Parippu Vada

Parippu Vada's remind me of my time back in MCA when friends would get parippu vada's when studying late in the evening for exams. I finally got around to trying to make them and according to Nishanth, it was quite decent.

http://www.mariasmenu.com/vegetarian/parippu-vada-lentildal-fritters

It did not turn out to be spicy, and it could do with more green chillies if you like a bit of spice in the vadas. I decided to skip the saunf too.

Kadala Curry

I had soaked some black chick peas and decided to try out the Kerala style kadala curry. I tried the following recipe out:

http://www.sailusfood.com/2012/12/31/kadala-curry/

Nishanth liked the curry although it wasn't as spicy. The addition of fennel and coconut milk gives it an interesting twist.

Destan Restaurant, Richardson, TX

We decided to try this restaurant out and bought a now groupon. It is a small restaurant and not too much as far as seating and service goes. The food was quite good and I loved the meatball curry.

They are located at:

955 E Campbell Rd
Richardson, TX 75082

(972) 918-0505

Jasmine Thai Cuisine, Plano, TX

We tried this restaurant out and the food was ok except that it was a little too sweet for my liking.

They are located at:

2050 W Spring Creek Pkwy
Ste 206
Plano, TX 75023

(972) 517-1677

Desta Ethiopian Restaurant, Dallas, TX

We have been to this restaurant twice and I love this place. The dorowat is so yummy! I love the injera over here. Once in a while they have groupons and google offers for this restaurant which makes it totally worth going here!

They are located at:
12101 Greenville Ave #105  Dallas, TX 75243

Inchin's Bamboo Garden, Plano, TX

We liked the food at the Irving restaurant and decided to try out the Plano restaurant since it is closer to our home. We liked the food here although we could not find the same corn appetizer that we found at the Irving location. Definitely recommended!

They are located at:
8600 Preston Rd  Plano, TX 75024

(214) 872-2222

Royal Thai, Dallas, TX

We went here for a treat given by a colleague. The food was really nice. I had the yellow thai curry and enjoyed it.

They are located at:
5500 Greenville Ave #608  Dallas, TX 75206

(214) 691-3555

Fadi's Grill, Dallas, TX

We have been to Fadi's grill a number of times and we enjoy the food here. I have tried their roasted grilled chicken and enjoy it. They have an amazing spread of salads and definitely worth trying out.
 
 They are located at:
14902 PRESTON RD
DALLAS, TX 75254

Maharaja Restaurant, Plano, TX

We decided to try out a new Indian restaurant and went for the buffet to Maharaja's. The buffet was quite good. They had a good spread of dishes from salads, starters, rice, naan and dessert. I especially liked the chicken seekh kabab there.

They are located at:
4152 W Spring Creek Pkwy Suite 132
Plano, TX 75024

Phone: (972) 867-6002

Paradise Biryani Pointe, Plano, TX

This is the place to go to if you miss the spiciness of Andhra food. The food here delicious but really spicy. Their medium version tends to be extremely spicy although I feel the mild version of the food does not catch up in taste. We love the chicken biryani and chilli chicken here.

They are located at:
4020 Hedgvcoxe Road
Plano, TX 75024
(972) 398 6036

Mayuri Indian Restaurant, Irving, TX

We went to Mayuri for lunch with friends. The buffet was good and they had several options. The food was overall good. It is definitely a restaurant that one can go to.

They are located at:

1102 W I 635
Irving, TX 75039

(972) 910-8788

Inchin's Bamboo Garden, Irving, TX

We went for lunch to Inchin's and it was a wonderful surprise. The food is indo-chinese and they have an amazing variety. Their starters were really good and I enjoyed the schezuan fried rice. They have a corn starter that tastes awesome. The quantities are huge and you will most probably end up doing a to-go. One entree can easily be shared by two adults. The service was good. The price is a little on the higher side but definitely worth it.

They are located at:

925 W Royal Lane
Suite 140
Irving, TX 75039

Tel : 214 377-7765

Bambu Asian Cuisine, Richardson, TX

We went to this restaurant for a team lunch and it is by far the best Thai food I have ever had! I had the green curry fried rice and loved it. I went back to this place with Nishanth and we tried out starters like Chicken Satay. The food was simply superb! It is an amazing gem of a restaurant that is hidden away.

They are located at:
1930 N Coit Rd
Ste 100
Richardson, TX 75080

Zenna Thai and Japanese Restaurant, Plano, TX

My labmate took us out for a treat to this restaurant when she graduated. This place is always crowded and it is quite difficult to find parking! We went there during happy hour. I had Thai food and I really enjoyed it. Nishanth and I went there once again later on. The price is on the higher end but definitely worth a visit once.

They are located at:

3420 N Central Expy
Plano
(972) 423-9290

Abuelo's, Plano, TX

We went to Abuelo's for dinner one evening. Their salsa bar is amazing and I liked the decor. I loved the flan they served there. Overall, the food is good although it was too noisy to our liking. We were surprised to see the restaurant was full on a weekday.

