New Date Night Fave - Restaurant AVA

We were shocked to find such a gem less than 15 minutes from home. How is it possible this was our first visit here after all these years?! Because we're snobs and we never really expected much in Rockwall apparently.

The parking situation is sort of a pain in the ass. As far as we could tell, we were supposed to park behind the restaurant. Since it was rather chilly NYE Eve, MomNextDoor was not hiking her happy self all the way around to the front door. Enetering through the back and passing the kitchen toward the hostess stand just felt a little intrusive. But we'd do it again.

This place has a really warm, cozy vibe while still maintaining a sense of upscale class. The dining room has a really intimate feel. Not wanting to disrupt that intimacy, we left our flashes off so these pictures are pretty crappy and don't do any justice to the care and attention put into presenting the dishes.

Our first measure of any restaurant is the martinis. We certainly found no fault with the AVA bar on this visit. To start, we were brought house made sourdough and cornbread. Both were tasty yummy but the cornbread was a little sweeter than we typically prefer and the sourdough a little less funky. Actually, we thought the breads would rock our socks as a dessert course since we don't typically eat sweets when we go out.

Clearly the chefs take great pride in choosing the best possible local, seasonal ingredients. In fact, they share information about their sources on the first page of the menu. For us, this isn't so much of a selling point as the house made items, creativity of the dishes and incredible taste.

So far as we can tell, it's darned near impossible to choose a bad dish at this place. This visit we enjoyed the calamari - loved the salty, thin slices but liked the leggy bits slightly less due to the clumpiness of the batter. The squash soup was fantastic as was the perfectly dressed pear salad.

We've never enjoyed a more tender pork chop as this.This bone-in chop was literally butter knife tender and juicy to perfection. The delicate smoky flavor went so well with the fruitiness of the garnish. That schmear of sauce is just the cherry on top.

The beef tenderloin was cooked and seasoned to perfection and was melt-in-your-mouth tender. The smashed potatoes and mushrooms were delish but incredibly rich and, when combined with the roasted cauliflower, were a little heavier than we prefer. We perhaps would have enjoyed the dish even more with some sort of fresh or acidic component.

Make no mistake about it folks, our plates were clean. We will certainly be back often.

Happy New Year Cocktail

We're avoiding amateur night, as per usual, making our own little NYE celebration at home. Snuggled on the couch with Depeche Mode tunes and Thai red curry chicken, we must kick off the night with a celebratory cocktail.

We have no idea what the hell this is but it's amusing. It appears to be some sort of white trash cross between a martini and an adult pineapple float. Cheers to the new year - may you always be amused!

CoupleNextDoor WhiteTrashTini

Place a small scoop of pineapple sherbet into a martini glass
Add a few glugs of vodka
Squirt with a swirl of homemade grenadine
Float a few glugs of sparkling wine on top

Holiday Cocktails

Every holiday calls for a special cocktail. A little treat once in a while is what life's all about after all. This Labor Day I'm breaking out one of my favorite recipes, the pineapple upside-down cake martini.

This simple nectar calls for one part vanilla vodka, two parts pineapple juice and a squirt of homemade grenadine. If you like the flavor of this martini you might also like to enjoy it over ice with a bit of club soda. Incidentally, I do not prefer Smirnoff and I can't get into the red sugar water that passes for grenadine at your local market.

So what about that grenadine? The homemade stuff is just too easy to cut corners. You just grab a 16 oz. bottle of pomegranate juice from the store, put it in a saucepan with a cup of sugar and then simmer until slightly reduced and thickened. Pour the syrup into your squirty bottle of choice and keep in the fridge for use in your favorite cocktails and teas.

Happy Labor Day!

-- MomNextDoor

Le Tour de France

Get ready cycling fans, the big race is on from July 2nd through the 24th. The 3,430.5 kilometer (2,131.6 mile) race will be spread out over 21 stages, starting from Passage du Gois and ending in Paris at the Champs-Elysees.

We were excited to hear that one of our favorite restaurants is offering a signature cocktail in honor of the event. Watch the race at Mignon's bar or enjoy their fabulous waterside patio while sipping a Tour de France martini. This special martini is shaken with Dubonnet Rouge, Liqueur St. Germain, Cointreau and is topped with champagne. What else says 'France' better than that?!

We know, we know. All our mountain biking friends are rolling their eyes at this very moment. It's all good friends, enjoy a classic dirty martini, Get Dirty and get down with Le Velo. ;)

Neighborhood Watering Hole

You know what's missing here in Rowlett? A nice neighborhood pub with good food. We envision the sort of place that's close to home, modern but cozy inside, offering great classic drinks but also a few unique house specialties, with an assortment of small plates and dishes great for sharing. This would be our date night dream.

In the absence of our utopian hang out, we venture over to Houlihan's at Firewheel in Garland for a grown-up evening out a couple of times a month. We don't go until after happy hour is over and we sit in a booth rather than in the bar area. This location tends to be very busy so it's not uncommon to wait for a table for 10-15 minutes.

The decor is modern but warm and welcoming. The booths are cozy and offer a feeling of privacy. We happen to be extremely leisurely diners and the waitstaff are always respectful of our annoying habits. First things first - we never open a menu until we have a cocktail in hand. One of the reasons we enjoy Houlihan's is that their bartenders consistently serve up great martinis at good prices. Their cosmopolitans have the perfect balance of flavors, without being too sweet, and you always know it will taste that way each and every time.

The first section of their menu is devoted to appetizers and small plates. Very, very rarely do we ever venture beyond this realm. One of our favorite ways to dine on date night is to order an assortment of a few different small plates to share. You can never go wrong with Houlihan's flatbread. Mushroom and arugula flatbread to be exact. The soft, slightly smokey crust is just melt in your mouth delicious and the white truffle vinaigrette makes the dish complete. If you are a hummus fan, their white bean and artichoke hummus will knock your socks off. It's served with a grilled pita bread that has the same wonderful smokiness as the flatbread. The bruchetta is another tried and true favorite that adds some crunch to the mix. The cheese and tomato spread is assembed beautifully and is accompanied by chopped kalamata olives and an assortment of baby greens with a wonderful balsamic twang.

Aside from "stuff on bread," the calamari is a great choice. Theirs is unique in it's asian presentation and sesame-ginger dipping sauce. The stuffed mushrooms are nice but be aware that this is not a soft baked mushroom. Anticipate a lot of freshness. The chicken nachos are an option if you have a big appetite because it's a very generous portion. The chipotle chicken adds a little something special and the chips aren't drowning in toppings which is great.

We are not generally dessert eaters so that portion of the menu is foreign to us as well. Who needs dessert when you can have a tasty martini instead?

Even though it's not exactly the neighborhood place we've created in our dreams, Houlihan's meets our date night requirements just fine. It's one of the few places relatively close to home that inexpensively offers an assortment of small plates, good quality drinks and consistency in a cozy modern environment.