Perry's Steakhouse and Grille

It has become a yearly tradition for my wife to take me out on a dinner date for my birthday.  My wife claims that I am hard to shop for, but she knows that I will always appreciate a good meal.  Unfortunately, we waited a little long to make reservations and my two favorite restaurants were booked.  We decided to go to plan B and try Perry's Steakhouse and Grille.  The Frisco location of Perry's opened up in late 2014 and we were looking forward to trying the restaurant's second DFW location.

Dining Area

We started our dinner date by splitting the crab cake appetizer.  The dish came with two crab cakes of medium size and were cooked perfectly.  The breading had great flavor and they were served with an excellent buttery-flavored sauce.

Crab Cakes

The Perry's Famous Pork Chop came highly recommended by several people, so I knew I had to order it on this visit.  It arrived as one of the biggest pieces of cooked pork I have ever seen, but our waiter carved it up table side and cut it into manageable pieces.  The pork chop was very tender,  had exceptional flavor, and was one of the top 3 pork chops I have ever eaten, but it was very fatty.  I love great marbling on beef, but don't care for excessive fat on my pork.  Considering the fact that it costs as much as a steak, I highly doubt I would order this item again.  That being said, I am still glad that I ordered it so I could see what all the fuss was about. 

Perry's Famous Pork Chop

My wife ordered the filet and it was cooked to a perfect medium rare.  As you might expect, the filet was very lean and extremely tender, but I particularly liked the flavor of the melted butter on the pepper-crusted steak.  I love steak and if I had to do it over again, I would have ordered a steak instead of this very good pork chop.

Filet

For our sides, we ordered roasted cream corn and the night's special, which was lobster mac n' cheese.  The cream corn was excellent and had some peppers to spice it up, but the lobster mac n' cheese was disappointing considering the fact it alone cost as much as many entrees.  The lobster mac n' cheese was seriously lacking in the lobster department and was flavorless to boot.

Roasted Cream Corn and Lobster Mac n' Cheese

For dessert we ordered the Rocky Road Bread Pudding.  My wife loves bread pudding and I love chocolate, so we thought it was the perfect compromise.  The butterscotch bread pudding was packed with chocolate chips and topped with a caramel sauce, candied walnuts, and the biggest house-made marshmallow I have ever seen.  This dessert was huge, but neither of us could stop eating it.  This was the most delicious item we had all night and the best dessert I have had so far in 2015.

Rocky Road Bread Pudding

Overall, I was very impressed with the service and the restaurant is a beautiful venue.  For the most part, the food was very good as well.  I was somewhat disappointed with the high fat content on the famous pork chop and was very disappointed in the Lobster Mac n' Cheese, but the appetizer and dessert more than made up for it.  The food, the location of the restaurant, and the great service should keep this restaurant very busy.

Perry's Steakhouse and Grille
http://www.perryssteakhouse.com/menu-locations/dallas/frisco/
Livin the Good Life Rating=3

Mash'd

I rarely have a Friday night where I am not working, so it was a special treat that I was actually off on a Friday.  This particular Friday also happened to be my birthday.  Not wanting to let a rare opportunity like this slip by, my wife wanted her and the girls to take me out to a birthday dinner somewhere close to work.  After vetoing several restaurants that my wife mentioned, we finally decided to try Mash'd.  Based on some good reviews from friends, I had been chomping at the bit to try this new restaurant and moonshine bar that had recently opened in Frisco.  When we first entered the restaurant, it had a very energetic vibe to it but I could still hold a conversation with my family. 

TVs aplenty at Mash'd

I was somewhat worried that this place might not be family friendly, but it turns out I had no reason to worry because we were quickly seated and asked if we wanted to go ahead and order for kid's dinners.   The entire night, our waitress seemed to know what we needed before we asked for it and she quickly took the kid's order and brought out our drinks.  While looking at the entrees, I decided to go ahead and start with bowl of gumbo. The gumbo arrived two minutes later and was excellent.  It was made with andouille sausage and chicken, but I was surprised to see that it had corn in it.  I have never had gumbo with corn in it, but it blended in well with the other ingredients and was certainly above-average in the gumbo department.

Andouille Sausage and Chicken Gumbo

For my entree, I decided to get the fried chicken.  The dish came with a boneless breast, boneless thigh, and mashed potatoes.  It also came with a half of lemon and jalapeño marmalade.  My waitress recommended squeezing the lemon on the chicken prior to dipping it in the marmalade.  It sounded like a weird combination of  flavors, but it was absolutely fantastic.  The boneless fried chicken was great by itself, but I particularly liked the jalapeño marmalade.  The mashed potatoes were not bad, but the certainly played second fiddle to the fried chicken.  

