Horne & Dekker

Dining Room

Horne and Dekker is not your average restaurant. We first decided to try it out when our boss came into town and wanted to take the office out to dinner, but left it up the staff members to decide where to go. After some thorough research, we decided on Horne & Dekker, a new restaurant in the Dallas are that is different, not too expensive, and took reservations. The theme of the restaurant is gourmet comfort food - not your usual combination. As a result, their menu has everything from gnocchi to fried chicken, with a variety of things in between, not to mention a very eclectic cocktail menu that has all sorts of fun and fresh options. Horne & Dekker is located in the Knox-Henderson area of Dallas, which gets pretty crazy on the weekends, but wasn't too bad on a weeknight. Be prepared to valet though. There is never parking anywhere in this part of town.

Margarugula

A few of us started the evening off with a Margarugula ($10), a drink worth ordering if you can figure out how to pronounce it! It was a margarita mixed with some peppery arugula, and the best word I can think of to describe this drink would be refreshing. Another fun drink was the Honey Badger, which someone had to order merely for the name. It was mixture of whiskey and fruit juice, a little much for me personally.

Spicy Chips

Dekker Devils

The best part about going to dinner with a big group is that there are that many more things to try! The appetizer menu had some interesting options such as fried frog legs and fried green tomatoes, but our group settled on Spicy Chips ($8) and Dekker Devils ($8). The spicy chips were a solid winner with our group: homemade potato chips with spicy seasoning, drizzled with blue cheese dressing, and topped off with bacon and sweet peppers. The Dekker Devils were deviled eggs with ham, bacon, and chives mixed into the yolk. I happen to love deviled eggs, and I liked these, but I would probably prefer some more traditional deviled eggs. What was definitely worth raving about were the basket of biscuits and honey butter that they served with the meal. Confession: I literally grabbed the bus boy to prevent him from taking away the leftover biscuits when he was clearing the table. Better believe those went in my to-go box!

Dr. Pepper Carnitas

When we got to the entrees, there was a variety ordered by our table. Dr. Pepper Pork Carnitas ($16), Salmon & Couscous ($20), Finger Lickin' Fried Chicken ($17), and Sea Bass & Scallop Cake ($24) to name a few. I did not try the carnitas, but they looked delicious. The only complaint I heard about them was that the sauce was a little on the sweet side. I guess that's what happens when you cook with Dr. Pepper. I had the fried chicken. It was an insane amount of food that left me enough leftovers for another full meal the next day! The mashed potatoes were yummy, but I was not fond of the gravy. The fried chicken was moist and definitely fried. I was surprised to find that my favorite meal at the table was the salmon and couscous. The salmon fillet was perfectly cooked with a light citrus sauce and sat on a bed of cranberry and grilled veggie pearl couscous. I don't normally gravitate towards anything with cranberries, but the salmon paired with the couscous and a hint of tangy cranberries made a perfect combination.

Finger Lickin' Fried Chicken

Salmon & Couscous

Banana Bread Pudding

Red Velvet Twinkies

Now to the fun part... dessert! Horne & Dekker has a pretty crazy dessert menu. The items we chose were the Salted Caramel Brownie Sundae ($8), Banana Bread Pudding ($7), and Red Velvet Twinkies ($7). The bread pudding seemed to be a bit of a let down and not as exciting as everyone had hoped. Report was that it was not as moist as they expected bread pudding to be. I had the brownie sundae, which was good, but very rich. The hit of the table was the red velvet Twinkies. In essence, it was red velvet cake filled with cream and served with a carton of milk. The visual aspect of the plate was awesome, and the Twinkies were pretty good as well. I think they could have used a little more of the cream filling though.

Salted Caramel Brownie Sundae

Overall, I would say Horne & Dekker is definitely worth a try! Dinner was, at the very least, a good experience. Other highlights of the restaurant are their Sunday dinner, which has limitless food (like the normal servings aren't enough), and their Hangover Brunch. One look at the French Toast Loaf in their brunch advertisement and trust me, you will be sold.

