Since all I want to do is eat some solid food (Day 9 of the Cleanse), I’m going to go ahead and torture myself and talk about Moonshine. The Third-and-Red-River hotspot has the best of many worlds–business/tourist traffic with the Convention Center and downtown and local traffic for the downtown reason and because it’s just that good.
I went for the first time a few weeks ago and simply ordered two appetizers as a meal: the spinach salad and flat breads and dips. The spinach salad was delicious, with pear, candied walnuts, and a balsamic vinaigrette. But what I really raved about then and now was the eggplant caviar in the flatbreads and dips plate. It is absurdly delicious. The guac is good, the insalata caprese good, and I didn’t care for the white bean dip, but I think that’s just because I don’t like white beans.
I went back to Moonshine with some girl friends while on the Cleanse, and much to my chagrin, the only thing they ordered was the dips plate! At happy hour, apps are half price, so it was a steal. One of my friends is a regular and works in PR, so she knows the owners of the place. When the co-owner, Chuck, walked by, she said hello. He lingered for a chat with all of us, and I asked him for the secret to the eggplant caviar. He was a smidge coy, mentioned something about cumin, and said that his co-owner and the executive chef was out for the day. I really liked him, despite the fact that he couldn’t divulge the eggplant caviar’s secrets, and he seemed genuinely friendly and happy to be in his own restaurant. It made me like Moonshine even MORE than I already did.
And then there’s the brunch. I haven’t been yet, but I’ve heard awesome things about it. Something about white chocolate bread pudding? But I’m jumping ahead to dessert, bypassing some apparently lovely dishes like King Ranch Casserole. The whole menu–not just brunch–changes seasonally, so it’s worth trying several different times. Or every weekend. It’s a buffet, which sounds amazing–because you can try a little of everything–and at $15.95, won’t break the bank. I can’t wait to be eating solid foods again and try it!
Look for me there in two Sundays … I’ll give myself a week or so before I gorge on buffets!
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