8/20/2010 Cafe Juanita

we took our house sitter and another friend to dinner when we got back from texas last week. it was a good dinner. i don't think there was anything new on the menu we hadn't had before so i won't bore you with a lot of talk.

prosecco and parmigiano reggiano

the bread plate

seared foie gras with nectarine, candied ginger and cocoa nibs

veal and chanterelle stuffed cipollini onion with spinach and parmesan fonduta

it's been a couple years since this was on the menu - before it had wagyu no spinach or mushrooms and i think i liked it a little better but this was still pretty good

house smoked salmon with pappa al pomodoro and toasted horseradish vinaigrette

billy allstot's heirloom tomatoes with ligurian olive oil and housemade ricotta

zuppa della sera

hand rolled trofie with basil, green beans and fingerling potatoes

the pasta is fantastic! the potatoes are new this rendition. matt says the beans were in it last time but i didn't remember them

rabbit braised in arneis with ligurian chickpea crepe, house made pancetta and porcini

chef special: wine braised pork cheeks, sweet corn, polenta stuffed zucchini blossom

i've never had better corn! and the cheeks were divine

squash blossom risotto

wines with dinner

dessert special was the chocolate trufle cake with peanut butter gelato and chocolate tuile

mascarpone goat cheese cake with nectarine thyme and almonds

YUM! it was super light and fluffy. there's something about these 'goat cheese puddings' i'm really into right now. ok, this isn't a pudding but the base is basically the same.

mignardies: chocolate hazlenut buttercream and salt bites

8/15/2010 Joe T Garcia's Ft Worth TX

i think you either love JoeT's or you hate it. when it opened in the 30s it seated only 16. today (according to their website) they can seat 1000. hhmmm with that many chairs i wonder why i have to wait in line for an hour plus sometimes... they claim to be the inventor of the fajita, a famous tex-mex dish. withoug proof otherwise i'll believe it.

you get 2.5 choices for your meal. cheese enchiladas family style (ok, i hear you can substitute chicken or beef but cheese is what's on the menu) or fajitas - the half point comes in the choice of chicken or beef.

for the enchilada you get a large nacho served family stye, rice and beans, chips, salsa, and 2 tacos. if you order the fajitas you get the rice, beans and chips with salsa.

it's a whole lot of food, it's greasy and fattening and in my opinion yummy. oh, and if you order a marguerita they aren't bad, either.

but come prepared to stand in line no matter what night and time you go. they only book reservations for parties of 20+ or something like that. and they do *not* take credit cards.

our table - guacamole, a couple tacos, chips, drinks, salsa, a plate of the beef fajitas in the lower right, and various other items

close up of the beef fajitas with tortilla and beans

2 enchiladas (rice was served family style and is probably in the top pic somewhere












but the best thing about dinner here is getting to share it with friends! andrea, candace and ben, sandra and jeff!

8/14/2010 Lonesome Dove Bistro Ft Worth TX

this night was my 25th high school reunion. uh did i want to admit that? but i was excited because it was being held at tim love's restaurant in fort worth; the lonesome dove bistro. why was i excited? because this is supposed to be an upscale place in ftw, and because matt and i watched chef love on iron chef america a couple years back where he battled and beat iron chef morimoto; secret ingredient - chile. 


for the reunion post you'll have to visit my travel blog (i'm behind on that one as well so check back if it's not up.)




here's the menu that was decided on in january:

-Smoked Crab Enchiladas with Sweet & Spicy Ranchero Sauce
-Red Chile Marinated Jumbo Shrimp with Smoke Pina Salsa
-Heirloom Tomato, Texas Basil & Goat Cheese Tarts
-Anti-Pasta Platter: Grilled Imported Cheeses, Cured Meats, Marinated Cremini Mushrooms, Roasted Red Pepprs, & Spanish Olives
-Australian Lobster & Poblano Wontons with Whipped Parsnips & Serrano Chile Vinaigrette
-Smoked Salmon Canapes on Blue Corn Chips
-Beef Tenderloin Canapes with Borsin Cheese
-Braised Wild Boar Ribs with LD BBQ Sauce & Housmade Pickles


and there was a rumor of a spit-roasted suckling pig.


looks pretty darn good doesn't it? let's get started! 

