Cowgirl Kitchen

While exploring Rosemary Beach and walking around with the family, we decided we should stay there and eat lunch.  We decided to grab a bite to eat at Cowgirl Kitchen.  I had read several positive reviews of the place, so we thought it would be a good choice for a causal lunch.  The restaurant was packed on the afternoon we visited, but it was a beautiful day and we chose to sit outside rather than wait for a table indoors.

Cowgirl Machita Dip

This little diva enjoyed the sidewalk dining

Several appetizers sounded promising, but as usual, we couldn't pass up queso.  Two different versions of queso were available, but we chose the Cowgirl Machita Dip and it was top notch.  The queso blanca had chorizo, jalapeños, diced tomatoes, and green onion.  This might just have been the best queso I have ever had in Florida and I highly recommend it.

Pulled Pork Tacos with Caesar Salad

Not wanting to get too full after eating the queso, my wife and I both ordered tacos with a side Caesar salad rather than a heavy meal.  I had the Pulled Pork Tacos, which were topped with cole slaw and my wife had the Drunken Shrimp Tacos.  The pulled pork was okay, but I actually liked her tacos better and enjoyed the spicy chipotle salsa and shredded cheese.

Drunken Shrimp Tacos

They also have a kids menu and the little one gave a thumbs up to the mac n' cheese and chips.  Our waitress was attentive throughout and was very accommodating to us.  This location at Rosemary Beach is in a beautiful area with lots of shopping in the area.  Another plus about this restaurant was the price, which was much less than a lot of other restaurants in this tourist haven.  We really intended to go back and try their dinner menu, but regrettably, we didn't have the opportunity.  

Cowgirl Kitchen
https://www.cowgirlkitchen.com/rosemary.html
Livin the Good Life Rating=3

Old Florida Fish House

My family loves Seaside, Florida and I was excited to eat at some of my favorite restaurants in the area and try some new ones during our most recent family vacation.  Having passed by Old Florida Fish House several times on our last vacation to the Seaside area, we decided to dine their on our first night of vacation.  The restaurant has their regular dinner menu, but they also have a sushi menu and even a sushi bar.  

Caesar Salad

For starters, I ordered a Caesar Salad and split an order of Fried Green Tomatoes with my wife.  The Caesar salad was pretty basic but it had a simple, yet flavorful dressing and had croutons that had a faint hint of garlic to them.  The fried green tomatoes were outstanding, mainly due to the fact that they were topped with a fantastic beurre blanc sauce and butter poached lump crab meat.  I wouldn't hesitate to order either of these items again.

Fried Green Tomatoes topped with beurre blanc sauce and butter poached lump crab meat

I went with the Chef's Special for my entree, which was Blackened Mahi Mahi over spinach and herb rice pilaf and topped with crawfish beurre blanc sauce.  This dish was the best seafood dish I have had in several months and I was blown away by the combination of flavors and textures in the dish.  The blanc sauce tasted similar to the sauce on the fried green tomatoes, but the crawfish put this dish over the top.  

Blackened Mahi Mahi topped with crawfish beurre blanc sauce

My wife went with the Sauteed Grouper Fish House, which our waitress claimed was the house specialty.  It was served over mashed potatoes and topped with a lemon beurre blanc sauce.  This dish was outstanding as well and my wife allowed me to eat several bites.  Although I loved both entrees, the mahi mahi was slightly better than the grouper.

Sauteed Grouper Fish House

Other members of our party ordered the sushi and were very pleased with what they ordered.  The food was outstanding and the service mostly good, although there were a couple of hiccups.  Bud and Alley's Seafood Restaurant seems to be the most popular seafood joint in the area, but the food at Old Florida Fish House was considerably better than any dish I have had at Bud And Alley's on my three visits there.  I highly recommend a visit to the Old Florida Fish House if you ever find yourself in the Seaside area.

