Burger 21

The DFW area has no shortage of upscale burger joints, but more seem to open daily.  Florida-based, Burger 21, joined the DFW market with it's first Texas location opening up in the Frisco on the Downtown Square.  While I think the upscale burger market is over-saturated in my area, I still wanted to try this place out and I have been a couple of times since it opened.

Below are my opinions of what I have tried:

Bacon Cheesy- basic bacon cheeseburger on a brioche bun.  Good, but not great.  

The Tex-Mex Haystack- served with lettuce, tomato, applewood-smoked bacon, Gouda, onion strings, guacamole, and chipotle-jalapeno sauce on a brioche bun.  This burger was really good.  In fact, I would say it had the most flavor of any burger I have had thus far in 2016.  I Highly recommend this burger.

Fries- I have tried both the regular french fries and the sweet potato fries.  Of the two, the sweet potato fries are the better choice here, but both are serviceable.

Kids Grilled Cheese- Served on thick bread and perfectly toasted.  It was a big hit with my youngest daughter and myself.  

Key Lime Pie Milkshake- Absolutely amazing milkshake.  It tasted just like a key lime pie and was even served with a lime, whipped cream, and graham cracker crumbs.  They had a lot of other options on their milkshake menu, but this one was the most intriguing to me and I was not disappointed.

Although I have barely scratched the surface of their menu, the food (and shakes) are good enough to where I would certainly go back again.  While the beef patties on the burgers are somewhat bland, the restaurant has a lot going for it in the toppings and sauce department.  I have never had to wait over 10 minutes for any order and the staff is polite and helpful.   Definitely a good edition to the Frisco Square area.

Burger 21
https://www.burger21.com
Livin the Good Life Rating = 3

Cane Rosso - Fairview

Having dined at the two Cane Rosso locations in Dallas, my wife and I were excited to hear that the mini-chain was going to open up a location in Fairview.  This new location of this pizzeria is located at The Village at Fairview and is only a short 10 minute drive from my house.  D Magazine has called Cane Rosso the best pizzeria in Dallas for three straight years and Eater.com has named it one of the top 15 pizzerias in the nation.  I have reviewed the White Rock location and was very impressed with this restaurant.

Bar and Kitchen

When this location first opened in September, I had heard that it was jam packed every night the first couple of weeks, so I waited until October to try out this location.  My family visited the restaurant on a Saturday morning just as they were opening and we were seated immediately.  I had heard that they have brunch specials on the weekend, so I was anxious to see what items they were going to offer that were not usually on the menu.

Garlic Knots

My family decided to share some appetizers before ordering pizzas.  We ordered the garlic knots and mozzarella fritta.  The garlic knots were larger than those you usually see at pizza joints or Italian restaurants and they were served with a red chile marinara that had a little kick to it.  The mozzarella fritta  consisted of house made mozzarella that was fried and served with a side of marinara.  Both appetizers were tasty and quickly consumed by the four of us.  

Mozzarella Fritta

After looking at the menu and hearing the brunch specials, I decided to order the breakfast pizza.  This pizza was topped with their house-made mozzarella, eggs, potatoes, speck, prosciutto, and grape tomatoes.  These ingredients blended into what I believe was the best breakfast pizza I have ever had.  Every bite was a masterpiece and I particularly liked the flavor of the speck and the potatoes.  My wife and girls shared a Margherita pizza, which is her favorite pizza.  Although they ate almost the entire pizza, my wife said it was not as good as Margherita pizzas she has had at other locations.

Breakfast Pizza

Sadly, we were all too full to eat dessert.  I had really wanted to try the S'Mores Calzone, which my wife had raved about after dining at one of the Dallas locations with a friend.  The food was fantastic and the service was just as good.  Cane Rosso Fairview will be getting more visits from me and my family.  It is easy to see why this restaurant is considered to be one of the top Neapolitan pizzerias in DFW.

Margherita Pizza

Update 2-2-15
TIP:  I have gone back several times since this first visit and have fallen in love with an off-the-menu pizza.  When you visit, ask for the Honey Bastard.  It has mozzarella, spicy sopressata, bacon marmalade, and habanero honey.  We have also tried the S'Mores calzone and I highly recommed that as well.   

Cane Rosso (Fairview)
http://ilcanerosso.com
Livin the Good Life Rating=5

Ernesto's Fine Mexican Food

As new families continue to move to Frisco, the city continues to grow.  New houses and new restaurants go up so fast that they seem to magically appear before your eyes.  Mexican food is one of my top cuisines, so I always try to dine at any new Mexican restaurant that opens in Collin County.  While Ernesto's is not brand new, it is "newish" and I recently tried it for the first time.

Queso

If you follow my blog, you know that I am a big fan of queso and I order it almost every time I eat Mexican food.  At Ernesto's, I ordered the chile con queso with ground beef.  The queso here was pretty good and they were generous with the beef.  Although it wasn't super spicy, it was flavorful.  

