Nola Grill

Many new restaurants have been opening in Frisco lately.  One of the ones I have been most looking forward to trying is Nola Grill. The owners of Nola Grill have been renovating the space formerly occupied by Josephine's and they finally opened their doors last week.  My wife and I were excited to have a new Southern style restaurant in the area and were able to dine at Nola Grill for lunch last week.

The renovations made the space look much different from the previous occupant.  We were warmly greeted by the staff, who accommodated my wife and her knee scooter.  Yes, I said knee scooter.  Her recent foot surgery has resulted in her being relegated to a knee scooter.  I understand the medical need for her having a knee scooter, but I don't understand her insistence on putting a wicker bicycle basket on the font of it.  She insists that it is both stylish and practical.  Needless to say, my wife is very lucky to have a husband who was still willing to take her out to lunch when she is wheeling around looking like a cross between the Wicked Witch of the West and a village idiot.  

Onion Rings with Tabasco Infused Ranch

Since we had both skipped breakfast and were starving, we decided to start with an appetizer of onion rings served with Tabasco infused Ranch dressing.  I also ordered a cup of the duck and andouille gumbo.  The onion rings were extremely good with a very nice flavor and an outstanding batter.  The order was on the small side, which left me wanting more onion rings.  The gumbo was very good as well.  I am not usually a big fan of duck, but it mixed really well with the seasoning and the andouille sausage.

Duck and Andouille Gumbo

For my meal, I got the Uptown Special ($9), which was a fried catfish filet, two fried shrimp, and fries.  The catfish was a pretty thick filet and was a little undercooked for my liking, but the crispy batter was seasoned well.  The fried shrimp were some of the best I have had in quite some time and the fries were tasty as well.  The meal was somewhat small for my liking, but it was the lunch portion.  My wife got the Down South Combo ($10), which was a blackened catfish filet and Shrimp Creole on a bed of rice.  She liked her meal, but was disappointed that it only came with two shrimp.

Uptown Special

Down South Combo

We were still hungry after our meal, so we decided to get dessert. She got the bread pudding and I got the strawberry layer cake.  My strawberry layer cake was very good, but not as good as my wife's bread pudding.  Being the kind husband that I am, I helped her finish her bread pudding.

Strawberry Layer Cake 

Bread Pudding

Overall, we both liked Nola Grill.  The food was very tasty, although I wished the portions were bigger.  Having said that, the lunch menu was very affordable and we felt like it was a good value for the quality of food.  All the wait staff was very attentive and the plate presentation was terrific.  While eating, some customers sitting near us ordered Po' Boys.  They looked delicious and I will have to order one next time I visit this place.  My wife and I are also very curious to try the dinner menu at Nola Grill, so we will plan a trip back for dinner in the very near future. 

Nola Grill
http://nolagrillfrisco.com/
Livin the Good Life Rating = 3

Hutchins BBQ

Hutchins BBQ in McKinney, Texas is the barbecue restaurant I frequent the most.  It also made the 2013 list of Texas Monthly's Top 50 Barbecue Joints in Texas.  Since moving to McKinney five years ago, we average eating here at least once a month.   Hutchins is very close to our church and it is a perfect place to have Sunday lunch.

Menu board

Even thought I had eaten barbecue the previous day, I accepted my father-in-laws invitation to go to Hutchins after church on Sunday.  
This was the first time I had been to Hutchins since early May and I noticed there was a much larger crowd than usual at 11:15 a.m.  It looks like the review in Texas Monthly has caused their business to pick up considerably.  Hutchins has a large variety of meats and sides to choose from, so I always have a tough time deciding.  On this particular day, I got the two meat plate with brisket and St. Louis style ribs.  For my sides, I got mac n' cheese and pinto beans.  I also got one of their cornbread muffins, which are always delicious.  Everything I had was very good, but I was particularly impressed with the ribs on this visit.  They had a great glaze, a smoky flavor, and easily pulled off the bone.  The mac n' cheese was a little different from previous visits because they had added bacon to it.  I really liked this change.

