Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Dino's Subs, Arlington, Texas

You know the feeling you get when you have lived somewhere for a while and you realize that you haven't even tried the place around the corner even though you know a dozen people who really like it?  Honestly I've had strangers recommending this place.  This was me a while back so I decided not to be "that guy".

It's not much to look at from the outside and frankly not much to look at from the inside either.  Not to say it's dirty or run down, it's just when you enter you feel like you haven't missed anything.  We got in line, popular much, and eventually ordered.  I got the club because, let's face it, if you can't make a good club then you have no business being a sub shop.  What impressed me was they actually cut the meat while you wait. There is none of this pre-sliced stuff you get at most places. By the time they were done making my sandwich I was really looking forward to it.

Then they got to my wife's order of eggplant parmesan. They proceeded to take precooked zip lock bags of spaghetti out and put precooked eggplant and a sauce on it. They then took the carefully cut, although at this point it could have been anything, cheese and NUKED IT! It was horrible. I nearly cried.

At least I had my club right?  No. My club sandwich which had been so carefully sliced was a poor imitation of a good sandwich. Subway please!  Really though the meat was good, I just couldn't taste it all that much through the bread. If they had doubled or maybe even tripled the amount of meat they had put I might have actually enjoyed it.  As it was it was a travesty.

On a possible bright side the drinks weren't as expensive as some places. Although I don't know if they had free refills or not since the guys running the place had such sour dispositions I didn't want to be around them long enough to ask.

I think I liked it better when I was "that guy". Food isn't worth what they charge and it's poorly done.

Hours: Mon - Sat: 10:00am - 10:00pm
          Sun: 11:00am - 10:00pm
Location: 2221 S Collins St, Arlington, TX 76010

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Emporium Pies, Dallas, TX

Finding the place wasn't hard.  There was a line of people out the door and since the streets were crowded we weren't going very fast.  The street it's on jogs a little but lots of streets do that in Dallas.  It's tucked into a residential neighborhood turned shopping area.  This of course causes the obvious problem of parking.  There isn't anywhere to park, The four spots dedicated to the shop I would guess are taken by the employees by the looks of it.

We finally parked about three blocks away since those I was with really wanted to try it and didn't mind the walk.  There was still a line and people raving about how good the pies were.  this made me a little hungry and hoping they weren't blowing the whole thing out of proportion.

When the line finally moved along enough we were inside the smell of fresh baked pies really hit me and I knew this was going to be a tasty treat.

Seating was very limited (6 tables) so when someone got up someone I was with snagged a table for the group.  There were some grumblings from others in the line.
*edit* Apparently they have 7 tables inside. You can also sit outside, weather permitting.  It was threatening to rain when we went so I really didn't consider outside to be much of an option but it about doubles the seating choices.

When I finally placed my order I though it was a bit pricy. I tipped which I later regretted since there was no real service to tip for.  When I had to get up to go get my pie I soon realized it was overpriced.  Sure it tasted ok but I paid for WOW.  I didn't get it.  Those I was with seemed to like it ok but they're a bit less picky.  The Dr Love pie was a little gritty, being a chess pie, but the flavors didn't support the name. The other pie I tried was the Smooth Operator. The crust was too salty, a pretzel crust with extra salt thrown in.  for $5 a slice they should have either been bigger slices or cheaper. It was barely a snack.  The ice cream I had added was plain bluebell, 2 little scoops at a buck a scoop.

If you're trying to impress someone go to an ice cream shop or even La Madeleine. The teenagers working there will seem more professional and helpful and the atmosphere is a step up too.

Price breakdown: $5 - $6 a slice. $30 - $40 for a whole pie. And their site won't tell you their prices.

In short, not the best pies around.  If you're looking for a whole pie for a party go to a grocery store.

Hours: Mon - Thurs 11:00am - 9:00pm
Fri - Sat 11:00am - 11:00pm
Sun 11:00 am - 8:00 pm
Location 314 North Bishop Ave, Dallas, TX
Website: http://emporiumpies.com/