Good Eats

Coco Shrimp

-Ambience/Vibe: Rustic, Island, Casual

-Service: Friendly

-Food: 🍤🍤🍤🍤🍤/5

-Price Range: $$

Located on Basswood Blvd., on the parking lot of an ACE Hardware store this little gem was one I had been dying to try for months. Its perfect 5-star Yelp rating is pretty hard to come across, but it is definitely well deserved. The location may not be the fanciest, but it’s definitely up to par, especially for a food truck. It’s got an adorable backdrop right in front of the truck itself, with wooden benches and picnic-like tables, that make for a great casual date/hangout spot. They’ve got a short menu, so deciding shouldn’t be too hard, yet despite the few options, its got a nice variety of flavors. The plates they feature are Coco Shrimp, Butter Garlic, Lemon Herb, Shrimp Sampler (has all 3), and a Shrimp Salad. Places that specialize usually do it WELL, and this place most definitely does. The food blew me away, it was incredible. The Coco Shrimp, their original dish, features sweet coconut shrimp battered and fried to perfection, atop a bed of perfectly seasoned rice, with a side salad and a container of sweet chili sauce. Although I’ve only been once, I will certainly be there again! I highly recommend everyone to give this place a shot, at least once.

-Diane Taing (5/15/17)

The Capital Grille

-Ambience/Vibe: Fancy, Relaxing, Dim-lighting

-Service: Fast, Attentive

-Food: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

-Price Range: $$$

This steakhouse has multiple locations throughout the DFW metroplex, but the one I’ve been to is located in downtown Ft.Worth. First off, this place is super nice and fancy. The attire is far from casual, even your nicest pair of jeans won’t cut it. It’s definitely a boujee place, that offers super attentive service and amazing food. It’s fine dining, so I wouldn’t say it’s a place to really have lunch at, as it’s definitely more a place you have dinner at. For starters, I had the kale salad, which was served with toasted almonds and a peanut vinaigrette, really light a refreshing. Along with that, I had a cup of New England Clam Chowder, which is definitely some of the best I’ve ever had. And they don’t skimp on the clams here. The Chilean sea bass I had was phenomenal. It was laid over sake braised mushrooms and miso butter, with a little bit of caviar on top (so boujee). My brother, Billy, ordered the Dry Aged Porterhouse Steak, which was one of the thickest cuts of meat I’ve ever seen him eat. On the side, I ate some of his lobster mac and cheese, and man, it was AMAZING. It was so creamy and heavy I must say, but they definitely don’t play around with that lobster mac and cheese. There were huge pieces of lobster in it, which I appreciate.

Although this isn’t a place to be at every night, it’s wonderful to experience (and taste) fine dining!

-Diane Taing (5/15/17)

Rockfish Seafood Grill

-Ambience/Vibe: Casual, Relaxed, Calm

-Service: Competent

-Food: 🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟/5

-Price Range: $$

With many locations, finding a Rockfish Grill in the DFW metroplex shouldn’t be too far or hard to find. Areas include Southlake, Arlington, Plano, and many more. However the specific restaurant in this article is the one in Arlington, on S Cooper St, right outside of the Parks mall.

Going in on a Monday night, it wasn’t that busy as expected so my brother and I were quickly seated. The menu had a nice selection of all kind of seafood, including crawfish, as the restaurant has a slight cajun inspiration to most items of their menu.

I ordered the Cajun pasta, which featured generous portions of shrimp, chicken, smoked andouille sausage, onions, red bell peppers and penne pasta all tossed in their homemade Cajun cream sauce. The pasta was pretty good for a place that isn’t even Italian. The sauce was a nice and creamy, but had a lot of flavor from all of the spices and the portions of different meats with the pasta. It was a really solid dish that I think anyone would like. My brother, Billy Taing, ordered the Cedar Plank Salmon, which is fresh salmon grilled on a cedar plank, topped with a BBQ glaze, roasted corn salsa and blackened shrimp, served with homemade mashed potatoes and steamed spinach. The salmon was cooked to perfection, and with that BBQ glaze on top, oh my goodness it was so good. If you like salmon, or just eating fish in general, the salmon is a must try. And then we got a 3rd entree the share, Alaskan Fish and Chips, which is fried white Alaskan fish served on a bed of fries with a side of coleslaw and tartar sauce. The fish and chips had a nice crunch to it, and it’s honestly what you would expect from fish and chips. However, what made this dish different from others fish and chips is probably the tartar sauce that came with it. I really don’t know much about tartar sauce if I’m being honest, but it was so good we scrapped that little sauce jar clean.

