Royal Thai (5500 Greenville): I know I mentioned this in my prologue as one of three restaurants I mention when asked about dining out. Proximity is NOT the reason! Royal Thai is one of my favorite all time restaurants. The quality of the food has caused me to consider Thai as one of my favorite genres of food just behind Sushi and Pizza, and is responsible for our upcoming trip to Thailand in the fall. The decor is formal, with cheesy statues and pictures decorating the dining room. The servers are all cute, petite Asian girls dressed in red silk blouses and long black skirts. The restaurant is located in the shopping center with World Market and PetsMart, unfortunately it is in the back and somewhat hard to locate. When we first discovered it a few years ago I worried it would go out of business because it is in a poor location. However, ordering curry (Massamon, spicy level 3)and vegetable fried rice (with extra Bok Choy) several times per month has helped keep them in business. Though it is in a strange location, you MUST try this place. And then try it again!
Canne Rosso (2612 Commerce): This pizza and pasta place located in Deep Ellum has risen the ranks of Hardy's favorite restaurant list and is now among the top 3. Not sure if they are proud of this honor or not, but regardless, they have it. There are only 2 hassles with this place. Parking and getting in. Since it is located in Deep Ellum, the parking costs $5 and this is not valet. Instead, you park yourself and swipe your credit card at a kiosk. Once you park and get past the wait (or eat lunch at 11:20p) you will be happy with the rest of the experience. I start off with the Mista (or Mistas?) which is a balsamic vinegar salad that is large enough to feed the table. Plus, they give free refills (I think) so only order 1. But order it, because it is delicious and it goes great spooned out on top of your pizza when it arrives. Speaking of pizza, they do not have typical pizzas. That is to say, they do not have pepperoni, hamburger and canadian bacon. Instead they have several different pizzas that you must try and figure out which is the one you like best. My first time couple of times I tried different pizzas, but the restaurant remained in my mind jumbled with all the other brick oven pizza places (fireside pies, grimmaldi's etc). It was good, but nothing to write about on your blog. Recently I discovered (Thanks Dez!) an off the menu pizza called the Honey Badger. It is a strange pepperoni that is soaked in jalapeno infused honey. And instead of red sauce, the honey is drizzled over the pizza. Sound weird? It is! But it is freakin' delicious. A great mix of sweet and spicy. I love this pizza and will be eating it again tonight!
The Grape (2808 Greenville): When thinking about restaurants, the most stressful thing for me is deciding a place to take someone for a special occasion. A nice, formal, fine dining restaurant. The decision is always based on what someone told you or something you read. The decision will always cost you in the $100-$150 range (which is just not cost-efficient when you could get a spicy ck sandwich from Wendy's for $4 and be just as happy). I have been to 4-5 NICE restaurants in the past 6 months and by far the one I remember is The Grape. It is a small place on Greenville with a classic bistro decor. The menu changes so you cannot go there expecting to get the same options available to you every time. Meals include: steak, duck, lamb, tuna, swordfish, halibut, scallops pork chops...all of which look delicious. The two things I have had (a steak and a fish) were AMAZING. The server helped pair wine for each occasion and the wine was delicious. I am not big on frequenting fine dining establishments, but they certainly have their time and place. If you find yourself needing to find one and are stressed out about it...consider The Grape.
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