Fried Chicken with Jalapeño Marmalade

My wife ordered the BELT (Bacon, Egg, Lettuce, and Avocado) sandwich with fries.  She said it was really good, but would have preferred the cherry tomatoes to be cut into smaller pieces.  She shared her fries with me and I thought they were very tasty.  Both kids enjoyed their meals of grilled cheese on a pretzel bun and chicken strips.

BELT and Fries

The best part about this entire meal was the fact that we were in and out of the restaurant in forty minutes.  We certainly enjoyed our first trip to Mash'd because the food was terrific and the service was even better.  The restaurant is in a great location (off Preston and close to Stonebriar Mall), so I expect that it will do well.  Good food and a good location usually translate into restaurant success.  If our next visit to Mash'd is this good, we will certainly put it in our regular restaurant rotation. 

Mash'd

http://www.mashd.com/

Livin the Good Life Rating = 3

The Salad Stop

Believe it or not, I actually love to eat salads.  During the work week, I make my own salad to take to work almost every day.  I can't eat steak, barbecue, burgers, etc. for every meal and expect to fit through doors with ease.  I like to mix up my dressings and ingredients so my salads are not bland and monotonous.   Even when I go out to eat, I will often order salad.

I had a very short amount of time to eat lunch the other day and I had not been able to fix my lunch at home, so I decided to venture out and try The Salad Stop in Frisco.  This place has many different varieties of salads on their menu.  They also have soups, pastas, and baked potatoes.  With the salad, you get the choice of having it tossed or chopped.  The Salad Stop reminded me of a Chipotle for salads.  They start making the one you order and will add any additional ingredients you request.

Salad Assembly Line and Dining Area

I decided to get a tossed Chicken Caesar salad.  After going through the line and paying, I sat down to dig in.  The romaine lettuce was very crisp and the salad had plenty of Parmesan cheese.  Unfortunately, the Caesar dressing  and tiny little croutons was very bland.  The chicken was perhaps the worst I have ever had on a salad.  It was not the grilled chicken one comes to expect from Chicken Caesar salads.  Instead it was small cubed pieces of what tasted like chicken lunch meat.

Chicken Caesar Salad (Bonus points if you can spot the tiny pieces of chicken)

I can't speak for the pastas, potatoes, and soups, but I was very disappointed in the salad I had.  The salad was bland and tasted like some that I have had at fast food restaurants.  At a price exceeding eight dollars, I felt that I had severely overpaid for the quality I received.  I highly doubt I will be going back to The Salad Stop in the near future.

The Salad Stop
http://www.thesaladstoptexas.com/
Livin the Good Life Rating = 1

Three Squares

This seems to be the summer of new restaurants in Frisco.  Of course with the growth the city is experiencing, I guess you could probably say that for the last twelve years.  Some work colleagues and I were wanting to go eat lunch somewhere new, so we decided to try Three Squares.  The restaurant recently opened up on July 4th in the Forest Park Medical Center area, which is just a short distance from Frisco Square.

Interesting use of books

The space is decorated in a very contemporary design.  They also have a very large covered patio area that would have been a very nice place to sit, had it not been July.  They serve breakfast lunch and dinner, hence the name.  This is a very causal dining experience.  Customers order at the counter, get your own drinks, and find a seat while waiting for your order to arrive.  

Kettle Chips and Salsa

For starters, I ordered the chips and smoky salsa.  Although they have many sandwiches and other items, I was really in the mood for a burger.  I ordered the Plain Jane burger and tater tots. The kettle chips and salsa were fantastic, but it was odd eating something other than tortilla chips with salsa.  The burgers came on a bun that is branded with the Three Squares logo.  It had a great chargrilled flavor, but was a little dry for my taste.  The tater tots were very light and crispy. One coworker ordered the ABC burger and said it was really good.  Another ordered the Honey I'm Home ham sandwich and absolutely loved it.

Plane Jane burger and Tots

By the time I finished my meal, I did end up having some serious entrée envy.  As I went to get some more water, I saw an order of the Potato Chip Crusted Mahi Mahi on a bed of jalapeno cheddar grits.  That menu item will certainly be ordered during my next visit.  Three Squares also had some great  sounding breakfast menu items such as the s'mores French toast and the Todo's Burrito.  All of us were pleased with Three Squares and happy to have another lunch place to add to our lunch rotation.

