Mike Orren
Joined Nov. 22, 2005
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Dallas, TX
Reviews
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3 years, 3 months ago
Mike Orren's review for:
Jaleo's (Closed)
This was our second attempt at Jaleo's, as the first try on another Eisemann show night taught us that they don't necessarily stay open as late as published.
The wait was well rewarded, as this is some of the best classic tapas in town. The owner/manager/server REALLY wanted us to know that the only reason they offered entree versions of the plates was to satisfy the local philistines. And he REALLY, REALLY wanted us to know that they were part of the launch of Cafe Madrid before the Great Dallas Tapas DIaspora of the 90's and that they also own De Tapas, which is soon to close its Addison location in favor of two new locations in Allen and McKinney and nowhere near the noise and sleaze of Sherlock's.
Kidding aside, the pride is warranted -- the kitchen staff has all been working in Spanish kitchens since they were old enough to walk. The food is all superb-- The cheese plate was generous and varied. Garlic shrimp is like Cafe Madrid served back in the day. A tapas salad of romaine, bacon and pine nuts was both huge and well-but-not-overdressed. Chorizo was delicious and plentiful. Marinated asparagus came heaped with mushrooms and was perfectly cooked and seasoned. The real jewel was a plate of mussels dressed with a pico de gallo-esque topping.
Food was reasonably priced and wine was VERY reasonably priced.
The ding on vibe comes from my irrational hatred of fluorescent lights and an uber-modern design that looks like it was created for whatever was there before this great Tapas bar.
Overall, food is neck-and-neck with Si Tapas, maybe even a hair better. And prices are much better. I can safely say that we'll never again go to an Eisemann show without eating here.
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3 years, 7 months ago
Mike Orren's review for:
Pizza By Marco
Team PegNews was fueled by Marco on relaunch night and everyone was very happy. Guys who generally thought BBQ chicken pizza was blasphemy wolfed it down with high praise. And for those of us stuck on a no-carb diet, the pecan salad was as good as a salad could be when surrounded by pizza.
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3 years, 7 months ago
Mike Orren's review for:
Dali Wine Bar and Cellar (Closed)
Caught dinner before a show and thoroughly enjoyed. Good mix of tapas and entrees on the menu, plus nightly chef's specials. The porcini risotto had me licking the plate.
Wine prices aren't cheap, and seemed a bit over marked-up to me, but on the flip side, the food was an amazing value.
Service was good but a bit fussy and obsequious. Yes, it's cool that read and remembered my name from the reservation, but I don't need it repeated to me thrice in one sentence.
Interior is small and cozy, giving a New York dinner-and-show vibe to the evening.
Must-visit before any Performing Arts Center show. Bonus: $5 valet at One Arts Center is cheap parking for that area and they have a shuttle down to the venues if you can't manage the two-block hike.
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3 years, 8 months ago
Mike Orren's review for:
Bubba's
Hadn't been to Bubba's in ages, but found myself at Snider Plaza for an eye doctor appointment and thought I'd get my fix.
I'm a longtime fan, and the chicken didn't disappoint. Really juicy without being greasy and incredible taste to the batter.
But everything else was a (not hot) mess. I had to reorder twice to get the right sides. The mashed potatoes and gravy were cold and bland -- no excuse for cold as big a turnover as they were doing. Cole slaw tasted fine but had way too much liquid, with a milky mess washing over onto the chicken section of my plate.
Also, don't remember it being so expensive. Three-piece meal and a single-serve drink busted $10.
Totally shattered my post-hangover memories of yore...
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3 years, 9 months ago
Mike Orren's review for:
Good 2 Go Taco
Had my second breakfast taco there this morning and am asking myself why I don't make time to stop every day.
Fresh, local ingredients; some nontraditional fillings (mashed potatoes?); everything cooked perfect and to order; absofreakinlutely transcendant salsas.
These are, without a doubt, the best tacos I've ever had.
At breakfast at least, prices are super-reasonable. $2.75 this morning.
It's inside the Green Spot, so you're looking at convenience store ambiance, albeit a nice, clean one with interesting products. Still, I recommend you eat there. My only criticism of the tacos is they don't travel well, so if you take them far you're looking at a soggy, but delicious mess.
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3 years, 10 months ago
Mike Orren's review for:
Flying Saucer on the Lake
Made our maiden voyage to the new FS last night, sailing up to the dock outside the retail complex that also includes Primos, Texas Land & Cattle and Bass Pro.
