Tillman's Roadhouse - Ft. Worth

Tillman's Roadhouse in Oak Cliff is one of my all time favorite restaurants. From the truffle oil popcorn to their egg less Caesar salad to their chicken fried hangar steak, I love this place. I love their back room for private parties (so much personality), their decor, their mannerisms, even the little birds that sit on the table...love it.


So today I visited the Tillman's Roadhouse in Ft. Worth. It has more space, a bigger patio, and LARGER bathrooms (a big plus). The decor is similar. I like the intimate feel of the Dallas location, but this floor plan is definitely more maneuverable.


The delicious qualities of the cooking definitely transferred.
Instead of popcorn, they offered up potato chips that were light and salty as heck.


We ordered the trio of fries and couldn't even finish half of the appetizer. They serve the Sweet Potato, Parmesan, and Purple Peruvian fries with house made mayo and ketchup - out of this world!



I ordered the citrus lemonade which blended traditional lemonade with cranberries. The marvelous feature of this little beverage is that it wasn't too sweet, too watery, or too sour. It was just right...that is hard to master in a lemonade!


My dining companion ordered the soup and salad combo. It was a salmon chowder made with purple potatoes. She said it was all about the potatoes and that it was delicious. Her salad came with apple slices, blue cheese, and tiny grapefruit segments.



I ordered the Caesar salad that is now served on a corn zapata. A corn zapata is like a giant seasoned tortilla chip. The salad was well dressed and flavorful, as usual, and I loved the added zapata element!


For lunch, Tillman's also serves individual s'mores. If I had had any room left at all, I would have definitely tried one of these - you can't go to Tillman's without ordering the s'mores dessert. It is heavenly and all homemade.


Both locations have an outstanding staff that is knowledgeable, friendly, and genuine. Our service today was exceptional, and I feel that that is always the case when I visit this restaurant.

The Dallas location is still my favorite, but Ft. Worth runs a close second.

Wingfield's

Wingfield's is in a pretty scary part of the OC. I would definitely,as a girl, not venture into that side of town any time past 2pm. However, on this eve of Christmas eve, it was pretty smooth sailing.

After reading the plethora of reviews on this burger joint, we decided to call ahead to place our order. They serve burgers, cheese burgers, burgers or cheeseburgers with bacon, and a few sandwiches. They also serve fries, onion rings, and some other fried goodness. Their drinks come in one size - large.

There isn't anywhere to sit in this restaurant, so we got our bag of treats and ate in the car, watching the clientele come and go.


The burgers were giant, seasoned like crazy, and served with a huge slice of cheese. They came wrapped in paper, which was stuck to the greasy goodness of the burger. These things were incredible - definitely enough for sharing!


It tasted like they cooked their fries in some sort of seasoned grease because they had their own unique flavor that was fantastic. They are the crinkle cut fries, the kind you would find at Braum's. They, too, are served wrapped up in paper, secured with a toothpick and a side of Hunt's tomato ketchup.


You have to eat this stuff fast, though. The grease factor has the potential to turn everything to mush if you wait too long.
It was definitely worth the trip out there. Good thick burgers with a great flavor. Spectacular fries. You can't go wrong!

The Garden Cafe

The Garden Cafe is a spot that I probably never would have found on my own, despite having read about it several times.
Open for breakfast and lunch, you walk into this cafe, place your order at the counter, and then find a suitable seat amidst tables and booths and a crowd that clearly frequents the joint. Garden Cafe is situated on a plot of land that, as the name implies, house a garden. The items grown in the garden are used in the dishes they serve up in the kitchen, giving this little spot it's own charm.

Each day, the Cafe serves a special, and we happened to land on chicken and dumplings day. My usual complaint with c&d is that there is never enough dumpling to be found. Not the case here. The dumplings were small in size, but heavily dotted the gravy like soup and made this patron very happy. The platter was served with two vegetables, so we picked carrots and cheese grits. Both were good choices!


We also ordered sandwiches. The BLT had a million pieces of bacon, and very fresh lettuce and tomato, all served on wheat bread with a side of potato salad that was the perfect blend of mayonnaise and potato. The chicken salad was served on a delicious croissant.


For dessert, we split the coconut chess pie...it was to die for. It had a bit of whipped cream on top, but the real goodness came from the pie mixture itself, which was perfectly flavored.


The nice thing about this Cafe, too, is that it will appeal to both genders. It's not too girly, foodwise. I think there are enough substantial items on the list to please even the heartiest of eaters.
After posting on FB that we were going to The Garden Cafe, we learned that their buckwheat pancakes are also to die for. Looks like there will have to be a second trip.

Jasper's

Jasper's is an oldie, but goodie.
I've been there a gazillion times, but recently read Guidelive's re-visit, and decided to write up a revisit of my own. Jasper's is very elegant, with it's muted lighting and masculine appeal. It is always full of people, but never feels crowded or too loud. You can't go wrong with this venue.

