Archive for the ‘Reviews’ Category

Cafe Brazil is continuing their fantastic campaign of offering free food on Tuesday at one of their area locations.

Today, the special offer can be found at the Bishop Arts District Location (611 North Bishop Avenue, Dallas, 75208). The offer is valid until 11p tonight.

You can take advantage of this offer by being one of their “fans” on their Facebook fan page. All you need to do is print out their fan page or have a PDA/smart phone so you can show your server that you are indeed a fan. PLEASE tip your server on the full value of your meal!

So get over there and get a nice, warm plate of migas on this cold day!

Bliss Raw Cafe opened a few months ago on the southwest corner of Park Lane and Greenville Avenue. Strange but true, it’s taken up home in an old Fletcher’s Corny Dog drive-thru location! What’s so amusing about that bit of trivia is that Bliss is a “raw” cafe.

Raw foods are unprocessed plant foods that have not been heated above 115F. All seating was outside on the patio and considering the temperature today was in excess of 100, my companion and I were quite comfortable as it’s shaded, ceiling fans and a nice breeze.

NOTE: The men tend to like to sit facing east because there is a drive thru beer barn across the street with girls who have very plump derrieres hanging out of very tiny shorts. So ladies, if you need to get your man to try Bliss, just let him be seated facing east and he’ll have an inexpensive visual sight!

We both started off with Roobios tea. It was very light and had roobios berries floating in it.

For an appetizer we shared a bowl of New Dallas Corn Chowder. It was cool and very refreshing with a thick, rich consistency.

For the entrees we tried the tacos and pizza. The tacos were served on two flat “tortillas” that had been fashioned out of nuts and grains then topped with lettuce, tomatoes and creamy sauces with a side of picante. The “pizza” had a “crust” of similar consistency to the taco “tortillas” and was topped with tomato and fresh basil leaves and pesto.

Both dishes sound insanely light but were very filling and on such a hot day, it was great to feel full but with food that our bodies weren’t weighed down trying to digest.

We did indulge in splitting a dessert of the “white chocolate raspberry cheesecake”. Oh. Dear. Lord. It was amazing! The crust was had cacao in it and was nice base for the topping. The “cheesecake” had no dairy in it at all but was so thick, rich, creamy you would swear cream cheese was in there somewhere.

The cheesecake had a beautiful marbling with the “white chocolate” and the slight pink of the raspberry and was topped with perfectly ripened raspberries.

Rumour has it that Bliss will be opening a sister location soon in Preston Center. Hopefully they will also venture down to the Uptown / Downtown / Deep Ellum area soon as well!

Tacos at Bliss Raw Cafe.

Being a small business owner definitely has it’s ups and downs. It’s important to keep an upbeat public face when dealing with the public — especially with people you’ve never met before.

I was graciously invited to attend a scotch tasting by a PR rep in NYC at a local Dallas venue: DiTerra’s Urban Italian.

My dining companion and I were in for a treat by Richard Patterson who is a 3rd generation “Master Blender” for Whyte & MacKay and we learned more about Dalmore scotch than we thought was possible but in a very entertaining way.

During the lead up to the tasting, DiTerra’s served everyone a single meatball and then a little square of pizza and both were quite tasty. I am admittedly not a big fan of pizza but this sample featured a very light crust with toppings that wouldn’t make you feel overwhelmed.

We decided to stay after the tasting and have a light supper — and that is where things started going downhill.

DiTerra’s is big on proclaiming that they have received “4 stars” after their December opening so we were expecting a certain level in our dining experience. Now please keep in mind, that I am not the Dallas Morning News and don’t go into a venue announcing who I am or for which major websites I write.

In other words, I’m treated like the average diner - which can be good and bad.

The wine list was not readily offered so we had to track one down from a member of the staff.

My companion ordered a glass of red wine and it was served very warm with bits of cork floating in it. For $8, she naturally expected something at least cellar temperature in which she could fish out her bits of cork.

I ordered the Shrimp Risotto which, according to the menu, was to be served with artichoke, green peas, and mint. The portion was just the right size for one person, it was at a proper temperature and the use of mint was subtle and added a unique touch. However, there was only one, lone, little fragment of artichoke in the dish.

