Dinner -- 10/31/08

Chamberlain's Fish Market Grill
4525 Beltline Road
Dallas, TX 75001

972.503.3474

5:30 - 6:45 PM

http://www.chefchamberlain.com/

$$$$

Ramona: Lobster bisque, 1lb Maine Lobster, 8-oz. filet, mashed potatoes

Jim: Lobster bisque, 1lb Maine Lobster, 8-oz filet, mashed potatoes, coffee

Shared: Chateau Rolland-Maillet (French) 2005 (St. Emilion); Warm Chocolate Gateau

Ramona and I still needed to celebrate our 300th Saturday together while we were still in the 300th week. We also wanted to catch the last weekend of the Impressionist Masterpieces from the Art Institute of Chicago at the Kimball in Ft. Worth. Therefore, she decided to take Friday afternoon off so we could make a trip to the metroplex. We picked a good time, since the exhibit was not too crowded. Occasionally we had a minute or two wait for the crowd to clear from in front of some of the more spectacular paintings. We had seen most of these in Chicago a couple of years ago, and we are looking forward to another trip there next summer.

There are so many good restaurants to choose from in the metroplex, and it seems we go to Dallas much less frequently these days. Our primary reason for picking Chamberlain's Fish Market for this visit was that we had received an e-mail announcing a $25 steak and lobster dinner. That price included the steak and lobster, mashed potatoes, and bread and we figured that was a pretty good deal. Chamberlain's, along with its companion steakhouse, were two of our favorite haunts when Ramona lived in Addison. We have had many a fine dinner there.

The meal began with a delicious sourdough bread, fresh and warm, and a glass of wine. We each added a cup of the lobster bisque, which was served with a piece of garlic cheese bread and was excellent. The lobster was also very good, but we weren't too excited about the steak. It was better than some but not top notch. Jim theorized a special like this does not merit top grade prime filet mignon. Ramona enjoyed the mashed potatoes after she added some pepper, but Jim thought they were barely tepid. Jim also thought the gateau was dull and carboardy, although it tasted better if some of the chocolate sauce was scooped up with it.

St. Emilion is Jim's favorite Bordeaux, and since French wines are so rare on menus in Waco, we went with that, but we were mightily tempted by a bottle of Iron Horse Cabernet from California.

The server was competent and attentive, so no problems there, but next time we go to Chamberlain's we'll stick with their fish specialties. Nearby Sullivan's is still our first choice for steak.

-Jim and Ramona

Breakfast -- 2/23/2008

Benedict's Restaurant
4800 Belt Line Road
Dallas, TX 75254
972-490-0500

http://www.addisontexas.net/where_to_eat/restaurants/benedicts.asp

8:00 - 9:00 AM

Ramona: Orange juice, Lobster Benedict, coffee
Jim: Tomato juice, Eggs Benedict, coffee

Benedict's is our favorite breakfast place in Dallas. When Ramona lived and worked in Dallas, we ate Saturday or Sunday breakfast there nearly every week. It is far and away our favorite breakfast place in Dallas, and it is definitely one of the top three for us in the US.

I always get the Eggs Benedict (my favorite breakfast), but Ramona likes to try different dishes. This time she picked Lobster Benedict, which was one of the daily specials. There were huge chunks of lobster under the eggs and sauce, it was all delicious. The coffee is also excellent. If you are anywhere near Belt Line and the Tollway, stop in for a great breakfast. Benedict's also offers great salads and sandwiches for lunch. Get there early to avoid a long wait!

-Jim

Dinner -- 2/22/2008 -- TCCTA 08

City Cafe
5757 W Lovers Ln Ste 101,
Dallas, TX 75209
(214) 351-2233

http://thecitycafedallas.com/

6:50 - 9:40 PM

Ramona: Fresh tomato soup, Filet mignon (greenpeppercorn brandy sauce, Brie scalloped potatoes, and a balsamic marinated Portobello mushroom), "Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate" (16 layers of chocolate cake and white chocolate ganache)

Jim: Cream of Mushroom soup, Filet mignon (greenpeppercorn brandy sauce, Brie scalloped potatoes, and a balsamic marinated Portobello mushroom), Warm mixed Berry Crisp with gourmet vanilla bean ice cream and choclate sauce.

We shared a bottle of Simi Alexander Valley Cabernet, 2005 with our host Brian from Cengage.

Dinner, also courtesy of Cengage Learning, was at the prestigious City Cafe in Dallas. We are never surprised at the amazing variety and quality of restauarants in Dallas, and this was no exception. Billed as a four-star restaurant, they deserved every one of those stars.

The service was perfect, the ambience was warm, although the fun conversation we had with several Cengage sales reps and managers, and some colleagues from around Texas, did do away with the quiet.

We will definitely add this place at the top of our "to-be-visted" list in Dallas.

-Jim

Lunch -- 2/22/2008 -- TCCTA 08

Avanti Restaurant Fountain Place
Downtown at Fountain Place
1445 Ross Avenue #150
Dallas, TX 75201
(214) 965-0055

http://www.avantirestaurants.com/contact.htm

This wonderful buffet was provided courtesy of Cengage Learning when we attended the Texas Community College Teacher's Association annual convention at the Fairmount Hotel in Dallas.

Ramona and I sampled everything from the buffet, and it was all excellent. The dishes included: spring greens salad, sausage with green and red peppers with onions, grilled chicken, and small ribeye steaks, and sauteed squash with onions. We also had ice tea.

For dessert we had tiramisu, which was really outstanding. We are going to put Avanti's (there are three Dallas locations) on our list of places to eat when we are in the "Big D."

-Jim

Dinner -- 2/9/08

Blackeyed Pea #2002
5601 Greenville Avenue
Dallas TX 75206
214.361.5979

http://www.theblackeyedpea.com/

5:00 - 5:50 PM

Ramona: Turkey with stuffing, gravy, squash casserole, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, iced tea

Jim: Turkey with stuffing, gravy, broccoli rice casserole, carrots, cranberry sauce, iced tea

Ever since Blackeyed Pea and Marie Callendar's left Central Texas, we can not get a turkey dinner in Waco, except for Cracker Barrel on Thursday's. So, with a trip to the movies Saturday afternoon (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly), followed by Salome Saturday night at the Dallas Opera in Fair Park, Blackeyed Pea was the first choice for dinner. It is close to Angelika Theaters on Mockingbird and North Central Expreessway (US 75).

Turkey and stuffing is one of our favorite dinners, and Blackeyed Pea's is first rate, and we got extra cranberry sauce the first time we asked. The service is also fast, so we had no problem making it from there to The Music Hall at Fair Park, even though one of us (not the driver) wanted to go on a little site-seeing tour of Greenville Road in Dallas, and we ended up slightly entangled in construction under the highway we needed to get on to get to Fair Park. But the cool head of the driver prevailed, when he stopped listening to the passenger, and found our way in time for a glass of wine and a relaxing 20 minutes in some comforable chairs.

-Jim