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$5 Lunch in Dallas: Antoine’s

Antoine’s has been on my list for a while now, mostly because Nancy told me they serve po’boys. Now, I had a New Orleans po’boy in my mind when we headed to Harry Hines today. I was thinking fried shrimp, maybe oyster. Definitely served warm. Antoine’s was different than that. But it was all good. Jump for it.

Continue reading "$5 Lunch in Dallas: Antoine’s"

Yogilicious To Become Yumilicious

Got a call from Winston over at Yogilicious the other day. He wanted to let us know that Yogilicious, one of my favorite spots for fro-yo in town (love that taro and plain swirl), is changing it’s name. It will become Yumilicious. He said this would not take a place for a couple months, but since they are planning on expanding, he thought this name would be a better fit (apparently they are concerned that “Yogilicious” sounded too much like the names of other frozen yogurt stores).

They are set to be opening up Yogi/Yumilicious at the Village at Allen tomorrow. First 100 customers get a free t-shirt. What name will it have on it? Guess we’ll have to wait and see…

Wine Dinner Wednesday: Thursday Edition

Jiminy, where does the time go? This week’s list is short but sweet. Check out offerings from Nana, Sevy’s, and Hotel St. Germain. Continue reading "Wine Dinner Wednesday: Thursday Edition"

Dali Wine Bar in One Arts Plaza Adds “Killer Summer Dish” to Menu

I would like to say I’ve tried this killer summer dish, but I’ve only just heard about this morning. Dali executive chef Joel Harloff,  just back from his sold-out Beard House Foundation appearance, has created a Maryland lump crabmeat salad with poblano peppers, roasted sweet corn, tomatoes, and passion fruit vinaigrette. It sounds like just the thing to take your mind off the already oppressive heat. Stay tuned because I’ve got an e-mail into chef Harloff for the recipe. As soon as I get it, I’ll share. Oh, and if someone out there in the SideDish nation has tried it, let us know if it tastes as good as it sounds.

Co-Worker Loves Zense Thai in Irving

She claims Zense Thai is a “gem tucked away in a Valley Ranch strip shopping center.” She thinks it’s a chain but she doesn’t care because “the service isn’t brilliant but the food is.” E tu? (Buddhalicious? I don’t know about that.)

Sigel’s Offers “One of the Five Best Beers of the World”: Piraat Ale from Van Steeneberge Brewery

Hello,beer lovers. Sigel’s has an exclusive deal for you. The beer news according to Jasper Russo:

“Only 10 of these special 9-liter bottles are allocated for the entire state of Texas. To reserve your bottle please contact Bruce Calhoun at bcalhoun@sigels.com or 214/350-1271. The Ale will be available for pickup at the Sigel’s store of your choice in mid-July.”

How much does it cost?

“ $294.99 for a 9-Liter bottle. Regularly, $324.99”

Tell us about the beer.

“A trippel by strength, an IPA by history. Triple means that the brewer has used three times the normal amount of barley malt, thus starting with more starches, getting more sugars after cooking, and finally more alcohol after a long fermentation. In the 17th and 18th century, a strong ale like Piraat was highly prized by the seafaring captains for its keeping qualities and its high and healthy food value. The daily distribution of a pint of this ale kept the pirates in good health and gave them the spirit to survive the hard life on the sea. 10.5% alcohol.”

Does it have a subtle haze?

“Piraat’s powerful glow builds up from inside. Deep golden with a subtle haze. Lots of hops and malt and a mild sweetness. Reminiscent of bread dough, spices and tropical fruits. Piraat is a great food beer and works well in combination with fish and meat. Often appreciated as an after dinner beer and cigar lovers claim there is no better beer to enjoy with a cigar.”

Cliff Café at the Belmont Hotel in Dallas Will Close and Reopen in September As…

The management team of the Belmont Hotel has formed a partnership with Bolsa restaurant owners Chris Zielke and Christopher Jeffers, and local chef Tim Byres to develop a new restaurant concept at the boutique hotel in the Cliff Café space. Byres will be the point guard in the kitchen.