Horne & Dekker

2323 Henderson Ave #102

Dallas, TX 75206

(214) 821-9333

Price: $$-$$$
Rating:

Komali Contemporary Mexican Cuisine

Mexican food. It doesn't matter how many times I eat it or places I go, I just never grow tired of it. Lucky for me, Dallas seems to have a never ending supply of Mexican restaurants! I first heard of Komali from my new favorite iPhone app, Scoutmob. Basically, Scoutmob has coupons for different local restaurants throughout the U.S. It is only available in some cities, but the company is new and continuing to grow. This was my third Scoutmob restaurant, and they have all been delicious! Plus, I got 50% off... can't beat that! The other reason I had heard of Komali, is that they were just voted #1 by D Magazine for best margaritas in Dallas. So I was more than excited when I walked into Komali to try it out for the first time!

When Lindsay and I wandered into dinner around 6:30pm, we realized that we were lucky enough to beat the dinner rush, and catch the tail end of happy hour. The decor was very clean cut and modern, but still had a bit of a homey feel to it with the relaxed bar setting and the mosaic fireplace in the corner. As we walked to our table, I had that slightly uneasy feeling of, "this restaurant looks really nice... I hope I'm not horrified at the prices when I open the menu." This feeling only intensified as we sat down and our waiter placed the napkins in our lap. When I mustered up the courage to take a peek at the menu, I was pleasantly surprised! Not to say that Komali is cheap, but most of the entrees ranged from $10-$15, with a few of the more expensive dishes getting up to $28. For an upscale restaurant in Dallas, I was impressed.


Not wanting to miss out on what was supposed to be the best margarita in Dallas, we both promptly ordered one. Lindsay ordered "The Komali," the award winning margarita with prickly pear puree, mango, and lime juice. It was good, but personally I preferred my pineapple infused tequila margarita, with chunks of fresh pineapple (both $7 at happy hour). It was refreshing, sweet, and packed a punch.






When the waiter came by to take our appetizer order, we were in desperate need of suggestions. The appetizer selection was not your typical nacho, queso, chips and salsa type menu. Instead, we found ourselves deciding between tamales, sopes, and what sounded like a Spanish version of goat cheese bruschetta. In the end we chose the Queso Fundido ($8). Do not be fooled, this is not your typical nacho cheese queso. It is fresh melted Oaxaca cheese, where we chose to mix in some chorizo and poblano rajas. The dish came out hot with a side of fresh corn and flour tortillas, which led to us making little mini tacos. The appetizer was spicy, flavorful, and delicious. We ate every bite.

We had an equally as difficult time choosing our entrees. In the end, Lindsay ordered the Chicken Enchiladas de pollo en Salsa verde ($14) and I ordered the Chile relleno de Jaiba ($16). My chile relleno was a definite success, not too spicy, fresh and flavorful. My only issue with it was, it was supposed to be a pepper stuffed with crab meat. Each bite I took I thought, is there really crab in here? It looked and tasted like shredded beef to me. I have nothing against shredded beef, but where was the crab? So aside from my disappointment in the lack of crab, I still fully enjoyed my dish. My plate also came with some fresh tortillas, so I could cut a bite of chile relleno, add some rice, and make a mini taco. Again, delicious. Lindsay enjoyed her massive plate of enchiladas as well.

When our meal was over I noticed that Komali had filled up. We went from being one of the only tables to a full restaurant through the course of our meal. The manager came by with our bill to ask us how our meal was and we talk about our Scoutmob coupon. We were sure to let him know that we loved our meal, thought the restaurant was great, and would definitely recommend it to others. So if you have a date night planned, want a nice dinner out, or just want to grab a margarita and some appetizers, this is the place for you!

Komali
4152 Cole Ave
Suite 106
Dallas, TX 75204
(214) 252-0200

Price: $$ - $$$
Rating:

Royal Thai

If there is one food I never stop craving, it is Thai food. I am constantly on the hunt for some good curry. My all time favorite Thai restaurant, Thai Basil, was left behind in Phoenix when I moved out to Dallas. So I have been in desperate need of a replacement! Luckily, after a little internet research, I found one. Who knew that Googling "best Thai food in Dallas" could be such a success! So Lindsay and I decided to check out Royal Thai, and also celebrate her recent engagement :-)

When we first walked into Royal Thai, it looked like everything I would expect a Thai restaurant to look like, but definitely on the more upscale end. The restaurant was pretty empty when we arrived at about 5:30pm, but by the time we left at about 8pm, it was packed full. It was obvious from the crowd, as well as the reviews I read online, that Royal Thai has definitely made itself known in Dallas for its good food and service.


