Queen of Awesome Y.'s Profile

Bee still, my heart. And bee prepared for an abundance of bee puns.

"Fresh" is a word I don't use too often. Because "fresh" is one of those words which is terribly overused.

But in the case of Bee Enchiladas (AKA: Best Enchiladas Ever) in the Bishop Arts District, "fresh" is not only appropriate, it's the only word to describe their fare.

Besides yummy, that is.

I've never had Mexican food like theirs. It literally feels and tastes like they pluck vegetables from whatever plant they grow off of, chop and grind them up, and serve them to you minutes later. And they don't overuse spices, either. The spinach tastes like spinach. The mushrooms taste like mushrooms. And you can bet your ass that the snozberries taste like snozberries.

In fact, the enchilada I had was almost like a cooked salad in a tortilla. And there's nothing wrong with that.

I love that you can customize your own food. The fill-out-this-card way of ordering meals is basically fool proof. And even if you have questions, the folks at Bee Enchiladas are super nice and willing to buzz you through the process.

If you're hanging out in Oak Cliff and want something quick, tasty, and happy, fly by Bee Enchiladas. It's located at 202 West Davis, Dallas, Tx 75208. And, as always, tell them Yummy Awesome sent you.

People rate food on how it looks.

That means before it hits your tongue, you've already decided if your dinner will taste awesome or so-so.

At Saint Ann, everything is pretty. The patio. The table settings. The staff. The clientele. And, naturally, the food.

But close your eyes, and you might as well be eating a frozen dinner.

The food isn't terrible. But it certainly isn't great, either. I had a pizza, which has been given glowing reports from nearly everyone. And I was underwhelmed.

My fellow lunch companions, on the other hand, all had various sandwiches. And although they said the sandwiches were tasty, they each had only a few bites. Maybe they were full after eating so much with their eyes.

I also hear you should make reservations. Far far far in advance. Which is a shame, because you shouldn't have to plan two weeks ahead of time for blah food (unless, of course, you're attending a family function and your crazy aunt is insisting on making the potatoes again).

Right now, Saint Ann is a hotspot. And as long as it's the newest thing, it'll do fine. But once the pretty people flock to another locale, it'll need to start praying TO Saint Ann as opposed to just taking her name.

I am a tea drinker.

Black. Red. White. Green. I don't discriminate based on color.

Hot. Cold. Lukewarm. Temperature isn't important, either..

Herbal. Caffeinated. Organic. I drink it all.

I even drank it as a kid. Can you imagine being at the Olive Garden and overhearing an eight-year-old kid order a cup of hot tea? (I was around ten years old when I discovered that it could be iced.)

But my absolute favorite tea (from a restaurant, anyway) is the Honey Ginger tea served at Kuai Dumplings and Soups in the Downtown Dallas Tunnels. They actually have several flavors of tea that they make every day--lemon mint, raspberry something, mango something--but the Honey Ginger is the absolute end (which is why I capitalize it).

It's sweet, but not too sweet. And it has that spicy kick that only real ginger has. It almost burns your throat, but in that way which makes you want more.

Which is probably why Kuai gives you a crazy-big cup, too. But that doesn't deter little ol' me from guzzling three down in the course of an hour.

And then rushing to the restroom every ten minutes for the next hour. Guess I'm a little over-hydrated.

Speaking of, I gotta go. And I mean that in two different ways.

Through the magical powers of Facebook, my husband and I discovered Four Lounge, where we met "Molecular Mixologist" Keith.

Four isn't a bar, it's a lounge. But it's not one of those hoity toity, gotta be seen types of places. It's more of a tiny you'd-walk-right-past-it-if-you-didn't-know-it-was -there type of lounges.

And they specialize in awesome mixed drinks.

For example, the Cotton Candy Martini, homemade cotton candy stacked high, and then dissolved with a crisp, icy martini.

It made me feel like a kid again, only a really sophisticated kid (after all, it made my tongue blue). The final sip tasted like the circus, only without the unfortunate scent of elephant dung and sad lions in your nostrils.

They had plenty more to offer for the savory tooth as well as the sweet tooth (although I hear the cupcake martini is to die for).

Husband had an applewood smoked bacon Old Fashioned. His opinion? "It's perfect balance of whisky, honey, and meat." How Ron Swanson son of him.

Anyway, if you're looking for a chill place to drink something chilly, check out the Four Lounge in Uptown. The price is right (most drinks are around $10, and they're worth it for the show alone), and the atmosphere is laid back. Tell them Yummy Awesome sent you.

Who knew vegan could taste so good?

When I'm especially deserving, my husband swallows his Texan meat-eating pride and dines with me at Spiral Diner, a little vegan oasis in the land of flesh eaters.

It's the only place (that I know of) where I too can dine on a barbeque sandwich. Granted, it's seitan and not beef or pork, but it's damned tasty.

Anyway, the best thing on the menu is the chocolate i-scream shake. It's downright gluttonous.

Containing absolutely no dairy, it blows the straw out of any milkshake I've ever had. It's sweet, smooth, and I would slap my mom with a block of tofu to get my hands on one.

Whether or not you're a fan of the vegetarian lifestyle, this shake is sure to satisfy the sweetest of sweet teeth.

