Will Work For Lunch

Canton Chinese Restaurant

2008-05-23T16:48:00.003-05:00

This chinese restaurant finds itself in what looks to be an old American diner from 50 years ago but now resides in the middle of Richardson's Chinese/Vietnamese district. It was a while back we ate there so remembering exactly what each of us had is a bit difficult. (Especially since Nik didn't take pictures.) However, it wasn't difficult to remember how delicious the food was. Nik had some kind of flat noodle dish that looked reminiscent of Pad Kee Mow but with a distinguishable chinese flare. David ate something completely unrememberable but I'm sure tofu was found in it somewhere. I had either spicy pork or spicy chicken. Either way it was white meat and fantastic. David and I ordered off the lunch menu which came with rice and an egg roll. I could barely eat all of mine. Nik ordered a larger dinner portion.

The hot and sour soup is some of the best I've ever had. I acknowledge that the food is "Americanized" but that can only means an improvement over most traditional chinese dishes. America has a tendency to almost always improve on imported cuisine.

Afterwards David and Nik wanted to visit a nearby "bubble tea" shop. I don't remember what they got but mine was a nightmare. I thought I'd be adventurous and try the plumb drink. How could I go wrong with that? Boy was I wrong...it tasted like a salty, hard plumb candy. I might as well have been sucking down salt water! Those crazy Taiwanese.

Masami

2008-02-05T17:38:00.001-06:00

Today we decided to go somewhere we have never been before, a Japanese restaurant named Masami that Daryl had noticed. The food was really good and the menu had a lot of interesting choices on it. Daryl got the Bento Box lunch, teriyaki chicken/salmon with tempura, rice, soup, salad, and california rolls. DMC ordered the Butter Salmon Yaki and Shrimp Tempura combination but our waitress misunderstood him and brought a salmon dish with mushrooms on it, sans the shrimp tempura. It came with rice and mashed potatos but don't forget that DMC doesn't eat mushrooms... I had a Onaka Don, a rice dish with chicken, onions and eggs.

Bagelstein's

2007-10-30T13:07:00.000-05:00

The first time I went to Bagelstein's I was expecting it to be like Einstein Bros Bagels but I was pleasantly surprised to see it was more like Deli News or Cindi's. Today the lunch crew (sans Daryl who felt he should work instead) went to check it out. How was it? Maybe you should check out the COMIC to find out since we didn't take any pictures.

Today's comic was inspired by the amazing Dinosaur Comics.

Queen of Sheba

2007-10-24T13:00:00.000-05:00

Me and Daryl decided to try another Ethiopian place for lunch since Nik couldn't do lunch. Nik wouldn't have gone anyway. I think he hates Ethiopians. Maybe he was teased by Ethiopians when he was a kid. Or maybe Nik's adventures in Ethiopia are something he'd rather not remember. Anyway, the point is that Nik was not there.

We started out with an order of Sambusas. They were pretty tasty I thought. They were filled with a spicy meat and came with a spicy bean & tomato side. I guess as a sauce or topping. For entrees Daryl got the lamb stew and I got the spicy braised beef. Our dishes ended up looking almost identical although there were slightly different colors. It was decent but I think I enjoyed the little veggie sides more than the beef. I think I'll go with the veggie plate next time. Daryl doesn't usually like the Injera bread but he thought it was ok here.

Assault on Preston/Royal

2007-10-10T18:36:00.000-05:00

While it may look like we've been totally slacking over the past few (many?) months, we have indeed tried some new restaurants. However, the refusal of some members (Daryl) to fulfill their posting duties has led to a severe backlog in posting.

Anyway, onto catching up. Sometime in the last few months we discovered that there are a ton of restaurants in the Preston/Royal area. A ton! We made an effort to visit almost all of the them.

1. Gazeebo Burger. Why is it called gazeebo burger? Because they've got a gazeebo outside, that's why. Duh. Why is their plano location called gazeebo burger? I have no idea. They have pretty good burgers. I always get the turkey burger with avocado and cheese.

2. Chef Wok - Pretty standard americanized chinese food. Nothing special.

3. Natalie's - A little tea room restaurant. Each table has a unique teapot on it. They have a pretty good CFS. As a starter you get a roll and a cinnamon roll. The fruit salad is also good.

