DallasEats Reader Picks: Olenjack's Grille

Olenjack's Grille
http://www.olenjacksgrille.com/
770 Road to Six Flags E, suite 100
Arlington, TX

We'd like to begin this post by reiterating the fact that these Reader Pick evaluations are not "reviews". When we set out to thoroughly evaluate a dining establishment, we visit it at least twice. In many cases, we may go three times or more, attempting to hit the place at different times of the day. That way we can try to evaluate both lunch and dinner, or at least a different waitstaff shift. We felt the need to offer this intro because it pains us both to make negative comments about a restaurant we've only dined at once. That being said...


Olenjack's Grille in Arlington seems to have a split personality. The first, we'll call it Jack's, is a posh steakhouse crossed with a Star Canyon-esque Tex-fusion restaurant that strives to impress and often succeeds. Jack's has classy, if dated, starched burgundy tablecloths and a nicely appointed wine list. Jack's is a place we'd drive out of our way to go to again.


Personality number two, which we'll call Olen's, is an average eatery with a hotel dining room decor, butcher paper on the table and a staff that languishes between courses and drink refills. At Olen's, they take a diner-like approach to service, sending each plate out with a food runner as it's ready, leading to an auction at the table ("Who had the pork chop, guys?"). This was a sticking point for us. When you're paying upwards of $30 a head for dinner, ladies should be served first, gentlemen second and it's not out of the realm of reasonable expectation that the kitchen have everything ready to roll at the same time.


Olenjack's split personality crosses over onto the menu as well. Starters (listed as "small plates") were impressive, and a few of these with wines to match would have made a lovely meal. Salt and pepper shrimp were perfectly cooked - no rubber tires here - and the spicing offered a pleasant bite. Steak-cut calamari was surprisingly tender, but the runny, bland tomato sauce it was served with kept it from achieving greatness.


Entrees were a similar mixed bag, with our group of six split 4-2 in favor of "eh". The standout dish was a vegetarian pasta ordered with extra mushrooms. The kitchen was more than happy to accommodate and we were presented with a plate that would have made the most ravenous hobbit happy. Shrimp and grits also pleased, although the grits themselves were so salty that they almost threw the whole dish off course. Fortunately, the andouille sausage and mustard greens added enough of a bite to keep the dish at least somewhat on track. Those members of the party ordering from the grill were most disappointed, one commenting that his pork chop was "OK", but that it had a strange, metallic aftertaste. For these grill-ees, however, side dishes such as a succulent roasted cream corn and maple mashed sweet potatoes came to the rescue of their ho-hum entrees.


Dessert left us with smiles on our faces. From the surprise appearance of Henry's Homemade Ice Cream (a DallasEats fave), to a luscious "Key Lime Tart", it was the most enjoyable course of the evening. A word of warning: "Key Lime Tart" is placed in quotation marks because it is better described as a piece of key lime cheesecake (at least texture-wise) or creamy key lime pie. It is also better described as enormous and scrumptious, although FP freely admits that she's a sucker for anything key lime.



Our only quibble with the dessert course was that we wished that coffee had been served *with* it, instead of ten minutes ahead of the game. Those who wanted to sip a little after dinner joe while their companions had a sweet nibble were already down to the cold dregs in their mugs by the time dessert arrived. Refills were not offered. Sigh.


This new restaurant is promising, but DallasEats is hesitant to pass along a recommendation. Another appearance from Olen's might ruin your visit to Jack's.

DallasEats Reader Picks: John's Cafe

John's Cafe

http://www.johns-cafe.com/

1733 Greenville Ave, Dallas

(see website for second location in Plano)

A couple of weeks ago, FP and I asked our readers to recommend their favorite undiscovered restaurants. I must confess, it was a selfish ploy. What appeared at first glance to be a friendly way to get the word out about some great places you might not have heard of, was, for me at least, a means by which I could gain access to a few closely guarded gustatory secrets.

