The Mecca

Mecca opened up at Lakewood and Skillman this month and we have been dying to try it.  This new spot is located where Molly Maguire's used to be and has somewhat of "turnover" past.  The new Matt's has opened up in near proximity, so this corner might be the new HOT spot of East Dallas.  We arrived before the church crowd on Sunday at about 11:30 a.m and there was still about a twenty minute wait.  They had chairs set up outside and the lovely waitress brought a round of complimentary mimosas served in  mason jars.  This was a nice touch and made our wait much more enjoyable.  We were seated right in the middle of the front dining area in a booth.  The old banquettes are still available for seating and even the bar in the back has about 10 spots. We were indecisive that morning, so one of us went with breakfast and the other went with lunch.  The burger is 1/2 pound served up any way you like it.  We had everything on the side so we could build it exactly to our liking.  This burger was juicy, flavorful, and enough for two to split.  Their fries are truly a treat; the potato to breading ratio is just right and they are well seasoned.

The french toast was lightly battered and deep fried to golden perfection.  Two slices filled us up, but now we feel ready to face State Fair season!

Finally, we ordered a side of bacon.  With the looming pork shortage, $2.50 this filled us up with three thick slices of grilled bacon
Mecca has daily dinner specials and a whole menu that we are excited to revisit and try.
Welcome to the neighborhood, Mecca!

E Bar Tex Mex

E Bar Tex Mex caught our eye when we found out that the owner opened up Primo's on Mckinney Avenue many years ago.  This new spot is located on Haskell and Munger in a small complex that you might actually miss if you aren't truly paying attention.  E Bar had a nice covered patio with about ten tables and a couple of TVs. The inside is pretty bare bones with a bar on one side and then about 15 tables total.  The entire time we dined, we were the only customers.  We started with the queso which was served up in large bowl complete with sour cream, guacamole and ground beef.  The queso needed to be a bit warmer for our taste and overall lacked flavor.

 

We ordered the spinach and mushroom enchiladas which came with Mexican rice and refried beans.  The beans were a bit watered down, but the enchiladas were pretty good.  They were heaped with cheese and had a dollop of green salsa mixed in right on top.

We also ordered the brisket tacos which came with a side of Mexican rice and beans.  The tacos were good, but we've had better.

Finally, we went with the chicken quesadillas that came with a nice portion of guacamole and sour cream.  They needed to punch up the flavor a bit on this menu staple.

The staff was extremely attentive and cheery. On the way out, we received free drink coupons for our return.  We might be willing to try this spot for a cocktail in hopes that they work out a few kitchen kinks.

The Front Room

After reading some positive reviews on The Front Room, we decided to give it a try. Located in the Hotel Lumen, a very trendy and sleek restaurant greets patrons. A noon lunch found the place mostly vacant (except for a celebrity chef sighting of Tiffany Derry), but that changed as our lunch progressed.When we talked with our waitress about business, she revealed that  lunch was usually touch and go, but dinner service was pretty solid - even moving into wait list territory. 

The menu looked delicious - there were very few things that we didn't want to try. 

We started with the edamame hummus. 

Our waitress murmured a "good choice" before taking our order off to the kitchen. 

When the dish came, we found it a little bitter with a heavy handed use of both garlic and cumin. While we did appreciate the use of steamed and fresh vegetables, particularly the broccolini, I think the dish would've been enhanced with a cracker/lavash option. 

With the other choices on the appetizer menu, we wouldn't order this again.

 

For lunch, we had the macaroni and cheese and the grilled cheese. 

We loved the choices of serving pieces. We did not love the food itself. 

The macaroni and cheese was tepid, temperature wise. When something comes out in a cast iron skillet dish, you have certain expectations about heat. We were misled. As to the food itself, very bland. Even with salt, we weren't impressed. We weren't even sure if there was actually cheese in our mac and cheese.

The grilled cheese didn't offer us much more. Again, the temperature was luke warm, leaving the cheese a little less than desirable. A mix of cheeses, including Boursin, this grilled cheese had such potential. Instead, one side of our sandwich was almost burned and the other side was a nice and toasty golden brown. 

We can do that at home, thank you.

All in all, we wanted so much more from The Front Room. It has a lot of potential, but it did not impress us.