Rick's Chophouse

Cyberspace: rickschophouse.com
Grade: B
Where to Find It: 107 North Kentucky, McKinney, Texas 75069
Food Group: Steakhouse
How Much to Fork Over: $$$
Faves: dessert, Grand Bar, Pressed Tin Ceiling, Rick’s attendance
Peeves: High price for mediocre fare, lack of communication

Jibba Jab: 

I’ve been going to Rick’s Chophouse ever since it opened a few years ago.  I remember the first time we went quite well.  It rained so hard that night we practically swam across the parking lot to Rick’s.  It was during the week and well the weather obviously wasn’t customer friendly, so the place was fairly empty, but we were treated with care and it was the first time we met Rick, the owner, and I have to say that the greatest most astonishing detail is that he has been there to greet us, and every other guest, each and every time we’ve been there….including in the area.  He is an owner that knows hospitality is of extreme importance, especially in our small, but ever growing City of McKinney. Another occurrence during our first visit to Rick’s was the “Crab Cakes” incident. My husband is a lover of them, which we spotted on the menu, but the waiter only brought out one crab cake….we were a table of 3, mind you, so we asked where the other “crab cakes” were, since that is what was stated on the menu.  The waiter explained that we only get one, and then we clarified that they needed to change the type-o on the menu because I guarantee that other hungry customers won’t be so forgiving.  I think that the waiter could have handled the situation a little differently (or Rick) by a giving us our extra crab cake to make it plural, but at least the next time we went back “Crab Cake” was on the menu. 

Rick’s Chophouse does make you feel as if you’ve gone back in time when you step in the dining room from the white stone walls, oversized leather booths, and iron chandeliers, but most of food is par.  They used to have this appetizer called Black Bean Tornado on the menu, which was essentially a black bean patty in the shape of a cone.  The actual taste of the dish was good, but I, and probably most everyone else who dined there, thought it looked like a miniature replica of a cow turd….to be kind.  I believe that is why it no longer exists.  The other starters I’ve tried such as the Blackened Ahi Tuna, which is in my opinion their best, Jumbo Lump Crab Cake, Calamari, and Beef Tenderloin have all been consistently decent.  The salads are also pleasing, and they bring you a nice basket of warm and delicious bread before the meal. 

The wine selection is decent, as long as they have the wine you pick.  In our most recent visit on New Years Eve, the first bottle we ordered, the waiter came back and told us they were out, so they brought out the Sommelier to guide us in the right direction.   We ordered a different bottle, BV Reserve Tapestry 2007, but the waiter brought out the wrong bottle, so we ended up waiting over half an hour for our correct bottle of wine.  Our salads came out long before we received our wine.  Also, all while waiting for our wine, the waiter described the specials, one of them being Surf ‘n Turf, a filet and lobster tail with Potato Gratin and broccoli, and since it was New Years Eve, we ordered it.  I’ve never been so disappointed…..the lobster was extremely over cooked and tough, and the steak was unremarkable.  On the other hand, I absolutely loved the Potato Gratin.  Its creamy layers of thin slices of potato and cheese slightly made up for the rest of the entrée.  Finally, dessert, which was by far the show stopper of the evening, and I can say that anytime I get it at Rick’s it is always phenomenal.  The last time we had one of their sweet concoctions, which are all made in house, I was in a complete ecstasy.  I noticed that it wasn’t on the menu this past visit, but we had their Chocolate Cake in the bar/lounge area after dining at another restaurant.  The perfect end to an evening in my favorite bar in McKinney….more on that later.  This time my husband just had to have the Texas Pecan Pie with Whiskey Chocolate Sauce and Vanilla Ice Cream.  It was also pure delight, so the lesson is Don’t Skip Dessert!