Lindsay and I started off our meal with some spring rolls ($5.50). They were the deep fried kind, which of course only added to their deliciousness. I am never really sure what sauce it is that they bring out with spring rolls, but I know that I like it!

Our main course was the Gaeng Keowan ($10.95), or green curry as most would know it. For those that are not familiar with curries, there are many different types of curry. The most popular Thai curries are green, red, yellow, and panang (peanut) curries. Each has their own unique flavor and usually a different set of vegetables as well. Thai curries are also very different than say your Indian curries. I guess I'll have to blog about an Indian restaurant soon to get into that comparison more!


Anyway, green curry has always been my favorite, and this green curry was no let down! The bowl of curry had chicken, eggplant, bamboo shoots, bell pepper, jalapenos, snow peas, and basil leaves, and of course came with a side of white rice. The dish had great flavor and the perfect amount of spiciness! The dishes are generously sized, and I thought I would be saving my leftovers for lunch the next day, but I ended up eating just about every bite. We also paired the dish with a glass of Riesling ($6.50). The sweetness of the wine was a perfect offset for the spiciness of the curry.

Overall, I can safely say that I loved this restaurant. The food was great, the atmosphere was great, and the service was great (if not too eager, I kept having to say no, don't take my food, I'm still eating!). The prices weren't bad either, spending about $20 for an appetizer, entree, and a glass of wine. I will absolutely return to this restaurant.... in fact, maybe tomorrow!

Royal Thai
5500 Greenville Avenue # 608
Dallas, TX 75206
(214) 691-3555

Price: $$
Rating:

The Dream Cafe

I think my dinner at The Dream Cafe this weekend is a perfect way to kick off my blog. I had never heard of The Dream Cafe until my roommate Natalie and her fiance Brady suggested it for dinner. It was located in the Quadrangle in Uptown. Although we walked there, there is a parking garage right next to the restaurant, which makes it one of the few places in Dallas you might actually find a parking spot. It is also located right next door to Theater Three and would be the perfect place to grab a bite before seeing a show. As our host walked us to our table on the patio, he described the restaurant as "Cirque du Soleil, but with food." While I'm not sure that is quite the way I would describe it, the menu was definitely eclectic. Whether you are in the mood for some Greek hummus, Asian stir fry, or Mexican enchiladas, there is something on the menu for everyone.

We quickly discovered that Friday is wine flight night. There were two flight options. The first one was a selection of four glasses of two ounce wines from wineries throughout France, while the second was a selection of four red wines from Spain. We decided to spring for the France flight, $17. It was a great variety of wine, but our favorite was definitely the Sauvion Vouvray. It was light and sweet with a hint of honey. For an appetizer we ordered some edamame, $5. Now I have to say, the three of us have eaten a lot of edamame from many different places, and all three of us agreed, hands down, that this was the best. The edamame was fresh, hot, and had the perfect balance and salty and spicy. I would go back just for the edamame!

Now on to the entrees! I ordered the Global Dinner, $10 (first picture below). It was a mix of brown rice and black beans (all organic of course) with grilled chicken drizzled with some jack cheese and a hint of sour cream. It was surrounded by deliciously salty, crunchy chips with a side of pico de gallo and guacamole. Overall I really enjoyed this dish. While it was not bursting with flavor, it was still tasty. It is not often, if ever, that I can eat a Mexican dish and feel like I am eating healthy at the same time, but Global Dinner accomplished them both! Natalie and Brady both ordered the Enchiladas, $11 (second picture below). They both agreed that it was tasty and still felt like a fresh, healthy meal. The salsa was not your average Tex-Mex salsa; instead it had more of a rustic, smoky taste to it. Natalie's only complaint was that the rice tasted a bit dry.



Overall we had a great experience at The Dream Cafe, and I would absolutely go back. Our service was great from the host, to our waitress, to the manager who came by our table twice to check in on us. On my next visit I would consider taking our waitress up on her recommendation of the Venison Flank Salad or the Carrot Risotto. We also learned that The Dream Cafe is best known for its brunch, something I will definitely be going back for.

The Dream Cafe
2800 Routh St.
Dallas, TX 75201
214.954.0486
Price: $$
Rating: