Jack Mac's Swill & Grill

There are times when I extensively research a restaurant before dining there.  At other times, my family and I just see a restaurant and choose to dine there.  When we dined at Jack Mac's Swill & Grill, the later was the reason we chose to dine there.  We happened to be in North Dallas, we were hungry, and decided to try it out since we were in the area.

Not knowing much about the place and not knowing their specialities, we just ordered what sounded good to us.  Below is my opinions of what we ordered:

Cabrito Stew - interesting combination of flavors with the goat, tomatillos, green chiles, potatoes, and carrots.  The dish was served with tortillas, but could have been eaten like a regular stew.  I felt the stew could have used some more meat, but it wasn't bad.

Breakfast Brisket Tacos- my wife ordered this dish and gave one of the tacos to me.  The brisket wasn't great and the flavor was bland, despite the fact it had green chiles, eggs, and potatoes too.

Basic Burger - of the items we tried, I thought this was the best.  The burger had good flavor and plenty of cheese, but was a little on the small side.  The  seasoned fries were average at best and their portion size was small as well.

Kid's Grilled Cheese- Both kids ate this and didn't seem to care for the grilled cheese on ciabatta bread, but I thought it was good.

I can honestly say that I was not impressed with this place.  It wasn't terrible, but I would certainly go someplace else if I was in the area again.   Our waitress did a nice job and was friendly, but the food failed to impress.

Jack Mac's Swill & Grill
http://jackmacs.com
Livin the Good Life Rating=2
 

Maggiano's Little Italy

My two daughters have recently started liking pizza and pasta.  This was a major event in my family, because my wife and I love Italian food and we can now have family meals at some of our favorite Italian restaurants.  Maggiano's Little Italy (Plano location) happens to be our favorite Italian eatery in Collin County, so one night we decided to take the girls there for Sunday dinner.

Mozzarella Marinara

We arrived hungry and immediately ordered an appetizer.  Although they have several appetizers that we like (the steamed mussels are a favorite), we decided to order the Mozzarella Marinara on this night.  Having never ordered this dish before, we really didn't know what to expect.  Rather than the typical cheese sticks you see at most Italian joints, this dish is large square pieces of mozzarella that are fried and served over their very flavorful marinara.  We enjoyed this appetizer and I would certainly order it again.

Chicken Picatta

Deciding what entree item to get is always a chore, because they have a long list of entrees to choose from.  On this visit, I ordered the Chicken Picatta and was pleased that I did.  The chicken was great and I loved the added flavor of the capers and the lemon butter sauce.  It was served with spaghetti aglio olio and I felt it was the perfect compliment to the chicken.  

Baked Eggplant Parmesan

My wife had the Baked Eggplant Parmesan and it was very good as well, but I certainly preferred my dish to hers.  Since this was one of the "On The House Classic Pastas", she also got to choose one of the other classics to take home and she chose the Baked Ziti.  We ate it later in the week and typical of Maggiano's dishes, it was big enough to feed two of us.  My kids were also pleased with their kid's menu meals of Spaghetti with Meatball and Cheese Pizza. 

We couldn't leave without dessert, so the four of us shared a piece of the Chocolate Zuccotto Cake and it was huge, very rich, and devoured to the last bite.  The service was once again impeccable and I don't ever recall having bad service at any of the Maggiano's locations.  If you haven't already visited Maggiano's, this place can be a great place for a date, dinner with friends, or even dinner with two rowdy little girls.  I am so glad my daughters will eat Italian cuisine now, because that allows us to more frequently visit some of our favorite places, including Maggiano's.

Chocolate Zuccotto Cake

Maggiano's Little Italy
http://www.maggianos.com
Livin the Good Life Rating=3

Rainforest Cafe

My brother and I were supposed to go camping with my oldest daughter on a recent weekend, but we were notified by Ray Roberts State Park that the camping area was forced to temporarily shut down due to flooding from the recent rains.  Since our camping trip was a no-go, we decided to take my daughter on a Saturday adventure instead.  Although she was disappointed that we wouldn't be camping, she was excited that plan B included a trip to the Rainforest Cafe and the Sea Life Aquarium in Grapevine Mills Mall.

Somebody was happy to be at the Rainforest Cafe.

We had never been to the Rainforest Cafe, but my daughter was enamored with the place from the moment we stepped into the restaurant.  The jungle theme with gorillas, elephants, tigers, and leopards was something she couldn't stop talking about all day.  After she was able to curtail her excitement for a few moments, we ordered the cheese sticks for an appetizer.  The cheese sticks were very basic, but I really liked the flavor of the marinara sauce.

