Posted on February 29, 2008 at 2:23 p.m.

Food: 2/5  Vibe: 2/5  Service: 3/5  Value: 2/5  Overall: 2/5

I've been craving a thick chocolate shake and fries to go with it ever since I saw the old-fashioned burger place go up.
We went in to try it, and were surprised to find a Fuddrucker's setup - complete with ten dollar burgers. I also ordered wings (another craving of mine) and asked them to make them all "flappers," and for ranch instead of blue cheese.
Our house salad was primarily iceberg, and had water sitting at the bottom - the wings came out and there were NO flappers, just the little drums. After waiting for about 5 minutes I took them up to the front and asked if they could switch them out - in the meantime my friend's burger arrived. He got the A1 burger, supposedly thick and juicy with A1, peppercorn ranch, bacon, grilled onions, swiss, the works. He said it tasted like nothing - like ground beed with no flavor but wet from all the sauces. Gross - I declined a taste.
My wings came out when he was about halfway done with his burger. With blue cheese. I just used the ranch from the salad.
Our waitress barely came by, but when she brought the check I saw I was not charged for the wings. That was nice, and a surprise, but I'm not sure if it made up for everything else. I wouldn't go back.

On Pappas Burger

Posted on February 29, 2008 at 2:16 p.m.

Food: 5/5  Vibe: 5/5  Service: 5/5  Value: 3/5  Overall: 5/5

I've been to the Palomar twice for conferences, and was very pleasantly surprised at the food and service each time - I decided to go back to the restaurant - It was too crowded but the hostess told us we could sit at the bar and order there - First of all, my curiousity about the chunk of fresh ginger at the bar led my friend and I to trying "ginger Jacks" Whiskey, apple juice, and fresh ginger - YUM! When we got our food (herbed lamb and salmon sashimi) we switched to pinot noir - the cheapest glass was $14 each and the pour was small - I asked the bartender to "fill 'er up" and he did, but let me know that they have a strict 3 ounce pour. I don't know, sounds small to me. Anyway, the food was to die for - the sashimi was incredible and I practically fell off my chair when I tasted the lamb - savory but with just the right touch of sweetness. I want to try everything on the menu. Also they weren't stingy with the fresh bread and olives, both of which were great.

On Central 214

Posted on February 29, 2008 at 2:06 p.m.

Food: 5/5  Vibe: 4/5  Service: 3/5  Value: 3/5  Overall: 4/5

Thanks to Allgood cafe, I am addicted to Empire Bakery's sourdough bread. Unable to satisfy my craving for toast 2394294872394 times a day, I've bought the rare loaf now and then. It never disappoints, but the price tag somehow manages to surprise me every time. Also the people behind the counter often seem to be more interested in chatting than serving.
Once nice thing is they do have a frequent buyers card, so ultimately you get a loaf free or half-price or something like that. I've never had the sandwiches, they always looked too expensive and I knew I could get something better with the same bread at Allgood.

On Empire Baking Company

Posted on February 29, 2008 at 2:03 p.m.

Food: 5/5  Vibe: 3/5  Service: 4/5  Value: 4/5  Overall: 4/5

There is also some very nice hummus here, served with crispy pita chips, and the chicken salad is very nice. The service good and the food decent but the menu selction is boring - it's hard to get excited about the same sandwiches 329040293840239 other restaurants have. Also the decor is pretty boring. I seem to remember rainbows and a series of pictures of chairs. I only go here when someone else insists.

On Dream Cafe (Addison)

Posted on February 29, 2008 at 2:01 p.m.

Food: 3/5  Vibe: 3/5  Service: 4/5  Value: 4/5  Overall: 3/5

love love love the lovely hummus. VERY garlicky. Don't go on Tuesday nights if you want to eat that day - the half-price food and wine brings out half of DFW. The hummus and pita are about the only standout thing though - the chicken seemed dry, the salads lacked flavor - everything else seemed pale in comparison to the one thing they do really well. Kismet next door is worth a stop-in - they play fun international music and draw an eclectic mix of Middle-Easterners and South Americans.