Brisket and Ribs Plate

Beans and bacon mac n' cheese

My wife got the smoked chicken with mac n' cheese, green beans, and a roll.  She said it was very good and also liked the change to the mac n' cheese.  I rarely get smoked chicken at barbecue restaurants, but I occasionally make an exception at Hutchins.  They have the best smoked chicken I have ever had.  I don't know what they do with their yard birds, but they do it very well. 

My wife's smoked chicken and sides

Unlike most barbecue joins, they also have a good kids menu.  My daughter got the kid's chicken nugget basket and consumed it all, with the exception of a few fries that I stole from her.  If you aren't interested in your typical barbecue joint sides, they have some killer fries and okra.

There is one more thing that I really like about Hutchins; their free dessert bar.  Patrons who dine-in get access to free ice cream, peach cobbler, and banana pudding.  My daughter absolutely loves the ice cream with sprinkles, but my wife and I are very partial to the banana pudding. 

Free Banana Pudding

Hutchins has great quality barbecue for a decent price.  The staff is always friendly and anxious to please.  If you haven't been to Hutchins yet, I highly recommend it.  Although I have tried, I have not found better barbecue in Collin County and their are only a couple of places in the entire Metroplex that I like better than Hutchins. 

Hutchins BBQ
http://www.hutchinsbbq.net/
Livin the Good Life Rating = 4

Bartley's BBQ

Ever since Texas Monthly came out with their most recent ratings of the Top 50 Barbecue Joints in Texas, I have been anxious to try Bartley's BBQ in Grapevine.  When the issue of Texas Monthly first came out, I was surprised to see it on the list because I thought I knew of all the highly touted barbecue joints in the Metroplex.  After doing a little research, I also found that D Magazine also had it ranked # 7 on their list of The Best Barbecue in Dallas (That's Not Really in Dallas).  My brother and I usually meet up and eat lunch at least one Saturday a month.  Since neither of us had ever been to this joint, we decided we would try Bartley's this past weekend.

We arrived at Bartley's just a couple of minutes after they opened.  The restaurant is located in strip mall and doesn't have the ambiance of your typical barbecue joint.  I ordered the three meat plate with sliced brisket, turkey, and hot links.  For my sides, I got pinto beans and green beans.  I also picked up some pecan cobbler, which happens to be one of my favorite desserts when cooked well.

3 Meat Plate with Brisket, Turkey, and Hot Links

The brisket had a nice crust and a noticeable smoke ring, but it was really chewy and dry.  I usually like going for barbecue right when a joint opens because the barbecue is usually right off the smoker and hasn't been sitting around long.  The flip side of going early is that you also run the risk of getting served yesterday's meats that were not sold.  I am afraid that the brisket on this day may have been the latter.  The turkey had a nice Cajun rub on it, but I didn't taste a hint of smoke and it was also dry.  The hot links and sides were both pretty unremarkable and very bland.  I was also served a hot roll with my meal that tasted great and was much better than the meats.

Unremarkable Green Beans and Pinto Beans

My brother got the rib plate and gave me one of them.  They had a sweet glaze to them and a were very flavorful.  The problem with them was that they were very tough and hard to get off the bone.  Toughness aside, they were the best meat I had at Bartley's.

Since I was disappointed with my meal, I didn't have high expectations for the dessert.  After the first bite of pecan cobbler, I knew that I had nothing to worry about.  The pecan cobbler was absolutely perfect and was some of the best I have ever had.

Pecan Cobbler

Despite the greatness of the dessert, I was very disappointed in this joint.  For the life of me, I will never understand how this place made the Texas Monthly Top 50 Barbecue Joints and a place like Smitty's did not make the list.  In my opinion, this place is highly overrated by Texas Monthly.  If you have eaten here and disagree, please feel free to comment on this post.

