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!