Craft in Dallas

We have had some ups and downs with our dining experiences lately and we wanted to have a "for sure" dinner this week - one that wouldn't let us down in the flavor, taste, price, atmosphere department. When we have a list of requirements that specific, we always know that we can rely on Craft. 

Located in the W Hotel, Craft has consistently been one of our favorites because of the potato puree that they serve. If you've been reading our blog long enough, you know that we have a thing for the potato. No one in Dallas, and we mean NO ONE, has the potato down like Craft. It is amazing. It is art. It is something that we won't be able to do justice to when trying to explain, so just look at this picture and sigh with contentment. This is the perfect dish. 

However, Craft isn't shabby in other departments either. Service, being one. Our waiter - super nice guy. Potato Puree wasn't on the lunch menu, but he didn't hesitate when we asked. He made sure that we were happy.

But while we were waiting, he made sure we got a few things we didn't come for, a complimentary salad and complimentary arancini. Both were unparalleled.  The salad had such a nice and fresh blend of lettuces. We were impressed. The arancini was done perfectly - but the sauce served alongside it had us wishing that we could order a plate of those little beauties.

 

For lunch, the veal meatballs with pappardelle pasta were out of this world. I didn't even mind the accompanying heartburn. The noodles were fresh and thick. The sauce was beautiful without being overwhelming, a nice burst of bright tomato flavor. The meatballs were a nice blend that had us clearing our plate. There is not one thing that could have made this dish better. 

The chicken salad sandwich served on a croissant was also worth trying. Pieces of white meat chicken were blended with mayonaisse and served along side an arugula salad with grilled peaches. As far as summer fare goes, this one was right on the money. 

Our experience at Craft, as always, was amazing. We will continue to revisit. Their menu changes with the seasons, so you're assured to never be bored.  Thank you, Craft.

Chicken Scratch

Our experience at Chicken Scratch was a very pleasant one thanks to a combination of factors that features, most prominently, the weather. This chicken joint, located over near The Belmont Hotel, has a very Austin-y feel to it. Chicken Scratch shares a common space with The Foundry - which brings together a nice marriage of chicken and beer.  

We started with the chick peas and crackers (we liked that they went with the chick-en theme vs. just calling it "hummus"). It was just okay. The texture wasn't creamy enough and it had some odd spices that didn't work for our palate. We loved that the Saltines were served in packets; it all fit in with the feel of the place.  

For the main event. we ordered up the chicken finger and a slew of sides. The chicken batter or marinade had a very unique flavor to it. The chicken was perfect, though - juicy with the right amount of batter.  You can choose from four amazing sounding dipping sauces for $0.50 each. We ordered the ranch dressing, but we think we ended up with the Dijon honey mustard - we didn't mind. 

The mac and cheese was made from scratch. It was nothing gourmet - a little better than something you might find in a cafeteria. The cheese was solid, but the mac was a little limp. They do offer small or large sides and we found the small to be plenty.

The homemade mashed potatoes and gravy were also good - but reminded us, also, of cafeteria food.

The biscuits were flaky and warm - a little dry - but nothing butter couldn't fix. 

All in all, we would say this about Chicken Scratch: the ambiance elevates the food. If not for the set up and the cool vibe they have going on with their outside dining, this place would be just a C instead of the B+ that we're giving it.

Oh, and a note: Don't leave your children or pets unattended - though feel free to bring both. This place is definitely family friendly.  

Media Grill and Bar in Dallas

We walked into Media Grill and Bar at the Hilton Anatole and were excited. Very sleek and modern, the bar set up is perfect for sports fans with banks of beautiful tvs, a tennis video game playing on the hardwood floors, a bright bar area with tons of pretty bottles. We were inspired. 

Our table was situated in the middle of the restaurant, but we could see that individual televisions lined the walls, present at each table. We were glad that we didn't bring our husbands, as conversation would have effectively ground to a halt.  

Our conversation ground to a halt when the first dish was served. 

We decided to start with the crab and artichoke dip served with lavash. After a ridiculous wait considering the number of other dining patrons, it was presented. Piping hot and topped with delicious looking crumbs, we were looking forward to digging in. The lavash was unlike any I had ever seen...making me wonder if it might ought to be called "pita chips" instead. Not a huge deal. The dip itself was ridiculously crabby. The artichokes were strangled by the other flavors, which is a shame since they're so good on their own. We expected more sauce and more artichoke and didn't care for the texture and taste of the appetizer. 

This flavored the rest of our ordering. 

We decided to try side dishes because we were already uninspired. The glass of wine ordered took about 20 minutes to arrive - making us feel like we could grow, stomp, and ferment our own bottle faster. We were put out. 