We started this particular venture with the Thick Crust Tomato-Mozzarella Pizza.
It is a small pizza served with spicy Italian sausage, red onion, and pesto. It is topped with mixed greens, which gives it just the right amount of extra flare. It was a great start.


AE had the Pan Seared Sea Scallops and Gulf Shrimp. The scallops and shrimp are served on top of a bed of black rice with coconut curry sauce.
Though the quantity is small, the entree packs a punch.


I had the Hickory Grilled Black Angus Filet with the loaded baked Yukon gold potato. My steak was butterflied, but still managed to maintain the right amount of melt in your mouth goodness that is the trademark of a great steak.


You cannot go to Jasper's, of course, with out trying their magnificent sides. We tried the Aged Gouda-Ham Mac-and-Cheese and were not disappointed.


For dessert, which we barely had room for, we split the Rocky Road ice cream sandwich. It was a chocolate cookie sandwich with vanilla ice cream that had been rolled in crushed pecans and then covered in chocolate sauce. Magnificent - and we were both too full to finish it off!!


Yum!!

American Girl Bistro

I realize that the American Girl Bistro is going to have limited appeal, but I stumbled upon this spot while shopping with my friend's seven year old little girl. If you know a girl around this age, the American Girl store is, of course, heaven.

The Bistro is located upstairs from the store, which somewhat removes you from the madness of the crowd. Reservations are recommended.
Before you are seated you are either given a baby seat, just in case you brought your doll with you. If you forgot your doll or if you don't have a doll, the Bistro has a wide selection that you can choose from. Doll and seat are attached to the table, and everyone is given a menu - doll included.


I didn't have high expectations for the Bistro, but it definitely surprised me.
The menu is coursed - you pay $14.50 for dinner.


Everyone at the table chose a different starter, so we were served the very veggie platter that was complimented by both green goddess and ranch dressings, the fruit platter with yogurt dip and two strawberry muffins (the fruit was on skewers and cut into star shapes), and the warm tomato-and-mozzarella flatbread.




For dinner, I selected the salad with coconut crusted chicken. It was so yummy with dried cranberries, mandarin oranges, tomatoes, nuts, goat cheese (which I, of course, had removed), and three big pieces of coconut crusted chicken breasts. It was tossed in a light vinaigrette. It was delicious.


My dining companion had the turkey sandwich, which was plated well and served with sweet potato chips that were so unique, she quickly found her plate empty.



My seven year old dining companion enjoyed the chicken tenders served with a side of mac and cheese.

We all enjoyed a cup of peppermint hot chocolate before heading back out into the cold weather. However, even the seven year old pointed out that there was no peppermint flavor to be found.



All in all, I was pleasantly surprised by this delicate little restaurant that I would have never found on my own!

Hotel St. Germain

Hotel St. Germain is extravagant. It has all of the accoutrement that make it both gentle and elegant. The attention to detail, alone, makes this restaurant and hotel a star.

We were greeted at the door by our host. Before we were seated, he gave us a tour of the downstairs area in the hotel, including the original fireplace found in the library. Everything was decorated for Christmas in a manner well suited to the hotel.

We were seated in front of a tall window that overlooked the porch area. Our waiter could not have been nicer, and I would like to take a minute here to acknowledge how much his excellent service and attention to detail enhanced our dining experience. He served everything with white gloves. He did not rush us. He was so very polite and patient…and professional.

The dinner was a coursed menu, arranged before hand. I cannot think of a single thing that was not perfectly prepared, well plated, presented with decorum, and appreciated while consumed.

Amuse Bouche

Pate with gherkins and mustard

Soup

Hearty Potato and Leek with Thyme Croutons

Appetizer

Duck Foie Gras on Country Toast, Braised Greens, Cranberry Jus

Seafood

Oyster Rockefeller

Broiled Sea Scallops with Serrano Ham, Parmesan, and Butternut Squash

Entrees

Grilled Prime Beef Tenderloin on Beef and Potato Hash, Creamed Turnips with Horseradish, Red Wince Glace de Viande

Trout Meuniere with Meyer Lemon, Frisee Salad with Bacon Vinaigrette

Fromage

A cow’s milk and goat’s milk cheese blend served with fig compote and toast

Dessert

Quince and Apple Tart Tartin, Vanilla Mousse

Chocolate-Cinnamon Souffle

Mignardises

Pralines served with two roses

Zodiac Room at Christmas

Today we went to the Zodiac Room at Neiman Marcus for Aimee’s birthday lunch. the store windows are really cool this season. They are interactive and kids can actually crawl through each of the window displays!

I didn’t photograph any of the lunch entrees (too many!!), but I had to take a few pictures of the fabulous dessert tray. They brought out individual tiny ice cream cones for the table. Then, they had an entire platter of tiny donuts. This included two cinnamon and sugar donuts, two glazed donuts, and two glazed and sprinkles donuts. In the middle were fresh strawberries and on both ends- two dipping sauces: raspberry puree and chocolate. Can we say Merry Christmas??