4. Popolo's Jazz Cafe - Pretty good but maybe a little to fancy for this shorts/t-shirt luncher. I had a steak sandwich that was tasty.

5. Best Thai - A tiny thai place. Pretty good for takeout. Too small for a group lunch.

Already reviewed: Pompano's Seafood, Neuhaus Cafe, Fish City Grill, Purple Cow, Cantina Laredo?, Rio's Fine Tex Mex
Still to go: A sushi place just opened. Le Rendezvous. Royal China. The place next to Gazeebo Burger.

El Pollo Feliz

2007-10-09T17:56:00.000-05:00

I finally decided I need to try eating at El Pollo Feliz. I've always been a little wary of this place but it is conveniently located within walking distance of my office. Besides, it's been open in the same spot for years so it's got to have something going for it.

El Pollo Feliz has somewhat puzzling array of greek food (gyros), tex mex and grilled chickens. I stopped by twice. On the first trip I tried greek. It was actually pretty decent. On the second trip I tried some chicken enchiladas. They weren't as good but were still edible. I should probably try the chickens at some point since that seems to be their specialty.

They also have Horchata and a tamarind drink. The horchata was pretty tasty. I was going to try the tamarind on my 2nd visit but they were out.

It helps to speak spanish to order here.

Pompano Seafood Restaurant

2007-08-06T00:38:00.001-05:00

Thought we would be a little daring and try a new seafood place. Not that it was a great day to be adventurous since we had a “lunch guest” with us. Jeremy Kooistra was visiting from Memphis. Jeremy and I met up with David, Thomas and Brad. Nik was at a doctor’s appointment. (Or so he says.)

After our drinks were ordered bread was brought out. Nice and tasty. I opted for the special of the day since I never do that. It was lightly breaded flounder served with al gratin potatoes. The potatoes were good however the “fresh” flounder tasted like burnt fish stick that had been sitting in the freezer four months past their expiration date. Jeremy and Thomas got the tuna sandwich (pictured) which they said was good. I don’t remember what Brad got but David had a sea food enchilada. It looked much better than the nastiness on my plate but I don’t remember DMC finishing it so it must have only made a “passing” grade.

All in all I don’t think this establishment meets up to its grand review from Guidelive.com. I wouldn’t add this to our regular lunch rotation. It is after all, a seafood restaurant in Dallas…go figure.

Rio's Fine Tex-Mex Restaurant

2007-05-04T16:38:00.000-05:00

We went to Gazebo Burger the other day for lunch (where's the post? ask Daryl! That slacker hasn't posted in months!) and saw this little Tex-Mex restaurant across the parking lot. Even though there is a sign that says "Hole in the Wall Entrance" that points right at the door, I had a little trouble finding my way into the place. The restaurant seems really small, you pretty much step into the kitchen from the front door. The food, however, was quite good. I ordered the "Dallas", a combination plate of a shredded chicken burrito, chicken enchilada and a shredded chicken chalupa. Daryl ordered a beef chile relleno and DMC ordered a thing with chunks of meat in a sauce. I think this place should definitely have a permanent spot in the lunch rotation, we don't go for Tex-Mex often enough!!

Greenz

2007-04-23T18:25:00.000-05:00

Today felt like a healthy lunch day so we tried out the new location of Greenz at Forest/Preston. Greenz is another restaurant that makes me feel like I'm eating at some trendy store in the mall. The kind of store that has generic synth beats pumping through the clean contemporary interior. Do I need to put on some designer sunglasses before I step up to the counter? Anyway, I just want a salad and salads are what Greenz are about. I tried the Warm Pear and Goat Cheese salad. Pear & goat cheese is one of my favorite combos. It was really good and I think it was more healthy than a chicken fried steak. Definitely a winner when it comes to healthy lunch day.

WWFL SF - Zazie

2007-04-22T14:28:00.000-05:00

Today's quest to find a cure for hunger brought us to Zazie, a quaint little french place known for its brunch (one of the best types of lunch). The atmosphere was cozy although as I scanned the room I couldn't help but feel like I was entering a hipster wannabe fashion show. Perhaps that is just life in SF.

