Cedars Social

Friday night we decided to try the illusive Cedars Social. With no menu posted online and no sign on the outside, we knew that we were in for an adventure. This joint doesn't take reservations, but they do have a call ahead list. We were seated right away upon arrival. Cedars Social was packed and seemed to be a pretty cool crowd. The restaurant has a bar area and a dining area, but they flow into each other. They also have a DJ spinning some music by the front door- not too loud, but a nice touch to add to the "LA" type atmosphere. First order of business were the cocktails. We ordered a Pimm's Cup and the seasonal drink which incorporated fresh mint and lemon from Tom Spicer's garden. Next, on to the food! We started with the charbroiled oysters. These came out on a bed of salt with fresh lemon in the middle. They had slightly crispy top from the cheese and the flavor was so great that we even asked for bread to sop up the juice!

Next we ordered the crab cake sliders. They were served on mini brioche bread with mirco greens, fresh tomato, and a mayo sauce. We both really enjoyed these flavorful bites.Finally, we ordered the macaroni and cheese and the gnudi. The macaroni and cheese was really creamy and a nice compliment to the sliders. The cheddar truly stood out and the top was crisp with breadcrumbs and melted cheese. The gnudi ( baby gnocchi) was served in a brown butter sauce and topped with crispy thyme and bay leaves. This was my absolute favorite item of the evening. The gnudi was slightly seared so that it had a lovely texture the flavors were amazing.

I have to make a small note here about the sommelier at Cedars Social. His name is DLynn Proctor and he added so much to our evening. We were greeted with a taste of rose wine once we were seated and he let us know that he would check in on us the rest of the evening. That he did! We asked him what bottle we should order, and he mentioned that he didn't want us to both be limited to that bottle. Therefore, we each had different pairings and got a lovely history lesson on each wine that he presented to us. Thank you, DLynn!

We had a wonderful food and wine experience at Cedars Social. Add this to your list of must try restaurants in Dallas!

The Ranch

The Ranch uses locally inspired products to create Texas favorites. They put a run down of where they purchase their goods both on the menu and on the website. It's fun to peruse the list and see where your meal began. Our lunch time trip to The Ranch was a success. We were torn between the queso and the onion rings, so we had a cocktail and took a long minute to mull it over. The Building 5 was sweet with a little bit of a kick to it. The Cadillac Rita - well, just make sure you don't get behind the wheel of a Caddy when you're done.

Building 5 - very refreshing

Cadillac Rita

The onion rings were fried crisp, big slices of onions that were served with a peppery ranch and a kind of barbecue ketchup. Presentation gets points, too, with this dish. Very cute and very tasty. We would have been happy to stop at drinks and apps...but we forged on.

Next up, the mini Kobe tacos. Again, presentation was perfect. These tacos, that weren't actually mini sized, but normal person sized, were served in a little tray that kept the tacos upright - all of the goodness packed inside. The picadillo was spicy and sweet, the cheese was fresh and abundant, the micro greens gave it unique flare, and the tomatoes were juicy. You can't beat something like this, especially when you top it with cilantro crema. Wow!

For the main course, chicken fried steak. It was on the large side and after all of the eating we had done, a doggy bag was in order. We pondered if the chicken fried steak was fried up in bacon grease at some point or if the gravy was of the bacon persuasion. Either way, you really can't go wrong with a bacon flavored chicken fried steak.


And finally, we enjoyed the Cadi-mac 'n chz. It was the only thing I wouldn't write home about - and it was still pretty good (topped with bacon, which definitely helped it out).


The Ranch produces a different lunch and dinner menu, leaving you plenty to choose from. Though we had no room to try the burgers, we kept watching them roll out of the kitchen - they looked pretty amazing, too.
Two thumbs up for this Texas style cuisine.

