Articles for October 27th, 2009

Shameless Plug for D Home‘s Restaurant Issue

posted by Jennifer Chininis | October 27th, 2009 10:39pm | filed under Celebrity Chefs, D Home Restaurant Awards | 1 Comment »

dhomecoverPerhaps you read the print product, D Magazine. If so, perhaps you are familiar with our home magazine, D Home. If not, this month is an excellent time to head to the nearest newsstand to pick up the November/December issue, with the 2009 Restaurant Design Awards on the cover. Then, while flipping through the pages, you’ll also see Todd Johnson’s foodie gift guide. Or you’ll notice how I went to the home kitchens of four of Dallas’ top chefs. Sure, you can read these stories online, and it’s my duty as a member of the web team to encourage traffic. But, really, these online stories hardly do justice to the magazine. It’s a good one. And as food enthusiasts, you will appreciate it. IJS.

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Material Connection of the Day: Free Cupcakes from Citizen Sweet in Dallas

posted by Nancy Nichols | October 27th, 2009 4:43pm | filed under Baking, cupcakes | 13 Comments »

DSCN4115-1Hmm. Looks like the cupcake industry is trying to beat the new FTC guidelines that go into effect on December 1. Once the rules kick in, I can’t eat a free cupcake without telling you I accepted a free cupcake. The same goes for other products such as food, wine, or free dinners. The revised rules require you to disclose how you received the products you review or endorse. So, I’m not going to review these—I hate cupcakes anyway. You can send all you want but I’m not eating any of them or writing about them. The cupcakes in the picture were sent, unsolicited, to our offices at 750 N. Pearl St. Suite 2100, Dallas  75201. They come from Citizen Sweet.

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Dish Will Bring Fresh and Delicious Simple Cuisine To Dallas

posted by Nancy Nichols | October 27th, 2009 4:16pm | filed under Openings/Closings, Restaurant News | 2 Comments »

That’s what the PR peeps promise. Dish, an “alfresco dining and premier nightlife destination” will open in the Illume on November 5th. You will recognize some of the folks behind the scenes: Tim McEneny (obar, LIFT, Dragonfly at Hotel ZaZa, and partner and concept chef Doug Brown, from Beyond the Box)and Shawn Horne (Five Sixty, Star Canyon, Aquaknox, The Green Room, Abacus, Ferre, and Kitchen 1924). Executive chef Brian Sommers (Jaspers and Rick’s Chophouse) headlines the kitchen. Jump for more. Continue reading "Dish Will Bring Fresh and Delicious Simple Cuisine To Dallas"

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The Princeton Tigertones to Perform at Hector’s on Henderson

posted by Nancy Nichols | October 27th, 2009 3:54pm | filed under Events, Restaurant News, youthful spontaneous restaurants | 2 Comments »

tigertonesHector Garcia has booked The Princeton Tigertones, an cappella male choral group from Princeton University, for two shows at Hector’s on Henderson. The Tigertones formed in 1946 and have over 30 recordings. They “encourage harmony, spontaneity, and brotherhood.” This past summer they toured Europe for six weeks. Their nine tours abroad have taken them to Europe, Egypt, Israel, Greece, Japan, Jamaica and many other exotic locations. The first dinner and show (6:00 p.m.) on November 1 is sold out, but owner Hector is adding a 9:00 p.m. show. Limited seating. Call 214-821-0432. Details below. Jump. Continue reading "The Princeton Tigertones to Perform at Hector’s on Henderson"

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Dinner and Dancing: Where do You Tango in Dallas?

posted by Nancy Nichols | October 27th, 2009 3:39pm | filed under Restaurant News, Silly Reasons to Celebrate | 3 Comments »

lasttangopicI used to love to eat dinner and dance at the Chaparral Club in Dallas. It’s gone but a few place remain. There is good music at Kirby’s in Southlake and I think you can dance in the lounge at Bailey’s Prime Plus near NorthPark. Any other favorites out there?

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Mini-Review: Chicken House in Dallas

posted by Nancy Nichols | October 27th, 2009 2:04pm | filed under Restaurant News, Reviews | 14 Comments »

DSCN4107-2Today, with a renewed attitude to drive across town to discover food, I hit Chicken House in East Dallas to buy a big butt bucket load of fried chicken for my hard-working cube mates.  Chicken House is the semi-new name for the joint formerly known as Brothers Fried Chicken.

The speaker in the drive-through is in desperate need of repair. The crackling high-pitched screech cooked my cochlea and fried my synapses. Somehow I managed to order a 10-piece family pack, sides of okra and cole slaw, and a fried pie. As I waited by the window, I asked the nice lady, Naomi, if the recipe was the same as Brothers. She said it was—I didn’t actually hear her, but luckily I’m a great reader of lips.

Anywhoo, imagine my co-workers surprise when I walked in with a free lunch! Well, the whole deal was only $19.45 and it made even the skinny people happy. Vegetarians, not so much.

Here is my take: The chicken pieces were huge and the crust was crunchy and crispy. (No extra salt was needed. I drizzled jalapeno juice on mine.) Cole slaw was not great—too much mayo. Fries reminded me of my ex-husband—they were soft and wimpy. Fried okra were State Fair quality—nothing but crispy little balls of probably frozen okra. But Naomi was nice and the chicken was worth the drive. Co-workers, let me hear from you. (909 Fitzhugh @ Gaston. 214-370-0800)

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Dallas Restaurants: What Do We Need?

posted by Nancy Nichols | October 27th, 2009 10:52am | filed under Cheap trick for comments, Crazy Technology, Foodie People, Murmur, Silly Reasons to Celebrate, Skinny bitches, youthful spontaneous restaurants | 52 Comments »
What restaurant would Major Tony Nelson and Jeannie do in Dallas?
What kind of restaurant would Major Tony Nelson and Jeannie do in Dallas?

I was having a conversation with a “highly educated” person the other night and he said, “Dallas really needs a great burger place.” I was stunned. When I asked him what places he liked, he reeled off spots—Chips, Goff’s, Neighborhood Services—that were in his neighborhood. I asked him if he ever went out of his way to discover or try new places and he admitted that he didn’t really. He has now been downgraded to “somewhat intelligent.”  I mean talk about closed minded. (They don’t even melt the cheese at Goff’s.)

The inside-the-loop-outside-the-loop foodie argument drives me nuts. There is great food all over this area if you are willing to drive. But if you had one restaurant wish, what would you like to see in Dallas? I know what I want, it’s a fleet of these, STAT. Your turn.

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Tucker Farms in Ennis Offers a “Vegetable Club”

posted by Nancy Nichols | October 27th, 2009 9:52am | filed under AgriBusiness, Farmers Markets, Local/Slow Food | 2 Comments »
More than a bushel.
More than a bushel to me.

Farmer Jerry Tucker and his family have been living and raising produce in the Ennis area since 1959.  From 1972 to 1995, they were the proprietors of Tucker’s Grocery in nearby Garrett where they sold produce they raised themselves in a nearby garden. They’re out of the grocery store business but the continue to grow crops.

Today, Eatgreendfw.com. announces a newly formed Community Supported Agriculture program. If you become a $500 shareholder you will receive 32 weeks of home grown vegetables. For around  $16 a week you’ll get a half bushel with about 20 pounds of seasonal vegetables every week for at least 32 weeks. And, depending on the growing season and Tucker Farms planned greenhouses, the season could be longer! Check out the details and other market information at Eatgreendfw.com.

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