We Ate Well- Food Tour

A few weeks ago Paige and I treated our moms to a food tour in downtown McKinney. I have lived in McKinney for 12 years now so I know my way around this charming town. Would there be anything new for me to discover? Surprisingly, YES!!! We had the BEST time with our tour guide Tricia. and we definitely suggest checking out We Ate Well Food Tours if you live in the area or are visiting anytime soon.

First up, we met at Patina Green. This is one of my very favorite lunch places on the square. I am a big fan of their tomato bisque. While this place wasn’t new to me, I did learn a few new things! Their hickory smoked ham with smoked cheddar & jalapeño peach jelly on a jalapeño cheddar loaf is so good. SOOOO Good. Its the perfect combo of sweet and spicy. I’ve had this sandwich many times dipped in my beloved soup but I had no idea that it was award-winning. As a part of The Food Networks “50 states 50 Sandwiches” tour, Patina Green’s ham & cheese won Best Sandwich in Texas. I agree Food Network, I agree.

Next we walked to Harvest, another favorite of mine. Can we just take a minute to talk about how adorable my city is? The square is so quaint and cute. I love it.

Harvest Seasonal Kitchen is a farm-to-table restaurant that sources ingredients from local farms. In fact, the farmers drop off their produce/products right at the restaurant’s back door, which is complete with a doorbell that sounds like a cow mooing. Mooooooo.

I was so happy to learn that we were tasting the deviled eggs. We get these as an appetizer every time we visit…they’re that good. They change up the recipe with seasonal ingredients, but the candied pecan on top takes the whole thing up a notch and makes them the best ever.

After all of my years as a McKinney resident, this was my first visit to Landon Winery. This locally owned winery is cozy and consistently receives awards for its Texas wines.

We sampled three of them along with our charcuterie board – now we’re getting this party started. This is a great place to meet friends or enjoy a date night. They designed their patio on the East side of the building so it would be comfortable even in the Texas summers. I will definitely be back.

Now, to a place I had never seen or heard of before this tour. Ettiene Market is the cutest kitchen and pantry store that won D Magazine’s Best Kitchen Accessory Store in 2017. I could browse in here for hours….spices, bakeware, kitchen tools and more…its a really special place. They even host cocktail classes and will come to your home to teach you and your guests how to become some mighty fine mixologists.

We tasted the bourbon barrel maple syrup. They sell a lot of these for the Old Fashioned fans out there.

Next up, Cadillac Pizza Pub. I was starting to worry that I wouldn’t have room for any more food…but I made it work. This was my favorite out of all of our tastings. Beer and Pizza. Yes, please.

We had the smokey pie and I’m still thinking about it. Sweet BBQ sauce, smoked brisket, bacon, mozzarella and cheddar baked to deliciousness. The beer they paired it with was fruity and went down way too easily. Happy, happy bellies.

Next, we headed to the opposite side of the square to Rye. This is one of Nick and my favorite date night restaurants. Its a very small restaurant with such cool ambiance. Their brunch is definitely something worth checking out.

For this tasting they served ice cream. They used different berries that were in season. I wish I could say that I loved it but this mixture left us all scratching our heads….we couldn’t quite figure out which fruits were used and Paige’s guess of raisin was spot on for me. If you like raisin flavored ice cream I’m sure you would find this super tasty. I’ll pass.

We stoped in for some chocolates at Fair & Square and this was much more my speed. I really enjoyed the cayenne dark chocolate. This shop sells unique and handmade fair trade products, I dig it.

This place. I had never seen it before and I am so happy to know it exists. Filtered offers classic coffee beverages, international brew methods, pour-overs and a variety of loose leaf teas and Italian sodas. We tried this….

Iced sopapilla lattes and yummmmm. It was the perfect ending to a really great day.

We Ate Well McKinney Food Tours knows how to do it right. It was a fun way to spend an afternoon with ours moms while doing something a little different. We cannot wait to go back with girlfriends and try the Craft & Cocktail Tour. If you’re in the area, book a tour…I know you won’t be disappointed.