Victor Tango's

We finally got to have a date night the other day and decided to do one of our favorite Dallas things...check out DMagazine's recommendations and try out something new. J had a seriously random craving for Chicken and Waffles (especially random as he'd never had that before) so we logged onto DMagazine and searched "Chicken and Waffles". Amazingly, they had a recommendation in their newest article The Best of Big D 2009. It's actually the cover of their article, so we felt like we had to go, so we headed to Knox-Henderson to Victor Tango's.

We were delighted to discover that we'd made it in time for their happy hour (5 to 7), which is basically 2 bucks off all their specialty drinks and wine. Their drink list is awesome! I tried the Victor Tango, which was basically a mix of a mojito and a spa-cucumber drink. J had the Lightning Bug, which tasted like an adult version of my mom's summertime tea. It was like sweet tea but with lemonade added. Yum!

When A describes the lightning bug, she does a good job but be aware of it's punch. It's got a great flavor and does indeed taste like iced tea, but this is tea with a twang and some kick. I loved it and could have gone for two, but decided as it was an early dinner I would stop at one.

The waitress informed us the plates were made to share, so we decided to get an appetizer, main dish and a side. She acted like that wasn't a lot to order and even left a menu with us in case we wanted to get more. We have no idea why she thought that as we couldn't even touch our side because we were so full!

We ordered the Stadium Pretzels with Beer Cheese Fondue for our starter and loved it. It came with two, full-sized pretzels covered in a light dusting of garlic powder and Parmesan and a ton of salt. We both had to wipe off a lot of the salt as it was kind of overwhelming. The cheese fondue was excellent. It was, according to J, "cheesy, gooey, goodness." It was 300 times better than any cheese dip you'd get with your normal pretzel and definitely appeased our cheesy craving. I want to go back to try the Crock of Warm Goat Cheese Dip (anything with the word Crock sounds great to me) and the Tempura Green Beans sometime in the near future.

The cheese in the dip was amazing, seriously! This is not your ordinary ballpark cheese, rather it was creamy and thick, with a hint of spice to it. I loved it and wish we had more bread or chips to dip it in!

Next up was the Chicken and Waffles. It was definitely big enough to share with six waffles and a piece of fried chicken on each. It was Delicious! The dish came with an extra side of maple syrup so you could add some more sweet goodness if you'd like. The best part to me was the gravy. It was a pancetta gravy that wasn't too heavy or too thick, but had a wonderful hint of bacon. The fried chicken was juicy and had a very light layer of fried batter on it. I didn't notice that the fried chicken batter was spicy until I tried it by itself. The spicy, gravy and syrup was an awesome combo. The waffles were good too. They were crispy and held up to the large amounts of gravy and syrup that we ladled upon them.

I have no idea why I had a craving for them, but luckily A obliged...they were well worth it! It was definitely a rich flavor and something that needed to be shared between us...but people, it was like fried chicken and gravy, combined with AMAZING waffles and syrup...something we wanted as kids, coming true as adults! Don't ask questions, just go with this!

I'd like to try the bacon wrapped shrimp with the white cheddar grits and the lollypop lamp chops next time too!

As a side we ordered the Crab, Mac & Jack Gratin with Pancetta (notice a bacon and cheese theme with us?). Anytime we see mac and cheese on a menu we almost always order it. We like our carbs and cheese! As I previously stated, by the time the side came out (it didn't come out with our main dish for some reason), we couldn't even eat it. When we tried it the next day, it was the perfect blend of seafood and cheese. The crab wasn't too overwhelming and the panko bread crumbs on top made a great crispy crust. It's a pretty large portion as well, could be split between two to four people.

I saw a lot of other tables order the french fries and roasted corn salad, so those must be good too!

We rate Victor Tango's a 4.0 out of 5 for the food and a 4.5 out of 5 for twenty somethings. This is a restaurant that is totally oblivious of age. If you want to go to the bar after work and blend in with an all ages crowd, this is really the place to be. Their dinner menu is quite large and this is NOT a boring place to eat. The food is unique and the space is easy on the eyes. The valet parking is a bit annoying, but welcome to Dallas. It's free, so it makes it easier. We had GREAT service, and would say that age is NO factor at this restaurant. To top it off, their drink menu is amazing, and while the happy hour is not much of a discount the drinks are great.

