Sushi Zushi - Dallas (McKinney Ave)

The office wanted to have a group lunch outing today. I normally don't hang with the entire office at lunch because that's my time to get away from them all. Ha!

I'm not totally antisocial as I do occasionally go to lunch with one or two coworkers whom I deem worthy of sharing my lunch hour. But today I agreed to go along with the group strictly because of the restaurant suggested: Sushi Zushi in Dallas. I'm always up for trying new places and new sushi places are high on the list.

What you see here is the Chirashi Bowl. The menu describes it as:

"Sashimi cuts of fish served over a bed of sushi rice in a traditional Japanese bowl: Tuna, salmon, yellowtail, shrimp, octopus, albacore, bonito, mackerel, kanikama crab, eel, tamago, ikura, shiitake mushrooms, and kampyo.*

I will say that it was fairly good. The cuts were okay-sized. The overall flavors were good. I'm not sure it's worthy twenty bucks but there are many foods that I don't think are worth the somewhat-inflated cost.

As far as the ambiance of the restaurant, it was nice. It's weird like it felt snooty but somewhat laid back at the same time. Our waiter was pretty good and knowledgeable of the various food items.

I'll probably go back and try something different but I think it would run its course of interest with me after another visit or two. Mainly because there are good/very good sushi/sashimi places closer to my area. If I lived by Zushi Sushi I would probably continue to occasionally visit.

Ten50 BBQ - Richardson (US Hwy 75)

It's been on my radar to swing by sometime and today I was able to visit Ten50 BBQ today.

Ordered about 1/2 lb each of brisket, pulled pork and ribs, two brisket torpedoes and sides of two dinner rolls, mac n cheese, brisket beans, potato salad and key lime pie.

Brisket was very good and tender. I do prefer a little more moist, it wasn't dry by any means, but didn't think to ask if that was an option as I was just too hungry after four hours of tennis to fully focus.

Pulled pork, ribs and brisket torpedoes were all good but I felt they needed a little more flavor.

Dinner rolls were very good. I think the butter had a sweetness to it.

Mac n cheese was just okay.

Brisket beans could be better if they drained the liquid. I didn't like the flavor of it and it felt more like eating soup than beans and brisket.

Potato salad was very good. I'm not a sides person but this was a good side to order.

Key lime pie was very, very good! So good that I almost purchased one for to-go.

Barbecue sauce options are house sauce and Carolina sauce. The house sauce was very good!

I'd go again if someone wanted to try it but I'm not jonesing for it. It is a good option though if I'm in the area. So there you have it.

Which Wich - Dallas (Park Lane)

This was my first time ever to eat at a Which Wich. I was not particularly interested in having a sandwich for lunch but my coworker wanted to go and 'try something different'.

After browsing the menu choices, I decided to try the Philly Cheesesteak....and the Banh Mi. I figured they couldn't mess up a cheesesteak OR banh mi sandwich.

I was sort of right and sort of wrong.

I got the Philly Cheesesteak first. They called my name. I picked it up and by the time I got to the table, the sandwich felt luke warm. I took a bite and I wasn't impressed. There was no real flavor to the sandwich. No salt. No pepper. No nothing. I only ate half because I wanted to taste the banh mi.

About two minutes after the cheesesteak, they called my name for the Banh Mi. Presentation was nice as the bread came 'open' with the fillings showing and a really nice looking over-easy egg right on top. I folded the bread and the sandwich was just too darn juicy/sloppy for me to eat it by hand. I had to cut it into smaller pieces with the plastic knife they provided, which makes me think they know it can't be eaten by just hands. The egg was the best part of the sandwich. I didn't taste anything special about the pork. There was a sauce that I kind of tasted but it wasn't something that made me want more. The jalapenos gave it a little kick but nothing flavorful. I only ate half.

Because I got a combo meal, I had some cheddar Sun Chips. The chips were the most flavorful, tasteful part of the meal.

For $21.00 on my first visit, I expected quite a bit more. Unless it's provided free, I will probably go elsewhere for my 'subs/sandwiches'.

I did mention to other coworkers that I went to Which Wich and 5 out of 5 said, "I heard they have really good shakes!"

Boston Market - Dallas (Mockingbird & Abrams)

Went to Boston Market at Abrams and Mockingbird today at the suggestion of a coworker friend. She wanted something different and decided Boston Market was the choice of difference. I have not been to a Boston Market in at least 3-5 years. It's just not a place that I felt like I had to have on a more-often basis.

Today they had a two-piece chicken and three-quarter ribs meal. Me being the barbecue 'king', it was an easy choice for me to pick this and compare with other barbecue ribs I've had. So, the picture is of this meal.

If you take a close look at the photo, everything looks fairly appealing. I mean you can't really screw up corn, mashed potatoes, sweet corn bread and even baked/rotisserie chicken. However, you can try to mask sub-par ribs by covering them in barbecue sauce.

And that's basically what Boston Market did. These ribs are essentially the same ribs you see in a grocery store deli. You know the kind that you either order hot at the counter or they have a 'cold' version that all you do is set your oven to 350 degrees and put the ribs in on a baking sheet for 20 minutes or until hot.

