Category Archives: Meals

Public School 214 Brunch

I consider myself an adult … which means I have to carefully plan my Sunday Fundays–ensure plenty of heartburn medication is on-hand as bloody marys will happen, make sure your Uber app is properly functioning, and start early to ensure you aren’t out past 8pm.  This past Sunday, I rallied the troops and we began our day at Public School 214 to try out their brunch.  I’d heard about their “just about bottomless” options, so I had to test it out myself.

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We opted for the patio since everything else was ridiculously crowded.  I mean … I like my friends, so I wanted to be able to actually hear them.  (Crazy concept.)  The patio was PERFECT–perfect weather, plenty of room, and, best of all, we had Freddy.

We settled in and ordered our various bottomless options.  (You can get “just about unlimited” mimosas/beermosas or bloody marys/micheladas for $10)  I was the only one that went for the bloody mary option and ended up being the envy of the table because mine came with a chicken wing.  #Win(g)ing.  The drinks were nicely spiked and gave us all the kick we needed to start the day.  I have been slightly under the weather so Freddy made a hot toddy happen for me.  This drink, I kid you not, brought me back from the dead.

Since we knew we were consuming mass quantities of booze, we needed to get moving on food.  I’m going to tell you one thing that I’ve told you before … good + good = really good.  So, that with that logic, their Bacon Cheddar Tots served with Sriracha ketchup are really good.  (I had to include some math here … I was at school, after all.)  Needless to say, they went fast.  We also got the first of two orders of their Chorizo Mac & Cheese which is topped with Salt & Vinegar chips … I mean.  To finish off the warm-up, we passed the Mezza Plate (baba ghanoush, hummus, tapenade marinated feta, and crispy chickpeas).

Lunch had to happen at some point even though we were quite happy with the porky deliciousness on the table, so we checked out the brunch menu.  Since I can’t say no to chicken and waffles, I  went for the Fried Jidori Chicken & Green Chili Cornbread Waffles … and I made a damn good choice.  The chicken was crispy and the waffles weren’t underdone, which is my least favorite thing about breakfast. (I mean … cook your waffles and pancakes to a nice golden brown, people.  Learn from PS214.)  The other brunch entree at the table was the Smothered Breakfast Burrito (smashed browns, egg, chimichurri, provolone, and bacon).

The portion size at PS214 is pretty damn ridiculous.  (I don’t think any of us finished our entrees.)  So try to find someone who wants the same things as you … you know … on the brunch menu.

Everyone loved their meals.  (I really don’t think that was only because we were a couple of carafes each in.  Brunch at Public School 214 is available Saturdays and Sundays from 10am-3pm.

PUBLIC SCHOOL 214
www.psontap.com
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
3700 McKinney Ave (in the new West Village area east of McKinney)
(214)599-6234

Dallas #BoozeNews: October 5, 2015

NEW OPENINGS

Everyone was stoked about Austin transplant, Uchi … so it’s time to get revved-up again.  The owners of Uchi will open a new concept in Dallas, Top Knot, early 2016 just above the current location. “Executive Chef Tyson Cole’s new concept marries a playful Asian-inspired menu with a full bar and a relaxed atmosphere.”

Pollo Tropicals are just popping’ up everywhere.  In less than a month the’ve opened FOUR new ones … check them out in Lewisville (9/18), Cedar Hill (11/6) and in Dallas on Greenville (10/2).  Each location has a grand opening party … so check ‘em out!

Rusty Taco will open in the space previously occupied by Snookie’s on Oak Lawn.  I’m not sure how I feel about this … but I know that I miss Snookie’s.

OTHER NEWS …

Ivy Kitchen’s Patio

Ivy Kitchen’s Patio

Ivy Kitchen is getting on the patio weather bandwagon in a big way.  They’ve secured Goga (he’s seriously worth going to see) to play and they’ve revved-up their happy hour.  Gaga will play the next few Tuesdays (6, 13, & 20) from 6-9pm and their happy hour will include $5 house wines and well drinks, $3 domestic bottles, $5 imports, and $5-12 food items Monday-Friday, 4-7pm.

