Category Archives: North Dallas

Eatzi’s is NOW OPEN at Preston Royal

Eatzi’s has landed at Preston Royal Shopping Center! Just like their five other DFW locations, this new spot offers the same delicious, ready-to-eat food in classic European-style eatery form. In true Susie Drinks fashion, we’ll be talking about the drinks and what pairs well with them.

Get your Wine-down Wednesday (or really, any day) started with a quick stop at Eatzi’s: Mini wine bottles are available starting at just $2.99 and can be found all around the center food station. Half bottles of wine range from $13.99 to $16.99 and can be found throughout the store. Full bottles of wine get a special discount of 10% off when you purchase 4 or more. And for all you beer drinkers, a whopping 30% off when you purchase 6 or more. If you can’t decide which wine to go with, there’s usually an Eatzi’s wine specialist who can help you pick the perfect bottle for your evening.

Eatzi’s has the best selection of grab-and-go items if you’re in a hurry, need to grab something to take along to a get together, or just want a quick bite. Items range from Mediterranean sampler plates and sushi to perfectly portioned pasta dishes and salads. Their meat and cheese section is perfect for last minute get togethers or impromptu picnics with prepackaged meats, cheeses, fruit, and more.

If you’re searching for larger quantities or something a bit more refined, their large “Chef’s Corner table” (always in the middle of the store!) offers some staple items and some items that change by the day, both of which you can get in any quantity your heart/stomach desires.

 

EATZI’S PRESTON ROYAL
NEW LOCATION: 6025 Royal Lane #208, Dallas, TX 75230
972-499-6379

eatzis.com
all six locations

Open daily 7am-10pm

Super Chix in North Dallas

Move over, Chick-fil-A, there’s a new chick in town!

Super Chix is bringing flavor back to the traditional chicken sandwich. With the idea that simple is better, Super Chix marinates and hand-breads their chicken in-house daily. With locations in Dallas and Richardson (and soon to be Frisco location!), there’s no excuse to eat a sub-par chicken sandwich ever again. (Not that Chick-fil-A is sub-par … just in case the powers that be see this.  You NEVER want to piss off the CFA wizards.) 

The Super Chix menu features standard fried or grilled chicken sandwiches, as well as some new-to-the-scene, more creative plates … and yes, even salads.  Not to be missed is their extensive sauce selection. You can choose from six sauces–Mississippi Comeback, Alabama White, Nashville Hot, Cucumber Dill Ranch, Signature, and Honey Mustard … all delicious, 

Cordon Bleu Sandwich: swiss cheese, honey mustard, ham, and fried chicken. Served on a buttered potato roll.

Crispy Avocado Sandwich: Avocado half stuffed with Gouda cheese, breaded and fried, then topped with seasoning, garlic mayonnaise, lettuce leaf, and tomato. Served on a buttered potato roll. 

Blackened Cajun Chicken Sandwich: grilled chicken filet tossed in blackened seasoning, topped with garlic mayo, bacon, lettuce lead, tomato, and fried pickles. Served on a buttered potato roll. 

Fear not health-nuts, they also have delicious salads, such as the Southwest Chicken Salad, which features lettuce, tomato, avocado, grilled chicken, and tortilla strips.

As for drinks and desert? Well not only do they offer a bunch of craft sodas on tap, they also have a full custard bar with rotating weekly custard flavors. Find their custard menu here.

Super Chix
superchix.com
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Dallas Location: 14999 Preston Road, Suite 226 | 972-788-0660
Richardson Location: 1551 East Renner Road, Suite 830 | 469-466-1500

Open 11am to 10pm daily

The Second Floor Fall Offerings

The culinary team at The Second Floor by Scott Gottlich always manages to keep things fresh and interesting–and most importantly, delicious. With new addition Chef Ryan Barnett (formerly of Stephen Pyles) at the helm, this certainly continues to be the case. I recently had the opportunity to pay a visit to Second Floor to check out a French-inspired “Classics” prix-fixe menu that ran for a limited time. From the first bite of French Onion Soup down to the last taste of Cambozola en Croute, each dish was flawless and exceeded my expectations. Other highlights of the evening included a beautifully seared Steak Diane, as well as a masterfully executed Rack of Lamb. Thoughtfully curated wine pairings were available for each course. Chef Barnett informed me plans for future prix-fixe menus are on the horizon, so keep on eye The Second Floor’s website for a peek at what’s to come.

