Category Archives: Cuisine Queen

Hero in Victory Park Is What You Hope For When Mixing A Sports Bar and an Arcade

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Located right outside of the American Airlines arena in downtown Dallas, Hero is a hip new restaurant and bar with an arcade!

They say everything is bigger in Texas and Hero is no different. The main dining room boasts 2 beautifully designed bars, seats 540 guests and includes a quirky trinket shop from the Dallas based custom T-shirt company, Bullzerk. There is also an indoor/outdoor space with games like air hockey, Pac-man and NBA Jam, not to mention the huge 24-foot television for all of your sports viewing needs.

When imagining an arcade restaurant, good food may not be at the top of your list of expectations but, Hero does not disappoint.

Hero_Drinks

From left to right: Froze, 14 oz. Creamsicle Swirl, Old Fashioned, Bourbon Peach Cobbler and an Aperol Dreamsicle

Naturally, we ordered drinks first and the beautiful photo does not do them justice. The drink menu has a variety of classic cocktails with a Hero twist and of course a summer favorite, Froze.

The meal started with pulled pork nachos, crab rangoon dip and delicious jalapeño hush puppies. First, because of allergies in the group, we subbed out the pulled pork for chicken. It was a great decision. The chips were fresh, the cheese was REAL and the jalapeños provided just the right amount of spice. The jalapeño hush puppies were fluffy and tasty without being too dry.  All amazingly delicious and none of the flavors overpowered the dish itself (which I was afraid of with the jalapeño hush puppies).

As for the main course, I decided on the steak frites (if you know me, you know I’m a steak and potatoes kind of gal). The meat was cooked perfectly medium with the tenderness and juiciness I was hoping for and the food came out hot and timely.

Hero_SteakDinner

Medium 8 oz. butcher’s cut steak with pecorino-herbed frites

Everyone in the group thoroughly enjoyed their meals and unfortunately there was no room for dessert but, the menu includes brownies, an Oreo cookie ice cream sandwich and other classic post-meal favorites.

Hero is now open Sunday- Thursday from 11am until midnight. Friday and Saturday they are open from 11am until “late” (as listed on their website).

A Glamorous Dining Experience: Le Train Bleu

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The next time you find yourself in Paris, France, dining at Le Train Bleu is a must!

This unique Parisian restaurant is nestled at the top of the stairs inside Gare de Lyon, yes the train station! It was a bit tricky for my friends and I to find (especially when our Uber driver dropped us off down the street) BUT, once inside…..

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An immediate feeling of luxury. The ceiling is filled with exquisite paintings, gold gilding and booth seating modeled after the dark blue sleeping cars from its namesake. There are a total of 41 paintings throughout the various rooms of the restaurant.

The menu lists a variety of traditional French dishes including duck foie gras, the leg of lamb and the Tartare beef seasoned to your taste and delivered table side on a silver serving trolley.

 

Dinner is a bit on the expensive side but, the atmosphere, the food and the wine are well worth the money spent!

 

Tableside Italian Cook Shoppe

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I am a self-proclaimed foodie so naturally, when I traveled to New York a week ago, I told my fellow foodie friend, Dominique, that I definitely wanted to find some good food. We made the executive decision to spend the entire day exploring New York and then grab dinner before my trek back to Washington D.C.

As we’re waiting on one of the letter trains to start our day of exploration, my foodie friend was searching Instagram for dinner ideas when she showed me a picture of lobster meat and pasta. Instantly, I was craving seafood pasta and the decision was made. Tableside Italian Cook Shoppe would be our dinner destination for my last night in the city.

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The size of the restaurant is deceiving when walking up to the storefront. Entering through the front door, you walk directly into the bar area and the dining room is located to the left.

tableside

The décor is warm and cozy and gives off a-meal-at-grandmas-house vibes. There are no more than 10 tables in the entire restaurant and a very attentive staff of one bartender and one server (at least this particular evening.)

The menu sustains the family theme with dish names that include, “Italian Mothers Love” and “Grandma’s Lamb Specialty” as well as, funky names like, “Lady of the Night” and “Truffled Moneybag.” Although intrigued, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try the “Tasty Crustacean”, especially with a touch of brandy listed in the description.

Prior to the main course, we were served bread with a plate of three different kinds of hummus. I am not a huge fan of hummus but, Dominique seemed to enjoy them. Then came the main course and it was just as delicious looking as the photo on Instagram.

lobster pasta dish

Of course, like the millennials we are, we snapped a couple photos of our food, toasted to life and dug in. The lobster was tasty, although the portion was smaller with much less meat than I had anticipated. I am an avid red wine drinker but, I chose to pair my meal with a sweet Riesling from Germany and the light crispness was a great compliment to the dish.

Overall, the meal was enjoyable. If only I had time (and room!) for dessert, next time!