I went to a couple of excellent restaurants over the holidays that I just had to share. The first was Del Frisco’s Grille which we went to for my birthday last week. Much like Nick & Sam’s Grill, it is the more affordable version of an upscale steakhouse. The Dallas location just opened recently and is the second location after New York. They have an interesting cocktail list and lots of great wine to choose from, as well as a pretty eclectic food menu. I had the Farmhouse Grilled Cheese & Roasted Tomato Bisque, which definitely rivaled the similar item on the Nick & Sam’s menu. Some of the other entrees that the group had and enjoyed were the Garlic Shrimp Flatbread, the Steakhouse Salad, the Lamb Burger and the Steak Sandwich. We didn’t sit outside, but the patio on the second floor looked absolutely incredible. It has several huge booths and heat lamps that shoot fire. I mean, what else could you want in a patio? I definitely want to go back to have drinks out there on a warmer night.

The second place that I went to and loved was Hibiscus in the Knox-Henderson neighborhood. I really don’t get up there enough considering how many great places there are. I had heard amazing things about Hibiscus and am so excited I finally got to try it myself this weekend. It’s a very cozy place with lots of wood, stone and fireplaces and I thought the service was exceptionally good. We went on a Friday night at 7 and only had to wait about 30 minutes even though we didn’t have a reservation. It’s really a steak place, but I had the Scottish Salmon (if you know me, you know salmon is my usual order) which came with rock shrimp, squash and chard underneath it. It was some of the best salmon I have had in a long time. If you’re like me and prefer that an upscale restaurant feel more comfortable and less pretentious, Hibiscus is the place to go.