Czech Stop & Bakery

Originally, I had planned to arrive in Austin from Dallas a little bit early so we could grab more BBQ.  However, we were so full from all of our eating, no one was in the mood for a sit down meal.  Therefore, we made the convenient stop in West, Texas for some gas and some Kolaches.  Huh?  What?  Yes, situated in a gas station, the Czech Stop & Bakery has been serving up these traditional pastries since 1983. For those who never have tried Kolaches, they are pastries made of sweet yeast dough usually filled in the middle with fruit.

As such, went ahead and got the Cherry and Cherry Cream Cheese.  Unlike kolaches I've had before (and that isn't many), these featured much more filling than dough.  Hence, there was plenty of sweet fruitiness and moisture.  The dough itself was pillowy soft and lightly sweet, but wasn't soggy (even around the fruit glaze).  I found the filling to be just sweet enough.  My son didn't want fruit and had the Nutella.  He enjoyed it since there was enough filling to add a nutty sweetness.  For me, that was too much nutella for the amount of pastry.  But what do I know?

For me, I enjoyed the sweet kolaches, but I'm more of a savoury person.  Therefore, we also got some savoury pastries including the Ham, Jalapeno and Cheese.  As evidenced in the picture, there was no shortage of filling which meant it was hearty and flavorful.  There was spice and tang from the jalapenos while the ham and cheese added saltiness.  I wasn't as impressed with the Sausage and Cheese as it didn't seem as fulfilling as the ham & cheese.  There was less cheese and the sausage wasn't big enough to ensure that it was in every bite.  Despite this, the fruit kolaches were every bit as good as people have remarked on the internet.  If you are passing by, I suggest you make a stop.

The Good:
- Pillowy soft pastry
- Lots of filling
- Inexpensive

The Bad:
- The sweet ones are better than the savoury ones

Lonesome Dove Western Bistro

One of first spots I put down on my itinerary for Texas was Lonesome Dove Western Bistro located in Fort Worth.  In fact, it was smack dab with the Fort Worth Stockyards (well more like on the on the edge, but you get the idea).  Hence, it was the perfect place for us to grab dinner after a day of exploring the sights and sounds of the Stockyards.  Now, one would question why BBQ was not the first thing I would jot down on any eating list for Texas.  Well, much like any Texan will tell you, there is more than BBQ in Texas!

Besides, we were here to try Lonesome Dove because of Chef Tim Love (another Top Chef connection, albeit Top Chef Masters).  For appies, we began with the Blue Corn Lobster Hush Puppies with watercress butter.  These were lightly crispy on the outside, yet pretty wet on the inside.  In terms of flavor, the briny sweetness of the lobster came through as well as the sweet pop from the peppers.  The creamy and buttery sauce exhibited a background bitter brightness. Viv and I also shared the Butter Lettuce with applewood smoked bacon lardons, spiced pepitas and chili buttermilk.  Generally, butter lettuce can be overly soft, but this one had a decent amount of crunch.  The tanginess of the jalapenos added zip to a spicy and creamy dressing.  Fatty and smoky, the lardons provided depth and body while the crunch from the seeds was a nice textural contrast.

My daughter wasn't extremely hungry, so we got her an order of the Texas Red Chili garnished with fried tortilla strips and cheese.  As evidenced in the picture, the chili was rich and meaty.  For those who aren't aware, authentic chili does not contain any beans.  Hence, this had a stew-like quality to it where there was depth from the spices while not being too spicy.  There was a level of smokiness to go with the natural meat flavor.  My son decided on the Chicken Fried Steak with Yukon Gold mashed potatoes, grilled green beans, pickled peppers and creamy gravy.  Although the beef was a tad chewy, it wasn't overly so.  The batter was well-seasoned and crispy while the gravy had a nice silkiness and spice.  Smooth and creamy, the mash went well wit the gravy.  Lastly, the beans were crunchy and very garlicky.

For myself, I had the 9 oz Roasted Garlic Stuffed Beef Tenderloin with western plaid hash and syrah demi-glace.  Being their signature dish, I found the plating rather odd (I did cut the steak in half) with the asparagus border.  No matter, the steak was freakin' awesome!  The picture doesn't do it justice as there was a plethora of garlic stuff inside that created a tasty aromaticness.  As you can see, the steak was perfectly prepared medium-rare.  It was super tender and juicy.  Viv again shied away from pork and beef products going for the Colorado Rainbow Trout with chorizo sweet potato hash and cilantro orange butter.  Exhibiting wonderful crispy skin, the trout was well-season and moist.  The hash was mostly sweet with some savory elements, especially from the chorizo.  Bringing it all together was a nutty and aromatic butter.

