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Post by Ron Howard Voice on Jun 25, 2016 12:03:19 GMT -5
I'll be honest, LazBro , I'd probably have enjoyed dinner with y'all more. For one thing, manti is a Turkish ravioli style, which Mom made when I was a kid, so I reeeaaally wanna try that. (She did not make it the way you described - usually just plain ol' ground beef filling. Small's sounds, uh, better.) Their pickled stuff always rocks. Also, empty on a Friday night?!?? That's so sad. Especially because Flora Street is basically the fancy-ass $100-per-head* version of the same thing. Crazy flavor combos, bold techniques, brilliant plating, stuff you've never heard of...but some of the crazy techniques were hidden inside dishes that just tasted normal, like not-gamey antelope steak or a lamb loin that was rare but not very tender. There was some good stuff - GREAT tartare, a "white asparagus" that was actually apricot panna cotta poured into an asparagus-shaped mold, another prank dish of an avocado wedge that was actually avocado flan, really cool deviled crabmeat stuffed back into the shell. I'm really happy that somebody is taking those risks and doing super modernist cooking. I'm also happy to be pranked while I eat, that's kinda cool. But they haven't really hit the sweet spot yet. Also, our bill came with free macarons, which were the crunchiest, driest, nastiest macarons I've ever had, period, and that kinda maybe soured my recollection a bit unfairly given how badass all the starters were. *actually with booze and tip, $550 for four. Biggest number I've ever written on a receipt and maybe the most I've spent in one place minus plane tickets, mattress, and rent. |
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Post by LazBro on Jun 25, 2016 12:54:22 GMT -5
I'll be honest, LazBro , I'd probably have enjoyed dinner with y'all more. For one thing, manti is a Turkish ravioli style, which Mom made when I was a kid, so I reeeaaally wanna try that. (She did not make it the way you described - usually just plain ol' ground beef filling. Small's sounds, uh, better.) Their pickled stuff always rocks. Also, empty on a Friday night?!?? That's so sad. Especially because Flora Street is basically the fancy-ass $100-per-head* version of the same thing. Crazy flavor combos, bold techniques, brilliant plating, stuff you've never heard of...but some of the crazy techniques were hidden inside dishes that just tasted normal, like not-gamey antelope steak or a lamb loin that was rare but not very tender. There was some good stuff - GREAT tartare, a "white asparagus" that was actually apricot panna cotta poured into an asparagus-shaped mold, another prank dish of an avocado wedge that was actually avocado flan, really cool deviled crabmeat stuffed back into the shell. I'm really happy that somebody is taking those risks and doing super modernist cooking. I'm also happy to be pranked while I eat, that's kinda cool. But they haven't really hit the sweet spot yet. Also, our bill came with free macarons, which were the crunchiest, driest, nastiest macarons I've ever had, period, and that kinda maybe soured my recollection a bit unfairly given how badass all the starters were. *actually with booze and tip, $550 for four. Biggest number I've ever written on a receipt and maybe the most I've spent in one place minus plane tickets, mattress, and rent. Some of that sounds really neat, but yeah, those prices are a bit gob-smacking. Sorry you weren't completely bowled over. And about Small Brewpub. I was late with that report. We went on Wednesday night. Still, it being THAT slow was concerning. The bartender said it's like that when there are no big events drawing people to that part of Dallas. |
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Post by Ron Howard Voice on Jun 27, 2016 13:35:11 GMT -5
I think I'll go to Small and get the manti on Wednesday, just to try it, and also to show support for them cuz they're great.
Have you been to Ten Fifty BBQ? A friend just told me she likes it.