Cheese Sticks

The restaurant had a larger menu than most restaurants and had plenty of options, but I was in the mood for seafood.  I ordered the Congo Fish Plate, which included two large fried whitefish fillets, fries, and cole slaw.  The fish was not as crispy as I would have preferred and it was much more "fishy" tasting than what I have come to expect from whitefish.  As for the sides, they were also disappointing.

Congo Fish Plate-Fried Whitefish, fries, and slaw

My brother ordered the Beastly Burger, which had two patties.  The burger was very large, but neither of us were impressed with it's taste.  My daughter ordered the two cheeseburger sliders with applesauce.  She seemed to enjoy her meal much more than the adults did.

Beastly Burger-Double Meat Cheeseburger

The cheese sticks ended up being the highlight of the meal.  Everything else we tried was below average in the taste department.    I will say that the service was very good and they go above and beyond to make it a fun experience for the kids.  Even though the food was a disappointment, I would go back again with my kids just to see the sparkle in my daughter's eyes while we dined.

Fun at the Sea Life Aquarium after out lunch at Rainforest Cafe

Rainforest Cafe
http://www.rainforestcafe.com
Livin the Good Life=2

La Duni-Fairview

La Duni is a popular Latin American restaurant with four locations in the DFW area.  I have always been a big fan of the location at NorthPark Mall and I have dined their on several occasions when forced to go shopping with my wife.  The location in Fairview is much closer to me, but I was disappointed with the service when it first opened and haven't been back since.  After a hiatus of several years, my family and I decided it was time to give this location another chance.

Brunch Chile Relleno

On a recent Sunday, we decided to try out the weekend brunch menu at La Duni in Fairview.  A Brunch Chile Relleno sounded intriguing, so I had to order it.  This poblano pepper was absolutely huge and took up half the plate.  The pepper was stuffed with refried black beans, eggs, bacon bits, cheddar, mozzarella, gruyere, queso fresca, and charred salsa roja.  The dish really hit the spot and had an outstanding flavor.  I would have preferred more bacon, but who doesn't prefer more bacon?  The roasted potatoes were also better than average.  

Breakfast Tacos

My wife ordered the Breakfast Tacos with roasted potatoes.  She let me have one of her tacos and we both agreed that they were a little bland until you added some hot sauce and avocado mash to them.  My father-in-law had joined us for brunch and he ordered the Migas.  Although I didn't sample that dish, he said that it was very good.

Nutella Milk Chocolate Cake and Cuatros Leches Cake

La Duni is famous for their desserts and we ordered a trio of desserts; Cuatros Leches Cake, Nutella Milk Chocolate Cake, and a Grape Snow Cone for my daughter.  My daughter certainly enjoyed the snow cone, but my wife and I were big fans of the cake slices.  The Nutella Milk Chocolate Cake was very good and topped with an expresso white chocolate ganache sauce, but it was not near as good as the Cuatros Leches Cake.  We have had the Cuatros Leches several times before and it seems to get better each time.

Grape Snow Cone

Although the service wasn't exactly stellar on this visit either, the food more than made up for anything lacking with the service.  The first time I visited the restaurant, we had to wait for close to an hour for our food.  On this visit, they had our food to us in less than fifteen minutes.  I am glad that I gave this restaurant a second chance and my family will certainly be going back in the near future.  The brunch items were very good, but I might just go back and have a variety of cake slices for my meal.  

La Duni (Fairview Location)

http://laduni.com/fairview-village/#

Livin the Good Life Rating=3

Shady's Burger Joint

My family and I happened to be in Richardson, Texas for a sporting event and wanted to find a place to grab dinner.  After browsing my phone for a few minutes, I found that Shady's Burger Joint was close by and had a favorable diner rating.  I have heard good things about this place from others as well, so we decided to dine there.

Bacon BBQ Burger

Although it was crowded, we quickly placed our order and found a table that had just been cleaned off.  I ordered the Bacon BBQ Burger with cheese fries.  The burger was a little on the small side, but was topped with bacon, a large onion ring, barbecue sauce, and lettuce.  The burger looked better than it tasted.  The patty itself was flavorless and I didn't care for the taste of the barbecue sauce.  The highlight of the burger was the large and crispy onion ring.  The serving of bacon cheese fries was quite large and was much better than the burger I had.

