Fat Straws

I almost want to keep this one close to the vest so the word doesn't get out and completely overwhelm this small, Addison smoothie joint, but I guess I'll tell :)

Fat Straws is a new smoothie place back behind the Home Depot Expo and Galleria. The reason we even went looking for a new smoothie place was because of our absolute favorite place in CS for smoothies closed it's doors, so we started getting worried we'd never find a place as good and had tapioca balls.

Just because you know where it is, doesn't mean you need to go running up there. Currently there isn't hardly ever a line, but that has been changing recently. I assure you it's worth the trip...just don't go telling everyone about it!

Some of us don't really like the tapioca balls...they aren't exactly, uh hmmm...manly! That being said, A loves them...and she seriously has the weirdest cravings for this place!

I can't remember how we came across Fat Straws, but our world hasn't been the same since! It's seriously close to J's work, so the little booger gets it some times for lunch. Darn him!!

It's a small place, fairly modern in decoration, and most importantly...sells smoothies. There is enough seating to make it a study locale, however the machines that make the smoothies can be quite loud! I would recommend the patio for extended visits...What makes the smoothies so darn good is the ingredients and the super huge straws through which you consume them! It's fairly healthy and a great filler for lunch or even a late night snack.

The fruit is super fresh and I'm pretty sure they don't add any fillers. They also have a huge assortment of teas that you can buy by the ounce or they will make you a cup. There are some pretty fancy kinds that are up to $16 an lb!

Sorry for the quick post, but give this place a try soon!

5301 Alpha Road #38Dallas, TX 75240 -- Open Mon-Sat 11am-10pm; Sun 11am-9pm

Cadillac Ranch

J went to Cadillac Ranch because the parent company is a client of his and he had business there, needless to say he came home with rave reviews. He has being dying for me to try this new place in Irving (the same shopping center as Taco Diner and Champps), so we went for date night a few weeks ago. J described it as a Tillman's-style restaurant with a more chain-feel. Basically you'll recognize everything on the menu, but it has a slight twist.

This is a great restaurant, with the possibility for an "all in one" stop for the night. The restaurant itself is quite big and very open. There is alot of wood and lots of different levels with dining tables. The waitresses are younger and very attentive. The food they are bringing you is very very good and they like to tell their favorites...most of which are very well chosen, so do ask! There is also an attached bar, complete with patio seating, two bartops, and dance floor for live band performances on friday and saturday nights. Drink specials come and go, but this is a great place to start a happy hour out at, move to dinner across the dining room, and back to the bar for music afterwards!

The restaurant prides itself on locally-sourced foods and advertises a lot of it's local vendors on its website and menu. For example, the Dallas Mozzarella company for its cheeses and Buck Creek Farms for its salad greens.

He said the queso was great, so we ordered that again. It's a queso blanco...a delicious white cheese that is melty and smooth. The chips that came with it were a little over salted and there weren't enough for all the dip, but luckily the waitress read our minds and asked if we wanted more chips. I was worried we'd get charged a refill fee, but there wasn't anything on our bill.

After all the queso, I wasn't super hungry so I thought I'd get a salad and soup. I couldn't believe it when the $4.95 Cesar salad was absolutely huge! It was incredible; I love anchovy-based dressings and this had that and an anco chile added to it, so just a little bit of spicy. Large iceberg lettuce wedges with cornbread croutons (YUM, why didn't anyone think of this before??) finished it off.

J ordered the chicken fried steak, green beans and mashed potatoes. This is a HUGE serving of food, more than enough for dinner and lunch the next day. I was really impressed, the steak was well cooked and the gravy had a spice in it that gave it some kick. The potatoes were well whipped and had a mix of garlic, butter and some sort of other spice which made them very very tasty. The green beans were not just cooked, rather they had their own seasoning...trust me, these are GOOD grean beans!

I ordered the venison chili to go with my salad as well. I like the venison frito pie at Tillman's, so I thought this might be a good first try. The venison was sweet and the chili was pretty spicy. I liked it except it seemed a little greasy. I honestly was so full at this point so I didn't eat a ton. I probably wouldn't get it again just because it was so heavy and seemed to have a pretty high fat content.

I also got a tex-mex mojito: basically a normal mojito but with agave nectar and tequila instead of rum. It was pretty large and tasty! J got Sweet Tea...and he LOVES sweet tea! It was good enough for him to have 6, count them 6 glasses of it! If you like sweet tea, go for it here as it won't dissappoint.

If we both weren't so full, there was a very nice looking dessert menu that we would have definitely tackled...that being said, we were both taking home leftovers and there was no room! This is a great place to go if you want to take food home, because as while the prices are a tad higher than any ordinary chain restaurant, the food comes in big portions and you are almost guaranteed to have leftovers!

We rate Cadillac Ranch a 4.0 out of 5 for food and a 4.0 out of 5 for twenty somethings. The crowd in the restaurant was a little older, but the bar was certainly hopping with a younger crowd.

Highlights:
- Queso Blanco
- Sweet Tea
- Chicken Fried Steak
- Good margarita's and mojito's
- Great happy hour bar, dinner, and live music locale
www.cadillacranchrestaurant.com