Football makes all things better.  Upscale bowling alley Pinstack knows this … so they’ve started offering “Bowl + Bite Night” during Monday Night Football!  Mondays (except holidays), 4pm-close, they’ll offer guests (who are bowling) 1/2 price appetizers and $3 select draft beers. 

If you joined me at Le Taco last week for my SDD Happy Hour, then you got a sneak preview of the awesomeness that is Le Taco’s new happy hour.  They’ll have daily specials and drink discounts from 3-7pm.  All of this is good.  Specials will be as follows:

DAILY, 3-7pm: $3 margaritas, sangria, “Mexi-canned” beers, Exotico tequila shots, and wells … 1/2 price sangria pitchers, $1 off all tacos
Sunday: happy hour all day, 1/2 price champagne by the bottle, live music 12-5pm
Tuesday: $2 margaritas
Wednesday: 1/2 price wine by the bottle and pitchers of sangria

Tuesdays needed some excitement.  (Actually … I’m not sure if they did or not, but Paul Martin’s American Grill thought so.)  So, each Tuesday, all day, you can order a three-course fried chicken special for $22.  Salad (because green things have to happen … whatever), buttermilk fried chicken with mashed potatoes, and homemade ice cream.

Speaking of chicken … late-night pizza spot Greenville Avenue Pizza Company (a.k.a. GAPCo) has been serving lunch as of late.  To up the ante on their lunch offerings, they’ll now serve their (really fucking delicious) chicken wings as a combo deal–$10 for wings, fries, and a drink–from 11am-4pm week days.  Now, here’s some chicken porn …

Wings from GAPCo

LIMITED TIME OFFERINGS

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Flowers for Tiffany at Knife

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Knife at The Highland will offer a cocktail that will benefit breast cancer research, Flowers For Tiffany (gin, Herbsaint, lemon, elderflower, orange blossom water, and hibiscus).
Available: through October 31
Cost: $14

Hopdoddy’s shake-ing it up again this month … their Raspberry White Chocolate Shake Special (handmade vanilla ice cream, raspberry puree, raspberry chunks, white chocolate syrup whipped cream, and raspberry sauce) is now available at the Preston Center location.
Available: until October 11 at the Preston Center location only
Cost: $6

It’s gettin’ spooky at Snuffer’s thanks to their October BOTM, the Ghost Pepper Cheeseburger (100% Fresh Ground Chuck Burger topped with two slices of ghost pepper cheese, fresh grilled jalapeños, grilled diced red onions and yellow mustard).
Available: through October 31
Cost: $8.99

Everyone loves October because people have a(n even better) reason to drink beer.  Hard Rock Cafe is pairing a burger with beer … because they’re awesome.  Stop in for a Samuel Adams OctoberFest Schnitzel Burger paired with their OctoberFest beer.
Available: through October 31

Octoberfest Burger at Hard Rock Cafe

Octoberfest Burger at Hard Rock Cafe

The Cedars Social

With the announcement that The Cedars Social is under new ownership, I wanted to duck in to see what changes were happening at the craft cocktail den in The Cedars.  I was a fan of TCS when I worked in The Cedars but hadn’t heard too much about them recently.  Turns out, new owners Jeffrey Yarbrough and Chad Boyle seem to be keeping the essence of TCS intact–the decor is still as eclectic as ever, the food classic with a bit of a twist, and the cocktails … well, strong.

We started with a couple of their options from the seasonal cocktail menu–they offer seasonal options along with classics from both the pre-Prohibition era and some from the Prohibition era.  Their cocktails are made with high quality, fresh ingredients and some of the best liquor options around by incredibly skilled bartenders.  (I was glad to hear that the new owners were still partnering with original partner and bar manager, Michael Martensen.  He does good things.)  Our seasonal choices were the Berry Gin-erous (Seagrams, Blueberry mint syrup, lemon juice and ginger beer) and the Juliet & Romeo (Plymouth Gin, Lime Juice, Muddled Cucumbers, & Cane syrup, with Angostura bitters, and a mint leaf topped with rose water).

