Dallas Sushi Tour - Kona Grill

We went on a sushi tour to check out the best sushi restaurants in Dallas Texas.  We only had time to check out the top three.  We perhaps picked a poor weekend for a sushi tour, but we had a great time.

Our first stop was to take N17979 (Tammy Lamb) from Wichita to McKinney Airport on the outskirts of Dallas.  We had a rental car waiting us, so we went car to car with no TSA involved.

From McKinney we headed for Kona Grill.  We had a reservation through Open Table for 1200.  We really didn't need a reservation, but we should have.  Kona Grill was outstanding.  The restaurant is in a mall and has an outside seating area.  The seating was very nice.

We were impressed from the beginning when we could order saki bombs from the menu.  They were Kirin and Kirin light in 22 oz. bottles each with a small container of hot saki.  Talk about a great start to lunch.  The Kirin was chilled nicely and the saki was heated well.  In an open courtyard seating under the trees, the spot was idyllic.

The menu at Kona Grill is a mixed polopolesian and sushi.  I chose the restaurant because of its ratings and because it was the only nice place with sushi open for lunch on the 4th of July.  Kona Grill isn't rated in the top five or ten for Dallas, but it should be.  For the purist, Kona might not be the best, but we had a taste of Southwestern shashimi that will bring us back next time.

We were sharing shashimi and sushi for the weekend, so we tried the jalapeno yellowtail and the jalapeno salmon from the shashimi menu.  We also ordered spicy tuna hand-rolls, and tuna and eel nigiri. 

The shashimi was excellent.  It wasn't classic, but the fish was fresh and the spices were natural and not overwhelming to the fish.  The yellow tail had a piece of jalapeno and cilantro on top.  It was excellent.  The salmon had a puree of jalapeno on top and something tasty in the middle.  The presentation was beautiful.  The nigiri was classic.  The spicy tuna hand-rolls were pretty typical.  They were surprisingly not too spicy.  The birth-day girl is on a search for the perfect spicy tuna hand-roll.  To her, that means chunks or slices of tuna with hot sesame oil and other spices--she'll know it when she tastes it.  It was the way one of our favorite sushi places did it before it shut down.

Kona Grill was a great start to our Dallas sushi tour.  We will return.     

Osaka and The Doughnut Hole, Destin, Florida

I'll give you two in one: Osaka and The Doughnut Hole.  I've been to Osaka many times.  Osaka is an outstanding Japanese restaurant on the Emerald Coast.  It has both a hibachi and a sushi area.  We ate in the sushi area on this visit.  Even if you don't like sushi, Osaka has Japanese food you will like.  Everything I've had there has been excellent and authentic.

Almost everyone drank hot saki, and we all reported that it was pleasant.  About half had sushi and half had a hot meal.  One of our group ordered the beef curry and reported that it was excellent.  Another ate the beef terriaki and gave that a thumbs up. 

I had the Chirashi sushi.  I've had it before, and it is consistently the best Chirashi I've had on the east coast.  A Chirashi is shashimi (raw fish) and other sushi toppings served over sushi rice.  Actually, the rice is the sushi.  The stuff on top is the topping on the sushi rice.  This Chirashi has always been excellent.  I've never been disappointed.  The prices at Osaka are at the higher end, but everything on this side of the bridges is more costly.

Visit Osaka, you will enjoy it.

For breakfast, we went to The Doughnut Hole.  This place was packed on the weekend.  It was packed this morning (Monday).  It is small but wonderfully decorated with real wood everywhere.  The coffee is freshly ground and excellent.  I had a doughnut and coffee.  Everyone else, except Bun had a real breakfast.  When I say a real breakfast, I mean a real breakfast.  Even the diet plate was heaped full.  Here is a photo proof of what a "real" breakfast pastry looks like.

The photo is Bun and the Apple Fritter, or Bun and the Very Large Bun.  My doughnut wasn't this large.  Still for a hearty breakfast, check out The Doughnut Hole.

