There are many reasons for eating at Snuffer’s and very few reasons not to. What recommends this place is their menu of reliable bar food: their burgers are meaty and juicy, and prepped the way you order them. Their loaded cheddar fries are gut-bustingly delicious…the best I’ve had in town. The downside of Snuffer’s is that it IS a bar, so if you dislike that atmosphere, best to steer clear. However, Snuffer’s knows that their food is well-received, and at this Addison location, they can seat you as far away from the alcohol as possible, patio seating is possible. This particular location is frequented by bar hoppers, sports watchers, and families alike, so it tends to be crowded and noisy especially on weekends. What not to order here: onion fries. We sent our plate of cakey, flavorless onion straws back to the kitchen with our apologies. Of all our burger adventures, Snuffer’s has proven to be the best.
Mooyah really doesn’t have much going for it, except the cute name and the family-friendly setup. Burgers here were just average fare…overpriced for unimpressive thin patties. Shakes were barely memorable. The only standout was their in-house cut fries…and I admit those were tasty. If you’re looking for a “kid-safe” environment, Mooyah would suffice…but those quarter-pound burgers are probably too much for the little ones. Good thing they have grilled cheese and hot dogs on the menu. Gourmet burgers Mooyah serves not…mooove on!
Every dining adventure involves the risk of failure, turning hungry appetites into disappointing encounters. Such was my visit to Dimassi’s, a newly opened Mediterranean buffet in Far North Dallas. The buffet line was piled high with food for a 5pm dinner, and the dining room was conspicuously vacant, save for a couple of patrons…a bad sign for a weekend evening. An axiom about buffets: the more food left sitting out, the worse the food tastes. And so it was with Dimassi’s: rock-hard cold pita bread, overly dried chicken kabobs, soggy fried cauliflower and countless of other tasteless offerings (their rice pudding was so heavy with rosewater that it was nigh inedible). There was no turnover on the buffet line the entire time I was there…and why would there be, when the food was so horribly neglected in their chafing trays? I wondered if the evening crowd would be treated to the same repast as my dining companion and me. The only bright notes on their buffet were their garlic sauce and baba ghanoosh, an unidentifiable rice dish with boned chicken and pine nuts, and their passable baklava. Thankfully the price of the buffet was under $12 a person…we made sure that we left no tip for the non-existent customer service. An okay place for filler, bad place for authentic Mediterranean food.
I just recovered from a week of back issues when suddenly my pup decided to follow suit. Dandy went into the vet on Friday after 4-5 days of decreased mobility. She occasionally yelped if she moved suddenly or if Doogie collided into her. She slowly, very carefully, climbed up and down curbs when out for a walk. As much as tried to poke and prod her to see where the pain might be, she didn’t react. The veterinarian revealed some concerns that she may be suffering from a common ailment in dachshunds. Spondylosis was one item listed on her chart. Anyway, Dandy received a pain-killer shot and is currently on steroids. The vet prescribed strict crate rest and no activity for a week. That’s a tough thing to do if you’re an active-lifestyle pup!
I have to mention that ever since I’ve patronized Dickey’s begging for the “off-the-point” brisket, they have never failed me. In particular, the counter man at the Carrollton location has consistently provided me with the fattiest, juiciest, surprisingly flavorful brisket every time I’ve asked. (Even the Wylie location has delivered some moist flavorful brisket on at least 2 occasions that I remember.) Even when I’m feeling dangerously adventurous, I’ve found that their flat cut brisket has also been moist, tender and smoky. So I have to credit Dickey’s for being consistent and delivering some decent restaurant-chain barbecue. Sausage is just plain, almost grocery-store quality…and their spuds–like their sides–at times can be rather dry and forgettable. In any case, come here for the meat and you won’t have too much to complain about. Just remember how to order it.
Having heard that call-ahead seating is a requirement for Uncle Julio’s, I had the fiance set up a “reservation” at the Allen location on a Friday night. I expected it to be busy, but I also expected UJ to follow through on our seating arrangements. No such luck–we called at least 40 minutes ahead and still had to wait another 20 minutes, all the while enduring the horrendous noise and standing-room-only crowds. Definitely not a place for date night. I only hoped that the fajitas we were about to consume would make up for the uncomfortable surroundings. It almost did.
We were treated to the house special fajitas with lobster tail for our visit. However, we were disappointed by the rather frugal amount of combination steak and chicken, despite how tasty it was. There was barely any onions on the not-so-sizzling platter, and I think I managed to create 1.5 fajitas out of the platter we shared. We were pleased however to get tortillas freshly made from their machine…I began to use their tortillas as filler, dunking it in their average salsa until I discovered that it tasted better in the butter sauce accompanying our lobster. Overall, the fajitas may have tasted good but it was not our best fajita-dining experience–too little for too much dinero. One positive: our server was very prompt with refills and took care to stop by regularly to check on us, despite the tremendously busy dining room.
Perhaps next time we will remember to purchase their fajitas by the pound and just order out to avoid the crowds. Hopefully we will get more palate-pleasing bang for our buck. But for now, our best fajita hunt continues.
The past few days has seen Dandy in a lethargic state. She doesn’t appear to be in any pain, but she has been unusually quiet and walking very slowly. This is a sudden change from her usual bouncy/loud self. Previously, it was hard enough to keep up with her on our morning jogs, but now, I can’t even convince her to break out of a walk. Occasionally, she will just set her bottom down on the grass and just watch me walk away. Happily, her appetite hasn’t changed and she is friendly as ever. What concerns me is she is trembling quite a bit and when around sudden movement, she will yelp as if afraid or hurt. She still has an affinity for squeaky toys, though she is less aggressive with them. She has yet to destroy the loofa pup I gave her last night as a distraction. Definitely a concern.
1915 N Central Expy Ste 600
Plano, TX 75075
(972) 423-3699
The fiance and I entered this place for an adventure in dining on a Monday evening near closing time. We were looking for some good gumbo and hoped to find some other tasty Cajun plates.
While I hoped for more from Fishmongers, I have to report that their menu lacked fire and spice, like their gumbo. Their clam chowder, while exceptionally creamy, lacked the seafood flavors I was craving…and hardly meaty at all. Their gumbo was just a drab brown rice soup with some chunks of seafood, but no zing whatsoever.
I did however enjoy their coconut shrimp appetizer, decent sized specimens lovingly fry-coated in crisp coconut and paired with a sweet ginger marmalade. The signature blue crab fingers however tasted like frozen crab after being doused in a garlic-butter sauce. I imagine it was sauced heavily to disguise the one-dimensional blandness…and to provide an excellent dunking sauce for their heavily-laden garlic bread. Garlic lovers rejoice!
I found their caesar salad less than stellar as well–no anchovies here–though I was pleased they used shredded romaine and removed croutons upon request. I think I regret that decision now, given that their croutons were of the same source as their garlic bread.
The fiance got their baked salmon in a lemon dill cream sauce while I got their mahi-mahi in creole cream sauce. The fiance’s salmon turned out tasty, even though it was baked (I almost prefer salmon otherwise) and the cream sauce only enhanced the character of the fish. My mahi on the other had was disappointing–the creole cream sauce had too much of a bitter-sour tang that detracted from the beautifully blackened fish. I had to pick out the shrimp and crab chunks from the tart tasting sauce…and left me wholly dissatisfied with the meal.
This is what I get for not ordering salmon. I can’t judge Fishmonger’s based on that single plate…I’m willing to try them again given their close proximity to home and their fine customer service. But I do wish they had some spicier food to make it a truer Cajun dining experience.