So we went with the Fingerling potato mash, the garlic fries, and the mac and cheese with Pancetta. 

Of the side dishes, the mac and cheese was our "favorite" - a dubious honor.  Please slice our Pancetta. Cook it up for us and sprinkle it throughout the dish. Based on your patronage, you're not too busy to do that...right? This greasy hunk was just placed on top and that was that. Presentation fail.

Fingerling mashed potatoes - they were ok. They were mashed with jackets on and were definitely rustic and lumpy. We don't mind that so much. We would like to see more flavor, possibly a creamier texture with our potatoes - or serve it with some butter. 

 

Finally, the garlic fries. Our waiter assured us that they were the best. In the five months he'd been working there, he couldn't stay away from these fries. Great news! We were excited...until they came. These guys were uninspired, for sure. Give us Smashfries any day over this dish.

All in all, our visit to Media Grill was short of the Touchdown! we expected. We won't revisit this spot- especially for the price tag.

Kitchen at Preston Trail

 

Being suckers for tea room fare, Kitchen at Preston Trail sounded right up our alley. Unfortunately, it was right up our alley plus about fifteen miles (located off of Preston Rd and McCallum).  We drove up there for lunch, however, and weren't disappointed with the food. 

When you walk in, you place your order with the staff in a kind of cafeteria style set up. Then you take a seat. Decor is still in transition, but there are sturdy wooden tables set up and even a few outside seats. 

We each ordered the tortilla soup and split the  grilled chicken and chutney sandwich. 

The Kitchen didn't have high chairs, and our 2 year old is high octane, but a batch of still warm housemade potato chips kept him in his seat for awhile. 

The soup was served in a coffee mug and it was amazing. The broth itself was thicker than most tortilla soups - very hearty. The vegetables were steeped the perfect amount of time to be inundated with flavor but still crisp. The chicken was clean, all white meat. The tortilla strips were a nice crunchy addition. In the end, we were glad this soup was served in a cup so that we didn't have to embarrass ourselves overly much while getting to that last drop.

 

The sandwich was also solid. While we originally thought of this as tea room food, we think it would hold up to even a "manly" appetite, plus they also serve burgers and celebrate Taco Wednesdays. There was no skimping on these dishes!

 The grilled chicken and chutney sandwich was served on scallion bread that had been buttered with a decent amount of cream cheese, topped with grilled onions, lettuce, and sliced chicken breast. A tortellini salad and a sweet pickle slice were served along side to round out our tasty plate.

We finished up with a slice of vanilla cake with vanilla icing. There was a whole slew of dessert products that looked appetizing. The cake was a bit of a let down. Kept in the refrigerated case, it was a little dried out and the icing was hard in places. Nonetheless, it reminded us of wedding cake. 

Kitchen at Preston Trail has several things going on, including a catering business. They also have a certified nutritionist on board - which you can read about on their website. 

Open Monday-Friday from 11-3, we liked this lunch spot and only wish it were closer!

 

Manuel's Creative Cuisine

Next to the former Silver Fox and inside the space that was formerly Bengal Coast is a new little gem for Dallas' dining scene, Manuel's Creative Cuisine. From start to finish, every detail was well cared for.

They started by bringing us little towels that were as small as breath mints. They added warm water tableside, and the towels grew to life - perfect for refreshing our hands before getting started.

Towelettes for freshening up!

The bread basket!

First order of business: beverages. We tried the agave margarita and were impressed by the presentation. Look at this lime work! The margarita was strong - definitely a one per meal limit for us! It wasn't too sweet, but had a crisp and fresh taste.

How much work did it take to make this precious lime? We loved it!

The amuse bouche was up next. It blew us away. A tempura battered Mahi mahi on top of a bed of chopped fruit, served alongside an apple shooter soup - this was a fantastic way to start off our dining experience. We were already impressed.

Mahi Mahi and a soup shooter

For dinner we debated over the appetizer menu, as it has some great options. We knew we wanted dessert, so we skipped forward to the Caesar Salad and the Mushroom Cappuccino.

The Caesar was a beautiful presentation. Served inside a bowl made of Parmesan, the lettuce was fresh and accompanied by corn, tomato, avocado sprinkled with sesame seeds, and pumpkin seeds. This salad was so good, we squabbled over who would get the last bite. This is definitely something to try.

We loved this beautiful salad presentation. How vibrant!

The Mushroom Cappuccino was such an interesting concept, we had to try it. Served in a glass mug (like a cappuccino), there was rich mushroom broth on the bottom, a garlic foam on top, and it was served alongside a skewered and fried Portobello mushroom (for swirling). The presentation of this dish was so intriguing and the flavor combination was equally so. Points for creativity on this dish.

