Gregory's Bistro

For years, I have heard great things about Gregory's Bistro.  Even with all the praise, my wife and I had not dined at the restaurant, despite the fact it was so close to us.  The restaurant recently moved from it's location in Downtown McKinney and opened at it's new location in Adriatica Village.  On a recent Friday, we decided to finally go give it a try.

Upon walking in, our first impression was that it was a beautiful restaurant with simple decor.  Having reservations, we were immediately seated and some delicious bread and butter was brought to us.  For a starter, we decided to split the Crab and Lobster Cake, which was absolutely delicious and was a great start to the meal.

Lobster and Crab Cake

For our main course, my wife and I found Gregory's Feature of the Day to sound appealing and ordered that.   The feature was a Pan Seared Texas Redfish with Lobster and Hatch Green Chile Butter Sauce.  The dish was served on a bed of Pesto Fingerling Potatoes. I am not exaggerating here when I say that it was the best seafood dish that I have had in years.  The flavor was amazing and the ingredients went together nicely.  The potatoes were great too and went well with the fish.

Pan Seared Texas Redfish with Lobster and Hatch Green Chile Butter Sauce

Instead of splitting a dessert, we each ordered our own.  My wife had the Bread Pudding, which was quite tasty.  I had the Texas Pecan Cream Cake, which was light and not overly sweet.  Both desserts were great, but we could not agree on which we liked the most.  My wife liked the bread pudding best, but I loved the cake.  We each had a cappuccino to go with dessert and the coffee got a big thumbs up as well.

Bread Pudding 

Texas Pecan Cream Cake

Cappuccino 

We were quite pleased with our first visit to Gregory's Bistro and I would definitely rank it in my top 3 restaurants in McKinney, Texas.  Our table had an amazing view of the lake at Adriatica Village and you didn't feel like you were in the middle of a Dallas suburb.  With the decor and architecture of Adriatica Village, you almost felt like you were dining in Europe.  The service was absolutely on point and it was an amazing dining experience.  We can't wait for our next visit!

Gregory's Bistro
http://www.gregorysbistro.org
Livin the Good Life Rating=5

Starwood Cafe

Cappuccino

The much awaited McKinney location of Starwood Cafe finally opened in Adriatica Village.  My wife has dined at the Frisco location on several occasions, but I have never had the opportunity to dine their myself.  On a recent Saturday morning, we loaded up the 2 girls and ate breakfast at the new location.  We arrived a little after 8 a.m. and there was already a crowd and a 30 minute wait.

Bacon, Hash Browns, and Eggs

My family and I tried several items, including cappuccinos, bacon, eggs, cheese grits, chicken fried steak, hash browns, toast and pancakes.  The majority of the items were good and the cappuccino, chicken fried steak, and pancakes were great.  In fact the chicken fried steak might be the best I have had so far in 2016 and the pancakes were pure greatness themselves.

Chicken Fried Steak, Eggs, and Cheese Grits

The service was as good as the food and the price was about what you would expect for breakfast and not expensive.  It is certainly a welcome addition to the McKinney breakfast scene and a place where I will go back again.  I actually went back the following weekend, only to find that the wait was over an hour.  Since it really hasn't been advertised that much, I can only assume that word of mouth is singing the praises of this restaurant, because people are beating down the door to get in.  I will just have to wake up earlier next time I visit!

Blueberry Pancakes

Starwood Cafe
http://starwoodcafe.com
Livin the Good Life Rating= 3
 

Harry's at the Harbor

Adriatica Village is one of the most scenic areas in McKinney, Texas.  The area is still developing and construction is everywhere, but it is easy to see that this area will be a local gem once it is finished.  The area has homes, apartments, businesses, and restaurants.  My family and I visited one of these restaurants, Harry's at the Harbor, during a recent visit to the area.

Harry's is a pub-style restaurant that is located adjacent to the parking garage at Adriatica Village.  Since we arrived for an early dinner, we were seated immediately and ordered an appetizer of potato skins.  You can choose between a topping of grilled chicken or fajita beef.  We chose the grilled chicken, which was also topped with chili, cheddar cheese, and Jack cheese.  All four of us enjoyed the potato skins and they were quickly devoured.

Potato Skins with Grilled Chicken, Chili, and Cheese

For my main course, I ordered the chicken fried steak.  The chicken fried steak itself had a very crispy batter and good flavor, but it was a very tough piece of meat and it didn't include enough gravy for my taste.  The sides were mashed potatoes and red beans.  Neither of the sides impressed me on this visit and both were very bland.

Chicken Fried Steak with Mashed Potatoes and Red Beans

My wife ordered the bacon egg burger and fries.  Usually she is a big fan of fried eggs on a burger, but she was unimpressed with this particular burger and the fries.  She allowed me to try a bite of her burger and I had to agree with her that it was a rather insipid burger.  Harry's does have a kid's menu and both of my kids ate the hamburger sliders without complaint.

Bacon Egg Burger

We definitely enjoyed our appetizer at Harry's on the Harbor, but the entrees were a letdown.  The portions were more than adequate and the service was good, but the food failed to impress.  I think the location of the restaurant will provide plenty of business and it provides for a terrific view if you decide to walk off some calories following a meal.

Scenic View at Adriatica Village

Harry's at the Harbor
http://www.harrysattheharbor.com/
Livin the Good Life Rating=1