Examine that slab of tender prime rib above, y’all. Imagine enjoying that delightful piece of beef, satisfying your meaty desires with each juicy bite … and being allowed to have as many such slabs as you wanted. That, my friends, is the name of the game at Q de Cheval‘s new Friday night prime rib buffet. I was invited to check it out last week, and MAN, was

there a lot going on!

For a shockingly reasonable $19.95, the resto inside the Hotel Intercontinental Dallas supplies a four-course all-you-can-eat fantasy: crab and corn chowder (right); a small selection of salads; sliced-to-order prime rib with a variety of sauces to top it; sides including regular and sweet baked potatoes with all the fixins; apple cobbler a la mode; and rolls and corn muffins. And as if THAT isn’t a cornucopia of good eatin’, Q de Cheval also happens to offer half-price glasses of wine on Fridays, too. What recession?

I found the chowder to be delicious — even more so with some extra pepper! — and the green salad was fresh, if not basic (there were also salads of the five-bean and potato varieties to be had). The traditional prime rib was a reliable version of the classic. But, pssst — there was a little-known platter of delights in the kitchen, revealed to me and my guest by head Chef Rex Turner. OK, it wasn’t exactly secret, since it was placed near the giant rounds of prime rib, but Chef Rex brought to our table THIS:

Chef takes the actual beef ribs and slow-cooks them, then douses them in jus. My mouth thought it was dreaming — this baby was tender, unsurprisingly. But with less fat than the regular prime rib, the bold, tastebud-enveloping flavor of MEAT rang through loud and clear. If, nay, WHEN you stop in for the prime rib buffet (and it’s gettin’ popular, so reservations are recommended), it’d be in your best interest to request one of these ribs — why not?!

You’d think after some heavy carnivorous snarfin’ like that, my tummy would’ve gone to sleep, and taken me with it! But I’m a sucker for apple cobbler, so I swore I’d try just a little bite. After that turned into two bowls of the stuff, I contemplated a third called it quits. Because I’m disciplined like that. But don’t you feel the need to be all dainty-like — attack that prime rib buffet with gastronomic abandon!

On Tuesday, I was bestowed an invite to sample breakfast at hot new Highland Park Village eatery Bistro 31. It’s rare that lunch and dinner eateries these days serve weekday breakfast — weekend brunch tends to be the norm. But Bistro 31 serves the morning meal Monday through Friday as well. And what a serene, lovely place to savor one’s first meal!

The resto’s interior design was clean but not too spare — nice comfy touches such as vibrant wall art, cushy chairs and bright white tableware (above) made the space feel elegantly homey. Adding to the haute, fashionable feel of the naturally lit spot was the presence of model extraordinaire Jan Strimple at the next table!

To start, my guest ordered a French press coffee whilst I opted for an eye-opening mimosa starring fresh-squeezed OJ — the balance of fruit juice to champagne was right-on, causing my flute to be empty too quickly!

I suggested we start with the pain au chocolat (above) — fancy-talk for chocolate-studded croissants. The pastries were tremendously fresh and flaky, and did I mention warm?! If I’d lain down for a nap right after eating it, I would’ve had a dream of a day. But I dared to tip the decadence scale, adding butter AND blueberry preserves to mine. Staggeringly good. How happy was I?

My friend selected the Basque omelet for his main. A blend of Spanish chorizo, sun-dried tomatoes and onions were folded into a fluffy envelope of eggs. My friend seemed disappointed a bit in the chorizo dice, perhaps preferring or just being really accustomed to Mexican-style ground chorizo, but I loved the sausage bits. They brightened an otherwise typical omelet, but unfortch, left the customary stamp of chorizo, no matter its region of origin: a meaty oil slick.

Thanks to its inclusion of serrano ham, the house Benedict called my name. Instead of being built on a foundation of English muffins, the poached eggs sat on toasted focaccia, which was thicker, denser and much more substantial

than English muffins — a win to me. The better to sop up all the drippy yolk that spilled over the plate. Mmmm. The serrano ham added a salty intensity you don’t get with Canadian bacon; the fingerling potatoes were tender roasted nuggets of yum, delicately flavored so as not to overwhelm the mains. Most notable with this dish was that it wasn’t overwhelmed by Hollandaise sauce. Too often, it’s a thick, gloppy, super-yellow gravy that’s just a barrier to the eggs. Bistro 31′s was a light affair, still sumptuous in flavor but unassuming, texture-wise, so as not to sabotage the runny yolk.