After getting warmed up with some drinks (as one does at brunch), we ordered their fresh fruit, truffle fries (duh), and deviled eggs.  I was bummed that they don’t offer their truffle grilled cheese anymore, but I figured the fries were a good substitute.  The Truffle Fries had a nice truffle essence without it being overpowering and they were perfectly crispy.  The Deviled Eggs were a good start to the meal thanks to their light filling.  While fruit is good for you and all (and TCS’ was quite delicious) … save it for home.

Our second round of drinks got a bit more adventurous.  I went for the I Do What I Want (that’s the real name of the cocktail) featuring Ketel One, aged balsamic, honey syrup, muddled strawberry, lemon juice, and egg white.  It was nicely mixed and the balsamic really gave it a punch and a bit of extra complexity.

As for the food, we ordered the Housemade Turkey Hash (herbs de Provence, scrambled eggs, and hollandaise sauce) and the Omelette Florentine (prosciutto, spinach, mushrooms, and goat cheese).  Both were accompainied by potatoes, and both were pretty damn good.  (I’d suggest getting the hollandaise on the side of the hash … I’m a big fan of self sauce-regulation.)

While I usually choose to spend my brunch calories on drinks, we were encouraged to get into some dessert action.  Once we heard that their cheesecakes are from Val’s Cheesecakes, we couldn’t not. And ice cream goes in a different stomach.  So yeah.

Since we were delightfully boozed up and stuffed, we decided that Sunday just wasn’t going to be a thing … at least not a productive one.  (Their drinks are pretty hefty, so try not to plan too much after a brunch at TCS other than a nap or more drinking.)  So we packed up our leftovers (of which there were plenty) and did our best to roll ourselves to the car.

Needless to say, after the reminder of the good things TCS does, I’ll be back before too long to hit them up for some of their dinner options–hello, Akashi Short Ribs, Kobe Meatballs, and Truffle Mac & Cheese.


THE CEDARS SOCIAL
www.thecedarssocial.com
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
1326 S Lamar St, Dallas, TX 75215
(214) 928-7700

Open daily, 4-10pm
Brunch: Saturday & Sunday, 11am-3pm

Jam & Toast Brunch at The Rustic

Brunch is a serious thing in Dallas.  I thought for a long time that it was a millennial thing, but I’ve learned from transplants that Dallas does it like no other city.  The Rustic knows this, and knew they couldn’t come to the picnic table with a weak brunch game … so their Jam & Toast Brunch was born.  Family style (and only slightly family-friendly), you can get into this brunch action for $17.95/person.  Let the delicious pictures begin … (You’d better get a napkin because your mouth is about to water.)

Y’all know I have to talk about the drinks first because … ya know … I drink Dallas and all.  Their drinks, while they’re available like any other boring brunch place by the drink, or you can really make it a Sunday (or Saturday) fun day and order by the pitcher for $20 a throw.  They have the traditional brunch drinks–mimosas, bloody marys, screwdrivers (or at least their takes on them)–but then they take them all up a notch with fun twists like beef straws for the bloodies and jam mixers for the mimosas.  The less typical drinks you can get into trouble with are their Corpus Crisp Tea (Deep Eddy Sweet Tea Vodka, Deep Eddy Lemonade Vodka, and freshly brewed sweet tea) and the Ruby Redhound (Deep Eddy Ruby Red Vodka with fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice).

The pitchers are all generous portions and pack a decent punch.  (As decent as you could really ever want from brunch cocktails as to not f**k up your whole day weekend.)  And I don’t know what all this “family-style” judgement is; I mean … I’m my whole family unit right now … so it’s ok that I drink the whole pitcher, right?

Rereading the last paragraph, I feel it’s time to tell y’all about the food they offer to balance the boozy goodness.  This food … is legit.  I just about needed someone to roll me away from the table after eating everything they had to offer.  The deal is that they’ll bring everything I’m about to tell you about–enough for everyone to share.

