Dessert at The Capital Grille Pleases the Palate and the Eyes

Cheesecake, photo
by Janet Johnson

I just have to insert a post about the incredible desserts at my favorite restaurant in Dallas: The Capital Grille.

The Capital Grille has restaurants in a variety of cities—Vegas, Chicago, NYC, and even Plano now. Last night, I headed to the Crescent Hotel with a friend to introduce her to The Capital Grille.

The meal was delicious, as always, but the dessert—and her picture of dessert—deserve publication. I ordered the cheesecake: a small, individual-serving, Ricotta cheesecake served with fresh fruit and a strawberry coulis. YUM. The cheesecake was delicious—not too rich or sweet. Just right after a large, delicious meal. The fruit was flawless. And the presentation was beautiful!

Well done, Chef!

Fera's in Denton Serves Tasty, Inexpensive Pasta

Located in Denton, near the campus of the University of North Texas, Fera's is a local dive that students and locals frequent for the good food and reasonable prices.

We went to Fera's after an event at the university and were surprised at how quiet the restaurant was early on a Saturday evening. No crowd was a little misleading because the place is busy during the week.

The small, free-standing restaurant has limited parking and isn't easily visible because of the many buildings around in a cluttered "university town" setting.

Kids Lasagna

We were immediately seated by a college-age waitstaffer in a large booth. The table was dirty and the menus were sticky and old, but the restaurant smelled good. We ordered and then the waiter brought out hot yeast rolls covered with Italian seasoning. Nice start.

Between the four of us, we ordered the kids' lasagna, the kids' ravioli, a house salad, and a chicken parmesan sandwich.

The salad came out first. The salad was composed of lettuce, two slices of tomato, a few olives, and a slice of bell pepper. The dressing was a house-made tomato basil vinaigrette, which was delicious. The salad lacked luster but was a nice size.

Chicken Parmesan Sandwich

The entrees came out very hot. They smelled delicious. The kids' meals were served in small crocks. The kids' lasagna was larger than we expected. The layered cheese, tomato sauce, and noodles were simple but delicious. The kids' ravioli seemed small but was filling. It lacked seasoning but was simple and tasty. The chicken parmesan sandwich smelled good but was not very pretty to look at. The roll had been heated with the chicken and cheese, so the bread was chewing—not easy to eat.

We decided to also try a piece of the turtle cheesecake—"just to put a sweet taste in my mouth," as my grandfather used to say. The four of us shared the cheesecake because we were already becoming full. The cheesecake was cold, probably a refrigerated cheesecake, with a drizzle of caramel added over the top to create a more authentic presentation. Two of us really enjoyed the cheesecake.

Turtle Cheesecake

Our bill with tip was $26—not bad for four of us to eat in a small, local establishment. The waitstaff was pleasant. The restaurant was a little too dark, as you can see from the photographs. We would have liked a little more lighting to be able to see our food and not feel like we were eating in a cave. (Ambiance is fine, but the restaurant could add some focused lighting—candles on the table or less use of the dimmer.) The bar was a little noisy, but the television was on back there. The facility could use a good cleaning, but it was not a health hazard.

All in all, we enjoyed our meal at Fera's and would go back if we were on campus. We gave Fera's 6 thumbs up.

Scotty P's in McKinney Serves Great Hamburgers and Salads

Kids' Hamburger and Fries

The best hamburgers in North Texas are at Scotty P's, a locally established restaurant and family business that serves great food with large servings.

For this dinner, we ordered three kids' meals and a salad. The kids' meals are smaller servings but the full servings are huge, so sometimes the smaller serving is just right. Here's a photo of the kids' hamburger. You can order it with lettuce, tomato, pickle, and onion if you want. It comes with Scotty P's fries and a small drink and dessert (this time a package of two Oreo cookies) and costs about $5. The hamburger was fresh and hot and delicious...and gone within minutes.

Greek Salad

One of us ordered the small Greek salad: lettuce, a few tomatoes and olives, Feta cheese, red onions, Greek dressing, and grilled pita. (They used to serve two crisp crackers, and we all agree that we miss those.) The smaller salad is a standard size, and you can order it with grilled chicken. It's delicious without the chicken and costs about $6.