Old Florida Fish House
http://www.oldfloridafishhouse.com
Livin the Good Life Rating=4

Rum Runners

On our way to Seaside, we stopped in Sandestin around lunchtime. Having some time to kill until we were able to get into our beach house, we decided to go The Village of Baytowne Wharf because our kids had enjoyed it on a previous visit.  After walking around for while and perusing the various restaurants, we decided to dine at Rum Runners.

Having never dined here before, I asked our waitress what she would recommend for an appetizer.  She suggested the Caribbean Egg Rolls, which were crispy flour tortillas stuffed with Jerk chicken, onions, peppers, black beans, pepper jack cheese, corn, and salsa.  The dish was served with what tasted like sweet and sour sauce.  I anticipated a flavorful dish, but the egg rolls were very bland.

Caribbean Egg Rolls

Knowing that we would probably be having a big dinner with my in-laws, I decided to just order a sandwich and fries for my second course.  I chose the Fried Grouper Sandwich, which was the fresh fish of the day.   The fish was crispy and the sandwich was better than our appetizer, but nothing special and the fries tasted like they were frozen and out of a bag.  

Fried Grouper Sandwich

My wife had the Spring Salad and the kids ordered mini-corn dogs. The kids didn't seem to mind their food, but my wife barely touched her salad.  The service could have been better too.  While our waitress was friendly, she went long periods of time without checking on us and refilling drinks.  The restaurant had only a handful of other customers, which should have been a sign to stay away since it should have been busier on a Saturday at lunch.  Overall, I was disappointed in the restaurant and I cannot recommend it because there are much better casual seafood restaurants in the area.

Rum Runners
http://www.rumrunners.com
Livin the Good Life Rating=1

Cafe Du Monde

Before we went to New Orleans, my wife informed me that we had to do two things:  eat breakfast at Cafe Du Monde and ride a trolley.  Both of those things had made an impression on her when she visited New Orleans as a child, so she insisted that we do them with our kids as well.  It just so happened that we had a trolley line close to our hotel that could take us directly to the Cafe Du Monde location at Jackson Square.  I love it when I can kill two birds with one stone while making my wife happy!

Beignets

I had read that this location of Cafe Du Monde could get very crowded on weekends, so I woke my family up at 6 a.m.  We were able to jump on a trolley and beat the crowds to Cafe Du Monde.  Despite it being really early for a Saturday morning, we took the last table available indoors.  We promptly ordered three orders of beignets, coffee for my wife and I, and milk for the kids.

Chicory Coffee

The beignets arrived covered in powdered sugar, so I was very glad that I had worn a white t-shirt.  All of us dug into the beignets and  enjoyed these donut-like treats.  I was expecting them to be light and fluffy, but they were much more dense than I had anticipated.  The flavor was very good and there was plenty of powdered sugar to go around for everyone.  They were definitely flavorful, but I didn't think they were the best beignets I have ever had.  While I usually don't put cream and sugar in my coffee, I was pleased with the restaurant's chicory coffee.

My youngest with her first bite of a beignet

The service is very quick and they seem to be experts at getting large numbers of people in and out.  By the time we left, there was a line thirty deep waiting to be seated.  We all enjoyed our experience at Cafe Du Monde, but it didn't live up to the hype my wife had been building up for a month before our arrival.  That being said, it was a decent enough breakfast and a fun place for families to go and get covered in powdered sugar.

Cafe Du Monde
http://www.cafedumonde.com
Livin the Good Life Rating=3

The Gumbo Shop

We had planned a family vacation to Seaside, Florida and my family decided to stop in New Orleans to spend one night and enjoy the French Quarter and it's food.  Having never been to New Orleans before, I was looking forward to my stay there.  We were only in town for about 16 hours total, so I was only able to sample a couple of places.  I always like getting recommendations from people who have lived in places I am visiting and one of the places that was recommended to me was The Gumbo Shop, which is located just off Jackson Square and was awarded best gumbo by bestofneworleans.com.

