Celeb Sighting At Javier’s

Over on the Overheard blog, JB Hayes reports seeing Samuel L. Jackson last night dining at Javier’s. Hopefully he tried the snapper mojo de ojo. I could really go for some of the red and green salsa right now…

So far, no one knows why he was in town. Methinks he might have just been a week or so late for this.

Who’s In the Mood for a Skinny Christmas Meal?

At the Eveans house, we’ll be having steak on Christmas day, a request from my uncle that we were happy to oblige. Other possible dishes include potatoes au gratin, GB casserole, roasted veggies, rolls a plenty, and pumpkin and pecan pie. It is certain to be delicious, but healthy? Not so much.

Over on ShopTalk, the girls have posted some recipes from Greenhouse Spa. Shrimp empanadas, stuffed pork tenderloin, pumpkin cheesecake, and more. Somehow the whole darn meal is 485 calories. (These people must not eat as much as I do.)

Click here to see for yourself.

Nana Lamb Bacon Praised in GQ Magazine

Dallas chefs are making national news everywhere these days. In the latest GQ (the one with naked-except-for-a-tie Jen Aniston on the cover). Alan Richman wrote a feature called “GQ Eats 2009,”on new restaurants, food trends, etc. In a section touting “Lamb Bacon” as the “Best Reason to Ignore Your Cholesterol Count,” he gives chef Anthony Bombaci at Nana a shout out for serving it (alongside the likes of David Chang and Dan Barber). Unfortunately, the link to the article won’t go live until the first of the year. But! The Nana folks have sent the recipe for the dish, and you can find it after the jump. Once the article goes up online I’ll link to it here. And in the meantime, make it yourself or go eat it at Nana.

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New Pastry Chef At Two Sisters Rocks

Yesterday I was chatting on the phone with the good folks from Two Sisters, getting ideas for an upcoming story we’re working on for the print product.

“Hey, we’ve got a new pastry chef, didya know that?” they said. No, I admitted, I didn’t. I haven’t been to Two Sisters in a few months (sadly, since I love their tuna and chicken salads), and I wasn’t aware of fabulous new desserts or a dessert maker. The new guy’s name is Brad Holt, and he used to work in the deli at TS. Apparently, chef Jonathan Stirnweis needed a pastry chef, he asked Brad to help out, because he knew of his love of baking. Tastes like it worked out to me.

How do I know? Today, this beautiful platter of goodies arrived. Chocolate pumpkin tarts, PB&J bars (to die for), lime-coconut bars, apple-gorgonzola-walnut bars, brownie lollipops, and more. We are lucky folk. But you can be lucky too–Friday is free dessert day at Two Sisters. They are open until 4 so get over there and get a sandwich and a PB&J bar. Totally worth it.

Luck Be a Latke

A few years ago, I had a boyfriend who was Jewish. I was lucky enough to spend a few holidays with his family and to learn about traditions–food and otherwise–that I didn’t know much about previously.

It probably won’t surprise you that I became obsessed with latkes, or potato pancakes. The boy’s father was in charge of making them every year, and it was a process. He would grate piles of potatoes (I think he grated the onions too, could this be correct?) before squeezing them out thoroughly, mixing them (with his hands) with egg and flour, and dropping them into a sizzling skillet to fry. When they were golden brown on each side, they were done. The boy and his dad liked both sour cream and applesauce on top, but I preferred only sour cream. Those onions and the frying stink up your room and clothes for hours, but those latkes…they were worth it.

Whew. Done with that memory, but Hanukkah is coming up on Sunday, and I’m wondering how Dishers make their latkes. I was playing around on epicurious.com and found several variations, including this one, for Indian potato pancakes with lime-curry sauce. I’ve seen them at Central Market, but wondered how good they would be with so much time in between skillet and plate. If you’ve got tips, send them along, or if you know where to get good latkes, let me know. I’m not sure I’m up for making them but I definitely want to eat them.

Victory Park Launches New Web Site

Click here to see Victory Park as it should be–shiny, happy people frolicking near downtown. It all looks super cool but I would hate to run into that huge dude playing the guitar in a dark alley.

Programming Note: Frontburner For Your Ears with Tristan Simon

Over on Frontburner, the boys are doing a live radio thingy every Thursday at 3pm. It’s called Frontburner For Your Ears, and this week, Nancy is hosting with Tim Rogers. Tristan Simon is the guest, so everyone listen in to hear all about all things Tristan-related. Click here close to time and the link will be posted.

That’s all I’m going to say about that to avoid embarrassing references to this. Gives me a little tummyache to read now. Oh well. Live and learn.

Update: The hilariously entertaining Adam McGill be hosting instead of Tim.

Can Somebody Help This Poor Girl: Newlywed Edition

As this will be one of my last posts for a bit, I’m hoping there are some Dishers out there who can help me. I’m getting married in just a few weeks and we’re honeymooning in Australia and New Zealand (don’t be too jealous-14 hours in coach. Ouch!) First, we head to Sydney and Cairns in Australia and then we’re off to Blenheim and Queenstown on the south island of New Zealand. I know many of our readers are world travelers so I’m turning to you all for advice. Can anyone offer some good suggestions as to where to go? Sure we’ve done tons of research online and read the books but I’d like some personal feedback on good places to eat. The SideDish nation is always so helpful and any ideas you can give me would be much appreciated.