Traditional brunches usually have pig of some sort and eggs and some random pastry, and The Rustic has those all with a delicious kick.  The pork is bacon and sausage from Rudolph’s Market (this business was ridiculous and I was pissed that I had to share this and not eat the whole dish of bacon–don’t judge me); the eggs were “country baked eggs” with sharp white cheddar and chives (not my favorite); and the pastries were fresh donuts from local bakeries (the day we visited they’d come from late night donut hotspot, Glazed).  To make this brunch unforgettable, they didn’t stop there.  They also offer bite-sized French Toast (hand-cut challah, soaked in vanilla custard and topped with house-made rosemary syrup),  Smoked Cheddar Grits (creamy polenta cakes with roasted poblanos and smokey cheddar on sausage gravy) that had a nice smokiness without being entirely overwhelming, and Hot Chicken (Nashville-style spicy fried chicken and dill pickles).  The chicken was a bit spicy (which I enjoyed), but others at the table were less impressed with the heat.  The pièce de résistance of this brunch to me was the Cheese & Fruit plate.  Featuring an assortment of local cheeses, honeycomb, fresh fruit, and assorted breads, it was a nice addition to the table and gave us the chance to remix some of the other dishes by pairing them with the fruits and cheese.s  (Uhhhh the goat cheese paired well with just about everything on the table.)

Overall, The Rustic’s Jam & Toast Brunch is a decent deal. (I love to have a lot of different options … so this is a great ways for people like me!)  While this brunch is offered both Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to 3pm, try to get there before noon to enjoy the live music that they have outside.  (And thanks to one of the venue’s owners, Pat Green, you know The Rustic has some serious live music game.)

If you’ve never visited the hybrid backyard-style restaurant/bar/concert venue, you’ve obviously been living under a rock.  From Free Range Concepts (the guys that brought Dallas Bowl & Barrel, Mutt’s Canine Cantina, and more), it’s an ideal spot for anyone from families to weekend warriors.  The Rustic offers brunch, lunch, and dinner menus of “down-home comfort food” along with 40+ draft beers (many from Texas breweries), and even some Texas spirits on the full bar.


THE RUSTIC
therustic.com
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
3656 Howell Street (West Village)
214-730-0596

 

 

Saved by the Bell

unnamed-14Class is in session, people.  Public School 214 will open its doors in the new section of West Village on January 29 as the first Texas location from the Los Angeles restaurant.  The open format, 5,000 sq. ft., 200 seat restaurant features a full bar with a dining room opposite.  The music and simplicity of the decor (industrial lighting, globes and other elementary reminiscent ephemera) keep the vibe modern and a bit hipster — this isn’t so much the place you’d go for a quiet meal, but for some good people watching with a good drink and a meal no the side, this’ll be the place.

While the vibe is decidedly Uptown, the food is anything but ordinary.  I’m talkin’ Chorizo Mac & Cheese, Fig & Prosciutto Pizza, Lamb Bolognese, and Nutella Cookie Sandwich out of the ordinary.  More on the food later … because cocktails.

The talked about the PS214 bar program with Colin Kerr, director of operations.  He is so passionate about what he does, and the cocktails on the menu are evidence of that.  He made each cocktail so unexpectedly detailed … even the Gin & Tonic is decidedly unique thanks to their housemade tonic.

