A Sneak Peek at John Tesar's New Steakhouse: Knife

I am a carnivore at heart and I tend to get excited when I hear about a new steakhouse opening in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.  Back in December, I first read that John Tesar was opening up a steakhouse called Knife.  The restaurant will open inside the the trendy Palomar.  Dry-aged steaks will be one of the specialities served at Knife, including one that is aged for 240 days.  When I also read that Tesar was going to have a bacon tasting menu, I began to think that his restaurant might be a little slice of heaven on earth.

Palomar Hotel

John Tesar is a a chef, restaurateur, and television personality that has really made a name for himself over the last few years.  As executive chef at The Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, he earned multiple five star reviews.  He has also served as a consultant for several restaurants that have recently opened up in the DFW area.  You may have also seen him on The Today Show, The Early Show, Top Chef on Bravo, or  Extreme Chef on the Food Network.  The most recent restaurant that he opened and served as executive chef, Spoon Bar & Kitchen, has been widely acclaimed by critics across the country.  

Knife was designated as one of The 44 Most Anticipated Openings of the Spring of 2014 by Eater National.  The more I read about this meat-centric restaurant, the more I desired to dine here.  Luckily for me, I was invited to a media preview night at Knife where I was able to sample some of the menu and meet with John Tesar and his staff.

Puff Pastry with Goat Cheese

I arrived at the "Meat and Great" a little early, so I was able to look around the restaurant.  Knife is still under construction, but the re-design of the space is coming along nicely and they anticipate a May 15 opening.  When finished, the restaurant will be compartmentalized with a bar area, dining areas, and even an outdoor lounge area.  Perhaps one of the coolest features (pun intended) is the dry aging room that is located to the right as you walk into the restaurant.  Diners will be able to look through the window and view beef as it is dry aging.  I am willing to bet that some patrons will be surprised at what a dry aged steak looks like prior to it hitting the grill.

Steak Tar Tare on grilled Nan Bread

While guest to the event were meeting John Tesar and his team, they were treated to featured appetizers and cocktails.  The appetizers they served were a Puff Pastry with Goat Cheese, Steak Tar Tare served on grilled Nan bread, and Peking Duck Style Pork Belly served in a homemade steamed bun with hoisin scallion and cucumber.  All three appetizers were delicious, but the Peking Duck Style Pork Belly was extremely memorable.  

Peking Duck Style Pork Belly on a steamed bun

I enjoyed listening to John Tesar discuss the dry aging process and his commitment to serve quality beef from producers such as 44 Farms and Niman Ranch.  He plans to serve several prime off-cuts, such as tri tips, chuck flap, and skirt steak.  One does not typically see these cuts at steakhouses, but Tesar assured us that they would be delicious.  Unlike most restaurants, his dry aged steaks will be aged on site and in full view of the diners as they enter the restaurant.  

Chef John Tesar explaining the dry aging process

While finalizing plans for Knife, Tesar said that he visited several restaurants that specialize in dry aged beef.  One of the restaurants he visited, Carnevino, happens to serve one of my favorite dry aged ribeyes.  He also mentioned that he toured their dry aging facility while he was in Las Vegas.  Tesar said that he modeled his 240 day dry aged ribeye on the Riserva ribeye at Carnevino, but also plans to serve a 240 day dry aged sirloin.  Although the dry aging room is not functional yet, Tesar said that he already has some meat dry aging at a different facility so that he will have a limited amount to serve when he opens in May.

The samples of the 240 day dry aged ribeye went quickly

Those of us at this media event were lucky enough to get to sample a slice of a ribeye that had been dry aged for 240 days.  It was unquestionably one of the most tender pieces of steak I have ever had.  The flavor was unique as well, having a slight hint of blue cheese and popcorn in addition to the expected beefy taste.  The flavor was very rich and at $100 an inch for the ribeye, this would be a great steak to order for the table and share.  If hundred dollar steaks is not something you want to spend money on, Knife will have the less expensive off-cut steaks, burgers, sausages, hot dogs, and even a vegan dish or two.

John Tesar taking questions from the media and bloggers

After we sampled the ribeye, the staff also served us samples of a couple of their desserts.   Knife's version of Cheesecake was a graham cracker crusted crusted macaroon with cheesecake mouse.  The restaurant will also be serving a Triple Chocolate Verrine which include dark chocolate Pot Au Creme, roasted white chocolate panna cotta, chocolate sponge, whipped milk chocolate, and Gian Duju marshmallow.  I absolutely love chocolate and this was one of the best chocolate desserts I have ever had.  It was even topped with a piece of chocolate featuring the Knife logo.  Pastry Chef David Collier has certainly created two winners with these desserts.