We also splurged and ordered a junior order of Scotty P's cardiac fries. French fries layered with melted cheddar cheese with fresh bacon and chives and jalepeños and served with ranch dressing for dipping sauce. A junior serving is a nice "side order" for the four of us, but you can order a large order, which will feed an entire table, especially if you aren't ordering regular French fries with your hamburgers. (You order French fries separately on the menu.)

Cardiac Fries

Scotty P's food is fresh and served hot. Unfortunately, the servings are very large and some of the prices are high compared to other burger places, but you are paying for quality. The restaurant in McKinney has televisions that are tuned to the news, and the back room is a great place for viewing sporting events on the two large-screen televisions. (In fact, on this night, we watched a re-broadcast of our favorite college team beating a nationally ranked team.) The environment is warm and casual: not too loud. We frequently run into neighbors and friends here; Scotty P's is a frequented restaurant, which is nice in a smaller city.

We give Scotty P's seven thumbs up for this dining experience. We went early and the service was a little slow. But the food was delicious and satisfying. Thanks, Scotty P!

Urban Crust in Plano is a Hip Restaurant for Great Food and Happy Hour

Urban Crust is a trendy local establishment that serves delicious, original food in an eclectic setting with great service!



On a whim, we decided to head to downtown Plano for dinner one night this week and, on a whim, we headed into Urban Crust, a hip, 2-year-old establishment on the historic stretch of 15th Street. We were amidst a crowd going in, but the hostess seated us immediately in a table with chairs on one side and a comfortable, pillow-adorned bench on the other. The place was busy, but the waitstaff was moving and the noise in the rooftop bar indicated that we had come to a popular place.


Service was great! We waited a few minutes to give our order, but the waiter was covering six tables in our vicinity (who knows how many elsewhere). Didn't matter—he was attentive to all the guests. Before he arrived, another waiter brought us water (a necessity in Texas because of the record-breaking heat this summer) and we had time to peruse a diverse but not overwhelming menu. Urban Crust is all about pizza and pasta. I don't think I'd eat pasta though, now that I've had the pizza....

Decor and servers are unique! We were constantly amused by the staff running the stairs. They jump down the stairs, taking every three steps. The seating at the restaurant is ecclectic. We sat in a table for six, which might have been a little crowded for larger guests. The tables around us seated two or four. Behind our seat was a long wooden counter with stools (and one saddle) that overlooked the bar and bartender downstairs.

We did not go to the rooftop bar, but a lot of people were going there. The attire seemed a bit more dressy, but that may be because the "single scene" was upstairs too. The restaurant was comfortably noisy; the Texas Rangers game was on a television at the bar, but we didn't feel overwhelmed during our conversation.

One-half of a Caesar salad was enough
for an appetizer.

The building itself is a historic building with the bare-brick look. Our waiter said the owners renovated that space for the restaurant. It's attractive and trendy, a perfect spot for happy hour or dinner.

The four of us ordered two Caesar salads to start. We all enjoy a cool salad, but we didn't want to fill up on salad. The waiter instructed the kitchen to split the salads, so four salad plates arrived. Amazing salad: cool, fresh, with grated cheese in thin slices rather than shaved. (I love that!)

The "bread" is the best! With the salad arrived a basket of hot flat bread and a small serving of olive tapinade (finely chopped Kalamata olives with a bit of olive oil) and a tomato mixture (my guess is stewed sun-dried tomatoes, basil, garlic, red pepper, salt) that were both delicious. The bread was gone almost immediately—a nice touch and a great treat!

I couldn't get the crowd to wait before I
photographed the pizza--it smelled that good!

Our hot and delicious pizza arrived as we were finishing our salads. We ordered a 12" margarita pizza: cheese, basil, and tomatoes. The crust was thin and cooked perfectly—soft in the middle, crispy on the edge—and the tomatoes were sliced thinly so the pizza was not wet, like some pizzas with tomato are. The pizza was cut into 8 pieces, which was more than enough for the four of us after salads and before...

Dessert. The desserts sounded great, so we decided to order two, and we were not disappointed. One of the specials was cherry pie, and we also ordered the chocolate cake. The chocolate cake was huge. It was rich, but a scoop of vanilla ice cream was perfect. Six layers with a ganache icing between layers.... and the cake didn't have too much icing, so the moist cake was showcased well. The cherry pie was phenomenal: the crust was a mix between a pie crust and a crostada—flaky but soft with a touch of cinnamon. The filling was fresh cherry filling made with tart cherries that squirted when you bit into them. And a la mode, the pie had that extra something. Delicious! Both desserts were garnished with fresh berries, which is also a treat.

