I finally made it to Luke! My bestie boy took me for my 58th Birthday on that day…July 7th! The B-day meal included: The cocktail 🍸 Our Starters: Smoked Trout Dip with bacon fat toasted saltines-we could not get enough of this!!!!! Warm Local Leidenheimer Loaf with sea salt, whipped butter-you cannot go wrong with warm bread🥖 & butter🧈 ! The Meal Me & Him respectively: Crispy Pork Schnitzel braised lima beans, haricot vert, heirloom tomato, charred lemon-it was huge and ok! Basically, a breaded pork chop…I wouldn’t order it again!!!! Herb Roasted Chicken charred broccolini, roasted cauliflower, parmesan, toasted brioche, lemon chicken jus-this was good although the chicken was a bit bland, but very tender. I would order this again! The Happy Birthday Treat: Brendan's Bread Pudding with hot buttered rum sauce, candied pecans, vanilla bean ice cream-this was really a happy birthday present 🎁 🍨! It was presented to me by the restaurant manager and some staff. I’m Going Back to try some other menu 🍽️ items!!!!

I chose the Gumbo Of the Day 🍜 and the Bronzed Red Fish 🎏 entree from the NOLA Restaurant Week menu. The gumbo 🍜 was phenomenal to say it was prepared in a restaurant! I would drop by just to have a cup or bowl of it and keep it moving 💃🏾 Now the red fish, for those who like red fish, would have enjoyed it. I am not big on red fish; therefore, my opinion of it is slighted…sorry. I did enjoy the breaded okra and shrimp 🍤 creole atop the red fish. Now.…them grits 🥣….contained goat 🐐 cheese 🧀. I do not like the taste of goat 🐐 cheese 🧀👎🏾 Howeverrrrr, them grits without the goat 🐐 cheese 🧀 would have been perfect…fluffy and creamy! I would go back to Cafe Normandie to venture into tasting something else on their menu.

This lil nicely decorative restaurant was a pleasantly surprising! Mr. Bojingles and I did an overnighter in Pensacola to dine some place different for his belated birthday 🎉 The atmosphere and decorations to me would have more appreciative with a group of Gurlfriends!!!! All dressed up and smelling good! Mr. Bojingles had the Traditional Pancake 🥞 Breakfast. I had the Vegetable Scramble 🍳 with potatoes accompanied by a Lavender Lemonade 🍋 garnished with a fresh orchid. The Pancake 🥞 Breakfast was typical like Mr. Bojingles 😆 The Vegetable Scramble 🍳was packed with onions, colored peppers and spinach. However, it was bland…a little salt or salted butter 🧈 would have made the veggies and eggs 🥚 taste more livelier! The Lavender Lemonade 🍋 garnished with a fresh orchid was very bitter and had a thick consistency due to the lavender. It was a cute beverage though…made me think about being in the galaxy 🌌😆 I am definitely going back to Bistrology on my next visit. I want to see what it looks and feels like in the evening hours with some of my sistafriends.

Annunciation was one those restaurants that piqued my interest, but was not on my “Go Taste & See” list. It was at our annual Trustee/Finance Holiday Gathering where the opportunity presented itself…which means, I got to indulge for free…I count it a Blessing. The restaurant is quaint, a bit dull with no excitement to the eye or atmosphere! Our server was named Kendrick. He was lively, a jokester and friendly. Me, myself, thought him to be a bit over the top at times. He could have used some of that energy to deliver exceptional customer service rather than average! My meal was a culmination of Spicy 🌶️ Seafood 🍤 Fritters as my appetizer, the Grilled Lambchops🐑 along with the Sweet Potato 🍠 Au Gratin and Green Beans as my main course and the Bananas Foster Bread 🍞 Pudding with a scoop of vanilla ice cream 🍨. My meal was good…that’s what I said-good! The lambchops were grilled of course, but had no other flavor, spice or seasoning,,, just plain ole grilled lambchops! Although the green beans were simple, they had an after flavor that made them tasty. The sweet potato 🍠 au gratin was also tasty after I added a pad of butter 🧈. I forgot to mention the highlight of the meal for me…how I could I????? The toasted sourdough bread topped with tomatoes and Parmesan cheese 🧀…DEEELICOUS!!!! I also tried the crabmeat au gratin coupled with crostinis-this was pretty good.