Courtyard at The Gumbo Shop

Our waiter recommended that we order the Complete Creole Dinner, which gave diners a choice of one gumbo, one entree, one side, and a dessert.  My wife and I both decided to order this because we wanted a sampling of several items  I started with the Chicken and Andouille Gumbo and I must say that it was very good.  My wife had the Seafood Gumbo and I tried some of hers.  I preferred my gumbo to hers, but she claimed it was some of the best seafood gumbo she has ever had.

Right-Chicken and Andouille Gumbo.  Left-Seafood Gumbo

For my entree and side, I ordered the Creole Combination Plate (Shrimp Creole, Jambalaya, Red Beans and Rice) and the Smothered Turnip Greens.  The Shrimp Creole was my favorite of the three items, but I was not overly impressed with the Jambalaya or the Red Beans and Rice.  Both items were rather bland and lacked the heat I was anticipating from "real" Cajun food.  The Smothered Turnip Greens were decent enough, but not what I was expecting.  It was my first time to try the dish and I guess i was anticipating more of a collard greens type of flavor.  The turnip greens actually reminded me more of spinach.  My wife had the Crawfish Etouffee and I thought it was really good and had much more flavor than the trio of items I ordered.

Creole Combination Platter-Red Beans and Rice, Jambalaya, and Shrimp Creole 

Crawfish Etouffe and Turnip Greens

For my dessert selection I chose the Praline Sunday and my wife chose the Bread Pudding.  My dessert was fantastic and I loved the toppings and the ice cream itself.  My wife's bread pudding was equally good and she claimed it was one of the top three orders of bread pudding that she has ever had.

Praline Sunday and Bread Pudding

The Gumbo Shop does have a kids menu and both of mine seemed to enjoy their grilled cheeses and chips.  The service was impeccable on this visit and we were lucky enough to have a table in the courtyard on a beautiful New Orleans evening.  While the food itself was far from bad, I can't help but wish we had tried some place else that had spicier dishes.  That being said, the trip to the Gumbo Shop did give us a chance to explore beautiul Jackson Square and take a horse drawn carriage historical tour of the French Quarter.

Family Photo at Jackson Square

The Gumbo Shop
http://www.gumboshop.com
Livin the Good Life Rating=3
 

Sugarbacon Proper Kitchen

There are some restaurants that have such catchy names that they seem to draw you to them.  Sugarbacon Proper Kitchen, in downtown McKinney, is one of those restaurants.  What is there not to love about sugar and bacon?  I think bacon is so amazing that it should be it's own food group!  Foodies in Collin County and particularly those in McKinney, have eagerly awaited this restaurant's opening.  This brainchild of former Jasper's GM Johnny Carros and Jon Thompson, former executive chef at Stampede 66, opened it's doors to the public in late June.

Bar at Sugarbacon

Naturally, the Sugarbacon appetizer was the first item I tried.  The restaurant's namesake did not disappoint and is an absolutely delectable little bite.  This appetizer consists of smoked Berkshire pork belly that is basted in ancho barbecue sauce and served atop a crostini with bread-and-butter pickles.  The Sugarbacon here is tender and the ancho barbecue sauce has outstanding flavor.

Sugarbacon

I have also been impressed with the few entrees and sandwiches that I have tried.  It seems that everyone is doing Shrimp and Grits these days, but Sugarbacon does it much better than most.  The shrimp were perfectly cooked, had a tasty glaze on them, and sat atop some very fine grits that had a cheesy flavor to them. 

Shrimp and Grits

Of the sandwiches that I have tried, the Pulled Berkshire Pork Sandwich is my favorite.  The pork was extremely tender, had great flavor, and was topped with the barbecue sauce and some terrific cole slaw.  As good as the sandwich was, the house cut fries certainly don't play second fiddle to the sandwiches.  I don't know how else to describe them other than simple, salted, and amazing.  I could have eaten baskets full of them.

Pulled Berkshire Pork Sandwich

The SB Burger was also fantastic, although somewhat messy.  The burger is made with wagyu beef that comes from local favorite, Local Yocal.  The beef itself was excellent, but the flavor really goes over the top when you add a slab of sugarbacon slathered in ancho sauce, cheddar, garlic mayo, and b+b pickles on a buttered bun.  I also sampled the Griddled Cheese Sandwich, which included mozzarella, heirloom tomatoes, and sunflower pesto spread.  The pesto was quite unique and really gave the sandwich a flavor that was unusual, yet pleasing.