The pizza is great (which is saying a lot since my heart belongs to Olivella's). I devoured the seasonal pie, which was topped with eggplant slices, sun-dried tomatoes, and goat cheese. It was tasty tasty yummy good.

But the savory pie wasn't what stirred my engine.

When our server mentioned dessert, the King of Awesome and I looked at each other thinking the same thing: Dessert !?!?!?!??! It was lunch; we really weren't thinking to eat dessert.

But then we heard about the Bella Mela. A heavenly mix of caramelized apples (which I think were soaked in brandy for 36 hours), caramel, vanilla bean mascarpone cheese, and love. All resting atop the Cane Rosso's perfect crust.

It was so good, I went blind.

I'll definitely be going back. Again and again. It's worth the bad vision; trust me.

Il Cane Rosso is located in Deep Ellum across the street from Twisted Root Burger Co. They also have a mobile cart which shows up at certain locations. Follow them on Twitter for the latest info.

Call it a victory for Victory Park.

If you've yet to eat at Neo's Pizza Napoletana, stop reading and go. Right now.

It's located in Victory Park, which isn't one of those places you'd think to go to for dinner (unless there's a game, naturally). Which is another reason to go to Neo's. There's plenty of parking, the area is great, and there's tons of other places close by.

Not to mention, the food is incredible. They've perfected pizza. In fact, I'd go as far as calling their pizza "art." The crust is thin and tastes like pizza crust should. The ingredients are top-notch. And the types of pizzas they have are just downright creative.

There's "the Dream," which is a meat-on-meat-on-meat party. "The White Truffle," which is to tasty, it should be illegal in most states. Or the option to create your own.

They also have non-pizza fare--salads, pasta, and the sweetest desserts.

Why are you still reading? Don't you have pizza to eat?

As far as I'm concerned, there's only one Irish pub outside of Ireland that I truly consider an Irish pub.

And trust me, I've been to many "Irish" pubs across the U.S. And they're all lacking something.

Trinity Hall Irish Pub in Mockingbird Station in Dallas (although they have a new location in Allen, I just haven't been there yet) is a true Irish pub. Right down to the wood.

Trinity Hall rocks. First off, the owner is Irish. Second, the food is bad-A (which means good). Not to mention they have quite a number of vegetarian options, as the pubs in Ireland do. Third, they know their beer.

They know their beer so well that Izzie (on of their bartenders) was awarded by Guinness for his pint pouring skills. Ever have a perfect pint? The answer is simply, ever been to Trinity Hall Irish Pub in Dallas?

In the mood for something hot instead of beer, get an Irish Coffee or a Hot Toddy. Just make sure Joe is your server; his hot drinks are to die for. In fact, I'd feel safe betting that no one can make a hot, Irish drink that could beat one of Joe's. Having one of his Irish coffees easily turns into drinking three.

And if you're hungry, well, you can't go wrong. I hear the Bangers and Mash are excellent. I can tell you from experience that the Mulligatawny stew (vegetarian broth!) is heart warming. But one of my favorites is the Mockingbird Sunday, a baked potato stuffed to the nines with cheese, vegetables, and more potatoes.

Go up there on a Sunday for the Pub Quiz. Or head out there anytime, really. If there's a soccer or rugby game playing, be prepared for a truly authentic Irish experience; the place can get crowded. Other times, it's a great, quiet place for the whole family (yep, they have a kids' menu).

Try to sit in either Ollie or Joe's sections. And tell them Yummy Awesome sent you.

Sláinte, Y'all.

You think you've had pizza. You've eaten some bready concoction topped in cheese and tomato sauce. Maybe threw on some mushrooms or peppers. And you were told it was pizza. And you ate it thinking it was pizza.

But it wasn't pizza. Because you've never had pizza.

Sure, you did the whole Friday-night-Pizza-Hut thing when you were a kid. You may even have visited an authentic pizza kitchen in New York and had an olive oil drizzled pie.

But you still haven't had pizza. You just think you've had pizza.

Me? I've had pizza. I've had the greatest pizza in the whole wide world.

It tastes like tap dancing angels. It smells of Zeus on a warm spring day. It looks like that person you liked in high school, but were always too nervous to talk to but one day he/she whispered, "Can I borrow your pencil?" and you got butterflies in your stomach and it was the single greatest day in your life.

That is what eating a pizza at Olivella's feels like. Every single bite takes you somewhere else.

You know how people always have that "ahhh" reaction after drinking soda in some commercial? That little moment of ecstasy that doesn't exist because no one sighs after sipping a pop?

Well, my friends. That moment DOES exist. And it exists when you get a whiff of the swirling scented heaven coming from Olivella's oven. And it exists again when you eat the truffle pizza.

I don't get to visit Olivella's enough. Honestly, I would go every day because one could never tire of Olivella's. Honestly. It defies the laws of science. Look it up.

For you Dallas dwellers who think Coal Vines is good (and it's not), or Fireside Pies is the bomb (it's pretty good), it's time for you to eat some real pizza.

Olivella's is over by SMU. It's on McFarlin at Hillcrest. They also have a new location in Victory Plaza called Neos.

Go. Now. You won't be sorry.