Tag Archives: rico

THE SOCIAL HOUSE’S SUMMER SIPS & BITES

Summer is upon us, and we all know what that means, Dallas … patio season is now in full swing! With that said, The Social House recently had us come in to try out some fresh bites and Summer cocktails on the patio of their Addison location.

Everything we tried at the tasting was great. It may just be that I love mangos, but my favorite beverage was the Frozen Mango Margarita. The thickness of the fruit itself makes this frozen margarita taste more like a smoothie. It’s pretty awesome. If it’s food you’re after, check out the Irish Pork Nachos. They’re made with house-cut chips, topped with Ancho pulled pork, avocado mousse and pickled jalapeños …yes, it was as good as it sounds.

Whether you are looking for a great patio to lounge on a beautiful day, a tasty beverage after a long day or some delicious food for a grumbling stomach, The Social House is your one-stop shop!

PROTIP: Check out their amazing happy hour specials! For example, the cocktails shown above (or below) are all served at half-price during happy hour… Talk about the happiest of hours!

Social House Addison
5100 Belt Line Rd. #410
Addison, TX 75254
TEL: (972) 392-4300
Happy Hour: Monday-Friday from 4PM till 7PM

JAMBA JUICE’S NEW FRESHLY SQUEEZED JUICE LINE

Written by Enrico DeLeon III
With the big juice craze gaining more and more steam amongst all our super healthy friends, Jamba Juice‘s new line of fresh juices could not have come at a better time!  JJ rolled out the new menu at select locations only* to test them out, and us DFW-ians are lucky enough to have a chance to taste them!
When first hearing about this new line, it made me happy to hear that someone in the smoothie world was finally breaking into a real line of juices (not just one or two or simply just wheat grass shots).Jamba Juice’s expanded juice platform incorporates high-nutrient super foods like kale, beets, cucumbers, apples, oranges and chia seeds. They offer great tasting beverages which increase your fruit and vegetable intake without taking awhole lot out of your pocket.I recommend trying their “Tropical Greens” juice. Although it has all of their Supergreens (organic baby spinach, organic baby kale, and organic red and green chard), the blend of ice, fresh apples, pineapples and chia seeds gives you a great tasting beverage with nature’s sweetness from the fruit complimented by the freshest flavors of the greens. Don’t be scared to try this amazing beverage just because you may not like all the greens… you’ll definitely be surprised! Besides, if it’s good enough for Popeye the Sailor Man, it’s damn sure good enough for you!  (It might even win you a hottie like Olive Oil.)

The following stores in the Dallas area will have fresh-squeezed juice:

  • Southlake – 222 State St, Southlake, TX 76092
  • Sundance Square – 400 Main St, Fort Worth, TX 76102
  • Frankford – 18204 Preston Rd, Dallas, TX  75252
  • Shops at Legacy – 5700 Legacy Dr, Plano, TX 75024
  • Greenville – 5923 Greenville Ave, Dallas, TX 75206
  • Northwest Highway – 8421 Westchester Dr, Dallas, TX 75225
  • Las Colinas – 6440 N MacArthur Blvd, Irving, TX 75039
  • Watauga – 8450 Denton Hwy, Watauga, TX 76148
  • Hulen – 4801 Overton Ridge Blvd, Fort Worth, TX 76132
  • Spring Creek – 1201 E Spring Creek Pkwy, Plano, TX 75074
  • Flower Mound – 3180 FM 407, Highland Village, TX 75077
  • Camp Wisdom – 3040 Camp Wisdom Rd, Grand Prairie, TX 75052
***Rico was given a gift card by Jamba Juice to try out some of their new options.***

Event Recap: Mount Gay Rum Dinner at Sissy’s Souther Kitchen & Bar


Not a big rum fan? I can understand where you come from… From my earlier drinking days in high school…er… college, rum has always seemed like this girly liquor that was infused with fruity flavors like pineapple then mixed with even sweeter mixers and topped off with a paper umbrella. (Really?!) I am here to help change this bad rep rum has received from said rum experiences we’ve all had.

Mount Gay Rum recently invited me in for an evening of gorgeous cocktails and delicious food at Sissy’s Southern Kitchen & Bar. Having gone to the event with an open mind about rum, I was more than enthused to be persuaded to join rum’s team. After receiving the first delicious cocktail from Sissy’s amazing bar staff using Mount Gay Black Barrel Rum, fresh herb-infused ice, veggies and juices (shown being made in the video above), I was sold! It was extremely refreshing to enjoy rum without the excess amount of sweet or sour flavors.

Throughout the evening, I was honored to try more cocktails of various styles paired with some amazing dishes. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Mount Gay Black Barrel Rum, so much so, Sissy’s offered to make an old fashioned-inspired cocktail using it! And yes, it was pretty amazing.