For the table, we added the White Truffle Mac n' Cheese topped with fried artichoke hearts.  Made with orzo, the dish was notably cheesy with a slight sharpness.  The white truffle was there, but retained enough so it wasn't overpowering.  By adding fried artichokes on top, there was a crunchy counterbalance to the soft pasta.  For dessert, we shared the Authentic Mexican Churros with chocolate, caramel and raspberry dipping sauces.  These were hot, crunchy and sweet.  I particularly enjoyed the dark chocolate dip as it was smooth and rich with some bitterness.  The raspberry was tart with the right viscosity while the caramel was buttery and smoky sweet.

The Good:
- Refined comfort food
- Excellent service
- Proteins done right

The Bad:
- A little rough around the edges, but that's the charm
- On the pricier side

Heim BBQ & Catering

After a great start to our BBQ adventure at Pecan Lodge in Deep Ellum, we ventured out to Fort Worth for some more.  In actuality, we were in Fort Worth to pay a visit to The Stockyards and get some commercialized wild west fun.  But before that, we drove down to Heim BBQ & Catering since they were rated in the top 50 by Texas Monthly (Pecan Lodge makes that list too).  Unlike our relatively short 45-minute wait at Pecan Lodge, we didn't have to wait much at Heim.  This was probably due to it being a weekday.  We even got parking right across the street.  Hey, we didn't mind that at all!

We ended up getting the 3-Meat Platter with brisket, pulled pork and pork ribs.   If I had to compare, the brisket was softer and much more moist than the one at Pecan Lodge.  However, the bark wasn't as pronounced nor as smoky though.  The pulled pork was very similar in texture to PL, but once again, was not as smoky.  We found the pork ribs to be better than PL in our opinion.  They were fall-off-the-bone tender while being succulent and well-spiced.  For our sides, we had fries and beans.  The fries were crispy and well-salted while the beans were a bit bland and too watery for our tastes.

We also added the Bacon Burnt Ends which were very fatty, yet ultimately tasty.  We would've preferred the fat to be cooked down more as it was a bit tough to eat.  On the other hand, the meat portion was fantastic being super concentrated with sweetness and smokiness.  The most majestic part of our meal had to be the 2-lb monstrous Beef Short Rib.  It was more smoky than the other meats and was super-fatty (in a good way).  The meat literally melted in our mouths.  The best way to describe the rib would be "meat butter".  Yes, it was that tender. 

For dessert, we had the Banana Pudding that was sweet and custardy.  There was slices of fresh banana throughout as well as crispy cookies on top.  The dessert was probably sweeter than my personal preference, but the cookies helped break up the flavor.  For the items we tried at Heim, the beef short rib stood out.  However, our preference would be Pecan Lodge as the meats at Heim were lacking smokiness and the brisket was too soft and wet.

The Good:
- That short rib
- For us, it wasn't too busy

The Bad:
- Could've been more flavorful
- Brisket was too soft and wet

Knife Dallas

If you haven't noticed by now, I'm not shy in trying to hunt down all of the restaurants that sport Top Chef contestants (whether they won or not).   Since I would be down in Dallas, it was a given I would try Chef John Tesar's modern steakhouse aptly named Knife.  On the show, he was somewhat vilified as a hot-headed chef that produced some pretty good food.  Once described as the most-hated chef in Dallas by D Magazine, John Tesar didn't really come across as unreasonable on Top Chef.  Maybe he was just stuck in untenable situations?

Before we even ordered our actual food, we were presented with a plate of Crudites accompanied by a green radish dip.  Normally, I do not comment on veggies and dip, but the various carrots were sweet and super crunchy.  There was also celery, radish and endive.  However, the tastiest thing was the creamy and bright dip.  For our actual appie, we had the Yellowtail with Texas ruby grapefruit, avocado, Murray River salt, sriracha and Ligurian olive oil.  This featured beautiful and buttery yellowtail that was thickly sliced.  There was only a touch of sriracha that didn't interfere with the natural sweetness of the fish.  I would've liked to see a touch more salt to bring out the flavours a bit more, but the dish as a whole was very good.