Bacon Cheese Fries

My wife got the Shady's Burger (basic burger) with onion rings.  She felt her burger was also lacking in flavor, but said she did like the bun.  The order of onion rings were probably the best thing we had on this visit.  The onion rings were the same large rings that were on my burger and they had an outstanding batter that was very crispy.  Both my kids ordered from the kid's menu and enjoyed their grilled cheeses, fries, and chocolate chip cookies.  

Onion Rings

Although my kids seemed to enjoy their entire meal, my wife and I both felt the onion rings and bacon cheese fries were far superior to our burgers.  The staff was friendly and attentive, but it took the restaurant close to twenty minutes to get our order to us.  The tables were also very close together and it was cramped, which led to a lot of chairs bumping into one another.  Shady's wasn't bad, but I would not go out of my way to eat here again.  If I did eat here again, I probably wouldn't order a burger either.

Kids Grilled Cheese Meal

Shady's Burger Joint
http://shadysburgers.com
Livin the Good Life Rating=2

Black Walnut Cafe

Black Walnut Cafe is a small chain based in the Houston area that has opened it's first restaurant in the DFW area.  The location in Allen opened up a couple of weeks ago and there are currently plans for locations in Flower Mound and Coppell.  My family has been passing by the Allen location throughout the construction process, so we were pleased to see that they were finally open for business.  

Enjoying a nice day on the patio with my girls

A colleague said that she enjoyed Black Walnut Cafe so much that she ate their each of the first three days it was open.  I can think of very few places where I would like to dine three days in a row, so I had high hopes when entering the restaurant.  When we arrived, we were greeted by a hostess who handed us a menu and told us that we order at the counter.  

Doohickey's Crispy Southwestern Egg Rolls.

We quickly ordered our meals for us and the kids.  After a little deliberation, we started out with an order of the Doohickey's Crisp Southwestern Egg Rolls.  They were served cut in half on a bed of lettuce.  The egg rolls had roasted chicken, corn, black beans, cilantro, jalapeños, and bell peppers.  They were then topped with pico de gallo, lime juice, and sour cream.  My wife and I both thought this appetizer was terrific and had great flavor.  I really liked the crispiness of the egg roll and it was just spicy enough for me, but not too spicy for my wife.

Anderson's 'Bout Time Chicken Sandwich

For my entree, I ordered the Anderson's 'Bout Time sandwich.  The sandwich had a grilled chicken breast, Swiss cheese, sliced avocado, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, and alfalfa sprouts.  The chicken itself was very flavorful and the veggies were fresh.  I was disappointed in the fries that were served with the sandwich, because they did not appear to be fresh cut and had too much seasoned salt for my taste.

Eggs Benedict and potatoes

My wife had the Eggs Benedict served with house potatoes.  She really liked the Eggs Benedict, but thought the potatoes were just okay.  My kids enjoyed their items that they ordered off the kid's menu.  

Hummingbird Cake

While we were ordering, we noticed that they had a dessert counter that looked appealing.  When we finished our meals, I went to take a second look at the dessert selections.  I ended up getting some gelato for my girls and a slice of Hummingbird Cake for my wife and I to split.  The cake had good flavor and you could definitely taste the pineapple and bananas, but it was a little dry.  There was also a small hint of cinnamon and the cream cheese icing was perfect.

Black Walnut Cafe gets a mixed review from me.  Some items were good and others were not.  The restaurant is kid friendly and it has a patio that is a perfect area to sit on a nice day.  We did not have to wait very long before our appetizer was ready and our meals were ready just a few minutes later.  This restaurant has a huge menu and serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  I am pleased that another restaurant has opened just a few minutes from my house and I look forward to dining again at Black Walnut Cafe.  

Black Walnut Cafe
http://blackwalnutcafe.com/locations/dallas-locations/allen/
Livin the Good Life Rating=2

Culver's

My oldest daughter was in the mood for a milkshake one day and I had a hankering for a burger, so I decided to take her to eat lunch and get a milkshake.  Culver's is just a couple of miles down the road from our house in McKinney, but we have never bothered to eat there.  I have passed by Culver's hundreds of times, so I thought today would be a good day to grab lunch at this location.  Culver's is a national chain and has two other DFW locations. 

At Culver's, you order at the counter, take a number, and have a seat while you wait for your order to be delivered.  I saw a sign that said the beef was fresh and never frozen, which gave me high hopes for this joint.  I had not eaten breakfast, so I ordered the Triple Meat Cheddar ButterBurger with Bacon, fries, and a drink.  My daughter ordered the kid's chicken strips, fries, and chocolate shake.

