Restaurant Week 2013...Three spots in four days!

In Dallas, August not only signals the end of summer, back to school, and the hottest month of the year, it’s also time for Restaurant Week.  Like the other foodies who live here, I LOVE Restaurant Week. It‘s the best time to try a new place, or two.

Restaurant Week is a fundraiser for the North Texas Food Bank.  Over 130 Dallas-area restaurants participate by offering guests a three-course menu, which is usually a less expensive snapshot of their offerings.  Dinner is $35 or $45, depending on the restaurant, with 20% of each meal donated to the food bank. The best thing about Restaurant Week is that it has morphed into three weeks so there’s more time to try out places!  Due to scheduling conflicts, I crammed all of my visits in to four days.  Three spots in four days; here’s the rundown!

Friday Night - Chamberlain’s Steak and Chop House

Chamberlain's
Lemongrass Creme Brulee

This was my second visit to Chamberlain’s.  I thought it was rather meh after my first visit, but that was years ago. It is considered among Dallas’ elite steakhouses, plus it was Restaurant Week and my friend Miracle’s birthday, so why not?!

My menu selections were Ahi Tuna Tacos; Prime Rib served with sweet potato grits; and Lemongrass Crème Brulee.

Overall, the food was good, but not excellent.  Tuna nachos/tacos are a really hot trend right now and since tuna is served raw, it’s kinda hard to mess it up and Chamberlain’s nailed their version.  I wish I could’ve gotten seconds and skipped the next course.  The only thing I remember about my entrée is that I ate all of the protein and hardly any of the starch, not because it wasn’t good but because I’m not that into sweet potatoes.   On the other hand, the crème brulee was very memorable, thanks to a very bold lemon flavor!  And, the dish was quite large…like it was two servings…it was actually too much to eat! I also had two drinks – a blueberry martini and a whiskey based drink.  Let’s just say two drinks with different types of alcohol and I had no buzz!

Overall rating, 3/5 … so years later, it’s still meh!

Next up, early Sunday dinner at The Mansion at Turtle Creek. 

The Mansion's Watermelon
Gazpacho (Half-Eaten!)

The Mansion is considered to be a one-percenter of the Dallas dining scene. It’s fine dining, located in a boutique hotel, nestled in a premiere upscale neighborhood and the original home to celebrity chef Dean Fearing.  The hype is real but maybe things were different when Dean was cooking because I was not impressed!     

My menu selections were Watermelon Gazpacho;  Slow roasted pork shoulder served with corn pudding, pickled mustard seeds, wild mushrooms, peaches; and Strawberry pistachio tart with ice cream.

The watermelon gazpacho was by far my favorite part of the meal.  The Dungeness crab, cucumber and cilantro that it featured came together well.  It was a very flavorful dish.  Honestly, I could have skipped the remainder of the meal.  The pork shoulder was weird. It was actually pulled pork that was breaded and fried…not worth my calories!  Dessert included fresh fruit and, to their credit, you could taste that the ice cream was homemade.  I can’t remember the name or the contents of the cocktail I drank but the coffee I had with dessert was robust and seemed to be between a medium and dark roast…it was also $5.50, but I digress!

Overall rating, 3/5 … thanks mostly to that gazpacho.

Finally, catching up at Steve Fields Steak and Lobster Lounge with a former coworker on Monday night.

Steve Fields' Carrot Cake
(also half-eaten)

After the last two restaurants, I was a little nervous about trying Steve’s. I heard it was great (that’s what ‘they’ said about the other two as well) and every time I pass the place, which is often, the parking lot is packed.  But did that mean that it would be good?  Well, it turned out to be my favorite!

My menu selections were Crab & Corn Chowder; Pan Seared Sea Bass topped with crab meat and béarnaise sauce, served with roasted garlic Parmesan mashed potatoes and seasoned grilled asparagus; and Carrot Cake topped with candied pecans. 

So this was the most simple menu of the three but the most flavorful BY FAR.  The chowder was better than I expected.  This is a dish that cooks tend to let the crab and corn do all the work, meaning they don’t accessorize with herbs or salt, but Steve’s was well-seasoned.  My entrée was really good and I ate it all! It had me eagerly awaiting dessert, even though I was already full! But, the carrot cake was worth the potential tummy ache.  I LOVE carrot cake, so the bar was raised high and I was not disappointed.  The serving was generous and what really put the cream cheese icing on the cake, pun intended, was the candied pecans and sauce, which topped the cake.  #DELISH! I also had a Mexican Martini, one of my favorite drinks.  It was good and potent…just how I like them!  

Overall rating, 5/5.  I checked out their menu and look forward to going back one day soon! Oh and did I mention, it’s only ten minutes from home?!

All-in-all, I was pleased with my Restaurant Week visits. Sometimes it’s all about the food but during times like these, it’s also about sharing experiences and creating memories with the people in your life.

xoxo,