Highlights:
- GREAT APPETIZERS
- Sharing Menu
- Good location
- Chicken & Waffles
- Nice Bar Area

www.victortangos.com

3001 N Henderson Ave
Dallas, TX 75206
(214) 252-8595

Free Sushi at Steel

Okay, I realize it looks like I've been on a bit of a sushi kick lately, but what's wrong with that?! It's supposed to be good for you, right? Anyway, I heard about the free sushi at Steel a few years ago and thought it must be too good to be true. Well it's not!

B and I went there a few weeks ago on a Wednesday (only night they do it!) for their happy hour. It runs from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm in both the dining room and bar. When we got there, the bar was completely over flowing with people and we were nervous we wouldn't find a seat. The hostess told us we could sit in the main area and enjoy the happy hour there. That was the first of our pleasant surprises of the night. I couldn't believe they'd let us take up a table and have a waiter spend time on us cheap happy hour folks, but apparently they don't mind!

The happy hour includes all of their martinis at 5 bucks, beer and sake, and I believe it is top shelf as well. B and I ordered the Cosmo Bianco, a very light and refreshing martini with fruit. Then the sushi started being delivered. The plate included california rolls, some kind of tempura roll, a spicy tuna and some other roll we couldn't ever identify. They were all delicious! We gobbled that plate up and then sadly watched the bus boy take it away. We thought, surely that's all we get? Right? I mean for delicious adult beverages at 5 dollars and free sushi surely they don't bring more? Right? Wrong! The waiter ended up bringing us two more plates of sushi! I have a feeling the types of rolls change weekly, but I bet its all as good as the stuff we had that night.

They are pretty strict about the 7 pm deadline, so watch the clock to get your last plate of sushi order in on time!

I ended up ordering a Berry Mojito (which was not happy hour price but still a great deal) and it was AMAZING! I tried to copy the recipe for a party I had later in the week and didn't quite get it, but it was still delicious.

I've eaten there for lunch before and got the Bento Box and I recall thinking it was good. It's been over two years since then so I won't try to review it!

All in all, this is a must-try restaurant just for the prices alone! The decor is swanky and a fun place to gather with friends. Try out Steel soon!

Steel Restaurant and Lounge
3102 Oak Lawn Ave # 100
Dallas, TX 75219
214.219.9908
(Stairstep building in uptown)

Highlights:
-Wednesday night free sushi and happy hour!
-Drink list (especially Berry Mojito)
-Bento Boxes

Taverna

We love Taverna, a local Italian eatery a couple of streets off of Knox-Henderson. The prices are great and so is the food! I generally love their pizzas, butternut squash gnocchi with crispy sage and their Paglia e Fieno, a Green and White pasta tossed with Chicken, Truffle Oil (YUM) & Cream Sauce. That last one can be heavy, so expect left overs!

The restaurant has a very open layout, but lends itself to romance and coziness via draping, lighting and well placed tables. It just feels right...gentlemen if you're looking for a laid back yet romantic date spot, you'll find both in this cozy locale. The outdoor seating on their patio remains open year around. In the winter, the patio is enclosed and heaters are installed which do a more than ample job. In the summer, the patio lends you to believe you're in a small town neighborhood sitting on a front porch, enjoying a slower pace of life.

We have generally had good service and always felt very welcome. They are also great with reservations...our table is always ready when we arrive, which is a refreshing change from another restaurant that we visited recently that will be blogged about soon. We went this weekend for Valentine's day with a reservation (thank goodness as the wait looked pretty horrible! I definitely felt bad for the guys that took dates their without reservations) and ate some seriously delicious food! Of course our table was ready when we arrived, but it was on the patio, which at times, could be a little chilly and busy. Maybe we should have specified inside? Our table was on the corner of the patio that you walked by to get into the restaurant...good for people watching, bad for not getting bang into by purses, etc. Our waiter seemed slightly perplexed and very slow, but honestly, that was the first time we'd had any issue.