Bartley's BBQ
http://www.bartleysbbq.com/
Livin The Good Life Rating = 1

Jakes

Frisco Square recently got a new burger restaurant called Jake's Uptown.  They have several locations in the Metroplex and have been highly praised by critics and local publications.  I am almost embarrassed to say that I have lived in the DFW area for over a decade, but never been to Jake's.  I have obviously heard of Jake's, but have never had the opportunity to eat there.  My wife said that she was fond of the chain, so we decided to go there for lunch one day.  This would be my wife's first dining outing since she had foot surgery last week.  It was worth the trip just to see her using her knee scooter as my oldest kid rode on the front of it.

We arrived right before the lunch crowd hit and were seated immediately.  I was pleased to see that they had one of my favorite appetizers on the menu; fried green beans.  Since my wife is always saying I need to eat more vegetables, we ordered some for the family to share before our meal.  For my meal, I ordered the cheeseburger and the Jumpin' Jake Fries.  Despite the fact my wife claimed to "love" their burgers, she ordered the BLT with Sweet potato fries.  My daughter ordered the grilled cheese with regular fries (they were not jumpin' or sweet).

Fried Green Beans

The service was great throughout the entire meal and our appetizer arrived shortly after we ordered.  Unfortunately, they fried green beans were disappointingly chewy and had a batter on them that made me wonder if they came frozen from a bag rather than made from scratch.  My wife was not impressed either, but we both liked the spicy sauce that came with them.

My cheeseburger arrived on a toasted poppy seed bun that was delicious.  Unfortunately, the meat was rather bland and somewhat dry.  The Jumpin' Jake fries were lightly battered and perfectly seasoned.  They were without a doubt the highlight of this visit.  Despite the fact the my wife's BLT looked appetizing and had a large amount of bacon on it, she was not impressed.  She also said her crinkle cut sweet potato fries were pretty average.  My daughter did seem to enjoy her grilled cheese and fries.

Cheeseburger and Jumpin' Jake Fries

BLT and Sweet Potato Fries

I had very high hopes for Jake's, but left feeling very disappointed. I just don't see what all the hype is about.  There are better burgers in the city of Frisco and I would in no way put Jake's in my top 10 DFW burger joints.  Since it is a relatively new restaurant location, perhaps they are still getting the kinks worked out as they train their kitchen staff.  I will give Jake's another try in a couple of months.  Although the food was a letdown, the staff was friendly and the service was fantastic.  

Jake's Uptown
http://www.jakesuptown.com/
Livin the Good Life Rating = 2

Pluckers Wing Bar

I recently had a craving for some spicy food and decided to go out for wings.  I usually only have a craving for wings about twice a year, so I usually go to wing joints that are familiar to me.  This time, I decided to try Pluckers Wing Bar in Allen, Tx.  This wing joint is located at The Village at Allen shopping center.  I had never been here before, but I know a couple of people that told me that this place was the best place to get wings in the entire Metroplex.

TVs everywhere

The first thing I noticed when I walked in was that they had about a million TVs on the wall.  The next thing I noticed was that there were a lot of families having dinner here.  It is definitely a family friendly environment and also one that would be a fun place to watch a game during football season.  Pluckers has specials where kids eat free on Tuesdays and teachers get free appetizers on Fridays.    

They have a lot more on the menu than just wings, but I was here for wing and liked the fact that they had about twenty different wing sauces to choose from.  Since we had not been here before, the waitress also brought out a plate with samples of their most popular sauces.  While we were checking out the menu, the waitress gave us a free order of fried pickles since it was our first visit to Pluckers.  Unlike most fried pickles, they were fried as spears.  The batter was great and I liked them much better than the typical fried pickle slices.  

