James Scott

I heard about this place offering vegan veggie burgers, so I decided to stop by for lunch.

First, let me just say that I was happy and would definitely go back. I got the veggie burger with sauteed onions, mushrooms, and jalapenos and a side of the barbecue sauce.

The veggie burger itself was interesting - I can't really put my finger on what it tasted like (besides it tasted good). It was kind of orange-colored, which was a little weird. It was a little mushy, and with all the toppings I got, was kind of hard to eat, but it really tasted good. I wonder if you asked for it well-done it might be a little more firm on the outside? It was nice that you could tell they are fresh made, as you could order a 1/3, 2/3, or 1# size, just like the burgers.

The fries were your everyday crispy seasoned fries, but they were pretty good.

The place also had a full bar, which would be nice if you wanted to have a drink with your meal.

Overall, I would definitely go back to this place, even more so if it was not in suburban-ville (lots of screaming kiddos - uggh).

Guidelive complains about having too many options that ends up resulting in bad burgers - but really, if you don't know what kinds of stuff to put on your burger to make it taste good, then you've got bigger problems to deal with.

Ok, so maybe I just got unlucky with my first visit here, but man, it really stunk. First off, the waiter was clueless. Any time I asked a question about the menu, he had no idea and just kind of looked back in a blank stare. I order my veggie burger with sauteed mushrooms (I want to add jalapenos, but - no jalapenos...huh??). Anyway, also, please, no sauce on it.

So, I get it and...tons of sauce. Great thanks. Well, luckily, just the top of the bun had sauce and it hadn't been on the rest of the burger yet. So, I ask for a new bun - easy!

No, let's scrape the sauce off the bun and give it back to him. Oh, and while you're visiting us, we're going to go ahead and put the chairs on all the tables and mop/clean the entire restaurant, ok?...

I can understand they have to do this at some point while customers are there it being a 24 hour restaurant, but at 2:00 pm on a Saturday?

Anyway, I really have no interest in trying this or the other location again.

Wow, what a nice night to visit this place. It's worth it to come here just for the outdoor courtyard, very nice and tranquil, especially on an evening like this.

One might be a little intimidated on coming here for the first time, as it's in the Hare Krishna temple (I was) - but don't worry, just walk in the front door and it's just like any other restaurant.

Their menu is all vegan, except for a few items which are marked as containing dairy. It's a buffet, so it's great for first-timers that aren't quite sure what to get. Try the little barbecue-triangle-thingies (not sure what they are) - they are really good.

They also have a great salad bar, for those that are iffy on the other food for whatever reason. Lots of fresh veggie choices, plus spinach and mixed greens.

Service is friendly and they aren't there to try to convert you or anything, just to provide you with a great meal at a great price in a great atmosphere.

Went here today for lunch, having been made aware of it by the venerable Law Reviewers. I must be the only one that reads their column, because I was the only person in the restaurant for lunch.

Anyway, the decor was nice and sleek. Very accommodating to a large party if necessary. They also had an area in the back that looked like it might open up to the outside on nice days, so it could be a neat place to go this spring (assuming it lasts that long).

The food was pretty good. I had the samosas, which were indeed nice and flaky, albeit pretty bland. Luckily, it came with the traditional dipping sauces that helped make the appetizer worthwhile.

I tried the Vegetable Manchurian, which was this mix of veggies rolled up to little balls and fried served with some sort of sauce and rice. The flavor was very good, and the consistency of the veggieballs (ok, so it doesn't sound that appetizing) was very good. I ordered it spicy, and there was a pleasant little kick to it.

Service was very attentive (as it should have been being the only person in the room). As this place wants to be a 'lounge' in the evening, I can report the bar area was nice looking and rather large, so I can see it working well in that capacity. I'm sure once it's dark outside, the strip-mall atmosphere isn't as noticeable as it is in the day.

Overall, I'll be back to try more, as it's a good option Indian in the area not too far from work.

If you want to check it out - better make it soon. I'm sure they can't survive too long with a 1 1-top for lunch.

I wish I could provide more elaboration here, but I only ate there once and it was less than average at best. They may offer dishes better than the one I had (Chole Masala), but I don't plan on going back to try. 'Amy's' brand Indian frozen dinners are better than this.

Went here for the first time today. I have to say that I'm not an Indian food expert, so I don't have much to compare it to - but the food here was really good. Unfortunately, I like to try a little of everything at a buffet the first time I go, which caused me to eat way too much due to the variety (and that's even without eating all of the meat products they had available).

I wish I could name some of the dishes that I enjoyed most, but it's hard to recall their names. Suffice it to say this place is definitely worth a try. The restaurant is very spacious and clean - overall a pleasant experience that I expect to repeat in the future.

Not a fan of their watery, flavorless, marinara...I mean, "salsa". Cheese tastes like the processed junk you get out of a can with a black & white label marked "CHEESE", although not quite that good. Guacamole actually wasn't bad, if a bit too salty. I really can't remeber ever going to El Fenix (regardless of location) and ever thinking "wow, that was a good meal".

I heard from a friend that this place had vegan soy toppings (cheese, pepperoni, sausage) as options, so I was extremely interested in trying it (being vegan and all). Anyway, it's been about a year since I've had cheese on a pizza, and let me just say that this was the best pizza I've had in a long time, regardless of the cheese. I've yet to find any other pizza joint in the area that has this as an option.

