Gimme some dough – Dough Pizzeria Napoletana

A picture says a thousand words and this picture taken by amazing photographer, Carissa Byers for Modern Luxury, told me to go get me some of that Dough. Dough Pizzeria Napoletana, the new pizzeria at Preston and Forest just by Little Gym and Emler Swim School is the perfect locale for families. Except my own. Pikelet & Lollo hate cheese which makes eating Italian cuisine slightly challenging.

Pho Colonial

Spring Rolls & Egg rolls - yum

The opening of Pho Colonial Vietnamese Diner is a welcomed addition to downtown Dallas which is speckled with great but expensive restaurants like Charlie Palmer at The Joule or greasy spoons and pizza joints. Pho Colonial, located just opposite the flagship Neiman Marcus store on the corner of Main and Ervay provides the population with a fresh alternative, great food at a mid range price point.

Oddfellows in Oak Cliff

We have a love hate relationship with Oddfellows in the Bishop Arts District. We love the food but hate the long waits. But they have this wonderful fried tomato sandwich that beckons me and as a result, I’ve subjected my IttyBittyFoodies to the brutal waits – three times. On a fine day, diners can wait outside sipping coffee or hot chocolate made with their super expensive La Marzocco Strada Espresso coffee machine and the kids just wander about and playing with the piano outside.

Zen Baking Company Deep Ellum

“We don’t sell anything that we won’t give to our own kids” says owners of Zen Baking Company, Chonnie Richey and Czarina Hounsel. The sisters bake their own breads for sandwiches, Filipino brioche, pastries, cookies and cake balls. Smoothies are made with creamy Greek strained Fage yogurt (pronounced ‘fa-yeh’) and fresh fruits.

Tom Fleming’s Crossroads Diner

View from the waiting room

The Confession - I’m going to come right out and say it, we have not fallen in love with Crossroads Diner’s cinnamon buns. Ok now that it’s off my chest, more about it later. It is noon on a Saturday and there are at least 10 tables infront of us. Ugh it’s a 30-45 minute wait. Thank goodness there are children’s books to keep Pikelet & Lollo occupied in the waiting area. If spotting chef Abraham Salum of Salum and the gorgeous new Komali waiting patiently like the rest of us pedestrians is any indication of what’s to come, then wait we shall. 

Chocolate Secrets

There are many delicious secrets to discover within this little Highland Park chocolaterie. It’s not just any chocolate shop, it’s a boutique. The handcrafted chocolates made by Kate Graver (formerly of Nobu and Stephan Pyles) are positively inspiring. Resembling rich jewels, pretty flowers and colorful buttons, each one is transformed, molded and then carefully airbrushed to perfection. She even makes little chocolate stilettos and handbags my friend T. calls “Jimmy Chocs”. There’s a wine bar with jazz on weekends and a tiny little creperie.

Royal China Dallas Restaurant

You may wonder why we chose Royal China as the venue for a celebratory meal on the first day of the Lunar New Year. Tucked on the corner of Preston and Royal, Royal China’s customers are predominantly non-Asian dining on the ubiquitous American Chinese favorites like orange chicken or beef and broccoli. Even the children’s menu features nuggets and rice.  But Royal China surprisingly has some of the most authentic Chinese dishes in Dallas and the answer lies in the hands of Zhang Xue Liang, Royal China’s noodle chef and his crew of dumpling makers.

Watel’s World Piece Café

Spot the rascals behind the potplants

If your child is fiddly like my little Lollo, please do not take him/her to Watel’s World Piece Café. If he can sit for an extended period of time and refrain from touching everything, then he’s in for a real treat at this Lower Greenville neighborhood spot.

Dive Coastal Cuisine

“Do you like Dive Coastal Cuisine?” It’s a question that many moms asked me when I say that I’m a passionate blogger on food and restaurants for kids. With such a flurry of talk on the street (or rather… playgroups), our two Super Hero Itty Bitty Foodies donned on their best capes (a.k.a tea towels courtesy of Nanna when she was in England) to see if there was anything fishy about the scene.

Best tako in Oak Cliff – Zen Sushi

Zen Sushi @ Bishop Arts District

Pikelet’s first encounter with tako (Japanese octopus sushi) was at the opening of Zen Sushi in the Bishop Arts District, in 2007. He was nearly 2 at the time. Although, Oak Cliff is famous for their taco joints, as far as my little foodie child, Pikelet’s concerned, this is the only tako that matters.

Main Street Garden – eat, play & splash

Lily Pad Cafe @ Main Street Garden

Take a break at Main Street Garden, the green oasis in downtown Dallas that is bordered by Main, St Paul, Commerce and Ervay Streets. With its gorgeous grounds, cafe, spray park, children’s playground and dog run, Main Street Garden  is a haven for families, even Fido.

Si Tapas! Me tapas!

The infamous Chee Japa

“Chee japa! Chee japa!”

For the longest time Lollo would say these words over and over again. As said in my About page, he had only a handful of words so whenever he said something consistently, we’d try and figure out what he was saying. Finally one day when we drove by Allen Street in Uptown and he excitedly cried out the same phrase “Chee japa, chee japa”. And finally the mystery was solved. He was of course referring to ‘Si Tapas’.