My companion chose the Wild Mushroom Toast which was served with “herby goat cheese” on Ciabatta. The actual dish arrived with a small side of mixed green that had a fantastic vinaigrette dressing. Unfortunately, the rest of the dish was inedible. The large wedge of Ciabatta bread was more similar to a big slab of Texas Toast you would expect to find in some back-road country cooking venue. The bread was thankfully warm, yet the herby goat cheese mushroom concoction was cold. Literally.

I watched with amusement as my companion repeatedly tested the dish by sticking her finger in the midst of it as if she was doubting her senses. When she finally tasted the mushroom/cheese topping her face reflected many emotions, but none of them pleasant. She said it tasted like the chef had upended every container of herbs in the kitchen and dumped them onto the dish. I suggested she send it back and she said she wasn’t going to since it was only a $7 appetizer and didn’t want to make a fuss.

We did notice that wait staff kept walking by and looking at her plate but not bothering to ask. When she excused herself for the ladies room, a server came up and asked how everything was. I looked down at my Risoto, looked at her plate, and proclaimed, “The Risotto is good.” She didn’t want me to make a fuss so I honored those wishes.

Upon her return, she asked me to take a taste of the mushroom and I did.

I wish I hadn’t.

I like my flavors and I like herbs but a person would have needed their taste buds seared off their tongue in order to have handled that dish. I asked her to please break the last bit of dark chocolate left over from the scotch tasting in half because I desperately needed a palate cleanser.

When it was obvious we were finished with our meal, the waitress came and asked how everything was. My companion finally made mention of the overly enthusiastic use of herbs on her dish — and that it was cold.

The lady who owns the DiTerra’s came over and asked how things were and my companion again politely explained her take on the dish. The owner was an interesting study for people watching. She positioned herself uncomfortably close in her questioning and her overall demeanor was very unwelcoming.

As I sat there observing this interaction, I simply couldn’t help but think, “You have no idea who we are or how many organizations we are involved with.”

DiTerra’s did remove the price of the Wild Mushroom Toast without being asked.

Upon the owner’s departure from our table, my companion and I looked at one another and agreed that it had been a very uncomfortable situation and that neither one of us would be returning to DiTerra’s.

The other day we stopped by Hadley & Harriet’s quaint boutique that is located on Lemmon Avenue. As the door was opened, we were amazed to see the floor almost covered with some of the best looking gift baskets around - they were almost overflowing with great trinkets and gifts and then adorned with stylishly sophisticated ribbons.

The crew at Hadley & Harriet are working feverishly this time of year - but as a customer, it’s fun to browse the many themed baskets as you walk amongst them. Needless to say, many in Dallas have embraced the services of Hadley & Harriet to easily take care of their gift giving needs.

But there’s a lot more to Hadley & Harriet than just gift baskets as they specialize in interiors, decorative accessories and events. They can assist clients - by the hour if needed - with all sorts of interior design needs such as paint, flooring and textiles. If, after having their design services, you’d rather keep your interior looking great, take advantage of using their venue and courtyard to host your own events whether it’s a baby shower or luncheon.

Our weakness is always decorative accessories…candles, pillows, object d’art. They have a great selection of house blend candles and our personal favourite is Orange Vanilla. It’s a great place to browse and indulge yourself.

For this time of the year, alleviate some of the stress and have Hadley & Harriet put together a wonderful gift basket for all those people on your list. With prices starting at $20 per basket, it’s hard to resist such an easy solution. Some of the themed baskets they create include: Corporate, Birthday, Wedding, Baby, Wine & Cheese, Chocolate Lovers, Coffee or Tea Lovers, Writers or Candy.

Contact Information:
Hadley & Harriet
www.hadleyandharriet.com/
3922 Lemmon Avenue
Dallas TX 75219
214.559.4440

So there is now a 2-year waiting list to get a Smart Car. We live in Texas. Lots of SUV’s and Pickup Trucks. And let’s not forget the NAFTA Highway (I-35) cuts right through Dallas so there are lots of 18-wheelers.