Chocolate Milkshake

While waiting for our meals to arrive, I had to give my daughter a lesson on sharing because she did not originally want to give me a sip of her chocolate milkshake.  After laying a small guilt trip on her, she reluctantly said I could have "one sip."  She absolutely loved it, but I thought it was a below average shake that needed to be blended more than it was.

Triple Meat Cheddar ButterBurger with Bacon and Fries

My burger arrived and it was a lot smaller than expected for a triple meat burger.  The patties were small and the burger was very greasy.  I usually love greasy burgers, but this particular one was too greasy for my tastes.  Besides the taste of grease, the burger was flavorless.  The cheese and bacon did not stand out on this burger either.  About half of the crinkle-cut fries were overcooked and they were below average in the taste department too.  My daughter did not think her chicken strips were good and only ate one of the two that were in her kid's meal.  She seemed content with her shake and fries.

Chicken Strip Kid's Meal

My visit to Culver's was the worst dining experience I have had in several months.  I did not think the food was very good, but some people must really like it because the place was packed and it is highly rated on several sites.  There will not be a return visit to Culver's for me unless I am put in a straight jacket and drug in by large captors.

Culver's

http://www.culvers.com/restaurants/mckinney/

Livin the Good Life Rating=1

East Hampton Sandwich Co.

I am lucky that I have several friends that are also foodies and they frequently recommend restaurants to me.  These recommendations often lead to a dining excursion at the recommended restaurant. Two of my foodie friends highly recommended East Hampton Sandwich Co. to me.  The Dallas Observer voted the restaurant as the Best Sandwich Shop in 2013 and Thrillist claimed it was one of the 21 Best Sandwich Shops in America.  The high praise bestowed upon this restaurant served to set the bar very high in the expectations department.

In addition to their popular Snyder Plaza location, East Hampton Sandwich Co. opened up a second location in Plano at The Shops at Legacy.  Last Wednesday, my wife and I decided to meet for dinner after work and enjoy a hump-day meal at the Plano location.  One of the first things that we noticed is that they have a very nice outdoor dining area that looked like a perfect place to dine and visit with friends.  We contemplated sitting outside, but the wind made it a little too cold to dine outdoors on this particular day.  

We ordered our sandwiches at the counter and found a seat in the corner so our kids could be corralled without bothering other patrons.  The menu has several delicious-sounding sandwiches, which made it tough for me to pick just one.  After contemplating for a time, I finally ordered the Fried Chicken+Jack sandwich which consisted of Southern fried chicken, pepper jack, greens, bacon, avocado mash, tomatoes, and a jalapeno cream sauce.  The fried chicken breasts were pounded very thin and they had a crunchy batter that was seasoned well.  Although the chicken itself had a nice flavor, the sandwich was underwhelming in the flavor department.  Even the jalapeno cream sauce did not give it a punch of flavor.  Each sandwich is served with their homemade thick-cut potato chips.  The potato chips were certainly better than most, but they could have used some more salt.

Fried Chicken+Jack Sandwich

My wife ordered the lobster roll which included lobster, greens, chives, and a butter drizzle.  She felt the lobster roll on this day did not have enough greens on it and could have benefited from some more chives.  I tried a couple of bites and agreed with her assessment.  The sandwich was very bland, regardless of how much butter I liberally applied.

Lobster Roll

We ordered a grilled cheese for one kid and chicken strips for the kids.  They both ate well without any complaints.  We also had an order of the Hampton's Donut Bag with strawberry filling.  The donuts were somewhat tough to chew and seemed to be slightly overcooked.  The strawberry filling was very tasty, but you had to be careful eating them because the filling had a tendency to squirt out of the donut.

Hampton's Donut Bag (in a box, not a bag)

My wife and I were both disappointed in our visit to East Hampton Sandwich Co.  Perhaps I had over-hyped it in my mind, because it certainly did not live up to my expectations.  Different people have different tastes, but I will have to disagree with my friends on this particular restaurant.  The sandwiches were not horrible by any means, but they were not memorable either.  I also felt the sandwiches were a little on the pricey side, especially since they were just served with chips.  There may be a time when I give this place a second chance, but I certainly will not be going out of my way to eat here again.  

East Hampton Sandwich Co.
http://ehsandwich.com/
Livin the Good Life Rating =2