Mom Next Door Marissa Allen, the baking genius behind The Cookie Society in Frisco, serves up her favorite places to dine, shop and more. Read our full interview with Allen here.
Date-Night Dining
Casual: “We really like Mexican Bar Company at Willow Bend. Jeff lives for the lobster tostadas.”
Mexican Bar Company // 6121 W. Park Blvd., Suite RS-10, Plano, 972/972-4466
Upscale: “Nick & Sam’s or Hillstone, if we’re going to go to the city.”
Nick & Sam’s // 3008 Maple Ave., Dallas, 214/871-7444
Hillstone // 8300 A Preston Road, Dallas, 214/691-8991
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, 972/707-9889
Eno’s Pizza Tavern // 407 N. Bishop Ave., Dallas, 214/943-9200
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, 972/885-8390
J.Rae’s Dallas // 5600 W. Lovers Lane, Suite 143, Dallas, 214/654-0833
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, 888/442-9998
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, 214/799-5195; and 402 W. Eighth St., Dallas, 214/892-3846
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.”
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in May 2021.
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Photo courtesy of Dorothy Gautreaux
