Rise to the Occaision

Have you ever had a French soufflé? If yes, you know they're delicious. If no, you're missing out for sure. Last weekend Taylor and I got to have a soufflé experience right here in Dallas (thanks to Taylor's parents who gave us a gift certificate for Christmas!). The restaurant is called Rise No1 and they specialize in everything soufflé. 

Before I get into the food, I need to tell you about the interior of this place. 

Cute

Pretty

Whimsical 

Fun 

Romantic

French

Fairytale-esque

We walked in from a typical Dallas parking lot in the middle of the suburbs and were suddenly transported to another world. The walls are decorated with shelves of wine, there are pretty strings of lights everywhere, and gorgeous flowers and trees surround the room.

So yea, I was pretty much blown away from the minute we walked in. And then we looked at the menu. Yum. The varieties of "savory" soufflés range from Escargot to Truffle Infused Mushroom to Southwest Chicken. And then there is a whole list of sweet soufflés!

They also have items like Soupe a L'Onion Gratinee (French Onion Soup), Salad Nicoise (traditional French salad), Parisian Jambon Sandwich (gotta love a ham sandwich!), and Brie & Cornichon Baguettes. Our waiter did tell us though that while everything on the menu is delicious, the soufflés are the way to go. I guess you have to trust him...the place is called Rise after all :)

I finally decided to try the Jambon & Gruyere soufflé and Taylor tried the Herb and Spicy Sausage soufflé. The soufflés are made when you order (because really, you can't make soufflés ahead of time), so it takes a little while for your meal to arrive...but it is so worth it. Each soufflé looks like a little masterpiece. And tastes just like one too. Fluffy deliciousness. We both LOVED our choices.

Then came time for dessert. Desert soufflés...ingenious! And again, there were so many choices: Chocolate soufflé, Grand Marnier soufflé, Praline Peacan soufflé, Apricot soufflé...and the list went on! We settled on good old fashioned chocolate. The waiter brought it out, set it down, and then drizzled warm chocolate over the top. I made Taylor wait before taking a bite so I could snap a quick picture:

The cool thing about Rise is that they manage to be a cool, trendy restaurant, but at the same time are super committed to all-natural ingredients and green practices. They aways use fresh ingredients (from local vendors when possible) in their foods, and even grow their own herbs in an on-site garden! Their plates and glasses are made from recycled materials and their use linen napkins and hand towels instead of paper. To be honest, I'm not super into the whole green-trend (though it is cool!), but I absolutely do appreciate fresh foods and good ingredients. You can totally taste the difference at Rise.

Overall, the food was delicious and the atmosphere was awesome. It was a little pricy, so I wouldn't say this is a great place to go on a regular night, but it is perfect for a special occasion. We will for sure be going back again!