-Diane Taing (4/18/17)

FnG Eats

-Ambiance/Vibe: Casual, Great brunch spot, Comfy

-Service: Friendly, Approachable

-Food: 🥄🥄🍴🍴🍴🍴🍴/5

-Price Range: $$

This gem is a recently opened restaurant in Keller that is the newest place to be for upscale comfort food. Everything this restaurant does is so innovative and delicious, as the selections on the menu are some that I never could’ve imagined working so good together. The kitchen is even open for customers to have a front seat view at exactly what’s going into their meal. This was a place a great friend of mine, senior Josh Alpert, took me to over spring break for a nice Sunday brunch, and I’m glad he showed it to me because it is definitely a place everyone should try.

I’ve only been twice so far, but both times I’ve ordered the Macadamia Chicken and Cornbread waffles for my entree. And let me just tell you, this is the absolute BEST chicken and waffles I’ve ever had. The idea of making the waffles out of cornbread instead of just typical pancake mix is the best thing to ever happen on a plate and in my mouth. Despite the waffles already being amazing on their own, the macadamia battered chicken just completes the dish and makes it even more phenomenal. The chicken is cooked to perfection and is so juicy and full of flavor. Along with it, you get a side of gravy for the chicken and syrup for the waffles. For dessert, the bread pudding is some of the absolute best. It’s always made to order so you have to order it 30 minutes ahead of time to allow them time to bake it fresh for you. The bread pudding has tart cherries and chocolate in it, baked with bourbon whiskey. Overall, I highly suggest this place, especially for brunch!

From left to right: Chicken and waffles x2, Bread Pudding x2

-Diane Taing (4/3/17)

All About Cha

-Ambience/Vibe: Modern, Comforting, Great for studying

-Service: Warm and friendly

-Food:☕☕☕☕☕/5

-Price Range:$

Located in Southlake off of Randol Mill Ave. and W. Southlake Blvd, All About Cha is an underrated gem of its kind. It’s tucked in a little plaza right next to a Sprouts off the corner of the intersection of Davis Blvd. and Southlake Blvd. Its modern and trendy yet casual décor allow for versatility in a customer’s attire. By that, meaning that one can dress up or down, from athletic shorts and a t-shirt to one’s Sunday’s best. Serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as desserts and even sushi, they have an extremely well rounded menu. Paired with a large variety of drinks, this café is truly unique.

The menu of this place is one of the most impressive for a café. It’s got so much to choose from; every table in the shop has a thick menu on top of it, so you can take your time deciding before ordering at the counter. Their drink menu offers hot tea, smoothies, lattes and so much more. Along with that, they have an extensive breakfast, lunch and dinner menu. But that’s not all, they’ve got a whole case of desserts up at the front, along with some on the menu that must be ordered.

Most of the food/drinks there are all Korean inspired dishes/drinks. Drinks such as the Iced Yuja Lemon, and Mogua Blend. As for food, breakfast features crepes, wraps, and omelets, lunch/dinner includes salads, wraps, quiche, and sushi. And finally, dessert, there’s such a wide selection that one must simply go see themselves.

One of my first favorite drinks at this place was the Iced Black Royal Chai, which is Indian Black Tea brewed with milk, with hints of cinnamon, cloves , and other spices. This drink is like a mix of a chai latte and a milk tea, which is one of the best combinations that the amazing baristas at All About Cha have created. Another one of my favorites is the Korea Tropical, a tea blended with Korea’s most popular fruits: yuca, mogul, and plum. This drink is so refreshing and is the perfect amount of sweetness, just enough to excite your tastebuds, but not too much to put you on a sugar high. And finally, my current favorite drink is the Goguma Latte, a combination of green tea, goguma, and steamed milk. This latte was recommended to me by the amazing Josh Alpert! (he works there!). The latte is basically a sweet potato latte, and it’s one of the best drinks I’ve ever had. It’s so comforting and makes me want to fall asleep every time I have it because it simply warms my entire body and soul. The thought of a sweet potato latte may sound funny to some at first, but it’s a must try!!