Cheesecake Mouse in a Graham Cracker Crusted Macaroon.

Triple Chocolate Verinne

I was able to visit with the Palomar's Director of Sales and Marketing, Jodi Doughty.  She said the hotel will be featuring two packages that include a meal at Knife.  The Cutting Edge package will include deluxe accommodations, a $50 dining credit at Knife and guaranteed reservations, a cutting board autographed by John Tesar, and two complimentary craft cocktails.  The Prime Experience Package will include a luxury suite, a three course dinner for two at Knife, a tableside visit by John Tesar, an autographed cutting board, two complimentary craft cocktails, and $150 credit towards spa therapies at Exhale.  These promotions will be available for May, June, and July.

The restaurant certainly has a lot of promise as a place to get delectable meat, but it will also have a social atmosphere.  Tesar said the kitchen will have a late-night menu and will stay open till 1:00 a.m.  If all the food is equal to the quality we were served during the media preview, I can see this place becoming one of my go-to restaurants for dinner with friends or a romantic night with the wife.  While Knife isn't your grandfather's traditional steakhouse, I have a feeling that this particular restaurant will be a big hit in Dallas. 

http://www.knifedallas.com
http://www.hotelpalomar-dallas.com

Mama Fu's

When looking over my blog one day, I realized that I have never blogged about an Asian restaurant.  That seemed odd to me considering how much I love to eat Thai and Chinese food.  I tend to find a restaurant or two that I really like and then frequent those without really bothering to blog about them.  Since I didn't have a blog post about and Asian restaurant, I decided I would rectify the situation by trying a new place.

Mama Fu's is a small chain that opened up it's first DFW location in Frisco.  I dined there for dinner one night and was surprised to see that they had a hostess and waiters.  I was expecting a place where you order at the counter and seat yourself.  Apparently you order and pay at the counter for lunch, but you get a full wait staff for dinner.  I happened to have a short window for eating on this particular night, but I was quickly seated and my order was placed within minutes.

Dining area at Mama Fu's

The menu had several different Chinese dishes, but also had Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese, and Korean food as well.   I started off with a cup of wanton soup.  The chicken wanton was flavorful, but the broth was enhanced by having plenty of carrots, scallions, and spinach.  Too many Chinese food places just give you a wanton in broth with a couple of tiny pieces of vegetables, so I was pleased to see that this was not the case at Mama Fu's.

Wanton Soup

For my entree, the Sichuan Kung Pao Chicken.  The dish was piled high with onions, celery, water chestnuts, red bell peppers, peanuts, and chili peppers.  If you looked hard enough, you could even find a piece of chicken or two.  The dish had good flavor, but was not as spicy as I had anticipated.  On the menu, the dish had the little flame beside the name which was supposedly the "whoa mama" rating in the heat department.  Despite the rating on the menu, the dish was very mild.  

Sichuan Kung Pao Chicken

I left Mama Fu's with that glass half full feeling (or perhaps it was a glass half empty feeling).  Although I would have preferred that my entree had more chicken and was a little spicier, it was still a flavorful dish.  The waiter was friendly and had adequate knowledge of the menu, but I did have to wait several minutes to have my tea re-filled while I was eating my entree.  I guess I should count myself lucky that the dish wasn't spicier, because I didn't have a drink to quench my thirst for a good portion of my meal.  There are several items on the menu that I would still like to try, so I do see a return visit in my future.

Mama Fu's
http://www.mamafus.com/
Livin the Good Life Rating=2

East Hampton Sandwich Co.

I am lucky that I have several friends that are also foodies and they frequently recommend restaurants to me.  These recommendations often lead to a dining excursion at the recommended restaurant. Two of my foodie friends highly recommended East Hampton Sandwich Co. to me.  The Dallas Observer voted the restaurant as the Best Sandwich Shop in 2013 and Thrillist claimed it was one of the 21 Best Sandwich Shops in America.  The high praise bestowed upon this restaurant served to set the bar very high in the expectations department.

In addition to their popular Snyder Plaza location, East Hampton Sandwich Co. opened up a second location in Plano at The Shops at Legacy.  Last Wednesday, my wife and I decided to meet for dinner after work and enjoy a hump-day meal at the Plano location.  One of the first things that we noticed is that they have a very nice outdoor dining area that looked like a perfect place to dine and visit with friends.  We contemplated sitting outside, but the wind made it a little too cold to dine outdoors on this particular day.  