smoked chicken enchiladas with sweet and spice ranchero sauce


these weren't bad. not much spice though. i thought they were a little on the bland side.


as i was eating them i was telling matt it was kind of funny crab. he corrected me and said it was chicken. ah. that explains it. guess they swapped the crab for chicken when attendance wasn't what they hoped for.

australian lobster wontons with whipped parsnips and serrano chile vinaigrette


matt and i agreed this was the best thing served. they were really good and i hear australian lobster can be hit or miss.


there wasn't so much heat you needed beer to tame the spice, but there was a little kick. the wonton themselves were perfectly cooked - crispy but not crumbling when you bite into it. just enough 'tooth' but not doughy.

red chile marinated shrimp with pina salsa


these were ok. mine was cool. i doubt they were supposed to be served at the temps that they ended up being served to us, so i wonder if it was supposed to be a hot dish that wasn't kept hot, or a cold dish that warmed up in the 100+ heat that day (the buffet was set up outside on the patio).


i'd be willing to try these again in different context.

charro beans


i don't like beans and didn't have any

roasted chicken


skipped this and went for the pork

roasted suckling pig


comments are below so they'll make more sense

the pig the pig came out of

a slew of toppings and sauces.


pico de gallo, 
creme fraiche, 
spicy tomato salsa, 
smoked tomatillo salsa, 
guacamole, 
sour cream, 
smoked cheddar cheese, 
jalapinos, 
goat cheese,
red pepper salsa
tortillas (not pictured)




now these are not how the spread was laid out. i put these pics in order of mains to sides, as it were. 








here's a photo of the table

notice the order, enchilada, chicken, pork, sides around centerpiece, beans. and on the other side of the beans is the shrimp and lobster, and that black thing on the far corner? that's the tortillas.

wow. there were a few things that really got me. the people laying out the table seemed to have no idea what they were doing. i was taking pics for this blog as they were making sure everything was out on the table. it took them the entire time i was taking photos to figure out the suckling pig was the centerpiece and went on the elevated box. 

i was the 1st person through the line and everything i ate was basically tepid. nothing was hot, and i doubt any of this was supposed to be cold. i learned after i was done eating this was supposed to be a 'make your own burrito/fajita/sandwich' type of thing. but the tortillas were at the very end of the table, not at the start where you need them to start piling stuff on top of. i totally didn't get 'it'. so i had everything out on my plate and grabbed a tortilla as i bread side.

the pork had next to no flavor and was a little on the dry side. now maybe all the spice and liquid was to come from the 'fajita-type' toppings, but as the staff didn't set up the table correctly i didn't realize this was what i was supposed to do with everything.

i want to recap - but keep in mind as i talk about the menu specifically i'm sure chef didn't know what he was preparing until a few days before the event, and the menu *choices* were planned by the reunion committee and possibly a representative from the restaurant to assist in how to save costs. the choices, substitutions and items cut had nothing to do with chef love.

here's what we did get

-Red Chile Marinated Jumbo Shrimp with Smoke Pina Salsa 

-Australian Lobster & Poblano Wontons with Whipped Parsnips & Serrano Chile Vinaigrette

-Roasted Suckling Pig

here's what was probably substituted out in place of a similar item:

-Smoked Crab Enchiladas with Sweet & Spicy Ranchero Sauce  - chicken instead of crab
-Braised Wild Boar Ribs with LD BBQ Sauce & Housmade Pickles - suckling pig instead of wild boar ribs

here's what we didn't get:

-Heirloom Tomato, Texas Basil & Goat Cheese Tarts
-Anti-Pasta Platter: Grilled Imported Cheeses, Cured Meats, Marinated Cremini Mushrooms, Roasted Red Pepprs, & Spanish Olives
-Smoked Salmon Canapes on Blue Corn Chips
-Beef Tenderloin Canapes with Borsin Cheese

to the menu in general - if i had seen this menu from the committee beforehand i would've voiced concern for the cost per ticket to the reunion for just the dinner and 'that's all we're getting?!?' - notice there's not a dessert, either. 

the swap of chicken for crab i was ok with. it wasn't what i wanted to eat but as we were a class of ~500 and had ~50 show up (that's students, add +1s for spouses/partners) the committee had to do something to cut costs. but man, they really slashed the menu. i knew there was something missing other than the crab issue, but until i checked the menu posted on the reunion event i hadn't remembered everything we were supposed to get! i was extremely disappointed to not get the boar, the heirloom tomatoes or the canapes. 