Jump for the copied and pasted details.

Continue reading "Cliff Café at the Belmont Hotel in Dallas Will Close and Reopen in September As…"

Farmers Market Report: July 4th Weekend

Look for these markers and buy.

Glorious produce this weekend at the market. Below is the official list from the market Last week I couldn’t find Heather Duncan, I really wanted to get the Lavender Lemonade recipe.Also, try the cookies at Wackym’s Kitchen. Go early, the grass-fed beef sells out fast.

Angela’s Farm – lots of onions – red, yellow and white! Yellow squash, zucchini, cucumbers, okra, peas are starting to come in

Berry Best Farm – Organic Blueberries

Birch Creek Farms – acorn and yellow squash, cucumbers, zucchini, new potato’s - Yukon gold and red Pontiac potato’s, purple top turnips, – THEY are selling out fast every weekend so be here early!

Comeback Creek – blueberries, onions, garlic, peppers, cucumbers, and squash

Coopers Organic Farm with certified organic onions

Dan Massey – Cream red new potato’s, yellow straight neck squash, green zucchini, Blue Lake green beans, Japanese cantaloupe, Crimson Sweet watermelons, seedless watermelons, Small Jubilee watermelons, Black Diamond watermelons, blackberries and jalapeño peppers, Black-eyes and Purple Hull peas (weather pending), tomato’s

Dis-n-Dat - eggs

Fred’s Alaska Seafood – salmon and crab legs

Fretwell Produce – okra, yellow crook neck squash, patty pan squash, 8-ball squash, gold and green zucchini, cucumbers, eggplant, red new potato’s, pablano peppers, jalapeño peppers, sweet banana, Marconi pepper, green bell peppers, white 1015’s and purple sweet onions

Haney Farm – eggs

Harmony Harvest – eggs and veggies- also has CSA group

Heather Duncan – cut flower bouquets out of her garden, she also has a recipe for Lavender Lemonade made from her own lavender!

Heddin Family Farm – Texas Cream peas, Purple Hulls and Black eye peas, green beans, green tomato’s, Cayenne Peppers, Jalapeño Peppers, squash, red new potato’s, zucchini, pickling cucumbers

J.T. Lemley – yellow squash, 8-ball squash, tomato’s, onions, peaches, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, plums, blackberries, cucumbers, new potato’s, sweet yellow onions

Joe Smith Farms – hanging baskets of flowers and annuals/perennials to plant – really great deals and good for garden pots

John Lucido – still has some herb plants and of course his herb pasta and canned goodies

JuHa – Pork and Goat meat, eggs

JZJ Beef – Beefmaster beef, beef jerky, and beef sticks!

Kitchen Pride – Mushrooms – Oyster, Portabella, Baby Bells, and White Button

La Esperanza Farm – variety of spring vegetables – can’t even list them all!

Lightsey Farm – peaches, onions, potato’s, plums, blackberries, green beans, zucchini, apricots

Mill Creek Farms is also bringing in squash, potato’s and peas

Northstar Ranch – Beef and pork

Orchid Garden with specialty plants and beautiful orchids

Savoy Sorbet – Sundays – herbal infused sorbet from her herb garden

TxHoneybee Guild – local honey and zip code honey

TxLonghorn Cooperative – Saturday’s and Sunday’s with certified Longhorn Beef

Bodega Luigi Bosca, Premier Argentine Wine with Deep Family Roots

I knew when I met Alberto Arizu, Jr., Commercial and International Affairs Director for Argentina’s Bodega Luigi Bosca winery, I would love him.  I am already a friend and fan of his brother Rodrigo, and his winery Vina Alicia.  I was, however, looking forward to meeting Alberto Jr., who is the 4th generation of the Arizu family at one of the oldest wineries in Argentina, to see how he compared.  To my delight, at a luncheon held a few weeks ago at Sevy’s, I found him to be as eloquent, gracious and charming as his younger brother, and speaks as passionately about growing grapes in Argentina and making high quality wine as some of the best wine makers in the region.  Continue reading "Bodega Luigi Bosca, Premier Argentine Wine with Deep Family Roots"

La Calle Doce in Lakewood Is Open for Business (So Go and Get Some Fish Tacos)

Fried calamari with chipotle dipping sauce.

