Reviews by TJ Callaway
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Posted on July 3, 2008 at 11 a.m.
Been mostly for breakfast, so I can't speak for the dinner menu. But this is the best place to go for a weekend brunch. The Migas rock! The Egg Sandwich is killer, and the Pancakes (add the pecans) are one of a kind, must have the pancakes at All Good...
The service is usually a little slow, but don't go here for a quick meal, go to have a slow enjoyable meal with friends and family and make time for it, there is always a wait in the mornings.
I miss seeing the freaky instrumental improv jams from the guys in the New Bohs that used to happen every couple weeks a few years ago. I used to be one of five people in there watching them thinking that I am seeing some of the most talented musicians in Dallas right here, and nobody knows about it...
On AllGood Cafe
Posted on June 17, 2008 at 10:56 p.m.
They have pretty much all the Tex-Mex staples you would expect, enchiladas, fajitas, tacos etc, but there are a few things that really make P & M's stand out:
The Chipotle Wine sauce. You can get this on chicken or cheese enchiladas or you can get it on the Tacos Nortenos (My favorite dish here, see below). This sauce is great! Smokey, sweet, rich, and spicy. Very well balanced. I could easily see this sauce on the menu at a much higher end restaurant.
Their salsa. I know every Mexican restaurant has it, but Pepe & Mito's has the sweetest, garlicky salsa in town. This stuff is addicting! The salsa is usually mild but it can vary a little from day to day.
They have a good mole, very traditional, no surprises here, but always excecuted perfectly.
Tacos Nortenos. Soft tacos with beef fajita meat topped lightly with the chipolte wine sauce, served with onions, cilantro, and lime. Great dish!
The staff is always very, very friendly, but they are always understaffed and therefore service is almost always slow, sometimes painfully slow.
Overall, this is one of my favorite casual, moderately priced Mexican food places. Now if I can just get my work to adopt a siesta policy on the days that I go here for lunch...
Posted on June 9, 2008 at 10 p.m.
Best burger in Dallas!
Jason and the staff are always friendly and they run a great place. I wish them great success with Twisted Root. I won't be surprised when there are about 20 location in D/FW.
The burgers are huge. The variety and quality of toppings are second to none. The guacamole, the bleu cheese, the sauces are all great! The burgers are always cooked exactly as ordered.
Skin-on fries and sweet potato chips are excellent. Have the fries with the ancho-chipotle ketchup. Try the homemade pickels.
Finish it all off with a roasted strawberry shake. Then take a nap.
Posted on June 9, 2008 at 9:51 p.m.
The tortas are great! Try the Burgesa and the Tinga Tortas! I like that they use black beans in place of the traditional refried beans on the sandwiches.
Tio's serves homemade Horchata, makes it own pickels, salsas and dressings and serves tortas, what else do you need at lunch?
Posted on June 9, 2008 at 9:41 p.m.
Great vibe. Good wine selection. Service was ok. Must try the handmade pasta with proscuitto and wild mushrooms!
On Nonna
Posted on June 9, 2008 at 9:32 p.m.
Stephen Pyles is one of the best restaurants in Dallas! I have been twice and had great experiences both times. One occasion was a nice dinner just my wife and I, another was sitting at the communal table for a work dinner. This restaurant is ideal for both occassions.
Suggestions: ceviche, the salmon on seafood paella, and the bone-in rib eye. Excellent wine selection and the staff is knowledgable and helpful when pairing with food.
Posted on June 7, 2008 at 12:50 p.m.
Fadi's rocks! The staff is always very friendly and its always the same people working. I hope those guys get a day off at some point.
The hummus and babaganouche (sp?) is a must have on every trip. The produce used in the salads is always fresh. The fish is tasty and garlicky! The cauliflower is very good as well. Everything from the flavored iced teas, fresh made pita (wheat and white), or the desserts are always great. The desserts have just the right amount of sweeteness to finish off a meal.
I only have two complaints: The parking sucks during weekday lunch hours at this location. The other complaint is that they don't serve alcohol. However, they are BYOB friendly.
I highly recommend Fadis to anyone wanting to try something a little different and healthier. It is great to go in and split the Fadi's Sampler with another person. It's alot of food. Enjoy!
