Super Chix

I was in Richardson, TX for work one day and decided to head to the newish CityLine development to see what they had to offer.  Several restaurants now occupy this new area, but I decided to have lunch at Super Chix.  Several food bloggers and foodies have posted reviews and pictures of this restaurant on social media lately, so I thought I would see what all the buzz was about.

The restaurant offers chicken sandwiches and chicken tenders.  I couldn't decided between the two, so I ordered both.  For my sandwich, I ordered the Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich, which was marinated in spices and tossed in their Nashville Sauce.  It was spicy, but not overly spicy and was served with a few thick-cut kosher pickles.  The sandwich was definitely in the upper tier of fried chicken sandwiches.

Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich

The chicken tenders were  crispy and had great flavor.  Patrons can choose between 4 different sauces and I chose the Mississippi Come Back Sauce, which tasted a lot like Thousand Island dressing.  If I had a do-over, I would have chosen the Alabama White Sauce.  I ordered the fries for a side and had them tossed in Rosemary Black Pepper seasoning.  As great as the chicken was, the fries were absolutely incredible and the portion was huge!

Chicken Tenders and Rosemary Black Pepper Fries

I was too full to try the frozen custard, which I hear is spectacular, but I did enjoy a grapefruit soda that was very refreshing.  This place is a little pricier than most fast food chicken joints, but the quality is better too.  If this place was closer to my home, I would certainly eat here often.  Next time I am in Richardson, I definitely plan a return trip!

Super Chix
http://superchix.com
Livin the Good Life Rating=4

Julia Pearl Southern Cuisine

For the last few months, Julia Pearl Southern Cuisine has been on my "must try" list.  Being fond of all things Southern, and especially Southern food, I had high hopes for this restaurant.  I had also read favorable reviews, which sang the praise of this place.

Cornbread

We had reservations and were immediately seated and given complimentary cornbread.  The cornbread was pretty basic and nothing special, but I was hungry and we dug in.  I inquired about what soup of the day was and was told that they didn't have a soup on this particular day, but didn't give a reason as to why this was the case.  With no soup to choose from, we settled on the Black-Eyed Pea Hummus.  The hummus was okay, but the dish has a very high hummus to bread ratio and we quickly ran out of bread.

Black-eyed Pea Hummus

For my entree, I ordered the Oven Roasted Lemon Pepper Redfish. The fish was quite good and was served with a terrific sweet corn succotash and hush puppies.  Although the hush puppies were rather bland, the rest of the dish was very good and I would not hesitate to order it again.

Oven Roasted Lemon Pepper Redfish

My wife ordered the highly acclaimed Fried Chicken and attempted to order a side of Collard Greens.  Our waiter said he wasn't sure if they had any collard greens left and recommended she order a second side in case they were out of collards.  She ordered the Bacon Cheddar Cheese Grits as a back-up.  When her meal arrived, it arrived with the grits, which leads me to assume that they were out of collards.  The chicken had a tasty batter, but it was cold and dry.  The grits were fantastic, but couldn't compensate for the disappointing chicken.

Fried Chicken

Bacon Cheddar Cheese Grits

For dessert, we shared the Julia's Chocolate Cake.  The cake itself was dry and not great by any means, but it was served with a coffee ice cream that was commendable.  If I had a mulligan, I would have ordered the Lemon Cake or the Peach Cobbler.

Julia's Chocolate Cake

I arrived at this restaurant with expectations that it would be of the quality of Sissy's Southern Kitchen in Dallas, but it was anything but.  The food was disappointing overall and I was put off by the fact that neither the soup of the day or the collard greens were available on this night, despite the fact it wasn't even 7 p.m.  The noise level was moderate and the wait staff check on us regularly, but I am not sure if I would be willing to give this place a second chance.

http://juliapearlsoutherncuisine.com
Livin the Good Life Rating = 2

Kenny's East Coast Pizza

Pizza joints are a dime a dozen in the DFW area, but good pizza joints are rare gems in the Metroplex.  Highly acclaimed chef, Kenny Bowers, has many successful restaurants in DFW and recently through his hat in the ring to mix it up with the heavyweight pizzerias.  Kenny's East Coast Pizza recently opened in Plano and I had the opportunity to eat there with some family members recently.

Prosciutto Wrapped Fried Mozzarella

For our appetizer, we started with the Prosciutto Wrapped Fried Mozzarella.  Although I have had this menu item at his Italian concept, Kenny's Italian Kitchen, I felt compelled to order it here because I liked it so much on my last visit to said restaurant.  Others at our table were pleased with the taste and I felt it was a great start to our meal.

Pepperoni Pizza

We also ordered two pizzas, a pepperoni and a ham.  The pepperoni was one of the best pepperoni pizzas I have had in the state of Texas and I loved the sauce, the crust, and the abundance of cheese.  The ham was delicious as well, but played second fiddle to the pepperoni.

