Waxahachie & Arlington Eats

I have tried out 2 restaurants recently that I think everyone should know about!

 Bistro 115 just opened in Waxahaxhie, and we are glad they did!

 When we went it was during their soft opening, so they didn't have the full menu available yet. However, the soft opening menu assured me we would be back! I got the crab cake sliders, which came with a fried green tomato & a little cole slaw inside. These crab cakes were mostly crab! So flavorful! And the chips on the side were housemade with a little fried basil, yum! Also, the people were so nice, and accommodating! They recommend reservations, and we saw then turn several people away because tbey were booked. I can't wait to go back!

 Today my sisters, nieces, nephews, & I tried Ninja Ramen in Arlington. I had only ever had ramen at one restaurant before today, & that restaurant had closed :( so I was looking for a new place!

This ramen was above and beyond what I had before! I got the spicy miso and I added garlic flakes & bok choy. It had a great heat, a nice thick flavorful miso, and the additions added even more flavor! I am ready to go back and get another bowl for dinner! Both nieces who had never had ramen really liked the kids miso. Luke thought we were going for Pho, and did not want to try the ramen :( but he got the kids pork and rice, and he really liked the pork with their dipping sauce! We will be back! But first we should treat Luke to some Pho in the near future ;)

Eating in Arlington

A couple weeks ago we decided to try out Orchid City Fusion Cafe based on several recommendations of people who live in Arlington. Those recommendations were correct!

I got the Crawfish Fusion, fried crawfish over spicy fried rice with jalapenos & crispy onions mixed in. This was some of the best fried rice I have ever had! There were several yummy sounding things on the menu, but I will have a hard time not getting this every visit!

We also got rolled ice cream! Mine was mango ice cream with fresh fruit & mochi on top. The ice cream tasted like fresh mango, it was sweet & creamy. Sister made an even better choice, she got macha ice cream! The macha flavor was so strong! Anytime i've had green tea ice cream in the past it has been good, but not very strong flavor. This flavor was so strong & wonderful! We will be back!

Today Hubby & I decided to have a lunch date :) We wanted to try Tom's based on recommendations & the owner, Tom's, super nice presence on BookFace ;)! This guy is the real deal y'all & his personality rubs off on the people in his restaurant! Hubby told me while we were eating that this was the nicest restaurant he had ever been to as far as customer service is concerned :)

I got a bacon cheese burger with jalapeno bacon, fries, & their new (as in today was the first day) Bacon Gravy to dip my fries in. The burger had fresh veggies on top, & the jalapeno bacon had great flavor. That gravy though, next time I will be trying the chicken fried steak just so I can have more of the gravy! Hubby got the Bacon Bleu Burger, and he really enjoyed the mild bleu cheese flavor. However, he said next time he would get the half pound burger because his third pound came out well done. So if you like your burger medium, keep that in mind.

We will be back Tom! & thanks Chad & Kristen for the wonderful service!!

Heim BBQ

Heim BBQ is our second stamp in our BBQ Passport! We visited over our Anniversary week, and had a yummy lunch!

I got the Big Cat Sandwich again, yum!! Hubby got Brisket, Sausage, Potato Salad, & Green Chile Mac & Cheese. I tried a bite of his potato salad, it was creamy and delish. Of course the mac & cheese is always a great option! We shared the Bacon Burnt Ends, oh my, those flavorful smoky pieces of bacon will bring you back for more!

Thank you Texas Monthly for our BBQ Passport & for planning our meals for a while ;)

10 Years on Top of The World

Yesterday was our 10 year anniversary! For lunch we went to Sal's, which is where we had dinner the night he proposed :)

This is also where we had our rehearsal dinner, we really love Sal's Pizza! We were fortunate enough that Sal was there yesterday so we could share the good news with him.

We then rode the McKinney Avenue Trolley. This is a great date idea! It is free transportation around a small circuit of Dallas that takes about an hour to complete.

You can hop off and back on at the stops, they come around about every 20 minutes depending how many cars they have going. This Trolley car is named Petunia :)

Headed back to the spot he proposed!!

