Fish Shack

Seeing a restaurant with a lot of vehicles is usually a good sign that there is good food to be found inside.  I am always skeptical of a restaurant that is not very crowded.  Since the parking lot has been packed  every time I have passed by Fish Shack in East Plano, I decided to stop in and give it a try.  

Dining area and menu board

The patrons order at the counter at Fish Shack, which can be quite daunting considering the very large menu board that they have.  Luckily for me, there were a few customers in front of me and I was able to look over the menu while other customers were ordering.  It had been several months since I have had a Po Boy, so I ordered the Catfish Po Boy and fries.  I am also a huge fan of hushpuppies, so I ordered the small order (6 hushpuppies) of those as well.

Catfish Po Boy

It only took a few minutes for my order to arrive, so I didn't have too much time to look back at the menu board and second-guess my lunch choice.  The Catfish Po Boy had a very crispy cornmeal batter that had good flavor, but it was a little tough and perhaps slightly overcooked.  Even with it begin somewhat tough, it was still above average in the taste department.  The bun was toasted to perfection and the veggies were fresh.  The fries were pretty basic and typical of most seafood joints, but the hushpuppies were incredible.  I could have easily ate two dozen of these and regretted that I only ordered six of them.

Fantastic Hushpuppies

My visit to Fish Shack was certainly worthwhile.  Although I only sampled a small fraction of their large menu, it certainly left me wanting more.  The food is fresh and tasty, the staff is friendly, and it is a fun place to have a quick meal.  I was glad I took the time for a quick lunch at Fish Shack.

Fish Shack
http://www.fishshackplano.com
Livin the Good Life Rating=3

Pecan Lodge-Deep Ellum

I do not usually have multiple blog posts about the same restaurant, but I decided to make an exception for Pecan Lodge.   The restaurant was recently forced out of it's location in the Farmers Market and had re-opened this past Friday in Deep Ellum.  My first visit to Pecan lodge was blogged about in 2013.  In that blog post, I declared that Pecan Lodge was the best barbecue in Dallas.  Texas Monthly later agreed with me and voted it the #2 ranked barbecue joint in Texas behind Franklin Barbecue in Austin.  Pecan Lodge has also been praised by several other publications and featured on more than a few TV shows, so pitmaster/owner Justin Fourton continues to be one of the busiest guys in the barbecue business.

By 11:00 a.m. the line was getting long

My brother and I arrived at the Deep Ellum location at 10:15 a.m. on Saturday and we were surprised that there were only thirty or so people in line.  By the time the restaurant opened at 11:00 a.m., the line was easily over 150 people and snaked around the block.  Once again, I felt like we timed our arrival just right.  When the restaurant opened, the line moved fairly quickly and we were able to order by 11:20.  

Pecan Lodge Bar and Dining Area

The new restaurant features ample dining space and a bar that serves local craft beer.  It also has an outdoor patio area with additional space for patrons to dine.  Although I am usually nostalgic about original restaurant locations, I immediately saw that the move from the Farmers Market to Deep Ellum was a good one.

The Menu

On this visit, I ordered brisket, pork ribs, jalapeño and cheddar sausage, and the daily special of burnt ends.  Since I needed something to offset the massive amounts of meat, I ordered some fried okra because it had been fantastic on a previous visit.  The slow-cooked brisket was excellent and just as good as it had been on my previous visits.  My slices were smoked to perfection and the fatty slices almost melted in my mouth.  The house made sausage was also delicious, but plays second fiddle to many of the other meats.

Burnt ends are my favorite barbecue item and I order them every time I see that someone has them on the menu.  I have had some great burnt ends in my life, but the ones at Pecan Lodge are out-of-this-world amazing.  When I looked back and tried to remember all the great burnt ends I have sampled, I honestly can't remember any that I have had that were as good as the ones I tried on this visit to Pecan Lodge.