I know this isn’t news, really. The soft opening for this Lakewood favorite happened back in April; the grand opening took place in May. But I hadn’t been since long before the fire, so I thought I’d share some thoughts about the new space. For one, it’s bigger and brighter and more beautiful than before—not that I have any real complaints about the old space. I used to live in Lakewood and ate at La Calle Doce quite a bit. It served its purpose as a neighborhood Tex-Mex joint just fine. The big deal here is seafood, though, so at a media dinner last night we were bombarded by plate after plate of seafood specialties. Calamari–fat, meaty strips–had just the right chew, and I loved the heat of the accompanying chipotle dipping sauce. Another hit: shrimp cocktail, which is presented kind of like a soup in a fiery (but cold) tomato broth. The wedge of avocado cut through the heat and made it a refreshing summer appetizer. Continue reading "La Calle Doce in Lakewood Is Open for Business (So Go and Get Some Fish Tacos)"

Wednesday Rant: Fixing the Star Rating System. Is it Possible? I Think So and I Have the Solution.

Oh, Leslie “Catch a Falling Star” Brenner, you are a troublemaker. Just when Bill Addison sorta got a handle on his stars, he split the scene and left you with a spectacular mess to clean up. You’ve done a good job, and I’m with you on the baked potato—it’s a super dish to judge a restaurant by, but I’m off task.

However, I disagree with something you wrote a couple of weeks ago about the DMN star system. June 19 on Eatsblog.:

“If a restaurant is serving brilliant main courses and charging $50 for them, that’s far less impressive to me than if it’s serving brilliant main courses and charging $22 for them, and I definitely consider than when assigning a rating. If you charge $50 per entree you can afford much more help in the kitchen. It’s a lot of money to charge, and my expectation is that the dish will be stellar. And if you’re asking a diner to pay that kind of money, the whole experience, including service and ambience, had better be stellar too. At the lower end of the financial scale, if I find a restaurant with good, honest cooking, where you pay, say $10 for an amazing chile relleno stuffed with brisket, that’s definitely appreciated and it’ll be rewarded.

First of all, I don’t see a direct relationship between a $50 entrée and the number of folks in the kitchen. There are too many other variables, like food costs, to factor in, but I’m losing myself. I would move forward to the remark you made in the comment section under the post above.

“It’s hard to imagine giving a five-star rating to a great $10 chile relleno place. Service and ambience are also considered when assigning a star rating, and while it wouldn’t be impossible to imagine service and ambience at that level someplace selling $10 chile relleno, it would be very unusual.”

Let me say this about that. You are wrong. And because I’m on deadline, I’m going to make this long and drawn out. And then I’m going to propose a peaceful solution.

I like fancy food but I love down, dirty, and dive-y too. If I search my taste memories, the ones that rise to the top fastest are generally a great chile relleno or a cheeseburger with green chiles. I ate at Alain Ducasse last year. Besides the 10,000 Swarovski crystals hanging from the ceiling and the cheese trolley, nothing else I was served knocked my chaussures off. The meal was $3,500 for five people with two bottles of wine (at $250 per).

So here is the deal. Use any symbol you want: Stars, Stripes, or Dollar Signs. I’m partial to Hearts. Then pick three colors and assign a price point to each color. For the sake of argument:

♥♥♥♥♥= entrees above $20

♥♥♥♥♥= entrees between $10 and $20

♥♥♥♥♥=entrees below $10

It’s even pretty. Now I will use a couple of my recent dining experiences and demonstrate.