On Cafe Izmir

Posted on February 29, 2008 at 1:58 p.m.

Food: 5/5  Vibe: 4/5  Service: 4/5  Value: 5/5  Overall: 4/5

Love. I love nothing more than a greasy breakfast done right and the Metro does that all day, every day, and for about $4. I get my usual fried eggs, toast, and hashbrowns, and sometimes vary it up with a patty melt on the side. Yes, I said on the side. I'm an eater. Also the jukebox has Old 97s in it! For some reason I love that the music in there hasn't changed since I first went there 6 years ago. If you hear "Nineteen" playing, look in the corner booth- that's probably me carefully extracting the egg whites from the yolk.

On Metro Diner (Dallas / Gaston)

Posted on February 29, 2008 at 1:55 p.m.

Food: 2/5  Vibe: 2/5  Service: 2/5  Value: 2/5  Overall: 2/5

over.rated. I really don't get what everyone sees in this place - the food is always just ok, and the last time I was ok with paying over $10 for a plate of eggs was when I was at an unlimited champagne brunch. The service is always slow, there are inevitably mistakes, and frankly, I don't love the menu all that much. The rosemary potatoes are always cold too - gah! that's annoying. I only go here if I'm starving and there's nothing else open nearby. Now that I know about the 24hr taco place off industrial, that probably won't happen much.

On Cafe Brazil (Dallas / Deep Ellum)

Posted on February 29, 2008 at 1:51 p.m.

Food: 5/5  Vibe: 5/5  Service: 5/5  Value: 4/5  Overall: 5/5

*Thank you Mike Schneider for introducing me to this place!

Ok, it's expensive for pizza, but WOW - it is amazing. My favorite pizza there has got to be the triple 'roni, the truffle oil finish rounds it out and makes you feel maybe it's worth the $20 you are paying for it. I also get the Caesar every time - nice and garlicky, huge, DEFINITELY for sharing.

I've always gotten great service and have never minded the wait - it's a small place and I like the atmosphere. I usually skip the wine drink a Moretti or a Peroni - also try the homemade pineapple-infused tuaca at least once - yummy! Just keep it to one ...

On Fireside Pies (Dallas)

Posted on February 29, 2008 at 1:33 p.m.

Food: 4/5  Vibe: 3/5  Service: 5/5  Value: 3/5  Overall: 4/5

Let me just qualify this by saying: I do not like tex-mex. However this, I do like. I ended up working next door to a Blue Mesa for about 8 months, so it was inevitable some of their food would find its way over to me. I don't like queso either, but their white queso is amazing. All their grilled stuff is tender, has great flavor, and I love the fresh-made salsas that come with it. Some of their meals come with flatbread that seems more suited to Indian food, but somehow they make it work. Every employee has a great attitude there, but some of the bar patrons can get a little loud and rowdy for the restaurant crowd. I've seen some "business men" go in there at 11 am and stumble out red-faced and gin-blossomed at 8 or 9. Ew. I like my food to go.

On Blue Mesa Grill (Fort Worth)

Posted on February 28, 2008 at 1:59 p.m.

Food: 5/5  Vibe: 5/5  Service: 5/5  Value: 5/5  Overall: 5/5

Ok, numero uno: This little taco shack is NOT tex-mex - it is straight up Mexican. Believe me, I've eaten my share of street tacos in Mexico, and this is the closest I've had in the US. I don't really recommend, the tacos al pastor, they're not very real, but the tacos de bistecca are EXCELLENT - get them with cilantro and onion, and pour on the green salsa, and enjoy a truly Mexican meal - it's a fantastic deal - each taco is $1.40 - usually I'll go with a friend and we'll each get 2 tacos and split a torta. These tortas are Mexican-style sandwiches with freshly baked Mexican bread, avocado, pork, salsa, thinly sliced onions, MMMMMMMM!!! Don't forget to wash it all down with a Mexican coke. You can (overly) feed two people for less than $12 - not bad!

On Melis Taqueria