Three Squares
http://threesquaresfrisco.com/
Livin the Good Life Rating = 3

Nola Grill

Many new restaurants have been opening in Frisco lately.  One of the ones I have been most looking forward to trying is Nola Grill. The owners of Nola Grill have been renovating the space formerly occupied by Josephine's and they finally opened their doors last week.  My wife and I were excited to have a new Southern style restaurant in the area and were able to dine at Nola Grill for lunch last week.

The renovations made the space look much different from the previous occupant.  We were warmly greeted by the staff, who accommodated my wife and her knee scooter.  Yes, I said knee scooter.  Her recent foot surgery has resulted in her being relegated to a knee scooter.  I understand the medical need for her having a knee scooter, but I don't understand her insistence on putting a wicker bicycle basket on the font of it.  She insists that it is both stylish and practical.  Needless to say, my wife is very lucky to have a husband who was still willing to take her out to lunch when she is wheeling around looking like a cross between the Wicked Witch of the West and a village idiot.  

Onion Rings with Tabasco Infused Ranch

Since we had both skipped breakfast and were starving, we decided to start with an appetizer of onion rings served with Tabasco infused Ranch dressing.  I also ordered a cup of the duck and andouille gumbo.  The onion rings were extremely good with a very nice flavor and an outstanding batter.  The order was on the small side, which left me wanting more onion rings.  The gumbo was very good as well.  I am not usually a big fan of duck, but it mixed really well with the seasoning and the andouille sausage.

Duck and Andouille Gumbo

For my meal, I got the Uptown Special ($9), which was a fried catfish filet, two fried shrimp, and fries.  The catfish was a pretty thick filet and was a little undercooked for my liking, but the crispy batter was seasoned well.  The fried shrimp were some of the best I have had in quite some time and the fries were tasty as well.  The meal was somewhat small for my liking, but it was the lunch portion.  My wife got the Down South Combo ($10), which was a blackened catfish filet and Shrimp Creole on a bed of rice.  She liked her meal, but was disappointed that it only came with two shrimp.

Uptown Special

Down South Combo

We were still hungry after our meal, so we decided to get dessert. She got the bread pudding and I got the strawberry layer cake.  My strawberry layer cake was very good, but not as good as my wife's bread pudding.  Being the kind husband that I am, I helped her finish her bread pudding.

Strawberry Layer Cake 

Bread Pudding

Overall, we both liked Nola Grill.  The food was very tasty, although I wished the portions were bigger.  Having said that, the lunch menu was very affordable and we felt like it was a good value for the quality of food.  All the wait staff was very attentive and the plate presentation was terrific.  While eating, some customers sitting near us ordered Po' Boys.  They looked delicious and I will have to order one next time I visit this place.  My wife and I are also very curious to try the dinner menu at Nola Grill, so we will plan a trip back for dinner in the very near future. 

Nola Grill
http://nolagrillfrisco.com/
Livin the Good Life Rating = 3

Jakes

Frisco Square recently got a new burger restaurant called Jake's Uptown.  They have several locations in the Metroplex and have been highly praised by critics and local publications.  I am almost embarrassed to say that I have lived in the DFW area for over a decade, but never been to Jake's.  I have obviously heard of Jake's, but have never had the opportunity to eat there.  My wife said that she was fond of the chain, so we decided to go there for lunch one day.  This would be my wife's first dining outing since she had foot surgery last week.  It was worth the trip just to see her using her knee scooter as my oldest kid rode on the front of it.

We arrived right before the lunch crowd hit and were seated immediately.  I was pleased to see that they had one of my favorite appetizers on the menu; fried green beans.  Since my wife is always saying I need to eat more vegetables, we ordered some for the family to share before our meal.  For my meal, I ordered the cheeseburger and the Jumpin' Jake Fries.  Despite the fact my wife claimed to "love" their burgers, she ordered the BLT with Sweet potato fries.  My daughter ordered the grilled cheese with regular fries (they were not jumpin' or sweet).

Fried Green Beans

The service was great throughout the entire meal and our appetizer arrived shortly after we ordered.  Unfortunately, they fried green beans were disappointingly chewy and had a batter on them that made me wonder if they came frozen from a bag rather than made from scratch.  My wife was not impressed either, but we both liked the spicy sauce that came with them.

My cheeseburger arrived on a toasted poppy seed bun that was delicious.  Unfortunately, the meat was rather bland and somewhat dry.  The Jumpin' Jake fries were lightly battered and perfectly seasoned.  They were without a doubt the highlight of this visit.  Despite the fact the my wife's BLT looked appetizing and had a large amount of bacon on it, she was not impressed.  She also said her crinkle cut sweet potato fries were pretty average.  My daughter did seem to enjoy her grilled cheese and fries.