For my son, he went for the Beef Cheek Burger with truffle mayo.  My word, this thing was a beast.  The size on the beef cheek was bigger than the actual bun.  Size is one thing, but the darn thing was beautifully prepared being tender, succulent and gelatinous.  The braising liquid was balanced and impactful.  The truffle mayo added another layer of luxuriousness.  Although my son didn't use the pickles on the side, it would've been the perfect compliment as it would've added the necessary acidity.  For my daughter, she went for the Fettuccine Bolognese that also arrived in an enormous portion.  Freshly made, the pasta was a touch soft, but still okay.  As for the bolognese, it was rich with plenty of meat and carrots being well-seasoned with an appealing amount of spiciness.

Viv decided on the King Salmon and cauliflower since she wanted to get away from red meat after our BBQ lunch at Pecan Lodge.  Although the skin was prepared crispy and was well-salted, the fish itself was a little more done than she would've preferred.  On a side note, she ate the leftovers cold the next day and it was actually moist.  As for the cauliflower, it was well-seasoned and had a nice bite.  For myself, I had the 10 oz Texas Wagyu Skirt Steak.  I asked for it to be prepared medium-rare and although the optimum is to cooked the steak a bit more to activate the fats, the steak still turned out perfect.  It was well-charred on the outside and properly seasoned.  The meat was juicy, well-rested and super tender (even for a skirt steak).

For my side, I chose the Creamed Spinach and roasted shallots which was amazingly tasty and prepared how I personally like it.  Unlike other versions, the spinach wasn't cooked to a pulp.  Rather, it was still vibrant and had texture.  The sauce was creamy, yet not overly so while the roasted shallots were aromatic and added taste to an already flavorful dish.  We were so stuffed, dessert was never really in the cards.  However, we each received a plate of petit fours that was more than we could handle (since we were still digesting lunch, let alone dinner).  Overall, we were pretty satisfied with our visit to Knife.  Most of the dishes were good and the service was really attentive.

The Good:
- My steak was perfect
- Excellent service
- Pricing was okay IMO

The Bad:
- Salmon could've been less cooked
- Pasta was a little overdone

Pecan Lodge

Gorging on real Texas BBQ has been at the top of my bucket list for a long long time.  Now when I say long, I mean since I was in Elementary school.  There is a certain appeal to attacking big portions of meat and eating it off the bone.  Now I've had some decent BBQ up in Vancouver such as Dixie's and The Hog Shack, but I finally got the chance to make it to the promised land by virtue of a cruise.  You see, I booked a cruise that left out of Galveston and conveniently made it the second week of spring break.  Hence, it gave me an excuse to do a quick tour of Texas the week before!

We hit the ground running by taking an early morning flight and arriving in Dallas just in time for lunch.  Our first stop was Pecan Lodge in Deep Ellum.  We only waited in line for 45 minutes (which is actually very reasonable).  The first thing I dug into was their famous Hot Mess consisting of a jumbo sea salt-crusted sweet potato, South Texas barbacoa (shredded brisket with southwestern seasoning), chipotle cream, cheese, butter & green onions.  As featured on Triple-D's, this monstrosity was super delicious!  Soft and extremely buttery, the sweet potato was delicate and creamy.  The combination of toppings added depth, saltiness and spice as well as even more creaminess.  This was sinfully delicious and even though I didn't want to eat too much, we ended up finishing it.

We also had the 3-Meat Combo Plate that included brisket, pork side rib and home-made sausage.    As evidenced in the picture, the fatty brisket was beautifully smoked.  In fact, this was one of the smokiest briskets I've ever had.  I personally loved the flavor as well as the tasty bark.  The meat itself ranged from tender to a touch dry.  That didn't make or break it though.  As for the rib, it was equally smoky and fell-off-the-bone.  It was moist and the spice rub was well-balanced.  Lastly, the sausage was pretty good having a good mix of meat and fat.  It was juicy and tender with some spice.  For our side, we had the mac n' cheese that was creamy, saucy, tangy and slightly spicy from the green chilis.

