INVASION — Restaurant in Dallas

JUST GO ALREADY!

*Yummified *Yumminous *Yummsters *YUMMO *Yummy

Went for lunch on Tuesday. It was my first (not my last) visit.

Food: Excellent options. Not your average fare. High quality. No skimp ingredients. Hot, fresh, flavorFILLED. We had three items: Ying Yang bowl. Nice rice bowl with mixed veggies and a crispy, juicy fried chicken breast. The breast was crispy yet light. The batter wasn't thick at all but had great crunch. There's some kind of sweet spicy sauce spooned over the whole bowl.

Grilled chicken breast sandwich. It came dressed with mayo, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles. I added onion to mine. The bun was soft, thick and nicely toasted. There was a huge grilled chicken breast. It was flavorful and juicy. What stood out to me was the quality of the lettuce and tomatoes. Both were cool and crispy. And the tomato was sliced as one would slice a thick green tomato for frying. That tomato was a welcome surprise. One caveat on the chicken breast-It is very flavorful. I don't mean salty either. There was rosemary and/or thyme and just the right amount of savory. For me, although the flavor was great, I would rather have that flavor on chicken as an entree, not a sandwich. Next time, I'll ask to get the regular fried chicken breast on the sandwich. Or I'll get the grilled breast on a bowl with veggies or to go with the sprouts-up next.

Brussels sprouts appetizer. They're a bit pricey. But the portion size is easily enough for 3 to 4 people so the pricing makes sense. The sprouts were large and cooked to a delicious char that you can appreciate on a good sprout. It also had some type of dipping sauce and the sprouts were sprinkled with a type of sugary something or other. Those things were yummy.

Drinks: This was our only shared disappointment. All drinks are bottled and are priced reasonably as far as restraunts go. However, they come right out of a cooler box and aren't ice cold. They don't have cups or ice for the drinks. In the summer in Texas, eating potentially spicy foods means that ice in drinks is a MUST. Our Coke and tea drink were room temperature by the time we got halfway through our meals. As soon as we got to the car we literally both reached for ice that we had in styrofoam cups. We were so parched. I implore you to figure out an option for ice. Until then, we plan to bring our own ice.

Location: Casual, diner feeling. Small inside-very small. But there's a nice covered dining area out front. Clean. Parking was weird. Three are only three small spaces in front of the place. There is other adjacent parking near other buildings, but we didn't know if it was ok to park there. There's street parking, but oh well... We chanced it and used another buildings lot. Loved watching the menu items scroll across the screen. It gave me a chance to see and decide my main course as I was eating my Brussels. Two suggestions: 1. Print the menu in larger font. 2. Add the names of the items pictured on the menu and on pictures in the screen presentation.

Service: EXCELLENT! A young man greeted us as soon as we entered. He beckoned us to come to him to order because we could barely see him. He seemed eager to help and genuinely engaged with us as we chose our meal. He helped us navigate the menu and he was extremely patient with us. Also, the owner stopped by to check on us. He was pleasant and personable.

Overall: I can't lie. I'm hard to please. I don't know when I've ever given a place five stars without hesitation. But THIS ONE IS BOMB! After just taking one bite of our Brussels sprouts, we both decided that we would be back. I can't stop talking about or thinking about this...

I hate having to write bad reviews but I can't let this one slide. How this place made it onto whatever list it was of best burgers in Dallas is a mystery to me. First off, it's a chicken sandwich place with only two burgers on the menu. Halal, for what that's worth, and they don't serve beer or any other alcoholic beverages. They have signage claiming their food is fast, healthy and delicious. Well, considering it took almost a full half hour to get my burger- the Notorious- to me, it sure ain't fast. While it tasted alright, it wasn't what I would consider delicious. I reckon since it was a fairly small patty on a fresh bun I guess it was healthy enough. The thing wasn't even dressed. Just ketchup and a mayo sauce on a bun that dominated the patty by 3/4 of an inch all the way around. I should have just passed when the kid behind the counter told me they didn't serve beer when I asked what they had. Note to self. Avoid any place calling itself a burger joint if they don't have any beer to serve. Instead I settled on a 12 oz Dr. Pepper that was barely chilled and only got warmer as I waited outside at a picnic table for the half hour while my burger and roasted potatoes were prepped. Plus, it wasn't very pleasant having to see and hear the owner/manager/whoever he was being a real boor hitting on four attractive young ladies from Indianapolis at the neighboring table, interrogating them on who they were, what they were doing in Dallas, critiquing the basketball program at Indiana U, etc.. The burger hurt my teeth because the char on the outside was thick and just tough instead of crispy. More of a beef puck than a patty would be my best description. There were four or five small tables lined up along the wall inside and about five bar chairs at a "bar" maybe six inches deep with a great view of the back side of the stainless griddle and the tops of the heads of the kids cooking and plating food so dining indoors isn't really an option unless you like being brushed upon by people coming and going. I feel bad having spent 17 of my hard earned dollars there. Maybe their main line, the chicken sandwiches, are better. I don't know and don't intend to try and find out. I'm from Louisiana and I truly am one of those who lives to eat rather than eats to live and while I can overlook quirks in floor plan, architecture, style and the like, I cannot overlook mediocre food quality and mediocre service. Two stars because I'm being charitable. Nope. I take that back. Two stars...

The food was great and came out quickly, however the service was pretty atrocious.

The cashier behind the counter (short black girl with braids) was incredibly rude and refused to field questions appropriately.

Have a question about a sauce? “Read the menu.”

It was very quiet at the restaurant, maybe two other parties and we saw a sign that said no outside food and beverage. However, when we first discovered the place we saw the pictures only had fried chicken, so my one friend (out of four of us) got a sandwich from another place (due to food sensitivity). Immediately after we sat down outside, with about twenty empty other tables, the owner approached us saying how the staff wanted to THROW US OUT OF THE RESTAURANT. Are you serious? I didn’t k*ll your first born, it’s a damn sandwich.

We tried to explain our situation to the owner but he wasn’t having it, he went on a rant about how he’s a Dietician and has food for people of all kinds. That’s great! However, I don’t think it should be a requirement to read your whole online menu before going to figure that out. It was our first time there!Some people are on the road just driving through and don’t have time to do all that!

After that, it only got weirder. They had a photographer harassing the only other table out there, doing a whole photoshoot. They’re (and I’m) trying to eat, knock it off. They had a whole tripod and everything, it was pretty ridiculous. The craziest part, they were fine with their dog, but not with our sandwich! Seriously?!

After we were done with our meal, we tried to get a to go box but the cashier BLOCKED THE DOOR on us! Are you Twelve? Grow up! We did eventually get out to go box, but still incredibly rude.

It’s a shame because if these people could learn some decent manners it would be an easy five star, but I can’t...