Also, shoutout to seniors Josh Alpert and Daniel Shaw who work there!! (They rock).

From left the right: Iced Black Royal Chai, Iced Green Latte, Homemade Strawberry Cake, Tiramisu, Rose Tea, Goguma Latte (x2), Waffle, and Jasmine tea.

-Diane Taing (3/6/17)

Great Harvest Bread Co.

-Ambience/Vibe: Warm, Rustic, Homely

-Service: Friendly

-Food:🍞🍞🍞🍞🍞/5

-Price Range: $

I discovered this cute place on Yelp while I was in Southlake looking up bakeries around me at the time. Although this isn’t a typical bakery with cakes and all that, it’s a bread bakery (like the name of the store says). The idea of a bakery simply dedicated to bread really intrigued me, simply because I love bread (and most carbs in general). I didn’t really know what to expect from a bread bakery, as I was initially imagining something like a donut shop, but with loaves of bread instead of donuts. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I was wrong.

Tucked in a little strip just less than half a mile behind Southlake Town Square is where this little gem is located. This little bread bakery is also a restaurant that’s a wonderful place for breakfast/brunch with some friends, or even a place to go study at! Initially walking in, I noticed that the place just had a large emphasis on a rustic and hipster-like theme throughout the store; I liked it. Its furniture and setting features a lot of wood with many rustic inspired furnishings that tastefully decorate the store, making it look a lot more like a coffee shop type of set-up than simply a bakery. Its overall got a very laid back and casual feeling throughout the whole place, with a twist of homely-ness to it as well.

Walking up to the registers, the bakery’s workspace is open for all customers to see exactly what’s going in their food, which is something I love. Being able to see the bread loaves being baked and your breakfast sandwiches being put together is very comforting. In regards to the menu, it’s actually not simply a multitude of bread options, it had quite a variety of items; such as breakfast egg sandwiches, scones, paninis, coffee, and so much more. If anything, this place is more like a cafe than a bakery.

I ordered the breakfast egg sandwich on biscuit, which featured either bacon or smoked ham, egg, cheddar cheese, and garlic herb spread on a breakfast biscuit. You guys, this breakfast sandwich was seriously so good. It sounds basic in the description, but honestly I believe the biscuit MADE the sandwich. Because for the most part, bacon, ham, and eggs on a sandwich are usually made pretty similarly amongst most places. But this biscuit wasn’t a basic biscuit that you have with biscuits and gravy or whatever, this was a cheddar biscuit of some sort that is comparable to Red Lobster’s cheddar bay biscuits they give out as an appetizer (which I love). The biscuit itself was already so buttery and flavorful, and making that glorious lump of glory into a breakfast sandwich was a wonderful combination created by the bread gods. Having a good biscuit shine through the whole sandwich really showed me the effort and emphasis they have on their bread. Along with that I also ordered a vanilla latte to start my day. I wasn’t expecting much from it, but it was a pretty good latte to me. It had the perfect amount of sweetness to it (which isn’t too much for me), with the right amount of aroma from the coffee itself.

Overall, I definitely recommend this place for anyone and everyone, it’s such a casual and comfy place with good food and lovely vibes.

-Diane Taing (2/7/17)

GEN Korean BBQ House

-Ambience/Vibe: Modern, Contemporary, Hip

-Service: Attentive

-Food: 🍚🍚🍚🍚🍚/5

-Price: $$

The concept of this cool restaurant hails from the trendy and cultural country of South Korea. Known for its growing international popularity in music, fashion, and entertainment, South Korean culture is quickly making its impact in the U.S.; and in this case, it’s the food.

It’s located in Carrollton, which has many Korean markets, restaurants, bakeries, book shops.. etc. due to its large and growing Korean population there. But recently, Gen has stood out and been the place to go since it has opened here in Texas. Gen has been around for a few years prior to finally making its way to Texas, as it has many California locations, one in Nevada, Arizona, and even Hawaii. The popularity of not only Korean BBQ, but the trendy restaurant Gen itself is rapidly growing.

