Hmm. What to say about my visit to the Silver Fox steakhouse in Richardson last month. Nice, but not classy sums it up. It's like the wanna-be richer-place. It's located in a Richardson strip center off George Bush. There was no valet. The bartender swore. Dress was casual.
On the up side, it's convenient to that area, it's come as you are, and our waiter, at least, knew exactly what he was doing.
The food was great, although there was some confusion regarding sides since there were no potato-type things listed. Each plate comes with a side, although I can't remember at this point what it was. (My apologies - there were personal issues taking place at the time.) The wine list also features the Messina Hof vineyard in Texas.
20071006
20070823
Nobu
Went to Nobu for Restaurant Week, although I've had a hard time finding the motivation to write about it. There was much socializing that night, so my focus wasn't on the food. So I'll have to keep this to a brief guide.
1) Nobu is in the Crescent Court. Valet is $4. I think you can park your own car in the garage downstairs, but there is probably also a fee.
2) Although a nice place, men, you don't need a jacket. You won't be out of place with or without one. It was however slightly warm in there.
3) The service was friendly, efficient, and helpful. I would have preferred it to be slightly less intrusive.
4) The dining atmosphere is not intimate, most if not all of the restaurant is in one large room with high ceilings.
As for the food, I only remember it being tasty. Describing it further would be inaccurate. I seem to remember liking the Olivier LaFlaive '04 Chardonnay though.
1) Nobu is in the Crescent Court. Valet is $4. I think you can park your own car in the garage downstairs, but there is probably also a fee.
2) Although a nice place, men, you don't need a jacket. You won't be out of place with or without one. It was however slightly warm in there.
3) The service was friendly, efficient, and helpful. I would have preferred it to be slightly less intrusive.
4) The dining atmosphere is not intimate, most if not all of the restaurant is in one large room with high ceilings.
As for the food, I only remember it being tasty. Describing it further would be inaccurate. I seem to remember liking the Olivier LaFlaive '04 Chardonnay though.
20070817
Road Rash
My previous theory does not seem to be holding. Since riding the train, I haven't encountered the bizarre and unusual as I have in the past. Not even a racial slur. Just a lot of bums chasing me for my change.
But I did have an adventure recently nonetheless. This involved me, my Trek 1000 racing bike, morning traffic, riding parallel to trolley tracks on McKinney, an attempted 30-degree left turn onto Harwood, my thin wheels alternating from falling into the rut between the rail and the asphalt and losing traction on the smooth surface of the rail, both wheels slipping out from underneath me, and the left side of my body slamming onto the asphalt in the middle of McKinney Avenue.
The result is a bloody elbow that's still oozing puss, a strained ab, bruised hip, and a minor cut at my ankle. Well, my bike's important too, so it's going to need its alignment done, and the shifting mechanism got twisted around the handlebar.
Lessons:
1) Cycling in rush hour is stupid, even when it's just a couple miles from the Katy Trail back to your apartment in Downtown Dallas. Uptown is particularly bad since the streets that get you back to Downtown are limited.
2) Crossing streetcar lines with racing tires works best at 90-degree angles. In fact, that may be the only way I care to do that ever again. I would have still taken Harwood, but I would have crossed one street at a time like a pedestrian.
3) I feel stupid, irresponsible, and lucky to be alive.
But I did have an adventure recently nonetheless. This involved me, my Trek 1000 racing bike, morning traffic, riding parallel to trolley tracks on McKinney, an attempted 30-degree left turn onto Harwood, my thin wheels alternating from falling into the rut between the rail and the asphalt and losing traction on the smooth surface of the rail, both wheels slipping out from underneath me, and the left side of my body slamming onto the asphalt in the middle of McKinney Avenue.
The result is a bloody elbow that's still oozing puss, a strained ab, bruised hip, and a minor cut at my ankle. Well, my bike's important too, so it's going to need its alignment done, and the shifting mechanism got twisted around the handlebar.
Lessons:
1) Cycling in rush hour is stupid, even when it's just a couple miles from the Katy Trail back to your apartment in Downtown Dallas. Uptown is particularly bad since the streets that get you back to Downtown are limited.
2) Crossing streetcar lines with racing tires works best at 90-degree angles. In fact, that may be the only way I care to do that ever again. I would have still taken Harwood, but I would have crossed one street at a time like a pedestrian.
3) I feel stupid, irresponsible, and lucky to be alive.
Del's Is Back
By convenience of location, I returned to Del's to give the current owner a second shot. The burger was juicy and delicious. In fact, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that it's come into its own now, a better burger than it once was.
Kudos Hoss.
By the way, Del's seems to have a bigger draw. Expect a crowd.
Kudos Hoss.
By the way, Del's seems to have a bigger draw. Expect a crowd.
20070722
Nick & Sam's
Made it to Nick & Sam's last week for a guy's night out. I haven't done this in a while, so I hadn't had a good steak in a while, but this was far better than I ever remember it. I had the bone-in filet, and although it made a big difference in the flavor, there were no flaws in the steak either. You can go to plenty of reputable establishments and still wind up with a portion of the meat overdone or fatty. The rest of the steak is great, but that small encounter leaves a bad taste in your memory. This steak, this bone-in filet, this was totally worth the upgrade price and then some.
Also ordered were the "Damn Good Fries," which arrived in the form of a heaping pile of seasoned potatos that didn't seem to have an end. For dessert, I split hot fresh doughnuts with the evening's spice of cinnamon.
Aside from that, yes the lighting is really dim. Fine for those like myself who prefer the cave, others are presented a small flashlight for reading the menu. The wine list was expansive and you would have to be a wine nerd or a regular drinker to recognize any of the names. The service was helpful and educated.