Despite the fact that this was another restaurant before FS moved in, it looks and feels like the other locations, inside and out. Beer selection is every bit as good. Bonus is that there are a few more food items on the menu than at other locations, with a focus on fish (natch).
Service was prompt, knowledgable and friendly. As always, enjoyed FS' way-better-than-average pub food.
With a more laid-back vibe than Primos, this is my new lake hangout. Especially like the well-shaded back patio (with its own bar) overlooking the lake.
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3 years, 11 months ago
Mike Orren's review for:
Vickery Park
Great vibe and unexpected in downtown Plano. Nice twists on traditional bar food. Really enjoyed brisket sammich. Friendly staff. Art is by bar manager.
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3 years, 11 months ago
Mike Orren's review for:
Noodle Wave
Really great food; good prices. Bonus soup at beginning of lunch. Corn patties rock. Spice level actually matches order, unlike many places today. Highly recommend.
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3 years, 11 months ago
Mike Orren's review for:
Agave Restaurant & Bar
Easily the best tapas restaurant on Lake Ray Hubbard...
This one's a matter of expectation setting. If you're expecting Cafe Madrid, Si Tapas, De Tapas, or similar Spanish restaurant, you'll be disappointed. But if you're looking for a quick bite on the lake you could do much worse.
The calamari (our default dish for comparing Tapas places) was good, but not great. It wasn't too chewy, but it was a little chewy and the seasoning on the batter and the aoli wasn't spectacular. Garlic cheese fries were OK, but certainly had no Spanish flair. Best dish we had was the ceviche, which rivaled neighbor Gloria's.
The new menu is more conventional than most Tapas places, with as many entrees as Tapas. (My guess is they learned that the lake crowd didn't get a world without entrees.)
Ambiance-wise, the place is a bit schizo. The bar is a see-and-be-seen modern-elegant affair. The restaurant area was, by contrast REALLY BRIGHTLY LIT and featuring fast-food tables and art from the Courtyard by Marriott collection. (This at 9:00 on a Friday.) As we finished, they started breaking down the tables and setting up a DJ for dancing.
At any rate, we'll assuredly be back, but only when we happen to be on the lake.
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3 years, 12 months ago
Mike Orren's review for:
Chicken House
This is, indeed the same recipe as the old Brothers Chicken.
The fries are really bad-- a bunch of seasoning salt doesn't hide that they are cafeteria frozen fries. Wish there was an option to order a 10 or 20 piece and not get fries.
Still, amazing chicken. Better cold on day two and three.
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4 years ago
Mike Orren's review for:
Local
Been meaning to try Local for a long time. We went last night at the tail-end of a long-planned date night.
A warning-- Despite the laid-back Deep Ellum vibe, it ain't cheap. But it's worth it and then some. All the ingredients are fresh and delicious and there is an attention to detail that underscores that someone is thinking about food as (accessible) art:
Lobster cake appetizer was delicious and immediately displayed the welcome addition of a mini-salad on almost every item. Fried green beans with a buttermilk sauce showed the right way to eat green vegetables-- only complaint is that the portion is so large and filling that it puts you in a worry about the meal.
Even though the cooking is elegant, homey ingredients are put to great use. I had the bass coated with corn flakes and it was fantabulous. (Also on a bed of risotto, plus the ubiquitous greens on top.)
"Chocolate Composed" dessert was a mini-souffle; three perfect cookies and a spiked ovaltine shot (see elegance + homey ingredients.) It was a chocolategasm that still has me in a trance today.
Biggest criticism is that there's nothing affordable on the wine list. If you want a bottle, you're dropping a minimum of around $80. A half-bottle list only highlights the pricing. That said, we were driven to the much more reasonable prosecco mojitos, which were very refreshing.
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4 years ago
Mike Orren's review for:
Si Tapas and Spanish Cuisine
The missus and I are longtime loyalists on the tapas scene, following the Cafe Madrid diaspora across the length and breadth of the metro-mess. Even in an early visit, we were ready to declare a new tapas king.
Hola never really measured up food-wise to CM or De Tapas, but they've gone over the top to ensure there are no such issues here.
The asparagus was amazing-- really well seasoned and cooked with just a touch of cheese. The topped breads were also remarkable, including one with what may have been the best sausage I've ever had. She preferred the apple marmalade, cheese and pine nut.