When you initially walk in, you will notice that the whole restaurant is filled with blue lights, giving the restaurant almost a “club-like” feeling and look to it. It is very modern with geometric furniture, decorations, and dark tables, floors and walls. When a waiter/waitress greets you, you may even notice that all of them wear all black, so classy. And depending on the time of day you go, it’s around $15.99 for lunch and $24.99 for dinner (all you can eat!). There might possibly be a wait since it’s usually pretty busy, but no worries, you can check out the shops and bakeries right in the same strip during your wait time.

Once you are seated, you may notice a round grill in the middle of your table. Which may seem bizarre to some people who’ve never heard of, or been to a Korean BBQ restaurant. But, yes, you cook the meat yourself! First thing they will do is lay down a lot of dishes, dips, and rice. These things come with the all you can eat meats, so don’t be that person who doesn’t know and tells them you “didn’t order them”. Because yes, they know you didn’t order them, it comes with it, and it’s a big thing in Korean cuisine, (side dishes that is). So when you receive a menu, you’ll notice that they have a wide selection of just meats. At Gen, they have you order your meat by “rounds”. Each round usually consists up to 4 orders of anything on the menu of your choice. (However, they do charge you extra if there is a large amount of leftover meat, so don’t go overboard towards the end.) Nonetheless, the meat there is high quality and is really good. The meats I highly recommend for everyone is: Beef Bulgogi (thinly sliced and marinated sweet and savory beef), Chicken Bulgogi (marinated sweet and savory chicken), Gen Chadol (Thinly sliced premium brisket), Samgyubsal (Premium Pork Belly), Red Wine Samgyubsal (marinated Samgyubsal with Red Wine), and the Gen Signature Yangyum Galbi (marinated bone-in short rib).

This place is a restaurant for anyone who loves meat, fresh food straight from the grill, and for simply a good time. It’s the perfect place to have a nice lunch/dinner with good friends and to bond over the grill.

-Diane Taing (1/23/17)

85°C Bakery Cafe

-Ambience/Vibe: Open, Welcoming, Cozy

-Service: Nice

-Food:🍞🍞🍞🍞🍞/5

-Price:$

This place is right in the same plaza as Gen Korean BBQ House, so I figured I’d mention this cute bakery too! 85°C originally started in California before finally making its way to Texas. This bakery has many Asian inspired pastries, a good fit for the town it’s in. There is usually a long line too since it’s so popular, but along the way you can admire the beauty and all the treats they have to offer.

So it’s not done like your typical bakery with a glass box and someone from the back having to get it for you (that is how the cakes are done though). But the majority of it is self serve. So first thing you do at the start of the line is to grab a tray and some tongs. Then as you make your way around the cases, you simply grab what you want! They’ve got a large selection of pastries, cakes, and even drinks! This place does it ALL, and I highly recommend it for anyone and everyone because there’s something for everyone.

One thing I will recommend for everyone to try is the BRIOCHE. This pastry is so light, fluffy, and sweet in just the right places. It’s one of 85°C top sellers and it’s absolutely amazing! (They also have a chocolate version for all you chocolate lovers out there).

-Diane Taing (1/23/17)

Sushi Axiom

-Ambience/Vibe: Subdued, Contemporary, “Date night” setting

-Service: Up to Snuff

-Food: 🍣🍣🍣🍣🍣/5

-Price Range: $$

Located on West 7th street in Ft.Worth in Montgomery Plaza, this hip sushi restaurant is in a little mall surrounded by a barber shop, tea shop, and many other urban places. Montgomery Plaza is a nice area to shop and live, as it’s little shopping square and restaurants underneath apartments is a nice taste of the downtown experience. Despite being near downtown, the parking in this area really isn’t too bad, as there are a few parking spots right in front of the restaurant and a small parking lot around the corner.

My initial thought when entering the restaurant was that it’s a perfect setting for a date. Now, I’ve been single forever so what do I know about that? But the waterfall at the entrance, dim lighting, contemporary vibe and overall sleek and classy look is what drew me to that conclusion. Someone who’s probably had more experience in that area might say otherwise, but that’s just how I felt about it.

After we were seated and served our drinks, when it became time to order our food, we went HAM. We ordered so many dishes/rolls I forgot most of what we ordered and eventually just shoved the rolls down as they came. Honestly it’s just slightly above average for a typical sushi restaurant but I really had no complaints on the food at all. However, I didn’t order any sashimi or nigiri because I wasn’t feeling it that night, so for all of the hardcore sushi lovers, I’m sorry I was basic. Overall though, the food was really fresh and good, and I enjoyed every minute of every roll in all of its glory.

