Thursday, November 19, 2009

Takashi Sushi - Salt Lake City, UT

I forgot my iPhone at the hotel this night so unfortunately no picture this time but that shouldn't stop you from visiting this restaurant as it is probably one of the best sushi places I have visited in my life.

I had a seat at the bar which was very entertaining as I got to watch every intrinsic sushi compilation be created. It is truly an art form and I could only whish to one day even make a decent Maki roll. The place was packed and had a great pulse to it.

I ordered the Miso Soup, the Chef's Choice Sashimi platter and a cold Budweiser and it all came together in a very eye and stomach pleasing manner.

This is definitely a place to visit when in Salt Lake city but make reservations if your party is more then "one" as it gets very crowded and the line outside only gets longer.

Overall Rating: 5
Food Rating: 5
Cost: $$

18 W. Market St.
Salt Lake City, UT 84101
http://www.takashisushi.com/

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Dr. Bell's BBQ - Dallas, TX

This visit in Dallas I decided to stay around the old Main St. District, a really nice part of Dallas that is really growing and coming back in terms of activity. Lots of restaurants and bars and actually some people on the streets in a normally very ghost town like Dallas. As I took my standard nightly walk to find a restaurant to dine at I stumbled across a sign that said "the doctor is in" and it did catch my attention. As soon as I noticed the establishment it was pointing to I understood what the sign meant. The Doctor of BBQ is back "in" and the doctor for this joint was Andrew Bell. Andrew is the owner of this newly opened BBQ shack and he was very passionate as we spoke about his past and future dreams. He has been a chef his whole life and love eating out so of course we perceeded to speak about our experiences at places like French Laundry, Alinea, Per Se, Tru etc. But we both agreed on that there is nothing like some uncomplicated home cooking food at its best, sort of what Andrew intents are with his restaurant. Andrew is a very involved and passionate person with a great vision for his restaurant and great hopes of succeeding.

The place had a very BBQ-ish decor with the checkered red and white table cloths, barn type metal sheet walls and a big roll of paper towel on the table to whipe of all of that BBQ sauce from your mouth and fingers. The place had a great smell to it coming from the smoker in the back. Beautiful wood burning scents that carried with me as I left, I even had to air out my clothes afterwards but it was all worth it.

I ordered the 1/2 lb meat plate with two sides and since Andrew was out of his famous ribs (he would vouch for these anytime and said they were the ultimate highlight of his menu) I elected to go for the Brisket and Sausage. I am a brisket fanatic and always choose brisket when I can. Andrew proceeded to tell me how it is cooked for 19 hours or soand you could taste the lenghty process both flavor wise and tender wise. My two sides became Dr. Bell's Collard Greens and Cucumber & Tomatoe Salad. I also chose a cup of the Main St. BBQ Brisket Chili on the side. My plate was filled up and it was time to sit down and enjoy the meal but not before a big glass of cold water and some of Andrew's home pickled jalapenos which were for the record unbelievable.

The plate of food I consumed that night was excellent; flavour, texture, smell....everything came together and of course the great price just rounds of the great experience. Side note: The collard greens were smoking and a must have side if you visit. Not to forget, everything in his restaurant is made from scratch including the best BBQ sauce I have had in a long time. Andrew makes it himself and according to his dreams there is a possibility that you will be able to find his sauce on the shelves in your nearby supermarket in the near future. I will buy it for sure because of two reasons; it has a great balance between spicy and sweet with a touch of vinegar making it very light and it is not thick and overwhelning. This is what we call Texas Barbeque sauce I guess....
All in all, I will come back to Dr. Bell's BBQ on every trip to Dallas and I whish the best for Andrew and his restaurant. This place is highly recommended even though I was unable to try his ribs which is what Andrew feels the strongest about but hopefully at my next visit as this is a place to go to.

2 Thumbs up and highly recommended!

Overall Rating: 5
Food Rating: 5
Cost: $
1404 Main St.
Dallas, TX 75202