Yet Another Closing: Riccardi’s

After 3 1/2 years, the Italian restaurant in Uptown is closing its doors to “allow the owners time to go home” to Italy and “work in their vineyard.” That’s what the press release says at least.

Urbanspoon for iPhone: Hit or Miss?

So, I just read about new app Urbanspoon for the iPhone. Apparently, it turns your fancy new smart phone into a Magic 8 ball. Download the app, pick the city you want to dine in, shake your phone (yes, shake it) and Urbanspoon’s slot machine picks a “good” restaurant for you. Keep shaking until you get a restaurant you’re happy with. You can also filter by neighborhood, cuisine, and price and see local ratings and reviews. Hmmmm… sounds too good to be true. I’ll be shaking it all weekend. You do the same and lets compare notes on Monday.

Hey, Mark. You Wanna Blog on SideDish?

Now that you’re a free agent, you want to help a few sisters out? I’m only half-kidding. The Observer’s loss is (maybe) our gain? A girl can dream.

National Ice Cream Soda Day? Really?

As you can imagine, we get some pretty ridiculous press releases here. But according to Kelly David at 5W Public Relations in New York–and, apparently, according to GQ and the New York Times, she says–root beer is all the rage! So, Dishers, do yourselves a favor and make an ice cream soda this Sunday, aka, National Ice Cream Soda Day! But if you’re going to do it, throw some vodka in the mix, will ya? Which brings me back to said press release–the company in question represents Three Olives Vodka, so she kindly sent along recipes for ice cream sodas, adult-style, featuring root beer, cherry, and vanilla vodkas. (One of Three Olives’ newly released flavors is tomato! Blech!) I can’t make this stuff up, folks. Stay with me after the jump for recipes. (more…)

Mark Stuertz Quits The Dallas Observer

Want to be a dining critic? The Dallas Observer is looking to replace Mark Stuertz, who turned in his resignation yesterday. I’m on the phone chatting with him right now. He is trying to remember his favorite restaurants–a question that I hate too. I’ll just type live while he attempts to talk.

Dude, wrap up your career at DO: Eleven years and ten days.

Highlights?: Stephan Pyles. David McMillan. Bijoux. Avner. Nonna.

Lowlights?: Avner. Cockroach in my salad at Oui Oui. Bad piece of fish at Newport’s.

What are you going to do?: Corporate freelance. And I’m going to take a cue from L. Ron Hubbard and start my own religion which will have its own line of jewelry and be a painful religion where you have to prostrate yourself before a higher power.” (I can’t make this stuff up, folks. It’s all true.)

Unsung heros of the Dallas dining scene?: Rick Robbins from Stoneleigh and Eccolo. Tim Byres from Standard (now sous chef at the Mansion). Marc Cassell.

What makes you happy? Writing my last “Best Of” for the Observer.

Say anything: Writing opinions is so heavily commoditized that it won’t be long before movie, TV, and book reviewers will be irrelevant.

That it?: No. I’ll call you back later.

Ciao, Mark. I’ll miss disagreeing with you.

SOLey! Opens on Henderson Avenue

In case you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve noticed how happening Henderson Avenue is these days. New bars and restaurants keep opening almost weekly. Here’s another one: SOLey! No, I’m not just excited about this place and adding my own exclamation point, that’s what they’re calling themselves, so that’s what I’m typin. The concept “combines classical French technique with touches of traditional Mexican cuisine,” according to the release, which makes me a little nervous because I like usually like places that stick to one cuisine. But hey, don’t knock it til you try it.

I like the story behind SOLey! (wow, that name is really not rolling off my tongue, or my keyboard): Mexico native Norma Heredia travels to France to study at Paul Bocuse Culinary Institute, meets fellow Mexican culinary student Jose Vasconcelos on her first day, they fall in love speaking only French to each other and eating lots of fondue and drinking bottles of Cotes du Rhone (okay I made that up but they did fall in love), and six years later, voila! Or, sorpresa! They are married and opening this restaurant.