The thin crust was extra crispy, just enough sauce so that it was not dry, but not too much to make it all soggy and floppy. The sauce had a great flavor (which I think is often overlooked, as it seems most places with crappy sauce just try to cover it up with more cheese).

For those of you that have had vegan cheese in the past, you may know how's often difficult to get that melty-gooey texture of cow-cheese, but whatever cheese they use is just about as good as it gets (I had to call back and confirm that I really did get the vegan cheese and pepperoni).

Anyway, to the previous comment about service - like Alan said, this is clearly a take-out joint, there are a few small tables available to sit down if you wanted just a quick eat-and-go, but it's not like you would actually ever plan on eating there.

I suspect their cow-cheese pizza is just as fantastic if you're not into the vegan soy thing, so don't get all bent-out-of-shape about the fact that they offer this.

I wish it was a little closer to home, but it says something given that I'll be frequenting this place, even if it's a 15 minute drive.

I'd just like to second this comment about the service stinking here. Even when the service happened to be attentive, no one ever seems to give a rat's * whether or not you are there.

All of the food was great. The cheese plate is phenomenal - good selection (smoked Gouda yum). Jalapeno soup is superb (most of the time) - just enough kick to let you know it's there. 3 cheese grilled cheese was absolutely great - almost too much cheese. Veggie burger is really good - one of the better homemade vb's in Dallas. Also, portabella mushroom sandwich was wonderful. The breads they use are extremely fresh - not sure where they get them, but they add quite a bit to the overall quality of their sandwiches. Oohh, and the portabella fries are a must-have - breaded and fried just right.

Wednesday nights used to be half-price food, which made the reasonable prices even more so, but we haven’t been back in a while, so I can’t guarantee they still do this. We haven’t been back mainly b/c the indifferent service eventually overshadowed the food.

Bar service is generally much better than table service – if you can grab a seat at the bar, do so. Decent selection of draft beers, plus their mixed drinks are not bad (I don’t remember which days they have mixed-drink specials, but they make a good mojito).

Mattito's is a great place on so many levels. First and foremost, the food is fantastic. Chips are always fresh and just right on the 'crisp' factor - salsa has just enough kick with a unique (read not tomato sauce) flavor. Queso is good - but ask for their special version which is a mixture of queso, sour cream, black beans, and guacamole (I think they generally use meat instead of beans, but we don't eat meat).

They probably have the most extensive menu of 'by design' vegetarian menu options at a Mexican food place (and 'by design' I mean not having to say "without the meat please"). Enchiladas Hongos (mushrooms) - perfectly marinated & sauteed with a spicy tomato-based sauce. Enchiladas Avocados - with thick, fresh slices (not just filled with gauc like you might get at other places).

In the case that we do make a substitution for our 'meat', the black beans fill in nicely in tacos and the GREAT taco salad - which is served in the large, very crispy (and delectable) taco bowl. One more thing to be sure not to miss is the Citrus Vinaigrette dressing - which tastes great just about on anything - not just salads.

As far as everything else about the restaurant - the price is right - especially considering the close proximity to Turtle Creek and many other places that probably charge extra just for their location. The waitstaff is always friendly and attentive. Plus, if you ever needed a place for a large party, Mattitos is the perfect place, as there are several large rooms that can be separated to accommodate large parties.

All in all, by far our favorite Mexican food in Dallas. Without a doubt you should give it a try.

Went to Shinsei last Saturday. Since they don't take reservations for parties < 8, I was prepared for a lengthy wait (got there @ 7:00). Sure enough, it was going to be 45 minutes -1 hour to get a table - which I didn't mind, since I expected as much.

Luckily, there was a cozy bar upstairs to wait in (and when I say cozy, I mean - if it weren't so crowded, it would have been a nice loungy place to sit and wait, but with it being quite busy, cozy meant packed almost shoulder-to-shoulder). This sardine-effect didn't last too long for a couple of reasons: 1)Lots of people must have gotten there right before us, because the place started thinning out (either people getting tired of the wait, or getting a table) and, 2)(perhaps most important) the bar had some stellar drinks to hold our interest until our table was ready - the Saki-tini and (...somesuch name)Limeade hit the spot.

As far as the food goes, I must put an asterisk on this review by saying we are vegetarian, so meat & fish were off the table. So, we generally judge a restaurant's cuisine based on most of the sides and some starters. In this case, all were absolutely wonderful and unique. The chili edemame was a twist to the usual we found to be just spicy enough, without being overbearing. The vegetable tempura was perfectly battered and fried - not at all greasy - plus, some veggies you wouldn't normally get (sweet potatoes and large avocado slices were particularly great). One last veggie surprise was our side-order of brussel-sprouts. I love them, but my partner hates them - but these were marinated and cooked in such a way that I thought they were the best thing I ate all night, and my partner liked them. Any place that can get her to eat and like those things is doing something right.

The cucumber & avocado rolls off the menu were very well prepared, and "Elvis", the sushi chef, was very generous in preparing a special roll off the menu for us after learning we were vegetarian. Hopefully you can take this review coupled with someone that actually tried the fish and get a better idea of the overall quality of the food.

At last, our dessert we sampled was another off-the-menu item - the "carrot donuts" - which again isn't something a little off the beaten path. They were basically little donut-holes filled with a carrot filling (almost tasting like carrot-cake), dusted with powdered sugar and served in a little to-go box with a spiced milk-shake on the side. Yum.

The waitstaff was very friendly and accommodating, and even with the wait, we never felt like things were taking too long. All in all, we enjoyed ourselves throughout our visit and look forward to going back.