Victor Tango's, Dallas

Friday, October 2, 2009

Ahhh...I love Dallas and I have since I was a mere youngster. It was a refreshing trip to the mega-metropolis. It's always good to stay with a friend who knows everything about you and you pick up where you left off. You'll remember Leigh Anne from our Chicago blogs over my birthday weekend. Leigh Anne and I go way back and have many things in common like honesty, community, generosity, love of travel and of course, food. That's the beauty of LeeLee and me, we love to eat. On her recommendation, we ventured to Victor Tango's on the first night of our Hog game weekend. We were thrilled with the eclectic feel of the under-crowded restaurant when we arrived at 7 pm. We were promptly seated in a cozy booth near the rear of the dining room. Our waitress took our drink order, Jackie had a Saint Arnold Oktoberfest draft that he said was good, it looked a little dark to me. I ordered a glass of Hook and Ladder, Russian River Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon, it was really smooth and just deep enough. Leigh Anne's fabulous husband Doug, who literally has the sexiest voice in America (I'd give out his number but...) ordered a gin and tonic and I was really surprised when asked his flavor of gin, he didn't have one. Water for LeeLee, she's having her first in April!
The waitress alerted us that food at Victor's is served family style and we took that into consideration when we ordered. Against my ordering rules, Leigh Anne and Doug ordered appetizers so I followed suit and jumped in. Leigh Anne ordered JB's Tempura Fried Green Beans that were served with Wasabi Aioli, a wonderful tangy dipping sauce. Fried green beans? They were really fresh and crunchy and gone quickly. Doug ordered the special Ceviche (pic #1) which boasted slices of Texas Watermelon, smoked Salmon, hearts of palm and drizzled with olive oil. This was a light dish and the melon with the smoky Salmon is a perfect pairing. I ordered the Crock of Warm Goat Cheese Dip with Tapenade. It was blessed with cherry tomatoes baked inside and the toasts served with it were really good. I'm sure the tapenade was in there somewhere. All of us agreed LeeLee's green beans were our favorite.
Dinner was absolutely divine and very diverse. We all cringed when Leigh Anne ordered Chicken and Waffles (pic #3) but boy they were our favorite! Hand breaded chicken tenders over waffle wedges and topped with a creamy gravy sounds ludicrous but dip your fork into a dab of maple syrup and you literally die and go to Epicurean heaven. That was the first dish that disappeared, it is a "must order". Doug ordered Lollypop Lamb Chops with Honey Balsamic (pic #2) and I'll confess it was my first time to have lamb and I was pleasantly surprised by its tenderness and flavor. I ordered the dumbest thing ever, Wild Mushroom and Arugula Flatbread with Truffle Oil. It was an ordinary pizza and what a common, back woods thing to order! I'm ashamed of myself but it was good and light nonetheless. Jackie ordered the Miso Glazed Skewers with Sea Bass and Kobe Beef. I have to admit I had to look up the definition of Kobe Beef, all you vegetarians, take a deep breath. Kobe Beef is a Japanese trademark where the beef is fed a beer a day and massaged with sake daily and brushed for setting fur. The beef is renowned for its marbling, tenderness and flavor. Jackie and Doug really liked the beef and ordered second batch when they finished off the first plate clean.
We asked our ultra efficient waitress what the best thing to order in the sweet category and she recommended the Warm Sticky Toffee Cake with Mascarpone Cream, which is one of my favorite Italian cheeses. It was warm and very sweet and the mascarpone did its job and toned down the toffee goodness. My hot coffee was served with the sides it deserves and a fresh, hot refill made my night.
Victor Tango's is a fabulous stop in Dallas where the mega choices of restaurants are endless. But Victor's is sure to please. And it was SRO when we left, that's Standing Room Only for you non-kids of the eighties.

Victor Tango's, 3001 N. Henderson, Dallas, Texas 75206, 214-252-8595 www.victortangos.com