Jasper’s – At Shops at Legacy

Exquisite ambience and delectable food. It is best to summarize the restaurant review with just this one line. But you know me, I am not a person who is stingy with words, so I better write a paragraph on my experience.

When I landed in US, the first thing I googled was, “Top 10 places restaurants in Plano”, and Jaspers was right at the top. Since then, I have been looking for an opportunity to visit this restaurant. Got this chance couple of months back, when one of my friends from India was visiting Plano. We ordered Texas Gulf Crab Cake in appetizers. It was the best crab cake that I have ever tasted in US. It was soft and the spices were just right. For Entrees, we ordered Pan Seared Sea Scallops & Shrimp. This place is actually famous for sea food, so we obviously had very high expectations on that front and it did not disappoint us.  We also ordered fries and some drinks. Over all, it was a wonderful experience. The food was great, servers were very friendly and helpful. And the ambience was superb, second only to Gordon Biersch, if I you ask me.

That's it for now, cya later!

Plano : The 3rd best place to live in Amrikka

News!! Plano has been declared as the 3rd best place to live in USA!

I have not visited many cities in USA but this piece of interesting news got me thinking!! Ever since I landed in US, I have always cribbed how this place is so deserted, hardly any humans around, shops close at 9 PM, no high-rises etc etc. At one point of time, I also created an analogy with India s Rajasthan!! But now I understand the rationale that supports the above news. The reasons mentioned were facilities, employment opportunities, low crime rate, amenities, no state tax etc. I have also found the city to be picturesque, there are too many parks and lakes and all very well maintained. But again that's the case with everything in US. I rarely come across a scene where a person is mowing the lawns or picking fallen leaves. God only knows,when do they do it! May be at night when we are fast asleep. It also helps that I stay at two minutes walking distance from the most happening place in Plano. Yeah! You guessed it right. Shops at legacy! What else one needs!? Best restaurants n pubs nearby, best place to have ice creams - Coldstone! That too, at walking distance. Office is just 1.6 miles away! Ok, so I totally agree with this piece of survey/statistics!!

Enough of my Saturday morning ramblings! This is what happens when you start blogging on an empty stomach. Too much of caffeine and too little food. Makes you light headed.

Have a peaceful weekend!

Kabobi fresh in Richardson

Ok, a scathing restaurant review coming up.

Usually I am a very generous person and tend to overlook if one or two dishes don't taste good in a buffet. Because, taste like beauty is relative term. A bland Mediterranean dish might be perfectly cooked but a person like me who is used to the spices in India might not find it appealing. So I do consider all those aspects while writing reviews and would never deduct points for authenticity even if doesn't flatter my taste buds. Mediterranean food is supposed to be bland, that's how it was meant to be. Period. What really annoys me is the lack of thought on the "Value for money" department.

So you might be wondering what made me visit this restaurant in the first place, if I am not such a big fan of Mediterranean  food. Oops, forgot to mention the name. Kabobi fresh in Richardson. This place has live music. A super cute keyboard player occupies a corner of the restaurant and plays lovely music. And the ambience is very soothing with perfect lighting and seating arrangement. Yes, you might want to call it a fine dining experience with all the associated frills. I love all that but only if the quality of food matches the price. 16 USD for one person, no way! Especially when there is no lamb in the menu. With just one chicken item (tikka kebab) and beef in almost all other items, it's exhorbitant if you ask me. They have used beef like a garnish, adding to the veggie items as well in shredded forms. What is left for a non-red meat eater to eat then!? Only fish n chicken sadly. I am not  a salad eater either so that leaves out the greenies. The fish was cold and over fried. Desert menu was limited with rice pudding and some gelatin like substance, which my 7 year old niece could have prepared. There was also another version of rice pudding which was yellow in color and looked and tasted yucky.

There was only one item which I liked in the entire buffet menu, "Bademjaan", it was a fried eggplant dish with yoghurt I think. I filled my tummy with that.

I would recommend this place for dates only. And when you have too much money to spare. The romantic and chic ambience might act as a catalyst in bringing two hearts together but a strict no-no for foodies like me ☺️

Spice creations in Allen

Last Friday, me and a few of my friends went to a restaurant in Allen named, 'Spice creations'.

It was a lunch buffet with the focus mainly on non vegetarian dishes like chicken kebabs and fish. Most of the dishes were above average but the fish item deserves a special mention. It was, I think Tilapia fish which was batter fried and sautéed is some kind of gravy which was perfectly spiced with lot of flavors.

The single item in the desert called as semia payasam was eclectic in taste. And it was extremely difficult for me to stop after a couple of spoons. I am usually not a big fan of sweets but semai and gulab jamun are the only two deserts that make me forget my health related resolutions! Otherwise, I am a good girl and can stay off deserts for months at end.

Ok, that's it for now. Just wanted to jot down my impressions before I forget the experience.

Dimassi's Mediterranean Buffet

Last evening, we went to a Mediterranean restaurant called as Dimassis's in Richardson which is around 10 miles away from my home.



Mediterranean cuisine is mostly famous for its signature dishes like hummus, falafel, a wide array of salads and ofcourse the lamb shanks.

This place is no different. May be the only thing that makes it stand out in the crowd of such places is the quality of chicken dishes. Believe me, there are too many Mediterranean restaurants in and around Dallas. Because of the huge Arab n Mediterranean population. Interesting point to note is, such places are frequented by desis and Americans as well these days. Americans find it palatable because the dishes are bit low on spices and desis because... Oh! We are an inquisitive lot, we love to try out any alien cuisine that's worth eating! Btw, I did try sushi couple of months back and shall write about that  experience another day!

Ok, so all the dishes were good. The only let down was the fried chicken which was not as succulent as it should have been. My roomie cooks better fried chicken than them. They had pizzas too, as a part of the buffet. Not sure why though! It dilutes the whole essence of the meal, if you ask me. May be they wanted to appeal to a wider audience. The Baklava which is the quintessential Mediterranean desert was better than average. The best ever baklava that I had was at "Cafe Istanbul" (Shops at legacy). I am yet to jot down a review on that! Food was heavenly there.

As you can see in the above pic, the ambience and décor is nothing to talk about. Typical diner. Monotonous seating arrangement. I don't know why, I am a big fan of table cloths. .A restaurant will always earn brownie points from me, if it has table cloth. No such frills here, sadly. For 13 USD per person, at least they could have invested a little bit on the "Frills".


I think, I should stop going for buffets, it's such a waste. I can hardly taste a few items and I am full and so I cannot do justice to the concept itself. Anyways, this is it for now. Time for second coffee of the day...ahhh! I love Saturday mornings! It rained last night and it's beautiful and shiny outside...but then in US, it's always beautiful... ☺️