Today, I’m sharing my first taste of Ida Claire, a southern-inspired, south of ordinary restaurant in Addison. I was excited to finally visit the newest addition to the Addison area where I work. Honestly, I feel like the last foodie in Dallas to try it out. My friend John and I scheduled a catch up date and this was the perfect opportunity.
The restaurant used to be Trulucks and completely transformed into an eccentric space with soft light and lively chatter. Walking in, there was a small trailer parked outside which offered seating for guests to dine. Definitely not ordinary. The place was busy for Thursday night.
After a long day, cocktails were in order. I love anything with egg white mixed in and ordered the Pink Lady and later on the Peachy Keen. Both were yummy and perfectly balanced.
John and I have been foodies for as long as I can remember. My favorite part about our get togethers is how easy it is for us to decide since we have similar fat-kid tendencies and can throw down some food. We started with the crawfish corn fritters with a remoulade dipping sauce.
They had a nice layer of heat to them. They are actually delicious without the remoulade sauce which I thought made it slightly salty. Didn’t stop us from devouring these hot bites. Next, we ordered the the Pecan Wood Roasted Oysters.
These oysters were tangy and full of flavor. I loved the pickled onions on top with the kale. John, being from New Orleans, gave it the thumbs up. This was probably one of my favorite dishes of the night.
For dinner, we wanted to divide and conquer. There were quite a few enticing dishes, but these two really spoke to us. We ordereded the Shrimp and Clam Boil and the Braised Short Rib.
The boil was a bit on the salty side, but still packed full of flavors. It looked a bit dry and I wish there was more sauce from the boil that came with it. I think a big bowl would make more sense. The corn was surprisingly sweet.
My short rib was so tender and it felt apart (as it should) simply with the touch of my fork. I loved the carrots, but also wished for a starch like mashed potatoes to cut the richness. It was a pretty large serving and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
In addition to the entrees, we also ordered two sides that stood out to us. The Cast Iron Okra Salad and Pimiento Mac n Cheese.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t any special about the okra. It was pretty bland and tasteless. Even with the bacon bites, we only picked at it. The mac n cheese on the other hand…
Obsessed. I LOVE pimiento anything. While I was expecting a deeper flavor of pimiento, it was still delicious with the flavors layered in. It even had a nice heat I really enjoyed. Spicy mac n cheese? Oh hell yes. I’d definitely recommend this side for sure.
Lastly, while we were near bursting from our gluttony, our waiter surprised us with the Ida Claire Vice Cake.
This monstrosity of a cake is made with a guiness stout cake, coffee buttercream, tobacco simple syrup, candied bacon and chocolate ganache, All those “vices” in one cake, oh my goodness. I think the only vice missing is sex. 😛 This was such a delicious cake, I felt like I could pull a Bruce Bogtrotter from Matilda. Whew! Will probably have to work out for a week after a slice of heaven like this.
Overall, we both had a great time and our waiter was so nice and knowledgeable. To be frank, I was a little hesitant at first knowing that Leslie Brenner gave the restaurant a scorching 1 star. As much as I enjoy her reviews, I have to respectfully disagree. Ida Claire exceeded my expectations and makes for a cute date night spot or a casual place for dinner. Next time, I must have the chicken and waffles!
In order to review Ida Claire, Deep Fried Fit’s meal was comped. However, all opinions are her own.
