I agree that N. American nutella has improved. (After recently discovering imported Nutella is available in Dallas at Jimmy's Food Store).

In addition to the change back to regular sugar, they changed the type of fat used. I used to see partially-hydrogenated oil (trans fat) listed, but now they are using palm oil. This has definitely improved the mouthfeel.

Maybe Stephen Pyle's was just having an off-night when I had the famous Cowboy Ribeye a few months ago... but it was just plain awful. The cut of meat was clearly inferior (instead of a nice marbled texture it was uneven, fatty, and gristly). And poorly prepared (way over-seasoned).

I on the other hand ordered the short rib, which was supposed to be "reconstructed" or some other ridiculous notion. What this means is that they shape the meat into a rectangular brick. It was too salty to eat, and so I had to send it back.

But we did really enjoy the ceviches and gazpachos.

twinwillow, when was the last time you ate at Toulouse? It's been through a few chefs since it opened, and corresponding ups and downs.

Lately, the kitchen seems to have its act together and I've had great food at Toulouse. If you were turned off a couple of years ago, maybe it's worth giving it another shot.

I've been to L'Ancestral once, nearly 3 years ago. Stuffy, but felt like some places I've been to in Paris. Food wasn't great. But 1 visit isn't enough for me to review the place.

The awkwardly-named Sevan G&G Cafe is charming and inexpensive Mediterranean. Family-operated and BYOB. Fits your criteria perfectly. It's on 2221 Greenville Ave.

http://www.sevanmediterranean.com/

Campania on McKinney Ave. is now charging a $5 corkage fee, as I discovered on a recent weekend visit.

This is perfectly reasonable on busy weekend evenings. But we often visit on low-key weeknights when the place is less than half full. The extra $5 will just discourage us from visiting on those nights. Might as well pop that cork at home and boil some pasta.

On a recent trip to Austin, we tried Vin Bistro for the first time and loved it.

We sat at the bar, which had a couple of advantages: By-the-glass wines are half price after 8pm on Saturdays. And we received excellent service from our bartenders, including Jay.

The corn fried calamari was excellent - the tomatoes and lemon agave vinaigrette really kept the dish bright and fresh tasting, while a bit of bacon provided savory balance. The sea bass was even better - perfectly seared to a flaky buttery texture with a hint of sweetness from the lemon gastrique.

More than anything, we found the overall vibe of Vin Bistro to be very refreshing. It's tucked into a quiet spot between the original Kerbey Lane and Anderson's Coffee Roasters, and comes across as sophisticated, but not pretentious; urban, but still a neighborhood restaurant.

I would call the service at Campania "minimalist." All they really do is bring glasses and a corkscrew for your BYO, jot down your pizza order, and bring it out to you. The servers don't tell jokes or strive to be pizza sommeliers. Without alcohol sales they're not making much on tips anyway. It's perfectly functional, in my opinion.

We continue to enjoy the pizza quality there.

Good article. Yes, the sale of Patrizio's is very sad. We jokingly call it McPatrizio's now.

I think the current owners thought they could just buy an institution and ride its reputation. Doesn't work that way.

Mr. Knox never tried to squeeze too much profit out of Patrizio's. Hence the reasonable prices and a continuing commitment to quality. But he managed to strike a balance that turned out to be amazingly profitable nevertheless. http://frontburner.dmagazine.com/arch...

But then the veteran McDonald's franchisee comes into the picture and decides to run the place "by the numbers." The cost cutting and carelessness were obvious and disappointing.

Not to knock planojim, but I would not recommend Patrizio's for a special occasion. Since the ownership change, the service and food have declined. I'm not trying to start a debate about Patrizio's here, but I wouldn't spend my anniversary or birthday there.

I just thought of something... Tillman's is loud and lively on the weekends. So if you are looking for quiet and romantic, it might not fit the bill.

The Grape is a very traditional / quaint / red checkered tablecloth type of place. Lovely if that's what you're looking for.

If you want something with more festive and modern, I just had a great celebration dinner at Tillman's Roadhouse (in the Bishop Arts District). We had 2 drinks each, split a salad (plenty for two), 2 entrees, and a huge decadent dessert and got out of there for around $100 before tip.