Rick’s may not be the best place to go for a steak, but it’s certainly has the best bar in the area.  There is an enigmatic sexiness to it with no direct entrance or exit because it’s located in between the Grand Hotel and Rick’s Main Dining Room.  Also, the exposed brick walls, plush leather sofas and oversized chairs give it a traditional comfy feel, although what makes it the grandest bar in McKinney is the embossed tin ceiling, which also continues in the Main Dining Room, but is painted white.  Also, a luxurious wooden bar serves up delicious cocktails to sip on while listening to some cool live music.  It is my favorite spot to hang out, drink, and get cozy with my hubby.  

Square Burger - A Year Later

Where to Find It?: 115 N. Kentucky St, McKinney, TX 75069

The Grade: A+ (a one up from last year)

Food Group: Burgers

How Much to Fork Over: $$

The Faves: Mushroom Border Burger, Panko Fried Herb Goat Cheese Salad

The Peeves: 36 beers on tap and not really an inviting place to hang out and drink

The Jibba Jab:

So it’s been a year, pretty much exactly on the nose, since I last wrote about Square Burger, so I thought we would have a revisit on Halloween weekend again.  Everything from the food to the atmosphere to the beer is still quite the same.  Not in the mood for beer, then opt for a glass of wine because despite their small selection, you can’t really go wrong.  I had a glass of the Pinot Noir and loved it enough to order another….or maybe that’s just because I love wine…..and to drink.  The Panko Fried Herb Goat Cheese Salad is a great share salad.  One tip though.  Beets are the type of food that need something else to compliment its flavors, so don't eat them alone.  Instead befriend it with a little arugula, goat cheese, and butternut squash, and then you will find yourself becoming a Beet Lover!  Also, it's quite a large salad, so if you are by yourself either have it as your meal or go for the house salad instead, it’s just as delicious, cheaper and smaller.  Now, for the burger.  This was the first time I’ve tried the Mushroom Border Burger and I have to say that it was dang delicious!  It was so spectacular that I’m going to put this one on the “My Favorite Burgers” List.  Yep, that good!  Watch out Twisted Root and The Grape because Square Burger is fierce competition.  It was incredibly juicy, flavorful, and had the perfect bun to burger ratio.  The beautiful soft and glistening golden brown brioche bun, which I hear are made from Dallas based Empire Bakery Co., was the ideal partner to soak up the juices from the grass-fed beef patty.  Also, they usually ask you how you would like your burger cooked, if they don’t or you don’t say otherwise the chef will cook it medium, but I suggest how we always get ours cooked, which is medium rare.  Now don’t get scared that you are going to get food poisoning or something worse like mad cow disease.  It’s perfectly fine.  They get their beef delivered every day from Genesis Beef, which is in the McKinney area (you can also order their beef from The Local Yocal Farm to Market located on the Square), so that basically means it’s super fresh and you are supporting your local economy even more!  Basically, whatever they are doing behind those closed doors, they are doing it right and I want more Burger!!  I am so glad that it’s still as amazing as it was last year!!

Panko Fried Herb Goat Cheese Salad

Mushroom Border Burger

Mushroom Border Burger - Inside Cooked Medium Rare
YUM!!

The Pub

Cyberspace: www.thepubmckinney.com Where to Find It?: 204 W. Virginia Pkwy, McKinney, TX
The Grade: C
Food Group: Pub Food
How Much to Fork Over: $½ (entrees range from $7-$12)
The Faves: Beer and Wine, Ambience, Plentiful Seating for Thirsty Groups
The Peeves: The Food



The Jibba Jab:
Pseudo-Polished Brawny. If a Lumberjack were to go to Finishing School, but didn’t quite graduate then The Pub would be its equivalent as an establishment. This place has been our Happy Hour Headquarters ever since it opened just over a year ago and for good reason. It has a great selection of beers on tap and by bottle, decent wine, which hasn’t had me sending the glass back because it has turned to vinegar ….good sign, a full bar that provides sufficient cocktails, and tolerable appetizers to tie you off until dinner time. Also, and of great importance, a large clean and comfortable seating area to fit a crowd of over-worked and always under paid white collar workers. Don’t come to The Pub for anything else. Unless you are so ravenous that your co-drinker is starting to look like a pork chop or if walking the 3 steps to Square Burger seems like running a marathon, then I suppose its fine to eat here because at that point anything will taste good. Otherwise, walk a short distance and go to one of the other restaurants on The Square for some good food because you aren’t going to find it here. I’ll never make the mistake to have a meal here again. Just stick to the booze and you’ll be a happy patron!

