Lili's Bistro on Magnolia

So this post has been a long time coming. Foodie husband and I went to Lili's last month for our 3rd wedding anniversary that happened to fall in the middle of the week. Yeah, I know not real extravagant, but the food was fantastic.

We have both been to Lili's several times over the couple of years that we have lived in the Southside, but I had forgotten how much I enjoy the creative dishes. Don't be scared - the dishes are little pricey, but for a special occasion or for a once in a blue moon treat - it is definitely worth it.

For an appetizer we shared the Hummus and Pita. Their pita bread is to die for. If you have a carb phobia - STAY AWAY - you can't stop eating it. I love a nice kick added to any meal and the jalapeno drizzle was just the right touch - unique & an added flavor to what can normally be a bland dip.

Hubby ordered the Lili's House Burger, which is topped with their signature Gorgonzola Cheese sauce and has a side of their mouthwatering waffle fries. As most of you know I don't eat meat, but my first comment was, "WOW, that makes me want to start eating meat again!". It looked fantastic, and must have been, because Foodie Hubby ate it all, licked the plate and went home miserable (see dessert note).

I was slightly more perplexed about what I wanted and debated about several items. I finally landed on the Tzatziki Medley which is a split dish of Tabouli and Bulgher and Berries. I have a hard time finding a Tabouli that meets my acidic/tart requirements, but this Tabouli can't be beat. The tart Tabouli paired with the sweet and warm Bulgher and Berries was a nice combination. I debated hard about eating the whole dish and not taking any home, but the following day at work it was well worth having the left overs. It made me want to go back for more that evening.

As I promised above, the stuffed Hubby ordered the Banana Upside Down Cake to go. He was so stuffed he had to save it for the following evening. But in the tradition of Lili's he warmed it up and topped it with vanilla ice cream and continued our anniversary dinner the following evening.

See their website for reservation policies. This is definitely a recommended pick!

Ranking: 5 Carrots

SENSE-sational- The Foundation for JPS Health Network

Saturday evening Foodie husband and I were invited to attend the JPS Partners for Health benefit at the new Omni Hotel in downtown Fort Worth.  This private benefit is a fundraiser to help the JPS patients unable to afford even basic co-pays for prescriptions and other health care needs during emergency situations.

I thought I would write about this because it is one of the first events held at the new Omni hotel and it would allow everyone to hear what an experience it is just to step foot into this fabulously designed hotel.  If you have not taken the time to "wonder" through the hotel, please do.  They took great efforts to incorporate the Fort Worth decor into this normally posh hotel.

I don't want to spend a lot of time on what the event planner (not employed by the hotel) created inside the space, but do want to mention that we did eat our appetizer's while blind-folded.  EXACTLY!?! What do you say to that?  

The appetizer was Vegetable Beignets with three different dipping sauces - Annatto Seed Mascarpone, Strawberry-Ginger Mascarpone (2nd favorite), and Pesto Mascarpone (Favorite).  Because this course was designed around us being blind-folded - the concept was incredible.  The flavors were fantastic, each sauce was unique and once you looked the plate design was to die for.  I couldn't stop eating.

The entree for all non-vegetarians was Chilean Sea Bass wrapped in French Ham served with roasted fennel and spring vegetables in a lobster bisque reduction.  Foodie's husband (and everyone at our table) could not stop raving about the choice for the main dish.  They wanted to stay away from the traditional steak or chicken - and therefore went out on a limb and created a masterpiece.  The presentation was original, and Foodie's husband ate it all - even the roasted fennel.

The alternate dish for vegetarians was actually vegan as well.  It was almost a lasagna presentation of roasted squash, red bell pepper, zucchini with the roasted fennel and spring vegetables on the side all on top of herbed mash potatoes.  The plate design was unbelievable - I thought my dish looked more appetizing than the standard dish.  Small sprigs of rosemary sprouted from the "lasagna" of roasted vegetables and thyme adorned the plate.  The vegetables were seasoned just enough and cooked to perfection - I would have eaten a plate full of the roasted fennel and the baby carrots if they had put it in front of me.