At this point, I’d run out of mimosa and so switched to plain OJ — I feared it’d be as pulpy as the mimo (which I actually liked in that drink), but, amazingly, it was pulp-free and perfect.

I didn’t want the meal to be totally egg-centric, so I ordered the lemon-ricotta pancakes with a side of sausage to share with my friend. Astoundingly simple, the tart, light flapjacks came with blueberry preserves, creme fraiche (“Avoid!!” said my waistline. Shut up, waistline.) and syrup. The combo melded in the mouth to become a sweet tooth’s dream; the sausage added a needed (for me) savoriness to the dish — I’d order the two again. Wish I could’ve stuffed more of it into my face, but I was so full!

“Dessert?” our server asked. I felt as if just reading the dessert menu would make me fuller, let alone ordering part of it! I’ll save that sure-to-be-heady experience for a future dinner visit.

Bistro 31′s breakfast is just building buzz — the resto was medium-busy on my visit — so you best stop in for an early-morning bite before word gets out and the line gets long! The most important meal of the day runs from 8 to 11 a.m., Monday through Friday.

This past Saturday, I attended an underground dinner — my first evah! Pardon me for the enthusiasm, I’ve never actually been a part of the process of learning about a private dinner, buying a seat for it and arriving to … who knows what?

Saturday’s gathering was hosted by Lightbulb Oven, aka cooking pro Sara. She’s a Star Canyon alum who worked alongside Stephan Pyles — not a bad way to get your start.

So it was with breathless anticipation that I walked through the picket-fence gate with my bottle of pinot greege and into the back yard where the undergrounding was just getting going. It felt like a secret only me and a handful of insiders knew about — wicked fun!

A handful of us spent the first hour awaiting the remaining guests and sipping the provided sangria and opening the wines and beers that guests had been encouraged to bring. As folks arrived and mingled, some snackies came around! First app was Stephan Pyles’ own Hell’s Eggs. These didn’t quite inspire thoughts of Hades, spice-wise, but they were plenty delicious, and I’m never gonna turn down a deviled egg, y’all!

Next app was a crostini topped with melted Camembert cheese and a dollop of plum jelly. Absolutely fabulous! People at my table raved …

And what a motley bunch — there were young-ish singles, some high school friends of the chef, marrieds with kids, and an out-of-this-world cool older couple that I sat next to. Soon, Hostess Sara rang the dinner bell, and we all got seated at the two picnic tables.

The first course was presented as a chilled red pepper soup with a crawfish “funnel cake” (above), but what I tasted was a bit different. I wanted more pepper flavor to it; sadly, it tasted a bit like jarred spaghetti sauce. And the crawfish fritter I was so excited about had no crawfish in it! No bueno. But maybe it was just me — my fellow diners sucked their soup down in, like, two minutes and talked about how much they loved it 

The soup course turned out to be a minor stumble, as things improved by leaps and bounds with the arrival of the main dish, pork two ways. I never knew how much I loved non-Oscar Mayer-bacon pig …

Check out the aerial view of this plate: pork confit, rhubarb chutney, mustard, pork belly over corn puree, pickled blueberries and greens. Sara encouraged us to try everything in different combinations, and I did. I have never understood the fascination with pork belly, but thanks to this dinner, I get it. This piece of meat was lovingly rendered and the flavor sang when I paired it with the silken corn puree and plump blueberries. Meanwhile, the confit shreds melted in my mouth, it’s meaty flavor going nicely with the sweet chutney. The greens tempered the sweetness of the corn and chutney. This plate was phenomenal. Here, let’s take a closer look.

Yurrrrrrm.

After the main dish plates were cleared, and as the sun finally began tucking itself into bed, we were served the palate cleanser in cute little glasses — a refreshing cucumber granita that definitely did the job.

The meal ended on a really high note. Dessert was a pillowy, berry syrup-soaked slab of challah bread topped with creme fraiche and berries of the season (!!!). Perfectly cool ending, in temperature and in execution — who knew something so simple could taste so grand?

One wonderful thing was that even after the dessert plates were cleared, folks stuck around to chat and mingle. In such a cozy setting, beneath strings of sparkly party lights, who wouldn’t want to stay? The wine and sangria continued to flow, why not? It sure reinforced a tremendous sense of community and feeling … well, local.

Saturday’s was the fourth local Lightbulb Oven dinner (Sara also hosted them when she lived in NYC!) and the chef’s first in her new home. She may as well set aside a permanent chair for me, because I see myself attending some more LBO meals.

To find out when the next Lightbulb Oven dinner is, become a fan of its page on Facebook! (And whilst you’re at it, go ahead and Like my page as well!)