To get a sense of their pulled pork (without the Southwest seasoning), we had the Pitmaster Sandwich sporting brisket, pulled pork and sausage topped with slaw bbq sauce & fresh sliced jalapeños.  For $10.00, this was an enormous concoction that had enough meat for more than one sandwich.  As mentioned above, the brisket was fatty and delicious while the sausage had a good snap to the casing as well as being meaty.  I found the pulled pork to be smoky much like the other meats, but also a touch dry as well.  An extra dousing of their sweet and tangy BBQ sauce helped alleviate that.  The crunchy slaw and fresh jalapeños added a tangy crunch as well as some heat.  What brought it all together was the soft buttered and toasted bun.

Our last item was their Southern Fried Chicken with a side of West Texas pinto beans and a roll.  Wow, the batter on the chicken was super on point.  It was crunchy and well-seasoned while not being greasy at all.  The skin was fully rendered while the meat in the drumstick was succulent.  I found the the breast to be somewhat dry though and needing a brine of some sort as the chicken itself was a little bland.  The beans were pretty hearty being only mildly sweet.  For our first BBQ of the trip, Pecan Lodge was pretty solid.  Surprisingly, my favorite item was the hot mess, it was just a combination of tasty things.  Fried chicken was good too.

The Good:
- Overall solid BBQ
- Hot mess rocked
- Fried chicken surprisingly good

The Bad:
- Of course, the lineup
- Portion size for the 3-meat combo was not very big for the price

Piva Modern Italian

For about 8 years, I called Coquitlam my home.  This was back in the 90's and let's just say the food scene was pretty lame.  As much as I try to encourage people to take the trek out-of-Vancouver for eats, there was a time where the burbs had very little to offer.  Fast forward to the present, times have definitely changed as many have moved out of Vancouver and have brought their food expectations with them.  Hence, we are seeing an increase in not only more authentic cuisine, there is also some style sprinkled in for good measure.  That would best describe the newly opened Priva Modern Italian in New West.

I recently visited the place and it definitely felt more urban and upscale than most of the other restaurants in New West.  We started with a couple of appies including the Meatballs and Arancini.   Although the meatballs didn't look particularly appealing, they ate very well.  Moist and tender, yet still meaty, the wild boar meatballs were the beneficiary of mushrooms mixed into the meat.  Hence, there was plenty of umaminess and aroma.  With that being said, a bit more salt was needed for impact.  However, the morel mushroom cream offered up another layer of woodsiness.   Encased in a lightly and uniformly crispy breading, the arancini balls were really good.  The risotto was a bit soft, but that didn't detract from the ample amount of wild mushrooms.  This created an intense earthiness that was taken a step further by the "just enough" truffle aioli.

For our pizza, we chose the Italian Sausage and Egg consisting of spicy Italian sausage, ricotta, braised garlic, arugula, charred onions and oven-baked egg.  There was a wealth of ingredients sitting atop a razor thin crust.  As such, it had softened up quite a bit despite the proper charring and leoparding.  The real texture of the crust was exemplified by the portions near the edges (and the edge itself).  It was crunchy, chewy and well-salted.  As for the toppings, the whole cloves of braised garlic was intensely flavourful while the creaminess of the ricotta helped balance the slight spiciness of the meaty sausage.

We ended up with 2 pastas beginning with the Fettuccine sporting prawn, scallop, white wine and tomato sauce.  As much as the tomato sauce was pretty straightforward, it was impactful and tasty.  There was enough sweetness to balance off the tang from the tomatoes as well as equal parts garlic, onions and basil.  I found the pasta to be al dente, but just barely.  The best part of the dish had to be the expertly prepared seafood.  The large scallops were buttery and soft with a tender chew.  As for the prawns, they were meaty with a snap.  Our second pasta was the Spaghetti with bolognese consisting of spicy sausage, beef, veal and portobello mushroom.  Naturally, this pasta was more robust due to the plethora of meat.  It was rich and full-of-depth where the layers of meat flavour (including the "meatiness" of the mushroom) really came through.

Hands-down, the best dessert of the 2 we ordered was For Nonna consisting of crispy layers of candied phyllo, cherry compote and vanilla mascapone.   Although messy to eat, the shattered layers of phyllo were crispy (even with all of the moisture) and appealingly sweet with a candy-like coating.  This was balanced by the creamy and thick mascapone as well as the lightly tart and sweet cherries.  The Tiramisu Sundae was no slouch either being essentially a deconstructed tiramisu featuring espresso gelato, masacapone, lady fingers, chocolate orange brittle and ample chocolate drizzled on top.  The best part was the gelato as it was creamy, purposefully sweet and full of espresso flavour.  When eaten with the rest of the components, it did really taste like a tiramisu (except with crunchy lady fingers).  It is a bit ironic that Piva is directly across the street from the Old Spaghetti Factory.  One exemplified New West for decades while Piva represents the future with style and good food.

