Mama’s Daughters’ Diner
(American, Comfort Food)
2014 Irving Boulevard between Manufacturing Street and Turtle Creek Boulevard
Dallas, TX 75207
(214) 742-8646
http://www.mamasdaughtersdiner.com/


On my quest for the ultimate comfort food in Dallas, I found Mama’s Daughters’ Diner. Although there are a few other branches, the Irving Blvd one is the original. On a Saturday morning, we found Mama’s Daughters’ Diner in a strange, desolate area. The restaurant was already crowded, and I was so happy that we motivated early enough to get a table.

Adorned on the walls are tons of photos, particularly of Norma, the original Mama. Something about the photo felt welcoming, and then I began to take in the aromas wafting throughout the restaurant. Dishes moved quickly out of the kitchen to the tables, and maybe I was just hungry, but I couldn’t help but stare at EVERYTHING because it all looked so good.

I ordered Mama’s breakfast special (my choices in parentheses): 2 eggs (egg whites well-done), grits or hash browns (grits), biscuits or toast (biscuits) and gravy, and chicken-fried steak, breakfast steak or 2 pork chops (chicken-fried steak). My husband had a breakfast special as well: 2 eggs (sunny-side up), 2 pancakes, biscuits and bacon. My eyes were big so I also ordered a side of hash browns (crispy) and a cinnamon roll.

The cinnamon roll was served first, and it was the most delicious cinnamon roll I have ever, ever had. It was homemade, warm, not too sweet, not too cinnamony, doughy. It was perfect. I wish I had ordered another one. As we were demolishing the cinnamon roll, our food came out.

I quickly sliced into the chicken-fried steak, and it wasn’t as knife-tender as I’d hoped… nor was it as seasoned and spicy – it was just OK. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t memorable. The gravy was pretty good; I especially enjoyed the flecks of pork in the gravy. I couldn’t eat the eggs, because, despite the “well-done” request, there were wet, almost-raw areas, which I couldn’t eat.

When I asked the waitress for butter for the grits and the biscuits, she pointed to the table – more specifically, a red plastic basket filled with individual tubs of Land O’ Lakes fresh buttery taste spread. Butter… SUBSTITUTE. When I explained to the waitress that I would prefer real butter, she said there was none in the restaurant. No butter in the restaurant??? Who doesn’t use butter??? After getting over the initial shock, I added the Land O’ Lakes fresh buttery spread to my grits, but they were inedible, regardless of the fake butter. Too gritty, not cooked long enough, and I must’ve gotten the bottom of the pot… I think I got the entire stale layer that gets stuck to the bottom.

I enjoyed the biscuits; they were more flaky, less crumbly and although they weren’t perfect, they were pretty darn good… especially smothered in the pork gravy. The hash browns were the shredded potato-kind, and cooked crispy, they were a delicious addition to the meal. My husband’s pancakes were great, fluffy, almost melt-in-your-mouth. The bacon was really meaty and chewy; it tasted good, but I prefer my bacon crisp. Since bacon didn’t come with my order, I’ll have to request crispy bacon next time.

Next time, and there will DEFINITELY be a next time since I’m still wishing that I had gotten pie (we were sitting in plain view of the pies, and they looked amazing)… and another cinnamon roll… next time, we’ll have to try lunch, since Mama’s closes at 3pm on the days they’re open. Before this ends, I have to comment on the prices. Mama’s is the definition of cheap eats. I was in opposite sticker shock! A side of hash browns was 89 cents; I think that may be cheaper than McDonald’s.

Good Eats (Southern, American, Comfort Food)
3888 Oak Lawn Avenue between Blackburn Street and Irving Avenue (but the restaurant is basically on the corner of Irving)
Dallas, TX 75219
(214) 522-3287
http://www.goodeatsgrill.com/
Public Transportation: I have no idea if there even is public transport in Dallas

I didn’t grow up in Dallas, or anywhere near the South, but I think of myself as somewhat of a “comfort food” aficionado (if I do say so myself!). When my husband and I were invited down to Dallas for a long weekend (first-class tickets and a room at the Mansion on Turtle Creek), I was excited to oblige (especially when I thought of the delicious food possibilities: chicken-fried steak, authentic Mexican and Texan BBQ).

