Lavendou

It's been far too long, friends! Apologies.
Let's get back on track with one of my family's favorite places, Lavendou. This is a pretty fancy-pants French restaurant, perfect for special occasions and serious dates. Lovely atmosphere—cozy Provencal.

Great but pricey wine list, with a French focus (lots of Bordeaux) and I will say, not too many vegetarian options. But what they do have truly is *exquisite.*

I immediately put in my order for dessert, as it takes the length of the meal to prepare: the Grand Marnie Souflée. This is hands down one of the most delicious desserts I have had in my entire life, y'all. Lavendou serves it with a decadent rich Grand Marnier cream sauce and homemade whip cream. When it finally came out, I was so damn eager to devour it I completely forgot to take a picture of it!

I skipped an appetizer although there were some tempting options, and went straight for the entrée: a rustic and simple Vegetable Pasta (it had some fancy French name though). Loved loved loved this. The sauce on it was almost non-existent so I, being the Fatty McAmerican I am I guess, drizzled some of their herbed tapenade olive oil mixture (that comes with the bread) over it. Voila! Magnifique!

Another great thing about this place is that if your date goes well enough, there's a Condom Sense next door! =)

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Lavendou
19009 Preston Road, Suite 200, 1/2 mile North of Frankford
Dallas, TX 75252
972.248.1911

Hattie's

The description on their website sums this spot up quite well...couldn't say it better myself: "Located in Oak Cliff's Bishop Arts District, Hattie's is an American Bistro with a southern low-country influence. Here, traditional ingredients are transformed into sophisticated yet simple dishes that surprise and satisfy the palette. Hattie's offers an imaginative menu that changes seasonally to take advantage of the freshest available produce."

This wonderful little restaurant in OC has a great balance: white linens on the table and tshirts on their patrons; comfort food cooked exquisitely; pretty reasonable prices for a fabulous dining experience.

The service was the best I've had in a long while—very attentive and friendly, without being remotely obnoxious or fake. You're simply taken care of. I rarely drink coffee, but because it was so yummy and they were so on top of refills, I think I drank about 6 cups of it!

I started out with the Tomato Bisque with Mini Grilled Cheese, but forgot to ensure that the soup was vegetarian...I just assumed it would be. When I tasted it, I knew there was some sort of pork in there. I've had "smoky" tomato soups before, but this tasted different. They do, in fact, blend bacon into the bisque. Fail! =(

I got their Fried Green Tomato Sandwich, minus the bacon. It was damn good! The tomatoes were fresh and lovely, with a crispy cornmeal crust. The iceberg was cold and crisp, and there was a nice shmear of spicy homemade pimento cheese that was melted ever-so slightly from the warmth of the fried tomatoes. The sourdough it was served on was toasted perfectly, and the sweet potato fries were delicious, as sweet potato fries should be. I was given ketchup for them, but requested an aoli instead—what I got was really good...a velvety concoction that tasted of mustard and jalapeno.

If I weren't so stuffed at this point, I totally would've gotten some dessert—their options were very tempting. A key lime tart with fresh whip cream, bread pudding with bourbon sauce, pecan chocolate pie with vanilla bean ice cream, fried fruit pie with coconut ice cream, and more.
*drooool*

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Hattie's
418 Bishop Avenue
Dallas, Texas 75208
214.942.7400

Jimmy's Food Store

This shop is a Dallas culinary landmark, operating for almost half a century now. It's basically a little grocery store, specializing in all things authentically Italian—"Fine Italian Food & Wine." The selection is impressive, offering everything from fresh produce to a wide array of goods jarred in-store, and handmade pasta to tasty sweets. I also loved that they sold Henry's Homemade Ice Cream, a childhood favorite of mine...I took home some Butter Pecan, it was heavenly.

At the back of the store is their deli, where they sell homemade meats and such...be prepared to put on your blinders! Here, you can order from their menu, I got a 12" Cheese Sub: a giant loaf of bread stuffed with three yummy Italian cheeses, mashed avocado, lettuce, tomato, shredded cherry peppers, mayo and mustard. It was wonderful, filling and cheap ($5.99)! Matt got the Italian Stallion for $7.99 and said it was totally delicious. We could only finish half...next time we'll just get the 6"!

I look forward to making Jimmy's more of a frequent destination, it's just such a humble local gem. They host free in-store Wine Tastings every Saturday, 11-1:30 and 1:30-4. Count me in!

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Jimmy's Food Store

214.823.6180

4901Bryan Street at Fitzhugh

Dallas, TX 75206

Open Mon-Sat, 9am-7:30pm

The Pearl Cup

On sunny days when sitting on a patio with your dog is the only option, on tired mornings when only the best espresso will do, on any day when a steamy cup of chai is the only simple pleasure you seek...swing by The Pearl Cup.

