2011 April 25 | SideDish

Articles for April 25th, 2011

What to Drink Now: Royal Wedding Cocktails

posted by Hayley Hamilton | April 25th, 2011 7:10pm | filed under cocktails, Events, Wine & Spirits | 4 Comments »

I have just spent 10 days in Ireland and Scotland and it was all about the big wedding day for Kate and William on Friday. If you are hosting a watching party for that morning….or utilizing the DVR for a watching party that night consider pouring one or more of these to help you hear wedding bells and put you in a blissful spirit.

For Kate, or Catherine as she prefers:

Kate’s Old New Borrowed Blue
2 oz. Tea-Infused Russian Standard Vodka*
0.25 oz Vermouth
6 blueberries
Rinse a chilled martini glass with vermouth. Combine tea-infused Russian Standard Vodka and ice in a shaker and strain into glass. Garnish with blueberries.
*For the vodka – Submerge two English Breakfast tea bags in a bottle of Russian Standard Vodka. Let sit overnight and serve. Continue reading "What to Drink Now: Royal Wedding Cocktails"

4 Comments »

Dallas Vegan and Beauty Bar Host Vegan Bake Sale to Benefit Japan

posted by Sarah Reiss | April 25th, 2011 1:03pm | filed under fundraiser, Vegetarian/Vegan | 1 Comment »

photo courtesy of Dallas Vegan.

eh-hem…

In coordination with the Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale, Dallas Vegan will be holding a vegan bake sale this Saturday, April 30th, from noon to 4 pm at Beauty Bar Dallas on Henderson Ave. Think whole pies, cupcakes, cookies, and donuts, in addition to gluten-free and raw options.

Proceeds will benefit Direct Relief International, an organization praised by Forbes magazine as being “100% efficient” in providing support for those in need. Through DRI’s Japan Relief and Recovery Fund, 100% of funds raised will be directed toward the Japan relief effort.

So, in addition to consuming mass quantities of cruelty-free goodies you’ll be helping a worthy cause. And your purchase of $20 or more includes a raffle ticket to be entered in a drawing for:

jump to see what you could win… Continue reading "Dallas Vegan and Beauty Bar Host Vegan Bake Sale to Benefit Japan"

1 Comment »

Pho Colonial Authentic Vietnamese Diner Open in North Dallas

posted by Nancy Nichols | April 25th, 2011 12:39pm | filed under Closings, Restaurant News | 1 Comment »

Remember Khanh Dao, the restaurateur behind Voltaire, Steel Restaurant and Lounge, and Draelion? She disappeared for a bit, but she’s back and opening two locations of Pho Colonial Authentic Vietnamese Diner. The first location on Frankfort and the Tollway is now open. The second location in The Wilson Building downtown is scheduled for mid-May. Full press release below. Continue reading "Pho Colonial Authentic Vietnamese Diner Open in North Dallas"

1 Comment »

Random Post: Red-Tailed Hawk Eats Critter

posted by Nancy Nichols | April 25th, 2011 12:11pm | filed under Hot Links!, News for Twitchers!, Ouiet Restaurants, Procrastination is part of the creative process | 4 Comments »

Ann Althouse is a law professor in Dearborn, Michigan. She writes a blog about politics and law. Yesterday a bird-watching Disher sent me a link to to her website. It’s a pretty amazing piece of video. A friend of Ann’s, armed with a video camera, spent a great deal of time filming a red-tailed hawk as it devoured some poor critter. I asked Ann if I could share the footage with the bird watchers of Dallas. She says there is quite a debate on the species of the dead critter. (h/t PK)

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Eating Lebanon: The Adventures of Chef Chad Houser, Randy Potts, and Chef Kamal Mouzawak

posted by Nancy Nichols | April 25th, 2011 11:37am | filed under Travel, Wine & Spirits | 2 Comments »

Yvan, Nayla, and Chad Houser. Nayla tells Chad the 5,000 year history of wine making in Lebanon.

Writer Randy Potts accompanied Parigi chef Chad Houser to Beruit to meet and eat with Kamal Mouzawak, who is referred to as the Alice Waters of the Middle East. For the past week, the threesome has been touring the area and scouting organic farms, artisan bakeries, and markets. You can read their previous reports here, here, and here. As I type, Chef Houser is cooking in the kitchen of Mouzawak’s restaurant Tawlet. Earlier this morning, Potts filed this report:

The Wines of Lebanon

Kamal graciously set us up with visits to three of the best wineries in Lebanon. instead of taking the usual tourist route and arriving in a bus, we were greeted as true guests and given personal tours by the proprietors, all three amazing in their own way.

Jump for the good stuff. Continue reading "Eating Lebanon: The Adventures of Chef Chad Houser, Randy Potts, and Chef Kamal Mouzawak"

2 Comments »

Dinner and a Movie This Wednesday in Plano

posted by Andrew Chalk | April 25th, 2011 9:30am | filed under Andrew Chalk, Chefs, Wine & Spirits |

The Dallas Wine and Food Festival starts on Wednesday this week at 6:30pm with dinner and a movie. Roll the press release..

Food and wine lovers always appreciate extraordinary dining experiences and wine and food pairings – once a year, we have the opportunity to add great cinema into the mix.

We are happy to announce the unique opportunity to present life as art: Today’s Special is the story of a talented chef in New York City who connected with his Indian roots and brought a restaurant to life.

Jump for details: Continue reading "Dinner and a Movie This Wednesday in Plano"

Special Report: Cupcake Camp Dallas Invades Royal Oaks Country Club

posted by Nancy Nichols | April 25th, 2011 9:00am | filed under Baking, Cult Cuisine, cupcakes, Events, Foodie People, Silly Reasons to Celebrate | 14 Comments »

Best In Show: Team cupcake from Asian Mint. Ploy Sukhamwang and Nikky Phinyawatana.

Our senior cupcake editor, Allison Hatfield, was on special assignment, so we sent the newest member of the SideDish staff, Daniel Walker, to cover the first Cupcake Camp Dallas. Little did I know he’s a cupcake freak as well. Sugar-rush copy to follow:

Nowadays, it seems like every new sweet food trend is touted as “the new cupcake.” The truth is, in my heart and stomach, that there is not anything that can ever replace a great cupcake. Nothing compares to the harmonious marriage of cake and frosting. I resisted jumping on the cupcake bandwagon when the craze for designer cupcakes began several years ago, but now I’m riding shotgun and I’ve got no intentions of giving up my seat. Sure, it’s a bit embarrassing when your wife’s new pet name for you is “Cupcake.” However, it’s an upgrade from “Sugar Buns.” Maybe cute at home, but a bit disturbing when she shouted it across a crowded restaurant.

This weekend, the Dallas cupcake scene was out in full force as the first ever Cupcake Camp Dallas descended upon our fair city. Professional and amateur bakeries from all over the area gathered at the Royal Oaks Country Club on Greenville Ave. and displayed over 4,000 cupcakes. Participants included Society Bakery, Asian Mint, Nothing Bundt Cakes, and the highly anticipated Trailercakes (sadly their sleek Airstream trailer had to stay home). