Last Week's Restaurant

Tim was in Missouri most of the week last week, so when he came home on Friday evening, cooking was the last thing on my mind. We all just wanted to spend time together. So, we tossed our one-restaurant-a-week rule and ate out THREE times last weekend (good thing we've joined the YMCA, huh?).

After we put Nigel to bed on Friday, Tim and I had takeway from Panda Express. The restaurant is a chain, and it wasn't that good. It doesn't hold a candle to Pei Wei.

On Saturday night, the three of us dined at Babe's Chicken Dinner House in Arlington, just a few blocks from Cowboy Stadium. It's been on our radar for a while since it's been featured in Southern Living magazine and on Food Network. And I know of at least two RVA friends who've told us to try it. We got to Babe's right at 5, and there was already a line. Before we were seated we waited outside on the covered patio, where they have heaters and stools made from old tractor seats (left). The interior walls on the inside of the large restaurant are made up to look like an old Western Main Street. The tables and chairs are mismatched and kind of like you'd find in someone's home. It was a very comfortable atmosphere despite the size. At Babe's there is no menu because the selection is very limited. Each person chooses a meat (smoked chicken, fried chicken, chicken tenders, chicken-fried steak, pot roast or fried catfish), and the table shares refillable sides (cream corn, gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans, biscuits and salad). I'm starting to get used to the absence of green things on menus down here, but the salad actually made me laugh — it was just shredded iceberg lettuce with a vinegar-based dressing. Nigel ate some, though (above). The rest of the meal was really good. Tim's chicken-fried steak (below, right) was huge and very tender. Nigel and I had chicken tenders that I think rival the ones at our beloved Lee's Chicken in RVA (the closest Lee's to us now is Tulsa, OK). Another funny moment was when Tim asked for Coke or Pepsi, and the waitress said they only serve Dr. Pepper and RC (Texans are really big Dr. Pepper drinkers). Obviously, it wasn't the healthiest meal we've ever had, but it was really good. Definitely a place we'd take an out-of-town guest.

On Sunday evening, after a really fabulous early Valentine's Day outing, Tim and I had takeaway sushi from Piranha Killer Sushi in Sundance Square. If you'll recall, our previous attempt to discover awesome sushi in FW was a fail. Piranha made up for it. The rolls were formed really tight (I hate when rolls are sloppy and fall apart), and the pricing was fair. Everything was just very flavorful — so flavorful that I hardly used soy sauce at all. The fish in Tim's tuna roll was really fresh, and we both enjoyed some of their signature rolls, including the Forget About It Roll (scallions, shrimp tempura & ginger cream topped with avocado & crawfish). Even the disposable chopsticks were high-quality (read: we didn't get splinters in our mouths). Really excited to have a sushi spot to call our own. FW is starting to feel like home.