We first went to the Bar & Lounge at Five Sixty Restaurant to have an appetizer & drinks. We shared calamari with a pickled ginger vinaigrette. It had fresh jalapeno mixed into the hot calamari which gave each piece a nice bite. However, we found the calamari to be hit or miss, some pieces were very good and others were quite chewy.

To drink Hubby got a Barrel Aged Old Fashioned which was both of our favorites. I got the Yakuza with was lemony and gingery and very good.

We sat at the edge of the bar by the window so we could see Dallas as we spun in a 360. In an hour you will make the full circle, and then it was time to go to the newly remodeled Geo-Deck.

This spot right here is where he proposed to me 11 years ago! Overlooking Downtown Dallas & Old Red Courthouse.

This time we stayed long enough to see the sunset

This was such a special day to return to Reunion Tower!

I am the luckiest girl in the world, being on top of the world with my perfect man! Here's to the rest of our lives!

Top BBQ

Our BBQ loving friend informed Hubby & I that Texas Monthly had a Top 50 BBQ in Texas issue out!

& that there was a passport to document each of the 50 you check out! So of course I went and bought said magazine!

Tonight we got our first stickers in our passports! Top 5 BBQ! Of course they are one of the Top 50 in Texas! We went with our BBQ loving friend & his wife, so we decided to split their Top 50 Experience. Half a pound of Brisket, Sausage, Pulled Pork (which they were out of so we got more brisket), & Ribs & 4 sides. With 4 of us eating til we were stuffed, there were still leftovers! It was all so good! We have been here several times since I wrote that first post, & I would like to retract my statement about their brisket. It is now my favorite meat there! It has a great bark on it with a great rub!

So go get your Passport & start eating your way around Texas!

Obstacle Warrior Kids

In February this boy, who once weighed 1lb 12oz turned 6!

Also, can I say how happy I was that McDonalds gave him a real deck of cards instead of a cheap plastic toy!

For his birthday gift I took him to Obstacle Warrior Kids in Dallas.

This place was a huge hit!

He totally did this on purpose!

The employees here were super cool! They helped Elias have a great time, and never treated him like a little kid!

He ran, and climbed, and jumped until he finally laid down and was very ready to leave!

Thank you to all the staff for making this a fun birthday trip!

Dinners and Shows

We were going to see a play in Fort Worth, and Hubby said we had to try this BBQ place he had been to.

Heim BBQ

Goodness, was he right! All 4 of us (Hubby, me, and our moms) got the Big Cat Sandwich. Chopped Brisket on a Jalapeno Bun topped with a scoop of Green Chili Mac & Cheese. When mine & Hubby's came out on the same tray, Hubby threatened to eat them both! Fortunately, he decided to let me have one ;) This brisket was full of flavor and needed no sauce! We will be back (Grandma, we have to make plans to meet you!)

Then it was time for our play at Amphibian Stage.

We saw Northside Hollow, about a man who was trapped in a mine.

These are working headlamps, we were asked to be part of the lighting crew! :) This was a very well done play! And I'm not just saying that because we were on crew ;)

Our second night of dinner and a show, actually started with the show. Cirque Du Soleil Kurios, a Steampunk themed show. It was extraordinary! The acts had you in disbelief!

After the show we went to Trinity Grove in Dallas, and decided to eat at Beto & Son. I got the Stuffed Chile Relleno Noodle Bowl. A roasted chile relleno stuffed with shredded chicken and topped with cheese, laid on top of a bed of noodles & veggies. It was very tasty!

If you couldn't tell, we really enjoy trying new dishes, and new places to eat! I hope you have some fun trying new things too! Let us know about places we need to be checking out!

Valentine's BBQ

Happy Valentine's Day!! We were trying to find a casual place that wouldn't be packed today, so I turned to my D Magazine BBQ issue.

There it was, Top 5 BBQ, #8 on D Magazine's top 20 BBQ joints in Dallas. Even better, it was only 15 minutes from our home!

This is a tiny place with only a couple tables, so we decided to bring our Valentine's dinner home and eat it while watching Mad Max, one of my Christmas gifts from Hubby :)

Our reviews:

First of all these are some of the nicest guys! We were asking about their sauce options (regular, hot, and atomic) and they had us come over and try each. Telling us what made them special, and then telling us about their different sausages. These guys are passionate about BBQ!

