Author: Sandi

Julios Huevos- 3.5

Two flour tortillas, eggs, onion, pepper, avocado, queso, crispy tortilla strips, served with brunch potatoes and salsa. (Comes with grilled chicken, but obvs it was requested without which was no problem). I feel like I have to break this one down because I have very mixed feelings about it lol. Pros- the flavors. Tons of veggies under those creamy eggs and lots of delicious queso and chips. Cons- I have to respectfully disagree with the decision to put the tortillas UNDER everything else. Not only is it virtually impossible to get to them, but the pieces you can get to are so soggy because of all of the other ingredients. I would totally get this again, BUT I would request that the tortillas be served on top. They’ll be kept warm minus the sogginess.

Overall, if you haven’t been to Breadwinners, you haven’t had a proper Dallas brunch. The menu is huge and I haven’t had anything I wouldn’t try again.

Pro-tip- Be prepared to wait on weekends during peak brunch hours. But you could always grab a seat at the bar which is often available and start with a mimosa and some of their delicious breads!

Totchos- 4.5

Crispy tator tots served with cheese, jalapeños, onions, tomatoes, sour cream, guacamole and salsa roja. It makes me SO happy that totchos are a thing. Nachos and tator tots coming together to have a love child? I mean come on! These are so delicious and it’s a very generous portion! It’s a must have at High Fives and top 2 reasons why I’ll go back.

Vegan BLT- 3.5

OK don’t judge me too harshly but I added cheese to the vegan BLT. I can’t help it! All foods NEED cheese!! Anyway…this sandwich is very good and I’m impressed with any bar that has tempeh on the menu. Smoked tempeh bacon, fried green tomatoes, lettuce and basil. It comes with a vegan mayonnaise but I asked for it without. The tempeh and the fried green tomatoes are Awesome!! The only reason I wasn’t insanely crazy about it was the bread. No matter how good a sandwich is, we can agree that the bread makes or breaks it, yes? This was plain white bread that was pretty greasy. I’m not sure what the better plan is, but the bread needs an upgrade.

Overall, High Fives was a great find. It’s super casual and the second reason I can’t wait to go back was the playlist! The music that was on during the dinner hours was super fun. Think late 90’s early 2000’s and very sing-along worthy.  Although I may have been one of the only people actually singing out loud. 😉

#5 Fried Paneer- 5

Perfectly friend paneer served with tomato chutney, tikka sauce, raita crema, Thai basil inside a flour tortilla. These are the kind of things I imagine they serve in the taco shops in heaven. Cause obvs, there’s tacos in heaven. Even non-vegetarians would love this. Just go get it.

#6 Falafel- 4.5

Two large falafels served with tahini crema, arugula, tomato, pickled fresnos, avocado, pickled red onion, pea tendrils inside a lettuce wrap. The falafel (thank you velvet taco) is not burnt or dry. Which is sadly, a fate that most falafel in town fall victim to. And I know I should like lettuce wraps being a vegetarian, but I honestly usually don’t. I mean who would want iceberg when you can have carbs? But, these are an exception. It’s the perfect crisp and cool hug that the falafels, veggies and sauce needs.

Overall, Velvet Taco is awesome. It’s small and super casual. You’ll see people in t-shirts and jeans and people in suits on their lunch break. Plenty of fun creative options and reasonably priced. Can’t wait to go back! 🙂

Veggie Veggie- 4.5

Whole wheat tortillas filled with crumbled veggie sausage, tossed with scrambled eggs, melted cheddar and mozzarella. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve ordered this. (And had it delivered…) First of all, THANK YOU Buzz Brews for having veggie sausage on the menu. I mean, can I get a slow clap?? I only wish more restaurants would follow in your footsteps. How hard is it to carry veggie sausage or even (let’s all take a deep breath here…) veggie bacon?! It’s not that expensive and completely expands the options for nearly every breakfast/brunch item on the menu! OK, lol rant over.

So these breakfast tacos are amazing. They are stuffed full of goodness and are the perfect portion. They are served with what they call garlic marbles. I’m not really sure I understand the name? But they are super tasty breakfast potatoes.

Overall, Buzz Brews is almost always a solid win. Great selection, reasonably priced and delicious diner-esque food.

Pro-tip, if you’re going on Sunday morning be prepared for some long waits!

Spaghetti Suppli- 4

Ok this one is kind of hard to describe and I regret not taking a picture of one of that was cut in half. But it’s basically a super fancy, super delicious, fried spaghetti ball! I’ve never had anything like it. I guess the closest thing would be fried Mac and Cheese? (I’m sure the chef would not love that but anyone who knows me knows it’s a compliment!) But this was on another level and the pesto as always was perfection.

Margherita Pizza- 4.5

Hands down one of the best Margherita pizzas I’ve ever had. And for something that’s basically on every menu in Dallas, somehow Sprezza makes this special. It’s everything, the sauce the cheese the fresh cut basil. Get this. You won’t regret it.

Linguini Cacio de Pepe- 5

It feels SO good to give something a 5! There’s a ton of great food in Dallas but it’s not all that easy to find a 5 and Sprezza has done it with this dish. It’s simple and perfect. Cacio de Pepe translates to cheese and pepper. And somehow that is all this needs. I can’t wait to have it again!

Ravioli di Ricotta-4

This comes with Sunday gravy which I’m sure you know is a carnivore’s delight. But the server was happy to substitute that for their tomato sauce and it was delicious. Super fresh and the pasta was cooked perfectly. I have often found that stuffed pastas are either over or under cooked in restaurants but this was exactly right. My only complaint was I was a bit underwhelmed by the portion size. If you’ll look closely you’ll see 6 raviolis in the bowl and let’s be honest-No one wants a pasta dish the size of an appetizer. Am I right?

