Reviews by dmacfar139
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Posted on October 30, 2009 at 11:45 p.m.
We've been loyal for years.
Memories include:
The same soundtrack as a fourth of july room in the just opened W.
Bringing north dallas friends tired of spending a premium for a fun night out.
Quick bites to and from meetings at utswmc.
The service, averaged, is consistent and unremarkable.
The food is always high quality. naturally i like some dishes more than other. the sushi is excellent, especially if you relax and adapt to what's recommended. the pho is good (mai's is my current favorite).
close to the design district, trendy (for years) in its own right (ok, upper left) there are beautiful people to enjoy watching.
great place if you want fun, solid food, not hype and awe.
On Oishii
Posted on October 30, 2009 at 10:19 p.m.
The scene on 15th street in Plano is fabulous. After many dry decades, someone in charge finally wised up and figured out that there are all these engineers around, and engineers like things like beer, and pizza, and burgers, and, well, more beer, but different beer.
So over the last five years old downtown east plano transformed from dusty antiques and tearooms to a vibrant few blocks of bars and restaurants. A place where folks in the high tech community -- and I suppose others -- run into each other as happy hours overlap.
Fillmore was one of the pace-setters here, a sensible place for pub food and a solid list of draft and bottled beers. Busy, but accomodating, a relaxed place to arrange meeting friends. It evolved into a recognized spot on our regular rotation.
Tonight Fillmore filled the bill (sorry, couldn't resist). Just a weird ending - with the bill (again, sorry). A mix up with the receipt that could have been a scam or an honest mistake. Weird enough, rare enough, that I'll think twice about choosing fillmore for a get together. After all, there are other great places on the block.
On Fillmore Pub
Posted on September 13, 2009 at 4:17 p.m.
All the recent publicity for the Grape pushed it back on our radar screen. Wanting to avoid the burger rush we made reservations for Saturday night. The setting is classic bistro. Not impeccable surroundings but cozy and welcoming, especially on a rainy night. (Did I wake up back in Portland?) We were put in the new south dining room which was ok, but the smelly labyrinth past the restrooms we took to get there kind of put us off our appetite. Great service however quickly put that right again. What to order wasn’t obvious. The mushroom soup proved to be justly a favorite and as odd as it is to say the house salad was fabulous. Fresh, interesting and, like everything we had, extremely well executed. The many little touches of competence and thoughtful care add up to a great experience and a reason for the longevity of this classic restaurant. The bread is delicious (not typically the case in Dallas) and I loved the subtle array of sea salt crystals added to the whipped butter. We split the huge, contest winning rib eye. Served over a pile of cut tomatoes and roasted potatoes the tender steak was drenched with a reduction that tastes exactly like A-1 Steak Sauce. (maybe pass on this) A highlight of the experience was the nightcap at the bar enjoying, again, the attentions of the fabulous staff – this time the bartender. We’ll return, likely eating in the bar and enjoying more of the appetizers.
On The Grape
Posted on July 7, 2009 at 1:42 p.m.
Before we moved, this was a logistically sound choice with acceptable food quality. The Pad Thai is good, and I always like spring rolls and cold beer. Asian Mint became a routine dinner choice. Eventually I started to get a little tired of it, and the scores above are indicative of that as well as the fact that there are tons better Asian choices out there. Asian Mint serves principally as a halfway house for North Dallas folks craving a different food choice but with less of an appetite for adventure.
I wasn't going to review Asian Mint with this lackluster view, but Sarah's review brought up a point i have been struggling with at another restaurant, a loooong time favorite, where I have "regular" status and where i consider myself an early evangelist that helped its success. Simply put its service is going downhill, and I seem to be bearing the brunt of it ... almost being taken for granted. I said something today, and hope the trend turns around. It's both hard and sad when you break up with a favorite joint!
On Asian Mint
Posted on June 20, 2009 at 10:16 p.m.
A bunch of us enjoyed a saturday night here not too long ago. Very chic decor, great food and drink. I love Dallas menus where the ladies can get interesting choices, and the guys can take comfort in wonderful meat. Local adheres to this dictum splendidly, and i would like to go back, but worry about being black-listed. You see we were a big, loud, group that frequented deep ellum more in the early nineties than today. We were the kind of group more in line with local's prices than its tattoo parlor neighbors. Yes, we owe an apology to the adjacent table, and yes, we hope we will be allowed back in -- we'll be on our best behavior.
On Local
Posted on June 20, 2009 at 10:02 p.m.
great middle eastern food ... very nice surprise.