Amazing Burnt Ends, Jalapeño and Cheddar Sausage Link, and Fried Okra

During my previous visits to Pecan Lodge, they had ran out of pork ribs prior to my arrival at the counter.  I was pleased that I finally got to sample the pork ribs and I was was blown away with this menu item as well.  They had an excellent smoky flavor, easily pulled off the bone, and even had an excellent bark on them.  

Considering the fact that this was only the second day that Pecan Lodge was open at this new location, Justin Fourton deserves kudos for the consistency and quality of the meat.  There is little doubt in my mind that the new location in Deep Ellum will be an even bigger attraction than the previous location.  One of my best friends got hitched a couple of weeks after this visit and we took him to Pecan Lodge for his last meal as a free man (picture below of what the four of us shared).  This place keeps getting better with every visit and is peerless in the DFW area.

Meal we had two weeks after this first visit-Burnt Ends, Sausage, Pork Ribs, Beef Ribs, Brisket, Okra, Mac n' Cheese, and Cole Slaw

Pecan Lodge

http://www.pecanlodge.com

Livin the good Life Rating =5

Culver's

My oldest daughter was in the mood for a milkshake one day and I had a hankering for a burger, so I decided to take her to eat lunch and get a milkshake.  Culver's is just a couple of miles down the road from our house in McKinney, but we have never bothered to eat there.  I have passed by Culver's hundreds of times, so I thought today would be a good day to grab lunch at this location.  Culver's is a national chain and has two other DFW locations. 

At Culver's, you order at the counter, take a number, and have a seat while you wait for your order to be delivered.  I saw a sign that said the beef was fresh and never frozen, which gave me high hopes for this joint.  I had not eaten breakfast, so I ordered the Triple Meat Cheddar ButterBurger with Bacon, fries, and a drink.  My daughter ordered the kid's chicken strips, fries, and chocolate shake.

Chocolate Milkshake

While waiting for our meals to arrive, I had to give my daughter a lesson on sharing because she did not originally want to give me a sip of her chocolate milkshake.  After laying a small guilt trip on her, she reluctantly said I could have "one sip."  She absolutely loved it, but I thought it was a below average shake that needed to be blended more than it was.

Triple Meat Cheddar ButterBurger with Bacon and Fries

My burger arrived and it was a lot smaller than expected for a triple meat burger.  The patties were small and the burger was very greasy.  I usually love greasy burgers, but this particular one was too greasy for my tastes.  Besides the taste of grease, the burger was flavorless.  The cheese and bacon did not stand out on this burger either.  About half of the crinkle-cut fries were overcooked and they were below average in the taste department too.  My daughter did not think her chicken strips were good and only ate one of the two that were in her kid's meal.  She seemed content with her shake and fries.

Chicken Strip Kid's Meal

My visit to Culver's was the worst dining experience I have had in several months.  I did not think the food was very good, but some people must really like it because the place was packed and it is highly rated on several sites.  There will not be a return visit to Culver's for me unless I am put in a straight jacket and drug in by large captors.

Culver's

http://www.culvers.com/restaurants/mckinney/

Livin the Good Life Rating=1

Dough Pizzeria Napoletana

My mom was in town for work and a visit with the grandkids, so my wife and I had a Friday night where we had some free babysitting.  We took advantage of the evening and decided to venture South of IH635 for dinner.  Dough Pizzeria is one of my in-laws favorite restaurants and has been getting good reviews, so we headed to Dallas in anticipation of trying some Neapolitan Pizza.  

Wood-fired Oven at Dough

We arrived a little after seven p.m. and the restaurant was very crowded, but they did have one two-top available for us to be seated immediately.  The menu had several items that looked appetizing, but we started with an order of the flatbread and marinara sauce. The flatbread was topped with extra virgin olive oil, oregano, thyme, sea salt and Parmigiano Reggiano.  Since we were eating a late dinner (at least for us), we dug in.  There was no disappointment on either of our faces as we inhaled the flatbread.  This item is a staple at many pizza restaurants, but we both agreed that this was some of the best we have had.  The bread itself was bursting with flavors and the marinara was fantastic.