  • The Crushed Velvet is their take on a Moscow Mule, featuring blackberry and blueberry reduction, lavender, Karlsson’s Gold vodka, and the obligatory ginger beer.  It’s just sweet enough to offset the bite of the ginger beer, making it a dangerous option.
  • The Yellow Smoke was my favorite of the night, with fresh pineapple juice, serrano agave, and xicaru mezcal.  The smokiness of the mezcal gives this somewhat simple drink a bit of exciting complexity.  I think Dallas is still timid when it comes to mezcal, and here’s hoping that this helps Dallas gain some progress in regard to this unique spirit.
  • The  (watermelon, St. Germaine, Aylesbury Duck vodka, salt & pepper) was delightfully sweet and refreshing, but could be improved.  Try this with tequila or gin instead of vodka to up the ante.
  • The Lavender Vanilla was a different take on an old fashioned with housemade vanilla bitters, lavender simple syrup, and Four Roses small batch whiskey.  I’d drink this all day every day …
  • The last cocktail that we tried was the Player’s Cut, a spirit forward cocktail that is their version of a negroni, with campari, Carpano Antica, and locally-made Brazos Texas-Style gin.  I enjoy a bitter drink, but they definitely slow me down.  I would order this again to go with my lamb bolognese!

The beer list exclusively offers craft beers and less nationals than usual — think Community Beer Co., Saint Arnold, Revolver, Real Ale, Peticolas, and many more.  They will offer 24 craft beers with the promise of rotators and seasonal options.  Check out their selection of drafts, bottles, cans, and event large format bottles for the table.  One of the random cans I’m stoked about is the Coconut Porter from the Maui Brewing Company!

Photo courtesy of Public School

Photo courtesy of Public School

I did note that their wine selection is incredibly limited with just one option of select varietals.  (Though they seem to have made good choices for the options they offer.)  Also note that some of these wines will be on tap.

The food, as I mentioned, embodies their mission to impart “an education in the art of food and beer”.  Some of the items are progressive while others are just f**king delicious.  In terms of appetizers, you pretty much can’t miss the Chorizo Mac & Cheese (hello, it is topped with sea salt and vinegar chips and has chunks of chorizo instead of the traditional ground chorizo) or the Bacon Cheddar Tots (with shredded potato instead of chopped).  To warm up, the Roasted Beet Salad is a ridiculously delicious mix of fresh and tender roasted purple and yellow beets, arugula, ricotta salata, pomegranate molasses, and marcona almonds.

The Wild Mushroom & Taleggio Pizza was delightful and ridiculously fragrant (and a great midnight snack) and the Fig & Prosciutto Pizza is a perfect balance of sweet and savory thanks to the fig glaze.  If you’re a fan of pasta, the Lamb Bolognese features whole wheat linguine and very mild ground lamb.

Now, dessert … DO NOT MISS THE NUTELLA COOKIE SANDWICH!  This is some seriously intense dessert with Nutella (duh), bacon brittle (uhhhh), cookies, and vanilla bean ice cream.  Don’t share this with more than one other person.

PS214 dessert

Pumpkin Coffee Cheesecake & Nutella Cookie Sandwich

Fun offerings to look forward to from PS214:

 

PUBLIC SCHOOL 214
www.psontap.com
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
3700 McKinney Ave (in the new West Village area east of McKinney)
(214)599-6234

JK Chocolate

The holiday season is upon us. Traffic is unreal, grocery stores are out of chocolate chips, and you have neither the time nor the inclination to bake homemade cookies for that White Elephant party/teacher gifts/hostess gift/birthday party. Now that you’ve decided to outsource your holiday baking, you’re faced with even more decisions: Are cupcakes too childish? Are cake balls still in? Will that whole cake get eaten? What exactly is a fruit cake?

Enter: JK Chocolate.

Purveyor of Microchip Cookies, cakes, and unfairly decadent chocolate sauces and the brainchild of Julie and Karleen, the roots of JK Chocolate reach back to 1984 when the two friends would prepare homemade chocolate sauces for their children’s teachers. The word spread quickly about their confections, and the teachers- bereft of the heavenly sauces after the kids grew up and headed to college- begged the duo to sell their products. The rest is cookie history.

IMG_7566JK Chocolate sells seven flavors of their perfectly munch able treats: Midnight Chocolate Chip, White Chocolate Chip Crunch, Peanut Butter Chip with Sea Salt, Six Spice Gingersnap, Pecan Sweeties, Cheddar Cheesies with Texas Heat, and, of course, The Original Chocolate Chip.

