Editor's Picks Archives - Test Advocate Magazine

Q: Sweet recipes: Lemon-lime granita

[caption id="attachment_50655" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Lemon Lime Granita[/caption] Nothing is more refreshing on a warm April day than a frozen treat. Citrus granita is a semi frozen dessert made with water, sugar and the citrus juice of your choice to create a shaved ice that will cool you off throughout the warm months. Lemon-lime granita Serves 6 Grocery List 3 cups water 1 cup sugar 6 mint leaves 1/4 cup lemon juice 1/4 cup lime juice 1 teaspoon lemon zest 1 teaspoon lime zest 1. In a small saucepan combine water, sugar and mint leaves. 2. Cook the simple syrup until sugar is dissolved and comes to a slight boil. 3. Turn the heat off and allow the simple syrup to cool, then cover and refrigerate until chilled. 4. Once the simple syrup is chilled, remove mint leaves and stir in lemon juice, lime juice and zest, and pour into a 9-by-13 baking dish. 5. Place in the freezer for an hour and using a fork, stir up the mixture to create shaved ice. 6. Continue to freeze mixture and shave the ice every 30 minutes until fully frozen. 7. Once you are ready to serve, shave the ice with a fork into the bowl of your choice and garnish with fresh mint. 8. Enjoy!

Q: Delicious: Little Greek Fresh Grill

Little Greek Fresh Grill While it might be a franchise, Little Greek Fresh Grill on North Central Expressway feels very mom-and-pop. That’s largely because its proprietors, Jan and Barry Rosen, have staffed the restaurant with family members. Their son Ryan and nephew Greg take turns manning the cash register. Francisco Sierra, who began working for the Rosens years ago when they owned a few smoothie shops, has brought his wife, mother, brother, nephew, sister and a couple of cousins on board. “They really care for [Little Greek] as if it were their own,” Jan says of the Sierra family, who work at the Preston Hollow location and the Rosens’ other spot in Richardson. “[Francisco] and his brother have become partners of ours. We couldn’t do it without them.” Everything on the menu is made fresh onsite. For your main course, try the gyro pita, grilled tilapia, steak skewer platter or Greek salad. Dessert options include baklava, rice pudding, chocolate mousse and cannoli. The restaurant is BYOB and doesn’t charge a corking free, so feel bring to bring your favorite bottle to sip. Opa! Little Greek 9665 N. Central Expressway, suite 140 214.696.1234 littlegreekrestaurant.com Ambiance: Fast casual Price Range : $6 - $17 for entrees Hours: Sun-Sat, 11a.m. - 9p.m. (Did you know :) Jan Rosen’s dad was a restaurateur. In the 1950s he opened a downtown Dallas barbeque joint called Mike’s. For better or for worse, she says, Jack Ruby ate there.

Q: Delicious: Beach bites at Coconut's Fish Cafe

The original Coconut’s Fish Café in Maui, Hi., is a hole-the-wall seafood dive with a line out the door most days. Last winter, the first Texas location opened in our neighborhood. “This was a unique opportunity to bring Hawaiian fare that’s different from what people normally find here,” says owner Tim Brasher. The restaurant is famous for its fish tacos topped with a heaping mound of coconut milk-based coleslaw and mango salsa. Don’t be fooled by the fast-casual vibe, though; the menu also offers dishes that could go for $28-$30 at a high-end restaurant, Brasher says. The traditional Hawaiian ahi poke is an elegant stack of raw ahi tuna sprinkled with green onions and soy sauce on the side. Coconut’s brings in mahi-mahi, ono and tuna from west coast suppliers three times a week and cuts the fish daily. All of the dressings and sauces are made in-house every day. The sweet and spicy Thai chili sauce, which comes with the coconut shrimp appetizer, is a fan favorite. “It’s created its own following,” Brasher says. “They’ll eat it on a Ritz cracker.” The restaurant also is part of the healthy fast food trend in Preston Hollow, using ingredients such as grilled white fish and brown rice. Coconut milk replaces mayonnaise in the special coleslaw recipe, and many dishes are gluten-free. Coconut's Fish Cafe 5600 W. Lovers 469.729.93463 coconutsfishcafe.com Ambiance: Tropical Price Range: $7-$15 Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. daily Did you know? The restaurant is named after the founder’s cat, Coconut.

Q: Restaurant buzz: The best thing on Taco Diner's menu might be a cheeseburger

[caption id="attachment_45292" align="aligncenter" width="599"] Taco Diner cheeseburger: facebook.com/TacoDinerPrestonCenter[/caption] Taco Diner in Preston Center is known for its Mexico City-style tacos and its award-winning cocktail, The Mambo Taxi. In fact, the restaurant came in third place in our latest readers' choice contest for best taco . So it would be easy to overlook one of the its best dishes: the Taco Diner cheeseburger. Buried near the bottom of the menu under "hamburguesas and tortas", the cheeseburger comes with two juicy patties, crisp lettuce, tomato and onions, and a couple of crunchy pickles packed into a toasted bun alongside a pile of French fries. It easily rivals our neighborhood's trendiest burger spots. We're not sure why Taco Diner decided to serve such a thing. As the menu itself states, "What's a fabulous cheeseburger doing in the middle of all this Mexican food? Making us proud."

Q: Tupinamba is open at Walnut Hill. What will become of its old Inwood storefront?

[caption id="attachment_44221" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Tupinamba: Photo by Kim Leeson[/caption] Our neighborhood's longstanding Tex-Mex restaurant Tupinamba has finally opened in its new location at the southwest corner of Walnut Hill and Central, just across from Preston Hollow Village. We featured Tupinamba in our October 2014 story, "Dang, that place is still there?". It's still in the neighborhood, but it's a bit of trek for those used to visiting the restaurant in the Jesuit-owned Summertree shopping center on Inwood where it had operated since 1996. The shopping center also houses Picasso's and Village Burger Bar. So, what's taking Tupinamba's place there? Councilwoman Jennifer Staubach Gates informed neighbors at a Schreiber Volunteer Neighborhood Association meeting last night that Jesuit plans to break the space up for possibly two new restaurants. No leases have been signed. Speaking of Tex-Mex, there's a great little spot, Gabriela's & Sofia's, that recently opened off Meadow and Central .

Delicious: Blatt Beer & Table

Blatt Beer & Table, one of several new additions to [...]

By Emily Charrier|2016-07-26T15:37:30-05:00July 26th, 2016|All Magazine Articles, Delicious, Dining, Editor's Picks|0 Comments

Delicious: Maple Leaf Diner

What’s so Canadian about Canadian food? Debra Delaurier, co-owner and [...]

By Jackson Vickery|2016-06-28T08:43:17-05:00June 24th, 2016|All Magazine Articles, Delicious, Dining, Editor's Picks|0 Comments

Sweet recipes: Lemon-lime granita

Lemon Lime Granita Nothing is more refreshing on [...]

By Kristen Massad|2016-03-29T10:41:45-05:00March 29th, 2016|All Magazine Articles, Delicious, Dining, Editor's Picks|0 Comments

Delicious: Little Greek Fresh Grill

Little Greek Fresh Grill While it might be a franchise, [...]

By Elizabeth Barbee|2016-02-22T12:29:15-06:00February 22nd, 2016|All Magazine Articles, Delicious, Dining, Editor's Picks|0 Comments

Delicious: Beach bites at Coconut’s Fish Cafe

The original Coconut’s Fish Café in Maui, Hi., is a [...]

By Emily Toman|2015-05-21T10:15:00-05:00May 22nd, 2015|All Magazine Articles, Clean Eats, Delicious, Dining, Editor's Picks, Food and Drink, Kid-friendly, Launch, Patios, Restaurants|0 Comments

Restaurant buzz: The best thing on Taco Diner’s menu might be a cheeseburger

Taco Diner cheeseburger: facebook.com/TacoDinerPrestonCenter Taco Diner in Preston [...]

By Emily Toman|2015-05-14T13:45:50-05:00May 14th, 2015|Dining, Editor's Picks, Food and Drink, Kid-friendly, Patios, Restaurants|0 Comments

Delicious: Not your typical bowling alley

Bowl & Barrel’s Green Board includes assorted vegetables, black [...]

By Brittany Nunn|2015-04-24T07:45:10-05:00April 24th, 2015|All Magazine Articles, Bars & Nightlife, Delicious, Dining, Editor's Picks, Food and Drink, Restaurants, Splurges|0 Comments

Delicious: The best Tex-Mex spot you don’t know about

Rib-eye fajitas at Gabriela and Sofia’s: Photo by Kathy [...]

By Emily Toman|2015-03-31T08:57:17-05:00March 31st, 2015|All Magazine Articles, Delicious, Dining, Editor's Picks, Food and Drink, Kid-friendly, Openings & Closings, Restaurants|0 Comments

Restaurant talk: Easter brunch in Preston Hollow

Tiramisu at Princi Italia: Photo Danny Fulgencio Easter [...]

By Emily Toman|2015-03-29T20:06:52-05:00March 30th, 2015|Dining, Editor's Picks, Food and Drink, Restaurants, Splurges, Sweets|2 Comments

Tupinamba is open at Walnut Hill. What will become of its old Inwood storefront?

Tupinamba: Photo by Kim Leeson Our neighborhood's longstanding [...]

By Emily Toman|2015-03-04T10:22:30-06:00March 4th, 2015|Dining, Editor's Picks, Food and Drink, Kid-friendly, Openings & Closings, Patios, Restaurants|3 Comments

Free beer and margaritas, for now, at Gabriela & Sofia’s

The staff at Gabriela's & Sofia's prepares guacamole at [...]

By Christina Hughes Babb|2015-03-01T19:41:07-06:00March 1st, 2015|Dining, Editor's Picks, Food and Drink, Restaurants|0 Comments

Delicious: The Mermaid Bar at NorthPark Center

One of The Mermaid Bar’s most requested entrees, the [...]

By Brittany Nunn|2015-06-02T14:25:40-05:00February 17th, 2015|All Magazine Articles, Delicious, Dining, Editor's Picks, Food and Drink, Restaurants|0 Comments