Next time you’re in the market for a new beverage, have your bartender whip something up using Mount Gay Black Barrel Rum. You have this bourbon-lover’s word that you won’t be sorry!

Product Review: Starfire Cigs Ehookahs

Written by Enrico DeLeon III

For years and years, smoking has a been depicted as the cool thing to do in the media who have neglected to publicize alternatives such as these by Shiro that could help people to quit smoking. From movies to bars to commercials to house parties amongst friends and everything in between, smoking is everywhere. And even if people want to get a nicotine hit without smoking, there are products, like those available at Nicotine-Pouches.com, that offer this while making the actual act of tobacco consumption a little more discreet than cigarettes. After turning 18, while still not being able to go to bars, my friends and I got into going to hookah bars for our leisure. It was a great way to hang out, converse, and, of course, smoke hookah. I don’t know if it was because it was the cool thing to do or what, but it certainly was a great option for us to do on our nights out without trying to sneak into bars.

In the recent years since they have banned actual cigarette smoking in bars and restaurants in Dallas, I have seen electronic cigarettes and portable vaporizers from many different manufacturers similar to geek vape and others trying to compete in the eSmoking industry make an appearance more often as they are the only way for people to get away with smoking indoors in Dallas right now. I honestly thought they were kind of silly and, quite honestly, weird. The idea of smoking something that you unplugged from a plug or USB port was just a bit off-putting. That being said, one of my friends uses a vaping pen and I’m always fascinated by the different flavoured e-liquids like Killer Kustard that she buys, so I was definitely intrigued to discover more about how these devices work.

So, when Susie asked me to review Starfire Cigs, I saw it as the perfect opportunity to try and change my perspective about the whole industry. Just to give you a little background on the actual products I tried, the good people sent me all 6 flavors of their Ehookah line. Unlike some electronic cigarettes and vaporizers, Starfire Cigs use vegetable glycine to create the smooth flavored smoke with very minimal, almost no nicotine. (Just to clarify, these all were more along the lines of hookah-type smoking and not cigarettes.)

Each Ehookah lasted up to 1,200 puffs and were disposable. Although they were disposable, the craftsmanship wasn’t sacrificed. They are made with a silver mouthpiece and a diamond tip that light up different colors to reflect their flavor. The flavors included Berry Blast, Blueberry Mint, Red Energy, Melon Mist, Juicy Peach and Tropical Smooth.

When first trying Starfire Cigs Ehookahs, I was immediately transported back to my late teens. The vivid flavors and great smoke quality was on-point with that of which I had at actual hookah bars back in the day. The biggest difference between these Ehookahs and actual hookahs are how much more consistent they were. Every flavor was 10 times more vivid than any actual hookah flavor I have ever had. They were very distinct and never changed. It was awesome to be able to smoke them puff after puff without having to worry about lighting up a new coal and/or potentially burning yourself with hot fire.

I definitely recommend the Starfire Cig Ehookahs to anyone looking to experience great flavored smoke better than hookah and without the trouble of using an actual hookah.

2013  Laphroaig Cairdeas: Port Wood Edition 

Scents: Smoke, Rhubarb, Pepper, Citrus, Berries, Flowers/Potpourri, Peanuts, Chocolate & Cream

Flavors: Smoked Wood, Charcoal, Pepper, Flowers, Cream, Berries, Citrus

Thoughts:  Before I get too deep into this “review”, I must be honest… I am much more versed in the whiskey/bourbon area than scotch. Being that I am a novice in the subject of scotch, my thoughts may seem a bit uneducated to all you scotch connoisseurs out there, but I hope you find this review somewhat useful.

My first thought at the crack of the bottle was how intense the aroma of the scotch was. I could almost immediately recognize several of the distinct flavors from the scent like smoked woods, charcoal, fruits, flowers and more. The color the scotch is similar to numerous whiskey and bourbons I am used to with a slight pink hue to it. After my analysis of the sights and smells, I was ready to have my first sip!

Along with several coworkers, I, generously, poured the scotch over some ice. The scent seemed to open up quite nicely at this point. Once it touched my lips, I immediate felt the power of this scotch! The peat “explosion” was very intense and hit very fast. This took me by surprise, so I had to have another sip just to truly analyze how it is tastes. Intense smokey peat was the first flavor to hit, then the peppery, fruity yet floral-esque cream flavors piggy-backed the end of the peat explosion. That may seem weird to list all those things, but they all truly fight for your attention (even though the peat wins every time in my book).

This seems like a scotch I would enjoy after eating a hardy steak, BBQ or any smoked meal. I can imagine sitting around a campfire with some bros and drinking this with a cigar in hand after eating some BBQ. Check it out and judge for yourself. Needless to say … this’ll get ya drunk.

Reviewed by Enrico DeLeon III (of Brunch Bros fame)