Yamoto Fort Walton Beach

I'm going to lose track of all the places I've been eating, but I'll try to keep up and keep you apprised.  I've been going to Yamoto for 15 years or so.  It is a Sushi and Hibachi Japanese style restaurant on the Eglin Parkway in Fort Walton Beach.  The sushi is the best, but you won't go wrong with the Hibachi.  The prices are home town and not vacation subscription.

We ate at the Hibachi and had a great chef.  I had the Hibachi steak and a spicy tuna hand roll.  The Hibachi was less than $20 and the food was overwhelming.  It was good quality.  The spicy tuna hand roll was perfect with firm fresh tuna and a nice spicy sauce.  I want another one right now--that's how good it was.  I think I'll go for the sushi next time and tempura to check that out.

No one had a bad meal and the company was pleasant.  Even better, Yamotos is really trying hard to create some atmosphere, all their waitresses wore Yukatas with sashes--kind of fake Kimonos, but most Americas won't notice the difference.  The effect was nice.  Yamotos is a great restaurant.

Arnold Palmer's in Palm Desert

Still reminiscing about my trip.  We went to Arnold Palmer's for dinner on our last night.  The atmosphere was upscale and pleasant.  The walls are covered with pictures of Arnold Palmer and his greatest moments.  My BiL is a real golfer, so he knows all the stories and was a wealth of information about Arnold.  The bathroom has a score card of Arnold's best game ever.  It's golf stuff. 

Still, if you don't like golf, the food is great.  The wine menu is adequate and the wines are good with a great variety.  I had a Brut split with my appetizer.  The split wasn't that bad, but it wasn't as good as the split I can get back in Wichita at WCC or the Candle Club.

I had a bowl of crab bisque for an appetizer.  The bisque was great, but the crab was sparse.  I can get a great bisque anywhere, but one with sufficient meat is rare.  Enough said.

I had the lamb chops as an entree.  They were excellent, but only two and the plate was bare.  I also shared a plate of mashed potatoes.  They were very good, but mashed potatoes are mashed potatoes.  If you mess them up, you are an idiot.

So, I liked Arnold Palmer's.  I'll go again, but they aren't that special.  The meats are well prepared and properly prepared, but don't expect anything special or unusual.

Tommy Bahama's Palm Desert

Okay, we like Tommy Bahama's for the cocktails, but the food is great too.  It's not as great as it once was, but it is still very good.  When we are in Destin, FL, we always go to Tommy Bahama's.  When we went to Palm Desert, CA, we had to try it out.  We liked the cocktails--we went twice. 

On the first occasion, I had a coconut cocktail thing that was delicious.  I also had a Vodka martini and that was great too.  I ate the 20oz. Porterhouse.  I know, I should have had seafood, but I'm just jaundiced toward sushi.  The Porterhouse was excellent.  I didn't take any home for lunch.  I can't remember what the regular copilot or the others had, but I do know, I'll go back.  Tommy Bahama's is a consistently great restaurant.  It isn't the top of the line, but it isn't average.  It is really great food in a really great atmosphere.  Did I say there was live music.  Always live music at Tommy Bahama's. 

The second occasion, we went after eating dinner at Arnold Palmer's.  I'll write about that experience later.  I had a BBC--very nice and rich drink.  The regular copilot had a Lemon Drop martini.  I was good for her.  Someone had the Key Lime pie.  I was happy with the drinks.  Go to Tommy Bahama's, it's a great and fun place--you can't go wrong.  

Castelli's Palm Desert

Still in Palm Desert -- actually, I'm back and reminiscing.  We visited Castelli's Italian Restaurant in Palm Desert, CA.  This is a fantastic restaurant.  The service is personable, the wine list is extensive, and the food is wonderful.

Since we had been overextending with appetizers, we went for the entrees early.  I wish I'd tried one, but when you are eating out all the time, you don't want to ruin the meal with too much.  I had the Godfather's Dinner: PRANZO DEL PADRINO.  Described as "The Best of 3 Worlds! Tenderloin Beef Spiedini, Shrimp Scampi and Vitello alla Piccatina."  Hey, this really was the best of the three.  This way I could try a selection of their Italian fare.  It was a great choice.  The meal comes with a pasta dish.  The basic pasta offered was with a marina sauce.  I chose the Fettuccine Alfredo.  It's supposed to be their signature pasta. 