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Post by LazBro on Jun 27, 2016 19:57:19 GMT -5
I think I'll go to Small and get the manti on Wednesday, just to try it, and also to show support for them cuz they're great. Have you been to Ten Fifty BBQ? A friend just told me she likes it. Mrs. Snape's work goes to Ten Fifty sometimes. She says the BBQ is pretty good, and she's a big fan of the stuffed jalapenos (Texas torpedos or something like that). I've never been. Hey, so about Small Brewpub. What time on Wednesday? So happens the Snapes have a sitter, and we could probably be there between 6:00 and 7:00 if you wanted to make this an impromptu TI meet up. (Mrs. Snape: "It's cool to eat with [Ron Howard] 'cause he's adventurous ... and he shares!" |
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Post by Ron Howard Voice on Jun 27, 2016 21:02:04 GMT -5
I think I'll go to Small and get the manti on Wednesday, just to try it, and also to show support for them cuz they're great. Have you been to Ten Fifty BBQ? A friend just told me she likes it. Mrs. Snape's work goes to Ten Fifty sometimes. She says the BBQ is pretty good, and she's a big fan of the stuffed jalapenos (Texas torpedos or something like that). I've never been. Hey, so about Small Brewpub. What time on Wednesday? So happens the Snapes have a sitter, and we could probably be there between 6:00 and 7:00 if you wanted to make this an impromptu TI meet up. (Mrs. Snape: "It's cool to eat with [Ron Howard] 'cause he's adventurous ... and he shares!" !! This post made my week! I'm totally flexible - didn't have a solid plan for Wednesday aside from just showing up. We could do our usual "let's say 7:00 and then we will all show up early to drink beer" thing. BTW the alligator app they have right now rocks. brb putting that Mrs. Snape quote on my resume |
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Post by LazBro on Jun 27, 2016 22:37:56 GMT -5
Mrs. Snape's work goes to Ten Fifty sometimes. She says the BBQ is pretty good, and she's a big fan of the stuffed jalapenos (Texas torpedos or something like that). I've never been. Hey, so about Small Brewpub. What time on Wednesday? So happens the Snapes have a sitter, and we could probably be there between 6:00 and 7:00 if you wanted to make this an impromptu TI meet up. (Mrs. Snape: "It's cool to eat with [Ron Howard] 'cause he's adventurous ... and he shares!" !! This post made my week! I'm totally flexible - didn't have a solid plan for Wednesday aside from just showing up. We could do our usual "let's say 7:00 and then we will all show up early to drink beer" thing. BTW the alligator app they have right now rocks. brb putting that Mrs. Snape quote on my resume It's a plan! I really woudn't expect us before 6:30 at the earliest, but 7:00 should be very doable. |
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Post by Ron Howard Voice on Jun 28, 2016 9:30:18 GMT -5
!! This post made my week! I'm totally flexible - didn't have a solid plan for Wednesday aside from just showing up. We could do our usual "let's say 7:00 and then we will all show up early to drink beer" thing. BTW the alligator app they have right now rocks. brb putting that Mrs. Snape quote on my resume It's a plan! I really woudn't expect us before 6:30 at the earliest, but 7:00 should be very doable. Great! And time is no problem, because beer. |
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Post by Ron Howard Voice on Jul 13, 2016 15:45:43 GMT -5
Leslie Brenner just did a quick blog about an Indian restaurant in a "desolate Addison strip mall." That desolation is at Belt Line & Midway, on the same corner as Fogo de Chao, Olive Garden, and a block from the Londoner. So desolate.
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Post by pairesta on Jul 18, 2016 8:31:26 GMT -5
I surprised my wife for her birthday weekend and took her to Dallas. We stayed at the Belmont hotel, which was fun. It's such a weird little spot; probably the only natural hill in Dallas, overlooking the city. It felt like we were in LA. We ate at Smoke for some midafternoon snacks on friday and then brunch on Saturday. My abiding issue with Smoke is that they way undersalt their food; to the point where we have to ask for salt. Brunch was pretty good though.
Friday night we ate at the Grape. I had been dreaming of their Boursin Martini since I booked the trip, and that first, refreshing sip did not disappoint. We had their charcuterie and cheese plate to start, then my wife had the fried chicken special and I had their roasted half chicken. The breast meat on my chicken was dry and overcooked; a sad misstep. My wife's fried chicken, however, was juicy and stayed piping hot throughout the meal. However, it was simply way too much food; the two of us could have split it.
Saturday afternoon we stopped by our old favorite, Jasmine Thai (now Nam Thai) in Plano, and it was even better that we remember. Thai food is frustratingly hard to come by in the Houston 'burbs, and they stuff we've tried has been watery, thin curries with sugar just dumped into it, without the balance of pungency, spice. Here, however, it was all done right, and we were dizzy, sweaty, and happy at the end of the meal. (The owner's son, who now works FOH at the Spring Creek location, told us that they actually did have a Thai place they opened in the Woodlands, then sold. We checked it online, they have a near identical menu, and are only thirty minutes away. Score!)