Posted on May 24, 2008 at 3:39 p.m.
I have been to La Condessa a few times during the Stars playoffs and have had a good experience each time. So I am sorry to hear about the bad reviews.
The last time that we went the menu had changed and the server told us that they had just gotten a new chef. That day they had a special appetizer on the menu that my wife and I tried. It was a grilled garlic shirmp dish with a lightly breaded pan fried vegetable which if memory serves me correctly was Agave. It was excellent and a great way to start off the meal. I also had a shrimp quesadilla that had a Mexican truffle in it, (I can't rememeber the proper name as it is listed on the menu) this was excellent! The shrimp were cooked perfect and the truffle added a nice earthy complexity to the dish. The only thing I felt was missing on this was some cilantro as a garnish or some cilantro cooked into the cheese itself. That for me would have tied it all together.
On other visits, I have had the brisket tacos with radish salsa, (which was good but the brisket was cubed instead of shredded which was odd for a Mexican style taco and our server told us that it is noramlly shredded) and the Torta Burger. The burger was by far one of the best burgers I have ever had (this and Twisted Root's burger that is), great meat, cooked exactly to order with a spicy chipotle mayo, very good! I wish it would have been served with something more unique then fries though. Maybe a side of tortilla chips with a small side of guacamole to cool you off after the spicy mayo?
By the way, the Guac at La Condessa is one of the best Guacs I have had next to Cafe Annie in Houston and my own if I may say so. They garnish it off with a sprinkling of Cotija and diced tomatos and there is just the right amount of lime in it, very nice.
As for the drinks, this place is incredible! I recommend the house and blood orange margaritas (my wife's favorite) and the candied ginger Mojito! Expensive drinks, but hey, you are in Victory Park and where else are you going to get something like this? They do have a reasonable happy hour and game night price on thier beers so beer drinkers with foo-foo drink friends can go and still have a good time.
You can tell that a lot of thought went into the drink menu and that they prepare everything fresh in-house for these drinks from the blood orange juice to the margarita mix. I am not a Tequila connoisseur, but if I were, this place would no doubt be my home away from home. There is an entire menu dedicated to all the Tequilas they have there and a recent email said that they were starting Tequila Tastings soon.
The atmosphere at La Condessa is very cool, very open. I felt like we were out of Dallas and in upscale but relaxed Mexico City taqueria. I love the colors, the funky lamps, the tiles, the wood floors and bar shelves. My only complaint is to turn the music down a little. Its a restaurant/bar not a dance club and the music being that loud is a bit imposing and can make conversation difficult. Its a bit of a disconnect with the layed back atmosphere and decor.
They are new and have a few things to work out but, I think in time they will tie up the loose ends and this will become a great casual dining fixture in Victory Park.
Posted on May 17, 2008 at 10:25 a.m.
Dodie's has a friendly staff. The Cajun Tamales were good, althought I'm not sure why they were called tamales when they were stuffed jalapenos. The snow crab legs were good, the soft shell crab however had too much breading and I couldn't taste any of the crab, just fried breading and oil. Avoid the beinville sauce.
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Posted on August 24, 2008 at 7:14 p.m.
Food: 5/5 Vibe: 3/5 Service: 5/5 Value: 5/5 Overall: 4/5
I finally tried Cowboy Chow last week and I really liked it. I think they are still working out some of the decor in the place but the food was great and I saw a few familiar faces from Twisted Root there.
The watermelon iced tea was very refreshing and wasn't too sweet. The fried green tomato lollipops were great, as was the sloppy joe with a jalapeno bbq sauce. Just the right amount of spice for a bbq sauce and the bun had a great herby rustic flavor to it.
For dessert I had the peanut butter cookie topped with chocolate ice cream, it was killer, but be warned, the menu says to order it 20 minutes ahead of time because they bake it fresh, so order it when you order your entrees. Even if you have to wait for it, its still worth it.
I think Jason has done the same thing with Cowboy Chow that he did with Twisted Root: he has done simple food very well, and put a unique twist on it.
I wish him success in the new place and I will be there regularly!
On Cowboy Chow