On to the food: Escargots with tomatillo puree, filet of beef with shrimp and chipolte potato gratin, and churros with three dipping sauces. You get the idea. Jump for the rest of the lineup. As far as I can tell there’s no website. The phone number is 214-485-1302. They’re open Tues-Sat for dinner.

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RE: Somebody Help This Poor Girl

Sometimes I know that it’s never enough. Survival is fine but satisfaction is rough.–Melissa Etheridge

Truer words have never been sung about the “nice lady” who wrote in yesterday asking for help on her “elegant, yet inexpensive” rehearsal dinner. She wants more.

Hi Nancy. Thank you for asking your readers to help. I like some of the ideas but some of them were so mean. Could you take them down. I don’t want any caterers either. Just a nice restaurant. Thank you.

Is this where I am allowed to say “bite me?” KIDDING. (Bite me.) I could suggest a nice inexpensive wine for her party.  The rest is up to you, folks. Go now, ease her worried brow. I’m feeling kinda lose and I’m feeling kind of mean. And I have work to do.

Free Cookies! Free Cookies!

I’d bet the farm if I had one that you do not know what next week is. I’ll save you the web search: It’s National Make Someone Smile Week. (Note to self: in your next life, get a job naming weeks.) You can bet plenty of folks are going to jump on that smile thing–our first girl up is Tiff’s Treats, located in the Historic West End. Starting today, hit their website and tell them why cookies make you smile. If they like your story, you will receive 6 dozen cookies for your effort. How good is that? Then you’ll be totally primed for National Cellulite Appreciation Week. (Dates: TBA.)

Chic From Barcelona: Is it Good?

Yesterday someone mentioned Chic From Barcelona in the Preston Forest Shopping Center as a possible location for “an elegant, yet inexpensive” rehearsal dinner. I’d kinda forgotten about the place. I parked in front of it last night and I remembered liking it when I first tried a while back. Anybody else have an experience there lately? Curious, I am.

Mercury Rolls Out a New Menu

Last night I took our Restaurant 101 teacher, Miss Amy, to dinner at Mercury. I don’t know if it’s Mercury or Mercury Grill–they may have dropped “grill” from the name. Whatever it’s called, it is freakin’ good. Oh, I forgot to tell you that Mercury co-owner, Dick Washburne, and “Mr. Amy” came along too. During the day he runs Sevy’s Grill and goes by Jim “Sevy” Severson. (That’s him to the left looking like a red-tongued devil about to devour a lobster souffle, which he did.) Mercury chef Chris Ward came over and he and Sevy talked shop, sadly out of my ear range–lots of talk about trying to keep their restaurants alive during this economic crunch. Anywhoo, Ward’s new menu is over-the-top good stuff: poached halibut, short ribs sous-vide, and the best fried okra in the world. OK, in Dallas. I mean, Texas.

Do You Like Fresh Italian Cheese?

I do, I do. So does Paul DiCarlo over at Jimmy’s Food Store. Paul just announced that next week he is doing a pre-order of two of my favorites: burrata and stracchino. I still dream about an arugula salad and cherry tomatoes topped with a couple of dollops of warm burrata drizzled with olive oil I ate in San Francisco. Don’t go crazy ordering it, once it’s made, burrata only keeps 4 or 5 days. Stracchino, with a taste that is sort of a cross between buttermilk and brie, lasts a little longer–say 10 days–but Mr. DiCarlo says that it freezes well. So there you have it. But where would Italian cheese be without Italian wine? I am so glad you asked. Jimmy’s is having a wine closeout on Vivante, a dry Lambrusco, which is “perfect for a summer BBQ.” Regularly priced at $10.99, Mr. D has marked it down to $5.99 a bottle or $30 fir a 6-pack. E-mail paul@jimmysfoodstore.com your cheese orders. Get off the couch and hit the store for the wine. 4901 Bryan at Fitzhugh. 214-823-6180.