Finally, you will likely feel poor if you go here. I don't care what car you drive, it will still suck compared to the Rosso Corsa Ferrari F50 that the valet pulls around for the guy in front of you.
Also ordered were the "Damn Good Fries," which arrived in the form of a heaping pile of seasoned potatos that didn't seem to have an end. For dessert, I split hot fresh doughnuts with the evening's spice of cinnamon.
Aside from that, yes the lighting is really dim. Fine for those like myself who prefer the cave, others are presented a small flashlight for reading the menu. The wine list was expansive and you would have to be a wine nerd or a regular drinker to recognize any of the names. The service was helpful and educated.
Finally, you will likely feel poor if you go here. I don't care what car you drive, it will still suck compared to the Rosso Corsa Ferrari F50 that the valet pulls around for the guy in front of you.
20070712
Coal Vines
I can't say that I can give Coal Vines a full review yet. I dropped by Monday only to pick up a pizza on my way somewhere. Still the place deserves some merit.
This isn't Pizza Inn. This isn't even Campisi's. The owner, Joe, dressed in a casually-expensive way greeted me at the patio. The place itself is a tight fit - maybe a dozen tables plus the bar. Where there weren't floor-to-ceiling shelves of wine, there were paintings. There was one television, a widescreen HD showing a ballgame.
From what I encountered, the service was very friendly. I could tell they were well-trained.
Parking is scarce. I nabbed the open spot for take-out. The rest were devoted to valet for Medici. This made me a little nervous, considering I drive a cheap car, had a bunch of Roland equipment in the backseat, and Joe was hanging out in the lot on his phone checking out the new Mercedes next to me. So I was constantly looking over my shoulder while I was waiting at the bar. At any rate, I'm sure it's not too hard to find a spot on the streets around there and walk a short distance.
As for the food? Well I didn't get to eating it until I arrived at my destination. By then, the pie was starting to get cold, although I could still get a feel for the flavor. New York style crust, long slices of red and green peppers and large chunks of sausage. Reminded me of some of the stuff I got in Corsica in way.
I'm going to have to go back for a table, get a proper menu, and wash it back with some wine.
This isn't Pizza Inn. This isn't even Campisi's. The owner, Joe, dressed in a casually-expensive way greeted me at the patio. The place itself is a tight fit - maybe a dozen tables plus the bar. Where there weren't floor-to-ceiling shelves of wine, there were paintings. There was one television, a widescreen HD showing a ballgame.
From what I encountered, the service was very friendly. I could tell they were well-trained.
Parking is scarce. I nabbed the open spot for take-out. The rest were devoted to valet for Medici. This made me a little nervous, considering I drive a cheap car, had a bunch of Roland equipment in the backseat, and Joe was hanging out in the lot on his phone checking out the new Mercedes next to me. So I was constantly looking over my shoulder while I was waiting at the bar. At any rate, I'm sure it's not too hard to find a spot on the streets around there and walk a short distance.
As for the food? Well I didn't get to eating it until I arrived at my destination. By then, the pie was starting to get cold, although I could still get a feel for the flavor. New York style crust, long slices of red and green peppers and large chunks of sausage. Reminded me of some of the stuff I got in Corsica in way.
I'm going to have to go back for a table, get a proper menu, and wash it back with some wine.
20070710
Kenichi at the W
My wife and I went to Kenichi this weekend for her birthday. Kenichi is number four in a US chain of Japanese restaurants. This doesn't surprise me since nothing in Victory Park is an original except the American Airlines Center. Moving on...
The food was good. The service was good. The atmosphere was good. I think the real problem with the circa $150 tab for two was that in Dallas, this doesn't stand out. There are a number of established Japanese restaurants in the area that provide a hip atmosphere, the freshest fish, and creative twists on traditional cuisine.
Granted, I should go back and try more of the cooked menu since we stuck mostly to the sushi. My wife did rave about the Godzilla roll, what I remember to be a Caterpillar Roll with strawberries on top, but it didn't really hit me. And the place was hopping with younger energy. As we were leaving, we passed a crowd of seemingly single folk in the late-20's or early-30's bracket drinking by the bar. If I were single and drove a Porsche too, then I would totally be joining them.
Finally, the valet was subsidized by the restaurant at $5, a fair price considering folks heading to shows down there would pay upwards of $15 for parking. There's also the option of taking the special-event line to Victory Station, but you have to plan your return trip with the exodus of the evening's major event. But it won't be long until 2009 when the station is a permanent stop on the future Green and Orange Lines.
Follow-up: Kenichi called the following week to make sure we enjoyed our dinner. Service++.
The food was good. The service was good. The atmosphere was good. I think the real problem with the circa $150 tab for two was that in Dallas, this doesn't stand out. There are a number of established Japanese restaurants in the area that provide a hip atmosphere, the freshest fish, and creative twists on traditional cuisine.
Granted, I should go back and try more of the cooked menu since we stuck mostly to the sushi. My wife did rave about the Godzilla roll, what I remember to be a Caterpillar Roll with strawberries on top, but it didn't really hit me. And the place was hopping with younger energy. As we were leaving, we passed a crowd of seemingly single folk in the late-20's or early-30's bracket drinking by the bar. If I were single and drove a Porsche too, then I would totally be joining them.
Finally, the valet was subsidized by the restaurant at $5, a fair price considering folks heading to shows down there would pay upwards of $15 for parking. There's also the option of taking the special-event line to Victory Station, but you have to plan your return trip with the exodus of the evening's major event. But it won't be long until 2009 when the station is a permanent stop on the future Green and Orange Lines.
Follow-up: Kenichi called the following week to make sure we enjoyed our dinner. Service++.
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