The Good:
- Upscale and modern
- Execution was pretty spot-on
- Friendly service

The Bad:
- Pasta could've been a bit more al dente for our liking
- We enjoyed the service, but it was a bit sparse at times

Minami (Spring Menu)

As much as I praise the food at Miku and Minami, I haven't been back for a long time.  Well, that is not true, I was at Miku last year (which was tasty as usual).  But for Minami, it has been 6 years!  Trust me, it is not because I've been avoiding the place either.  If I had my preference, I'd be there every week dining on Aburi Salmon Oshi.  However, trying out new spots in town and traveling have taken precedence.  So when I was invited, along with Nora, to sample their new Spring menu, they didn't have to ask twice.

Before we got down to the new dishes, we were served a small bite consisting of Golden Herring with chili soy and bonito flakes.  I enjoyed the pop from the roe combined with the brininess of the firm herring.  Flavours were bright and balanced.  The soy was sweet with a touch of spice while the bonito another layer of good fishiness.  Our first plate was the Kabayaki Glazed Octopus with sauteed potatoes, heirloom gem tomatoes, shaved fennel, white balsamic vinaigrette, herbed tomato wasabi bell pepper compote and sesame soy emulsion.  Charred and smoky, the octopus was tender with the right amount of chew.  The combination of the emulsion and compote afforded both nutty aromatics and a tangy spice which paired well with the octopus and the tender potatoes.

Onto what I was personally looking forward to, we were presented with the Premium Oshi Trio consisting of Hokkaido Hotate and Botan Ebi, Albacore Tuna and Otoro and Japanese Wagyu and Country Style Bacon with green pea-shiso and red cabbage purees.  My favourite was the tuna with tobiko oroshi ponzu and yuzu zest.  I thought the tuna and otoro were on point in terms of their buttery texture as well as the fresh taste of the sea.  The natural flavours were accented by the light tanginess of the ponzu and yuzu zest.  The wagyu and bacon was pretty tasty as well with the saltiness of the bacon coming through.  Tang and some background heat at the end was provided by the wasabi negi relish.  Also naturally sweet with a slight snap from the shrimp, the hotate and ebi was accented by the brininess of the mentaiko aioli.

Our mains began with the Fraser Valley Pork and Bacon Wrapped Scallop.  The braised pork cheek was super tender and moist.  It was glazed with sweet shoyu which caramelized and complimented the natural meat flavour.  I found the scallop to be tender and just cooked through while the classic bacon accompaniment added the necessary saltiness.  Rounding out the plate, we found a creamy and sweet carrot puree, spicy togarashi chicharron, grilled baby zucchini and grilled pineapple salsa.  Beautifully plated, the 10 oz. AAA Sterling Silver Aburi Ribeye Steak was prepared rare and served with baked Yukon potato puree, shallot crisps, peppercorn veal jus and spiced herb butter.  The meaty steak was more than enough food for one person (we didn't even finish it).  It was nicely charred and was flavourful from the peppery jus.  Due to its doneness, the steak was a touch chewy.

Striking to look at, the desserts included Earl Grey Mousse and Mango Coconut Verrine.  Hidden within the sticky meringue, we found a sweet orange coulis.  It sat atop a firm and aromatic earl grey shortbread.  The yuzu ice cream stayed frozen despite us taking our time with our pictures.  It was more like a sorbet, being refreshing and citrusy.  The dark chocolate espuma was fun where it was fluffy and light.  That was good, but the mango coconut verrine was our favourite.  It featured a beautifully textured coconut pannacotta topped with a flavourful mango gelee.  This was all accented by a tropical compote, coconut crumble, creme fraiche, coconut tapioca and passion fruit macaron.  The whole thing just ate light and with the fruit flavours, it was refreshing and aromatic.  Alright, I should just ignore some of the new restaurants and stick with the gold standards.  This visit to Minami reinforced my love for the place where the food is well thought-out and delicious.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:
- Solid aburi as expected
- Food tasted good, but the plating was appealing
- Sat outside on the patio, great space

The Bad:
- Steak wasn't as tender as expected