Articles for July 17th, 2009

The Sorta Bad News: You Can’t Order A Burger At The Grape Tonight

posted by Nancy Nichols | July 17th, 2009 7:04pm | filed under Awards, Celebrity Chefs, Restaurant News | 2 Comments »

Or tomorrow. Just caught up with owner/chef Brian Luscher of The Grape. He says:

Luscher: I just found out. I just got back from a lil’ stay-cation and everyone is asking me “Have you heard? Have you heard?”  I knew we did well because they [T.M.] came out for a photo session a few weeks ago.  I am blown away.  I have always thought “that if a joint has a burger, you can judge the quality of the place based on the burger.

NN: Secret?

Lusher: None.  We just don’t treat it [or anything else] as an after thought. Whether it is our awesome f&%*$-ing cheeseburger [I just hollered that out loud a little bit!], or a wine dinner, or an order of mussels, we put forth our best effort. Not to mention the fact that basically every burger gets cooked by our Chef de Cuisine Karin Porter, a.k.a. Chaparra. I am proud.  Really proud.

NN: When can we eat them?

Luscher: We are going to offer the “Classic Cheeseburger” all  day on Sundays for right now [normally brunch only].  We have other plans that we will release at a later date.

So, TexMo, I hope we didn’t steal any of your thunder. That just wouldn’t be nice.

2 Comments »

Win Tickets To Private Screening of Julie & Julia

posted by Nancy Nichols | July 17th, 2009 4:49pm | filed under Contests, Food Fight!, Foodie People | 16 Comments »

julieandjulia_1sht_thumbI am just in full giver-goddess mode today: I’ve just negotiated a great giveaway. Thanks to the good folks at the Dallas Museum of Art and Arts & Letters Live, I have 3 pairs of tickets that includes  movie tickets and author lecture tickets. Official deets:

Each pair of tickets to the DMA’s special event, two nights with Julie & Julia!  Pair includes two tickets to the July 27, 7pm screening of the upcoming release Julie & Julia at NorthPark’s AMC Theater and two tickets to hear author Julie Powell at the DMA, 7pm, talk about how the whole escapade got started.

To enter this exclusive contest, go here. Prize does not include the special Julia Child-inspired buffet dinner which will be served from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 29, in the DMA’s Seventeen Seventeen Restaurant. To make a reservation and purchase dinner ($28.95 per person, priced separately from the event), call 214-922-1818.

Names will be drawn from a soufflé dish next week. Please check your schedules before you enter. Begging below is highly encouraged.

16 Comments »

We Have A Winner On The Guess The Best Burger In Dallas Contest

posted by Nancy Nichols | July 17th, 2009 4:31pm | filed under Awards, Contests, Foodie People, Openings/Closings |

I never dreamed anyone would actually win our little spontaneous contest. But PQ came up with The Grape @9:48 this morning. PQ? Who are you? E-mail me for your prize.

Customer Complaint: Coal Vines In Dallas

posted by Nancy Nichols | July 17th, 2009 3:47pm | filed under Openings/Closings, Uncategorized | 18 Comments »

An upset Disher sends this report:

I just called Coal Vines to ask if they took reservations, and the lady who answered the phone was VERY rude.  She said they didn’t take reservations in an angry tone, and then I asked if she had an estimate of what the wait would be on a Friday night (usually they have some sort of idea)… (this is what makes me mad) she said “I don’t know; it’s not like I have a crystal ball.”

I have had several unpleasant phone experiences dealing with restaurants. People who answer the phones at restaurants should be trained to know how important their job is–they are, in some cases, a customers first contact with the business. It’s one thing to lose a customer after bad food or service, it’s quite another to lose them when they are in the process of choosing where to dine. Coal Vines just lost customer for life.

