They give you two different salsas, one that’s roasted and served temperature hot, and the other is fresh and served chilled. Both are delicious and perfect with the super thin and crisp chips that accompany them. I also recommend ordering the Top Shelf Guacamole, which is made tableside to make a wonderful presentation and you know it's super fresh.  The avocados were so creamy and flavorful that we devoured the bowl in no time and almost ordered another, but our entrees were not far behind. MT and I shared the Enchiladas de Mole. Mole sauce is so intriguing to me firstly because of the dark chocolate color that will make any dish distinguished and also because of the taste, which is so rich and complex. Mole is definitely not a sauce for the weak and Cantina Laredo has a great one! The other two patrons at the table ordered Cheese Enchiladas, which were the best they had ever tasted, and Tortilla Soup, which was a letdown because the broth was way too thick and their just wasn't much flavor to it. Overall though, it was a great stop for a quick lunch before we headed to the 19th Annual New Vintage Wine Trail and Gallery in Grapevine!

Casa Rita

Chips and the Two Salsas

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Top Shelf Guacamole made Tableside

Top Shelf Guacamole

Enchiladas de Mole

Cheese Enchiladas

Tortilla Soup

Loft 610

Loft 610

http://www.loft610.com/

Rating: B
Location: 5760 Tx-121Plano, TX 75024

Category: American

Pricing: $$$

Favorites: Crab Cakes and Mahi Mahi

Comments:

I was excited to finally try this place because Tre Wilcox, a former Top Chef and currently a Top Chef All-Stars Contestant, is the Executive Chef here. I never did get a glimpse of him in the kitchen, which is an open view to the restaurant, so I wasn’t really sure if he was there that night. I’m hoping not because the food was fine, but it wasn’t anything that I would want to try again or worth discussing amongst friends.

The ambience at Loft 610 is definitely modern and they have a wonderful wooden architectural display of their wine in a glass room connected to the dining room. The service was great, but for a Friday night the restaurant seemed a little empty, of course, this might be more of a trendy late night place because they have a Night Club on the second floor. We were seated at a comfortable booth with perfect viewing of the entire restaurant and were promptly greeted with menus and water. For wine, we chose the Panther Creek Pinot Noir, which was perfect for our choice in food for the rest of the evening. Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes with Truffle Champagne Sauce were among a few of the appetizer items on the menu, and we can never pass up crab cakes or anything with the word truffle in it, so we opted for those. Duo cylindrical towers of crab cakes in a pool of a yellow and green colored sauce underneath came out on a white rectangular plate, which gave off quite an appealing sight. We each took one and dove in….pretty good…definitely fresh crab, with a wonderful crust on the outside. The sauce on the other hand, did not have a hint of truffle in it. I was heart broken….none of that pungent earthy flavor that I love about truffles.

Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes with Truffle Champagne Sauce

Pan Seared Mahi Mahi

Moving on….we ordered the Pan Seared Mahi Mahi with Tiger Shrimp Dumplings, Brocolini, and Spicy Lemongrass Broth with a side of….here it is again…Truffle Risotto. The Mahi Mahi was beautifully cooked with a gorgeous perfect pan seared crust on the outside and gorgeous juicy white flakes of deliciousness on the inside, and the Lemongrass broth, which had not one hint of spice, was a delicately sweet and fresh compliment to the fish. The brocolini was fine, but the Tiger Shrimp Dumpling dough was partly hard and crunchy and then gummy and chewy...not very appetizing.  On to the Truffle Risotto, which had a nice creamy texture and cooked al dente, but it turned out to be such a disappointment. We could smell the Truffle when they brought it out, but once I took a bite I was immediately hit with the overpowering rosemary….way too much….once again heartbroken.

Truffle Risotto

Cookies

Finally….dessert, which we wanted to keep simple, so we ordered the assortment of cookies….my favorite type of dessert. The cookies came out in a glass jar, but then also wrapped in two separate cellophane goodie bags…..very cute display, but average on taste…..nothing too remember. In general, the night was very pleasant and the food was respectable, but I don’t think I’ll be going back to try it again. Sorry Tre!