I researched restaurants and cafes before we left, but the heat and my hunger panicked me when I walked out of the hotel so I asked the valet for a suggestion for some “local” food, and he pointed me in the direction of Good Eats (when I heard the name, I immediately thought of the Food Network show “Good Eats” which I thought was a good omen).

Good Eats is a mini-chain (4 locations) wholly within Texas, and when I pulled into the strip mall parking lot, I was a bit apprehensive, but this was slightly eased when I saw people waiting outside for the restaurant to open at 11AM.

The décor of the restaurant looks like an Applebee’s hit a rodeo. This made me nervous again, and I regretted taking the advice of the hotel valet and not planning better.

My husband was at a meeting so I was alone, and the incredibly friendly maitre d’ seated me at a spacious and comfortable booth. The young waitress was sweet as well – actually, everyone, including the patrons, acted friendly and smiley… exactly what you would expect in Texas. When I asked her what was good and fresh, she responded, “Everything’s made fresh, besides the fries… and the spinach…” Before she could go on, I ordered their award-winning chicken-fried steak (it won kudos from D Magazine and the State Fair of Texas – how could I not?) which came with two sides (I chose garlic spinach – a special – and French fries).

When the bread came out and being in Texas, I instinctively reached straight for the cornbread… what a mistake! It was horrible, like crumbly sawdust. I would’ve tried to spread on the accompanying softened whipped butter, except the entire piece crumbled into my hand as I tried. Having given up on the cornbread, I warily reached for the plain wheat roll. WOW… to my surprise, it was soft, warm and delicious. It was doughy and yeasty in a homemade-sorta-way, and the smell reminded me a little of the fresh-baked bread from Subway.

Finally, as I watched every other table being served (by the way, the restaurant filled up within 30 minutes of opening!), my entrée came out, and it was exactly what I had hoped for. The chicken-fried steak looked golden brown, well-seasoned and crusty. Amazingly, it tasted even better than it looked – tender, spicy, crispy. And the gravy atop was the perfect sauce… until it congealed three minutes later perhaps due to the AC blasting (combating the 100+ degree heat outside). Strangely, the crusty chicken-fried steak still remained crusty – not soggy in the least – even underneath that layer of gravy – a scientific wonder.

The greens were waterlogged, the fries missed being crispy (maybe they needed to fry it with the same method as the chicken-fried steak), yet I would definitely return to Good Eats, and next time, maybe I’ll try the meatloaf or pot roast, but I doubt it.

Essex
(American)
120 Essex Street on the SE corner of Rivington Street
New York, NY 10002
(212) 533-9616
http://www.essexnyc.com
Subway: F to Delancey Street, J, M, Z to Essex Street
Bus: M9 or M14A to Essex & Delancey Streets


Back in 1999, when Essex was relatively new, this place was more of a lounge than a restaurant, but sometime between now and then, Essex became a full-fledged restaurant. Located in the hip Lower East Side, Essex creates its own warehouse chic feel that fits in with the neighborhood.

If you’re going for brunch, make a reservation. Here’s my personal experience with the crowds at Essex: a few months ago, a group of eight of us tried to have brunch at Essex at noon on a Sunday; I had another commitment at 1:30pm, so I was unable to partake in brunch because by 1:15pm, we still had not been seated. Fortunately, this time around, a reservation had been made, especially since we were a group of 12, celebrating a friend’s bridal shower.

Brunch is a $15 prix fixe and includes THREE (yes, 3!!) brunch-esque cocktails (bloody Marys, mimosas and screwdrivers). Sadly, I wasn’t drinking, so I had to settle for a virgin Mary. These bloodies were SPICY – definitely a wake-up call on a droopy weekend morning. And perhaps it was because we were a group, but everyone who was drinking had more than 3 drinks, and no extra charges were added to our bill.