The cherry pie was incredible.

The bill came, and I was amazing—dinner for four for $36! I tipped well because the servers were friendly, attentive, and gracious. (He was busy, but he made time to stop and talk to us.)

Next time you want to head to dinner, Zanata or Urban Crust (both within the same length of Plano's 15th Street downtown) are both winners!

(I do recommend that the restaurant fix the links to its Web site. If we had looked online, as I usually do, we might not have gone because we couldn't access the three pages I found online.)

Rainforest Cafe in Grapevine is Fun and Serves Yummy (but Expensive) Food

The Rainforest Cafe serves delicious (but pricey) meals and the service is good, but the environment is the reason we go!


We decided to head to the Rainforest Cafe in Grapevine Mills (the shopping mall), on Grapevine Mills Parkway near the the giant Bass Pro Shop. The restaurant is in the mall, and you can find it by the large sign outside the closest door. Once inside the mall, you will recognize the restaurant by the huge rain forest display by the entrance.

The Rainforest Cafe's mascot
Image taken from
the Rainforest Cafe homepage

When you walk into the restaurant, the first thing you see is the gift shop, which is piled with stuffed animals, t-shirts, and a lot of tropical decor. If you're looking for a souvenir, you can definitely find as many as you need in the Rainforest Cafe's gift shop!

As you approach the actual restaurant at the back of the gift shop. The line was reasonable, especially for a summer night, and we were at our table in no time. (I suspect that's because it was a week night. On weekends, some guests can wait over an hour to get a seat.) The decor of the restaurant is all rainforest themed, with plastic animals that move and make noise. The ceiling is decorated as a sky, and every three seconds, a shooting star passes overhead. The surroundings are very kid friendly and adventure like. The restaurant is noisy and cool.

Jurassic Chicken Bits
with French fries

Just a warning: The large, mechanical animals move and make loud noises about every 5–7 minutes, so be prepared for the surroundings to come alive; you will hear a variety of sounds, including rain dripping, the gorillas grunting, the birds chirping, and the lights flickering like lightening in a rainforest.

Our service was amazing! Our server, who's name was Kelly, took great care in serving us on time. She got our food to us quickly and she was friendly and showed that she really enjoyed her job. She was personable and willing to stop and talk to her customers. She forgot to bring the salad to the table, but when we reminded her, she immediately brought the salad. She brought us all large glasses for our drinks; we were ordering kiddie meals, but the drinks are very small, so she thought we would like larger drinks. (That also meant that we didn't have to wait for refills if she had other customers waiting—very insightful.)

Dinner was attractive, tasty, and enjoyable. We were not all very hungry, so the kiddie meals were the right size for our appetites. N ordered the Mini Hot Dogs, which were kid-sized and delicious. He got two mini dogs with French fries, and the meal came with a drink.

I had the Jurassic Chicken Bits, which were dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets. I took great pleasure in reenacting the Jurassic time period by making the dinosaurs fight. When I ate them, I thought they were perfectly tender, and they were served warm, fresh, and delicious! I also got French fries and a drink.

E chose the Rainforest Rascals: the char-broiled mini burgers off the kids menu. She said they were good, but not the best thing on the menu. She also had French fries and a drink.

Tuscan Chicken at the Rainforest Cafe

C ordered the Tuscan Chicken. According to the menu, it's a "balsamic and tomato marinated chicken breast char-broiled and dressed with cucumbers, kalamata olives, tomatoes, and garnished with a honey dijon mustard sauce, served with red skinned garlic mashed potatoes." The entree was attractive, satisfying, a little spicy, but good. (We all tasted the Tuscan Chicken!) We ordered a side Caesar salad, which was enough for three of us to share with our meal, and we took a little home. C also took about 20% of her meal home, even after all of us sampled it.

The entire meal came to a total of $43.25 before the tip, which was well-deserved. This was not a bad price for three kids meals with drinks, an adult meal, and a side salad. We provided Kelly with a 20% tip because she was attentive, personable, and gracious.

We gave the Rainforest Cafe a seven thumbs up, because the surroundings were fun but a little surprising at times. The food was great, as was the service, but the restaurant was a little dark and noisy (to be expected, but we sometimes could not carry on a conversation). The prices for the full menu were a little high, compared to other restaurants, but the novelty makes the price worth a splurge now and again. We will definitely be going to the Rainforest Cafe again.