The Fettuccine Alfredo was stupendous.  I'm a fan of white sauce (Northern Italian cuisine) and this was excellent.  The pasta was homemade and the sauce tasted very rich and buttery--perfect.  The focus of the restaurant was more Southern Italian, but I was pleased with the choices and the meal.

The presentation of the meal was excellent.  The three meats were placed artfully on the plate.  The scampi was like a lobster and very good.  The veal was slightly over spiced, but authentic.  The tenderloin was cooked properly and a great cut.  I took the leftovers back for lunch and a very pleasant lunch it was.  I can't remember what everyone else ate, but I was very pleased with my meal.

We ordered a bottle of their house Italian Chianti--it was a great choice.  We also had the after dinner Cappuccino Roma.  It was pleasant, but I liked the dinner best.

I was also pleased with the service.  You can't go wrong at Castelli's--I want to go again.

Armando's Mexican Restaurant in Palm Desert

I'm still in Palm Desert, California.  You'll find Armando's Bar and Grill on El Paseo in Palm Desert--that's the main drag.  Just taking a leisurely stroll down the street is a great pastime.  You'll find every store imaginable--prices, that's something else. 

But when you are ready to eat, try Armando's.  You'll save bucks and have a great meal.  The Margaritas were recommended to us.  There is a house limit of three.  The reason is they are the strongest Margaritas I've ever tasted.  You won't find many other Margaritas more powerful unless they just add tequila to the ice.  They were everything they were described to be.  You need to try them.

The menu is classic and the food excellent.  There are all your favorites and some Mexico City norms.  The TexMex usual is all there, but the quality is excellent and the amounts are uncommonly large.  We had a concaso appetizer that was filled with sausage and cheese.  It was a meal in itself.  The regular copilot had a shrimp cocktail that was more akin to a ceviche with shrimp and tomato sauce.  It was equally excellent. 

The ladies ordered fish tacos and the gentlemen chimichangas.  Half of a chimichanga was plenty--they were completely filled with shredded beef and chicken.  We had enough for two lunches.

If you want a great TexMex meal with excellent service and at a reasonable price, you should visit Armando's.  You won't be disappointed.

Grill-a-Burger Palm Desert California

I'm reporting from Palm Desert, California on a trip for fun and golfing.  I flew my aircraft out to Scottsdale on Sunday, then to Palm Desert on Monday.  You should be able to see the updates on the flights at www.ldalford.com after I get back.

We went to a great Italian restaurant in Scottsdale, but I couldn't appreciate it--the golf course drink lady made WCC H2Os that were more like triples.  Holy smoke.  I was trying out some new golf clubs--they help, but not really enough.

The first night in Palm Desert, we went to Grill-a Burger in the Plaza de Monterey.  Okay, if like hamburgers, this is the place for you.  I'm not an especial fan, but if it has avocado on it, I can't help myself.  This place has a Holy Moly! burger with guaca that is awesome.  I also ordered sweet potato fries and avocado fries for the table.  I've never had avocado fries--they were great.

Our waiter was great.  Our food was great.  I recommend Grill-a-Burger just for the fun menu and the place.  It's a hole in the wall.  By the way, the hamburgers are large.  The regular copilot split hers with our other lady traveler--good choice.

Sushi - Sumos 4 November

I intend this blog to be an occasional blog--I don't want to write on it every day, but I did have a dining experience on Friday.  I took my wife to Sumos for sushi.

They don't accept reservations, but we didn't need them even though the place was full.  It's a Japanese hibachi style restaurant sometimes called a chop-chop house.  The kind where they cook your meal as an entertainment.

We had sushi--that's the point.  I love raw fish and meat--the problem of world traveling.  And we love sushi.  I was disappointed.  The restaurant was crowded and it is loud.  My late cousin designed it, but they need to do something about the noise.  Simple Japanese half opening coverings and banners on the walls would help, but that's the engineer in me coming out.  The service was very good.