Baked Brie - About the only thing I would eat
here again

Dinner at Yao Fuzi Cuisine and Dessert at Rick's Chophouse

Yao Fuzi Cuisine

http://www.yaofuzi.com/

Rating: B-

Location: 4757 W. Park Blvd, Suite 108, Plano, Tx. 75093

Category: Chinese

Pricing:  $$$

Favorites: Hot and Sour Soup

Comments:

MT and I are always reluctant about eating Chinese food because of the shear aftermath it can cause on your stomach, but after reading such great reviews, it’s in Plano (we don’t have to drive all the way down to Dallas), and the fact that it was named D Best in D Magazine, we decided to give Yao Fuzi Cuisine a try.

The place is not very big, but the layout is smart and the modern Asian ambience makes you feel quite comfortable. MT and I were quite impressed with the service from beginning to end. We were promptly greeted at the door, served at the bar, sat at our table, and ordered our meal. The food was on our table in less than 5 minutes after each course was requested. Fantastic because we were hungry!

As far as the food, I was satisfied, but not astounded. The reviews I read made everything sound incredibly amazing, and maybe I was expecting too much, but MT and I were not “Wowed” by our meal. For our appetizer we decided on the Spicy Ahi Tuna with Asian Pear Summer Rolls and a bowl of Hot and Sour Soup, both of which were quite tasty and enticed our palettes for more contentment. Before stepping foot in the door, I had already determined our entrée….the Double Cooked Pork with Steamed Wheat Buns, which was reviewed and featured in D Magazine. According to the menu, it consisted of braised then sautéed sliced pork in spicy soy sauce with garlic, dry red peppers, scallions, sesame oil, accompanied by steamed wheat buns. The server promptly brought us our giant dish along with 2 Fried Rice sides that came with the meal. First, the rice was almost inedible. It was undercooked and completely tasteless. MT was quite upset over the fact that it had no “groceries” in it, which basically means no bits of egg, chicken, or shrimp in it. I just plain couldn’t eat it. The only Wow factor of the entire meal was the size of our dish! I am so glad that we split. The pork and cabbage came out in a huge bowl with 6 steamed buns surrounding almost like a shrine to the gods of pork. MT and I each grabbed a bun and went to town by topping it with the goodies in the middle. I thoroughly enjoyed the buns, the cabbage and the sauce, which had a good balance of sweet, savory and a perfect amount of spice. My disappointment was the pork because it took me a while to saw my way through it and then a bit longer to chew on it before I could muster swallowing. It was completely overdone and tough. I really wanted to savor this dish, but I just couldn’t. Overall, I didn’t dislike the meal entirely, but I don’t think we will be making our way back there anytime soon.

Spicy Ahi Tuna with Asian Pear Summer Rolls

Hot and Sour Soup with Fried Wonton Chips

Double Cooked Pork with Steamed Wheat Buns

For Dessert, we decided to make the trek back to McKinney and head to Rick’s Chophouse to enjoy our last course in their incredible bar in the back. MT raved about their Pecan Pie, which he had earlier that week during a work dinner, and he insisted it was better than mine, so I had to try it for reassurance. We ordered a couple of glasses of wine and our sugary delight while listening to their live band playing that night. It is quite an amazing place for ambience! The Pecan Pie was quickly placed in front of us, and I immediately dove in. I’m a huge fan of the crust, so my first forkful was crust, of course……ummmm definitely not better than my crust. It crumbled into a pile of dry ash underneath my fork. I wondered if it was the same pie that they served MT on the day he came in. The filling was good, but not incredible. My favorite part was the amazingly creamy and delicious scoop of ice cream that accompanied our slice of pie……and I finally got my “Wow” for the evening! So good!!