This was a chosen happenstance! We were going to Wokker, but little did we know it was in the Underground (where it actually is) Hall. This was an unexpected surprise! It was a little dark and grungy looking; however, we still took a chance. We had a simple rice 🍚 bowl with grilled chicken and a fried egg 🍳 on top. Nothing more to say about the meal! This spot reminded me of a place that you’ll go to after a night out of fun, to grab a bite to eat, talk about the night’s events and maybe have one more cocktail before going in.

This was an excellent pick and experience! We all three had the Taste Breakfast (your basic breakfast) with variations and a carafe of strawberry mimosa. The grits were great…smooth, creamy, fluffy annnnnd buttery! Our server Jeffery, did just what he promised….delivered exceptional customer service. We enjoyed everything…atmosphere, food, libation, our seating, the location and one another!

Although we enjoyed this Thai meal, there were a couple of things that interfered with our enjoyment! Our server brought us some steamed rice packed in leaves. The presentation and taste was exceptional! This was the highlight of my meal’ The garlic sauce that the Pad Woo Sen (stir fried glass noodles) was prepared in was salty….classic for any sauce blended with a soy sauce! Lastly, the chicken in the recipe had a “foul” odor to it…well! Ultimately, the outdoor eating experience is one I will look to have again when I return to Dallas. The service was superb, and heightened the experience!

This was an ok experience. I would not go out of my way to come back, but would consider trying them again. First, the manager was not a cordial individual. My waiter, on the other hand was cordial, polite and soft spoken…this blended very well with my mood. I had the “Pollo Ranchero” which consisted of a split and flattened grilled chicken breast covered with cheese 🧀 , onions🧅 and bell peppers 🫑, rice and refried beans. Everything tasted good, and they started you off with some chips and salsa. The salsa was thin in consistency which made it run off of the chips! I also had a peach frozen margarita with a sugar rim and 1800 tequila…it was ok.

I got the opportunity to experience this dish while at Wednesday’s In The Square. I love trying something new! These plentiful meatballs were very tender, moist and flavorful. The herbed ricotta along with the sauce, pepper consorva and roasted pine nuts were an enhancement. This was a good pick! Oh and by the way…they gave you a cozie with a complimentary cocktail when you visit them at there location in the hotel. Talking about winning someone over!!!!

I had the Big Easy Breakfast with a Fleur de Lis Punch as my breakfast cocktail This is a typical American breakfast found on most menus almost everywhere. So with that being said, there really wasn’t a WOW experience; although I enjoyed the comfort it provided to me. The grits were the creamiest…I luv me some creamy grits! Okaaaaaay!!! The bacon 🥓 was a bit too crunchy for my liking, and that piece of sausage I found on my plate caught me by surprise; howeverrrrr, it was surprisingly tasty 😋!!! My eggs 🥚 were NOT scrambled 🍳 softly, but I’ll eat an egg 🥚prepared in any traditional way. The pancakes were fluffy, but too thick for me. Now that cocktail 🍹 was good and fruity; and here I go again….the fruit puree made it thick. So yah know what imma do…add some more ice 🧊 and allow that 🧊 to melt and thin it out! That’s it!!!

Let me tell you!!!! The stuffed crabs were seasoned so delightfully, the mac & cheese was cheesing, and the potato salad was not bad…almost taste like homemade. The hush puppies were a plus; however, they could have kept that chunky biscuit. I would certainly head back for the stuffed 🦀 and mac & cheese. Oh, and how could I forget about the infamous Frosé….I love it with a little bit of simple syrup added to it. 😋

I was able to catch the happy hour special: Chicken🍗 & Champagne 🍾 for $10. This included the Crawfish Boiled Nugget Basket w/a glass of champagne. The nuggets were definitely crispy yet tender w/a flair of crawfish boil taste. The french fries were tossed in a seasoning that had a kick to it. Along side was a spicy cup of Crystal’s Pepper Pulp🌶️ seasoning & a cup of lemony miso mayo. I enjoyed the spot, and the experience although I did not have a “WOW!” moment. I would come back to explore a few other items on the menu, and perhaps bring a sistafriend! I won’t be in rush to do so though! By the way: you can find that happy hour special on the cocktail menu!!!!