We started with a tempura appetizer.  It was nicely presented and well done--a little greasy, but tasty.  Our main complaint is that it didn't come with the usually tempura dipping sauce, but rather a ranch-like dressing and sweet and sour sauce.  We didn't ask for tempura dipping sauce--we should have.  I had a hot sake that wasn't very hot and my wife had a Sapporo light (Japanese beer) that wasn't very cold.

We both ordered a seaweed salad.  She didn't like the cucumbers in the salad and the dressing could have been a little stronger.  We also had miso soup.  The miso was too strong, but the soup was hot and presented properly.  We both also ordered a spicy tuna hand roll (a conically wrapped maki (roll)).  That was very good, but we could tell they used the older tuna--that's typical in many places. 

My wife ordered sushimi (raw fish).  She received tuna, salmon, and yellow tail.  I had sushi pairs and ordered unagi, salmon, firecracker yellow tail, and a special tuna.  Mine was okay.  The salmon was smoked when I ordered sake (raw salmon) and I had a small bone in the unagi (cooked freshwater eel).  My wife's sushimi was good, but the yellow tail appeared a little dull and her salmon didn't seem to be sushi grade.  I tasted it.  She also found a bone in the salmon--that's an indicator.  None of the fish smelled fishy--that's a good sign.  We don't touch any sushi that smells fishy.

So, all in all, the sushi wasn't that great, but like I said, the service was good.  We'll probably not try it again for a while.  In Wichita, the options for great sushi decreased significantly with the closing of Kwan Court which was one of the best sushi restaurants in the country.   

Cigar Night 3 Nov

4 November 2011, Cigar Night at the Candle Club

We have out cigar night out the first Thursday of every month.  We've been congregating at the Candle Club.  This is a private club in Wichita, Kansas.  Kansas has passed laws that prevent business owners from exercising the private property rights on their own property--the legislature has prevented the use of tobacco products in non-private clubs.  Someone should take these legislators to court for taking the value of property from property owners.  Our country is doomed as long as property owners can't determine the legal activities they will allow on their own property.

In any case, we had cigar night at the Candle Club--there we can have drinks, cigars, and dinner.  The food at the Candle Club is outstanding.  I brought cigars. 

The usual bartender wasn't in the smoking bar.  I ordered a vodka martini with grape based vodka (I like potato based vodka because I don't like the sweet flavor of grain based vodkas).  She came back with a vodka martini made with grape flavored Sky vodka--yuck.  Okay, reload.  She had a discussion with the regular bartender and came back with the right drink.  I thought it was funny.

I brought a bunch of cigars, but started with a Partagas number 10 (my favorite), but my buddy brought a special Cohiba torpedo.  The Cohiba was a great cigar.  It was tightly wrapped with the usual great Cohiba flavor.  A nice gentle chocolate and cream.

For dinner, I ordered the Steak Tartar.  There are only two places (that I know of) where you can get Steak Tartar in Wichita Kansas:  the Candle Club and the Newport Grill.  The Steak Tartar at the Candle Club is wonderfully fresh with very little spice or stuff mixed in.  It has a raw egg yoke on top.  It is excellent.  I looked forward to it all day.  With it I had a Flexinet Cordon Negro half bottle.  I wanted to have another--Steak Tartar and Fexinet.  The bread with the Steak Tartar was a thin sliced French style with a brush of oil.  All in all this was a very pleasant meal.  I recommend it.

My bud recommends the chicken fried steak at the Candle Club--that's what he had.  After the Cohiba, I went back to the Partagas number 10.  That was my limit and I got almost 3 hours out of the cigars--wonderful.  The flavor of a Partagas 10 is slightly sweet and honey with cream.  Very close to the Cohiba but a gentle cigar that doesn't stay with you for two days.

That was my planned end of the evening, but another friend offered me a Nub English Wrapper.  I ordered a Jamison on the rocks to match the Nub.  The Nub cigar was nice and not too long a burn.  It is a similar cigar to the other two.  It is a light and sweet cigar with a nice flavor.

So, the end of this cigar night.  We had 13 members and a great evening of conversation.