Flatbread with Marinara

For our pizza, my wife let me choose what we would get on this evening.  I chose the Pork Love Pizza, which was featured on an episode of Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.  The pizza arrived right as we finished the flatbread and it looked like a million bucks.  The Pork Love is topped with Sopressata salami, house made Italian Sausage, pancetta, speck, fresh house pulled mozzarella, and tomato sauce.  As great as the pizza looked, it tasted even better.  All the pork-tastic ingredients blended well into a fantastic slice of pizza.  All the ingredients were flavorful, but the house made sausage tended to be a little over-powering at times.  Despite, this I can honestly say that the Pork Love was in the top five pizzas I have ever had.

Pork Love Pizza

When we finished the pizza, we still had a little time before our movie started and we decided to eat dessert.  The house-made tiramisu sounded very appetizing, but we chose to sample something the Nutella Panino because it was something we have never had before.  The Nutella Panino is a dessert panini sandwich made with sweetbread, nutella, and marshmallows.  Our order was much larger than we had anticipated, but that didn't stop us from eating the entire plate.  The dessert sandwiches tasted like s'mores and they were even better when you added whipped cream to them.

Nutella Panino

Our visit to Dough Pizzeria was great from start to finish.  The food was wonderful and the service was spectacular.  This restaurant doesn't get a lot of the press that others in the area do, but I could easily put it in my top three pizza joints in the Dallas area.  We will be going back here very soon!


Dough Pizzeria Napoletana
http://www.doughpizzeria.com/dallas/
Livin the Good Life Rating= 4

Jungle Burger

I am always looking to try new restaurants, particularly those that are close to my home.  Jungle Burger opened up in McKinney, TX last year in a space that was vacated by a JC's Burger House.  On a recent Saturday, I finally got the opportunity to grab a bite to eat at the restaurant.

I arrived mid-afternoon after running a few errands around town.  My waitress immediately took my drink order while I checked out the menu.  I decided on the bacon cheeseburger and seasoned fries. While waiting on my food, I relaxed and watched a baseball game on one of the big screen TVs in the restaurant.

My order arrived within ten minutes and I immediately dug in since I was eating such a late lunch.  The burger had a very thick patty and the veggies on the burger were fresh and crispy.  For a single patty burger, it really had a lot of size to it.  The burger had great flavor, but I would have preferred my bacon to be a bit crispier.  The seasoned fries appeared to be fresh cut and were cooked to perfection.  Too often, restaurants seem to be overcooking their fries.  This was not the case at Jungle Burger.

Bacon Cheeseburger and Seasoned Fries

I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of my burger and fries.  The restaurants name doesn't exactly scream "great burger," but I would go back here in a heartbeat.  The staff was friendly and attentive.  The value was good as well and my meal cost less than $10 prior to my tip.  If you live in McKinney and haven't tried this place yet, I recommend that you give it a try.

Jungle Burger
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jungle-Burger-Mckinney/328513723952716?ref=stream
Livin the Good Life Rating=3

Bayou Jack's Cajun Grill

Downtown McKinney is one of my favorite places to dine in the DFW area.  The Square in downtown is really becoming a legit foodie destination.  New restaurants seem to be popping up weekly on the Square and Bayou Jack's Cajun Grill recently opened next door to Mellow Mushroom.  The small chain also has locations in Sulphur Springs and Roanoke.

Dining area at Bayou Jack's

I dined at Bayou Jack's with my wife, kids, and in-laws.  We really didn't know what to expect, because it is hard to find good Cajun fare in the DFW area.  Our group arrived shorty after they opened for lunch, but we were warmly greeted by the staff and received good service right from the start.  I was very hungry due to skipping breakfast, so I decided to start with a cup of red beans and rice.  The red beans and rice was flavorful, but the cup was somewhat on the small side.  I also had a side of the onion hushpuppies served with remoulade.  The hush puppies were of good quality, had a perfectly crunch exterior, and the remoulade was a very good one.