♥♥♥♥ Five Sixty

♥♥ Rathbun’s Blue Plate

♥♥♥♥♥ Breakfast at El Jordan

♥♥ Alain Ducasse

This peaceful and pretty guide is not only reader friendly, it is critic friendly—you can let your freak flag (heart) fly and love Wolfgang and chiles rellenos the same amount. It’s about food and the passion we all attack it with. And for the record, if ANYONE out there steals this idea, you will have to deal with my lawyer—and he makes rattlesnakes look like newborn kitties.

Mid-Afternoon Commercial Break

Tip of the toque to DB for this little clip.

I Had Lunch With Harvey Gough and All I Got Was Another Black Eye

Harvey threw this steak at me.

Seriously. Earlier this morning I walked into Buzzbrews on Lemmon and as I approached the table where sat one Harvey Gough, he reeled his hand back and threw a frozen steak at me. AGAIN.

It seems like yesterday that I was sitting in a cargo container on an isolated Air Force base in Uzbekistan with an ice pack on my eye after Harvey had hit me in the face with a frozen sirloin. In case you missed the escape, it’s all here in black, white, and red.

Anywhoo, Harvey and I never kissed, but we made up. He’s now happily married and has a gorgeous 4-year old daughter who looks just like her mother. Besides our trip in late 2002, Harvey has taken many missions overseas to feed the troops.

Harvey and I met today to discuss another (im)possible mission. I’m sure it will never happen, but it’s always fun to listen to “Harvey Stories.” I know, you either love him or hate him—the stories of his abuse to customers at his Goff’s Hamburger store are almost (he wishes) legendary. But he has some tales that, if published, would be a best seller. (Oh, let’s cast the movie!) I can’t tell you all of the things going on with Harvey—he’s got a few irons in the fire. But stay tuned. There will be news. Hey Harvey, DUCK!

Vern’s in Deep Ellum: A Review/Essay

This summer we have several interns in the office polishing up their journalism skills. One, Jonathon, drew me as a “boss.” He spent his first few weeks here fact checking the master list of our restaurant reviews. It’s a horrible job.

Today, he comes across Vern’s, the home cooking spot in Deep Ellum. The phone is disconnected. Jonathon scours the Internet to find that other people have commented that the phone never works at Vern’s. I told him to do what any budding journalist would do—get in the car and drive down there. (We do this for all of our restaurant listings.)

He wasn’t too happy with me but he went. Upon return, I asked him to write up his adventure thinking it would keep him away from me while I dealt with important issues like the new yogurt shop in Preston Forest. An hour later he walks into my cube and says, “I wrote it. It’s a thousand words long. You’d better print the whole thing.” He left.

Here is his surprisingly insightful and funny take on life, Deep Ellum, and Vern’s in Deep Ellum. Leave him a note. He’s now a professional.

Yogen Früz in Preston Forest in Dallas Offers TwoferÜno

On July 4th,  from 10:00a.m. to2:00p.m., the newly opened Yogen Früz in Preston Forest will offer two treats for the price of one.

Southwest Food Expo: Celebrity Chef Smack-down

Chef Tre Wilcox and Chef Rory Schepisi

Yesterday, Tre “Top Chef” Wilcox faced Rory “Next Food Network Star” Schepisi in a cooking contest at the Southwest Food Expo. InsideCorner’s Evan Grant was a celebrity judge. The video is here. I will tell the story in pictures. (Click on Evan’s badge below.)

Southwest Foodservice Expo Celebrity Chef Smack-down

The Saga of Republic Turned Las Colinas Prime: Unpaid Workers and Bills, TABC Raids and Harassment, and a Possible Happy Ending

Blue skies ahead for the troubled Las Colinas Prime?

Last month I drove past Republic in Las Colinas and noticed the name had changed to Las Colinas Prime. I called the restaurant on June 1st and talked with Brian Luisi. He told me the tapas-restaurant-turned-steakhouse had changed concepts and names. The restaurant, owned by Bill McCrory, is managed by Michael Costa’s Rainmaker Restaurant Group. Costa is no stranger to the local scene. He was involved in other Dallas restaurants such as Toscana, Mediterraneo, and Sfuzzi. I reported the story.  Over. Easy.