We ordered our sandwiches at the counter and found a seat in the corner so our kids could be corralled without bothering other patrons.  The menu has several delicious-sounding sandwiches, which made it tough for me to pick just one.  After contemplating for a time, I finally ordered the Fried Chicken+Jack sandwich which consisted of Southern fried chicken, pepper jack, greens, bacon, avocado mash, tomatoes, and a jalapeno cream sauce.  The fried chicken breasts were pounded very thin and they had a crunchy batter that was seasoned well.  Although the chicken itself had a nice flavor, the sandwich was underwhelming in the flavor department.  Even the jalapeno cream sauce did not give it a punch of flavor.  Each sandwich is served with their homemade thick-cut potato chips.  The potato chips were certainly better than most, but they could have used some more salt.

Fried Chicken+Jack Sandwich

My wife ordered the lobster roll which included lobster, greens, chives, and a butter drizzle.  She felt the lobster roll on this day did not have enough greens on it and could have benefited from some more chives.  I tried a couple of bites and agreed with her assessment.  The sandwich was very bland, regardless of how much butter I liberally applied.

Lobster Roll

We ordered a grilled cheese for one kid and chicken strips for the kids.  They both ate well without any complaints.  We also had an order of the Hampton's Donut Bag with strawberry filling.  The donuts were somewhat tough to chew and seemed to be slightly overcooked.  The strawberry filling was very tasty, but you had to be careful eating them because the filling had a tendency to squirt out of the donut.

Hampton's Donut Bag (in a box, not a bag)

My wife and I were both disappointed in our visit to East Hampton Sandwich Co.  Perhaps I had over-hyped it in my mind, because it certainly did not live up to my expectations.  Different people have different tastes, but I will have to disagree with my friends on this particular restaurant.  The sandwiches were not horrible by any means, but they were not memorable either.  I also felt the sandwiches were a little on the pricey side, especially since they were just served with chips.  There may be a time when I give this place a second chance, but I certainly will not be going out of my way to eat here again.  

East Hampton Sandwich Co.
http://ehsandwich.com/
Livin the Good Life Rating =2

Table 10

I usually don't post about places that I just have a quick snack or an appetizer.  Sometimes a restaurant has an appetizer that is just too good not share with the world.  Table 10, another Emeril Lagasse restaurant in Vegas, is one of those places.  

Table 10 is one of the few places I have found in Vegas that actually has a Happy Hour menu that includes snacks.  I have hung out, watched games, and snacked at Table 10 the last three trips I have taken to the city.  I enjoyed the place so much that I thought I should introduce my wife to my favorite place to snack and watch games.  Now they have several appetizers/snacks that are good, but there is one that stands out as possibly my favorite snack of all time.    

Bar and Kitchen Area at Table 10

The Candied North Country Farm Bacon is one of the best foods I have ever put in my mouth.  The bacon slices are fairly thick and served five to an order.  The dish is somewhat sweet, but is also somewhat spicy.  Although the bacon is good by itself, it is also served with maple syrup that just adds to the greatness of the snack.  I consider myself a connoisseur of bacon and the Candied North Country Farm Bacon at Table 10 is the best bacon I have ever had.

Candied North Country Farm Bacon…the ultimate honor for a pig!

We actually snacked here three days in a row to watch some of the games that I had money on.  One day, we also tried the cheese plate, which included three types of cheese, honey, jam, apple slices, and crackers.  The cheese platter was great and my wife absolutely loved it, but we both agreed it paled in comparison to the candied bacon.

Cheese Plate

One of these days, I am actually going to eat lunch or dinner at Table 10.  They have several menu items that I want to try.  In the meantime, I will always have the beautiful memories of the amazing, wonderful, and beautiful Candied North Country Farm Bacon.

Table 10
http://www.emerilsrestaurants.com/table-10
Livin the Good Life Rating = 4

The Buffet at Wynn

On our last morning in Vegas, my wife and I were in the mood for a late breakfast that would fill our bellies so we could gamble through lunch.  Since we had not hit a buffet on this visit, I Googled "Best Breakfast Buffet in Vegas".  The Buffet at Wynn showed up on several websites, so we journeyed the quarter mile from our rooms at the Palazzo to the Wynn.

Short wait in line

There was a small line when we arrived, but it moved quickly and we were seated within fifteen minutes.  With a name like "The Buffet", you might expect to find a simple buffet.  The Buffet at the Wynn is anything but simple.  My wife compared the dining area to a set from Alice in Wonderland.  Colorful decorations and flowers are everywhere in the dining area.