Available in 11- and 20-ounce cans, the flavors are also available in gift packs, party favor sets and multi-pack sets of smaller IMG_75711.5- and 2-ounce jars. You can mix and match flavors, cookies, sauces and mini-cakes for the perfect hostess gift, holiday snack, party favor or office presents.

The jar of Original Chocolate Chip Microchip cookies I brought home lasted a whopping two hours, so plan on buying more rather than less. They might be small, but they pack a hefty, homemade taste that’ll leave you craving more.

For store location, hours, online ordering and serving ideas, visit their website at www.jkchocolate.com.

JK CHOCOLATE
www.jkchocolate.com | Facebook | Instagram
4710 W Lovers Ln, Dallas, TX 75209
(214) 350-0427

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read over here

Candy Cocktails Recipe Book

Are you having a Halloween party? A Christmas party? Any other kind of party, in life, at any point in the future? Do you like booze? Do you like candy?  If you  have answered yes to any of these questions,  listen up: you’re going to want to hear this*. Candy Cocktails, people. That’s right … cocktails that taste like candy. Cocktails that are MADE USING CANDY. Enter: “Candy Cocktails: Fun and Flirty Drinks with a Sugar-Kissed Twist“.

(*If you did not answer, “Yes,” to any of the above questions, do not read on. Go here, instead.)

I received “Candy Cocktails” just in time for Halloween, but this cocktail recipe book by the Good sisters (curators of Fashionably Bombed) is chock full of fun and inventive cocktails for every holiday (Candy Cane Martini, anyone?). Holiday-themed libations represent only a small segment of this gorgeous little recipe book, however; in its pages, you will also find cocktail recipes highlight just about any kind of candy you can think of. Forget everything you think you know about dessert drinks … until you have sampled a Liquid Candy Bar, a Candy Fishbowl (yes, it has Swedish Fish “swimming” in it.  Shut. Up.), or a Pop Shot (yup, that would be a shooter integrating Pop Rocks), you know nothing.  Just imagine preparing a custom cocktail for your boyfriend/girlfriend/brother/sister/bestie/grandma/mailman based on his or her favorite candy. How much do I love this idea? (A lot.)

Candy Corn InfusionCandy Cocktails is going to have you “mixing outside the box,” if you will. I can attest to this because I found myself preparing candy corn infused vodka early this week. One of the really awesome things about this book is the fact that it gives you directions on how to create variety of sweet liquor infusions using at little as 1/2 cup of booze. Gone are the days of having to spend $17 a pop on multiple, giant bottles of random flavored vodkas that you know are probably only going to use once or twice to make that one cocktail you just had to have, on a whim (I mean, I don’t know many people whose “go-to” drink features marshmallow vodka, do you?). This section of the book is really quite practical and useful (as candy infused alcohol goes).

I prepared two Halloween inspired “Candy Cocktails” in the Plano branch of the Susie Drinks Dallas test kitchen.

Candy Corn CocktailFirst, the Candy Corn Cocktail,- hence the candy corn infused vodka. This drink was so pretty and festive, and just BEGGING you to serve it at your Halloween bash. It was not sickeningly sweet, and really, it was incredibly reminiscent of a lemon drop, with a subtle hint of something different. (You guessed it, genius … CANDY CORN!!!)

Peanut Butter Cup CocktailNext, the Peanut Butter Cup Cocktail, which was every bit as rich and decadent as it sounds. Interestingly (and only mildly disappointingly), this cocktail does not contain actual peanut butter cups (aside from the garnish). As the sisters point out in their book, sometimes the point is for the drink to taste LIKE the candy, as opposed to actually containing the candy. This blended concoction was comprised of vodka, crunchy peanut butter,  crème de cacao, and whole milk  (omg). This was 100% dessert, and they really nailed the peanut butter cup flavor. Nom.

If you are looking for a collection of really fun, unique cocktail recipes, getchoself a copy of Candy Cocktails: Fun and Flirty Drinks with a Sugar-Kissed Twist, today!