Yow. Zah. I stirred up a hornet’s nest. Former and current employees and contractors left horror stories in the comment section. It didn’t take long before I started receiving accusatory e-mails and phone calls. Their beef? It’s a really long story and you’ll have to jump. Continue reading "The Saga of Republic Turned Las Colinas Prime: Unpaid Workers and Bills, TABC Raids and Harassment, and a Possible Happy Ending"

Wine Walking and Shopping at Bishop Arts

This Thursday, July 2, Bishop Arts District merchants are hosting their First Thursday Wine Walk. Donate $5, get a glass with the BA logo on it, and sample wine at 18 different shops as you stroll the popular Oak Cliff hotspot.

Custom Frappucinos Debut. Dallas Twitches with Excitement.

Some people see Starbucks as the evil empire. Others can’t function without their non-fat no-whip double tall [enter drink name here]. Me? I love my local haunts (whatup, Pearl Cup and Opening Bell!) but have to admit that Starbucks is convenient, quick, and consistent. No crime in that. So, Starbucks fans, starting today there’s a new way to get your caffeinated freak on: customizable Frappuccinos. Yep, you can add any flavors, any type of milk, add more espresso, or perhaps even the blood of a young virgin sacrificed upon the altar of Corporate America to complete your creamy frozen beverage experience. Gentlemen (and ladies), start your blenders.

Shop at Whole Foods, Support KERA

For all of you Type-A’ers out there with grocery lists already made up for the 4th of July, make like a Top Chef contestant and head to Whole Foods in Lakewood or Highland Park today to do your shopping. WF is donating 5% of their net sales today to KERA, our local public radio and television station (hi, Jeff!). Also, bring the kids with you if you’re shopping between 4–6,  because Maya and Miguel will be making appearances at both stores during this time.

Hey Jennifer, Why Did You Let Tom Colicchio Throw Me Under a Bus?

I was out of the office all day yesterday and returned to find an inbox with several notes from upset friends. The messages basically said “I can’t believe what Jennifer did to you in the Tom Colicchio interview” and “DallasFood.org said Tom Colicchio threw you under a bus!”

So, I just sat down and read Jennifer’s interview with Craft Dallas’ Tom Colicchio in which he says that last year I printed “some gossip that wasn’t accurate at all.”

This is a long story and  it goes back to last spring when rumors were swirling around Dallas that N9NE and Craft were in trouble. I was in Aspen for the Food and Wine Festival. At the opening night soiree, a lot of Dallas folks in attendance and several big names in the Dallas restaurant biz came up to me and said, “Craft is changing to Craftbar.”

The next morning, I went straight to Tom Colicchio and asked him point blank. I printed his reply verbatim. Two weeks later, my cell phone rings and it is TC. He calls me a rumormonger because I speculated that something might change. Read the old report. What? I can’t voice an opinion? I don’t think I printed “some gossip that wasn’t accurate at all.”

What. Ever. So, we talked about an hour–specifically about blogging and how it differs from print product and how things on the Internet can get out of hand so fast–and ended on nice terms. He said if I ever needed to ask him a question, fire away. He is a man of his word.

Fast forward to a month or so ago. I get an e-mail from Craft’s local PR firm. They are interested in holding the SideDish Supper Club at Craft. I wrote (paraphrasing) “I called you folks before to get TC to do a SDSC and nobody called me back.” PR gal says lemme get back to you. She e-mails back and says TC is coming to town to do a wine dinner. Do I wanna talk to him? I say, sure.

Then a SideDish reader leaves a comment under the announcement of said wine dinner intimating that TC is no longer the owner of Craft Dallas. It reads, “Now that he [Colicchio] no longer owns the place, and signed a licensing agreement with the owners of the hotel, he is contractually obligated to be at the restaurant X times per year. What a shame.”