For dinner, we split the avocado risotto topped with shredded flank steak. The chef was kind enough to split the dish for us - and the portions were huge. Along with satisfying chunks of avocado, the risotto had spinach and an amazing punch of flavor. The flank steak was tender and seasoned with something akin to cinnamon, then gently topped with shredded cheese. Every single bite was sensational.

Blown away by this risotto!

We finished up with the beer battered brownie. At this point, we were ridiculously full. The brownie was warm and melty, the beer batter was flavorful without being too pungent...but the vanilla custard style ice cream definitely stole the show.

Beer battered brownies. Unlike anything you've had before.

Chef Manuel visited with our table, thanked us for coming, and was extremely gracious. We had such a pleasant dining experience that we are planning a revisit next week. The menu is seasonal, so it obviously changes; the menu posted on-line is from December, and the one in house on Tuesday was completely different. Whatever the menu, you won't be disappointed.

The Dish: Try everything on the menu. We can't pick one favorite thing.

Acme F and B

Friday night found us at Acme F and B on Monticello.  Usually, we like to give a new restaurant a solid month before we try it out so that they can work out all of their kinks.  With this one, we just couldn't wait - and we were so glad that we didn't.

The minute we pulled up to valet, we could smell the wonderful aroma of the kitchen.  The spot is located in the old Cretia's space and the layout is very similar.  The decor is updated and the restaurant floor is very open.  We made a reservation for 8:30 and we were happy that we did; every table was full and we had a prime seat in the center of the dining room.

We were greeted with two tall glasses of water, warm bread and butter and an explanation of how their menu worked.  We ordered two glasses of Cava and mulled over the appetizer choices.  This was hard.  We went with the braised beef topped potato wedges and were pleased.  The flavor was great and they didn't feel too heavy for a starter (even though they were topped with a decadent creme fraiche dollop).

Next, we ordered a bottle of Sancerre. The wine menu has great options for either by the glass or bottle with a good price range.

I ordered the chicken and dumplings which came recommended by the waiter.  This chicken was served bone in on top of gnocchi and rainbow chard. The chicken was juicy, well seasoned and had a fantastic home cooked flavor.  The dumplings ( gnocchi) were plated underneath the chicken and absorbed all of the flavorings of the chicken.  Together this made a near perfect plate.

We also went with the braised rabbit and risotto and were blown away. The meat was tender and very lean, yet it had a rich flavor.  The risotto was deliciously cheesy and creamy and was strong enough that it could even stand alone as an entree dish.

We couldn't stop there. We chose the blueberry and peach cobbler served with frozen custard for dessert.  This was served pipping hot and it took some self control to wait a few minutes while it cooled down.  The cobbler was a great ending to an awesome June dinner.

Acme F and B- Welcome to the neighborhood!

Bridge Bistro

We had family lunch at Bridge Bistro today and were pleasantly surprised with the location, the service, and the food. The location for Bridge Bistro is new - they were finalizing their picture hanging today while we lunched - but the owners and ideas have been through a few reiterations. Bridge Bistro is spot on. 

We started out with the deviled egg appetizer, six eggs to a plate, and were impressed. They were the right amount of creamy with a dash of paprika. While we did add more salt, we would order these again. The appetizer menu also boasted a cheese plate which looked equally good, and several other items. 
However, if you like eggs, this was a solid appetizer.

Deviled Egg App

Strawberry Mint Iced Tea

We tried the chicken salad sandwich with grapes and pecans and were equally impressed. The chicken salad was mayonnaise based, which we have no problem with, and it was thickly applied to the bun. It may have been a bit bread-y, but we really don't mind that either. You had the option to add soup or salad to your plate for a nominal fee, so we ordered up the cream based Poblano pepper soup, only to find it sold out. After discussing it with us, our waiter substituted the tomato-red pepper soup and it was also very fresh and vibrant. We enjoyed both items - but will definitely be back for the Poblano soup!

And though we can't speak to these dishes personally, here are a few photos of items that our table mates ordered. They all looked pretty tasty and amazingly fresh. We enjoyed Bridge Bistro a great deal, were pleasantly surprised by our dishes and the outstanding service, and look forward to dining here again soon!

Chicken Fried Chicken with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy (no bone)

Shrimp Etouffee- Spicy!!

Grilled chicken sandwich with a side of fresh fruit

Fish and Chips

Chicken Crepes with spinach, mushrooms, and cheese...served with fresh vegetables and mashed potatoes