Pecan Pie with Ice Cream

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

Sauce on the Square

Sauce on The Square

http://www.sauceonthesquare.com/

Rating: A

Location: 112 E Louisiana St, McKinney, TX 75069

Category: Pizza and Pasta

Pricing: $$

Favorites: Field Greens Salad and Green Pizza

Comments:

I’ve been to Sauce many times now and never once have I been disappointed. I’m glad that the owner Rick, who is obviously also the owner of Rick’s Chophouse, decided to delve into the pizza world…my favorite obsession…because he definitely got it right..even down to the décor. You really can’t get more down home Italian than walls of exposed red brick and tables covered in either, red and white checkered table cloths or have the checkered built right into the table. Also, the daily specials written on a chalk board, and the entertainment of an opened kitchen, which reveals the Chef and cooks hard at work and the Woodstone Fired Ovens baking your pizza. Always come with a big group because the portions are quite large and meant to be shared or just get a large doggie bag. They have a great wine and beer selection and you can’t go wrong with any of their salads or pizzas, which are made with the freshest ingredients. I have not tried the pasta there yet, but I wouldn’t be afraid to try it. Another plus is they have outdoor seating in their patio out front or the court yard in the back. This place is a must if you are on the Square in McKinney!

Field Greens Salad

R1 Chophouse Pizza

Half eaten piece of  the Green Pizza

Silk Road Thai Cuisine

Silk Road Thai Cuisine

http://www.silkroadrb.com/

Location: 6851 Virginia Parkway, McKinney, TX 75071

Rating: B-

Pricing: $$$

Category: Thai

Favorites: Chicken Satay, Outdoor Patio

Comments:

In honor of my husband, Matt's, recent promotion, I, Matt and our good friend Jason went out to eat at a restaurant we’ve been meaning to try in McKinney. It’s a new Thai restaurant called Silk Road and is located in a very convenient spot being just down the street from our home. Anxious to celebrate, we arrived at the restaurant around a farmer’s dinner time,6pm, but hey, it helped on the wallet some. They have Happy Hour specials from 5-7pm everyday and all day on Sundays! Since we were celebrating, we had to order a bottle of champagne first, which was not on the happy hour list. Having only 3 choices, cheapest, cheap and expensive, we thought to go in the middle and order cheap, but the bottle hadn’t been chilled and we didn’t want to wait, so we opted for cheapest, which had been chilled. I love the bubbly no matter the price!! We then ordered an appetizer on the happy hour menu, vegetable dumplings, and chicken satay (not on the happy hour menu). After diving in and finishing off the appetizers, which were good, but nothing majestic, we proceeded to order a bottle of red wine, and then the main course. Jason ordered the Crab Fried Rice, and Matt and I split the Chicken Pad Thai, extra chicken, extra spicy, as Matt always has to have that dish. He can’t go to any Thai restaurant without ordering Pad Thai. That’s his Standard! The portions were very large, which was great that we split the Pad Thai, but I would have wanted it little more peanut flavor, less sweet, and a bit spicier. It really didn’t have any kick to it, so we had to order more chilies. Other than that the food was rather decent. I have a couple of concerns though. The service was a tad sluggish, but that could have been because hardly anyone was in there. Sometimes an empty restaurant puts the staff in a bit of a leisurely pace, which brings me to unease, as well. I know that we arrived a little early, but we didn’t exactly dine and dash. We left slightly after 8pm, so the restaurant should have been busier than when we walked in, but it wasn’t. Overall though, I would go back. It’s close to our house, and their prices are very affordable, particularly their wine list. I really hope that Silk Road sticks around!!

Chicken Satay and Vegetable Dumplings

Chicken Pad Thai

Crab Fried Rice