The positives:
This sexy little café offers some basic fare, done right. I stopped in and enjoyed a latté and their grilled cheese. The panini was indeed a yummy treat, and the latté was perfect and beautiful. I LOVED that they served it in a real mug—didn't know anyone did that anymore! So thank you, PC, for that. I also appreciated the filtered water jug and cups, very convenient for everyone. And of course, the location is fantastic: right on Henderson, and next to one of my favorite shops, WE ARE 1976.

A couple negatives:
When I ordered my latté, they asked my name. As I waited for my drink, I heard names being called out. But when I heard "Pearl Latté" shouted, I got up and got the drink and proceeded to pour in a bit of honey. Then I heard, "Julie!" ... I was unaware that there was a Latté and a Peeeaaaarrrl Latté. Geez. Sawree. Sometimes you will have first timers that don't know this. If your system is to ask for peoples' names—which I think is a pleasant way to do things—stick to it! Not a big deal, but it made me feel like a guilty dumbass for wasting that drink.
I also thought the grilled cheese was a little bit pricey—$7. Even $6 would've seemed more appropriate.
I then sat at the only available table, which was cluttered with the dishes, coffee rings and crumbs from the previous idlers. These customers should have noted that you are to bring your dishes to the bus cart at the end of the espresso bar...however, I sat at my table for over half an hour without anyone coming by to clean it up. Working in the food biz makes you a patient, understanding customer...but with that also comes the expectation of capable service.

All in all, this is a wonderful place that I am thrilled to live near. In fact, I think I'm going to pop in there now, before work!

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The Pearl Cup Espresso Bar & Coffee Shop
and on Twitter
1900 Henderson Ave
Dallas, TX 75206
214.824.9500

Pizza Lounge

Pizza Lounge is tops! This new pizza joint on Exposition is delicious, addictive, respectable, exciting, generally worth appreciating and frequenting. They are very friendly and accommodating, even when you show up with an ever-expanding party of vegans! Their vegan offerings include: Mozzarella (FYH), Chipotle Monterey Jack Blend, Mexican Chipotle Sausage, pepperoni, canadian bacon, Soyrizo, Tofurky and more to come, including Daiya. They also have a very good selection of veggies, like roasted Hatch chilies, rapini, sun-dried tomatoes...

Their crust is perfection, their sauce is superb...well worth the fairly high prices, I promise.
I ordered a large Hawaiian Pizza for takeout. IT WAS THE BEST DAMN PIZZA, y'all! Delicious crust with a hint of honey, wonderful sauce and cheese, veggie canadian bacon, pineapple, MACADAMIA NUTS, and a lovely sprinkling of KONA COFFEE! The nuts gave it an amazing crunch, and the coffee offered a little bitterness that paired perfectly with the sweet pineapple. I dream of enjoying it again.

Their menu is great, and the space is pretty swanky, without being snooty at all. A wonderful place to chill with a glass of wine or two.
Okay, wanna know the best part? They have this deal that I couldn't pass up—it's pretty funny, and a good value too. For $6, you get:

• A large slice of cheese pizza (yummy, and 1/4 of a pizza!)
• An ice-cold can of Schlitz
• A shot of tequila

Pretty awesome, huh?! Check it out.

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Pizza Lounge
841 Exposition (across from the Fair Park DART rail)
Dallas, TX 75226214.887.6900

UPDATE:

To address the question below, I snapped a pic off their menu:

TruFire

I stumbled upon an exciting, local and independent restaurant in Frisco, Texas! I only ordered one drink, but could tell from the quality of it, and the enticing options I saw on the menu (see below), that this is a place worth revisiting.

Their hand-crafted cocktails/martinis list proudly proclaims "Like it should be, we use FRESH fruit & make our own sour & syrups." Much appreciated.

I drank their "Black Splash"—Hudson Ferus Vodka, Freshly Sweetened Strawberries, Lemon, Balsamic Vinegar
It was garnished with a touch of freshly cracked black pepper and a sweet strawberry. A SUPER SUPER tasty, fresh and brilliant cocktail. The BV takes it to the next level.