Dinner was at Tei-An. Our last meal there, two years ago, was a disappointment. The food this time was better, but there has been a definite shift to a much more upscale client focus. They've done away with their fun little "Tei" and "An" chef's tasting menus, rolling them into one, more expensive Chef's menu. It also requires 24 hours notice, so we didn't take it and instead just picked stuff off the menu. Again, most everything we had was excellent. But the service was rushed and distracted, constantly trying to upsell us on more expensive menu items and drinks. So I don't think we'll go back when we return.
Sunday we skipped brunch in order to leave room for an on-the-way-out-of-town stop at Pecan Lodge. We were fourth in line. It seems like every time I go, lately, the serving sizes get smaller. Now there's no bread altogether. One rib on a 3 meat plate. But oh god it is still so amazingly, intensely good.
That was it. I know there's been dozens of places that have opened since we moved, but we're both so sentimental it's hard to come back and not go to our old faves.
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Post by Ron Howard Voice on Jul 20, 2016 14:15:47 GMT -5
Aw man, some parts of that are a bit of a downer to read. That's the paradox of old faves, sometimes ya can't go home again, I guess. But I'm really let down by some of the comments about Tei-An. A place with such good food needs to be fun. This is kind of a problem with fine dining these days - places like Top Knot that suck all the fun out of eating cool stuff. We should get LazBro and myself to draft a New Wave Weekend for y'all's next trip. Small Brewpub should be on it. Also, maybe Small Brewpub. |
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Post by Ron Howard Voice on Jul 20, 2016 14:16:10 GMT -5
Also LazBro dead serious what are you guys doing on August 28 and is it joining me for the Meat Fight 1K? |
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Post by LazBro on Jul 20, 2016 14:17:26 GMT -5
Aw man, some parts of that are a bit of a downer to read. That's the paradox of old faves, sometimes ya can't go home again, I guess. But I'm really let down by some of the comments about Tei-An. A place with such good food needs to be fun. This is kind of a problem with fine dining these days - places like Top Knot that suck all the fun out of eating cool stuff. We should get LazBro and myself to draft a New Wave Weekend for y'all's next trip. Small Brewpub should be on it. Also, maybe Small Brewpub. Agreed, but don't forget Small Brewpub. |
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Post by LazBro on Jul 20, 2016 14:20:04 GMT -5
Also LazBro dead serious what are you guys doing on August 28 and is it joining me for the Meat Fight 1K? Let me talk to the missus. It sounds much fun. Also, The Snapes will be in attendance at BrewFest if such things appeal to you. September 10. If you wanna truck with us, though, you'll have to spring for VIP, 'cuz that's how the Snapes roll. By the time they let the plebes in, we should already be in "drunk and miserable" mode. And if we're not, we failed. microapp.dallasobserver.com/brewfest/2016/ |
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Post by LazBro on Jul 20, 2016 14:24:50 GMT -5
Also LazBro dead serious what are you guys doing on August 28 and is it joining me for the Meat Fight 1K? Oh, the 1k is sold out. So, uh, no. Have fun tho! |
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Post by Ron Howard Voice on Jul 20, 2016 14:29:30 GMT -5
Also LazBro dead serious what are you guys doing on August 28 and is it joining me for the Meat Fight 1K? Oh, the 1k is sold out. So, uh, no. Have fun tho! Crap, I procrastinated that. So I guess we'll all be not going! |
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Post by Ron Howard Voice on Jul 21, 2016 7:12:49 GMT -5
Hooooly shit Flora Street Cafe last night featured quite honestly the two worst things I have eaten this year, anywhere.
EDIT: Oh I should probably say what they are. For dessert, a crunchy macaron. That's not how macarons work. But with my ribeye - which, THEY TRIMMED THE FAT OFF THE RIBEYE. GO TO HELL. - with my ribeye, there was a big ol' bone filled with "bone marrow custard". Cool. Except it was so salty that my teeth crunched on giant salt pellets in it. It was like pouring the shaker into my mouth. Frankly disgusting.
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Post by Ron Howard Voice on Jul 25, 2016 11:35:46 GMT -5
Someone hacked into Pecan Lodge's voicemail and changed the message to a racist pro-Trump message. Pecan Lodge retaliated by banning Trump from ever eating there, not that he would, knowing his horrible taste in meats.
