Dallas Observer Iron Fork Recap

Last Wednesday, I attended the Dallas Observer Iron Fork at Fair Park's Centennial Hall. Iron Fork featured tastings from local restaurants, beer, wine, and cocktail samplings alongside live music. This event can basically be summarized as a Foodie Paradise. 

I loved going around to try items from the various restaurants. I definitely plan on visiting some of them in the future. Two of my favorites were Back Home BBQ and Bawarchi.

Iron Fork culminated with a chef's competition featuring Jermaine Brown from Julia Pearl and Oliver Stirin from Blind Butcher.

Although, Jermaine lost the battle, he's still one of my favorite chefs in the DFW. It was a pleasure to meet him afterwards. 

Julia Pearl's Executive Chef Jermaine Brown & I

Did you attend Dallas Iron Fork? What were your favorite items?

Saturday Seafood at Hoochies Denton

Hoochie's Exterior

If there's one food that I love its seafood. Over the weekend I had the pleasure of dining at Hoochies Dining in Denton, TX. It's alright if you giggled at the name. I smile whenever I hear it. Interestingly, Hoochies was named after the Post World War I flapper girls in an effort to reflect the restaurant's less Americanized approach. The owner also wanted the name to be memorable to customers, and it most definitely is. I fell in love with the uniqueness, character, and charm of Hoochies.

Hoochies name isn't the only thing that makes it memorable. I loved the casual, comfortable, down home ambiance of the restaurant. You order at the counter, grab a table, and your meal is served to you. The service was impeccable and my glass never went empty. All of the servers were extremely friendly and accommodating. 

I also found Hoochies menu to be affordable yet expansive. Although, there were lots of menu choices I didn't find the menu overwhelming. There is truly something on the menu for everyone. Hoochies price point is affordable and I opted for the Weekend Catfish and Shrimp Basket Special which costs $7.95. 

Weekend Special

My catfish filet was huge and my steak fries were plentiful. The shrimp were also large in size and my meal came with hush puppies. If you've read some of my previous reviews you already know that I'm picky about my hush puppies. I'm proud to say that these were jalapeno free although, they still had a subtle kick to them. They were also unique in being square shaped. My catfish was effortlessly crispy and well seasoned. I also loved the shrimp which had a perfectly balanced amount of batter.

Shrimp Basket

My hubby opted for the Shrimp Basket and was very satisfied with his meal. He opted for the 5 piece basket. Hoochies also offers a larger portion, but the 5 piece was plenty for him. I also loved how our baskets were served with condiments. This might seem minor, but one of my pet peeves is having to ask for condiments at seafood restaurants. It was nice to have everything right in front of me when I was ready to eat. The service as Hoochies was also extremely fast. My meal was served within 10 minutes of ordering. 

Mexican Shrimp Cocktail

Sam, the owner of Hoochies also brought out an order of their Mexican Shrimp Cocktail for us to try. If you visit Hoochies please do yourself a favor and order it. After the first bite, my mind started to become clouded with memories of my last vacation to Mexico. Seriously, Hoochies picked the perfect name for this dish because it tasted like it was straight out of Mexico. The Shrimp Cocktail was jam packed with shrimp, and I loved the chunks of avocado. Tortilla chips were served on the side and I loved everything about this dish! 

Hoochies is definitely a solid seafood pick. If you're in the Denton area go ahead and give them a try. I am looking forward to ordering a Po' Boy on my next visit and maybe some crawfish if I'm feeling adventurous. I'm actually a little scared of them as I have no idea how to eat them. Have you been to Hoochies? Go check them out and let them know Shasha sent you. 

Sam & I

***Disclosure*** I received a complimentary meal in exchange for my review of Hoochie's Denton. All opinions expressed are my own. 

Kickin' it at Dallas Kwestival

Over the weekend, I had the pleasure of attending Dallas Kwestival. Kwestival was an awesome festival held at Klyde Warren Park in Dallas, TX. The purpose of Kwestival was to showcase various neighborhoods and businesses located around the city. 

Kwestival truly embodies the notion of getting out to explore your own city. Dallas is comprised of so many different neighborhoods and it was awesome to see them represented. The festival was filled with unique local vendors that offered an array of different products and services. Kwestival was also extremely foodie friendly as there were tons of great local treats! 

Are you making an effort to get out and explore your own city? You may be surprised at what you find. Whether its going to a fun park, checking out a museum, or a new restaurant do something different!

Were you able to attend Kwestival?  If so, what did you think? Drop a line in the comments and let me know. 

Spring Photoshoot Fresh! Styled Session with Gernelle Nelson Photography

Are you feeling the fresh photos located throughout my website? Although, I loved my previous photos, I wanted to give my website a fresh look for Spring. Earlier this year I had the pleasure of attending Jacque Amadi's From Passion to Profit Workshop. During the workshop, I entered my business card into a drawing for a photography session from Gernelle Nelson Photography. Guess who the lucky winner was? Me! I was beyond excited to be photographed by Gernelle. Prior to my photoshoot Gernelle and I collaborated to discuss what my overall vision of my shoot was. She not only picked a beautiful location but brought my vision to life. When I received my photos back I was in awe. I couldn't believe that the girl I was looking at in the photos was me! Gernelle's mom Carter also served as a second photographer for the shoot. This ensured that they captured me from all angles. Yassss! Gernelle and Carter had my angles on lock!

While attending Jacque's workshop I also had the pleasure of meeting Caris, the owner of Porschstores. I am in love with her boutique and she has some amazing pieces that are perfect for travel. She kindly contributed two pieces from her boutique to the photo shoot that made me feel comfortable and confident. Stay tuned as I'll be posting a follow up blog post explaining how my items from Porschstores are travel must haves. 

Andrea, from Core & Craft House of Style was another member of the Lady Boss Dream Team. I really can't express just how awesome she is at styling. By no means am I a fashion blogger, and I tend to be a minimalist when it comes to accessories. Andrea did an excellent job of capturing my personal style without being forceful. She styled me during the shoot, and also spent time shopping with me for shoes and accessories to compliment the look. She even assisted me with my posing. I'd like to think of Andrea as my Fairy-Style Mother. This was first time using a stylist and it definitely won't be my last. I didn't understand the value in using a stylist until I worked with Andrea. If you're a creative like myself don't hesitate to reach out to Andrea for your styling needs.

I also had the pleasure of having the lovely India do my makeup. Sorry, but I can't take all the credit for the glow that I had going on. I told India that I wanted a very natural look and she delivered. I loved the warm colors, and my lips were popping! I normally don't wear false lashes, and I love how they looked so natural. My eyes are super sensitive due to an eye allergy and I didn't even feel the lashes.

Last but not least, I have to shout out my hairstylist Addy Williamson for doing my hair. I've been rocking with Addy for quite some time, and she is a beast when it comes to a wand curler. I told Addy that I wanted fun, playful, hair and she came through. She also did a partial custom color to freshen my hair up for Spring. My curls were light, fluffy, and lingered for days after the shoot. Addy and I will be collaborating again in the future on some of my favorite looks for travel. Be, sure to check out her dope extensions line Hair Icon. 

Team Work did indeed make my photo shoot dream work. Are you feeling the new images?