Available at Barnes and Noble (check out their nifty in-store pickup feature!), or on Amazon, for just $13.68.

Eat Creative: An Evening at Roy’s Restaurant in Plano

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The Pacific Rim Cosmotini

 “So why Plano?” someone asked, almost incredulously, about this restaurant that has been in place for more than a decade.

On one hand, I get the attitude about Plano. (And truth be told, I still fight it myself sometimes.) On the other hand, it was a good reminder of the prevailing idea that these darn suburbs are just out to ruin everything creative and good. Despite not boasting a Dallas (proper) address, somehow the Roy’s brand has thrived out in the ‘burbs, and that’s why a group of us were invited to a special Eat Creative dinner to showcase its new drink and food options – some of which were designed by local Chef Scott Nakachi.

The event was food-intensive, but I jumped at the chance to try the Pacific Rim Cosmotini (vodka, ginger and passion fruit syrups, egg whites, blood orange liqueur). It had a good flavor and it didn’t take long to realize how quickly (and cheaply) one could blow through these – especially during their happy hour when drinks are only $6.

We also sampled some of the food items on the bar menu (which is also only $6 during happy hour – save one exception we’ll get to later) and it was pretty damn good. There was edamame and butterfish lettuce wraps, which were both well-prepared and are must-tries. I found myself eating the fish by itself, which I guess makes me a huge jerk … but it was that good. There were also delicious steamed pork buns and, the star of the show, a giant Wagyu burger the size of my face*. It was spicy and perfectly seasoned, and for $9 on the happy hour menu, it’s a solid meal choice to balance out the happy hour cocktails and walk out feeling full. It also came with massive onion rings which were heavily-breaded and thick.

Based on the conversation at the table, a few of us who were more into onion rings in general enjoyed them and the others seemed to think it was too much. (Who isn’t into onion rings? They must be communists.)  The fat kid in me loved them, but I had to maintain composure as an official SDD representative and not smoosh my face into the plate of them. Ebi rolls followed, which were also battered and tasted like one of the heavy rolls Americans love to eat while onlooking foreigners cringe. It was tasty, but there’s just too much fresh seafood on the menu to opt for a roll unless you’re really in the mood to ruin your dinner.

Alaea Salt Crusted Bone in Ribeye

Alaea Salt Crusted Bone in Ribeye

What we’d eaten to this point quickly became an afterthought when the main courses came out – especially the Maine lobster pot pie. The crust was flaky and delicious and the giant pieces of lobster were swimming in a curry sauce that was hot and delicious. It came in a giant tray that could easily feed three people (or even two going all out pig-style.) You need to eat this dish. I don’t mean to shortchange the other entrees that were all delicious (including an Alaea salt-crusted, bone-in ribeye first introduced by Plano’s Chef Scott), but this was the dish that inspired Susie to email me and say “I want to lick my screen to taste that lobster business!!!!” I have to make sure I capture the magic.

Roy's Restaurant - Signature Lobster Pie

Signature Lobster Pie

^^ Put this in your face ASAP. ^^

Finally, we finished with two delicious desert options: pineapple upside down cake and Roy’s signature molten lava cake. Both were devoured by the sharing table and, while chocolate never fails, the pineapple upside down cake was not too sweet and just different enough to stand out.

Melting Hot Chocolate Souffle

Melting Hot Chocolate Souffle

In summary, allow me to summarize this with a forgotten, but aptly named, SNL Digital Short – Roy Rules. If you need a happy hour spot in North Dallas or Plano, you really can’t beat the value offered here.

[iframe id=”https://screen.yahoo.com/snl-digital-short-roy-rules-000000261.html?format=embed” align=”center” maxwidth=”500″]

ROY’S PLANO
2840 Dallas Parkway, Plano, TX 75093
(972) 473-6263
Website | Facebook

Happy Hour Specials: Every Day, 4:30pm-7pm
$6 specialty cocktails, wines
$6 – $9 appetizers

*my face is a normal size for a man my age. Just FYI.