-Diane Taing (1/10/17)

Velvet Taco

-Ambience/Vibe: Urban, Trendy, Unique

-Service: Welcoming

-Food:🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮/5

-Price Range: $

Located in Downtown Ft.Worth across the street from Montgomery Plaza is a cute little place called Velvet Taco. This taco joint isn’t a place where you’ll find a basic taco with the typical ground meat, cheese, lettuce, and tomato. These tacos are creative and untraditional, but in the best way ever.

First off, the parking space for this place is pretty small (it’s downtown, what do you expect?) so if you’re going to go with multiple people, I highly suggest carpooling. When you first walk in, look to your left because that’s where the large menu is, or get a small one from the front. The only reason I mention this is because there are so many great options that it’ll be hard to decide, so you’ll need some time. But the feel of the restaurant is super casual and urban. It fits really well with the trend of downtown Ft.Worth, which is a mecca of hipsters. Not the mention, there’s also an Urban Outfitters right across the street from this place. The tables around the restaurant are set up like a bar, long tables with tall individual seats facing the streets of the city. And the tables in the middle of the restaurant are similar, long wooden tables with tall seats, seating around 8-10 customers a table. Each table will have roughly 2-3 rolls of paper towels each, which you will inevitably use as you dive into your tacos.

Starting off for the food, I’m going to tell you now, GET THE CRISP TOTS & LOCAL EGG! It’s under the sides column, but it’s always a starter for me. This order sounds like what is it and more. It’s basically an order of tater tots topped with herbed goat cheese, bacon, smoked cheddar, chili butter, avocado crema, and finally a perfectly fried egg on top. It’s such a perfect combination of flavor, texture, and beauty. Also, who doesn’t love a good fried egg on everything? (I know I do). Another side that I highly suggest is the Elote corn: sweet corn smothered in queso fresco, cilantro, crema, Valentina, and lime. This is stuff is pretty good and addicting. It’s so smooth and creamy with a little kick of Valentina, it’s hard not to love.

Now for the main course, their tacos. Each of the tacos are a few bucks a piece ($3-$5) which isn’t that bad if you just have one, but it can add up pretty quickly; especially if you eat a lot. So one of the first tacos I ever got, because it was highly recommended, was the Rotisserie Chicken: shredded rotisserie chicken meat, topped with white queso, roasted corn pico, smoked poblano salsa, and cilantro all on a corn tortilla. This taco was pretty good; it’s packed with flavor, really juicy, and overall just awesome. It’s a pretty good taco to start out with to get an idea of how unique this place is. Also, they sell whole rotisserie chickens there, which is why it’s a staple. Every week or so, they have a special/featured taco that they don’t normally have on the menu. The only one I’ve tried was this pork one topped with mango and many other things. I don’t really remember exactly what it was called or what was exactly on it, but it’s pictured below. One of my brother and mine’s favorite is the Texas Akaushi Bacon Burger: half a hamburger patty, topped with peppered bacon, smoked cheddar, tomato, onion, lettuce, pickle, and Velvet sauce all on a flour tortilla. This taco is basically half of a normal burger wrapped in a flour tortilla instead of placed between 2 buns. But jeez, for a taco place replicating a burger, it’s so good. (In the pictures below, we ordered 3 of them. That’s how much we like it). Another beef taco I’ve had was the Grilled Flank Steak: cuts of flank steak topped with white queso, portobello mushrooms, grilled red onion, and mex-oregano, on a corn tortilla. This taco is pretty basic, it’s good but it’s not one of my favorites to be completely honest. Nonetheless, it’s still good. Its simplicity is something you can’t go wrong with. Next taco is a seafood one, the Shrimp and Grits: blackened shrimp topped with creole mayo, crispy pepper jack cheese grits, charred tomato poblano salsa, and micro cilantro on a corn tortilla. This taco’s flavor comes mainly from the charred tomato poblano salsa all over the shrimp, making the taco taste very fresh. The next, and last, taco I’ve had is one of my all time favorites, the Fish n’ chips: beer battered Atlantic cod drizzled with curry mayo, on a bed of malted french fries, house shred, and pea tendrils all on a flour tortilla. The crispy-ness of the fish is unbelievable, I love it all. And the curry mayo is really interesting, but it works so well with the flavor and texture of the fish and everything that goes along with it.