Chile Relleno with Brisket filling

For my entree, I ordered the chile relleno with brisket.  Instead of the ranchero sauce, it had them top it with chile con queso.  The poblano pepper was larger and filled with brisket, but I would have preferred the batter to be cooked a little more.  The rice and beans were pretty basic and very bland.  The buddy I was dining with had the chimichanga and he said his entree was good, but felt the same way about the rice and beans.

Sopapillas

I also ended up ordering sopapillas for dessert.  They were also pretty basic and were covered with too much cinnamon for my liking. The queso ended up being the highlight of this dining experience.  While I wasn't overly-impressed with the food, I felt the service was very good.  My first visit to Ernesto's left me with the impression that it was very basic and had average tasting food.  Although my first visit wasn't impressive, I wouldn't be opposed to giving it another try.  

Ernesto's Fine Mexican Food
http://www.ernestosfinemexicanfood.com/index.html
Livin the Good Life Rating=2

Ten50 Barbecue

Ten50 Barbecue recently opened it's doors in Richardson, Texas.  I am always eager to try out new barbecue spots, so I was very pumped when I found out that Ten50 had opened up after a lot of media hype in the spring and summer of 2014.  My brother is also a barbecue junky, so we decided to try it out on a recent Saturday morning.

Meat Station

This self proclaimed Central Texas-style barbecue joint allows you to choose what meats you want and have your meat weighed prior to going inside the restaurant.  The ordering experience is very similar to the setup at Hard Eight Barbecue.  For my meats, I chose fatty brisket, St. Louis style pork ribs, smoked turkey, and jalapeño cheddar sausage.  For my sides, I chose to get the fresh cut fries and an ear of corn.

Dining area

The brisket had a nice smoke ring and decent bark, but the overall flavor was lacking and it was a little too chewy for my taste.  The ribs were lacking in the smoke department and could have used some more salt on the rub.  The turkey was somewhat bland and I would have preferred more of a smoky flavor.  I felt the jalapeño cheddar sausage was the winner of the four meats I tried.  It was a course ground sausage with great texture and just enough jalapeño to give it a little kick.

Fatty Brisket, Turkey, Jalapeño Cheddar Sausage, and St. Louis Style Ribs

Closeup of the brisket

The sides were a pleasant surprise.  The corn was drenched in butter and perfectly cooked.  I am a sucker for fresh cut fries and the ones at Ten50 were great.  The restaurant also serves up fresh homemade bread that was much better than I had anticipated.

Homemade Bread, Corn, and Fresh Cut Fries

I left Ten50 with a glass half full feeling.  The sausage was the only meat that I really loved, but the sides were fantastic.  The restaurant has plenty of seating, a bar area, and plenty of TVs to watch games on a weekend.  I believe this place has some potential, but they really need to up their game a little bit to compete with the premier barbecue joints in the area like Pecan Lodge or Hutchins.

Ten50 Barbecue
http://ten50bbq.com
Livin the Good Life Rating=2

Texas

We recently celebrated my mother-in-law's 60th birthday at the restaurant Texas.  My wife an I had never dined at Texas before, so we were looking forward to eating there and celebrating with family and friends.  Texas is owned and operated by Dale Wamstad, who founded Del Frisco's and III Forks.  With his excellent track record in the steakhouse department, we were looking forward to this particular birthday dinner.

The Monte Cristo Private Dining Room

Our party dined in one of the private dining rooms, the Monte Cristo room, and we ordered from the private party menu.  Each guest was given an appetizer trio with Bang Bang Shrimp, Crabcake Croustade, and a Devil's Tongue.  The shrimp were slightly spicy and had a robust flavor.  The Devil's Tongue (beef tenderloin on a toast point) was very tender and and went well with the toast point.  My favorite of the three was the Crabcake Croustade.  This item was a tiny crabcake on a thin pastry.  I don't know what ingredients went into making the crabcake, but it was simply delicious.  We were also given a choice of soup or salad.  I had the house salad with vinaigrette dressing and I thought it was one of the better house salads I have had in quite some time.

Appetizer trio of Bang Bang Shrimp, Devil's Tongue, and Crabcake Croustade

For my entree, I ordered the 16 ounce Delmonico cut ribeye.  This particular steak was a boneless ribeye, had perfect marbling, and was very tender.  I have eaten a lot of ribeyes this year, but this was one of the best I have had this year.  The entrees on the private party menu were all served whipped potatoes, burnt corn, and roasted vegetables.  Of the three sides, I liked the whipped potatoes were the best.  I also cannot say enough about how great the bread was at Texas.  Our table was served several long French Baguettes that were absolutely fantastic and served piping hot from the ovens.  

