Articles for November, 2009
Teresa Gubbins Has a Big…
- This is not Teresa Gubbins OR Leslie Brenner.
Scoop. She says Club Dada and the Green Room will reopen. Way to go, Old Gumshoe.
3 Comments »Restaurant News: Bits and Bites
From the copy and paste press release department.
Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt. Print out this Dallas Christian Choir flyer and 20 percent of your purchase at Menchie’s in Highland Park Village will benefit the group which will be performing next to the fro-yo shop from 1:00 to to 3:00 p.m on Saturday. 214-252-0003.
Red Mango. Red Mango Frozen Yogurt will celebrate the grand opening of five stores in the Dallas area on Saturday, December 12, by treating customers to a FREE small original frozen yogurt with one topping from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Locations are in NorthPark Center, McKinney Avenue in Uptown, iLume on Cedar Springs, Inwood Village, and Watters Creek in Allen.
Yogen Früz. Opened it’s third area location at the Fire Wheel Town Center in Garland. The store, located at 470 Coneflower Dr.
Taste Tripping. On Saturday, Dec 12, MADI Geometric Art Center in Uptown is hosting a Taste Tripping Party. If you haven’t eaten the “miracle fruit” and taken a foodie trip, this is a great time to try—they are offering a $5 discount to SideDish readers. Just use the coupon code Z36NV when you make reservations HERE! Food, art, and science all at the same time!
Dali Wine Bar. Presents: Jewels of the Vine, An Evening of Fine Wine & Fabulous Jewels! Monday, December 7, from 5:00pm-10:00pm. $15 for a flight of five wines. All the details below the jump.
John Tesar Update. Former Mansion chef John Tesar gets big nods from Houston writer Allison Cook. One here; another there.
Wolfgang Puck Catering. Introduces “Tuesday Treats.” Tempting and tasty dishes delivered right to your door. Surprise & delight friends, clients and colleagues with “Tuesday Treats” by Wolfgang Puck Catering. For four consecutive Tuesdays in December, Wolfgang Puck Catering will deliver delicious dishes right to your doorstep. On December 1st, 8th, 15th, and 22nd, Dallas’ premier catering company will offer this program for $78 per person (excluding tax; service charges may apply) for a minimum of 25 people, and will include a choice of breakfast, lunch buffet, snack items, or holiday sweets. Deets below.
Scardello. Scardello artisan cheese says goodbye to 2009 with December in-store events. They are all listed below.
SideDish Supper Club is Sunday
The SideDish Supper Club at Samar by Stephan Pyles will be festive and single-friendly!
Several single folks have asked me if the SideDish Supper Club at Samar by Stephan Pyles will be single-friendly. Our get-together this Sunday (December 6) will be communal seating and the five-course meal will be served family-style. It is going to be a festive (post-Cowboy game) evening with lots of belly dancing gals and exotic foods and wines. And, hell yes, it will be a friendly-to-all crowd of people who enjoy eating fine food and drinking fine wine. The menu and details are here. I urge you to hurry and make reservations as we have very few seats left. I’ve got my costume ready. Feel free to wear yours. The $110 per person price includes everything: valet, tax, gratuity, welcome cocktails, five fabulous food courses paired with wine and cocktails, and an Afghan tea service. Call now for a seat. 214.922.9922.
2 Comments »Zac Crain Smokes a Cigarette in Whole Foods—and Gets Away With It
- Illustrator Ryan Snook’s interpretation of Zac Crain as a plump, Hasidic Jew. He is neither.
Zac Crain is a vegetarian. He shops at Whole Foods. He also smokes. Recently he smoked a cigarette while shopping in Whole Foods and got away with it.
6 Comments »Be a Good Friend and Buy a Gift Subscription to D Magazine
Pardon this commercial interruption from D web editor, Jennifer “Beyaches!” Chininis:
You love D Magazine, don’t you? So why not share the love? As a thank you for being a Facebook friend and Twitter follower—and, I suppose, for reading this blog—we’re offering a special deal on a D Magazine subscription: $10, the lowest price ever! (I have no way of disputing this claim. IJS.) To get this super-hot deal, sign up here. But hurry, because this deal won’t last forever.
Be nice, it is Thanksgiving. I’m picking up my pumpkin whoopie pies today!
