Technical

SPF challenges continued

Getting email accepted by another domain has become quite a headache for systems administrators. Because of security issues, mail servers have had to clamp down on who exactly will be permitted to send mail to their users. I’m still encountering intermittent problems with some domains accepting our emails; although the big offenders like AOL and MSN/Hotmail have been largely resolved with the simple addition of SPF records to our DNS zones. However, two more providers have cropped up in my attempts to get my users open email access everywhere. Some ISPs such as consolidated.net have a baffling bounceback message either referencing an old (perhaps retired) RBL server or a cryptic, generic refusal. Whereas GoDaddy, one of the biggest domain registrars out there, has some strict requirements and configurations that I’m still trying to guess at.

I’ve added via WHM more SPF records via TXT type to not only the main domains and parked domains, but also to their nameserver records and to the hostname DNS records as well. Anything that has the remote chance of showing up in a header check now has a SPF record. Here’s to hoping I made some progress.

Dining, Reviews

Bargain Rodizio

Delicias Brazil

2315 W Airport Fwy
Irving, TX 75062
(972) 255-3714

The fiance and I have only visited once, on a Sunday lunch, and our visit was memorable for all the wrong reasons.

First off, we were taken aback to discover our host was ex-Rafain…happy to know that he was venturing out on his own and pleased to get the same level of service.

Perhaps my expectations were too high for budget Brazilian. Perhaps at the time Delicias was still new, trying to find its stride, but that doesn’t excuse the rather forgettable rodizio. I just couldn’t enjoy anything from the meat parade to request a second serving.

I tried everything off the buffet tables, but nothing agreed with me–pastas, salads, authentic stews and casseroles, desserts. I have never been dismayed or put off by traditional dishes, and I even love flan…but meh, these plates were bland and uninteresting! Even the cauliflower tasted rotten! My sole consolation was the cheesy bread–at least they kept me from starving (difficult to comprehend for a rodizio).

It’s nice to see that the ethnic community has embraced Delicias. On our visit, several Brazilian families came in to patron the place…but it soon became evident that the dining room is too small, and slowly becoming claustrophobic with the number of skewer-wielding attendants clogging the aisles.

The biggest slip came at check time, when we discovered that the restaurant register couldn’t process credit card receipts. Everything then had to be processed through the front-end grocery store’s register…which would have been tolerable…had it not taken more than half an hour to accomplish. One neighbor patron was so unhappy with the arrangement that he kept flagging down any of the restaurant staff for assistance–he had been kept waiting for nearly an hour trying to check out.

The manager and host were humbly apologetic, but this experience soured us on any future visits. Even the coupon I brought with me went unused, as we tried to hurry our way out the door.

My rating: 1.5 stars
*1/2

Dining, Reviews

This crepe’s for YOU

Crepes 4 U

240 Legacy Dr # 218
Plano, TX 75023
(972) 517-9100

Fake Yelp reviews? I don’t know about that. Perhaps the high marks aren’t about the food.

I for one was completely taken in by the owner’s bubbly enthusiasm and outgoing friendliness. Every visit guarantees a lively conversation, while you watch him make your crepes on the spot.

I did enjoy chowing down on his freshly made ice cream and fruit crepes–that delicious contrast of warm and cold, crispy and soft–but it took a freezer outage to discover the true gems on his menu: the savory crepes — which the owner ought to promote more. The next time I’m in the area, I hope to see an expanded menu.

My rating: 3.5 stars
***1/2

Dining, Recipes

Basil Garlic Mayonnaise

It’s been awhile since I posted a recipe for anything, so to get rolling on this, I’m starting with something easy.

Something about growing your own herbs in your own backyard makes for truly delightful home cooking. Basil has been the easiest to grow in our Texas climate, and I have 3 varieties of them in our herb garden: Sweet, Thai and Lime. With plenty of sun, good soil and regular watering, 2 basil plants is plenty enough for your summer menus. I usually harvest the leaves by trimming the tops, and the basil responds by putting out new growth within a couple of days.

Because we’ve been doing a lot of grilling lately, I’ve been kicking up my burgers with a basil-garlic-mayo concoction. Goes great with deli sandwiches, egg, and tuna salad too.