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Post by LazBro on Jul 25, 2016 15:07:00 GMT -5
Someone hacked into Pecan Lodge's voicemail and changed the message to a racist pro-Trump message. Pecan Lodge retaliated by banning Trump from ever eating there, not that he would, knowing his horrible taste in meats. First their building catches on fire, then their voicemail is hacked. Is there something going on here? |
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Post by pairesta on Jul 25, 2016 15:21:01 GMT -5
Someone hacked into Pecan Lodge's voicemail and changed the message to a racist pro-Trump message. Pecan Lodge retaliated by banning Trump from ever eating there, not that he would, knowing his horrible taste in meats. First their building catches on fire, then their voicemail is hacked. Is there something going on here? They also had a disastrous rollout with Uber last week where they were part of a promotion that gave away brisket sandwiches, then Uber got so many orders they couldn't hold up their end of the bargain. It got touchy on twitter there for a bit. |
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Post by LazBro on Jul 27, 2016 10:32:36 GMT -5
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Post by pairesta on Jul 27, 2016 10:53:51 GMT -5
No TI shoutout? Dammit, Ron Howard Voice ! Seriously though, this is so awesome. You are living out my dream life. |
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Post by Liz n Dicksgiving on Jul 27, 2016 11:29:02 GMT -5
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Post by jerkassimo on Jul 27, 2016 17:02:23 GMT -5
This quote from the article......:
What's the one food trend you wish would die a swift, painful death?
What's up with this trend of taking cheap stuff we had as kids and making super-expensive versions of it? I tried this place in D.C. that makes artisanal Pop-Tarts. They were good. But so are regular Pop-Tarts.
.....is spot fucking on. We were at a contemporary asian place for lunch and they had a bo ssam made with braunschweiger (it was terrible) and a steamed bun/dumpling made with spam (didn't try it). Trying WAAAAY too hard. |
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Post by GumTurkeyles on Jul 28, 2016 8:26:45 GMT -5
This quote from the article......:
What's the one food trend you wish would die a swift, painful death?
What's up with this trend of taking cheap stuff we had as kids and making super-expensive versions of it? I tried this place in D.C. that makes artisanal Pop-Tarts. They were good. But so are regular Pop-Tarts.
.....is spot fucking on. We were at a contemporary asian place for lunch and they had a bo ssam made with braunschweiger (it was terrible) and a steamed bun/dumpling made with spam (didn't try it). Trying WAAAAY too hard. Po' boys used to be sandwiches for poor people. Now ordering one ensures that you'll be a poor person. |
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Post by LazBro on Jul 28, 2016 8:29:40 GMT -5
Po' boys used to be sandwiches for poor people. Now ordering one ensures that you'll be a poor person. Watching short rib go from $2.99/lb to $5.99/lb to $8.99/lb is proof that foodie culture is destroying America. |
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Post by Ron Howard Voice on Jul 28, 2016 10:22:47 GMT -5
Aww, you guys. Blushing. And yeah GumTurkeyles I almost went on a rant about how well-off people now fetishize poor people food and appropriate it, but that would have taken up a lot of space and made people hate me, probably. |
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Post by LazBro on Jul 28, 2016 10:28:11 GMT -5
Aww, you guys. Blushing. And yeah GumTurkeyles I almost went on a rant about how well-off people now fetishize poor people food and appropriate it, but that would have taken up a lot of space and made people hate me, probably. You never have to worry about that, Ron. We already hate you for your success. Your opinions are irrelevant. |
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Post by Ron Howard Voice on Jul 28, 2016 10:29:30 GMT -5
Aww, you guys. Blushing. And yeah GumTurkeyles I almost went on a rant about how well-off people now fetishize poor people food and appropriate it, but that would have taken up a lot of space and made people hate me, probably. You never have to worry about that, Ron. We already hate you for your success. Your opinions are irrelevant.  |
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Post by Ron Howard Voice on Aug 2, 2016 7:56:29 GMT -5
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Post by The Stuffingtacular She-Hulk on Aug 2, 2016 8:04:52 GMT -5
I'm truthfully in awe of your ability to describe the dining experience. It takes real skill to articulate just why something works or doesn't work for you, and not everyone has that skill. Also, "artisan" versions of poor people food make me want to smash stuff. |
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