The fiance and I ventured into J macklin’s after scoping out the local options for some good food in what we hoped were comfortable surroundings. When we walked into J macklin’s, it looked like we had scored. The only issue: we felt dirty and under-dressed for the place.
J macklin felt a touch upscale, though there were no white tablecloths in evidence. This neighborhood eatery might be the place to host a celebratory dinner without having to venture to the big city for some high-end grub. It seemed cozy and casual enough for a date as well.
The menu prices reflected the ambitions of the restaurant: upcharging for upscale renditions of familiar food. Not too many appetizers under $5; for the $10 price point you will find burgers and sandwiches, $12-15 for salads, and higher, you get some steaks and seafood. Was the food worth the price?
I was underwhelmed by the pulled pork sliders, finding them dry and bland. I found the sweet pickle spear that topped the sliders mighty tasty however…and I don’t generally like pickles. Since I felt like having a burger, I also ordered some sweet potato fries; both the fiance and I found them yummy, but not as memorable as the crinkle cuts at Jake’s.
The fiance ordered a barbecue brisket sandwich while I ordered a mushroom swiss, medium rare. Again, as with the sliders, I felt the brisket sandwich lacked moisture and zing…perhaps it was the unremarkable barbecue sauce that dressed it. The potato salad had a touch more bite to it, buttery potato chunks gently draped in a light mayo-mustard concoction. Could this be a signature of J macklin’s–uncomplicated and unpretentious flavors?
My mushroom-swiss burger came on what appeared to be a house-made bun, dripping with melted cheese and beef juices–and perfectly medium-rare as ordered. I was delighted by the basil mayo dressing and ordered more. I was also pleased by their house salad–not an iceberg lettuce salad, but with romaine and field greens. The shallot vinaigrette tasted honey sweet, but left me wanting for a real shallot taste.
The dining space was intimate, not too loud on our Sunday afternoon visit. The waitstaff was attentive and quick to check up on things. Based on our overall experience, I’d like to revisit J macklin’s and give the serious grub a try.
1223 W McDermott Dr Suite 75
Allen, TX 75013
(972) 747-0057
How did I miss reviewing this little neighborhood gem? Thai Pan has been my go-to for Thai food for over a year, and nothing I’ve ordered from them has disappointed. This little eatery in a strip mall off McDermott has been serving reliably good Thai food in modest, comfy surroundings. I can’t help but order their tom kha gai every time I visit; it’s a perfectly balanced sweet, sour and spicy soup with tender morsels of chicken and mushrooms. Some other favorites from their menu include spicy basil fried rice, panang curry, pad gra pow, and their sticky rice with custard. The customer service is attentive and friendly, the dining room is small yet inviting. Allen is one city that should find itself lucky in having a fine Thai restaurant such as Thai Pan.
921 N. Central Expy
Plano, TX 75075
(972) 422-4745
About a few years ago, Mongolian barbecue appeared on the dining radar. Asian restaurants added it to their menu of offerings, a couple of chains established outposts in the DFW. Genghis Grill happens to be one of the first chains in the area to offer Mongolian. At first, it was a hit.
Once upon a time I was enamored with the concept of prepping your own dish and watching the cooks slap it around the cooking stone while you and your friends enjoyed a drink, watching for your meal to finish. After a couple of years, Genghis Grill must have changed their format, charging a little more for their food in the process, providing a one-meal option on top of their all-you-can-eat. They still offer a variety of meats and seafood, including fake Krab, and a host of veggie and sauce options. They also thought adding tortilla to the starch/carb list was also a pretty good idea.
After a recent visit to the Plano outpost of Genghis Grill, I determined that much of the social aspect and Asian taste and feel was gone or just fakery. This location had football playing loudly on the TV at the bar…hardly any onlookers hung out at the stone cooktop. This location solidified my suspicion that Genghis Grill had succumbed to the fate of most chain restaurants: quantity over quality, safe and routine replacing daring and innovative.
On a particular visit, the dining room floors were so sticky, it made my skin crawl to walk on them every time I marched to the serving line. Apparently they thought it was a good idea to clean the kitchen during restaurant hours; an employee was brushing a 2 inch pool of dirty soap water behind the stone cooktop where my food was being cooked. That could’ve explained why nobody was interested in watching their food getting prepped–the sight of that dirty water in the kitchen was enough to dampen any appetite.
I don’t know if it was the teen- to twenty-something clientele lounging around in the booths like they owned the place, the disinterested waitstaff who couldn’t be bothered to refill our drinks and clean off our tables, or the loud rock music blaring from the bar that competed with the football game on the tube that turned me off, but all I know is that I can cook up a better dish at home and I won’t be back.
My rating: 1.5 stars
369 BBQ
4140 Legacy Dr # 310
Plano, TX 75086
(972) 618-8888
Formerly Treasure Chinese BBQ, 369 is the only Chinese bbq place I know of in the area that delivers on top of taking plastic! 369 is an amazingly happy discovery, serving some good Cantonese fare besides the basics. I pity the folks who don’t know anything else but Americanized Chinese, because 369 is a treasure house of good authentic Chinese food. Aside from their standards of roast duck and barbecue pork, they serve an excellent Beef steak in Peking sauce (Chinese style steak in First Chinese BBQ parlance) and good chinese broc with mushrooms. Other recommendations: seafood in spicy salt, walnut shrimp, shrimp in cheese sauce, vegetables and mushrooms in brown sauce. If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, 369 has an untranslated menu of dishes hanging from nearly every wall in the room–just ask for recommendations, it seems the folks at 369 are eager to help out. They are also very accommodating when it comes to modifying dishes.
Plano has few tasty Chinese BBQ options that honor credit cards and deliver too…thankfully, Plano has 369 BBQ.
With the pending move to a house, my excitement builds with the thought of landscaping and gardening. Salvias have been on the top of my shopping list so far…and I am eager to obtain some rare cultivars to add to the flower beds.
Unfortunately, I have to report that the my potted salvia are scraggly and dropping leaves. The white one in particular I had to prune down to a couple of stalks after a fierce rainy season drowned it in its pot. I can’t wait to set these plants free in the landscape.
The first genetically engineered blue rose will hit Japanese markets in November. Sadly, the rest of the world won’t get to see this bioengineered lilac-blue marvel until 2011. Still I’m always eager to try out my hand at rose gardening…and if I had a choice, this would be the first of them. Now if only they can engineer some blue lilies or daylilies someday. Florigene has already done it with roses and carnations!
