Dallas Day One

So what else did my mom and I do on our apartment hunting trip to Dallas? We ate! And some other stuff.

Wednesday after looking at all the apartments we grabbed lunch at Cafe Express. We wander in not knowing what it was, but there were TONS of different salads, sandwiches, and pastas to choose from. I ended up with a great veggie and hummus sandwich and a side of fruit. Just what I was craving.

The coolest part of this restaurant? The salad topping bar. HUGE JARS of roasted garlic, pickled veggies, salsas, and CHICKPEAS. A massive jar of chickpeas for me to have-at? I could have made a meal for free just out of this…

After I chose my apartment, we drove all around Dallas to see what my commutes would be like. We stopped by both the store I will manage and the store I’ll train at, as well as spent a good hour finding the two Bikram studios in Dallas. Totally necessary.

For dinner we tried a place that had been consistently recommended to us, Cosmic Cafe. Supposedly the best vegetarian restaurant in Dallas, I couldn’t come down without eating there!

This hybrid Indian/Mexican restaurant had a totally funky vibe inside that I dug. It even had meditation rooms upstairs:) My mom and I both had Kirin beers while looking over the menu. We wanted to try a variety of things, so we ended up splitting two main dishes – Buddhas Delight and Cosmic Stir.

Um, YUM.

We meandered our way through each and every aspect of these dishes until the plates were clear. I will be going back for their Dahl during chilly winters and the Cosmic Stir is going to become a regular meal for me. It was INCREDIBLE! I wish I could describe the yogurt-based, slightly sweet Asian dressing on it in some way other that “MMMM”, but I can’t. It was just delicious!

The only disappointing part was the Samosa. It was just too greasy and tasted like a weird savory funnel cake.

Post dinner we walked around West Village, a fancy schmancy shopping district and just so happened to come upon a Pinkberry (totally planned). I got a mix of tart and salted caramel topped with dark chocolate crispies and chocolate candies. Perfect ending to the day.

No wait. I forgot about the condom stores we passed on the way home. For real Dallas? There are no zoning laws so there are “Condoms To Go” and “Condom Sense” stores on the side of the street. Soooo strange….

Now the night is complete.