Yeah, those kind of ribs. Needless to say that I was NOT impressed.

Other than that, I liked everything else. I guess my expectations for the ribs was too high. Although I do believe their chicken is overpriced. I mean I really can get the same roasted chicken from the same grocery store deli!

Now that I know, I will not return to Boston Market, ever, because I can get the same foods from the grocery store and probably feed a family of four at the same cost as the one meal from Boston Market.

Frost Bite Creamery - Dallas (Lower Greenville)

The family went to eat at Snuffer's today. My oldest said that she has previously been to the Frost Bite Creamery across the street and that it was pretty good. So we decided to cross the street and give it a try.

What you see is 'The Give Me A Break' dessert. It was pretty darn good. It was a little on the pricier side for ice cream but I think it was worth it for a first-time experience.

That's my take. Would I go back? Sure but not too often because I'm not made of money. ;-)

Snuffer's - Dallas (Lower Greenville)

Took advantage of Snuffer's $5 Classic Burger/Cheeseburger Tuesdays. I believe you save $2.00 off the regular price of these two burgers. I've always liked Snuffer's burgers and most definitely their loaded cheddar cheese fries. YUM! YUM! If you are ever needing your burger fix and are near a Snuffer's, it's a good deal. Just know that the price does not apply to their specialty burgers. Sometimes you just can't go wrong with a basic burger or cheeseburger...and a fully loaded regular order of cheddar fries with bacon and chives to round out the meal!

Baker's Ribs - Dallas (NW Hwy)

Was craving some barbecue this evening so decided to give Baker's Ribs a try. It's been a long while since I last ate here, at least five years and probably longer. I do know the last time I ate at Baker's they were located on Greenville Avenue between University Blvd and Lovers Lane. That location apparently has now moved to NW Hwy and Skillman.

I got there around 7:15 p.m. and the place was mostly empty. There was a group of ladies who looked to have gathered for some meeting and were finishing up. There was an older couple sitting on the opposite side of the area. For all intents and purposes, it was dead! Not a positive outlook to start.

I ordered the three meat plate. It comes with a choice of two sides and either Texas toast or dinner rolls. I chose brisket, pulled pork, ribs, mac-n-cheese, green beans and dinner rolls.

I guess the ease of ordering was the best part of my visit. Here's my thoughts on the offerings I was served:

• Dinner rolls look to have been pre-purchased versus baked in-house. They were soft but had no butter or any kind of flavoring added. They were served at room temperature in saran wrap.
• Green beans tasted like they came straight from a can. No seasoning or anything. I mean simply adding salt and pepper would have made a flavoring difference. Instead it looks like there were white onions and almond slices which added nothing to the flavor.
• Mac-n-cheese was quite runny. Watery cheese is not desirable. It too had no seasoning or even a cheesy flavor. After 7-10 minutes on my plate, the "cheese" started to show clumps which is a sure sign of too much water and not enough cheese.
• Pulled pork was fairly dry. It had a little bit of smoke flavor but nowhere near enough to make it tasty or overlook the dryness. I had to add in quite a bit of barbecue sauce for some taste.
• Ribs were tastier than the pulled pork. The meat pulled off the bone with ease. Ribs seemed to have a kind of peppery rub because I could feel the "burn" on my lips after eating one.
• Brisket was much drier than the pulled pork, if that was possible! Marbling was nonexistent in the slices of meat I was served. The same slightly smoky flavor of the pulled pork was present. Due to the dryness, I tried adding, almost drowning, the brisket in barbecue sauce. However, it was still difficult to swallow the bites of brisket because of how dry the meat was.
• Free soft serve is still offered. Many comments I've read speak of this as a final "blessing of the good eats" to have the free soft serve. I went to the soft serve machine and when I raised the lever, liquidy white stickiness sprayed all over my cone and hand. I guess my time was just not meant to end on a good note!

Things I take away from my visit:

• It really reminded me of sub-par, quick, catering barbecue meal that serves hundreds at a big corporate meeting or company picnic because no one is paying attention to or cares about the true quality of the meal anyway.
• The addition of a drive-thru window should have been a flag of expected quality. Quality cannot be served in a fast, drive-thru manner. To me, a drive-thru is for producing quantity.
• Another flag. Even though the 'cooks' are right behind the 'cashier', they write my order in pen on the edge of the styrofoam plate so the 'cooks' know what to put on the plate. I was the only customer in line so how difficult was it to just tell the 'cooks' to add brisket, ribs and pulled pork to the plate? I'm not a freak about germs and poisoning but some people might be. As you can see in the photo, the brisket is splayed over the ink writing on the plate. If the meat was hot, it could cause the ink to run and/or seep into the food. This just shows me a lack of presentation and care from the business.
   
  

That's my experience. Take it as you will. I'm no "food expert" but I know what I like and what tastes good (to me) and there are too many other barbecue joints serving a better quality and much better tasting product, especially for $18.00! Therefore, I will not be returning to Baker's Ribs (at least the NW Hwy @ Skillman location) to fulfill my barbecue craving.