The food: I’m not exactly sure what type of food Essex is supposed to have. I’ve read “Jewish-Latin fare” and just “Latin” but when I was there for brunch, I saw an omelet, eggs Benedict (classic plus a few variations of), biscuits & gravy, steak & eggs, chocolate-blueberry pancakes, bacon… most of which didn’t sound very Latin or Jewish (especially the bacon) or a combination thereof. I noticed a few “Jewish” dishes: potato pancakes, challah French toast, lots of cured salmon (aka gravlax) and matzo; and their “Latin” aspects: the Cuban sandwich, an egg dish with torilla chips and pico de gallo, but is this enough to classify this restaurant as “Jewish-Latin”? It sounds pretty melting pot to me, which is the definition of AMERICAN.

As for how the food tasted, it was good enough. The chocolate-blueberry pancakes (which I didn’t order) were good enough that I wanted another bite. Actually, the pancakes were delicious. Everything else was less delicious. I ordered the Southern – biscuits & gravy. I am married to a Texan so I know biscuits and gravy. This was not good. Nothing else looked good. Except the pancakes.

Still, the brunch is worth it, just for the drinks. Bring good friends (ideally one or two that doesn’t drink so you can steal their drinks) and bring 20 bucks, and you’ll be golden (or a little pink-cheeked from the mimosas).

Zabb Kitchen
(Thai)
244 E. 13th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues (East Village)
NY, NY 10003
(212) 529 8770
4/5/6 trains to 14th Street – Union Square, L train to 1st Avenue

If you’re that person who traveled through Thailand, ate the most delicious foods along your journey, then came home to be flat-out disappointed with Thai food in the States, I have a solution for you. However, you must be a) living in New York City or b) willing to trek to New York City for a meal.

Zabb Kitchen doesn’t have just one name. To be honest, I’m not sure whether to call it Zabb Kitchen, Cha Cha Tea House (as written on the door), the restaurant formerly known as Pat Pong, or G&G (as it reads on its awning). I arrived at the restaurant thinking the East Village Thai restaurant Pat Pong had changed locations. To my surprise, I found a complete gem of a restaurant. A complete gem of a BYO restaurant, that is!

For the table of 10 I hosted at Zabb, we ordered pork and vegetable dumplings, summer rolls, and grilled beef salad to start. The vegetable summer rolls were as expected and the dumplings were not special and a bit soggy. I was hardly worried though because I could tell that those stand-bys were hardly going to be the focus of the meal. The beef salad with wonderful accents of Thai basil, ever-so-slightly minty, and rice shavings, toasty and tasty, was excellent. This is a must-order on any trip to Zabb. The portions are not large, so you may be happier ordering two for a party of 6 or more.

We continued with beef Massaman curry, tofu red curry, chicken pad thai, and spicy vegetable noodles with basil. The curries were exceptional – authentically spicy with a brilliant combination of flavors with each mouthful. You cannot go wrong with ordering curries with either beef or tofu. A great spin on Zabb’s red curry includes the use of Asian cabbage which you may mistake for kimchee. It adds a great, crisp freshness to the curry while absorbing some of the intense spiciness of the dish. The chicken pad thai was fine but much too boring for the splendid dishes that Zabb creates. The spicy basil noodles were thick noodles, cooked perfectly and seasoned perfectly, as well.

Desserts at Kabb were also great. The black sticky rice with mango is not to be missed. It is served exactly as you would expect in Thailand with perfectly ripened mangoes and a luscious, creamy coconut milk. We also tried the banana sticky rice which was good but too light on the banana taste in relation to the starchiness of the rice. The homemade ice creams were good, but one we had which was entitled something on the lines of “Love” was much too fragrant. It almost tasted like perfume. I’d skip the ice cream and go with mangoes with black sticky rice, one for each person at the table. It’s so delicious, you won’t want to share.