Handful of Sweet Basil (1/2 cup)
10-15 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 small lemon (or lime), halved
1/2-2/3 cup of mayonnaise
ground black pepper
salt
sriracha sauce (optional)
1 tablespoon mustard (optional

Chop the garlic and basil, then place in food processor. Pulse until finely chopped, drizzle in olive oil and squeeze in juice from half a lemon. Continue to pulse-blend until a paste–or leave finely chopped if you would like some color and texture in your mayo spread. Pour basil-garlic paste into a bowl, mix in mayonnaise. Squeeze in the other half of lemon juice . Season with pepper and salt. For a little heat, add a squeeze of sriracha sauce.

For other variations, I’ve halved the amount of sweet basil and used lime basil to give this mayo more punch. Instead of lemon or lime, I’ve used mustard instead.

Dining, Reviews

Thai dining Irving and Carrollton

Coconut Thai Grill

2512 E Belt Line Rd
Carrollton, TX 75006
(972) 418-8424

The fiance and I took off for lunch at this Thai grill for a dining adventure. The restaurant resides in what appears to be a renovated Long John’s Silvers shack, done up in bright green paint. The interior was also refreshed with modern furniture and lively paint scheme to coordinate with their banana-and-coconut-themed paintings. Seeing the effort put into decorating the place made me confident in knowing that management intends to make this a successful venture.

On to the menu. We tackled the chicken satay for an appetizer, then I ordered the house special Coconut chicken while the fiance sampled their blackboard special of Yellow Curry. As is our experience with any skewered meat, the chicken satay went down in a few gulps–good stuff!–then we looked around hungrily for more. I had already regretted my omission of my typical Tom Kha chicken soup, and so pounced on the eggrolls that accompanied our meals. After making short work of the eggrolls, both of us dived into our meals with gusto. And what meals they were!

I haven’t had a coconut chicken dish like this in recent memory, but Coconut Thai’s fantastic rendition is worthy of praise. The marinated grilled chicken paired excellently with a slightly sweet and tangy sauce, and I confess to enjoying the mixed greens salad that went with it. The fiance also declared the Yellow curry special to be above-average and I had to check myself from saucing up the rest of his curry dregs on my rice. We were both so pleased with our lunches yet hungry enough to order a third dish, pad thai pork, just to see if they could serve up a capable noodle dish. I am entirely pleased to report that they mostly succeeded, except for their strange exclusion of crushed peanuts that is so indicative of pad thai dishes.

Coconut Thai Grill definitely surprised us and we will gladly return to try out more of their other menu specials.

My rating: 4.0 stars
****

Best Thai

7447 North MacArthur Boulevard
Irving, TX 75063
(972) 910-8846‎

I remember Best Thai from their original Addison location, though I’m not sure if this is the same restaurant that quadrupled their footprint in DFW or a totally different venture.

Armed with comfortable memories of the original “Best Thai” I convinced the fiance to try out this outpost in Irving, to see if lived up to my expectations.

Sadly, my impressions of Best Thai aren’t entirely positive. Best Thai seems to have capitulated to the practice of serving “neighborhood” quality food…fast, easy and convenient to the blocks of apartments and condos surrounding it. I can’t say that it is the “best” Thai food I’ve ever eaten, but in a pinch, it works.

The fiance and I ordered a bowl of their coconut chicken soup, a rendition that seemed devoid of the typical coconut creamy sweetness and citrusy tang of lemongrass that I’m used to. Best Thai complicates their version by adding onions and a heavier hand at the fish sauce. While it wasn’t a bad soup, it was too brothy to be considered a proper Tom Kha Gai.

I also feel disappointed with their Thai garlic chicken, a flavorful dish in which the vegetable-to-meat ratio measured nearly 10-to-1. I couldn’t help but feel cheated as I scrounged through the plate looking for pieces of chicken. My tongue also missed the 4-star heat advertised as hot, making me wish I had tried the 5-star very spicy option. My fiance fared much better however with his Bangkok Special, a chicken with broccoli plate nicely flavored with peanut sauce.

With one server bussing the dining room, which was quickly filling up with the Monday dinner crowd, we didn’t stay for dessert. I didn’t think they had a dessert menu anyway, and I am less inclined to return and find out.

My rating: 2.5 stars
**1/2