Ham Pizza

My daughters ordered from the kids menu, because neither of them wanted pizza on this visit.  My oldest had the chicken strips with chips and my youngest had the kid's spaghetti with a meatball.  My oldest liked her chicken strips, but my youngest chowed down on a larger than expected portion of the spaghetti.  I tried some of it myself and it was very good spaghetti.

Chicken Strips

Kids Spaghetti

I must say that I was quite pleased with Kenny's East Coast Pizza and can't wait to go again.  The service could have been a little better, but that is somewhat expected from a new restaurant.  It wasn't bad service, but they did forget a drink we ordered and could have checked on us a little more.  I have dined at several New York and East coast pizza restaurants while on vacation and I would put Kenny's East Coast Pizza up against any of them.

Kenny's East Coast Pizza
http://kennyseastcoastpizza.com
Livin the Good Life Rating = 4
 

Butcher Board

A co-worker recently recommended that I try Butcher Board, which is a new sandwich placed that opened next to Sugarbacon Proper Kitchen in downtown McKinney.  Butcher Board was actually opened by the same team that owns Sugarbacon, so I had high expectations prior to entering.  Unlike it's sister restaurant, patrons order at the counter and your sandwiches are brought to your table.

Below are a few items that we sampled on this visit:

The Whole Hog - If you like pork, this is the sandwich for you.  the bread is topped with a generous portion of honey-glazed ham, pulled pork, bacon, Swiss, and bbq mayo.  This sandwich was phenomenal and I would defiantly eat it again.

Wagyu Brisket Daily Special- This sandwich was a slightly different one then the one on the regular menu.  This sandwich had Wagyu brisket, cole slaw, jalapeños, and bbq sauce.  I was surprised by how good the brisket actually was.  It was tender, the fat was well rendered, and it had the perfect amount of smoke to it. This sandwich rivaled anything I have had at highly rated barbecue joints in the area.

Kids Chicken Strips- My daughters ordered these from the kids menu and I stole one (I realize this takes me out of the running for Father-of-the Year).  These chicken strips were battered with corn meal and fried like catfish.  Although unusual, it was good and my daughters enjoyed them.

Chocolate Chip Cookie- This was a huge cookie that had to way over 1/4 a pound.   The quality of the cookie was very good and neither of my kids could finish their cookie, which left some for me!

S'Mores Brownie - This brownie was topped with marshmallows, chocolate chips, and crushed graham crackers.  I am not a fan of brownies in general, but this one was one of the best brownies I have ever had.

To say we were all pleased with our first visit to Butcher Board, would be an understatement.  The food was incredible and the staff was friendly and good at their jobs.  I will be back here in the near future because I really want to try a couple of other sandwiches, the Texas Cuban and the Wagyu Roast Beef.  This place takes sandwiches to a new level and rivals the other heavyweight and highly acclaimed sandwich shop in Downtown McKinney, Patina Green.

Butcher Board
http://butcherboard.com
Livin the Good Life Rating=5

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

Grub Burger Bar

Grub Burger Bar recently opened another DFW location in Plano, Texas.  Several friends and fellow foodies said that they really enjoyed the burgers and food at the other Metroplex location on Greenville Avenue.  Despite the recommendations, I had yet to make it down to try that location, but was pleased to see that another location had opened in Plano, which is a much closer drive for me.

Bacon Love #9

We arrived to a line about 10 deep, but it moved quickly and they were taking our order in a matter of minutes.  I ordered the Bacon Love #9, which includes applewood smoked bacon, American Cheese, pickles, lettuce, tomatoes and secret sauce #9.  The burger was extremely juicy, the bacon was crispy and flavorful, and the overall flavor was spectacular.  I upgraded my fries to include the bacon cheese fries (minus the jalapeños) and they were delicious as well, particularly the bacon.  My buddy had the Mac 'N' Cheeseburger, which was topped with macaroni and cheese.  He said the texture was a little unusual, but he liked his burger as well.

Bacon Cheese Fries

Since the venue was newly opened, they were serving small samples of milkshakes to customers and I had a chocolate shake sample, which was certainly above average in the shake department.  I felt the service was pretty good and they got our food to us within 12 minutes, despite the fact that the place was jam packed.  The restaurant also has a full bar and a patio, but I wouldn't recommend sitting outside in North Texas until at least October.  I was impressed with what I had and I will be back to Grub Burger Bar!

Grub Burger Bar (Plano Location)
http://grubburgerbar.com/project/plano-tx/
Livin the Good Life Rating=4
 

Rye. Craft Food and Drink

In recent blog posts, I have described what a great destination Downtown McKinney has become, especially for foodies.  Several new restaurants have opened on the Square and one can easily find delicious restaurants with a variety of cuisines.  Earlier this year, Rye. Craft Food and Drink, opened in between Square Burger and Bien Salsa.  Since it has opened, my family has had the opportunity to eat there a couple of times and we have been impressed on both occasions.  