Just going to all the buffet stations helped me burn some of the calories I ingested.

The buffet itself was very impressive.  They had so many different stations, that I didn't even make it to all of them.  I ate breakfast until I hurt.  I tried twelve to fifteen different items and I cannot remember having anything that I did not enjoy.  Obviously some items were better than others, but nothing I tried was bad.  The three items that were the highlights of my meal were the bacon waffles (it's waffles and bacon, so it has to be good), the ham and egg breakfast pizza (cooked in coal-fired oven), and the green chili  breakfast quesadillas.

Plate #1-Bacon, ham and egg breakfast pizza, corn muffin, breakfast potatoes, and ham

Plate #2-Bacon, green chili breakfast quesadilla, bacon waffle, and chorizo and eggs.

My wife, who usually detests buffets, loved this place as well.  She didn't make as many trips as I did, but she always came back with bacon and a smile on her face.  The fresh squeezed juices and coffee were commendable as well.  Since we were there towards the end of breakfast, they had started putting out desserts for lunch.  I took advantage of my fortuitous timing and got a couple of desserts as well.

Chocolate mint cupcake, strawberry shortcake, and fruit.

If  the items served at lunch and dinner are as good as the items served for breakfast, it is easy to see why USA Today voted it the best buffet in Vegas.  Although I only had breakfast here, I would rank it pretty close to my favorite Las Vegas buffet which is Bacchanal buffet at Caesar's.  Our coffee cups were always filled and our empty plates gone by the time we returned from a trip to the buffet stations, so I was pleased with the service.  At just over $20 a person, the value was good as well.  I would highly recommend The Buffet at They Wynn for breakfast.

The Buffet at The Wynn
http://www.wynnlasvegas.com/Restaurants/CasualDining/TheBuffet
Livin the Good Life Rating = 4

Whiskey Cake

Whiskey Cake Kitchen & Bar is one of my favorite restaurants in Collin County.  Since my wife is also a big fan, she is always willing to dine there any time that I ask.  I have dined at Whiskey Cake for lunch and dinner several times, but I had never had the pleasure of trying out their brunch menu until last week.  Their brunch menu is only available on weekends and one day we finally decided to pack up the kids and take the short drive to Plano.

Vermont Cheddar and Jalapeño Drop Biscuits

We arrived shortly after their 10 a.m. opening and were seated after only a short wait.  Luckily, Whiskey Cake is a kid-friendly place and we were able to order the kids breakfasts while we looked over the brunch menu.  When we placed the order for the kids pancakes, we also ordered a breakfast appetizer of Vermont Cheddar and Jalapeno Drop Biscuits.  They are served five to an order and each is topped with a slice of jalapeno and served with a bowl of sausage gravy.  They arrived within just a few minutes and were quickly devoured by my wife and myself.  We both agreed that it was a very unique and delicious twist on the traditional biscuits and gravy.

Kid's Pancake Breakfast

For my entree, I ordered the Chicken and Waffle.  The waffle actually had two pieces of bacon cooked into the batter and was topped with some excellent chicken tenders, eggs, and more of the sausage gravy that I liked so much.  Everything on the plate was absolutely amazing and I couldn't have been more pleased with my breakfast.  My wife ordered the Griddle Stack, which were pancakes topped with caramelized apples, maple syrup, almonds, and whipped cream.  She said it tasted like pancakes and an apple pie had a delicious baby.  In fact, I wasn't even able to snap a picture of her meal because she started eating it too quickly.  

Chicken and Waffles

Both of my kids cleaned their plates and my youngest even helped her mom finish off her whipped cream.  It seemed that everyone in my family enjoyed brunch on this day.  The only regret I had was that we were all too full to have a piece of their namesake dessert; whiskey cake.  This dessert is worth the trip alone, but I was very content and could not eat another bite of anything on this morning.

My youngest daughter finishing off her mom's whipped cream

Whiskey Cake's brunch menu lived up to our expectations.  The quality of food was top notch, much like their lunch and dinner menu.  The food was outstanding on this visit and we were very pleased with our service.  As we left, we noticed that the restaurant was packed and there were close to thirty people waiting to be seated.  Apparently we were not the only ones that had decided to do brunch at Whiskey Cake on this day.  Go give this place a try for brunch and arrive early if you don't like waiting.

Whiskey Cake (Picture taken on a previous visit)

Whiskey Cake Kitchen & Bar
http://www.whiskey-cake.com/
Livin the Good Life Rating = 4