Mom Next Door Marissa Allen, the baking genius behind The Cookie Society, serves up her favorite places to dine, shop and more.
Date-Night Dining
Casual: “We really like Mexican Bar Company at Willow Bend. Jeff lives for the lobster tostadas.”
Upscale: “Nick and Sam’s or Hillstone, if we’re going to go to the city.”
Mexican Bar Company // 6121 W. Park Blvd., Suite RS-10
Nick & Sam’s // 3008 Maple Ave., Dallas
Hillstone // 8300 Preston Road, Dallas
Where to Staycation—and Eat
“We’ve got to go to Bishop Arts and go to Salty Donut. And I love pizza, so Eno’s Pizza, which is down there.”
The Salty Donut // 414 W. Davis St., Dallas
Eno’s Pizza Tavern // 407 N. Bishop Ave., Dallas
For Sweet-Tooth Satisfaction
“We love Val’s Cheesecakes. If I’m in Dallas, I’ll swing by there and bring some back for everybody. And J. Rae’s has the best frosted sugar cookie I’ve ever had.”
Val’s Cheesecakes // 3906 Maple Ave., Dallas
Rae’s Dallas // 5600 W. Lovers Lane, Suite 143, Dallas
Best Bread
“We love to pick up fresh bread from Golden Grain. You can get fresh croissants, fresh breads, sandwiches. They make beautiful breads, and they’re my favorite.”
Golden Grain Bakery // 5160 Collin McKinney Parkway, Suite 100, McKinney
Foodie Boutique of Choice
“Ettiene Market, [a kitchen and pantry store] in McKinney. I went for the first time and bought candles, and I loved it. That was a great experience.”
Ettiene Market // 115 Louisiana Blvd., McKinney, and 402 W. Eighth St., Dallas
Favorite Family Vacation
“We took [our daughter] Joy to Hawaii, and that was really, really special. I didn’t know, [but] I was pregnant with Jay at the time.”
Go-To for Self-Care
“I really like taking a bath with all the expensive bath salts, bubbles, bath bombs and the face masks. That’s probably my only guilty pleasure.”
Photo courtesy of Dorothy Gautreaux.