2 Comments »Wine Dinner Wednesday
Here is a list of upcoming wine dinners and food events from Lawry’s The Prime Rib, Nana, Cyclone Anaya’s (fundraiser for Turtle Creek Chorale), The Grape, and Dallas Uncorked. Continue reading "Wine Dinner Wednesday"
Sigel’s May Sell Fine Wine But Their Promotion Department is Shameless
This just in from Sigel’s pitchman Jasper Russo:
Our neighbors in The Shops at Legacy, Legacy Books, may have sold out of tickets for Sarah Palin’s book signing on December 4, but here at Sigel’s Fine Wines we still have a few cases of Palin Syrah 06 still available. After this vintage the Palin label is being retired so this is the last chance to get one of these special bottles. To order please contact Rafaella Anderson or Jonathan Gibbons at or 469-241-8800.
Perfect conversation starter at the Thanksgiving table, eh? I hear that if you drink a whole bottle you can see Russia.
8 Comments »Rumors Behind the Restaurant News: Chef Abraham Salum
- Is there another restaurant in the future of Abraham Salum?
One of my snitches tells me that Abraham Salum (Salum’s) is sniffing around the local real estate for another location.
10 Comments »Christmas Shopping List: Chef Kent Rathbun
- Chef Kent Rathbun slices off 70 pounds in the unofficial Battle of the Bulge. Nicely done.
Oh, what should we get chef Kent Rathbun for Christmas? He’s got to be one of those hard-to-buy-for guys—from the outside it looks like he already has everything. Wait, I hear our roving (and I mean roving) reporter Sweet Charity whispering in my ear.
Seems Ms. Charity bumped into someone who looked a lot like Mr. Rathbun at a charity event the other night and did a double take. In fact, it was chef Rathbun sans 70 pounds. According to Sweet Charity, Rathbun has dropped pound by the Weight Watcher’s method and running from charity event to charity event. A big (sorry) round of applause for chef Rathbun. I’m sure he could use some new chef whites. Oh, and Sweet Charity tells me Rathbun is going to incorporate some lower calorie dishes on his menu. She neglected to tell me which menu. But she’ll wake up soon. (You know those society types.)
UPDATE: Hark, here is Sweet Charity’s report.
2 Comments »Tei-An to Host the Premier of Hibiki Japanese Blended Whisky
Listen up, buckaroos. Yosuke Fukuda, bar manager at Tei-An, has a cool event planned for you. On December 2, Yoshiro Morita and Lincoln Henderson of Suntory will be the guest speakers for an evening of hors d’oeuvres and whisky. (Great name for a short story: “Hors d’oeuvres and whisky. Oh, let’s cast the movie.) Anywhoo, the festivities start at 7:30 and will include Hibiki (12-year-old), Yamazaki (12-year-old) and Yamazaki (18-year-old). 214-220-2828.
D Magazine‘s December Cover Story: Best New Restaurants in Dallas
Click here to read all about our favorite new restaurants. I think it’s a good list, but you may disagree. Each December, we do a restaurant roundup and inevitably, when the magazine is at the press, one or two spots make major changes. Like the old Sports Illustrated jinx, we have the D Magazine restaurant cover jinx. So far, we’re only aware of this: Coast Global in Plano is losing their creative chef Joshua Perkins. He is moving back home to Memphis. His last day is December 7.
Trouble at Taco Mundo in Preston Royal: Caroline Galvan-Rodriguez Sues Landlord Over Lockout
On June 19, I wrote : “Somebody tell Caroline Galvan-Rodriguez that we are in a down economy—she is opening four new restaurants before August 4th…in late July, the former wife of MCrowd founder Mico Rodiguez, will open her first location of Taco Mundo at Preston Royal and a second location on August 4th.”
Well, it is November 23 and Ms. Rodriguez is now involved in a messy lawsuit with her Preston Royal landlord, Southeast Preston/Royal, LTD, Trademark Preston Oaks, Inc. The legal action was filed by Ms. Rodriguez on November 2. According to the paperwork, she has been locked out of the Preston Royal location since October 20. She claims to have already invested $500,000 in the space which was originally scheduled to open in July. The battle is over when the lease became effective and at what point the landlord had the right to lock her out for failure to open. (The whole document is here.)
Is this a preemptive strike against a landlord who did not see the an opening on August 4, September 4, October 4, or November 4? (According to Robert Willonsky over at Unfair Park, Rodriguez applied for a liquor license on November 26, 2008.) I’ve left a message at Trademark Preston Oaks, Inc. Stay tuned. Developing.
25 Comments »Thanksgiving Dining Options in Dallas
Make reservations now.
If you aren’t cooking, there are plenty of restaurants gearing up to do it for you. Check out our list and make reservations.
What I’m Drinking Now: Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is such a joyous holiday. A time to give thanks for the good, recognize the gracious, and celebrate good food…and wine. I get questions all the time about what is really the best wine to serve with the huge Thanksgiving meal, especially since many of these occur in the middle of the day. Here are a few ideas that may work for your turkey day.