No matter the event this restaurant always pulls through. In all seriousness, if you want a classy restaurant but don't want to drop $100, this is your place. Sure, as was pointed out by some friends the other day, you can spend $40 on a bottle of wine there...but you can do that anywhere, it doesn't mean you ACTUALLY do it, does it!? If you go in knowing you are there for good food, a glass of wine or two, and a great atmosphere...you can't go wrong. Parking is awful, however, so make note of the side street parking and places other than the small lot on site.

The Valentine's Day menu is what attracted us this weekend and it did not disappoint! We started with the lump crab cakes ($11.95) that were spectacular! It really was big chunks of crab, which I like better than the pureed/battered ones, in a yumo orange sauce with spinach. J even liked the spinach which is something, believe me! Then I had the butternut squash risotto with scallops ($23.95), and J had the heart-shaped veal and lobster ravioli ($21.50)...how romantic...i know! Now normally those prices are a little high for us, but it was valentines day after all! Their normal stuff is cheaper (e.g. pizzas are $10).

We rate Taverna a 4.5 out of 5 for food and a 4 out of 5 for twenty somethings.

Highlights:
- Polpettine Pizza $12 (Meatballs & Provolone Cheese)
- Great wine by the glass list
- Gnocchi
- Fun, albeit small, bar area
- Romantic setting...ooo lah lah!
www.tavernabylombardi.com

The Palomino

I wanted to drop a quick note to give a shout out to The Palomino restaurant in the Crescent Court in Dallas. We always have the best experience there! Last night, after a Mavs game, we decided to go to the late-night happy hour they have every night from 10 pm to Midnight. We were trying to act like we were in our twenties for once instead of old farts...hehe. Anyway, they have a 'drink of the day' that is always yummy and $4.95 all day. Last night it was some sort of apple vanilla concoction with just the right amount of sweet and sour.

Overall the restaurant is amazing...it's got a great lounge-feel in the bar, good lighting, big bar tops, and plenty of seating. During the warmer months they have tons of outside patio seating, great for people watching in one of the snootier shopping venues in Dallas. The restaurant itself is well decorated, the wait staff attentive and the kitchen visible, which adds a little visual interest to the scene.

Their appetizers are always delicious! Last night we decided to go with an old staple, calamari. While it seemed a little more chewy than normal, it was still pretty good! It has a great peppery batter that just hits the spot. I love their mayo sauce that comes with them and J loves their marinara, so it's a perfect fit for us. We never fight over the dipping sauces (ahhhhh how sweet, haha). Funny, reminds me of a How I met your mother episode. Anyway, I digress...all the appetizers are half off from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm and 10 pm to midnight, which puts them all around the 4 to 6 dollar range. The fondue is another one of our favorites along with the gorganzola french fries! The best deal of all, however, is the pizza. Normally priced from 9 to 12 dollars (and worth every penny!), during both happy hours they are only 5 bucks. 5 bucks! 5 bucks for goat cheese, roma tomatoes, proscuitto and basil?! So much better than Subway! The pizzas are big enough to feed 2; in fact I had some again for lunch today. Talk about fitting in a twenty-something budget!

The bartenders are always great there, and I'm sad I didn't get the name of ours last night. He was a hoot and incredibly good-natured with us. One note, if you park downstairs in the parking garage, don't forget to get your ticket validated!

If you are looking for a great centrally located bar, with above the bar "bar food", this is your place. The crowds are usually trendy and well dressed and the "bar food" classifies as a gourmet meal for most of us! Drinks are great deal during happy hour, and the $5 pizzas cannot be beat! Come one come all, there's plenty of room and reason to go to The Palomino.

We've been to the Palomino for my birthday, New Year's Eve and other random events and they have always been right on the money. Make reservations for big occasions, but for happy hour, the Palomino is still a slightly-hidden gem, so just show up!

We rate The Palomino a 4.5 out of 5 for food and a 5 out of 5 for twenty somethings.

Highlights:
- The three course meal for 20 bucks on nights there are Mavs or Stars games (they also have a complimentary shuttle over to the AAC for diners)
- Great Martinis and creative mojitos
- Tasty Ravioli
- Amazing Calamari and Gorganzola French Fries
- Great thin-crust pizzas for $5!
www.palomino.com