Tiramisu- 2

OK so this pains me to do this after such an incredible meal…but I really did not care for this at all. The cake was drowning in the way that a tres leches cake is supposed to be. I lost any actual texture. And to be honest, even if I could get past the drowned cake I didn’t much love the flavor. And I love tiramisu!

Overall, Sprezza is amazing. And despite the disappointing dessert, this was an incredible meal that I can’t wait to go back and repeat and order some more items. The service was wonderful. Our waiter Mario was attentive and helpful. (As well as patient when I was trying to find the perfect celebratory wine. :)) It’s on the fancier side unless you’re sitting at the bar in terms of dress code. And it’s not going to be an inexpensive evening. But it will be worth it.

SOOO Veggie- 4.5

Smoked apple veggie sausage wth arugula, tomato, avocado, fried onions and spicy basil aioli. OMG. This was so ridiculously good. First let’s talk about this bun. This buttery, fluffy, hearty, bready goodness! This bun is life. It just is. And the sausage and all of the toppings are so delicious I can’t wait to go back!

Cheese Fries- 4

Exactly what you would hope for in a cheese fry side. The fries themselves are nice and crispy and there is plenty of ooey-gooey cheese all over them!

Overall, Dog Haus is awesome. It is super casual, and very reasonably priced for all of the fantastic food you get that ensures you will not go hungry.

Pro-tip: You can order any of the sausage sandwiches on the menu and switch out the meat sausage for the veggie sausage!

Savory Popcorn- 4

Made with garlic and rosemary. There were 6 of us in the party, and as a group, we were torn on whether we liked it or didn’t like it. ( I was in the ‘love it’ category btw). But even those that didn’t like it, admitted it was strangely addicting! We ate the whole bowl and it’s a generous portion!

Pretzels and Queso- 4.5

So I feel like ‘pretzel bites’ has made it on to Many an appetizer list in Dallas area restaurants now. They’re pretty trendy right now. But I gotta give it to Hide, they are doing it RIGHT. The pretzels are just the right size to absorb all the buttery, salty flavor on the outside. And the cheese is melty, gooey goodness with just the right amount of spicy heat.

Pro-tip: Go for happy hour. Their margaritas are awesome and the food is super tasty but it is VERY pricey even for a deep elum cocktail bar. You get all the same great stuff if you can make it right after work or all day Sunday!

Build your own bowl- 4.5

I just LOVE this place. It’s maybe the best restaurant tofu I’ve ever had. It’s the perfect texture and so flavorful! Once you pick your protein (tofu), your rice, then you pick your veggies from several options! In retrospect I wouldn’t have requested the lettuce just because it’s cut longer than the rest of everything in the bowl making it awkward to eat. But other than that it’s awesome.

Curry fries- 4

These are So yummy! They come out piping hot and with just the right amount of seasoning. You’ll have leftovers from the bowls but trust me, you’ll eat every fry. 🙂

Pro-tip: Try all the different sauces they offer. My personal favorite is the curry but they’re all good!

Super casual place with only a handful of tables so be prepared to sit at the bar by the window or take it to go during their busy lunch hour.

Tomato Basil Flatbread- 3.5

This tastes exactly like you would expect. Nothing spectacular or original but how bad can cheesy crispy bread be? Not bad at all! And it was perfect for sharing!

Tempura Cauliflower- 4.5

Exactly the opposite of the flatbread, this was a surprise! SO much better than I thought it would be! They got the breading just right and it was so flavorful! I have plans in the future to order this to go and then stop at a Chinese restaurant on the way home and get some sweet and sour sauce! Not gonna lie, I’ve been craving sweet and sour chicken for a decade and this should fix that craving perfectly! 🙂

Texas Garlic Toast Grilled Cheese- 3.5

Made with cheddar and gouda cheeses and served with tomato soup. It’s a strange combination when the soup is better than the sandwich but that’s what’s happened here.  I’d give the soup the 4 and the sandwich a 3, thus the 3.5 for the dish. The sandwich is really just ok for all that a grilled cheese can be. Overly greasy and despite having two different kinds of cheeses, it was kind of skimpy on the cheese! However, this dish was saved with the deliciousness that was the tomato soup. I couldn’t get enough of it! Dunkable creamy goodness that I made everyone at the table try and they loved it. I would order the soup again for sure!

Frose- 1

4 people at our table ordered this and no one finished it. That’s right. It was undrinkable. Save yourselves!

Caprese Panini- 4

The flavor of this was delicious and THANK you Jimmy’s for the generous thick slices of fresh mozzarella. The only thing that was a bit strange was the bread. It wasn’t bad at all, just different. It was more of a large hamburger bun versus a traditional panini bread. I think when I go back I’ll ask them to put it on the sub rolls they use for the hot sandwiches. The size of the sandwich, especially for the value is awesome and I was able to make it into 2 meals! And that’s not typical for me lol.

Overall, Jimmy’s is great! It’s such a fun store and deli that made me feel like I was back home in Jersey. They sell a number of fresh items in the deli and sandwiches are made to order. They have aisles of pasta, sauces and Italian cookies, as well as an impressive collection of Italian wines. The service is excellent! Super friendly and made me feel like a regular even though this was my first visit.

Pro-tip: You can buy a small glass of wine when you first walk in and sip while you shop!