I always start with bubbly on Thanksgiving while watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade….my happy ritual. For some reason I just love those silly over-sized balloons, and welcoming Santa into Herald Square. It is the true start to the holiday season for me, and what better way to celebrate the holidays than with bubbly.
Bubbly - I had the pleasure of visiting Mumm Napa last Thanksgiving, and the experience was one of the most lavish and gracious of a wonderful Napa/Sonoma Thanksgiving tour. We tasted about 10 in their portfolio that day. Some I became an immediate fan of, some my sweetie did, but we universally loved the Mumm Cuvee M – filled with pear, peach and green apple flavors, and aged 18 months in oak to layer in caramel and brioche on the finish. And the Santana Brut - made in collaboration with Carlos Santana (with a portion of the proceeds going to help underprivileged children around the world), this one is made predominantly with Pinot Noir grapes, leading to juicy berry, red apple and creamy, honey flavors, with hints of toast and nuts on the finish. Continue reading "What I’m Drinking Now: Thanksgiving"
2 Comments »Another TV Show With a Local Connection: BBQ Pitmasters
According to Full Custom Gospel BBQ, dfw.com is reporting a new TV series showcasing “the high-stakes world of competitive barbecue.” BBQ Pitmasters begins on Decemeber 3 at 9:00 p.m. on TLC. Three folks in the series are from around here: Jamie Geer, owner of Jambo Pits a Fort Worth company that sells custom smokers, Paul Petersen, execuchef at Rick’s Chop House in McKinney, and Johnny Trigg from Alvarado. The eight-episode series follows competitive barbecue events around the country.
BTW, has anyone been to Rick’s Chop House in McKinney? I’ve heard nothing but great things.
3 Comments »SideDish Supper Club On Sale Now: Samar by Stephan Pyles in Dallas
Yow. Zah. I must say we have pulled together one fabulous evening. Thanks to Stephan Pyles, execuchef Vijay Sadhu, and managing partner George Majdalani, the next SideDish Supper Club at Samar by Stephan Pyles is going to be over-the-top. Not only are they opening the restaurant just for us, but they also designed a one-of-a-kind menu for SideDish Supper Clubbers.
I asked Pyles why he wanted to do the Supper Club, and he had this to say:
“Having traveled the world in search of exotic flavors and preparations, the opportunity to showcase those tastes and customs in this one-time dinner spectacle was very exciting. You will savor the cuisine and cocktails inspired by India, Spain, and the Eastern Mediterranean–think curries, garam masala, cardamom, tandoori, naan, labneh, pomegranates, and pumpkin kofte. Have you ever had a remarkable Lebanese wine? Had your fortune read from the grounds of your Turkish coffee? You will at this dinner! Revel in the unique experience with Indian and Arabic music, belly dancers, and the exotic hookah ritual of narguile shisha.”
Stephan Pyles knows how to throw a party!
During the dessert course, Kyle Stewart of the Cultured Cup will demonstrate a traditional Afghan tea ceremony, and everyone will be able to try Samar’s Afghan Tea, as well as an authentic Masala chai.
Dancing girls! Hookahs! Lebanese wine! Goody bags! Communal tables! Dancing Hookahs ? Perhaps.
The SideDish Supper Club is not just dinner; it’s a culinary learning experience. Please join us on Sunday, December 6, for the next SideDish Supper Club. The cost is $110 per person and we have included tax, gratuity, and valet parking.
CHECK OUT THE MENU BY CLICKING ON THE SIDEDISH SUPPER CLUB LOGO TO THE RIGHT. Hurry, seating is limited. 214-922-9922. Continue reading "SideDish Supper Club On Sale Now: Samar by Stephan Pyles in Dallas"
16 Comments »SideDish Supper Club is Ready to Go
Want to be first to know the details? Quick, type your email in the box under the SideDish Supper Club on the right and get first dibs. You’ve got ten minutes.
Jimmy’s Wine Store in Dallas: Open This Sunday
Paul DiCarlo of Jimmy’s says he had received enough holiday items to warrant opening the foodie temple this Sunday. The shelves are stocked with torrone, tre Marie panetone, pan-forte, dais panetone, Sicilian cannoli shells, and stuff and such and beyond. And wine. Two great Italian (duh) wines on closeout: Placido Chianti Classico Riserva ’04 DOCG (was $17.99 now $7.99) and Placido Rosso di Montalcin0 ’05 (was $18.99 now $8.99). Back in the meat department, Prime tenderloin is $15.99 a pound (uncut and sold “as is”). Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. 4901 Bryan at Fitzhugh. 214-823-6180.
