Cane Rosso

Cane Rosso has been on my "wish list" of restaurants to try for quite some time.  Unfortunately, I have not been able dine in Dallas recently; primarily due to a busy work schedule.  I also realize that only fat kids like myself have restaurant "wish lists."  The Dallas Observer included Cane Rosso on it's list of the Eight Best Pizza Places in Dallas.  D Magazine rated the restaurant as best pizza place in Dallas and included it in it's 2013 edition of the 100 Best Restaurants in Dallas.  

The Cane Rosso Pizza Oven

Cane Rosso has two locations in Dallas.  The original is in Deep Ellum, but we were closer to the one that recently opened in White Rock.  We arrived for an early dinner and beat the usual Saturday night crowds that plague most of the restaurants in Dallas.  They had a patio area that looked like fun, but we elected to eat inside because it was a little chilly when we arrived.  We were warmly greeted by the wait staff upon entering the restaurant.  Since it was our first visit, they explained the basics of Neapolitan style pizza and how it differed from New York style pizza.  Having had Neapolitan pizza before, I knew that they center was usually very doughy.  What I didn't know, is that their pizzas are only fired in the oven for 70 seconds.

We ordered our drinks and decided to start with an order of Angioletta.  This appetizer is fried pizza dough that is coated with grated Parmesan cheese and served with marinara.  This dish was very simple, but very good.  It was such a large portion that I feared I had not saved enough room for pizza.

Angioletta

The Livin The Good Life wife and I debated which pizza we wanted, but finally agreed on ordering the Prosciutto e Rucola.  This pizzas ingredients included prosciutto crudo (thinly sliced dry-cured ham), arugula, house-made mozzarella, shaved Parmigiano, garlic, and extra virgin olive oil.  The pizza arrived and it was larger than I had anticipated (approximately 14-15 inches).  The wife and I both enjoyed this pizza.  The prosciutto was great and all the ingredients blended together perfectly.  If I had to choose one negative thing about his pizza, it would be the garlic.  I would have preferred smaller garlic pieces instead of sliced cloves that were overpowering at times. 

Prosciutto e Rucola

I left Cane Rosso feeling fat and happy.  The wait staff was great and we did not have to wait very long for our appetizer or our pizza.  Cane Rosso definitely lived up to the hype, because we had a great experience.  The menu has several pizzas that I want to try, so we will be making a return trip to Cane Rosso.

Cane Rosso
http://ilcanerosso.com/
Livin the Good Life Rating = 5

Casa Rita's Mexican Grill

My wife and I really enjoy eating Mexican food, but usually go to one of our four favorites; Pappasito's, Uncle Julios's, Abuelo's, or Cantina Laredo.  I haven't blogged about a new place I have tried, because we generally eat at the same places we always do.  Old habits die hard, but we finally decided to try a place in Frisco called Casa Rita's Mexican Grill.  It is located on Preston Road (they also have a location in Fort Worth) and we decided to give it a shot after work one day.

Queso

Casa Rita's has a large patio area and the dining area has several televisions all tuned to sports channels.  When you first walk in, it has a Southwestern sports bar feel to it.  While looking over the menu, we decided to start with a bowl of queso.  The Livin the Good Life Wife and I almost always get queso when we at Mexican food joint.  We hold it in such high esteem, that we think it should be it's own food group.  They also brought out some chips and salsa with the queso.  The queso was good, but not outstanding.  I prefer thin and crispy chips and these chips did not disappoint.  The salsa was outstanding.  It wasn't very spicy, but was bursting with flavors.  The flavor that stood out the most was cilantro, but it wasn't overpowering.

Baja Tacos

For my entree, I elected to get the Baja tacos.  The Baja tacos were crispy fried tilapia with spicy cole slaw in a crispy taco.  It was served with black beans and rice.  I really liked the spicy cole slaw, but the tilapia was a little too "fishy" tasting for me.  The beans were great too, but the rice was unremarkable.  My wife chose to get the brisket tacos, which were also served with the spicy cole slaw and avocado.  She gave me one to try and I was impressed.  They were some of the best brisket tacos I have had the pleasure of inhaling.  The brisket was smoked perfectly and was actual brisket, as opposed to what you normally get at Mexican food restaurants.  The fresh tortillas complimented the brisket well.

Brisket Tacos

Overall, we enjoyed our dining experience at Casa Rita's.  It had some hits, including the salsa and the brisket tacos.  It also had some misses, such as the Baja tacos and queso.  This place was better than your average Mexican food joint and will be worthy of another visit by me.

Casa Rita's Mexican Grill
http://www.casaritasmexicangrill.com/index.html
Livin The Good Life Rating = 3

Gather

Brunch may be my favorite meal.  Eating brunch is like getting the best of both breakfast and lunch.  The only problem with brunch, is the fact that a fat kid like me feels that they have to eat an entire breakfast portion and an entire lunch portion.  If they also have dessert, then I am really hurting by the time it is done.  I had been told that Gather, in downtown McKinney, serves a mighty fine brunch.  My family and my in-laws decided to "gather" at Gather for brunch following our church service last Sunday.  

Dining Room at Gather

Gather only serves Sunday brunch.  During the rest of the week, it hosts events such as weddings, showers, rehearsal dinners, etc.  We arrived a few minutes after 11:00 and were seated immediately.  After ordering coffee, I helped myself to the brunch buffet.  They had several items on the buffet that looked quite tasty and I regretted that I did not have enough room on my plate to get a little of everything on the first trip.  

Selfie of the girls while the men were in line.

With my first plate, I helped myself to some eggs, biscuits and gravy, bacon, chicken fried steak, and some chicken enchiladas.  The eggs were pretty basic, but everything else was absolutely wonderful.  The bacon was extremely crispy, the biscuits had great texture, the chicken fried steak had been fried in a tasty batter, and the gravy was very good with just the right amount of pepper.  The best item I tried on my first trip was the chicken enchilada.  It was one of the best I have ever had and was cooked with a top notch tomatillo sauce.

My first plate included eggs, biscuits and gravy, chicken fried steak, bacon, and an excellent enchilada.

During my second trip, I had to get more enchiladas and chicken fried steak, but I also got mashed potatoes, Eggs Benedict, and a large portion of the Pecan French toast casserole.  Again, everything on this plate was amazing.  The best thing on this plate, besides the chicken enchiladas, was the Pecan French toast casserole.  It was very rich, but the ingredients mixed together perfectly.  

Dessert plate with dessert bars, pineapple muffin, Pecan French toast casserole, and a Key Lime tart

Next, I had to try the dessert bar.  They had several choices and, once again, I tried to get a little bit of everything.  The pineapple muffin and dessert bars were terrific, but they fell well short of the greatness of the key lime tart.  The key lime tart got an A+ in my book and was the perfect ending to the meal.  I was too full to try the pecan pie, but my wife and mother-in-law said it was terrific.  

I ate so much for brunch, that I actually was still full seven hours later.  My family loved this place too.  I did not hear complaints from anyone and my wife loved the beautiful setting of the dining room.  After trying some lackluster restaurants lately, we were very pleased with our dining experience at Gather and anxiously await our next visit.

Gather
http://gathermckinney.com/brunch-menu/
Livin the Good Life Rating = 4