Dining, Reviews

Catching up on dining reviews, pt 1

Time to record some of my adventures in dining in the past few months:

Little Sichuan Cuisine

240 Legacy Dr #302
Plano, TX 75023
(972) 517-1374

Hot. Chili. Oil. This bastion of Sichuanese cuisine in Far North Plano bests my original source for spicy Chinese food (Sichuanese Restaurant off Coit). I’m revisiting this spot in another review due to my close proximity to Little Sichuan, and their success in keeping up the good food. One of my favorite appetizers are the Chengdu dumplings, which never fails to leave me with a smile. On past visits I’ve sampled the dry sauteed beef, guaranteed to fire up the taste buds, various veggie dishes such as the Garlicky water spinach, pork with string beans, and eggplant dishes, and the five-alarm-tripping beef with cabbage in spicy chili sauce. Even the milder options on the menu, such as their asparagus soup, fried rice, and garlic chicken were memorable. One thing to remember is to balance the hot with the tame, so that you don’t scorch your tongue off before the meal is finished. It’s also prolly a good idea to order more steamed rice, as I love drenching my rice in chili sauce. Thankfully, the staff is quick on refilling glasses of water. The downside to dining here: a cash-only policy if your check totals less than $30.

My rating: 4.5 stars
****1/2

Mumtaz Indian Restaurant & Bar

214 W Campbell Rd
Richardson, TX 75080
(214) 575-2100

An Indian restaurant that delivers? You mean I can order my Indian food online too? Rarely does an Indian restaurant astonish me as much as Mumtaz does. But it’s true! You can order your meals online and pick it up–or have it delivered. I had to visit Mumtaz to give it a try…and as luck would have it, I visited on a Monday when the buffet only costs $5.99. They had a modest buffet, with a balance of meats and veggies…and there wasn’t an option I didn’t try. They had the juiciest tandoori chicken that I’ve ever had…and their goat curry was simply delicious, and not bony like other places I’ve tried. I enjoyed everything about their buffet…including their signature puddings and…who would’ve thought I would go crazy over cream of wheat? But it was so buttery delicious, I helped myself to another serving. Mumtaz is quite a gem of a discovery, and it seems other patrons think so too…the place appears packed every day for lunch. I can’t wait to try their dinner menu!

My rating: 4.0 stars
****

Chow Thai Restaurant

5290 Belt Line Rd Ste 144
Dallas, TX 75254
(972) 960-2999

Chow Thai is a billed as Thai fusion restaurant, and the billing is apt. For the most part I stuck with the decidedly Thai offerings on the menu, though I made up my mind that on future visits to try out their sea bass preparations. My dinner companion recommended the place because he had frequented Chow Thai regularly for lunch when he worked in the area. I had completely missed this little restaurant when I lived nearby. Thankfully I had an opportunity to finally visit. As usual, I ordered my old standby: Tom Kha Soup, which was capably executed. I will never complain of chicken coconut soup rendered so well (perhaps I should hook myself to a tom kha IV from now on). My companion had the White Pepper and Garlic Seafood while I stuck to my guns and ordered Panang Curry Beef. Again, both entrees were perfectly executed and delicious. To top off the meal, we devoured their sticky rice with custard, which my partner hadn’t tried before. It was a pleasing sweet ending to a delightful meal.

My rating: 4.0 stars
****

Dining

Challenge: dining on a dollar…or two!

Hard times call for drastic measures. Budgets are tight, and I realize I have cabinets full of condiments and ingredients waiting to be used. I’ve decided that it’s time to get creative. Utilizing an intial budget of $10 a week, I am resolved to craft tasty meals for one person each day, based around the notion that if I have to spend anything on ingredients that day…it will not exceed $2. Because of sites like AllRecipes.com, I’m inspired to come up with some creative plates based on as few ingredients as possible, yet be healthy and filling. Who would have thought something like Pad Thai Noodles, Garlic Parmesan Macaroni and Fried Rice could be found from my own cupboards yet still be deliciously homey?

This week I spent a total of $11 at the local grocery store. Milk, eggs, 2 boxes of pasta, an onion, a bag of peas and carrots, a jar of Ragu tomato sauce, 2 heads of garlic, and 8oz of shredded parmesan. I already whipped up my standard fried rice based on one theme ingredient: a can of whole water chestnuts. It turned out like my typical fried rice (garlic, onions, eggs, peas and carrots, pepper, garlic salt, dash of fish sauce and sweet soy), except I’m thinking I should have sliced the chestnuts for a more homogenous crunch throughout. And being the type of person who ends up making more than usual, I have enough leftover for another day! Yay me!

Ye Olde Garden

The gardening bug hits again

Well, living in an apartment certainly has not quelled my fancy for gardening. I bought an Asahi Zuru acer palmatum 5-gallon specimen late October 2008 from Forestfarm. In the transport, it went into shock and dropped all its leaves. I potted it and left it in my shady patio, and all winter long I made sure to water it weekly. Of course now that it’s February, and the weather has become pleasant again, I’m filled with dread and anxiety that I am stuck with another skeleton of a Japanese Maple. This weekend I’ll be inspecting the tree for deadwood and will do some careful pruning to hopefully ease the burden on it. I found some very good cultivation and pruning guides at Davidsans and Oregonlive.

I’ve also been shopping around for Calla lilies to try on the patio. Both PacificCallas.com and ZCallas.com appear to possess a good selection of bulbs to try. I’m thinking I’d like to find some red and orange flowering varieties to go with my red salvias. But the blush, pink and white of the japanese maple begs for some calla coordination as well.

Also, another upside to my shady patio: I can now give caladiums a try!

Who would’ve thought I would be resurrecting the gardening section of this site?

Bites and Finds, Dining

Charleston Cheesecake

I didn’t get to sample much of the local cuisine on my trip to SC this weekend, but I did manage to consume something that had “Charleston” in its name. Apparently it’s a signature dessert on many a Charleston menu…so it must be decidedly very “Charleston-ish”. Charleston cheesecake seemed to be largely caramel-based, something apparently found in great abundance in South Carolina. The cheesy creaminess had a dark brown sugar cast to it, caramel pervades the entire dish. Something I was pleased to find out: Charleston cheesecake pairs wonderfully with strawberries.