In addition to the splendid food, the prices are reasonable – curries and noodle dishes are under $10 each while appetizers hovered in the $5-$8 range. The proprietor, who is from Northern Thailand, is extremely friendly and willing to make recommendations while not dumbing down the flavors of the dishes in an attempt to protect meek tongues. The restaurant is fully BYO and fits about 30. You will absolutely love the grilled beef salad, curries, and the mangoes with black sticky rice. This restaurant gets an A from me, my highest rating thus far, enjoy!

Yabbies Coastal Kitchen
(Seafood)
2237 Polk Street between Green and Vallejo Streets (Russian Hill)
San Francisco, CA 94109
415 474 4088
MUNI Bus: 19, 41, 45, 47, 49.

From a lobster pound in Maine to a 2 lb. lobster at Bobby Van’s in Bridgehampton, I love nothing more than seafood. Yabbies’ décor, price, and ambience fall somewhere between the aforementioned locations. It was a Monday night (fish and chips night) and Yabbies was pretty much empty at 9pm. My friend and I sat down and immediately ordered a dozen oysters: 6 Kumamotos and 6 Hama Hamas (also from Washington). The Kumamotos were everything we expected (tasty) and nothing more. The Hama Hamas were not as tasty as the Kumamotos: they were slightly larger, looked like East Coast oysters, and had a slight briney flavor like their East Coast cousins. We gobbled the dozen down in seconds. The Kumamoto oysters were $2 each and the Hama Hama oysters were $1.80 each.

We also ordered a Caesar salad “The Classic Style” – heart of romaine with parmesan, croutons, anchovies, and dressing. It was small and certainly not worth $7.50, but on my quest to find the perfect Caesar salad, I sometimes have to pay the price.

We also ordered the Maine lobster and the linguine with fresh clams, garlic, and chili in white wine broth. It was a 1.5 pound lobster, boiled, with drawn butter. It was exactly what you’d expect from a 1.5 pound lobster flown to California from Maine and then served for 20-something dollars. It was satisfying enough. The linguine with clams was a disappointment. The pasta was overcooked – what were they thinking – linguine in white clam sauce should always be al dente! The portion was miserably small for $15.95 and the clams were sparse. It was slightly spicy but the chili really just took away from the flavor of the sauce. Yabbies’ version of linguine with fresh clams was a joke compared to the “real deal” and thus far my standard – the linguine with clam sauce at Enzo’s at 1998 Williamsbridge Road in the Bronx (http://arthuravenuebronx.com/enzo_restaurant.htm).

Overall, Yabbies was just fine. The food was decent, the wines by the glass and wine list were great (we had two white wines which were both excellent), and it was empty enough on a Monday night that we were able to enjoy the background music: the entire Led Zeppelin album. The only drawback (besides the linguine and Starbucks-like light fixtures) was that it wasn’t cheap… but neither is an airline ticket to Maine.

Chez Panisse Café
(California, Mediterranean)
1517 Shattuck Avenue
Berkeley, California 94709
510 548 5049
BART to downtown Berkeley (but it’s still a hike from there)

On a recent Saturday afternoon, a friend and I walked 2 miles from a shop on University Avenue in Berkeley in order to dine at Chez Panisse Café for lunch. We were worn, exhausted, and hungry. Sourdough bread and butter were brought to our table promptly. The bread was tough which I’ve grown accustomed to with sourdough. The butter was tougher as it most likely traveled directly from refrigerator to our table. As you will gather from my previous and future reviews, bad bread and butter at an expensive restaurant can easily cause a restaurant’s descent.

