things to do in dallas - coffee shops, pt 8.

This is the 8th installment in an ongoing coffee shop series.

For more, click here or here.

La Famiglia Caffe (North Richland Hills)
I drove out to NRH one afternoon to meet Peter for dinner when he got off work, but went a little early so I could also spend some time with his mom. We decided to grab coffee and I used my handy dandy Yelp app to guide us. We ended up at La Famiglia Caffe because it was close, Deborah had seen it around before, and we were both curious. Inside was much nicer than the outside - an unsuspecting shopping center - might lead you to believe. It was cozy and bright. They had multiple syrup options for flavored coffee as well as lots of baked goods and gelato. I was SO tempted to get a scoop of salted caramel with a shot of espresso poured over and a dollop of whipped cream because I saw that on Yelp and WOULDN'T YOU? But I stuck with my vanilla latte because I am boring. It was a fabulous cup of coffee and the atmosphere lent itself to sitting and chatting for a while. We were both very pleased and I could definitely see us visiting again together.

Espumoso Caffe (Oak Cliff)
This small Bishop Arts coffee shop serves up coffee with a Latin twist. I got a toffee crunch latte - they had lots of flavors to choose from! - but I'm pretty sure they forgot the syrup, ha. It was a decent latte, but truth be told, that's not what I was there for. I knew they had acai bowls and I really had my heart set on that. The frozen acai layered with granola, fruit, and honey is absolutely delicious and, as far as I know, isn't found anywhere else in Dallas. The menu is larger than most, filled less with coffee and more with baked goodies. Empanadas, paninis (including Nutella and banana!) and traditional Spanish treats fill the display cases. The service is friendly and the atmosphere lends itself to chatting with friends, but is not the best place for studying. Definitely worth checking out.

Fourteen Eighteen Coffeehouse (Plano)
This coffee shop had been on my list for a while, but it's about 40 minutes away from where I live, so I needed to have a good reason to make my way up there. Luckily, a sweet friend of mine who lives in Plano just so happened to be that good reason. I'm so glad we got to check this place out! The owner was my cashier at the counter and was seriously friendly. She talked me into a special drink they had -- the Purple Haze. It was a lavender and vanilla latte, so I didn't feel like I was cheating on my usual order too much. It was so tasty and creamy. I absolutely loved it. The atmosphere was exactly what a good coffeehouse should be -- quiet, but welcoming. Excellent for studying, but also for chatting for 3 hours. Yup, 3 hours. Also, added bonus, they get their coffee beans from Oak Cliff Coffee Roasters! Hurray, local! Definitely check this place out if you live in far North Dallas (or even if you don't!).

things to do in dallas - sunset screenings at ATTPAC.

Last night, Peter and I ventured out to ATTPAC for one of their featured Sunset Screenings.
Right across from Klyde Warren Park, we laid out in the grass on Strauss Square to get our pants scared off by The Shining. There's something a little scarier about the movie when watching it outside in the dark surrounded by a bunch of people who are probably laughing behind their hands at how jumpy I was being. Hah.

One Sunday evening of each month, the performing arts center hosts a free movie on the lawn of Strauss Square, right next to Woodall Rogers Freeway. This Fall, the theme has been 80's directors, but the films they show encompass all genres. Showings in years past have included Almost Famous, Exit Through the Gift Shop, and Spaceballs, to name a few.

They also offer food and drink options, including a cheese and wine plate which  I think would be a great accompaniment to a movie under the stars, surrounded by my favorite city's skyline.
We opted to bring our own food (and drink!), but would definitely consider their picnic offerings for next time.

Because there will totally be a next time. Who's coming with?
-e.

things to do in dallas - resto gastro bistro.

Resto Gastro Bistro. Try saying that 3 times fast!

As if you don't already have enough reasons to get out to Trinity Groves (seriously, do it), let me give you another. I'd been wanting to come here for some time and it did not disappoint.

The weather was perfect, patio seating was readily available, and the company was pretty fantastic, too. ;) This restaurant was pricier than most others that I've been to in Trinity Groves, but it was well worth it.

We started with a pear and arugula salad with candied walnuts and Panko-crusted bleu cheese bits. It was excellent and the roasted pear vinaigrette was the perfect companion. I got a Kabayaki Miso-Glazed Sea Bass of which I ate every. last. bite. Peter got a cast iron pork tenderloin with a spicy banana salsa. Sounds strange, and it was, but it was full of flavor and totally worked.
Halfway through the meal, the chef came out and we gushed over his food. He deserved it!

We also got a few cocktails, each with a different herb. Whiskey and mint, vodka, basil, and blackberry, and gin, thyme, and mixed berries. They were heavy in flavor, but had surprising tastes that we really enjoyed.

Pete and I agree: we'd definitely come back!
And, seriously, if you haven't checked out Trinity Groves yet, you're missing out. Here is another reason why and more to come!