Finally you can finish off with dessert, a slice of red velvet cake. For someone that has a sweet tooth, this cake is pretty sweet. Their red velvet cake is good, but I must say, it’s DENSE. It doesn’t take much before your mouth is coated with the red cake on the roof of your mouth, but it’s worth it.

Velvet Taco has been highly rated in multiple big name magazines/newspapers. One of many being D Magazine, naming them one of the 10 Best New Restaurants in 2011.

-Diane Taing (11/14/16)

Twisted Root Burger Co.

-Ambience/Vibe: Retro, Country, Hipster

-Service: Friendly

-Food/Drink: 🍔🍔🍔🍔🍔/5

-Price range: $$

This burger place is so unique and full of options, with a great preselected burger menu and even a build your own burger option. That’s not even the most unique thing about it, because they carry exotic meats. I mean, honestly I thought buffalo meat on a burger was pretty cool (they have buffalo too), but their wide selection is phenomenal. To be specific: Venison, Elk, Lamb, Ostrich, Boar, Camel, Gator, Rabbit, Duck, Beaver, Kangaroo, and Emu. However, they have a different featured exotic meat each day so you can’t order any exotic meat at any time.

Alongside the burgers, of course, they have fries. They’re an average medium cut of fries that are nicely seasoned and not too starchy, which I like. Other sides to choose from are fried veggies, fried onion strings, sweet potato chips and fried pickles. Now, I honestly don’t like pickles at all, but those fried pickles are something else because I’m into them. Speaking of pickles, they have a pickle bar too; sounds random but it fits the Texas scene, since pickles are a big dill (lol) here.

For drinks, they have shakes that seem to be a big hit because if people are paying $5 a cup, they’re doing something right. I have personally not tried one yet, but it seems like people highly recommend them, as it’s a big part of the restaurant’s reputation as well.

Aside from the awesome food, the restaurant’s ambience is very casual with a little bit of a rustic feel to the decor and furniture. Wooden tables and benches/booths are surrounded by old timey portraits and other retro decor. This place is also pretty witty overall, as the whole restaurant has little puns and jokes around it, such as a picture of the rapper/actor Ice T on the iced tea dispenser. And the bathroom walls are filled with Chuck Norris jokes (at least the girl’s one is, not sure about the guys).

My experience- I’ve been to this restaurant a total of 3 times. The first time I built my own burger, which was an 8oz hamburger on a bakery bun, covered with american cheese and topped with avocado slices, garlic ‘shrooms, fried onion strings, and a fried egg. Sadly I don’t have a picture of my delicious creation but trust me when I say it was great. Because after that first experience, I’ve always highly recommended this place to everybody. Also, you can’t go wrong with a build your own burger because you’re literally putting together the things you like yourself.

The second time I ordered what was called The Freshman 15: A normal 8oz hamburger covered in melted cheddar, smashed fries, bacon and a fried egg. This burger to me just tasted like what I’m gonna be eating often in college, because it’s essentially everything I like simply put together. And the third time I ordered the Lots-A-Shroom: A normal 8oz hamburger simply covered with aged swiss and baby ‘bello mushrooms. Along with that I added a fried egg on top. (Can you tell I like fried eggs on my burgers?)

Twisted Root was voted best burger in D Magazine Reader’s Choice from 2011-2014 and in Dallas Observer 2008-2015.

Kindred Coffee Co.

-Ambience/Vibe: Cozy

-Service: Youthful, Kind

-Food/Drinks: ☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️/5

-Ability to study: 📚📚📚📚📚/5

-Price range: $

kin·dred

/ˈkindrəd/

noun

• 1. one's family and relations.

adjective

• 1. similar in kind; related.

Located off of North Tarrant Pkwy. and Davis Blvd., Kindred Coffee Co. has a very united and cozy feeling throughout the shop; making it the perfect place to hang out with friends, study, or simply enjoy a nice cup of coffee alongside homemade pastries.

On Fridays they have a student night from 2pm-close: show your student ID and get 25% off your purchase!

-Diane Taing (10/13/16)