Delmonico Ribeye

Although we brought our own cake, we were also given a choice of desserts.  I had the bread pudding, which was very tasty and had a hint of bourbon flavor to it.  It was a great pre-dessert before our final dessert of birthday cake.

Bread Pudding

Everyone at the party seemed to really enjoy their meals.  The food was fabulous on this visit and the service was absolutely spectacular.  Both our servers were very attentive and answered all of our questions about the menu items.  Dale Wamstad himself even came to check on our party several times throughout the night.  The value was good as well and I think you will be hard pressed to find a better bang for your buck at local steakhouse.  This restaurant will certainly be added to our list of "go-to" restaurants for date night or dinner with friends.

The Birthday Girl

Texas
http://thesonoftexas.com
Livin the Good Life Rating=4

Stampede 66

Stampede 66 is a restaurant that I have been wanting to try for quite some time.  This Stephan Pyles restaurant has received favorable reviews from many critics and diners alike.  The menu has an intriguing blend of Tex Mex, Southern comfort food, and cowboy classics.  My wife and I were staying in downtown Dallas for a wedding this past weekend, so we decided to meet a buddy of mine at Stampede 66 and try out their food.

Dining area and bar at Stampede 66

When I first walked into Stampede 66, I was impressed with the traditional Texas decor that was enhanced by vibrant colors throughout the restaurant.  The ambiance was very lively and the restaurant had a high energy level among the crowd.  Our waiter informed us that there was no "wrong way" to order from the menu and advised us to try some of the various menu items for starters.  I ordered a beef brisket taco and a pork barbacoa taco.  My wife ordered the fried green tomatoes and my buddy ordered the tortilla soup with a side of the Mexican cornbread.

Pork Barbacoa and Beef Brisket Tacos 

Taco relish tray

My tacos were brought out with a relish tray that included two different types of hot sauce, diced onions, cheese, lime, and cilantro.  The pork barbacoa taco had great flavor, but certainly played second fiddle to the beef brisket taco.  After inhaling both tacos, I wished I would have ordered two more of the brisket tacos which were some of the best I have had recently.

Fried Green Tomatoes

My wife enjoyed her fried green tomatoes, which were served with fresh mozzarella sandwiched between the tomatoes.  She claimed that this dish was the best thing she ate at Stampede 66.  I tried one and they were certainly commendable.  Our friend said his tortilla soup was great and also gave a thumbs up on the Mexican cornbread.

Tortilla Soup

For my entree, I was torn between desire for the honey fried chicken and the chicken fried buffalo steak.  My wife helped me make my decision by saying that she was going to order the fried chicken and would give me a piece to try.  With her decision made, I ordered the chicken fried buffalo steak which was served with loaded mashed potatoes and pea salad.  

When my order came out I was surprised to see that it did not come with traditional white gravy.  Instead, it was served on top of a queso-like gravy.  I didn't really know what to expect with the flavor of the gravy, but it was delicious and enhanced the flavor of the dish.  The batter on the chicken fried buffalo steak was crunchy and the meat was tender.  The loaded mashed potatoes were good,  but the pea salad was rather bland.  In the end, pea salad is still pea salad.

Chicken Fried Buffalo Steak, Loaded Mashed Potatoes, and Pea Salad

My wife gave me a chicken breast and I absolutely loved the honey fried chicken.  The chicken is injected with honey and it gives it a very unique taste.  I adored the flavor of the fried chicken and was particularly impressed with the crispy batter.  I thought it was one of the best pieces of fried chicken I have ever had, but my wife didn't like it near as much as I did.  Our friend also ordered the chicken and he also liked it.  The fried chicken was also served with mashed potato tots and biscuits.  We all three agreed that the mashed potato tots were great, but we were unimpressed with the biscuits.

Honey Fried Chicken, Mashed Potato Tots, and Biscuit

For dessert, my wife and I shared the seasonal cobbler.  The cobbler on this visit was a white peach cobbler served in a cast iron skillet.  This dessert was disappointing and didn't live up to my expectations.  The consistency of the cobbler was somewhat runny and neither the peaches or the crust were very sweet.  The other member of our group ordered the butterscotch pudding and he said it was a much better dessert than our cobbler.

White Peach Cobbler

Butterscotch Pudding

Stampede 66 gets somewhat of a mixed review from me.  It had some hits and some misses.  When I go back, I will certainly order more of the brisket tacos for an appetizer and would eat the honey fried chicken any day of the week.  If I get the chicken fried buffalo steak again, I will ask them to substitute the pea salad for more of the mashed potatoes.   The service was great on our visit, but the noise level made it hard to carry on a conversation at times.  I enjoyed my experience at Stampede 66 and absolutely loved some of the food I sampled, but I don't feel comfortable rating it above a six due to some of the items being sub par.

Stampede 66
http://stampede66.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

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