Cheeseburger and Jumpin' Jake Fries

BLT and Sweet Potato Fries

I had very high hopes for Jake's, but left feeling very disappointed. I just don't see what all the hype is about.  There are better burgers in the city of Frisco and I would in no way put Jake's in my top 10 DFW burger joints.  Since it is a relatively new restaurant location, perhaps they are still getting the kinks worked out as they train their kitchen staff.  I will give Jake's another try in a couple of months.  Although the food was a letdown, the staff was friendly and the service was fantastic.  

Jake's Uptown
http://www.jakesuptown.com/
Livin the Good Life Rating = 2

5th Street Patio Cafe

My wife recently had foot surgery to fix a bunion that has been giving her trouble.  Why would I mention feet and surgery in a food blog?  The reason I mentioned it is because my wife was unable to drive for a while, so the girls and I had to drop her off at some training she had to attend for her job.  We had not had breakfast yet, so I decided to take the girls to eat breakfast at 5th Street Patio Cafe in Frisco.  I have never been there before, but my wife and several of my work colleagues absolutely love this place.

My two breakfast dates

As you walk in to 5th Street Patio Cafe, their is a large menu board on your right.  You place your order at the register and then take a seat and await them to bring your meal.  They had a rather large breakfast menu to choose from, but my oldest daughter knew what she wanted immediately.  She said, "Daddy, they have the best pancakes here."  Apparently, even my daughter has been here before without me.  I really wanted to try the biscuits and sausage gravy, but I also wanted French toast.  Since I couldn't decide,  I got both.  After placing our order, I grabbed a highchair and a table.

My daughter's pancakes

Our order came out very quickly.  My daughter immediately dug into her pancakes and gave a thumbs up when I asked her if they were good.  I started with the impressive looking biscuits and sausage gravy.  Most biscuits and gravy come with a small side of gravy.  These came two to an order and were served in a large soup bowl and smothered with gravy and a few green onions.  As great as they looked, they tasted even better.  The biscuits were freshly made and the gravy had a fantastic flavor.  After they were devoured, I began eating the French toast.  The French toast was tasty as well, but certainly played second fiddle to the biscuits and gravy.

Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

French Toast

I really didn't know what to expect going into this place, but I was very pleased with the food.  The cafe is small, but they serve up some big-time food.  On top of having great food, they have very reasonable prices as well.  5th Street Patio Cafe will certainly be added to my rotation of breakfast joints in Collin County, but I want to go back and try some of their lunch or dinner items as well.

5th Street Patio Cafe
http://www.5thstreetcafe.com/index.html
Livin the Good Life Rating = 3

Norma's Cafe

Norma's Cafe Frisco

This past week, Norma's Cafe opened a location in Frisco.  This restaurant has two locations in Dallas and is very popular with the residents of the city.  Norma's is heavily praised for their "home cooking" and their pies.  When we got out of church on Sunday, we made a quick jaunt down to Frisco to see what the buzz was about.

The little one was worn out after church

When we arrived, it was extremely crowded and we were told that it would be a 30 minute wait.  Since we drove all the way to Frisco, we decided to wait for a table anyway.  While waiting to be seated, I was way too close to the pie display case and it was all I could do not to dig into a piece of pie while I waited.  Luckily, we were actually seated after only 15 minutes of standing around.  The inside of the diner paid homage to "old Frisco" and had a classic diner motif.  After taking our drink orders, they delivered a basket full of delicious corn bread and hot rolls.  While chowing down on hot rolls and corn bread,  the smells coming from the kitchen were promising good things to come.

Yummy rolls and corn bread

Although they were still serving breakfast, I elected to eat lunch while my wife chose breakfast.  I got the chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes, corn, and black eyed peas.  The chicken fried steak was top notch, but it was a little on the small side.  The mashed potatoes and black eyed peas were the best I have had in some time, but he corn was very average.  My wife was disappointed with her breakfast of scrambled eggs, grits, bacon, and biscuits.  She didn't have a complaint about the taste, but said that her food was cold.  So needless to say, she wasn't as pleased with the meal as I was.  

Fantastic CFS

My wife chose breakfast for lunch.

After finishing my meal, I had to try to the pie.  I ordered the chocolate pie and it was served with a huge layer of meringue on top.  It looked delicious and tasted as good as it looked.  It was the perfect end to the meal.

Finishing off with some chocolate pie.