Fried Pickles

For my meal I ordered the Monster Boneless Wing Basket because I was tired on this night and regular wings seemed like too much work (feel free to substitute the word tired for lazy in this sentence).  I had my boneless wings tossed in the spicy Mandarin Sauce.  They also give you the option of having your fries "sauced" and I had my fries tossed in the garlic Parmesan rub.  The order was huge and came with eight very large boneless wings.  The spicy Mandarin sauce was very spicy with a little bit of a sweet aftertaste as well.  The garlic Parmesan waffle fries were tasty as well.  I am not usually a fan of waffle fries, but these were very flavorful.

Spicy Mandarin Boneless Wings with Garlic Parmesan Waffle Fries

Overall I enjoyed my visit to Pluckers Wing Bar.  The food was about what one would expect from a wing bar.   The service was great as well and the entire staff was very friendly.  Since this place is just a short drive from my house, I can see myself going back here next time I get the craving for some wings or boneless wings.

Pluckers Wing Bar 
http://www.pluckers.com/posts/location/allen/
Livin The Good Life Rating = 2

5th Street Patio Cafe

My wife recently had foot surgery to fix a bunion that has been giving her trouble.  Why would I mention feet and surgery in a food blog?  The reason I mentioned it is because my wife was unable to drive for a while, so the girls and I had to drop her off at some training she had to attend for her job.  We had not had breakfast yet, so I decided to take the girls to eat breakfast at 5th Street Patio Cafe in Frisco.  I have never been there before, but my wife and several of my work colleagues absolutely love this place.

My two breakfast dates

As you walk in to 5th Street Patio Cafe, their is a large menu board on your right.  You place your order at the register and then take a seat and await them to bring your meal.  They had a rather large breakfast menu to choose from, but my oldest daughter knew what she wanted immediately.  She said, "Daddy, they have the best pancakes here."  Apparently, even my daughter has been here before without me.  I really wanted to try the biscuits and sausage gravy, but I also wanted French toast.  Since I couldn't decide,  I got both.  After placing our order, I grabbed a highchair and a table.

My daughter's pancakes

Our order came out very quickly.  My daughter immediately dug into her pancakes and gave a thumbs up when I asked her if they were good.  I started with the impressive looking biscuits and sausage gravy.  Most biscuits and gravy come with a small side of gravy.  These came two to an order and were served in a large soup bowl and smothered with gravy and a few green onions.  As great as they looked, they tasted even better.  The biscuits were freshly made and the gravy had a fantastic flavor.  After they were devoured, I began eating the French toast.  The French toast was tasty as well, but certainly played second fiddle to the biscuits and gravy.

Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

French Toast

I really didn't know what to expect going into this place, but I was very pleased with the food.  The cafe is small, but they serve up some big-time food.  On top of having great food, they have very reasonable prices as well.  5th Street Patio Cafe will certainly be added to my rotation of breakfast joints in Collin County, but I want to go back and try some of their lunch or dinner items as well.

5th Street Patio Cafe
http://www.5thstreetcafe.com/index.html
Livin the Good Life Rating = 3

Dimba's Chicken and Seafood

My wife and I always look forward to our trips back to the South Plains.  This area is home for both of us, so we always enjoy getting to see family and old friends.  We also enjoy getting to eat at restaurants in the area.  Being a fat kid at heart, I often insist on visiting some of my favorite restaurants before we even see my family.  One of our favorites is Dimba's Chicken and Seafood.

Menu has many items that should appeal to everyone

I know from experience that they have really good fried chicken and catfish, but my favorite menu item is their fried whitefish.   I ordered the seven piece Southern-fried white fish plate and my wife ordered the five piece batter-fried white fish plate.  Both plates come with fries, two hush puppies, and a hot puff (fried biscuit).  The fish was really good this visit, as were the fries and hush puppies.  One of the real treats here are the hot puffs.  They are fried goodness and taste amazing when smothered with honey.  My wife and I have even been known to split a dozen for dessert.