In the meantime, The Second Floor has debuted a new lineup of fall menu offerings that you won’t want to miss. Among them, the Texas Gold Shrimp & Grits with an anchiote tequila cream sauce ($14/$25), an Orecchiette Pork Ragu with slow-braised pork jowl ($15/$24), and a Lobster Risotto with roasted butternut squash ($14/$36). And, consider drinking your dessert; The Second Floor’s featured fall cocktail (created by Gina Gottlich) the Caramel Appleton, is made with Ciroc Apple, Bailey salted caramel, butterscotch, cranberry, cream and garnished with a caramel rim ($13). If whiskey is closer to your speed, check out the Cinnamon Whiskey Sour (Makers 46, cinnamon, cranberry, citrus, rocks–$13). See the full fall menu here.

The Second Floor Happy Hour:

  • Speciality cocktail of the day (changes daily) $5
  • Domestic Beer $4
  • “The Best Wine in the City”, Honoro Vera, Garnacha, Spain, or Les Costieres de Pomerols, Picpoul de Pinet, $5
  • Various Snacks and Small Bites $2-5

The Second Floor by Scott Gottlich
13340 Dallas Parkway (inside Galleria Dallas, Level 2)
(972) 450-2978

 

Pat's & Mike's Dallas Burgers

“Bartend” at Pat’s & Mike’s and Help Raise Money for Charity

Think you can bartend? Interested in raising money for charity? Well … you can raise money for a charity of YOUR choosing by simply having drinks with friends. Yup, you have the chance to drink for a good cause … Habitat for Humanity, Wounded Warrior and Scottish Rite are just a few of the organizations who have already benefitted.

Some background…

The guys who were now serving up burgers, fries and one hell of a margarita, long before many others in Dallas, Pat and Mike Snuffer (yes, of Snuffer’s*), opened a burger joint with their cousin, Steve Cole, in North Dallas in November 2014. Now, if you have ever met these guys, then you already know how genuinely nice and caring they are, so it shouldn’t come as any surprise that they have a way to give back to the community that also helps spread the word about their new place, Pat’s and Mike’s. (Hold tight … I’ll have a full review on the new eatery for you shortly.)

So here is how it works…

Every Tuesday night from 4 pm to 7 pm, Pat’s and Mike’s welcomes a “Guest Bartender(s)” to mix it up and support a charity of their choosing. Many people choose to raise money regularly for a charity of their choosing, and websites such as Chipotle Fundraising and many more offer assistance in raising money by using online payments and fresh ideas in order to maximise donations. Pat and Mike use a similar method in setting up regular events in order to maximise donations. For obvious legal and liability reasons (not to mention cost), “Guest Bartenders” won’t be pulling a Tom Cruise in “Cocktail” and mix up drinks and serving up shots. “Guest Bartenders” will help pour some beers and assist in the bar area in other ways – meaning no special experience behind a bar or in a restaurant required.

You raise money by inviting friends, family, coworkers … heck, anyone you know to come have a drink while you “bartend”. Hopefully, your stellar service will encourage tips from your group and 100% of the tips “Guest Bartenders” earn go directly to the charity they selected. Seriously, take a look at what a few “Guest Bartenders” have easily raised for their charities over 3 hours on a Tuesday.

  • Habitat for Humanity – $1,600
  • Scottish Rite Hospital – $2,000
  • Wounded Warrior – $1,000
  • LPC Charity – $2,000

Whether you are looking for a new way to help raise funds for an charitable organization or just want your drinking to benefit one, check out Pat’s & Mike’s “Guest Bartenders” on Tuesdays. Give them a call to book your Tuesday and have some fun!

PAT & MIKE‘S
www.patsandmikes.com
Facebook | Twitter
18101 Preston Road, Suite 240C, Dallas, TX 75252
(469) 941-4489

*The original Snuffer’s is no longer owned by them … just FYI!