First I tried the gingerbread pancake. It came topped with a cooked bosc pear and lemon curd. Wow it was good! Next up was french toast with caramelized banana and walnuts. Very nice, I like! They both had a nice balance of flavor and sweetness. If I lived in SF I would come here again to try the other things on the menu I didn't get to.

Oh, and Natalie Portman showed up to eat with her friends while we were lunching. She seemed refreshingly down to earth in her inconspicuous outfit (comfy sweats). Total hotness and good lunch taste, what a package! I didn't take any pictures of her but I did get this shot of the main attraction:

WWFL should really consider relocating to SF and making lunch a full time profession.

Sprinkles

2007-04-20T15:00:00.000-05:00

As we approached Sprinkles Cupcakes (of Beverly Hills) a few things ran though my mind. Sprinkles specializes in cupcakes (hence the name) and only cupcakes. At $3.50 per cupcake it is definitely on the upscale end of things. Perhaps it is Highland Park's version of a donut shop. It certainly has style but would it deliver on the cupcakes? Could they be the God of Cupcakery? The line out the door seemed to suggest so and there was only one way to find out.

Sprinkles offers a wide assortment of cupcake flavors making it almost impossible to buy just one. I went for the pumpkin and dark chocolate cupcakes. Nik decided to go all out and get a whopping 13 cupcakes. I don't think anyone got the $2.50 for your dog cupcakes.

The pumpkin cupcake was quite delicious. The cake by itself tasted somewhat lacking but when combined with the frosting reached just the right balance of tastiness and sweetness. I need to wait for my body to recover from sugar shock before I try the dark chocolate.

So is Sprinkles the God of Cupcakery? I think it will take a few more tasty cupcakes to find out. Until then I think it is safe to declare it the best Beverly Hills based cupcake only shop in Dallas.

Sprinkles

2007-04-20T14:41:00.000-05:00

This is a Gundam RX-78 Type Ka and a Dark Chocolate Cupcake.
I think DMC will be posting some pictures soon.

The Sounds Of Lunch

2007-02-24T02:05:00.000-06:00

Yum.

Flying Fish

2006-11-04T16:39:00.000-06:00

Wow, I know, I know, we've been lazy and haven't kept the lunch posts up to date. Don't worry, no lunches were missed. The Flying Fish was a new place for us. It turned out to be really good! The Crawfish Chowder was creamy, gumboey goodness. Brad ordered some sandwich thing, I forgot to ask what. DMC ordered some fried thing (not paying attention again, really getting rusty with this lunch blog thing) and replaced his french fries with fried okra. I had fried catfish and fried oysters which were really good. The baskets come with a few hush puppies too. I'm definitely looking forward to the next time we go. They also had picture of a dish they called Waxahachi Trailer Trout, a can of sardines surrounded with saltine crackers. Don't know if it was a joke or not but it was 7.99 for those that are intrigued.

AY-CHUNG FLOUR RICE NOODLE

2006-05-23T16:38:00.000-05:00

I successfully got out of another scrum. All I had to do was get my toenail ripped out at the doctor's office. So worth it. Afterwards I swung by the office and picked Nik up to get a big bowl of Pho. As I was hopping across the parking lot, Nik spotted this little restaurant that we've been wanting to check out for some time. Its a Taiwanese noodle house. The menu had all the specialties of a genuine asian restaurant including duck tongue, duck legs, and pig intestines. I guess they're known for their stinky tofu. Nik was feeling adventurous and went for the meat stew and I opted for the beef stew. Nik determined that his mystery meat was some kind of breaded pork. It was a little too sweet for his taste. My beef stew was pretty good. It would have been that much better if most the beef was actually meat and not just grissle and fat. You win some, you lose some... We'll have to come back here sometime for their huge selection of shaved ice. Make sure you thank Nik for his excellent photo pics. They're not blurry at all.