As a commenter on the story announcing the place pointed out, the rice is a-freakin-mazing. Simple, perfectly cooked white rice with a fried egg and a chunky tomato sauce -- served in sections to be mixed. Delicious.
Fried items (croquettes, empanadas) are servicable, but seem unfairly bland next to their grilled counterparts. (The ham croquettes fare better than the fish.) But that's a quibble-- I'd have raved about them if everything else wasn't so good.
Service is friendly and mostly knowledgable.
Sangria is fine-- nothing special (could use more floating fresh fruit).
The biggest problem I see here is that the old Watel's isn't big enough to contain the crowds sure to come. There's a tantalizing empty lawn behind the building that's owned by the power plant next door -- if only it could be subleased.
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4 years, 1 month ago
Mike Orren's review for:
Fadi's Mediterranean Grill
This one has a slight advantage over the Knox-Henderson location in that you serve yourself on the veg stations, allowing more customization of your choices. As with all Fadi's, solid mediterranean food; insane portions; good price.
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4 years, 1 month ago
Mike Orren's review for:
Top Cat
Nathan, I couldn't have said it better.
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4 years, 2 months ago
Mike Orren's review for:
Roasters New York Deli & Bagels (Closed)
Really conflicted on how to call this one because of its high highs and low lows. I walked over for lunch last week.
First, the bad: Despite more friendly greeters than a Wal-Mart and an apparent 4/1 staff-to-patron ratio, it took nearly 15 minutes to cough up a chicken salad sandwich and fries to go. And that combo was nearly $12. I tried the skinny fry varietal (thick also offered), and they were basically high school cafeteria fries.
The good: The chicken salad was excellent and heaped so high on a tasty onion roll that I had to eat half and save half. (And I'm no light eater.) Side of slaw was great -- so few places do good slaw and don't drown it in goop. Staff was super-friendly. Desserts out on sample were delish and made the wait more bearable.
The weird: Somebody must have a pickle fetish. My container had the equivalent of 3 1/2 large pickles inside.
Overall, cut the portions and the prices and shake off the early slow service hiccups and I might be a weekly customer.
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4 years, 2 months ago
Mike Orren's review for:
Cafe Madrid
Funny-- I think I was at Cafe Madrid for a late night supper same night as MandyR. While I didn't have the Paella, almost everything we had was top-notch as always. (Only off-note was the papas fritas with manchego, a new special that still needs refining.) Otherwise, lived up to my expectations as a long-standing favorite.
Parking in that neighborhood is an issue and always has been. Beer price sounds in line with a white tablecloth joint, but I'd recommend the sangria anyway...
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4 years, 2 months ago
Mike Orren's review for:
Goff's Hamburgers
Made my first pilgrimage to the Goff's across from our new offices today. Didn't really get it. Burger itself was serviceable, but not special. Cheese was shredded, not sliced, which seemed weird. Onion rings were good, but not remarkable. North of $10 for fast food lunch seemed a bit steep too. Really slow cranking the food out for a big lunchtime crowd.
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4 years, 3 months ago
Mike Orren's review for:
Dragonfly
I'd written this place off because I'm not into the see and be seen scene, but wound up here for a business dinner last night and was duly impressed.
All the food we had was on the remarkable side of good. Calamari salad was well-seasoned and didn't take the feared shortcut of substituting a lot of lettuce for a lot of squid. Well-balanced. Duck two ways (breast slices and confit) on a bed of corn grits was heavenly, although the braised greens were a trifle on the salty side.
Others had and raved about the antelope with sweet potato puree; the ginger beef tenderloin and the crab dip. Special orders were taken without a blink and the service was friendly, if not completely knowledgeable. (Lots of "I'll ask and come back.")
Couple of bonus tips: If you ever need a last-minute place for a meeting for six or fewer people, ask for the wine room. No extra cost and most people forget it is there. As long as you don't mind an occasional server jumping in for a bottle, it's great. And, to our pleasant surprise, entrees were half-price on Wednesdays.
I'm still probably glad that I wasn't paying the tab, but we had a great dinner.
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4 years, 4 months ago
Mike Orren's review for:
Brooklyn Jazz Cafe (Closed)
Been many times for drinks and jazz, but first food experience was Sunday brunch.
Food was great with generous portions. She had seafood crepes with potatoes. Really nice and the sour cream sauce was perfect complement. I had chicken n' waffles with grits. Chicken was nicely seasoned. Waffles were nothing special, but syrup was warmed. Grits were the least remarkable part of meal, but still good.