Both of us agreed that the sausage was the best, and the ribs were also amazing. I love dry ribs! The brisket was good, but not better than the ribs or sausage. I was not a fan of the pulled pork, but I've never had pulled pork that I was a fan of. I'm pretty much ready to quit wasting stomach space trying pulled pork ;) Hubby, who is in the pulled pork is good camp, really liked this pulled pork :) so I would listen to him! The mac & cheese had a sharpness to it that I can't put my finger on, but really liked! The cabbage tasted like it came from Grandma's house :) The potato salad was tangy with mustard, and the beans were a little spicy and a little sweet, but not quite cooked long enough. These sauces though, ya'll, I would eat a shoe coated in their sauce! This is coming from someone who rarely likes BBQ sauce, their hot and their atomic are smokey, spicy, and tasty! And if you are on the side of there should be more cookies in pudding then you need to try their banana pudding. It has no bananas, just thick banana flavored pudding with a box of cookies in every bowl ;)

We thoroughly enjoyed our Valentine's dinner! Now excuse us as we go watch our movie :)

Fresh Fish

On our quest to eat healthier, I decided to find a way to make fish that Hubby would eat! The first step was starting with the freshest fish I could find, which led me to Atkins Seafood.

This is a tiny half fish market half seafood lunch spot in Waxahachie, TX.

So of course I got lunch before buying my fresh fish :) Blackened Fish Tacos with pineapple salsa, and a side of black bean salad. These were hands down the best seafood tacos I've ever had! I thought the black beans could have used a little more seasoning, but they were a nice complement to the spicy fish.

Then it was time to pick what fish we would be having for dinner :) The lady behind the counter told me, you pick your fish and pay for the whole thing, then if you would like they will fillet it for you.

She told me Red Snapper was their most popular fish, so that is what I chose, and I got it filleted with the skin on.

Then I brought it home to cook :)

Blackened Red Snapper

9oz Red Snapper Fillets, skin on (about 2 fillets)

2 tsp canola oil

1/2 Tbsp Salt

1/2 Tbsp Paprika

1/2 tsp Garlic Powder

1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper

1/2 tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Mix salt, paprika, garlic, cayenne, and pepper together in small bowl.

(What you see in this pic is twice as much seasoning, I ended up only needing half, and adjusted suggested measurements accordingly)

On Clean work surface cut several small slits in skin to keep it from curling while cooking. Flip fish and generously season meaty side. Heat small cast iron skillet over medium heat. If only one fillet will fit in you skillet, then add 1 tsp oil and allow to heat without smoking. If both fillets will fit, then add 2 tsp oil and let heat. Once oil is hot, place fish, seasoning side down into skillet and set timer for 3 minutes.

After 3 minutes flip fish and allow skin side to cook for 2 minutes. Remove fish and allow to drain on paper towel lined plate. At this point you can add the second tsp of oil and second fillet if you did not cook them together. You can peel the skin away from the fish before serving, or the meat will gently flake off the skin while eating.

I also made Crustless Swiss Chard Pie from The Skinnytaste Cookbook to go with our fish.

Blackened Red Snapper, Crustless Swiss Chard Pie, Sauteed Green Beans, and homemade (kinda) Horseradish Sauce ( 1 single serving size fat free greek yogurt, 1 Tbsp Penzey's Horseradish dip mix, 1 tsp dried dill)

Served on our fancy china ;)

It happened ya'll! Hubby said the fish was his favorite thing on the plate! This is a man who has always hated fish! I was so excited! Fresh fish is clearly the key!! Hubby's mom also really enjoyed it. Though she said it was pretty spicy, so take that into consideration when using the cayenne. We all also really enjoyed the swiss chard pie! We always enjoy sauteed green beans (I had to have something on the plate that we had eaten and liked before!) The horseradish dip was surprisingly good on the swiss chard, however I thought it had a tangyness (hello greek yogurt) that did not meld well with the fish.

I highly recommend this dish! And if you too are hesitant to eat fish, find a fresh fish market, and let them change your mind!