WWFL - SF - You's Dim Sum

2006-05-20T15:05:00.000-05:00

This little hole in the wall dim sum place turned out to be quite a bargain. We ordered enough food for 3 people. Bbq pork buns, pork dumplings, shrimp dumplings, rice thingies and some sort of gray paste thing. All pretty good. The final bill? $8.20. Make sure you know cantonese though. It makes it much easier to order.

wwfl seattle - the hungry traveler

2006-04-06T18:05:00.000-05:00

Unbelievable... an deli onsite (in Expedia building 3) that tastes good, is economical, has a great view, free soda, and doesn't make me stink like bacon grease for the rest of the afternoon. And best of all- I wasn't afraid to put my food down on the table to sit and enjoy it. I highly recommend the southwestern chicken sandwich with red peppers, a think slab of mozarella, eggplant, and chipotle mayo. Such a deal for $5.50! (Did I mention the free soda?)

Neuhaus Cafe

2006-04-06T15:08:00.000-05:00

Ciara and Damitra's boss was leaving early or something today so they could sneak off and meet Daryl and me for lunch. Apparently they have some kind of 60 minute lunch rule or something. We went the Neuhaus Cafe, the place had lots of desserts and lots of candy. Daryl had the gourmet hamburger. The owner even came by and recommended putting Worchestershire (sp?) sauce on it. He said it was pretty good. Damitra had some kind of greek salady thing with olives and feta cheese and a bowl of broccoli cheese soup. Ciara had the classic pasta with linguine, alfredo sauce and grilled chicken. She really liked the grilled chicken but didn't finish her pasta. I had the classic pasta with penne, marinara and crispy battered chicken. The chicken was really good but Ciara thought it would be strange to have chicken strips in your pasta. I also had a cup of soup which wasn't bad, not great.

WWFL Irving - Brazil Brasileiro

2006-03-31T14:28:00.000-06:00

Jerry found this restaurant will wandering aimlessly through GuideLive. Brazil Brasileiro serves genuine Brazilian fare (read: not all meat) in a casual setting. You go through a buffet line and pay by the pound. we had fried bananas, something that Daryl called the national dish of Brazil that an ex-girlfriend from Brazil made for him, and lots of other good stuff, washed down with some Brazilian soda that Tommy said had more caffeine than Mountain Dew (!). The lunch gang consisted of Tommy, Jason, Daryl, Steven, me, and special guest star David, in from Seattle and Spain. Good stuff. The waitresses weren't all bad, either.

WWFL Seattle - Goldbergs' Famous Delicatessen

2006-03-28T14:11:00.000-06:00

We came across Goldbergs while driving around aimlessly looking for food. It's a lot like Cindi's or Deli News Too back in Dallas although not quite as good and more expensive. Still, when I get a pastrami craving this place hits the spot.

WWFL Seattle - Cafe Aura

2006-03-27T15:48:00.000-06:00

This is the 'deli' for our building. It has numerous advantages over the h.com deli. These include:
1) Not feeling like you are going to drown in grease just by breathing the air
2) Fresh food that doesn't taste like grease
3) A nice view
4) Odwalla

wwfl - spain

2006-03-24T21:30:00.000-06:00

Lunch today was at Santa Pellaia, an old church at the top of a 1000 ft climb. I opted for the 72 mile, 5000 ft of climbing route today. The 112 mile, 7000 ft ride seemed like a little much.

Yup, you guessed it, sandwiches again today. And a banana.

wwfl - spain

2006-03-23T21:24:00.000-06:00

Another day, another sandwich. Today was a recovery ride. 40 miles and 5000 ft of climbing. The lunch stop today was in Romanya. I think there used to be a roman town in the area we stopped in for lunch.

wwfl - spain

2006-03-22T21:10:00.000-06:00

Today's lunch was in the seaside town of Sa Riera. Today's ride was another 6000 ft or so of climbing and 80 something miles. A few 19% grade climbs were thrown in just for fun. Lunch was a little sad today. A kitchen mixup resulted in a pasta shortage so I had to make due with my sandwiches today.

Jack Kershaw, a former pro cyclist. Now a pro triathlete.

wwfl - spain

2006-03-22T17:05:00.000-06:00

Today was a rest day so we headed to Tossa de Mar for some lunch action. We ate at a beach front restaurant which might have been called Rem Vell (that´s what the sign looked like). I had a tomato & cheese salad, mixed paella, and a coffee pudding/flan-ish thing.

Did I mention Spain is the lunch paradise? Lunchtime from 1 to 4. Well, not quite paradise, that starts a little late for me. Besides, i guess everytime should be lunchtime!