Case in point: John's Cafe. Our dear friend and loyal reader Elizabeth offered this unassuming hole-in-the-wall off Greenville Avenue in response to our request, and it was just what we were looking for. Thus, I am faced with a dilemma - now that I know about John's, I'm reluctant to share the wealth. A place like this makes you wanna keep a secret.

John's Cafe sits in a strip mall on lowest Greenville, next to a Thai restaurant, across the street from Lucky's Roadhouse (great bar, different story). You'd miss it if you weren't looking real hard. A companion and I rolled in about 11 a.m. on a weekday for a late breakfast/early lunch. Our first impression was that this tiny place was squeaky-clean, from the linoleum floors to the vinyl booths lining the walls on our left and right. We proceeded to the back counter to place our order - my pal went for the Combo Omelette and I had a cheeseburger and fries. My antennae are always up when it comes to finding great burgers, and I noticed that the word "Hamburgers" is actually on the sign out front of John's - a very good omen.

As my companion pondered his beverage order, a gray-haired, mustachioed gentleman sitting at the counter tipped his newspaper and suggested "Ouzo...?" with a wink (and a thick Greek accent). Once we began to chuckle, the old man joined in, along with the man taking our order. I don't know if this was an impromtu performance, or their standard "new customer" joke, but we were charmed nonetheless.

Our food arrived in mere moments and soon we were tucking into some solid diner-style fare. My mate's omelette was a monster, filling 3/4 of a dinner plate, and it contained a little of everything - cheese, meats and veggies of several varieties. Alongside were some nice-looking hash browns featuring a respectable dark brown-to-creamy white potato ratio. My burger was a solid "B+", earning points for juiciness, generous amounts of cheese and toppings and a toasted bun (a personal requirement for anything above a "C" rating).

I can't wait to return and try some of the Greek-inspired dishes on John's menu - Gyros, anyone? Considering the crowd that began to gather as our early lunch wrapped up, however, I'd suggest hitting John's at off-peak hours. See why I didn't want to let you in on my new little secret? Thanks, Elizabeth, for the excellent pick! (note: I miss you very much now that you're all the way up in Boston...but at least I won't have to fight you for a table at John's!)

Baby, It's Cold Outside

When it’s cold outside, there is nothing I love more than a good soup. There's just something about a nice warm bowl on a cold day that makes you feel all better.

My husband and I both like variety, so we love to try new recipes, and rarely repeat something unless it’s really special.





Ladies and gentlemen, these recipes are really special. I give you Spicy Beef and Barley Soup and Chicken Soup with Cheese Tortellini. We have made both of these recipes at least three times—in the last month alone.


Spicy Beef and Barley Soup
I found this recipe in Cooking Light a couple of months ago, and it is divine. My husband is the one who’s actually done the cooking on this one when we’ve had it, and he’s made a few adjustments to “ramp it up” as he likes to say.

2 teaspoons canola oil
1 (1 ½ pound) eye-of-round steak, cut into one inch pieces (you could also use cubed stew meat if you’re not interested in the “light” aspect of the recipe)
1/2 teaspoon + ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon + ½ teaspoon salt
1 large yellow onion, sliced
2 cups baby carrots
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup red wine
8 cups beef broth
¾ cup uncooked pearl barley
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 sprigs of thyme
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon cumin
1 bay leaf

Heat canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Sprinkle beef evenly on all sides with salt and pepper (1/2 teaspoon of each). Add beef and onion to the pan, sauté 5 minutes until the meat is browned on all sides. Remove beef mixture from the pan; place in an electric slow cooker.

Add carrot and mushrooms to the pan, and sauté 5 minutes. Add bell pepper and garlic, and sauté two more minutes. Add red wine to pan, and bring to a bubble. Add the carrot mixture, barley, basil, crushed red pepper, tomatoes, bay leaf, paprika, cumin and thyme to the slow cooker and stir well to combine. Cover and cook on high for one hour. Reduce heat to low and cook for 6 hours. Discard thyme sprigs before serving.