Here are some food items that caught my eye:
• Sweet Fries (Sweet potatoes, parmesan, fresh lemon zest & spice blend, lemon aioli & house ketchup)
• Falafel Platter (House falafel, hummus, roasted bell pepper yogurt sauce, salad, lemon oregano, flatbreads)
• Texas Pecan & Fig Salad (Organic greens, peppered sweet Texas pecans, bleu cheese, pears, house Black Mission fig dressing)
• Organic Spinach Salad (Whole grain quinoa, cucumbers, red onions, tomatoes, carrots, cranberries, balsamic honey vinaigrette)
• White Pizza (Roasted garlic ricotta cheese, mozzarella, provolone, thyme, caramelized onion)

I mean...damn! Not too bad, Frisk.

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TruFire Kitchen & Bar
6959 Lebanon Rd (in the Shops of Starwood, on the SW corner of Lebanon and the Tollway)
Frisco, TX 75034
214.872.3830

Pho Pasteur

Matt is obsessed with Pho. We have been to so many places in search of 1. great pho for him. and 2. yummy vegetarian options for me. After reading some great reviews on the place, we tried out Pho Pasteur; it fared pretty well in our test, especially on point 2.

I started out with the spring rolls, but had to request them without meat, as there was not a veg version on the menu. It was great that they agreed to make them fresh per request, instead of just saying "sorry, they're pre-rolled." This is one of the many differences between an authentic Vietnamese restaurant (usually run by people from the same country as the food they make and serve), and some chain fusion crap where it's "safe" and "easy" or whatever. I digress; the spring rolls were indeed tasty, as was the accompanying peanut sauce. I was also happy to see that they came 4 to and order. So often, there are 3...even sometimes just 2!

For my entrée, I got the Vermicelli Bowl with Tofu and Eggrolls...but as I presumed, the eggrolls had pork in them. The noodles, veggies, tofu and sauce (fish sauce free!) were all super fresh and delicious. What really set this bowl apart from ones I've had at other places was the grilled red onion throughout, adding that tasty touch of sweetness and flavor. There was a perfect balance between textures; soft noodles and crisp vegetables, tender tofu and crunchy peanuts, etc. Some extra cilantro and sriracha made everything just that much better!

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Pho Pasteur
1342 E Belt Line Rd (at S Plano Rd)
Richardson, TX 75081
972.680.0001

Parks Place

I know this is silly, but here it is...a post about bar food:

Parks Place in far East Dallas has some damn good stuffed jalapeños (in addition to their extremely sweet staff who take care to learn and remember your name). Now, I am somewhat of a Stuffed/Fried Jalapeño fanatic. Most Texans are...especially when plunged into some Ranch dressing! Unfortunately, most places serve up some processed packed frozen shit, but on occasion you'll stumble upon some decent poppers.

Parks Place offers hand-stuffed fresh jalapeños, hand-battered and fried up to-order. They're stuffed with an oozey mixture of cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and some spices. The batter becomes more crisp than oily, and the jalapeño was more al denté than squishy. To top it off, the Ranch wasn't Hidden Valley crap...it was a lovely and frothy homemade dressing. Not too shabby for a smokey dive bar!

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Parks Place

2121 Northwest Hwy, Suite 110

Garland, TX 75041

214.227.5552

Vegan Soundboard

Here's a very tongue-in-cheek funny iPhone app I just downloaded (for free!): the Vegan Soundboard from one of my favorite vegan bloggers, quarrygirl.com. The voiceover work was done by Britt from sickoflettuce.com.

It's a simple 2-page soundboard that blurts out typical vegan phrases. My friends and I were shocked at how on-the-money it was. I mean...Portland, atheist, Morrisey, tattoos......are veg-heads that predictable?! Seems so.

Here's a little teaser:



For those without an iPhone, enjoy the online version!

Pei Wei

As y'all may know, I'm not a big fan of chain restaurants. There are so many reasons to eat further down the size spectrum. That being said, there are some places that I do enjoy...one of which is Pei Wei, the little sister of P.F. Chang's (also delicious—I'll have to do a post about them soon).

Pei Wei offers some decent Asian food, spanning the flavors across the continent, if you will. My favorite dish is the Pei Wei Spicy Chicken Salad...but with tofu instead of chicken of course. Pretty damn good. I had gotten that the last few times, so this time I got one of the Dan Dan Noodles with vegetables and tofu.

I think that's what I really appreciate about this place...is that you can get tofu + veggies as your protein for almost any dish (just be sure you're not getting it in a beefy sauce or anything). Their tofu is pretty tasty; it's very firm and the edges are all toasty dark, as you can see in the pic. I also love that they have sambal and spicy mustard readily available to you. OH! And they also don't mind when you ask them for lotsa cilantro! ;D

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Pei Wei Asian Diner
Located nation-wide...oooh-aaahhh!
I go to this one:
Preston Center
8305 Westchester Drive
Dallas, TX 75225
214.765.9911