The table side s'mores were a trip... 3 flavors of artisan house-made marshmallows, house-made chocolate (the best part!), and house-made cinnamon grahams. You roast your marshmallows over a fire in a little cast iron pot.

This is the kind of panache that can make for a memorable evening... and that isn't always present in more traditional places such as The Grape. And while Tillman's doesn't fit the thread topic of "cheapest best" it does fall within your stated price range.

Congratulations on your anniversary -- have a great time!

Thanks for the review... in fairness to Dallas, though, you visited a Plano steakhouse, a Plano tex mex chain, and three ethnic restaurants in Plano and Richardson.

Not sure you can conclude that "Dallas doesn't deliver" since you never made it into Dallas proper. Hope you have an opportunity to return and will have a better dining experience next time.

Incidentally, I checked out that "Top 100" list on Guidelive and there are some very suspicious and outdated recommendations. Sorry it led you astray!

I have to agree about the relocation. The only upside for me is that the new digs are non-smoking. But I think it was very risky for them to abandon their loyal East Dallas customers for Victory Park.

I think I've only made it there 3 times since the relocation... because really, who wants to venture into the sterile, too-trendy Victory Park and valet their car just to get a coffee? (And no, you don't have to valet.... there is a gated self-parking lot at Victory that starts charging after 2 hours.)

And what will happen to Gachet when a giant Starbucks inevitably moves in? Can you guess which place the average Victory Park customer will pastronize?

You must have been down for SXSW. (As was I). I took home a bag of the Espresso Medici blend and really enjoyed it.

One thing I learned from visiting those coffee shops in Austin: The shots I've been pulling are pretty close, even though I'm temperature surfing my little Gaggia. I believe the Mazzer grinder is to thank for that. The grind is fluffy and consistent enough that if I slightly overfill the basket and level it with a knife, I end up with a ~15g dose every time.

Enjoy the PID! With temperature under control, you can focus on perfecting the grind, dose, distribution, and tamp. (Easy, right?!)

gavlist -

If you can make it down to Austin, I had a couple of great espresso experiences there just recently.

- JP's Java pulls shots of Zoka Paladino on a La Marzocco. Some baristas use the Super Jolly grinder, but mine took the easy way out and used the Swift. Still a delicious shot. And they have a Clover, if you've been wanting to try that.

- Caffe Medici, I *really* enjoyed because the baristas were so passionate about coffee. They serve a really nice espresso blend from a Texas roaster called Cuvee. Cuvee is up there with the good Seattle roasters, in my opinion.

By the way, I tried Gachet recently, too. Their process is pretty textbook, but I think the dark-roasted beans contributed to the bitterness in the shot. At least it came in a nice demitasse.

If anyone is looking for fried pies in Dallas, Peggy Sue's BBQ in Snider Plaza serves some.

It seems you can't do better than the Silvia without going bigger. I keep searching for a perfect small-footprint single boiler machine that is more forgiving than the Silvia... but apparently this does not exist. Space concerns aside, I will probably go with a Quickmill from ChrisCoffee. The Alexia is a great single boiler, but once you add a PID it is the same price as the Anita, a well-regarded HX machine. Which means I've settled on a machine that is larger and more expensive than I would like. Meanwhile, the lack of decent espresso in Dallas leaves me a bit in the dark and wondering if I'm on a wild goose chase.

As far as local vendors... I think we are out of luck. Sure hate to subject my new baby to UPS's abuse. It's sad that Williams-Sonoma carries so many espresso machines and not one proper prosumer machine (except the pricey Elektra.)

Link to that Houston Chron review...
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/d...

I have used the same Saeco-made Starbucks Barista. Shots always blonded pretty early but it was very easy to use.

How are you liking your new setup? I just sold my Rocky. Mine struggled to grind consistently at very fine settings (wrapping a bit of plumber's teflon tape around the burr carrier threads helped immensely with this). Also since it was doserless it tended to clump the grounds, so I had to stir them up a bit.

Is the Silvia hard to get a consistent shot from? It's a beautiful machine but but I keep hearing how "finicky" it is with all the variables -- particularly temperature.

nachomamma... Just to clarify, is it Gachet's straight shot of espresso that you recommend? Or have you only had the latte? I can make a pretty good latte at home but I've been wanting to compare a well-pulled straight shot to my home setup.

