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:

Bellinis Italian Cafe and Pizza

Bellinis Italian Cafe is one of those restaurants you drive by and think, "That shopping center looks pretty sketchy, but I wonder if that restaurant is any good." So this week my friend Lindsay and I decided to try it out. It is just a couple blocks from my apartment in Oak Lawn, which made it a very convenient location for me. With all the great restaurants in the Uptown/Oak Lawn area, this one would be easy to miss. It is down a side street in a run down shopping center. Even the nail salon next door looked closed down.


Having only seen the outside, I was quite surprised when I walked in and saw an upscale Italian restaurant! I actually thought, maybe I should have checked out the menu pricing before I came in cause this place could be expensive. To my delight, Andrea Bocelli music was drifting through the restaurant. Who doesn't love being seated with Con Te Partiro softly playing in the background? I sure do! Lindsay and I could not help but giggle at the maitre d', who I sadly did not get a picture of, but he looked a little something like this (imagine worse hair, and not as cute)...Bellinis was pretty empty when we arrived at around 6:00pm, but it slowly filled up throughout the evening. It was a great atmosphere for a date, a business meeting, or a group of friends. All of which we saw dining there throughout our evening. Alright, now let's get to the important stuff... the food.


Our meal started with some breadsticks and an olive oil dipping sauce. This was no ordinary plate of olive oil. It had balsamic vinegar mixed in with spices (not sure which ones, possibly some basil in there) and more garlic than one person should probably eat in an evening. To say it was delicious is an understatement. Every meal in life should begin with this bread and dip. We also thought it only appropriate to order some Bellinis as well. Again, we were not disappointed. I was pleasantly surprised at the price of the Bellinis, only $5.25 each.


For an appetizer we ordered something called the Phyllo Basket ($8.95). It was a bowl made of phyllo dough, paper-thin sheets of unleavened flour dough (thank you Wikipedia), and filled with spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, shrimp, Parmesan cheese, more garlic, and a light red sauce. It was not your normal appetizer, but it was light and delicious.

Lindsay and I decided to split an entree because, let's be honest, you are never all that hungry by the the time the main course arrives when the starter bread tastes so good. After much debate, we decided to go for the Chicken Piccatta ($12.95), which included a salad. There were lots of other chicken dish options, veal dishes, pasta dishes, pizzas, and more. So if Chicken Piccatta is not your thing, never fear, there is plenty more to choose from. The Chicken Piccatta was everything it should have been: tender chicken, angel hair pasta, light lemon sauce, capers, and of course more garlic. I would have to say that I enjoyed the Phyllo Bowl and the bread more than the entree, but it was still good. Maybe it just leaned a little more toward the bland side. I would definitely be willing to go back, but next time I would try a different entree.

Overall, I found Bellinis to be conveniently located, inexpensive, well run, and have decent food. It would not make it onto my list of best restaurants in Dallas, but the next time I am craving Italian and don't want to stray too far from home, this is probably where I will end up. There is just one final thing to keep in mind when eating dinner at Bellinis, two words... garlic breath.

Bellinis Italian Cafe and Pizza
3810 Congress Ave. Suite 109
Dallas, TX 75235
(214) 528-2844

Price: $$
Rating:

Veranda Greek Cafe

This week, my sister and I decided to try out a little Greek restaurant located right by her apartment in Las Colinas. It is one of those restaurants tucked into a shopping center that you could drive by a million times without actually noticing it. Sarah had remembered seeing it there, we decided we were in the mood for some Greek food and wanted to give it a try. I liked the atmosphere as soon as I walked in. It had a very Mediterranean feel to it with photographs covering the walls. The pictures were taken all over Europe and Frank Sinatra music was streaming over the radio. The restaurant was not very busy, so we were seated promptly by our server who seemed Greek himself.

We started by ordering some pita and tzatziki ($4.95). If you have never tried tzatziki, it is basically a mix of yogurt, cucumbers, and spices. Coming from someone who is not a huge fan of yogurt, this does not sound appetizing, but don’t be fooled by the description because it is delicious! Our tzatziki at Veranda was definitely a win. The dip was creamy and flavorful and the pita was warm and soft.

Sarah and I then decided to share the gyro plate ($12.95) as our entrée. We definitely made the right decision to split the meal because we still managed to stuff ourselves and take home leftovers. The plate included a Greek salad, rice, green beans, pita bread, and gyro meat. The salad was your typical Greek salad: lettuce, tomato, cucumber, onion, feta cheese, Kalamata olives, and Greek dressing. When I say typical Greek salad, I must add that I mean your typical American Greek salad. A few years back I was able to order a Greek salad at a café in Greece itself. Much to my surprise, when it arrived at the table I found that there was no lettuce in the salad at all. It was a bowl of cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, and Kalamata olives, topped off with a big square of feta cheese and some olive oil. Don’t get me wrong, it was delicious, but not what I was expecting when I ordered a salad.

Anyway, back to our entree. The gyro meat at Veranda is a mix of beef and lamb. While it was not the best gyro meat that I have had, it was still crispy and flavorful. The green beans were alright, with an interesting spice on them that I could not quite identify. The rice was on the bland side, but there was plenty of pita and tzatziki left to mix with the meat.

Overall, I am not jumping up and down with excitement over Veranda Greek Café, but I found the meal enjoyable and decently authentic. Not to mention our dinner for two totaled $20, worth it for a huge meal in a quaint restaurant. My love of Greek food would be enough to bring me back to Veranda just to try some more of my favorite Greek treats. Did I mention that the Mediterranean diet is tied to reduced risk of heart disease? So get yourself out there and eat some flaming saganaki and some baklava!

Veranda Greek Cafe
5433 N. McArthur at Walnut Hill in Las Colinas
Irving, TX 75038
(972) 518-0939

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:

The Start of Something New

Anyone who knows me, knows that if there is one thing I love, it's food. In the words of George Bernard Shaw, "There is no sincerer love than the love of food." There is just something about the moment a new flavor hits my tongue that will never cease to excite me. At any given time I have a list of restaurants I love and restaurants I can't wait to try. So after years of thinking about it, I am finally starting my own food blog!

I have heard it said that Dallas has the most restaurants per capita in the United States. It only takes a few days here to realize that the food possibilities in the big D are endless, and usually quite delicious. So what better place to be as I start my food blog? It seems every time I cross a restaurant off my list (yes, I have an actual list of restaurants I want to try), two more get added on! Looks like I have a lot of work to do, and a lot of food to try.