For dessert they created a Deconstructed Trifle with Flavored Coulis, fresh berries with whipped cream, and assorted garnishes from their pastry shop.  I was slightly underwhelmed with this idea.  The items to create your own trifle were placed on the tables on large trays and we had to pass them around and try not to get into too much of a mess.  On the creative scale this might have been a little overboard.

Overall the staff was fantastic, the food was excellent and I would recommend that anyone go and check out the Omni - even if you don't stay in a room or eat & drink from any of the restaurants.  Bravo - it is like a small Vegas style hotel and conference center in the middle of downtown.

M & O Station Grill

M & O Station Grill, a part of the Leonard's Department Store Museum, was an interesting adventure into my journey to find truly the best veggie burger in town.

The diner itself is quaint, decorated the way you would expect an old fashioned burger diner to be, and seems to have quite the following.

We arrived early on a Saturday morning (around 11:30) and they were freshly chopping all the ingredients for that day - tomatoes, lettuce, onions, potatoes, and list could go on. I felt encouraged by their attention to the finer details of a perfect burger.

I ordered the veggie burger (no cheese) which comes topped with lettuce, tomatoe, onion, dressing of choice (not knowing about their homemade "special sauce", I picked mustard) and fresh grilled mushrooms. Foodie's husband did the usual - cheeseburger - mustard only. All burgers are grilled to order - as you order them, so they come out fresh and piping hot.

The burgers arrived and what a sight. Fresh buns toasted to perfection, fresh ingredients, and a side of handcut steak-style fries. Foodie's husband was in heaven - they make a skinny patty just like he likes it. I on the other hand was a little disappointed. One of two things happened - and those of you that do the veggie burgers on a regular basis know exactly what I'm talking about - the sides of the patty were so hard my knife wouldn't even cut the burger in half. So, they either freeze these patties and then cook them as they are ordered, or they just overcooked it. What I could eat of the burger was fantastic - the mushrooms made this burger!

I haven't given up yet on M & O Station Grill. I'll give them a second shot.

Ranking: 3 Carrots

Paco and John Mexican Diner

For those of you that don't know, this fantastic "quaint" joint has opened almost directly on the corner of 8th & Rosedale. The owners none other than proprietor of St. Emilion's & his long time friend and chef. Am I personally excited - yes!! Why you ask? Well, reason #1 none other than my favorite restaurant of all times is St. Emilion's; #2 they took a dump of an old convenient store and transformed it into a great place to get some fantastic food.

The restaurant has been open for lunches for several weeks now, but just recently they have started a dinner flight. So, on the second Friday of dinner being served, Foodie, Foodie's husband and two other couples joined in on the trek to confirm the greatness that is Paco & John.

The prices are great, and it's BYOB (for now) - so we tried a little bit of everything. The queso - with yes both crab & chorizo - was ordered. I ordered some guacamole, salsa and chips are complimentary. Oh my gosh the feast began. The table devoured the queso - and the quac - I couldn't share. It was creamy and had a great kick!

I think we literally ordered one of everything on the menu (which is not posted on the website at this time) - fresh steamed mussels, fajitas, shrimp tacos, stuffed chicken, and two chile reino's. I don't normal do a ton of cheese, but this chile reino was fantastic. Slightly breaded, covered in a red sauce with a side of roasted veggies and rice. I couldn't stop eating!! Every plate on the table was cleaned.

One bust is the limited amount of veggie items offered at dinner. For lunch there are several items, but I don't think they have down their dinner menu just quite yet.

So following our face stuffing meal, we took home their daily made brownies, topped it with some vanilla ice cream and chilled on our back porch. What an end to a great meal.

Ranking: 3 Carrots (still getting it together and the veg option was minimal)

Ferre - Fort Worth

I want to say that overall, I find Ferre to be a beautiful restaurant, both architectually and with their food presentation. This restaurant is perfectly positioned across from the Bass Performance Hall and with mid-range prices. Foodie husband and I have both eaten at the Ferre previous to this visit, but I must say I will definitely think twice about eating there again - could have been on the ether of a fantastic performance at Bass the first time.