Although the location in a strip mall did not give it a classic diner feel, the service and food more than made up for this fact.  I really liked the chicken fried steak and thought it was the best CFS I have ever had in Frisco.  Yes, it was even better than Babe's CFS or the one at The Depot.  I anticipate a return visit in the near future, because I am already singing the praises of this place to my co-workers.

Norma's Cafe 
http://www.normascafe.com
Livin the Good Life Rating= 3

3 Stacks Smoke and Tap House

A new BBQ place, 3 Stacks Smoke & Tap House, recently opened up in Frisco.  3 Stacks opened up in the location that had previously housed Terilli's.  Following a quick trip to Costco on a Saturday morning, my family met my brother and sister-in-law at 3 Stacks.  I was particularly excited to try this place, because it was within a 10 minute drive of my home in McKinney and it recently received a favorable review from the Texas BBQ Posse.  Could we finally have a really good BBQ place in Collin County that rivals Hutchins?  Traditionally, Collin County has been associated with good BBQ about like Tony Romo has been associated with winning Super Bowls.

Wood piles with smokers to the right.

Before you enter the restaurant, you notice the large stacks of wood and smokers to the left of the entrance.  They have three large smokers in this area, hence the name of the restaurant.  Each smoker is designed to cook a different type of meat with a specific type of wood.  The ribs and sausage are cooked with mesquite, the turkey and chicken are cooked with pecan, and the briskets are cooked with a combination of both woods.

Bar area at 3 Stacks

We were warmly greeted as we walked in and the lady explained the set-up of the cafeteria style lines (BBQ line, cold side line, and hot side line).  Each meat is priced by the half pound, with most being a rather expensive $7.99 per half pound and some running even higher.  Sides were moderately priced between $2.00 to $2.50.  We also noticed the large bar on the East wall of the restaurant.  The bar is quite long with several televisions on the wall.  If you are a fan of liquids made of hops and barley, 3 Stacks has thirty one different beers on tap.  Think of it as a Baskin Robbins for alcoholics.  

My little brother getting his grub on!

We made our way to the cafeteria lines and ordered a little bit of everything.  For meats, we ordered lean brisket, burnt ends, pulled pork, baby back ribs, turkey, and jalapeno and cheese sausage.  For our sides we ordered the baked beans, grilled corn, and the six cheese macaroni & cheese.  I also picked up a jalapeno corn bread muffin and two of the cheddar biscuits they had available.  Once we paid, my oldest daughter insisted that we set outside on the patio, so our group made our way outside to brave the windy day.

Lean Brisket

Burnt Ends, a Texas delicacy.

Pulled Pork

These baby back ribs were outstanding and the best thing I tried here.

Our brisket was nicely smoked with a pretty good layer of bark.  The burnt ends (a rare delicacy in today's BBQ culture) were very flavorful.  The pulled pork and the sausage were average at best.  The turkey had a nice smoky flavor and was some of the best smoked turkey I have had in quite some time. Of all the meats, the baby back ribs were the best.  They were extremely tender, came off the bone easily, and were seasoned with a nice rub that was somewhat sweet.  When I go back here, I will definitely get more ribs next time.  They also had two types of barbecue sauce available on the tables: Texas Original and Hot & Spicy.  They were both good, but I was partial to the Hot & Spicy.

6 Cheese Mac n' Cheese

The sides were hit and miss.  The baked beans were undercooked and still somewhat hard, but they had  pieces of jalapenos which would have given them a nice flavor had they been fully cooked.  The grilled corn was pretty good.  The mac n' cheese was spot on and oozing with cheese.   Instead of your typical macaroni noodles, they used fusilli rigati noodles.  The cheddar biscuits were very dry and I was not impressed, but the jalapeno corn bread muffin was terrific.  They also have several types of desserts available, but we were all too full to try any of them.

My oldest daughter sitting next to her favorite aunt on my side of the family.

After eating at 3 Stacks, I have mixed feelings on the place.  Some things we had were great, while other foods were mediocre at best.  The ribs, brisket, and burnt ends were good enough that I will be going back here and giving this place another try.  Overall, the joint was pretty good.  This place was one of the better joints I have been to in Collin County, but it still pales in comparison to my DFW favorites: Pecan Lodge or Lockhart Smokehouse.  I am going to give 3 Stacks Smoke and Tap House a 3 on my 5-point scale and I will also give them a second try.

3 Stacks Smoke & Tap House
4226 Preston Road
Frisco, TX 75034
http://www.3stacksbbq.com
Livin The Good Life Rating= 3