Chicken Soup with Cheese Tortellini
This soup is so warming and hearty. The chicken totally falls apart, and it makes your house smell divine. It tastes great on a cold night, and if you don’t like tortellini (which seems impossible to me, but you never know) it also tastes great over rice or quinoa.

2 teaspoons canola oil
1 leek finely sliced (optional—I love leeks, but they’re not everyone’s cup of tea)
1 yellow onion, finely sliced
1 and ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 cups sliced mushrooms (or just one of those pre-packaged deals from the grocery store)
2 cups baby carrots
6 stalks of celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup of dry white wine
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 dash Worcestershire sauce
12 cups chicken broth
2 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon salt + ½ teaspoon of salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 package cheese tortellini

In a large sauce pot or dutch oven, heat the canola oil over medium high heat. Add the celery and leeks and sauté for five minutes. Add the onions, mushrooms and ½ teaspoon of salt and and sauté for three more minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for two minutes.

Add the white wine and bring to a bubble, let simmer for three to five minutes and then add the chicken, white wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, chicken broth, thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat.

Simmer gently for an hour. Add the carrots and simmer for another ½ hour. Shred the chicken with two forks (it will be falling apart, so this will be really easy). Bring the soup back to a boil and add the tortellini. Cook until the tortellinis are done. Cool a bit and serve.

Enlighten Us!

DallasEats Wants to Know:

What's your favorite find?

We had so much fun with our Neighborhood Finds and Top Crave-able Dishes (see Aug-Oct of last year), that we're ready to find more. In fact, now we want to know yours!

Yes, that's right - DallasEats is admitting that there just may be a little hole-in-the-wall place we've never heard of ...or perhaps a menu item at a local restaurant that isn't getting the attention it deserves. What is your favorite local find? What's the very best dish of it's kind that might become a recurring necessity in our lives?

Leave a comment below and we'll run right out and take you up on your recommendation. Anywhere in Dallas is fair game. We'll even consider nearby suburbs (just don't expect us to haul up to Sherman). A future post will contain FoodiePrincess and Classy&Sassy's thoughts on what we're sure will be a slew of new favorites, and maybe a few controversial contenders.

We can't wait to try your finds!

Think Globally, Drink Locally

We already know you love wine ...but how often do you choose Texas wine? If you're like us, you may have shied away from Texas wine in the past for a number of reasons - lack of familiarity with brands, limited availability or even *gasp* a bad past experience. We've been there; we feel your pain.

But today we propose you take another look at wines from the Lone Star State. Why? For starters, Texas wineries have been bringing better products to the table with each passing year. The wines are delcious and complex and affordable to boot! (Get it? Boot? Texas? Save your groans 'till the end, please...) Toss in the fact that local products are in vogue for their lower carbon footprints and you have every reason to give one - or more - of our suggestions a try. We've sampled more than a few, and listed our faves below to help you figure out where to start the next time you're at the wine shop.

Also, please comment on any Texas wines or wineries that you recommend - we'd love to hear about 'em!

DallasEats Recommended Texas Wines:

Becker Vineyards

http://www.beckervineyards.com/

The 2006 Iconoclast Cabernet Sauvignon is a friendly wine at a great price - medium bodied and not too dry. Becker Viognier is a light-bodied white that will be perfect in the spring and summer months.

Peregrine Hill

(no website)

Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir are both consistently well reviewed. The distinctive Peregrine Falcon on the label is native to far west Texas' Escondido Valley, where the wine is grown and bottled.

Messina Hof

http://www.messinahof.com/

This is a personal favorite of ours - especially Cabernet Sauvignons and Merlots. We recommend all vintages, as we've never had a bottle we didn't like.

Brennan Vineyards

http://www.brennanvineyards.com/

This up-and-coming Central Texas winery's Viognier just won the prestigious title of Top Texas Wine at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Int'l Wine Competition. If you see it, snap it up.