Articles for February 1st, 2011

Chef Richard Chamberlain Braves Icy Streets to Feed Super Bowl Media

posted by Nancy Nichols | February 1st, 2011 2:46pm | filed under Celebrity Chefs, Restaurant News, Silly Reasons to Celebrate, Steakhouses, Super Bowl | 6 Comments »

Chef Richard Chamberlain (left) feeds the Super Bowl Media.

Every day this week visiting media staying at the Sheraton in downtown Dallas is being treated to free food from different areas of Dallas. Today it is Addison’s turn to wow the palates of hungry sportswriters (is that redundant?) Anywhoo, the ice didn’t stop Richard Chamberlain from transporting 800 pounds of grub from his Chamberlain’s Steak & Chop House to the Sheraton.  “Well, it took me a long time to get here,” says Chamberlain. “I never got over 18 mph on the Tollway but it probably helped that I had 800 pounds of food in my car.” Chamberlain has cooked up 300 pounds of short loins (Iditarod Cuisine?) of beef which were donated by the Texas Beef Council. The mayor of Addison is also on his way. His name? Joe Chow.

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Somebody Help This Poor Boy: Where to Eat in Houston

posted by Nancy Nichols | February 1st, 2011 1:41pm | filed under Restaurant News, Travel | 14 Comments »

A nice man in Pittsburgh writes to SideDish to find out where he can eat in Houston. Yes, he knows his Steelers are playing in the SuperBowl and he is well aware of the fact that the game is not in Houston. His job is sending him to Houston and he wants recommendations on where to eat. He is staying downtown. Hit it.

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The Problem With Texas Wine Makers

posted by Andrew Chalk | February 1st, 2011 12:47pm | filed under Andrew Chalk, Texas Wine | 20 Comments »

One thing I care that bother me about the wine industry is the unclear labeling of wine sold by Texas wineries. Some practices, which I will discuss below, undermine the credibility Texas wineries and hurt those who attempt to make wine from 100% Texas grapes. Educated buyers will steer clear of  a “Texas” wine if they suspect the wine was blended with grapes from elsewhere and only bottled and labeled in Texas.

The problem I see with Texas wine makers is that many of them lead you to believe their wine is made from Texas grapes when in fact it is not. Recently, I received a couple of bottles of wine for review that illustrate the problem. Take the 2008 Bending Branch Winery Petite Syrah, Shell Creek Vineyards. “Comfort, Texas” is printed on the front and back labels. The back label categorically states the winery’s Texas roots: “Bending Branch is a small family vineyard and winery operating on land first settled circa 1840.” This must be a Texas wine, right? Wrong. Look at the bottom right of the label–in small, thin type, are the words Paso Robles. Hmm. That’s in California.

Jump for the whole story. Continue reading "The Problem With Texas Wine Makers"

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Nature Report: Local Birds Need Fresh Water Today

posted by Nancy Nichols | February 1st, 2011 11:25am | filed under News for Twitchers!, Snow Days! | 6 Comments »

My yellow-throated warbler, Spike, needs your help.

If your birdbath is frozen, please de-ice it and fill with fresh water. Repeat as it freezes. Your backyard birds will thank you.

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Super Bowl and Food Events Canceled Today

posted by Nancy Nichols | February 1st, 2011 10:53am | filed under Restaurant News, Snow Days!, Super Bowl | 4 Comments »

Holy cow, my inbox if jammed with urgent e-mails about canceled events. I’m not going to sit here all day and list them all, but here are a few related to dining events. If you have an food event you must cancel, send it my way.

Or maybe I will just sit here all day. Anybody else staying home? If you have a topic to discuss, send it to me and we can chew the fat so to speak. I have lots of it to chew.

Events Canceled:

Robert Kacher wine tasting at Sigel’s Greenville Avenue store has been canceled due to the inclement weather. Rescheduled for Thursday, February 10th

GO TEXAN event with Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples is cancelled due to the weather.  Below is the news release on how to GO TEXAN at your Super Bowl party. Continue reading "Super Bowl and Food Events Canceled Today"

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Sam Sifton of New York Times Eats Dallas

posted by Nancy Nichols | February 1st, 2011 10:21am | filed under GO TEXAN, Local/Slow Food, Neighborhood restaurants, Restaurant News, Silly Reasons to Celebrate | 5 Comments »

I’m happy to report that some newspapers still have a budget! Last week, at the request of their sports department, the New York Times sent restaurant critic Sam Sifton to advance the local food scene. He did a fairly good job of flushing out a few out-of-the-way places. I was happy to read that Sifton connected with BBQ Snob, Daniel Vaughn. Here is Sifton’s piece. And his follow-up blog post. I have left a link to SideDish on the NYT blog, but doubt it will get past moderators. So read it and leave comments. I’m going to opening night party for the media tonight. I will direct all of them to this link. So, bundle up and let’s send them to taste the real Dallas/Fort Worth.

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