Two weeks ago, Joni's daughter got married. So of course I'm not going to miss out on that, even if it means a weekend away from Stillwater so close to the first home game. I very rarely do that. I'm a well-known procrastinator, but I made sure I was in pretty good shape work-wise before I left. I drove down Friday afternoon, and was staying at a hotel in Grapevine. My original plan had been to take a nap when I got to the hotel, but then I saw I was literally right next door to Grapevine Mills Mall. So I bucked up and hit the mall. After about 5 stores I started getting tired. I pushed through and walked the rest of the mall, but then headed back to the room. By this time it was too late for a nap, so next on the list was dinner.
I self-created LOTS of drama in picking a dinner spot. I went back and forth between 5 different restaurants, driving much more than necessary, and getting thoroughly annoyed in the process. Finally I decided on Piranha Killer Sushi. They're part of the restaurant.com program, and I had thought about trying it numerous times. So that's where I went.
The restaurant is in Highland Village, about a 10-minute drive from Joni's house. This is one of 6 locations, all in Texas. It's not a huge place, but it's got a great corner location in a shopping center. There's a great outdoor patio that takes up one whole side of the restaurant, with about 20 tables that are a combination of high top tables, short tables, and bar seating. This is the second restaurant I've seen where half of the bar is outside on the patio, and the other half is inside the restaurant. Great use of space, and more places should do that. As you enter the main doors of the restaurant there's a small seating area behind the host stand, a sushi bar, inside bar seating, and then the patio. It was such a gorgeous night that I sat on the patio. They have little Christmas lights hanging from the trees, and that's the only real exterior lighting. So once it gets dark, you can barely see. I think they should add little tealights or something on the tables so you can see both your food and who you're talking to. I had my Nook with me, as I always do when I dine solo, and I had to stop reading by the time I got my appetizer because I couldn't see a thing. But that was the only negative about the atmosphere.
For the restaurant.com coupon I had to spend $20. So my plan was to start with edamame, which is one of my favorite things to get at Asian restaurants. But then I saw la la's jalapeno poppers; and in the spirit of food blog research I knew I had to get them. My server warned me that the jalapenos they had that week were spicy, and that it was a large serving, but I decided to brave it.
She wasn't kidding. About the spice or the size. One bite, and my mouth was on fire. But the cream cheese and sauce on top cooled it down. The poppers were really good, and I absolutely loved the sauce. I've never seen them tempura fried before, but I like the change-up, and the tempura is lighter than normal breading coating. Lightly fried, stuffed, and delicious. It was a lot more than I could eat, especially since I was ordering sushi, so I stopped about halfway through.
I had originally considered getting 2 rolls, but since I had the poppers I only needed one. I still needed to make sure I got up to $20 so I could use the coupon. After a lot of back and forth, I went with the lobster roll
The rest of the roll was very good, and the flavors worked really well together. The lobster added great flavor to the roll, but when I tasted a piece by itself that had fallen off, it was just okay. I knew I was taking a gamble with the lobster. Being from the East coast, I am very picky about seafood.
Will I go back? Yes. Joni would really enjoy it because of the awesome patio and good selection of wines. I want to try some of the other rolls, and Joni (who doesn't do sushi) can get something else. Or we can split some appetizers. Or, just play it by ear.
The restaurant is in Highland Village, about a 10-minute drive from Joni's house. This is one of 6 locations, all in Texas. It's not a huge place, but it's got a great corner location in a shopping center. There's a great outdoor patio that takes up one whole side of the restaurant, with about 20 tables that are a combination of high top tables, short tables, and bar seating. This is the second restaurant I've seen where half of the bar is outside on the patio, and the other half is inside the restaurant. Great use of space, and more places should do that. As you enter the main doors of the restaurant there's a small seating area behind the host stand, a sushi bar, inside bar seating, and then the patio. It was such a gorgeous night that I sat on the patio. They have little Christmas lights hanging from the trees, and that's the only real exterior lighting. So once it gets dark, you can barely see. I think they should add little tealights or something on the tables so you can see both your food and who you're talking to. I had my Nook with me, as I always do when I dine solo, and I had to stop reading by the time I got my appetizer because I couldn't see a thing. But that was the only negative about the atmosphere.
For the restaurant.com coupon I had to spend $20. So my plan was to start with edamame, which is one of my favorite things to get at Asian restaurants. But then I saw la la's jalapeno poppers; and in the spirit of food blog research I knew I had to get them. My server warned me that the jalapenos they had that week were spicy, and that it was a large serving, but I decided to brave it.
She wasn't kidding. About the spice or the size. One bite, and my mouth was on fire. But the cream cheese and sauce on top cooled it down. The poppers were really good, and I absolutely loved the sauce. I've never seen them tempura fried before, but I like the change-up, and the tempura is lighter than normal breading coating. Lightly fried, stuffed, and delicious. It was a lot more than I could eat, especially since I was ordering sushi, so I stopped about halfway through.
I had originally considered getting 2 rolls, but since I had the poppers I only needed one. I still needed to make sure I got up to $20 so I could use the coupon. After a lot of back and forth, I went with the lobster roll
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| Masago, scallions, shrimp tempura & ginger cream topped with avocado & lobster |
Will I go back? Yes. Joni would really enjoy it because of the awesome patio and good selection of wines. I want to try some of the other rolls, and Joni (who doesn't do sushi) can get something else. Or we can split some appetizers. Or, just play it by ear.
