The Theodore

Tim Byers is one of the hottest chefs in DFW and his most recent brainchild, The Theodore, recently opened at NorthPark Mall.  Normally I shy away from mall dining, but this particular mall tends to be the exception to the rule and houses several quality restaurants.  Since I am a huge fan of another Byers restaurant, Smoke, I couldn't wait to try out this menu.  

Dining Area

The menu at this causal restaurant includes such items as sourdough toasts, salads, sandwiches, pizzas, desserts, etc.  Since it opened in November, I have had the opportunity to try several items.  Below is my opinion of the items I have tried:

Sausage and Chervil Sourdough Toast-This toast was generously topped with sausage, chervil, bacon, onions, and a spread which I could not identify.  I usually have an aversion to light colored sausages, but this one had a unique taste and was better than most.  The toast was flavorful in it's own right and was toasted just enough to hold up all the toppings.

Corned Beef Brisket and Cabbage Sandwich-  This open faced sandwich was topped with a delicious corned beef and plenty of cabbage.  This was some of the best corned beef I have had in recent memory and it was served atop the same delicious sourdough bread as the toast above.  Although I would have preferred less cabbage, it was cooked well and added to the flavor of the sandwich.

Burger on Sweet Yeast Roll-Quite basic, but extraordinary in it's simpleness.  The meat was juicy and flavorful, the roll was truly sweet, and the veggies were crisp.  It is refreshing to see a burger that is delicious without adding a bunch of toppings other than cheese, bacon, lettuce, pickle, onion, and tomato.

Beef Wellington- The fleet was cooked to perfection and the pastry was nice and crispy, but I really didn't care for the foie gras that sat atop the filet.  I have never been a fan of foie gras and thought even this small sampling of it, detracted from the meat itself.  Mashed potatoes accompanied this dish and they were amazing, but I would have preferred a larger sampling.  The gravy was also delicious.  

Crab Apple Toffee Cake- Loved the toffee cake, but felt the crab apple was a little too sour for my taste.  I was also disappointed in how small the dessert was.

Dark Chocolate Tart- Chocolate perfection.  The tart made me question ever eating anything else chocolate again besides this dessert.  In fact, it was so good, I considered ordering a second tart.

Most of the menu items I have sampled were good, but not all lived up to expectations.   The service was spectacular and what one comes to expect from a Tim Byers restaurant.  I do think Byers has another winner in The Theodore and I truly believe it is a nice addition to NorthPark Mall.

The Theodore
Livin the Good Life Rating=3

The Fat Kid Field Trip and The Break for Dessert

La Duni's Coffee Studio

Recently my mom came to visit and volunteered to keep the the kids for the day.  My wife and I ended up having 10 kid-free hours to do whatever we wanted.  We decided to take a Fat Kid Field trip that started out with lunch at Maple and Motor and culminated with a dinner date at Sissy's Southern Kitchen.  In between these dining experiences, my wife also drug me on a shopping "adventure" to NorthPark Mall where she spent too much money and drug me to a chick flick.  Before going to see the movie, we decided to go for a cup of coffee and some dessert at La Duni.

A tasty cappuccino

Normally I wouldn't blog about a short dessert break, but this one was a truly memorable experience that caused me to have "sweet" dreams for a couple of days afterwards.  I have eaten at La Duni a couple of times and have always enjoyed the experience, but I have never been to their coffee studio or had dessert there.  We both ordered cappuccinos and ordered the first two items we saw on the dessert menu.  My wife ordered a slice of the the Cuatro Leches Cake, which was apparently made for those who think Tres Leches doesn't have enough leche in it.  I ordered a slice of the Venezuelan Triple Chocolate Truffle Cake.

Venezuelan Triple Chocolate Truffle Cake

Cuatro Leches Cake

We could not have been happier with our choices.  The coffee was fantastic, the Cuatro Leches Cake gave new meaning to the word sweet, and the Venezuelan Triple Chocolate Truffle Cake was the best chocolate cake I have had in some time.  I would rate both of these desserts a 4 on a scale of 5.  Although it was amazing, it was a little pricey.  Both desserts were fantastic and helped add to the 5000+ calories I consumed on the Fat Kid Field Trip!