The table shared a platter of Georgia Pecan Sticky Buns, Sweet & Savory Scones with flavored honey butters and preserves! This was such a treat and a twist on putting bread on the table! I tried some of Shanette’s She-Crab 🦀 soup…it takes an acquired taste👅! However, it did feel good and warm going down. My main course was The Riverside….your traditional breakfast with a side of French toast covered in a berry compote. It was good. The portions were enough for Shanette and I to share.

This is the place Kandi Burris (The Real Housewives of Atlanta) opened in honor of her mother and aunts. I had Kandi’s Original Baked Chicken, the mac & cheese, smothered cabbage 🥬, and a cornbread muffin. Everything was delicious…very well seasoned, chicken was tender, cornbread was sweetened just right and the portions were filling. To me a true down home southern cooked meal. Shanette had Todd’s Crispy Salmon Bites and the Old Lady Gang Signature Wings. She even took home a side of them good ole mac & cheese!

I went in because I had a taste for them fried chicken livers with pepper🌶️ 🫑 jelly I spotted on the menu. I was disappointed! Although they were fried to a nice crisp, they were bland. In addition, the pepper🌶️ 🫑 jelly was pickled….NOOOOO! Isn’t jelly sweet?!!!! Because that’s how I like mines! DavidU, the server, was very pleasant!

This is Da Cajun Scramble with breakfast potatoes. It was ok…the scramble was a little runny for me and the breakfast potatoes were roasted, but unseasoned. I will say the service made up for the runny & unseasoned! Imma give them another try.

I had the CJ’s New Orleans Napoleon- one of their Sunrise Specialties!

Every entree in this meal including that very good libation…the Hurricane Huey was AMAZING! I had the Louisiana Crawfish Bread, Blackened Shrimp Pasta and the Warm Bourbon Pecan Pie w/a scoop of vanilla ice cream! Not only that…our server was so jovial and attentive! As a matter of fact: dessert was on him…for the two beautiful ladies dining as HE put it!

The Frose is perfectly sweetened & flavored. I couldn’t stop sipping!

Cheeka had the traditional breakfast with grilled salmon🍣 . I had the Fritter French Toast (2 pieces), seasonal fruit and soft brie along with soft scramble eggs🥚 and applewood smoked bacon 🥓. Our cocktails 🍹 were mimosas for Cheeka and the rosé sangria for Jazze…ouuuuu so good!!! My Oooo Whee: Was the rosé sangria 👅 It was full flavored…fruity & sweet. My Not That: The seasonal fruit tasted fermented and they could’ve given me some bavarian cream in place of the soft brie (it was different, but didn’t add to the meal for me!)

This is a restaurant on my “Go See & Taste” list. Our meal included the Southern Braised Cabbage, the Crawfish Remoulade Caesar Salad, and the Pan-Roasted Salmon with Brussel Sprouts. We enjoyed everything except for the Southern Braised Cabbage; it was full of bacon! So much so, that the bacon over flavored the braised cabbage👎🏾 The Crawfish Romelaude Caesar Salad is what we enjoyed the most 😋 Now the Brussel Sprouts were good, but a bit on the salty side. The Salmon had a crispy top that captured the seasonings and was a delight to the taste when eaten. Am I going back again?! Yes, I am! There are a few other items on the menu I would like to savor, and last, but not least…the server made the experience enjoyably as well. 😉

Hunan Chicken with fried rice and a pork egg roll. The entree contained a nice amount of veggies mixed with chopped chicken breast meat…these two were a major plus! Even though I found the entree to be very greasy, the food was bursting with flavor. Isn’t that always the case with greasy food though…it tastes the best!!!

The taco salad topped with fajita chicken. I chose the house-made chipotle ranch & agave creole mustard dressings to taste…both were very flavorful! The salad was large enough for me to eat off of two days! Enjoyed!