Topgolf Allen Summer Events

Last week I made the trek up to the great white north Allen to attend a Ladies Happy Hour at Topgolf Allen. I mean … it was a drive, but it was so worth it. If you’re not familiar with the Topgolf concept (where the hell have you been?), it’s a tech-forward driving range dreamt up by the Jolliffe brothers in Watfotd, England. Topgolf (Target Oriented Practice Golf) takes a traditional driving range and adds microchips to the golf balls and targets to the pins. The closer your ball gets to the pin, the more points you’ll get. You can find some extra background on Topgolf Allen in Brian’s recap of his visit.

Top Golf has really upped its game … not just its literal game (which it has), but its food, drink, and hospitality game, too. To start off our happy hour (hosted by me, Staci from 7onashoestring, McKinney Moms Blog, and the Dallas Blogger Collective). After introductions and a few words from some of the Topgolf peeps, we were treated to a “speed” wine tasting lead by a very knowledgable teacher. We tasted fives wines–(some seriously grapefruit forward) whites, roses, and a Layer Cake red (one of my favorite budget-friendly wines).

After the wine tasting, they opened up the floor to ceiling glass doors and let us take over the range. (Ok, not the whole thing … but we had room to spread out.) Even though I don’t know much about golf, I could tell this was an impressive driving range with modern facilities, Ace Driving Range Netting and plenty of golf balls to go around! Our group all had some natural ability (some more than others), so we grabbed the drivers and started the game. (I’d like to note that Brittany (pictured below) and I were neck-and-neck … though she did win. It really made me think about getting a golf simulator so I could get some practice in before our next golf outing.)

The gracious Topgolf team plied us with more of their delicious offerings–chicken & waffle sliders, s’more sandwiches, Green chili mac & cheese, and more. I like to think I’m more qualified than most Texans to identify good green chili menu items from bad (my sister and her husband live in Albuquerque and EVERYTHING is green chili-flavored), Topgolf’s Green Chili Mac & Cheese is damn good–just enough flavor to make it distinct, but not enough to smoke your taste buds. Everything was fresh and delicious with some seriously fun flavors and unique offerings. (I mean … who doesn’t want a chicken and waffle slider?)

Beyond delicious food, great service, a fun atmosphere, and a great game, what more could you want? Well … beyond live music and fun contests from time to time, they have Golf Bags. (And what driving range isn’t more fun after 30oz. of booze in a light-up novelty cup with crazy straws for just $15? I went with the Pineapple Express (Malibu Coconut Rum, 99 Bananas, DeKuyper Peachtree, orange juice & pineapple juice) and it wasn’t a mistake.

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They’ll be hosting two similar events later this summer, one for moms and another catered to couples. My advice? Go to one (or both) of them. Stay tuned to their channels to find out about these FREE events!
TOPGOLF – ALLEN
www.topgolf.com/us/ALLEN
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
1500 Andrews Parkway, Allen, TX 75002
(469) 675-9730

HOURS OF OPERATION
Monday – Thursday: 9:00am – 12:00am
Friday: 9:00am – 1:00am
Saturday: 8:00am – 1:00am
Sunday: 9:00am – 12:00am

The 2nd Floor Spring Menu

The 2nd Floor Bistro is constantly reinventing itself thanks to its incredible culinary team.  The latest change comes to us in the form of their new spring menu boasting bold, inventive dishes.  SDD Contributor Rico and I were lucky enough to get the chance to preview the new menu items a couple weeks back and were blown away.

The new dinner menu includes items like Seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras (I’ll be back to get this … believe), Grilled Block-cut Akasushi NY Strip, and Crispy Confit Salad and the lunch menu offers a few Rustic Pizzas.

The evening started with some of their new cocktails thanks to their mixologist Seth Brammer.  They passed some of their new options around and one of my favorites was the House Tonic & Gin–a classic made amazing thanks to their house tonic.  We also enjoyed the Cucumber Sip (Crop Organic Cucumber Vodka, elderflower, strawberry, and soda) which was perfectly refreshing after experiencing humidity that you could cut with a knife that day.

Other new cocktails include: Muzzle of Bees (Rittenhouse Rye, lemon-infused honey, lemon bitters, and fresh black pepper), Meet Me in Rome (Deep Eddy Grapefruit Vodka, Cappelletti, Cocchi Americano, and bubbles), and the Quick Pittance (Four Roses Bourbon, Giffard Apricot Liqueur, lemon, mint, and ginger ale).