6 Comments »Top Chef Handicapping with Wes Mantooth
Fan fave Kevin. Photo courtesy bravotv.com
Disher Wes Mantooth just sent me a love letter. “The D-Empire blogs are all boring as spit today,” he says. Anyway, he wants to talk about Top Chef, and I know there are several TC fans out there. His thoughts are below.
Top Chef is coming to a close. Who’s not going to make it? We’ve got 5 left: Kevin, Jennifer, Eli, and the Brothers. The easy call is that Jen and Eli both wind up packing their knives, but we’ve seen in the past that it only takes one little slip for an otherwise more-talented chef to get packing before their time was due, resulting in a less-talented poseur to take the crown (i.e. Josea). So, here’s my handicapping on who makes it to the Final Table:
Continue reading " Top Chef Handicapping with Wes Mantooth"
10 Comments »Subscribe
SideDish is a food-related discussion among editors at D Magazine about the Dallas-Fort Worth dining scene -- everything from good meals to bad service, kitchen gossip to restaurant news, chefs' secrets to culinary trends. Bon appetit.
- FrontBurner Blog
- SideDish Food Blog
- FrontRow Arts Blog
- D Home Blog
- ShopTalk Fashion & Beauty Blog
- BridalBuzz Weddings Blog
- Park Cities People Blog
- Preston Hollow People Blog
- Oak Cliff People Blog
- Party Pics
- DAILY
- Al Dia
- Daily Commercial Record
- D Home Blog
- Dallas Morning News
- Denton Record Chronicle
- Diario la Estrella
- The Herald Democrat (Sherman)
- McKinney Courier Gazette
- Pegasus News
- Quick
- Star-Telegram (Fort Worth)
- ALMOST DAILY
- Allen American
- Carrollton Leader
- Celina Record
- Colony Courier Leader
- Coppell Gazette
- Frisco Enterprise
- Flower Mound Leader
- Garland Morning News
- Hood County News
- Lewisville Leader
- Little Elm Journal
- Mesquite Morning News
- The Mesquite News
- Plano Star Courier
- Richardson Morning News
- Rowlett Lakeshore Times
- Southlake Times
- Waxahachie Daily Light
- WEEKLY
- Cedar Creek Pilot
- Cedar Hill Today
- Dallas Business Journal
- Dallas Examiner
- Dallas Observer
- Dallas Post Tribune
- Dallas Voice
- DeSoto Today
- Duncanville Today
- Ellis County Press
- El Heraldo News
- Fort Worth Weekly
- Fort Worth Business Press
- Oak Cliff People
- Park Cities People
- Preston Hollow People
- The Sports Page Weekly
- Texas Lawyer
- Wylie News
- MONTHLY
- Advocate Magazines
- Avid Golfer
- CliffDweller
- Cowboys and Indians Magazine
- Cross Timbers Gazette
- Dallas CEO
- Dallas Child
- Key Magazine
- PaperCity
- Texas Technology Magazine
- Texas Monthly
- BI-MONTHLY
- D Home
- SEMI-YEARLY
- D Weddings
- COLLEGE NEWSPAPERS
- SMU Daily Campus
- TCU Daily Skiff
- North Texas Daily
- UTA Shorthorn
- TELEVISION
- Dallas Community Television
- The CW Channel 33
- KDFW FOX Channel 4
- KERA PBS Channel 13
- KTVT CBS Channel 11
- KTXA TXA Channel 21
- KXAS NBC Channel 5
- TXCN.com
- WFAA ABC Channel 8
- RADIO
- KERA 90.1 FM
- KLIF 570 AM
- WBAP 820 AM
- KXEB 910 AM
- Texas Talk Radio 990 AM
- KRLD 1080 AM
- The Ticket 1310 AM
Home |
Masthead |
News from D |
About Us |
Contact Us |
Subscribe |
Advertise |
Privacy Policy |
Customer Service |
Awards | Archives | Reprints | d custom | Jobs | Advertiser's Index
Awards | Archives | Reprints | d custom | Jobs | Advertiser's Index
Write a Caption: Win Some Cocoa from Nicaragua!
Anywhoo, as the sun set, we headed to do some bird watching among the mangrove forests on the coast. (Tiger herons!) One of the guys on the trip, Jerry Garret, a writer for the New York Times, stayed behind and took this photo of us as we left the dock. He’s holding an unofficial caption contest with no prizes. I figured we’d have our own. Winner gets a bag of powdered cocoa (drinking chocolate) from a plantation outside of Leon, Nicaragua. (My entry was: “A pork in the river.”) GO!
26 Comments »