So how does this little putt putt car hold up?

A friend of mine got one a couple months ago and the thing is only 6″ longer than my Harley - yes, we parked them right next to one another. It was eerie how much room was inside - almost as much room as the interior of my Corvette.

People are jumping to get these Smart Cars and Mercedes-Benz, who manufactures them, swears they are amazingly safe.

UmmmHmmm…..right.

So, on what was technically Wednesday morning at 1:30 a.m., I receive a phone call from my British biker friend. “Raine! Come quick! I’ve wrecked my car! It’s on it’s side!” Luckily I’m nocturnal by nature so I was still up and I asked him where he was and it was only a few blocks away.

So I go downstairs and try to quietly turn on my Harley so I don’t wake up the adjoining lofts — I know, it’s silly. No matter how softly you hit the Start button it’s still going to fire up like a Harley during mid-day.

It was a beautiful evening, just after a rain storm as I made my way over to the intersection of Chaos and Destruction. Yep….Smart Car. Being toppled back upright. Lots of police cars with their lights on.

It seems, that when he turned from Fitzhugh onto Bryan (which is a 2-lane street cutting through residential areas at that point), he thinks he glanced down at his new iPod that he got for his birthday and, according to what the witnesses told me, he just barely glanced the curb and the car went flying. I saw the mark on the curb…maybe 4″ long about 25 yards from the intersection. The telephone pole that stopped the car was another 20 yards down the road.

Now this guy is a decent driver, doesn’t drive like a bat outta hell like Texans do because he’s British. His weapon of choice is his Ducati “Paul Smart” model.

The bloody car was toast. A single car faux pas, barely touching a curb, catapulted it into a pole and onto it’s side.

British is about 6′-2″ and 130 pounds. He was wearing his seatbelt but he was complaining about his left wrist and hand hurting terribly and as the night progressed his ribs and sternum became worse.

Everyone, British, me, the cops, were all puzzled that a car could have totaled itself by such a minor mishap.

The tow truck finally showed up and 2 hours later, we were finally able to leave. Oh, and technically it was British’s 45th birthday on Wednesday so I doubt he’ll be forgetting that bday anytime soon. He climbed onto the back of my bike and I rode about 15mph through downtown to get him to his loft. He refused to let me take him to Baylor Hospital which was only 5 blocks away because he thought it’d be crowded. I was telling him, “It’s 3:20a on a Wednesday morning…this is the perfect time to go..no crowds and I haven’t heard CareFlight all evening.” But he adamantly refused. I finally got home about 4a.

So…are you considering buying a Smart Car? Speaking as an eye-witness to this event, any thoughts I had of getting one are completely gone. There is no way I’d risk driving a car that cannot even hold up to such a simple mishap.

British has decided that cars are too dangerous. From here on out, he’s sticking to his motorbikes.

You know how frustrating it can be to see what you need on a website but not knowing how to save money on it?

You think that if you go to North Park Mall you can find it on sale - but then you get there and it isn’t and then you buy it just because you’ve already put so much effort into it?

There is a site that we’ve used for a couple years that has saved us a lot of $$ — Retail Me Not.com.

RetailMeNot is a treasure trove of savings for almost every major e-commerce site there is. Why should I go buy Lancome at Neiman-Marcus when I can order it online with free shipping and usually 5-7 other sample products for the same amount of money I’d spend at the store down the street? It also works well for office supplies, clothing, etc.

Give it a try — it’s easy to use!

It’s a funky economy - but - it was like this also when Bubba Clinton was about to leave office with the economy. The good thing, is that if you aren’t overextended and with all the home sales slowing to a crawl, you can easily get into a new home for a fraction of the price that it was a couple years ago.

A big thing for First Time Home Buyers is just understanding what they are looking for in terms of features, warranties and financing.

Another issue when buying a house that is a New Home Construction is where is it in the build process - if it’s still before the finish out stage you can probably select your own wallpaper, flooring and fixtures.

So if you are in the market for Buying a Home, check out a site like NewHomeGuide.com and do your homework!