we did get a certain number of drink tickets included before having to pay for booze or cokes. with the dumbed down meal one would think the restaurant might spring for bottomless cokes in pity if nothing else but oh well. however i do give 1 of the barmaids and 1 of the hostesses kudos. the wine they had out for our event - i had a glass of the red and i don't remember what it was but it was totally non-descript. all i remember was it took me a while to get that glass empty. so later in the night i went up and asked if there was anyway i could get a 'good' glass of red wine. something much more robust and full-bodied. i have no idea what it was she brought back to me and it was no muton rothschild, but it was much better. thank you very much for doing that. i wish i could remember your names so i could give you proper credit.

well there you have it. a disappointing meal made much worse by the oppressive heat and a room that was too small to deal with the crowd; it was so loud we were screaming across the table to each other and as it was i still didn't hear 1/2 of what was actually being said. 


i guess eventually i had to write a negative review. i'm really sad it had to happen in conjunction with my reunion. will i go return to eat here? i'd like to give chef love a 2nd chance. we'll see what the future holds.














PS- after a couple surprised people and their comments on my FB page i think it needs to be re-said. perhaps i wasn't clear above. the condition of the food, the lack of the staff not knowing where the centerpiece did, the fact it was so hot out that most people were inside a small and loud room made louder by the number of people was, in no way the responsibility of the reunion committee. the only thing they did was to cut costs (and who wouldn't) when they found the attendance was much lower than they had hoped for and so the original published menu was drastically changed. that was their part in this. yes i was disappointed to not have the original menu, we all paid for the original menu and i was looking forward to tasting all the goodies and it is a shame more people couldn't make it and it came down to the committee having to cut the menu like they did, but they had nothing to do with the preparation of what was served. that's where the real disappointment fell. and that fell solely on the restaurant and chefs.


i will remind people that blogs are 1 person's opinion of that particular event, location or topic. you can agree or disagree with the stated ideas - mine or others. civilized and constructive debates on topics are always welcome provided they are just that, civilized and constructive.

8/13/2010 Abacus Dallas TX

Kristy booked us into Abacus for our dinner. we were stunned and extremely disappointed to learn that the tasting menu is only available tues-thurs. and then the chef's table was already booked. i want to say it was also a 6+ table and we were a party of 4. kristy tried her best to have them serve us the chef's tasting menu but they wouldn't budge.

kent rathbun owns 3 places in the dallas area - abacus, jaspers, and rathbun's blue plate kitchen. rathbun has previously worked at the mansion and opened abacus, a 5-star restaurant, in 1997. perhaps the few issues i had with the evening are directly related to being around for 13+ years and things have gotten a little lax. if so i hope the comments i made put a pep into them to make the few and small changes.

as we were going back to ftw directly from the restaurant we took 2 cars from C&K's place. as neither matt nor i had any real idea of where we were going other than 'it's off 75' chris drove matt and kristy came with me.

as we pulled up it was very clear this is valet parking only.  thank you to chris or kristy for covering that as we hadn't thought of it and we didn't have any cash.

our server suggested our wines. neither were very expensive but both complimented our meal(s) nicely.


we were seated as soon as we walked in and there weren't too many people there yet, but as time went by the place filled up.

with the exception of mentions about my 'tiny tank' when i'm drinking lots of water/other, i don't usually comment on the ladies' room. but this time i feel compelled to. when we walked into the restaurant i noticed the music choice wasn't really what i would consider appropriate for fine dining, but it was more hiphop-chic-wannabe kind of music and it was a little on the loud side. but walk into the ladies rook and it's like walking in front of a stack of speakers turned up to 11. guys, turn it down!

we were seated at a four-top and it was a bit crowded. we discussed this because there were 6-tops set up for 2. and our 4-top would've better suited a party of 2 while we could've been at a larger table. no michellin star for abacus on the above 2 comments.

we all decided that no matter what we should all try and order something different and we'd "pass the plates". our own little tasting menu.

our appetizers were:

japanese hamachi tartar, pickled scallions, apricot sorbet, ginger-white soy ponzu

matt and chris said this was great. it wasn't my favorite. in part because it's fish, and also because it's raw. also the sorbet didn't do it for me. maybe a different flavor? i'd have to try it. as far as consistency goes i think it worked. the cracker was a sesame and poppy seed thing.

