The Original Market Diner

Feeling like some down home cooking, today we lunched at The Original Market Diner. The inside is old school, crazy crowded (during lunch) and questionably, a fire hazard; the food is well worth the possible risk.


You're seated by a waitress and immediately served water in old school glasses. Then you're plied with cornbread or rolls, both warm and carb-y. A plate with butter product is waiting for you on the table, and thus begins your lunch journey at The Original Market Diner.


Having scouted the menu ahead of time, we knew we were going to split the chicken fried steak plate, which comes with two vegetables. In this joint, mac and cheese is considered a vegetable, God Bless. We had mashed potatoes, fried okra, mac and cheese -and no complaints. Lunch was served with a sigh of contentment from the table - it was absolutely perfect diner food.


There is a sign hanging near the cash register at The Original Market Diner that reads, "Pie Fixes Everything". After sampling their peanut butter pie, I'd have to agree. With pie like this, the world does feel right. Light and fluffy, but rich with flavor, you won't be disappointed!


Everything in this joint was superb - from the service to the last crumb of that pie crust. We will definitely be back (once our artery's have time to recover).

The Libertine Bar

This was my first visit to Libertine Bar, but Tuesday night is half price food night and we needed a place to head for happy hour. The bar is located on lower Greenville and is one of the few places left in Dallas where you aren’t forced to valet. They actually have a nice size lot across the street which makes it super convenient.

The interior of Libertine Bar is pretty cool. They have a massive beer selection with rotating ones on tap, plus some signature cocktails. We ordered our first round of drinks and then decided that we were starving. Our table chose the steak sandwich, grilled cheese, and the ginger beef salad. The grilled cheese was served on buttery toast with a combo of American, Muenster, & Cheddar cheeses. I went ahead and added avocado as well. The combination was fantastic. The sandwich was served with warm garlic matchstick fries. The salad was served layered- starting with the butter lettuce, mango, ginger beef, and topped off with a thai vinaigrette. The dressing on this salad was great, but the meat was a little too salty. The steak sandwich was comprised of sliced hanger steak, melted gruyere & caramelized onions. The au jus & horseradish mayo were served on the side as well as the sweet potato fries. The recipient was pleased.

Libertine’s food and drinks were pretty tasty, and we were just as pleased with our check!

Rock 'n' Taco

Monday night we decided to try Rock 'n' Taco. This place is in Uptown on McKinney Avenue where Rocco’s used to be located.

The outside is black with pink lettering and the inside mimics the outside design. The walls are pink with black accent furniture and a few rawhide chairs scattered around. The dining room is fairly small with about 4 booths and 10 or so small tables. In the middle of the restaurant is a bar with flat screen televisions. The neatest part, is the lighted ceiling - purples and blues rain down on you from above -excuse me while I kiss the sky, right?

We were immediately seated and proceeded to have excellent service for our entire visit. We both started with the frozen apricot margarita with salt. This was a great blend of salty sweet and a completely unique flavor! While we were sipping on our cocktails, we were served warm chips with two different salsas. I think by the end of the meal almost every chip was gone.



The Earth, Wind, and Fire Roasted Corn on the Cob was ordered for an appetizer. This is a roasted ear of corn covered in chili powder, cilantro butter , and cotija cheese. They also serve sides of extra butter and cheese to smother on as needed. We thought this was an excellent start.



For dinner, we split the Rock-Your-Own-Tacos. There are a ton of different options on the menu, but this allowed us to try out four different varieties in one dish. We chose the Braised Brisket, Los Gueros ( fajita meat and cheese), Camarones Diablo ( spicy shrimp), and the Picadillo ( ground beef). These are served with a side of cilantro black beans and rice. All of the tacos were very good; the shrimp taco was too hot for us, but they definitely warn you of that on the menu.



Finally, we could not pass up the churros for dessert. You are served a generous portion of churros and whipped cream with a side of caramel and chocolate dipping sauces. WOW. You are missing out if you don’t try these. They simply melt in your mouth.



We thought Rock’n’ Taco rocked, despite some so-so reviews we had read on-line at other sites. If you like tacos, definitely give this spot a try.

Sfuzzi

Thursday night we headed out to Sfuzzi’s. I have tried to go to this restaurant right after it opened, but the wait was too long. This time we were lucky!

We opted to sit outside by the bar which was a great seat! Cocktails were the first order of business. We tried the blueberry mojito and the Sfuzzi signature cocktail ( peach and champagne). They were both very good and a deal for only $7.00! During the cocktails, we were brought out a bread basket with dipping oil. The bread was warm and the dipping oil was really flavorful.
Next, we both went for a salad. We ordered the chop salad which came with peppers, bacon, tomatoes ad gorgonzola dressing. We also ordered the romaine salad with eggs, green beans, and pepper. We were pleased with both!Following the salads, we had to split a pizza. While they have several other section offerings on the menu, most people around us were sharing different pizzas. The four cheese pizza sounded good to us, so we gave it a try. The cheeses that were on the pizza – parmesan, gorgonzola, ricotta, and mozzarella. Overall, the pizza was mediocre and lacked flavor.
We’ll have to try this place out again! It’s a Dallas hot spot with reasonable prices and a fun atmosphere.

Eddie V's

Dining at Eddie V's was one of the best experiences we have had in a long time. Every single dish was a home run, the atmosphere was perfect, and the service was superb.

Our waiter, Matt, made the experience enjoyable. He was knowledgeable about the preparations and he was honest and forthright when we asked for his opinion. He was helpful without hovering and he checked in the right amount of times to let us know that he was there to serve. Matt was part of the overall A++ that we're dishing out for this venue.

We started with drinks. We weren't disappointed. There is also a Happy Hour menu that you can peruse at the bar - all affordable and delicious - everyone in that section of the restaurant looked to be enjoying themselves a great deal.

We then moved on to the sweet corn and crab chowder. This was creamy without being overbearing. The corn was incredibly crisp, the bacon gave it a good flavor, and the crab was mellow. It was spicy, but wonderful.


We selected the Gulf Snapper Filet Almondine. What a portion size! The fish was light and thin. It was buttery, appropriately sweet, and very fresh.


Even though Eddie V's is known for their seafood, I took a chance with their filet Mignon. Every single bite was cooked and seasoned to perfection. Nothing was left on the plate. Dallas is known for it's steakhouses, for sure, but you would be remiss to leave Eddie V's off of your list.



For side dishes, we were torn. Every single offering sounded like something we would enjoy. This is where we used Matt's guidance. He suggested the Brabant potatoes, and they were very decadent. Potatoes that are sliced, fried up, tossed with onions and a light smattering of cream sauce, no one at our table was disappointed with this choice.



We also tried the truffled mac and cheese. Mac and cheese can be a highlight or a severe disappointment. We've had both. The highlights are definitely harder to come by, since every steak place offers up some version of this classic dish. Eddie V's didn't let us down. The truffled macaroni and cheese was the perfect blend of mild cheeses, a crusted top, and the truffle oil didn't trump the dish, as it sometimes can. Everything in this mac and cheese dish was in harmony...and our taste buds were singing.



After all of that, we should have stopped. But once again, we turned to Matt for dessert guidance. He suggested the banana's foster dessert. Lit on fire, it was a beautiful finish to a spectacular dinner.

Very rarely do both of us enjoy every single thing that we try. Eddie V's is worth the visit. Maybe you'll see us there - we'll definitely be back!