Team Shep Blog: Restaurant Week 2013

I am a total Restaurant Week junkie. Seriously...it's a problem. The $35 price tag for three (or four) courses at some of the nicest restaurants in Dallas is just too hard to pass up (note that some bumped the price to $45 this year...not okay). But the fact that a portion of the proceeds goes to charity makes me feel a little better about my Restaurant Week addiction.

Just like last year, we enjoyed three different Restaurant Week meals. Josh and I started it all off with a dinner for just the two of us at St. Martin's in early August (they did Restaurant Week all last month!).

I didn't take any pictures during dinner, but it was all delicious. And the best part of the meal was clearly the Champagne Brie Soup. I mean...it's champagne...and brie...in soup form. I could have licked the bowl.

I loved the the ambiance of the restaurant as well. From the friendly old bartender to the Little Richard look-a-like jamming out on the piano, it had such a cool, old school vibe. I highly recommend it for a romantic date night.

Josh and I got to enjoy two more date nights when we joined friends for Restaurant Week dinners a couple weeks later. The first night, we dined with Jill, Steven, and the Adolphs at Stampede 66.

My Mom snapped a rare picture of us as we were heading to dinner.

Stampede 66 is a Stephen Pyles restaurant that focuses on "modern Texas cuisine." The decor of the restaurant screams Texas, and I especially loved the horned frog lights :).

P.S. I am going to apologize in advance, because all of these photos were taken in very dark restaurants on my iPhone. But I wanted to document our fun nonetheless.

We had some cocktails at the bar while waiting for our table. I went with "The Cowgirl," which was a whiskey drink made muddled fruit. Very good...and very strong.

My girls.

Jill and Steven.

John and Erin.

Ha! A picture truly does say a thousand words.

After settling in at our table, Josh ordered the Modern Star Canyon margarita, which is made tableside with dry ice. It was quite the show.

My man and his (pink) margarita. He wasn't embarrassed by my photo-taking at all.

So pretty and so delicious! I think Josh's favorite part was the candied jalapeno on top.

I started off with the wedge salad. It was good, but nothing to write home about.

Josh started with the Pork Pot Roast Tacos. He was a fan.

I love how the tacos came on this fun, and practical, little taco stand.

He also ordered the optional fourth course (with our Central Market coupon): "Faux" Gras Mousse. It is "faux" because it's made with chicken liver instead of goose liver.

Since I am not a fan of liver in any form, I opted to go off-menu and order the deviled eggs.

I had read an online review that knocked the restaurant's deviled eggs as being too run-of-the-mill, but I was still willing to give them a shot. And I'm so glad I did, because they were outstanding. Not only are they pickled before they are deviled, they also have a little kick...and are topped with bacon!

Josh ordered the fish special, which he said was good but not great. Luckily, the entree I chose was more than great. I went with the Chicken Fried Chicken with Chorizo Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, and Braised Green Beans.

Holy deliciousness, Batman. I ate every single bite. That gravy was particularly ridiculous...and I don't even like chorizo.

You know what else was ridiculous? The Green Chile Mac N' Cheese that we split...

One would think that we couldn't possibly eat another bite by this point, but it was time for dessert.

Josh and I both went with the Dr. Pepper Float, which was made with Snickers ice cream and came with a brownie-cake-type-thing on the side. So good.

After hearing mixed reviews on Stampede 66, I was really curious to try it out. And I definitely agree with the positive reviews. Everything was really, really good. I will be back!

And speaking of going back, we loved Restaurant Week at The Capital Grille so much last year that we decided to make it a tradition.

I didn't take any photos of the amazing food, since it was all basically the same as what we ordered last time, but I did capture a few of our fabulous company (sorry, Tessa...I somehow managed to miss you in the pics!). Note that they put us in the private room. Score!

Diana, Truc, and Vyna...