Articles for June 11th, 2009

Raise a Glass to Dad

posted by Hayley Hamilton | June 11th, 2009 8:33pm | filed under Father's Day, Wine & Spirits | 1 Comment »

Dad’s are fantastic…right up there with Mom.  With Dad’s special day around the corner, how to you show  your appreciation for his wisdom, encouragement, discouragement, support and constant love?

With cocktails….  Yes, Dad loved the tie, he cherished the paperweight, he still wears the cuff links….but for a wine and food lover like me and my Dad, fine wine and spirits are always appropriate.  Here are some ideas if your Dad is the same. 

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SideDish on the Road: Tomato Festival in Jacksonville, Texas

posted by Nancy Nichols | June 11th, 2009 4:08pm | filed under Festivals, Silly Reasons to Celebrate | 5 Comments »

bbb1I am working in East Texas for a couple of days. On Saturday, I’m heading over to Jacksonville for the 25th Annual Tomato Festival. If you haven’t been, you should make plans to head down. If not, we’ll shoot out a few reports on Twitter (DSideDish).

In other do-something-other-than-write news: The sun just came out for the first time today and I thought I’d share a picture of my second brood of baby Bluebirds. They were born yesterday. (Remember, procrastination is part of the creative process.)

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Restaurant For Sale: Pho Tai

posted by Nancy Nichols | June 11th, 2009 2:04pm | filed under Chefs, hold on to your effin hat, Restaurant News, Wine & Spirits, Wine Dinner Wednesday | 1 Comment »

Anybody looking for a nice Vietnamese restaurant to buy? Pho Tai in the Old Denton Road Shopping Center in Carrollton is for sale.

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Top Chef Masters Recap: Bye Bye Love

posted by Sarah Eveans | June 11th, 2009 1:59pm | filed under Food On TV, Uncategorized | 15 Comments »

tim_loveI had high hopes for Top Chef Masters. You know I love all things TC, and this sounded like the ultimate. Master chefs competing against each other. Possibilities seemed endless. The egos! The culinary artistry! The complex personalities! And a local chef, to boot. Well, the good news is, chef Tim Love was super likeable and presented himself very well. He had perhaps the only dramatic moment in the entire show, and he recovered quite admirably.

Jump for the recap.

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Dallas Farmers Market This Weekend: June 13 & 14

posted by Nancy Nichols | June 11th, 2009 1:19pm | filed under Events, Farmers Markets, Reviews |

Following the jump is a list of produce and products scheduled to be available at the Dallas Farmers Market on June 13 and 14th. Of course, it’s all, like life, subject to change without notice. Thanks to Susan Zidlicky for the report.  Mark your calendars: next weekend (June 20) Parigi chefs Janice Provost and Chad Houser will do two cooking demos (10:oo a.m & 11:30:a.m. with available ingredients.

UPDATE: The new Dallas Farmers Market website is now live.

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Looking For Love? Or Just a Date? Market Street in Plano Offers Both

posted by Nancy Nichols | June 11th, 2009 12:49pm | filed under Chefs, Foodie People, Groceries, Silly Reasons to Celebrate | 1 Comment »
Looking for passion (fruit) in Plano? Betty Martin is looking for you.

Looking for passion (fruit) in Plano? Betty Martin is looking for you.

Yesterday it was Ed Bamberger’s turn to try and seduce you with food and singles. Today it’s Market Street in Plano—they are now hosting a Singles Grocery Shopping Night. (Why did I think everyone in Plano was married?) Seems one Plano resident, and Market Street Dish Retail manager, Betty Martin was looking for a new way to meet other singles. When Market Street opened in Plano, Betty put down her package of dried Medjools, and started looking for a date that actually talked back. Betty now has around 50 members who meet at Market Street every few weeks. The next event is Wednesday, June 17 at 6:00 p.m. Dang, I have a standing Wednesday night activity and I don’t fool around.

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The Most Underrated Chef in Dallas: Fill in the Blank

posted by Nancy Nichols | June 11th, 2009 12:22pm | filed under Chefs, Foodie People, Restaurant News | 34 Comments »

We all know Stephan, Dean, Avner, Kent, and Sharon on a first name basis. But what about the other guys and gals—the ones without reality TV or PR hype. I’m talking about the line chefs and talented mom and pop shops yearning to break free and get their chance at the spotlight. It’s a rainy day, let’s stay inside and play. (Execuchefs? Name your top line cooks.) I pick Alex Yao from Yao Fuzi. Your turn.

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Dallas Restaurant News and Notes

posted by Nancy Nichols | June 11th, 2009 11:44am | filed under cheap eats, Events, Openings/Closings, Restaurant News, Wine & Spirits | 1 Comment »

Canary Café Mediterranean Steak & Seafood chef-owner Mansour Gorji, will participate in the sixth annual CityArts Celebration  www.dallascityarts.com in the downtown Dallas Arts District.  His cooking demonstration (Sunday, June 14 at 1p.m) will include cioppino made of shrimp, calamari, scallops, mussels and salmon using Gorji Gourmet puttanesca along with a verde salad of field greens, fresh pomegranates, parmesan cheese with Gorji Gourmet pomegranate champagne vinaigrette.

Panera Bread will host the Panera Bread Cereal Drive to Help Fight Hunger this Friday, June 12 from 6:30 a.m. until 9 p.m. at all 15 bakery-cafes in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Customers are asked to donate a box of cereal at their local Panera Bread, and each person donating will receive a coupon for a free grilled breakfast sandwich. The boxes of cereal will be donated to Panera’s Operation Dough-Nation® recipients, North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) and Tarrant Area Food Bank (TAFB). Click here for all locations.

Eddie V’s Prime Seafood at Museum Place in Fort Worth will offer three-course summer picnic dinners starting on Friday, June 12 through Sunday, July 5, to coincide with Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra’s Concerts in the Garden Summer Music Festival at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden. Pricing for a picnic dinner is $25. Orders are customizable from a set of savory options. To order an Eddie V’s Moveable Feast, call 817-336-8000 or email EVMuseumplace@eddiev.com by 2:00 p.m. day of show.  Guests may pick up order between 5:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on the performance evening.

McCormick & Schmick’s in Dallas is offering 10 menu items for $10 or less, for a tasty and wallet-friendly lunch.  The executive chef in Dallas will feature local ingredients and regionally inspired dishes, including: sandwiches, wraps, pastas, entrée salads and a few soup/salad and soup/sandwich combos. And busy lunch-time diners can request their lunch be served in 45 minutes or less. The 10 for $10 or less menu is available daily, excluding holidays. All you need to know is here.

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EatGreen.com and Food Roots Team Up for Local Farm Tour

posted by Nancy Nichols | June 11th, 2009 11:27am | filed under Events, Foodie People, Local/Slow Food, Travel |

The folks at EatGreenDFW.com have teamed up with Food Roots to create a one-day tour on July 11 that showcase three farmers who are dedicated to bringing  sustainably grown produce, meat and dairy products to the community using organic and natural methods.

The trip, a bargain at $89, includes lunch and visits to three family-owned and operated farms south of Dallas–JuHa Ranch, Oak Grove Farms and Garden Harvests. At each stop tour participants will spend an hour or more on an interactive tour with the owner of the farm and have an opportunity to buy directly from them. Jump for joy and more information.

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