A usual choice is Teppo, but we timed it wrong and were faced with a forty minute wait. We thought we'd pull a fast one by going to the no-name sushi place up a block. On close examination that choice looked dismal. Next door was Sevan, and, faced with a debilitating hunger, we decided to give it a try.
Great luck that we did. The lamb was delicious and i can see why the critics rave about the humus. While great food at a restaurant is an important criteria, being made to feel welcome makes a great place. Seven's family staff did that.
People watching vaguely channeled a small Mediterranean port. Not necessarily for the parallels between Greenville asphalt and the sea, but more from large amorphous parties that could have happened from bus or cruise ship on tour.
Never heard of this wonderful place before tonight. We will enjoy this byob bistro again. I have this feeling that knowing about sevan will end up being useful, and i am looking forward to seeing why.
Posted on November 3, 2008 at 2:44 p.m.
Sunday was beautiful weather. We emerged hungry from an enjoyable but dark indoor romp thru King Tut's tomb at the DMA. So we tromped over for brunch at the Nasher Sculpture Garden. Not usually a formal brunch person -- I guess I am too cheap, and there are too many other breakfast places around. Still Cafe Nasher by WP is a good option though. Little touches like fresh squeezed juices spritzed up the above average buffet choices. Desserts were ample and pretty. Key was the venue and the sun, however.
I probably shouldn't be so grumpy on the service ... one of the waiters went above and beyond, and the rest of the staff was helpful and polite. But its a buffet.
Value is very tricky since our membership got us into the museum free and took 15% off the price. I think if you paid for admission and full buffet price you'd e-yell at me for too high a rating.
Posted on October 29, 2008 at 12:23 p.m.
We enjoyed Tei An a couple weeks back in the middle of the week. Fell in love with the curry Soba soup. Had been obsessively craving it so dragged friends there last night. DC, your post worked wonders since the place was nicely populated (on a Tuesday). Didn't really need the reservation I made, but one does give you a bit more attention on top of already fabulous service. The tempura was better than most places here and in Tokyo. Soba was great. One notable highlight was the barley tea that gratiously came at the end of the meal unordered.
On Tei An
Posted on October 29, 2008 at 12:23 p.m.
We enjoyed Tei An a couple weeks back in the middle of the week. Fell in love with the curry Soba soup. Had been obsessively craving it so dragged friends there last night. DC, your post worked wonders since the place was nicely populated (on a Tuesday). Didn't really need the reservation I made, but one does give you a bit more attention on top of already fabulous service. The tempura was better than most places here and in Tokyo. Soba was great. One notable highlight was the barley tea that gratiously came at the end of the meal unordered.
On Tei An
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Posted on October 30, 2009 at 11:51 p.m.
Food: 5/5 Vibe: 5/5 Service: 5/5 Value: 5/5 Overall: 5/5
Sevy's celebrates some of the best of Texas culture. No, not in the state fair, honkytonk kind of stereotypical way. Sevy’s is genuine, cultured in a Dallas way, with fabulous food. This is the restaurant to which I’ll bring intelligent visitors to illustrate the quirky, casual, distinctive excellence of Dallas. No pretense despite the location and the luxury. Above all else you are made to feel truly welcome here. Gracious hospitality – you are comfortable in shorts or blue jeans, or a $2k business suit. You'll see families, business deals, dates and obligations. Shirley Temples, light beer, great wine or single malt scotch, the fabulous servers here just want you to be happy and relaxed.
And the food isn't bad either. Yes that's understatement. More precisely, the food has always been wonderful and has fearlessly evolved over many years. Although I will say that the menu on its face tends towards fancy. What is offered on the menu is the best, the brazen, of what the high talent in the kitchen loves to do. The osso bucco is fabulous, as is the game. The duck flautas are a great companion to share over a business scotch. The menu ensures that the North Dallas folks get the freshest fish with the best sauces, and an array of exotic (Texan again) meats. Frankly, the steaks are some the best I’ve had in town, and, to my unsophisticated -- but well exercised -- palette, better than the upscale steak houses like Del Frisco’s and III Forks. The salads are innovative and imaginative (in particular, the spinach and 5 grain salad is unique, healthy and delicious).
But there's a secret, and I hope I don't get into trouble for saying this. If you want to make a modification ... ask. If they can do it they will. The biggest secret … Sevy’s has amazing French fries … and therefore the best steak frites in town.
The bar. Well, a few years back it won an award for the best place to drink an afternoon away. I can see that, and am still trying to find an afternoon to prove it.
So yeah, there’s the amazing food, and the beautiful décor, and the putting green. But, like Texas, it’s the people that Sevy hires that makes this a remarkable, distinctive, welcome and welcoming mainstay of the not inconsequential Dallas restaurant repertoire.
On Sevy's Grill