Bellini's

This past Sunday we decided to have a leisurely dinner at Bellini's. We have seen this place a million times and have wanted to try it for quite a while. Tucked away in a small shopping center, you will find this hidden Italian gem. The looks on the outside are deceiving. The interior is warm and spacious complete with a full bar and separate dining area. Staff was down since we came in during spring break, so we were able to be served by the owner - Lorenzo. He was so friendly and very knowledgeable about each item on the menu. First, we were greeted with a lovely serving of warm, fresh bread served with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. YUM! Next, we wanted to try the crab cake as an appetizer. It was beautifully plated on a bed of angel hair pasta with cream sauce and garnished with carrots and broccoli. The crab cake itself had a wonderful flavor and was light and airy. It almost reminded me of a souffle. Next, we ordered the veal parmesan served with angel hair pasta and the traditional spaghetti and meat balls. Both entrees came with a side salad tossed in a creamy Italian vinaigrette and both dishes were true authentic Italian dishes . You could tell from the fresh taste that everything was homemade. We loved both meals and the presentation was a nice touch! We had such good luck with everything else, that we decided to get to-go boxes and try the tiramisu. This was extremely creamy and light on the espresso flavor! It was plated in a raspberry cream sauce. Lorenzo even brought us both a glass of Tawny Port to finish off the meal! We truly enjoyed our experience at Bellini's and will definitely be back to this quaint neighborhood spot!

Alma

We decided to try out Alma on Friday night. It's located on Henderson where Cuba Libre used to be. We made a reservation for 8:30, but were a bit early so we headed to the bar. The bartender walked us through the cocktail list and encouraged us to try something new! We ordered a martini with flavors that included serrano peppers and cilantro and another drink that was infused with fresh pineapple juice and cilantro. Off to a great start!
Up next: the Queso Fundido. Served in an iron skillet complete with melted cheese, chorizo, tomato and onion and accompanied by house made corn tortillas, the queso was absolutely delicious and the tortillas were some of the best that I have ever had. I never order corn tortillas because I prefer flour, but these are absolutely worth it!
The Halibut tacos was one of their nightly specials; the dish came with three tacos and a side of black beans. The fish was breaded and served with cabbage slaw in those scrumptious corn tortillas. The combination was wonderful. We also tried the seared tuna. This was served with fresh tomato, mango, jicama, cucumber, crispy onion strings and a fresh avocado sauce. We were pleased with both entrees.
Overall, our experience was wonderful! The service was exceptionally friendly, the food was fresh and the atmosphere was chic. We'll be back!

Malai Thai Vietnamese Kitchen

Yesterday we lunched at Malai Thai Vietnamese Kitchen in the former Tom Tom location, West Village. We arrived at eleven and were the only patrons. Yelp had listed it as appropriate for children, so we brought along the littlest blogger. It's not really appropriate for babies, though Malai and it's staff were super accommodating and did have high chairs on hand.


We had a very enjoyable lunch. There were two words that best described our experience: fresh being foremost. Every single thing we tried was extraordinarily fresh and bursting with flavor. Yum! The second being spicy. Though our waiter was sure to point out that some dishes were spicier than others, and even offered to ask the chef to dial back the heat for us, we still found ourselves with burning taste buds.

We started with Fried Imperial Rolls. The pork, shrimp, vegetable, cilantro combo was delicious. The presentation was perfect. These were a good bet.



From there, we tried the Thai Coconut Soup with chicken. There was a lot going on in this soup. The soup, served warm, had a nice smooth coconut flavor that contrasted well with the red pepper heat that was sprinkled up top. Nice big pieces of white meat chicken, mushrooms, green onions, and tomatoes also dotted the soup and made this one a favorite. It was very rich, so I would opt for the cup.


It was lunch, so we finished up with salads.
The Spicy Minced Chicken Salad was reminiscent of P.F. Chang's lettuce wraps. The minced chicken was served atop fat pieces of butter lettuce and topped with glass noodles. There was a ton of the chicken/cilantro/onion/pepper mix and the chicken was flawless. A very good dish.



The Green Papaya Salad was very unique and definitely worth trying. The salad was mixed with mangoes and tomatoes, then finished with crushed peanuts and bacon. I didn't detect the spicy chili dressing that is listed in the menu, but at that point my tasted buds had been seared...so that was probably for the best.



The drink menu had some signature cocktails that looked amazing, but 11 was too early for us to imbibe. Make sure to peruse that list, though, if you find yourself at Malai in time for dinner.
Very friendly and attentive wait staff, location is trendy.
We are glad we tried this spot.