Red Beans and Rice

Onion Hush Puppies

For my entree, I ordered the crawfish étouffée    The plate arrived with the best looking servings of étouffée I have seen in some time.  It even was even topped with a very large crawfish on tope.  Luckily for me, it tasted as good as it looked.  The dish had a large quantity of crawfish compared to ones I have had at other restaurants.  The dark roux was very spicy, which was perfect as far as I was concerned.  This was one of the best plates of étouffée I have had in quite some time.

Crawfish Étouffée 

Other members of my group got the gumbo and the blackened catfish topped with crawfish étouffée.  Both my kids got the chicken bites with "bayou fries".  There was not a member of our party that was not pleased with their meal.  

Gumbo

Blackened Catfish topped with Crawfish Étouffée 

We were all pleased with our first visit to Bayou Jack's Cajun Grill.  The food was delicious and the service was outstanding.  The restaurant is very casual and kid friendly as well.  If anyone is looking for authentic Cajun food at a reasonable price, then you need to take a trip to the McKinney Square and give Bayou Jack's a try.

Kid's Chicken Bites and Fries

Bayou Jack's Cajun Grill
http://www.bayoujackscajungrill.com
Livin the Good Life Rating=3

Urban Rio

Urban Rio has been one of the restaurants that I have been wanting to try for some time.  Urban Rio is located in downtown Plano and is owned by the same people that own the fantastic pizza restaurant, Urban Crust.    The restaurant is very popular with residents of Collin County and made the D Magazine 2013 list of The Top 100 Restaurants in DFW.  Despite the fact that the restaurant is located within 15 minutes of my house, I had not tried it until just recently.   

My daughter (the salt junkie) enjoying her tortilla chips

My family and I arrived at Urban Rio early enough to beat the dinner crowd.  Like most Mexican food restaurants, they gave us a bowl of chips and salsa to munch on while we looked over the menu.  In addition to the salsa, they also provided the table with a small bowl of a black bean dip.  I was not impressed with the salsa, but the black bean dip was a nice addition to the chips.

Chips, Salsa, and Black Bean Dip

While looking over the menu, we started with our traditional treat of queso.  We ordered their queso blanca with the chorizo flavored ground beef.  The queso was above average and the beef gave it a little extra flavor and texture that really added a little something to each bite.  We also ordered an order of the chimichurri chicken skewers to share.  I was disappointed in the skewers because they were very bland and I expected them to have more flavor.

Queso Blanca with chorizo flavored ground beef

For our entrees, I ordered the chile relleno and my wife ordered the tortilla soup.  The chile relleno was a fried poblano pepper stuffed with ground beef, potatoes, and Serrano peppers.  It was served over rice, refried black beans, and topped with Mexican crema.  The flavor was absolutely spot on and it was perhaps one of the top three chile rellenos I have ever had.  

Chile Relleno

I also ordered a side of the street corn, which was grilled corn that had been cut off the cob and topped with cheese and what appeared to be the same cream that was on my chile relleno.  The flavor was good, but it was not served warm.  My wife was not impressed with her tortilla soup either.  It was served to her at room temperature and like most people, she usually prefers her soup hot.  She only had a couple of spoonfuls before pushing it aside.

Street Corn

Tortilla Soup

My wife and I experienced mixed feelings on our first visit to Urban Rio.  I loved the queso and the chile relleno, but my wife was not a fan of her tortillas soup.  Neither of us cared much for the grilled chicken skewers.  We had wanted to try the s'mores for dessert because we thought it would be fun for the kids to cook them over the tableside fire, but I was too full after my meal and my wife was just ready to leave.  The service was lacking somewhat too because we had to wait a good ten minutes for any waitstaff to come and take our initial drink orders.  We found out when we arrived that they do not have a kids menu, but there were several options on the menu that kids would enjoy.  Despite my wife's feelings about the restaurant, the chile relleno was good enough for me to desire a second visit to Urban Rio.

Urban Rio
http://www.urbanrio.com
Livin the Good Life Rating = 3