The meal began and we were delighted by item after item.  The appetizers that I died for were the Quail Wings, Deviled Eggs (WITH LOBSTER!) and the Potato, Leek, & Kale Soup.  (I can tell that the soup is one of those dishes that will pop into my mind at some point and I won’t be able to sleep until I get my mouth on some.)

Chef Scott Gottlich and his team joined us before each entree to tell us about the amazing new items they dreamt up in excruciating detail. (I mean that in a good way … we couldn’t wait to sink our teeth into them once we’d been teased with the explanation!)  Of this group, the Pork & Seeds was the dish that really made a strong impression.  It was Executive Chef Andrea Maricich’s take on the dish she had as a child complete with housemade mustard to give some kick to the perfectly crispy pork belly.

The dishes kept coming and our bellies started to grow weary … but our palates didn’t.  Each dish had such unique flavors that each bite let us discover the depth of each ingredient.  I’m not usually a Shrimp & Grits fan, but they added Grilled Kaffir Lime to the giant Gulf Prawns which completely revolutionized the dish.  (And don’t get me started on the accompanying saffron cauliflower grits.)

Dessert, as always, comes too late in the meal.  Your stomach realizes by this point what you’ve decided to it with the previous courses and it’s usually too difficult to give it your full attention and appreciate it for how brilliant it really is.  We were given bites of the 2nd Floor’s take on Carrot Cake which was actually a cake filled with cream cheese accompanied by a pine nut cookie.  Take that, cupcakes!  My favorite of the two items was the Bananas Foster Pudding.  While not a huge bananas Foster fan, I thought the silkiness of the pudding really lent itself nicely to the taste.  I’d order the crap out of it again.

As usual, The Second Floor Bistro didn’t disappoint and intrigued me to the point that I’ll need duck back in to try out some of the new dishes for the spring.

To find full menus, visit their website.


The Second Floor Bistro
thesecondfloorrestaurant.com | @2ndFloorBistro
13340 Dallas Parkway (in the Galleria – Westin entrance)
(972) 450-2978

Bailey’s Prime (Closed)

Bailey’s, the Cedar Hill transplant that opened a couple years ago in the brand new Shops at Park Lane, is HANDS DOWN one of my new favorite fancy happy hour spots.  I’d say it’s right up there with Perry’s, only trumping it with its longer hours.

After visiting Bailey’s for a “working” lunch and Mother’s Day brunch, I was eager to try their famed all-night happy hour.  I was glad I finally made it in because my time there was one of the more fun nights I’ve had in a while.  (I’ll attribute that a little to the company and a little to the location.)

The whole staff seems to be there to make your experience amazing.  Perfect example: my mom invited me to meet her when I was walking out of the grocery with items that needed refrigeration.  On the way to the resto, I called and asked if they could free up some fridge space for my groceries and they gladly obliged.  The bartenders (Pedro and Kelly) will get you anything you want and will even take you for a swing on the dance floor if you so desire; on that note, Kelly is one of the better bartenders I’ve seen in Dallas from a service standpoint.

The drinks are delicious and STRONG.  Try some of their signature cocktails offered on the happy hour menu like the Cosmotini, Pomegranate Martini, or the bourbon-based, Forty Apples.  I enjoyed the VERY cucumber-y Cucumber Martini and would have died to try the French Seventy Five Martini – I didn’t want to venture into champagne on a school night.

The food is equally as good (and equally as discounted).  We got an order of their homemade chips and they were delicious as was their fresh-baked bread.  You know a restaurant is good when you see Kent Rathbun stop in for a bite!

Last word: Make sure you check in on Foursquare because they have one of the most generous check-ins specials I’ve seen – a free glass of their house Malbec, no strings attached.

Drink strength: 4
Overall: 4.5

Bailey’s Prime Plus
www.baileysprimeplus.com
8160 Park Lane #130 (Shops at Park Lane) | (214) 750-8100

Specials:
Monday-Thursday (4-7 p.m.) and Friday (4-11 p.m.)
$5 house wines, $6 signature cocktails, $2 domestic beer, $4 well drinks

Live bands:  Friday and Saturday nights