Have you been to Trinity Groves? Which is your favorite restaurant?
-e.

texas state fair 2014.

Peter and I continued our annual tradition of going to the State Fair this year!
We left stuffed full of fried foods and dreaming about the baby goats we will one day own. Okay, maybe that second part was just me, but we were both definitely stuffed.

I wanted to try all that I could of the winners from this year's Big Tex Choice Awards - a (usually) deep fried food competition. We did a decent job, but there's really only so much fried goodness you can shove into one day.

We also did a few extracurriculars which I realized I'd never really done before. Typically I just go to the fair, eat til I can't anymore, and ride the rides. This year, we watched the dog show, went through the stockyards, stopped by the auto show, and checked out the petting zoo. Y'all. It was the coolest petting zoo I'd ever been to -- we got to touch a zebra! And there were kangaroos and giraffes and BABY GOATS. I unfortunately did a poor job of documenting all of this -- mostly because I didn't want to touch farm animals, then handle my phone. Also, because I was losing my poo over the goats. I neeeeeeeed one. I can't even.

Anyway, a quick review of the foods we nommed on:
Fried Shrimp Boil - exactly what it sounds like, served with spicy remoulade. Expensive; worth it, good flavor.

Fried Breakfast for Dinner - Eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, ham, cheese, cinnamon roll bits all rolled into a tortilla and fried. Bad, bad, bad; tasted like a frozen taquito and was overwhelmed with cheese.

Funnel Cake Ale - tasted like slightly sweetened beer. Worth a taste, just to say you did.
Twisted Texas Taco - Fried brisket with cole slaw, fried okra, cheese, and corn salsa, served with queso. Huge serving, definitely worth the cost. Pretty tasty, too! Hilariously Texan.

Shamefully, this is all we tried! We are old farts and got full too fast. I would have loved to have tried the Deep Fried Texas Bluebonnet which sounds ridiculous and delicious. The Sriracha balls sound amazing, too. Oh well, there's always next year!

What's your favorite thing to do at the State Fair??
-e.

things i love, lately - september 2014.

Lots of things to be thankful for lately.
The month marked the majority of a whirlwind trip to Europe and the beginning of Fall. Not sure which one I was more excited about. ;)

Lately I'm loving -

Early mornings spent here with quiet time and the perfect cappuccino.

Great friends, good company, and matching outfits.

This simple truth from She in the Making.

 Trying new places with the man who's always up for an adventure with me.

Last minute tickets bought on Craigslist to see a band that speaks to my heart.

Selfies, photobombers, and the friends we make from them.

And finally, this essay about women and eating and just put the brownie in your mouth, already.
I dig that.
-e.

things to do in dallas - restaurant week 2014.

Remember when I told you about Restaurant Week? Have you gone? There's one week left! Don't miss out this year! Seriously, it's so worth it.

Peter, Jon, Erin, and I went last week to two different restaurants that participated. It's always fun exploring a small section of the menu, each of us trying to get something different so we can all taste everything. We also play a sort of game where we decide who wins each tasting round. You win some, you lose some, but you all get great food, so really it's just a win all around.

This year we chose to go to Y.O. Ranch Steakhouse and Tei-An and there were some definite highlights from each.

At Y.O. Ranch, we were all really impressed with the tabasco shrimp and grits. I ordered the fried green tomatoes with crab meat and remoulade. Peter got a smoky bacon, sweet potato, and corn chowder that was excellent as well. For the entree, I thought Peter won hands-down with his 14-oz ribeye, but Jon got some votes with his buffalo filet. I ordered the chicken fried lobster tail and was not impressed. Dessert was a tie (in my opinion!) between chocolate cake and an excellent apple crisp. I would probably come back here, if only for appetizers and desserts. The entrees sort of failed to impress.

I was really excited to go to Tei-An because I'd heard such great things about the food there. It's been on my list for a long time so I was excited to finally check it off. I easily won the appetizer round with an excellent white seaweed salad. For the second round, I got the daily sashimi which was superb. Peter and Erin took this round with their pork dumplings paired with a kickin' wasabi mustard. So good. I have dreams about that dish. I ended the night with a bowl of tonkotsu ramen -- the whole reason I've been wanting to try this restaurant. It was good, not great. But that doesn't mean I didn't slurp the entire bowl.

Full RW menu for Y.O. Ranch Steakhouse here. And Tei-An, here.
Overall a successful restaurant week. We had happy mouths and bellies.
I highly recommend ya'll check it out next year. We're happy to share a reservation with friends!
-e.

things to do in dallas - coffee shops, pt 7.

For more in this coffee shop series, go here.
These 3 places have probably been my favorite to date and that's saying a lot. I've been to many, many coffee shops all over Dallas, but these 3 really shine.