First was the roasted peppers with sheep’s milk ricotta and olive toast. We decided on this after seeing it being served to our neighbor’s table. I am a lover of ricotta in every possible way one can dream to serve it. Sadly, this ricotta was a letdown. It wasn’t very tasty nor creamy and as a centerpiece to the dish, the dish was disjointed. The heirloom and cherry tomato salad with aioli was excellent. The cherry tomatoes were sweet, tangy, and delicious – everything I’d expect from the in-season tomato, as well as from the restaurant. The aioli was unnecessary for the olive oil and basil served with the tomatoes were more than sufficient.

The Garganelli pasta with shell beans, rapini, and hot pepper tasted as though the rapini and beans were seasoned together and then added to the pasta. Everything but the pasta was over-salty almost to the point of being inedible. There was a slight hint of hot pepper but so light that it hardly deserved mention. The pasta itself was the best part of the meal as its surface area absorbed just enough of the saltiness of the beans. The grilled chicken breast saltimbocca with sweet corn polenta and Romano beans was good. The chicken breast was more tender than I would have expected from the cut and its wrap in bacon added a hint of flavor. The polenta was outstanding and the beans that accompanied the dish were delicious.

For dessert, we shared two: the almond cake with strawberries and the kirsch custard with summer berry coulis and pain d’amandes. The cake was a great idea, but tasted like a swig of almond extract. The custard was too syrupy and fruity although the custard itself was marvelous. If I could do it again, I probably would have ordered something much more basic like the coffee-chocolate-almond ice cream.

From what I read, Alice Waters tries to achieve the essence of dining at home. That is what it was in many ways: conceptually grand but unfinished and somewhat sloppy.
Overall I was underimpressed by the meal but delighted by its highlights.

Mijita Cocina Mexicana
One Ferry Building (Embarcadero at Market Street), #44
San Francisco, CA 94111
(415) 399-0814
http://www.mijitasf.com/
Muni: N Judah to Embarcadero Station


If you love food, restaurants and chefs like I do, the name Traci des Jardins (best known for her San Francisco restaurant Jardiniere) is as familiar as the name Mickey Mantle is to someone who loves baseball (or, for that matter, the general population). So when we made a stop at the Ferry Building while visiting my family in San Francisco, it was a no-brainer to grab a bite at her brightly colored nook in the Ferry Building called Mijita.

The ambience at Mijita is casual and perfectly represents its location as well as its menu. Des Jardins has developed sustainable Mexican recipes reflecting her roots and her California upbringing.

Since I was with a few people, we ordered a fair number of menu items in order to get an across-the-board taste of her creations: off of the regular menu, fish taco, quesadilla Mijita, queso fundido, a side of frijoles, guacamole & chips, plus the bean burrito for my 2-year-old nephew. Off of the specials menu: carnitas sandwich and chicken taquitos. After our cashier rang up our order, I noticed that although the menu may be authentic, the prices certainly were not (about $55 including tax but not beverages).

Portions were small, but tasty. Chicken is my least favorite meat, but the taquitos were delicious – light, crispy, with no greasy taste. The fish taco was similarly tasty: flaky Mahi Mahi, lightly battered and deep-fried until perfectly golden, inside a warm corn tortilla. But the all-star of the bunch was the queso fundido – melted cheese (described as “Mexican cheese” on Mijita’s website) mixed with chorizo served with warm flour tortillas. Simple as it is, it was delicious on its own, or as an addition to each of the items we ordered, particularly the very plain bean burrito (children’s menu item), which I didn’t expect would be spectacular, but at least more interesting than Taco Bell (it wasn’t).

I wish we had ordered the carnitas tacos, which is usually my favorite anywhere (especially Mexico), because the carnitas sandwich was mostly bread, and the bread just wasn’t good. I’ve definitely had better guac (Rosa Mexicano, Dos Caminos, my own), and Mijita’s namesake quesadilla left no impression at all.

I’ve read elsewhere that Mijita uses all local, organic ingredients, hence the high price tag on its dishes. I’ve never been one for organic anything, so next time I’m in San Francisco looking for a big name chef, I may save my $55 towards a down payment for dinner at Restaurant Gary Danko.