The Burger Girl

I think the concept of Burger Girl can best be relayed in the following high school SAT test prep analogy - The Burger Girl is to Burgers what Hooters is to Wings.
But I don't think they hit the mark (because, admittedly, the wings are decent at Hooters).

This location on McKinney was formerly La Cubanita, home of the most delicious mojito in Dallas. Very sad they're no longer with us.

The day that we dined at Burger Girl, we picked a patio seat, which was pleasant. I can definitely see the draw there. The people watching is good. The breeze was decent. The food could have been better.

We started with the loaded fries. The fries were limp - not okay. Our table of four didn't spend much time on these guys.


Next up was the shake. Two in our party ordered the vanilla version and thought it was good. Perhaps even worth a return trip. Cute presentation - old school soda fountain style!




The husband ordered the burger, complete with special sauce. His quote, "when every single place calls Thousand Island the special sauce, it's no longer special". He thought there was nothing unique about the burger - it was good, but not outstanding. He gave the cole slaw two thumbs up, though, and appreciated the hearty portion.

I had the tomato soup (which was touted as their amazing house-made tomato soup) with half a grilled cheese. The soup tasted just like Campbell's blended with some heavy cream. It had some real tomatoes in it, but otherwise, nothing special. When my order first arrived, it wasn't correct. The waitress had added the wrong sandwich. Since she didn't write anything down, this was a bit of an irritation. The grilled cheese you could definitely make at home and the bread to cheese ratio wasn't a good match up: too much bread.
I won't be doing a re-visit of this place.
Dallas has a ton of really delicious burger joints and Burger Girl needs some work before they make that list.

Neighborhood Services Tavern

As you may have heard, Neighborhood Services Tavern on Henderson has been open since last Thursday. Naturally, this was on the top of my list for trying - especially since it is within walking distance from my apartment. We decided to go early so that we could get in some good patio time before the sun went down. The patio is small, but has some inviting touches. It has about 6 tables with umbrellas and all tables are surrounded with fresh foliage. At dusk, white lights kept the patio cheery and bright. We started with cocktails. The orange drink (left) was called the El Camino and it was wonderfully refreshing. The other choice (right) was their version of the margarita. Both drinks made for lovely choices on a warm day.

Having gone to the Lovers Lane Neighborhood Services a few times, we already knew what to start with. We have had the lobster fritters before and now we were presented with the option of trying the shrimp fritters. Yes, please. The two are very similar in taste. For being fried, they managed to be light. They are filled with shrimp, risotto and delicious melted cheese and then sprinkled with shredded Pecorino. These fritters are simply delicious and a wonderful way to get the evening started.
You may notice some similarities between the two restaurants. They both have nightly specials, but they are different. Some choices are offered on the regular menu at one and some are offered as specials at the other. A few differences between the menus leave you with just enough curiosity to keep you coming back.

We ordered the chop salad. This came with colored tomatoes, a wedge of iceberg, pecans, and applewood smoked bacon. I am not a huge fan of blue cheese, so I asked for the cucumber ranch instead. All of these flavors blended nicely for a cool summer salad. We also ordered the schnitzel and spatzel. This is offered only as a special at the Lovers Lane location and is definitely a special dish. The schnitzel is pounded thin and lightly breaded. It is served over a bed of swiss chard and spatzel. The dish itself is simple, but done perfectly.

Finally, we headed into the bar to try one more drink before leaving and we were feeling adventurous! We tried a drink made with egg whites and topped with bitters and nutmeg. We tried a Pimm’s cup as well. Having had neither of the drinks before, we were both pleasantly wowed. The bar tender added a nice touch to the place and seemed to be very knowledgeable and friendly.

I am thrilled to welcome this new spot to the Henderson neighborhood.

Cafe Bene Bene

Emily and I were in the mood for Italian, so we headed out north of the loop to Bene Bene. This place is quietly tucked into a shopping center off of Frankfurt. The weather was bad, or we would have enjoyed seating on the lovely patio that was draped in white lights. Instead, we were seated in inside in one of the three rooms that make up the restaurant - but it was complete with a fountain - nice ambiance.