Below are some items that I have tried and my opinions of them:

Eggs Benedict- For brunch each Sunday, Rye offers an Eggs Benedict of the Day.  On one occasion, they offered pulled chicken atop bread pudding that was covered in chipotle Hollandaise sauce.  On another visit, they Benny of the Day was smoked Prime brisket atop house-made ricotta and fried green tomatoes, then topped with chive Hollandaise sauce.  Both were yummy, but I particularly liked the variety with the brisket and fried green tomatoes.

Chicken and Chipotle Hollandaise Sauce atop Bread Pudding 

Smoked Prim Brisket and House-made Ricotta atop Fried Green Tomatoes with Chive Hollandaise Sauce

Biscuit Slider Trio - Biscuit slider served with three different ingredients: crispy ham with local preserves, friend chicken with local honey, and applewood-smoked bacon, tomato, and goat cheese.  Although a little on the small side, the biscuits were delicious and I particularly liked the ham and the fried chicken.  

Rye Burger- 8 oz. burger served with rye-whiskey mustard, aged white cheddar, and a buttered brioche bun.  Simple burger, but the beef had a nice char and the veggies were fresh.  The mustard can be a little over-powering, so I recommend using it in moderation.  

Pancakes- Ordered these as a side and they were served with maple vanilla syrup.  I thought they were quite good and on a future visit, I will have to order the variety topped with Nutella and bacon.

Both of our visits have been at brunch, but we have liked the items we have tried so far.  My wife and I plan on dining here for dinner at some point and trying some of their dinner entrees like their steaks, pan roasted grouper, or chile-rubbed pork tenderloin.  Although the space is very intimate and has limited seating, the service had been exceptional on both visits and we like the rustic decor of the restaurant.  This place is certainly another welcome addition to the McKinney Square. 

Rye. Craft Food and Drink
http://www.ryemckinney.com
Livin the Good Life Rating=4
 

The Royale Magnificent Burgers

February of 2016 saw the opening of The Royale Magnificent Burgers in Plano.  The name is somewhat cumbersome, so most people have been referring to it as "The Royale."  John Tesar's most recent brainchild is his contribution to the growing number of burger joints in DFW.  The restaurant makes fancy burgers and shakes, but is also kid friendly.  

Best Chocolate Shake EVER

I was finally able to try the restaurant in May, which was three months after it's opening.  My daughter joined me on my visit and she insisted on ordering the chocolate shake, so I allowed her to order it...if, she promised to share it with me.  It arrived in a huge Mason jar and was topped with whipped cream, chocolate drizzle, chocolate chips, and a toasted marshmallow.  Simply put, this was the most incredible chocolate shake I have ever had.  It was so good in fact, that I ordered a second shake just for myself.  In case you are wondering, I didn't share mine!

The Royale with Sweet Potato Chips

The Wagyu burgers were also quite tasty, and not overly expensive, considering they were made from Wagyu beef.  I had the Royale which was served with Applewood-smoked bacon and truffle aioli and my daughter had the Americano.  Both were extremely juicy, but the Royale was the better burger of the two and I particularly liked the favor of the truffle aioli.  Each burger was served with sweet potato chips that were both crispy and sweet.  In addition to the chips that come with each burger, we also tried their fries.  The thick cut fries were good as  well, although I didn't care for the pomegranate ketchup that was served with them.

Fries

In addition to the food, the servers were prompt and knowledgeable of the menu.  Although the burgers were good, the shakes were absolutely fantastic.  On my next visit, I will also be trying the Queso Poutine Fries, which I drooled over when an adjacent table ordered them.  Even if you don't like burgers or you are a vegetarian, I would certainly recommend going to try the shakes.  The Royale gets a big thumbs up from me!

The Royale Magnificent Burgers
http://royaleburgers.com
Livin the Good Life Rating = 3
 

Rotolo's Pizzeria

My brother and I have recently started playing tennis again for the first time in over a decade.  After intense competitions between two players that are considerably past our primes, we generally go out for a bite to eat afterwards.  Following another victory by yours truly, my brother took me to one of his favorite pizza restaurants, Rotolo's.

Garlic Parmesan Bites

This was my first time dining at this pizza joint and we ordered the Garlic Parmesan Bites for an appetizer.  These baked tiny pieces of bread were delicious and reminded me of miniature garlic knots.  The marinara dipping sauce was good, but could have been served a little warmer.

Italian Club Pizza

We also ordered two pizzas, the Italian Club and a Pepperoni-Hamburger pizza.  The crust was actually quite good and they had plenty of cheese and toppings.  I particularly liked the Italian Club, which had pepperoni, salami, Canadian bacon, and bacon.  There was not a single bite that didn't have multiple pieces of meat on it.

Pepperoni and Hamburger

My brother had been talking about this place for a while and I thought it was worthy of his praise.  I wouldn't put it in my DFW Top 5, but it was good nonetheless.  This place also has a patio area and would be a nice place to enjoy a pizza and a beverage if the weather is nice.

Rotolo's Pizzeria
http://rotolos.com
Livin the Good Life Rating=3