If any espresso geeks out there are listening... I'm pulling Intelligentsia's Black Cat blend on a Gaggia and grinding on a Mazzer Mini. Hope to replace the Gaggia very soon, though.

That is surprising. We thought the house salad was pretty bad. Guess I'll have to give the Caesar a chance.

Went last night. Beautiful architecture inside - cozy and asymmetrical. Great whimsical design touches, like: a ring of birch trees, book-lined shelves, Scrabble pieces on the tables, water tumblers made from the bottom 3rd of wine bottles.

The souffles were good - made to typical spec, but with about 15 savory / sweet options available. Standouts were the escargot, mushroom, and raspberry flavors. Very unique house vinaigrette, too - struck an unmistakable chocolate note.

Overall, we really enjoyed ourselves. It was a little odd to see just sandwiches, salads, and souffles on the dinner menu; I predict that more dinner-like entrees will creep onto the menu in the coming months.

DFWGuy, I'll bite. I think you are right about the soggy crust. Quality has slipped a bit since Campania first opened. I still quite enjoy their fresh toppings and BYOB policy... but perhaps the soggy crust could be attributed to a reformulated sauce?

My Grimaldi's pizza stayed dry on the bottom, even as reheated leftovers the next day.

Ate there this week. Nice interior design, excellent pizza, and inexpensive wine list. This place was more casual than I expected given its trendy location.

The house salad was pretty lifeless (the "insalata basica" at Campania is far better), but the pizza made up for it. Thin coal-fired crust, a liberal amount of mild red sauce, and quality toppings.

But the oddest thing about our experience was the service. Our server was so eager to please that she wouldn't leave us alone. She sort of hovered around the table, interrupted us frequently, and seriously put us on edge. Even after wine and pizza, I left feeling stressed out and uncomfortable.

Let's hope the wait staff works out their opening week jitters. Grimaldi's cannot beat Fireside Pies or Campania in terms of overall experience, but they make a good pie and I will probably return.

I tried The Porch on a weeknight recently and we did not have to wait.

I had high expectations for the "concept" as a whole due to all the buzz. The ambience was fine, but the space had less character than I had imagined. To me, the name implies a more rustic presentation. I was reminded of Houston's, whereas I had expected something closer to Tillman's Roadhouse. (Tillman's, by the way, is a wonderfully executed visual concept thanks to rock star talents Rob Dailey and Todd Fiscus.)

Design out of the way, the food was competently prepared. Ribs and mac 'n' cheese met my expectations for "upscale comfort food," but certainly didn't redefine the category.

I do want to highlight the bourbon pecan pie a la mode, which was outstanding. The pecans were perfectly toasty and caramelized and were well-proportioned with the crust and filling. I can't wait to return for another slice of this stuff, despite my jaded reaction to everything else.

For the sake of being comprehensive, I'm continuing to update this thread, following my past negative feedback.

A few months ago, I (and others) knocked the souffle at Toulouse, but I have since given it another chance. It was excellent -- eggy and rich, unlike the strange meringue I was served in June.

Intriguing... I did not know you could get cheese curds at Central Market. I don't understand how cheese can be "in season," though.

Great review - Love the description of the decor! Sounds more Rushmore than Yale.

I recently returned to Toulouse to try the revamped menu. If this visit was any indication, Colleen has whipped the menu and the kitchen staff into shape. At first glance, the menu looks very familiar... however most of the items have been given a serious makeover. Our seafood entrees were excellent; not only was the food quality far better than before, but the presentation was more artful.

This really highlights the importance of your executive chef. I hope that Lombardi will keep this in mind going forward -- he knows his market and knows how to launch a concept, but lasting impressions are made by the food. If he can retain talent like Chef Colleen O'Hare, Toulouse (and his other uptown eateries) will be better for it.

I wish! I just got back from eating some great poutine in Quebec. The problem is that an authentic poutine absolutely depends on fresh cheese curds. Up there, you eat cheese curds that were made the morning of. It's crazy how you can walk into a gas station / convenience store and buy a bag of freshly delivered cheese curds.

As far as I know, there is no place to get cheese curds around here. If anyone has a source, speak up!