SO, as a recovering rumormonger and a woman of my word, I e-mailed the PR gal and asked her to verify or deny what the commenter said. I copy and pasted the comment and wrote: “Someone left this comment on the blog. Could you confirm or deny. I don’t want to leave comment out there if it isn’t true. Thanks, Nancy.”

The next day I get this reply from local PR gal: “I want to be sure to clarify that Tom is not doing a series of dinners at Craft. He’ll be part of the wine dinner next week, but each time he’s in Dallas, we expect his agenda to be different. In fact, with the filming of “Top Chef,” we’re not even sure when he’ll be able to make it back to Dallas again this year. Also, Tom’s name is still on the restaurant, and he is very much involved with the concept and menu. We would love to talk more about hosting SideDish’s Supper Club at Craft!”

I took a pass on talking to Colicchio because I originally (January) wanted to explore the idea of doing a Supper Club and that wasn’t going to happen  because he would have just thrown his own wine dinner. And frankly, I didn’t appreciate getting such a flabby answer from the  TC folks.

And that’s the facts.

Canary Cafe in Dallas To Close For a Few Days

Here is a song I’m hearing from many local chefs–they are touring Texs wineries. The lastest from Chef Gorji of Canary Cafe. He is closing the restuarant on July 3 & 4 to “research and select “Mediterranean Style” wines that compliment Canary’s menus and in preparation for our Texas Wine Pairing later in the month. We will reopen on July 7th and start our sixth year anniversary celebrations.” Never a dull moment around here.

Southwest Foodservice Expo: Disher Video Reports

Wow. Disher Andrew Chalk took his job at the Expo seriously. He just turned in video clips of the oddest finds at the show. Put on your earplugs and enjoy. (You know where to put the cork.) Great stuff, Andrew.

First up: Coffee made from civet cat poop.

Second: The cutlery eating machine.

Third: Food so good you can’t eat it.

Fourth: Making rum in Austin. Texas. Yes, Austin, Texas. Good stuff.

Finally: The talk of the Expo: Chocolate covered crickets. Yes, bugs.

Hey, Todd. The New Tex-Mex Spot on Henderson Is Called Hacienda. And It’s Opening July 23.

I’ve been trying to wait until I had some firm details about the place, but the best I’ve got are some semi-reliable rumors—and this rendering—even though the grand opening is scheduled for July 23. (And the web site is still under construction.) Anyway, Hacienda is a partnership between Vickery Park owners and Lotus owners, so I think we can expect it to be as much a watering hole–plenty of tequila?–as a restaurant. I’m still waiting to get an idea of the menu, but I do think it’s going to be more upscale than, say, Cuquita’s but not as fancy as, say, Trece. I think we can expect a valet, even though there is adjacent parking (hate that). What else? Oh, if you’ve driven by the patio space looks pretty inviting, so assuming they can tolerate the summer heat, I suspect we’ll be seeing lots of pretty girls on that patio–perhaps waving to all the pretty boys on the patio at Capitol Pub. Stay tuned for more official details.

New State and Allen Concept in Uptown To Be Called Nodding Donkey

Remember when we told you that the folks behind Uptown’s popular State and Allen Lounge were re-opening the shuttered 2900 as a Tex-Mex concept? Well, word comes that the resto is going to be called the Nodding Donkey (an homage to Texas oil wells, pictured here), and it will feature not only Tex-Mex, but other “Texas style fare.” Read on:

Says Calabrese (one of the chef/owners), “At first we assumed that we would just do Tex-Mex and do it really well and that would be enough. But a couple of things then inspired me to think why not do a Texas style cuisine restaurant/cantina — Tex-Mex, BBQ, Smokehouse, Caballero cooking, Texas comfort food, etc. We will do it all and we will do it the best way possible. We will have about fifteen staple items, and then rotate others based on trends.”

Jump for the entire release. The Nodding Donkey is set to open this fall.

Continue reading "New State and Allen Concept in Uptown To Be Called Nodding Donkey"