Zanata in Plano Provides a Quiet, Charming Atmosphere and Delicious Gourmet Dishes and Drinks

 

Enjoying dinner at Zanata's

Zanata of Plano is a quiet, upscaled little restaurant with delicious options and a charming atmosphere—great for a girls night out or a small party.

A friend originally recommended Zanata—she'd visited the one in Rockwall and was impressed—so we decided to go there. I was not excited, but I owed her an apology because she chose a WINNER!

Zanata in Plano is a small (only seating for about 50 downstairs), quaint restaurant tucked into the old store fronts of Plano's historic downtown. Next door to Zanata is a warehouse full of antique wooden furniture, and down the street are small boutiques and specialty shops. The atmosphere on the street is charming.

Pizza at Zanata
Photo by Janet Johnson
©2011

Once inside Zanata, we sat by the window so we could people watch. We had a small table with a white tablecloth and small candle. The chef's wife was hosting, and she came by and chatted easily with us. The waiters were young and eager to chat. The service was terrific.

But the food was even better!

Just a note: we went during Happy Hour, 4–7pm, so our drinks and food were specially priced! My dinner before tip (a large tip because the service was terrific) was $20, and that included a drink, an appetizer, a pizza (which could have served 2–3), and a dessert! Prices are a little more now because Zanata is no longer bringing in new clientele, but the Happy Hour deals are still great.

Neither of us typically order alcoholic beverages, but it was hot, so we decided to each order a drink to go with dinner. Janet ordered a champagne and raspberry cocktail, and I wish I'd tasted it because it was beautiful. I had the seasonal berry mojito, which was light, refreshing, and perfect for a warm June night.

Chocolate cake at Zanata
Photo by Janet Johnson
©2011

We ordered the Cheesy Garlic Bread for an appetizer, which could have satisfied 6 because the slices of bread were large. The appetizer was sliced French bread with small bits of fresh garlic under melted mozzarella and provolone cheese (my favorite).

We each ordered a pizza. Janet ordered the Roni: Fontina, pepperoni, sauce, and truffle oil on a light, thin crust. I ordered the Standard (poorly named, I think!): Pomodoraccio tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and basil on teh same light, thin crust. YUM!

And we just couldn't help it, so we ordered dessert: I had the mascarpone cheesecake with blackberry coulis, and Janet had the (very tall) chocolate cake with pistachios. Wow! We took almost half of the food home, but the leftovers were yummy the next day.

I can safely say that Janet agrees with me: This place is a MUST. We already have plans to return for my birthday in a few weeks, and we are taking more friends with us. This is a new restaurant, so to keep it open, we need to frequent the spot and encourage others to go! (So please do!) The kids had leftover pizza and now they want to go too, so I suspect I'll take the kids early one evening (before the adult crowd) so they can enjoy the restaurant too.

P. F. Chang's in Allen Served Good Food, but the Service was Lacking

 

Wonton Soup at P. F. Chang's

PF Chang's in Allen (at Watters Creek) is one of a chain that serves specialize Chinese food. We visited PF Chang's at this location twice and were disappointed with the service, although the food was good.

During our first visit, our server made several mistakes with our order, including bringing our appetizer with our meals. While we enjoyed the food, I was disappointed, so I penned a letter to the manager, informing him of the issues we had during our visit to PF Chang's. The manager responded within 3 days with a telephone call and a letter that included a $20 gift card, so we decided to return and see if our experience the second time would be better. It was.

During our second visit, we ordered 1 kiddie meal, and the wonton soup and lettuce wraps. The wonton soup is actually a large tureen of soup: enough food for three of us to have two small bowls each. The soup was delicious—it's a chicken-stock-based soup with mushrooms, water chestnuts, chicken, and wontons. The lettuce wraps have previously been a favorite for our family, and we were not disappointed during this visit. They were hot and fresh, with crunchy lettuce and rice noodles.

Lettuce Wraps at P. F. Chang's

We topped off dinner with a piece of the "Great Wall of Chocolate." It's a large piece of chocolate cake (feeds all four of us) with a fresh-fruit garnish and raspberry coulis on the side—a delicious way to top off a great meal.

We give P. F. Chang's in Allen 6 thumbs up (from the four of us). The food was hot and fresh, the table was clean, the cost (about $35 before tip and gift card) was good, and we enjoyed our experience together.