Davis Street Espresso (Oak Cliff)

Okay, actual thought that ran through my head as I sipped this latte: "this is like drinking a marshmallow. It's delightful!" It was so smooth and light and I was super pleased with this place. I was admittedly sort of terrified to go because the Yelp reviews make it seem pretty intimidating. They are very serious about their coffee at Davis Street Espresso -- so much so that they don't have wifi, no to-go cups, the only sweetener available is raw sugar cubes, and the only milk they use is organic whole fat. While you sit and sip, they want you to focus on what you're drinking and the world around you. No internet distractions, no chemical-laced syrups -- just coffee. So, as a sweetened coffee lover, you can imagine I was a bit nervous. But, oh, this coffee. It hardly needs to be sweetened. I got a latte, which ran me $5, and added a couple sugar cubes. I could've bathed in it. It was fantastic. Go here now.


RE:defined Coffee House (Grapevine)

This place has been on my list for a while, but it's a solid 30 minutes from my house, so I needed the trip to be worth it. A girlfriend of mine was going to be leaving for LA for good, so this seemed like a legitimate reason to meet her here for one last coffee date. I rolled out of bed at 1 pm on a Wednesday and texted Peter that I was going to get "braaaaiiins...I mean coffee...". Night shift, ya'll. I am a zombie person. I'm so glad I made the trip out here! The coffee was great and perfectly sweetened, but the atmosphere is what really makes this place shine. Each chair is different, but they're all squishy and deep enough to sink into. The mish-mash of tables and curtains provides excellent study space that you can make as public or private as you want. The barista that took my order completely made my day with her upbeat attitude and the vegan breakfast cookie I bought was the icing on the cake. This place is definitely worth the 30-minute drive.

Houndstooth Coffee (Knox-Henderson)

At first I was angry about this Austin-based coffee shop coming to Dallas because it was took over the space formerly occupied by my favorite other coffee place, The Pearl Cup. I'd had Houndstooth once before in Austin and knew it would be a similar vibe with great coffee to take over the building, but I still resented it. When it opened last week, I tried to pretend like I wasn't that interested, but that was a total lie. I couldn't wait to get there and see what they had to offer -- and I was not disappointed. The service, something they're known for, was excellent and upbeat. I immediately felt at home and welcomed. The latte was super smooth and flavorful and had just the slightest hint of sweet. It was perfect, albeit pricey. Also, the only seating is very heavy, very uncomfortable stools. Not exactly the perfect environment for studying. Overall, Dallas should welcome Houndstooth with open arms. Get there, ya'll.

-e.

things to do in dallas - nazca kitchen.

One very rainy day after church, Peter and I decided we wanted to grab a bite near Watermark instead of fighting the gloomy skies. I'd been to Nazca Kitchen once before and was struck by the unique menu. I knew it would be the perfect place to linger over lunch as we waited for the clouds to part.

Nazca Kitchen may seem like a typical Latin American restaurant, but their fare is much more uncommon than that. They specialize in Southern American cuisine featuring cold quinoa salads, acai bowls, and fresh ceviches, among other excellent selections. The menu offers food items I haven't found anywhere else in Dallas, and on top of that, the service is always attentive.

When we went that Sunday, we discovered they were serving brunch, so Peter ordered a chorizo dish while I got butter leaf lettuce-wrapped fish tacos made with butter lettuce grown on site! (Okay, fine, fine. I got one with the lettuce wrap, the other with their flour-corn tortilla blend. What can I say, this girl loves bread!)

The meal was perfection and -- bonus! -- if you check in on Yelp, you get a free personal-size rum bread pudding. Ya'll know I never turn down dessert.
This is a must try. It will impress and challenge your taste buds!
-e.

things to do in dallas - steel city pops.

So, not sure if ya'll have noticed, but it's hot.
Like, it was a pretty mild summer and now it's just full-blown hot.
I suppose I should expect nothing less of this city I love.
That doesn't mean I have to be happy about it, though.

I will be happy, on the other hand, that there are delightful treats called popsicles that can cool me down and make my mouth very happy at the same time.
Steel City Pops on Greenville Ave has just the thing!

This Alabama-based popsicle shop opened up in May and I've been itching to go since then.
I finally had the opportunity this past Sunday -- a day with a high of 100*. Perfect timing!

I can't recommend this place highly enough. One side of the menu is fruity, while the other is ice-cream-based creamy. I got coffee (creamy side) and could've eaten ten right then and there. However, the blood orange (fruity side) sounded awesome and happens to be one of their best sellers. That is definitely what I'm getting next time.

The menu is seasonal and changes almost daily. I told Peter this meant I'd just have to go every day. For research, you guys. I could, too. At $3.00 a pop, these treats are totally affordable.
Also, the line is almost always out the door. The employees are super quick, so the wait isn't terrible and it is so, so worth it.

Mmmm.
So which side are you on? Creamy or fruity??
-e.