Once seated, we were served french bread and olive oil (it looked lovely, but I am still honoring Lent). We immediately ordered the mozzarella sticks served with marinara. The presentation wasn’t the best, but these sure hit the spot: the breading was crispy and the cheese perfectly melted.


Emily ordered the ravioli filed with meat and glazed in a mushroom sauce. The flavors in this dish were too meaty, overshadowing the subtler mushrooms and glaze. Neither of us were fans of this dish. In addition to the pasta, Emily ordered the pureed carrot soup. This seemed to make up for the flavors that the ravioli lacked. It was a healthy puree of carrots, wonderfully warm, and not too heavy.



I ordered the penne pasta with vodka cream sauce. I found the sauce to have an excellent marriage of cream and tomatoes and the pasta was cooked just right. A sprinkling of parmesan made this dish an A+.
Overall, we likely won’t be returning. While decent, it wasn't outstanding...and kind of a far trek.

Dimples Cupcakes

(Isn't this precious? I think it lights up!!
I'll have to go back and further inspect the giant cupcake)



Along with yogurt shops, seems like you can find a million cupcake joints in Dallas as well. Some of the cupcakes aren't so great, but they're famous - so people eat them.

Dimples is a breath of cupcake fresh air!

They have five flavors that they regularly feature. Then they have daily specials - unique cupcakes that only pop up once or twice a week. [Click here for the flavor parade.]

(Wedding Cake and Chocolate Cream Cheese - Display Only)

I tried a sampling of cupcakes yesterday. When you buy 4, you get one free...seems like a brilliant deal to me!


Cookies and Cream, Wedding Cake, Red Velvet, and Chocolate Cream Cheese were the every-day flavors that I tried. I added a Banana Pudding for the exotic. They are a decently sized (deliciously moist) cupcake with a decadent amount of icing. Impressive!

I quartered the rest and shared them, but I made sure to try a bite of every flavor and I wasn't disappointed - not even once!

(Look at this precious cargo!)

Dimples has arrived, folks, with a recipe for success.


P.S. Went in again today (3/25) and Dimples had a special deal/giveaway for all of their friends. Make sure you go by the store and check it out - it's worth the visit!!
(Plus today's flavors included lemon and orange dreamsicle - both completely delicious!)

Also, since they are open late, I did get to see the giant cupcake lit up! It's beautiful!

Red Mango

With the influx of yogurt locations, you can find one on almost every corner (and if you're near West Village, you can find about three within a stone's throw).
I have to admit that I'm not the biggest fan; I like my frozen yogurt to taste like ice cream. In reality, I would probably rather just have an ice cream. Anything on the yogurt-y side and I cant quite appreciate it as it should be. I will eat it once in awhile, but not every week or anything of the sort.

(the healthy options)

This new Red Mango location opened up across the street from the Kroger where I do my grocery shopping, so I decided to stop in for dinner last night. The spot was tidy and clean, not a smudge on the glass - my OCD appreciates that.

(more toppings)

They have the usual fare - you choose one of four flavors, add your toppings, pay your bill.
A smoothie appealed to me last night, so I ordered up a small pomegranate pro biotic smoothie. Made with POM brand pomegranate juice, blueberries, and plain yogurt, I found it to be refreshing. It did have a distinct yogurt taste, but I found that after a few sips, that didn't bother me like I thought it would.


It didn't "wow" me like Yogilicious did and the smoothie wasn't as healthful as the self expression blended cup at Orange Cup (for the same amount of calories, I might add...).
But if you like yogurt, give it a try and see how you think it stacks up!

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White Chocolate Dipped Strawberries with Citrus Sugar

Day #5: This recipe came from Gourmet Magazine, April 2010.

Zest some lemon & orange peel in with some sugar. Mash up with your fingers.


