Dragonfly at Hotel Zaza

Zaza. Just saying it is fun.
Go ahead, say it out loud. Zaza!

If you ever travel to Dallas, you should consider staying at Hotel Zaza. It's the kind of place that makes you feel super cool just by staying there. It's located in the bustling Uptown area of Dallas but once you enter the hotel you immediately forget the busy streets outside. It's hip, modern and breathtaking.

I have never actually stayed overnight though I have attended a few parties there. In the winter the pool is covered in glass. How cool is that? Today I had lunch at Dragonfly, located inside the hotel. I had a great lunch and our server was attentive and very friendly. My glass was never empty and I didn't ever sit long before another lovely plate was placed in front of me.

Here is what me and 3 other gals ate.

Crab and Artichoke Dip with Crispy Pita, it smelled great the crispy bread crumbs on top looked fantastic and I didn't want to be the first to dig in.

Moments later I forgot about that and immediately starting eating.

The dip was warm, creamy and full of flavor. There were large pieces of crab and artichoke in the dip and when paired with the crispy pita bread, it was pure heaven. Delicious.

But there was another appetizer I tried.
An appetizer I am officially obsessed with.

Crispy Calamari Salad, this was so delicious. The calamari were much smaller than I have ever seen (or made) and fried so perfectly. The Asian greens and calamari are tossed in a sweet chile vinaigrette which makes the perfect balance of flavors. Sweet, Crispy, Chewy, Savory. I want to recreate this soon.
very very soon.

Red Pepper Soup with black beans and crispy tortilla strips. This was the soup of the day and it was fantastic. Once you swallowed, the roasted cumin flavor lingered. As you can tell from its pale orange color, the soup was very creamy.

Bento Box of the Day, this was my entree and included in the bento box is a veggie springroll, miso soup, crispy Asian greens (seen upfront in the photo), sticky rice and the special 'of the day' part of the bento box was two perfectly cooked crab cakes. There was also a small coconut macaroon in the box, a perfect little treat.

Hamachi Crudo, lightly citrus cured with jalapeno and orange. Looks good, huh? This is an appetizer but my Mom wanted it as her entree. She added an heirloom caprese salad on the side.

Heirloom Caprese Salad, I tried this and it was fresh and flavorful. Included was mini tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, pesto, pine nuts and basil all on endive.

you didn't think we would skip dessert did you?

Drunken Cherry Cheesecake, this was perfectly cooked vanilla cheesecake surrounded by brandy soaked cherries. I mean really, how could this dessert be bad? I loved it.

And lastly Oh God! Chocolate Cake. This was a decadent flourless chocolate cake with served with fresh raspberries and raspberry sauce. Perfect balance of tart and sweet.

Are your drooling yet?
DragonFly
2332 Leonard St
Dallas, TX 75201