it was matt's favorite

"bacon and eggs", niman ranch chipotle bacon, scrambled duck egg, black truffle

uh, YUM! i have to say i didn't care for the egg. it was really thick, not light like a scrambled egg. but i didn't let the truffle go to waste.

while all the other appys were really 1 bite per person, the bacon was too rich and gooey to do that. whoever had this plate held up the rest of the table while they finished their portion.

this was chris's favorite and my 2nd fav.

matt and i saw this on a sample menu and were intrigued so we knew we had to order it.

pan roasted foie gras, bacon-buttermilk 'hot cakes', toasted walnuts, texas peach-bourbon maple syrup

kristy's favorite, and while i enjoyed it, it wasn't something i think i'd order again. personally i could've done with less walnut but there are other nuts i prefer to eat. the preparation was perfect on this dish. but if i had to name a favorite it was the next dish listed.

crispy pork belly steam bun, thai chile black soy, savoy cabbage slaw.

this was my fav of these 4 dishes. i think in part because it was different. yeah i know, foie gras with pancakes isn't different? ok, this one had a kick to it. it was the spiciest of the 4. it reminded me a little of the mushu (sp?) pork we get at our favorite chinese restaurants, only much snootier.

butter leaf lettuce "wedge" salad, grape tomatoes, vidalia onions, creme fraiche-bleu cheese dressing

kristy swears by this salad.

marinated buffalo's milk mozzarella, heirloom tomatoes, basil pesto, sourdough croutons, 25 year balsamic

it never fails to amaze me how yummy something as simple as this can be - provided the ingredients are the absolute best you can purchase.

keep this on the menu

the wine we had with our main course(s).

while we shared around the mains, the plates "lived" with the person who ordered it.

kristy ordered
chipotle bacon duck breast, maple-black pepper glaze, cous-cous risotto, california avacado creme fraiche

she says it was very good, but her next trip i think she'll be ordering the beef cheeks.

i had
port wine braised beef cheeks, roasted baby carrots, goat cheese whipped potatoes, natural jus

overall a very good dish. my main complaint was that whipped potatoes are by definition light and these were far from light. they were heavy and dense. the flavor was fine, but 1 bite was all i needed to know i wouldn't have more.

the cheeks, that's another story!

chris ordered
grilled scottish salmon, serrano-jack cheese grits, cilantro pepita pesto, chipotle-lime butter

he says it was very good

matt had
crispy seared hawaiian ono, spicy jasmine fried rice, breakfast radishes, tangering-white miso butter











coffee of course, was ordered with dessert.

another shared dish:
blueberry fried pie
buttermilk goat cheese cream, vanilla honey

i'm so glad there were 4 of these! definitely a keeper. we didn't really know what to expect with this one. the size of the pies are almost twice the size they are in the picture. it was kind of like a sopapilla with blueberry-vanilla honey.

blueberry and lemon sorbets.

this was really good except for the sesame tuille (?!?) which just didn't work for any of us. luckily it was easy to remove.

dark chocolate sorbetto

again with that tuille.













our server - i'm sorry i didn't write his name down because i can't remember it - was great. i had only  1 'complaint' and i put that in single quotes because it's not really a complaint. i'll explain. when i returned from a trip to the ladies room he was standing beside my chair waiting to take the order of our entree. maybe he didn't see me, i'd hope it was that as opposed to the alternative. he kept standing there and didn't move. not only did he not move to allow me to get into my chair, he didn't offer to help with the chair either. this is something i guess i've gotten a little used to from fine dining experiences. again no michellin star for the lack of this. also they didn't refold my napkin or give me a new one. ok, now maybe i'm getting picky. but hey, this is supposed to be a very nice restaurant, and i've gotten better service (and kept my eardrums intact) at places where we paid a lot less.

don't get me wrong, the waiter knew the wines, made good suggestions, and made sure we had water. but it took a while to get our food, was there a backup in the kitchen? we don't know. and he did take our picture for us at the end of the night. i guess honestly it was mixed as far as service some was good, others lacking.

would i go back? yes, but probably not before visiting a few other places first.

matt, libby, kristy, chris. good friends make good food great!