SB Burger 

Griddled Cheese Sandwich 

I have only tried one dessert, but I would be doing you a disservice if I did not recommend it to you.  The Chocolate Hazelnut Icebox Pie is a killer dessert.  It was so good, that we actually ordered it again on our second visit and didn't even consider ordering anything else.  The chocolate is very rich, has a great texture, and is served atop what tasted like a shortbread crust and topped with whipped cream.

Chocolate Hazelnut Icebox Pie

It definitely appears that downtown McKinney has another tasty and quirky gem that is fit for foodies.  Everything we have tried so far has been top notch and the service has matched the food.  When I first moved to McKinney, there was only a handful of restaurants on the square and now there are several outstanding restaurants.  I would rank Sugarbacon right on up there with the best in the area!

Sugarbacon Proper Kitchen
http://sugarbacon.com/#/
Livin the Good Life=4

Bonefish Grill

There are not a whole lot of good seafood options in Collin County, so I was pleased to see that a new option is now available in Allen.  I have driven by the construction site of Bonefish Grill for the last few months and my family decided to dine there when it was finally open for business.  Upon arrival, we were surprised by how nice it was inside and we second guessed our decision to bring the kids.  We looked around and saw several other tables with kids of the same age, so we decided that our kids would not make too much of a disturbance.

Wagyu Beef Ginger Potstickers

I started with the Wagyu Beef Ginger Potstickers, which came with crispy onions, Thai peppers, and green onions.  The large order of potstickers also sat atop soy sauce.  There were several different flavors going on here, but they all blended well.  Despite this being a seafood restaurant, this dish was more than adequate and the dumplings were entirely filled with beef.

For my entree, I ordered the chef's special of the day, which was Fresh Grouper.  The grouper was grilled, topped with a lemon butter sauce, and served with seasonal vegetables and one side of your choice.  Potatoes Au Gratin were my side of choice and I also added a house Ceasar Salad.

Caesar Salad

The salad arrived first, but was disappointing and lacked flavor.  Instead of freshly shredded or shaved Parmesan, it came topped with grated Parmesan that looked like what people sprinkle over pizza.  The croutons were few and far between.

Grouper with Au Gratin Potatoes and Zucchini

The grouper was actually quite good and I was happy that I added the lemon butter sauce as a topping.  The fish was flaky, moist, and had a very mild flavor.  The potatoes au gratin were almost too rich, but I enjoyed each bite.  Zucchini was the seasonal vegetable of the day and it was also quite good.  

My wife ordered the Lobster Rolls with fries.  While the fries were not great, the lobster rolls were terrific.  The lobster tasted fresh, the cole slaw had good flavor, and the bread was delicious.  These were some of the best lobster rolls I have had in several months.  Unfortunately, my wife thought they were great too and only allowed me one bite.

Lobster Rolls

I was quite full after eating all this food, but I didn't let it stop me from ordering dessert.  The four of us decided to split the Berry Shortcake, which was topped with strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, and an ample amount of whipped cream.  This tasty dessert had so much fruit that I almost felt like I was eating healthy!  We were more than happy with our choice of this seasonal dessert.

Berry Shortcake

My family enjoyed our first visit to Bonefish Grill.  The kids gave a thumbs up to their mac n' cheese and chicken strips.  Although this casual restaurant borders on being a fine dining establishment, the staff was more than accommodating to kids and the table is covered in butcher paper which the kids can use to color.  It was busy when were were there and I anticipate it continuing to be busy as there are not many decent seafood options in this area.  We arrived around 5:30 and by the time we left an hour later, there was a long wait (approximately 40 people) for a table.  The food and service at this place will certainly bring us back.

Bonefish Grill
https://www.bonefishgrill.com
Livin the Good Life Rating=3