Yesterday (Saturday) close friends of ours had made reservations for 10 people (including their parents who flew in from D.C. for the weekend) at 9:00 pm. Over 60% of the party was present at 9, but it wasn't until 9:30 that they told us because we had one extra person attending (yes 11 people) we would have to wait for another section to clear. So, instead of adding one chair to our 10 chair table, we had to wait for a party of 20 to clear in another area that had been there since 6.

So, sometime close to 10 pm we were finally seated. Now 75% of our group was present (others were still in-route from work). Our waitress took our cocktail order and the hosting couple ordered apps for the table. Sometime around 10:30 - 10:45 another waitress was flagged down to take our main course order. The table orders ranged from the rack of lamb, scallops, catch of the day, to my usual Eggplant Parmesan.

After going through exorbitant amounts of bread, cheese crisps (and others had the appetizers), our main courses finally arrived. I was extremely disappointed. Foodie's husband was too intoxicated to comment accurately on the state of his dish, but mine looked and tasted like something I could make at home - not that I am a horrible cook, but you know you go out to eat at a nice restaurant and expect them to use some creativity. The eggplant was cut lengthwise, breaded and topped with red sauce - not impressed. The pasta that was on the side, should have been a main dish though. The light dressing was flavorful and the pasta was cooked perfectly. Next time that is what I am going to ask for - a main dish of the side pasta.

Of course everyone ordered desserts - I think one of everything. Our dessert of choice was Profiteroles - for those of you that don't know, this is a puff pastry stuffed with ice cream of choice and usually covered with a sauce. This dessert if prepared correctly can be decadent - this one was a flop. The puff pastry was extremely dry, the ice cream tasted like Blue Bell and topping was generic - melted chocolate with some crushed up toffee candy bar.

Ranking: 2 Carrots

Cheesecake Factory - Southlake

Yes, I know this could be on the verge of being a "chain" restaurant, but I found the most outstanding salad on the menu that I just have to share it with everyone.

I of course could not make up my mind - especially with the breadth of selection that is available at the Cheesecake Factory - so I just made a random selection with the Vegetable Chopped Salad. This salad is so loaded with veggies that any vegetable lover would be satisfied. The combination of fresh asparagus, edamame, apples and the beets has now become a favorite of mine to make at home. I was a little skeptical of the Pomegranate Vinaigrette, so I ordered it on the side. It had a little too much "Asian" influence for my enjoyment with the salad. I quickly replaced it with the traditional vinaigrette and was exceptionally pleased.

This salad is definitely a recommended pick - and it's easy to make at home as well!

Ranking: 4 Carrots

Tommy's Burgers

I was very disappointed with Tommy's - especially after all the good reviews and people telling us, "you just have to try it" or "you haven't been to Tommy's yet?"

I'll start from the beginning - we tried to go to the one on 7th first at about 7 on a Friday evening and it was closed! WHAT?!? So, we check the website and it said it should be open, so we get in the car and go travel to the one at Camp Bowie - the map isn't quite right on the website, but we found it anyways.

Of course I try the veggie burger - since supposedly it's the "best". I found it to be dry and pre-prepared. I felt that it wasn't quite as low as what I could prepare from the frozen food section at home, but it wasn't up to snuff with the other veggie burgers I have had.

The hubby got the standard - meat, cheese, mustard, ketchup. His exact words were, "it's okay". These burgers are extremely thick and therefore probably don't appeal to the hubby in the first place, but needs to be noted.

Might give it a second try.

Ranking: 3 Carrots

JAKE'S - Old Fashioned Burgers

Jake's moved into the previous location for Chili's in downtown Fort Worth. What a refreshing change from the cookie-cutter crap of the chain restaurants.

Other burger joints have been voted best "veggie" burger, but I found Jake's to be the best I have had so far. It was made fresh, had a little kick and wonderful flavor.

The regular meat burgers are made thick and to order. Foodie's husband stuck to the basics, with meat, cheese, mustard and ketchup only. He prefers the thin patties to the thick, but said the flavor was great.

The buns & burgers came out fresh and piping hot. The fries are fresh cut and seasoned great (Jumpin' Jake Fries). We haven't tried the sweet potato fries yet, but we'll definitely go a second time to give them a try.

Ranking: 4 Carrots