They are located at:

3420 N Central Expy
Plano
(972) 423-9290

Swagat Indian Cuisine, Plano, TX

Swagat is the nearest Indian restaurant from home. We have had food twice at this place both to-go, the portions are generous quantities and overall I liked the food although Nishanth is averse to going back there. When it comes to dinner, it is an expensive place to have food at and one of the reasons we don't go back there often. Whenever we have gone, there has hardly been anyone around. They prepare the food very fast and the waiting time is around 10 minutes. Definitely worth a visit.

They are located at:

101 W Spring Creek Pkwy
Ste 734
Plano, TX 75023

(972) 517-4000

Taco Cabana, Plano, TX

We went to this restaurant twice. I had the dinner plate. Their fajitas are awesome and I love the flan that they serve. Price wise, it is on the affordable side. They have ample seating and the service is also good.

They are located at:
1101 E Spring Creek Pkwy  Plano, TX 75074

(972) 423-4701

Iravat India's Bistro, Plano, TX

Iravat is located on Legacy Drive. We stopped by here to try some different food. We tried out biryani, chicken curry and a starter. The food was excellent and the service was also fine. However, the price was a little steep (around 50 dollars for 2 entrees, starter and naan) and it is not a place we would be going to quite often. I definitely recommend it if you are willing to splurge.


They are located at:

ADDRESS	240 Legacy Dr. Suite 306 Plano, TX 75023
PHONE	972-517-8200

Five Guys Burgers and Fries, Plano, TX

This is one of the eating out places near to home and a favorite of Nishanth's. He loves the burgers here. Since I do not eat beef, they made me a veggie burger which was quite nice and had several different veggies. The nice part about this restaurant is they serve you roasted groundnuts while you wait for the burger.

They are located at:

1201 E Spring Creek Pkwy
Plano, TX
(972) 422-4223

Correlle Dinnerware

I finally went to the Correlle showroom at the Grapevine Mills mall in Grapevine, TX where they have a good collection of Correlle and Corningware dinnerware and bakeware.

We finally decided on the Shadow Iris square 30-pc set that has 2 plates, 2 bowls and 1 mug per person. From past experience, I was left with a plate from different sets when they broke and this time we bought enough for 12 and hope that this set will last us several years.

There was a sale going on at the showroom and we bought two of these sets:
http://www.shopworldkitchen.com/corelle/shadow-iris-set-1088666

We decided to buy matching serving plates and bought the following:

1) Sugar and creamer set
http://www.shopworldkitchen.com/corelle/shadow-iris-sugar-creamer-set-1031321

2) Serving tray
http://www.shopworldkitchen.com/corelle/shadow-iris-serving-tray-1045997

3) Oven Mitts
http://www.shopworldkitchen.com/corelle/shadow-iris-oven-mitt-1105431

4) 5-pc Shadow Iris Utensil set
http://www.shopworldkitchen.com/corelle/5pc-shadow-iris-utensil-set-1102171

5) Tidbit tray
http://www.shopworldkitchen.com/corelle/shadow-iris-tidbit-tray-1079664

6) Glasses
 http://www.shopworldkitchen.com/corelle/shadow-iris-cooler-glass-1094695

 7) Apron
http://www.shopworldkitchen.com/corelle/shadow-iris-demi-style-apron-1105430

8) Casseroles
http://www.shopworldkitchen.com/corelle/light-shadow-iris-casserole-648-333-lp
We bought different sizes at the showroom. There seems to be just one size available on the website

9) Kitchen towels
The showroom had kitchen towels in the shadow iris design. I can't seem to find them online though.

10) Place mats
We did try them out on our dining table and it did not look good and neither did it fit our 4 seater dining table. We ended up returning the same.

Overall, I like the plates they are sturdy and have gone into the dishwasher and still retain the same quality. The bowls are plain but have come useful. I find myself using the smaller bowls more often. They are convenient for serving dessert especially ice creams. The salad plate is a little large and can be used as a plate by itself. The glasses are fine but not hardy. I managed to break one glass so far. I was about to place the glass in the sink and hit my hand against the dish drainer. The glass touched a spoon rest and broke into pieces. Hopefully I will get the time to go and buy a glass before the design is discontinued.

Overall, I am quite happy with the correlle set. It stacks up beautifully and the mugs look so pretty! The casseroles have been used for serving when I have entertained at home and they are quite good. As for the utensil set, I don't end up using it that often. It could have been something I could have done without. The sugar and creamer set is also not used either. The trays are good.

Indopak Cafe, Plano, TX

When we stayed in Richardson, we used to go to the Indopak Cafe at the Richardson location. After moving to Plano, we discovered this supermarket. It is our place to go for quick and cost-efficient food. The food is normally ready in 10 minutes . The seating is larger compared to the Indopak Richardson location. They have the same menu that the Richardson location offers and they always have several specials running. I find the food at this location tastier. They offer several types of rolls - beef sheekh kabab roll, chicken sheekh kabab roll, gyro roll, biryanis which are probably the most cost efficient I have seen compared to other restaurants. I like their chicken korma too. It is the place to go order from if you want to host a party.

They are located at:

2060 W Spring Creek Pkwy
Ste 400
Plano, TX 75023

(972) 517-7031