Drinks were fair-priced, and my bloody mary was one of the better ones I've had.
Top it off with Freddie Jones Quartet and it's a great morning. I like the way Freddie plays standards to keep the brunch crowd happy, but plays them really experimentally to amuse himself and the jazz-o-philes.
Highly recommend.
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4 years, 4 months ago
Mike Orren's review for:
Spiral Diner & Bakery
As a die-hard omnivore, I have to put the hyperbole aside: While the food is really good, it's not turning anyone into a vegan who isn't already there. That said, IF I'm going vegan, I can't imagine better. I'm not a fan of substitute proteins, but I'll have to admit that queso made from cashews is surprisingly good. Just wish it had been warmed.
Everything's really fresh and tasty. I had a pasta primavera (again, not a fan of fauxteins), and it was flavorful with a little kick. The missus (who actually likes the tofu) liked the jerk sandwich and the sidedish potato salad was tasty. Good uses of paprika abound.
Recommended anytime you're trying to satisfy both vegans and non-.
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4 years, 5 months ago
Mike Orren's review for:
Bolsa
May well be my favorite Dallas restaurant now. Vibe is laid-back elegant. Latest Wilco album was musical backdrop, fitting the concert-poster illustrations on the wall. Bolsa is made out of an old garage, but fixtures and wood paneling give it an upscale vibe that belies its origins.
Wait was longer than promised, but the bar was fast and friendly despite our asinine local liquor laws requiring a "membership." One request: Needs a system whereby you can move your bar tab to your table. Wine list was expansive and reasonably priced. (Note to self: Half-price bottles on Thursdays.)
Service was friendly and enthusiastic, proudly explaining the reliance on local/organic ingredients. Only docking a point because of several teases where they got a tray all the way to the table and turned tail because something wasn't quite right.
Bruschetta was varied and fabulous, on long pieces of bread creating three portions of each of the four varieties. Butternut squash with goat cheese was the best; also loved the prosciutto with dates. Apple with pine nut could have been a dessert.
Pom sangria was nice, if a little light on the alcohol for our tastes.
Cheese plate came with great variety of fruit and crackers for the buttermilk blue, basque, and Guinness cheddar.
The famed flatbreads were the least remarkable dish of the night, which is faint damnation. The crust was light and crispy, but a smidge dry relative to the toppings (mushroom, tomato, cheese).
Squash soup with bee pollen was savory and the pollen provided an interesting texture. Really tasty.
Pork loin served with maytag blue cheese hash and piquillo pepper sauce made for a gorgeous plate. The pork was simple, tender, perfectly cooked and not too salty. The pepper sauce complemented perfectly and the underlying hash-- well, hard to go wrong with blue cheese.
The "house dessert" -- a tile of brulee cream on a nilla wafer crust, topped with fried banana and with a hot toffee drizzle -- was a total foodgasm.
Would definitely class as the lower-end of high priced. Ridiculously large multicourse dinner for two plus Sangria right at $100.
Will. Be. Back.
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4 years, 5 months ago
Mike Orren's review for:
Fadi's Mediterranean Grill
Visited for the first time for lunch today and was really impressed with both the quality and quantity of the food. Ambiance is nothing to write home about, but unless I'm looking for tablecloths and wine, this is my new first choice for Mediterranean fare.
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4 years, 5 months ago
Mike Orren's review for:
Daddy Jack's
Longtime fave for me and the missus. Food has always been excellent and the service is quirky, but in a good, friendly way.
I almost always get the stuffed, crusted catch. Crabcakes are great too.
Greenville Avenue valet is the third ring of hell, so we try to go on weeknights when there is street parking available on Greenville proper.
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4 years, 8 months ago
Mike Orren's review for:
Stephan Pyles Restaurant
Was never overwhelmed by Pyles' work at Star Canyon, etc. but had a single dish at lunch that blew me away: Special pasta with beef, mushrooms, goat cheese and the lightest, tastiest pumpkin sauce ever. Total mouthgasm.
I found service thorough, but cloying.
Note: Even at lunch, there is a strict "no shorts" rule. Our out-of-town guest had to borrow a pair of slacks from the restaurant before he was admitted.
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4 years, 9 months ago
Mike Orren's review for:
Texadelphia
Actually, Jason, ecg0792's email addy suggests a local affiliation, so we'll presume that he's got some experience with Texadelphia. And that the Cheez Whiz they put on sandwiches in Philly has done some sort of damage to his faculties.
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