18 Comments »

Texas Monthly’s Best Burger In Texas: The Grape

posted by Nancy Nichols | July 17th, 2009 2:20pm | filed under Restaurant News, Skinny bitches, Travel, Twitter, Wine & Spirits | 59 Comments »

august-coverThe best burger in Texas according to Texas Monthly is served at The Grape in Dallas. Here is the list:

TEXAS MONTHLY’s 50 BEST HAMBURGERS IN TEXAS:

1.    The Grape, Dallas, Classic Cheeseburger
2.    Counter Café, Austin, Counter Burger
3.    Alamo Springs Café, Fredericksburg, Cheeseburger (With Green Chiles on a Jalapeno-Cheese Bun)
4.    Toro Burger Bar, El Paso, Toro Burger
5.    The Cove, San Antonio, Texas Burger
6.    The Porch, Dallas, The Stodg
7.    Perini Ranch Steakhouse, Buffalo Gap, Hamburger Steak on a Bun
8.    Dutch’s, Fort Worth, Bacon and Bleu Cheese Burger
9.    Beck’s Prime, Houston, Bacon Cheeseburger
10.    Orlando’s, Lubbock, Cheeseburger in Paradise Continue reading "Texas Monthly’s Best Burger In Texas: The Grape"

59 Comments »

Somebody Help This Poor Boy: Patio Dining In Dallas

posted by Nancy Nichols | July 17th, 2009 1:48pm | filed under Restaurant News, Travel, Wine & Spirits, Wine Dinner Wednesday | 12 Comments »

Now that the temperature has dropped five degrees, this young man wants a to eat on a patio in Dallas. I’m bored, y’all take it.

UPDATE:  Kyle Kearbey has a list.

12 Comments »

The Best Margarita In Dallas, Ctd.

posted by Jennifer Chininis | July 17th, 2009 1:29pm | filed under Beverages, cocktails | 6 Comments »

Hey, Nancy. The girls at D Home disagree. They got in a limo and went margarita tasting one night to find the best margarita on the rocks in Dallas. (See that giant margarita in the upper right-hand corner of the site? That’s their favorite.)

6 Comments »

Fried Pies Report: The Original Fried Pie Place In Richardson

posted by Nancy Nichols | July 17th, 2009 1:18pm | filed under Baking, dessert, Restaurant News, Reviews, Travel, Wine & Spirits | 8 Comments »
Fried Pies

Fried Pies

I was cruising down Campbell this morning and spied The Original Fried Pie Place sitting in a dungy strip mall in Richardson. Inside business is no nonsense: cash only and fried pies. They make ten sweet fruit and cream pies, five sugar-free, and nine savory breakfast, lunch, and dinner pies. I bought peach, cherry, and chocolate.

Cherry.

Cherry.

If you love fried pies, you will like these. I found them to be very heavy on gooey filling and light on fruit, and the fruit used was canned or frozen, certainly not fresh. The chocolate was basically fried pudding. Most of the people in the office liked them— all of the pies were gone 20 minutes after I set them out. Hey, it was noon and I had a box of free food.

Peachy.

Peachy.

I’ll be by there again in a couple of weeks and will try the Polish sausage, potato, and cheese. The original shop is in Oklahoma City. The Richardson store opened about 9 months ago.

8 Comments »

Best Margarita In Dallas: The Maximo Heat From Maximo in Dallas

posted by Nancy Nichols | July 17th, 2009 12:30pm | filed under Awards, cocktails | 4 Comments »
Drink this margarita now. Photo by Kevin
Drink this margarita now. Photo by Kevin Hunter Marple

A few days ago, Kyle Kearbey asked an innocent question on SideDish: What is your favorite summer cocktail? It not only made me thirsty, it reminded me to tell you about a new margarita in town. I discovered the Maximo Heat when I was reviewing Maximo Cucina and Margarita Lounge. The review comes out in a week or so, but I have to tell you about it now. This is the best margarita I’ve had outside of Rick Bayless’ Topolobampo in Chicago. The Maximo Heat is a gorgeous green concoction of sweet agave syrup mixed with freshly squeezed lime juice, Sauza Silver (or your choice of tequila from their list), triple sec, and muddled raw jalapeños. After one sip, your tongue becomes a stage for a spirited symphony filled with staccato notes of sweet, sour, bitter, salt, and tart. Seconds later, a bolt of fiery jalapeño crashes like cymbals in your head. It is not to be missed.

4 Comments »

Why SideDish Wasn’t Up This Morning And Contines To Be Slow

posted by Nancy Nichols | July 17th, 2009 12:23pm | filed under Burgers, Crazy Technology, Skinny bitches, Twitter | 1 Comment »

Wick’s explains the slow down and crash on FrontBurner. Pat Sharpe promised burger winner today. If the site is slow, follow us on Twitter: DSideDish.

1 Comment »