Dip your strawberries in white chocolate and then sprinkle the zest on top.


Chill for 30 minutes.
Serve.


Wow! Thank you, Gourmet Magazine!

Meatloaf Sliders and Roasted Carrots

Dish #4: Meatloaf Sliders and Roasted Carrots, courtesy of...yes, you guessed it, Food Network Magazine. For the recipe, click here. I guarantee this is one for the cookbook!

These sliders are so delicious, I'm sure that you will want to make them for yourself. They're simple and they are so tasty. While Jason and I were enjoying them for dinner, we decided that they would make the perfect party fare for the start of Longhorn football season!
You put the ingredients together like regular meatloaf, but then you make small patties and spread them out on a pan that will drain off excess grease.



Katie recommended serving them on the King's Hawaiian sweet rolls, which turned out to be the perfect size.
To roast the carrots, sliver them and toss them in olive oil and your choice of spices. I did Lowry's seasoning salt, garlic, and an Italian herb blend. Spread them on a pan and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. They had a crisp outside and a tender inside.


Dinner at our place tonight was outstanding!!

Maudee's Tea Room

I have driven by Maudee's a million times and have never seen it, but when I was doing research for a baby shower, it came up in the results list for tea rooms. It immediately made my list. Tea Rooms really can't be beat!

Katie and I went there for lunch this week and we were both in Heaven.
Click here for a glimpse at the menu.


We started with a glass of tea, like true southern ladies. For the unique factor, we tried their boysenberry apricot tea. They offer the tea in caffeinated and decaffeinated, a pleasant discovery for the pregnant lady.


Since Katie gave up bread for Lent, she had the Trio Plate with chicken salad, pimento cheese, and the split pea soup. The pimento cheese, which I normally am not in love with, was made with finely grated sharp cheddar and wasn't too pimento-y. The split pea soup was the perfect temperature (which sometimes split pea soup has a problem with). It had blocks of ham and real split peas- fantastic and made with such flavor. We couldn't have been happier.


I had the finger sandwiches: egg salad, tuna salad, and chicken salad...with a cup of the split pea soup. It is true tea-room fare, and it is delicious.


Even though we were both comfortably full, we couldn't walk away from the freshly baked (and still warm), oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.


The staff was warm and friendly. The service was great. This venue is definitely one I would visit again and again! Four stars!

Cider Syrup

While Jas read Parent's magazine this morning, I whipped up breakfast.
We started with bacon. Yum!



I then made Kerby Lane Gingerbread Pancakes. You can pick up this mix from your favorite Austin eatery at Central Market. You just add an egg, water, and oil...and you're set.



But the real cooking came with the homemade cider syrup. This is a syrup mom used to make when we had company - she would grate an apple into the normal pancake batter, add a little cinnamon, and serve it along side this syrup. It was always a hit. Now it's a hit in our house!






Cider Syrup:
1 c. sugar
2 T. cornstarch
1/4 t. cinnamon and nutmeg
2 c. apple juice
2 T. lemon juice

Cook until mixture thickens and boils. Boil 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add 1/4 c. butter. Serve over pancakes. Make new friends.

Enjoy!

Low Fat Raspberry-Corn Muffins

Day Two of Five: Food Network Magazine's recipe for Low Fat Raspberry Corn Muffins.
These little guys smelled good while cooking. So good, in fact, that I did eat for two this morning.




For breakfast, try these with sausage. It is, after all, a corn muffin. The texture combo of corn muffin and sausage will leave you pining for October and the joy of Fair Day.

However, if you served them with salad for a lunch, you could create a more refined pairing.
They feel substantial because of the ingredient of corn meal, but still tea-worthy because of the raspberry element.

That brings me to my next point: when placing the batter into the muffin tins, make sure you watch for raspberry dispersal. No more than two per muffin, I would think. You don't want over kill...and since this makes a boat load, you want to make sure and share the raspberry wealth.

Enjoy!