Southern-Fried White Fish Plate

Batter-Fried White Fish Plate

I have never left this restaurant hungry and this visit was no exception.  Dimba's is one of my favorite places to get fried seafood in the state of Texas.  In addition to serving up great seafood, the fried chicken is well above average as well.  Prices are reasonable and the portions are large here.  They have two locations in Lubbock, so if you are in Lubbock then you are probably not far away from one of them.

Dimba's Chicken and Seafood

Livin the Good Life Rating = 4

Double Nickel Steakhouse

On a recent visit to Lubbock, my wife and I went to dinner and a movie.  For our dining destination, we chose Double Nickel Steakhouse.  We have not dined here for several years, mainly due to that fact that being parents limits the amount of times we get to partake in "fine dining."  My wonderful mother agreed to spend some quality time with her grandchildren, so my wife and I made reservations to dine at Double Nickel.  We had early reservations and actually had the whole restaurant to ourselves for the first 30 minutes we were there.

Dining Room

We decided to skip appetizers and have salads instead.  I had the Caesar salad and it was fantastic.  I am not sure how they make their Caesar dressing, but it has the classic taste with a nice little kick to it.  My wife ordered the wedge, which is usually her go-to salad at steakhouses.  On this occasion, she was disappointed in the flavor of her dressing.  The waiter also brought out some very good bread and butter.  It did not last very long on our table.

Caesar Salad

Wedge Salad

Bread and butter

For our entrees, I ordered the bone-in ribeye with mashed potatoes and creamed corn.  My steak was seasoned well, but was a little tough.  The mashed potatoes were decent, but the creamed corn was much better than the potatoes.  Double Nickel Steakhouse serves all entrees with a fantastic cheese stick, which was probably the best thing on my plate on this night.  My wife ordered the filet. Her steak was also well seasoned, but was much better than my ribeye.  The filet was tender enough to cut with a knife.

Bone-in Ribeye, Mashed Potatoes, Cream Corn, and Cheese Stick

Filet

Due to the large portions, we decided to skip dessert.  Although I enjoyed my dining experience on this occasion, I have had better food here.  I was disappointed in my bone-in ribeye, but my wife's steak was perfect.  I have had better ribeyes here, so  I guess I just caught them on an off night.  

Double Nickel Steakhouse
http://www.doublenickelsteakhouse.com/
Livin The Good Life Rating = 3

Herd's Hamburgers

This has to be one of the oldest burger joints in the state.

On a recent trip to the Lubbock area for a wedding, my family and I were passing through Jacksboro around lunch time.  My wife and I had both skipped breakfast because we were packing up the truck.  Knowing that we can both get extremely cranky when were are hungry, we decided to grab a bite to eat at Herd's Hamburgers.  We had never eaten there before, but several friends of mine have recommended this burger joint.

My girls awaiting their burgers

Herd's does not have much on their menu.  It is what I call a "no-frills" burger joint.  You can have a burger of some sort, a ham and cheese sandwich, or a grilled cheese.  They don't serve fries or tater tots, but they do have several different chips to choose from.  Seating inside consists of some old school desks along the wall.  They also have a couple of picnic tables outside.  I ordered the double meat-double cheese, my wife ordered the cheeseburger, and my daughter ordered the grilled cheese.  After ordering we picked up our chips and drinks as we made our way outside to one of the picnic tables.  Our order arrived very quickly and we dug in.  My double meat-double cheese was fantastic.  The patty was freshly made from a big pile of hamburger meat sitting on the grill.   It was perfectly seasoned, not overly greasy, and very filling.  My wife really enjoyed her burger as well.

Double Meat-Double Cheeseburger

After eating here, I can understand why so many people enjoy this place.  We were only there for about 20 minutes and close to thirty people were in and out while we were there.  I usually prefer fries or tots with my burger, but I can live without them when a burger is this good.  They have been making burgers for 97 years and it is easy to see why.  This was unquestionably one of the top 10 burgers I have ever had and I will eat here again!  

Herd's Hamburgers
400 North Main St.
Jacksboro, TX
Livin The Good Life Rating = 4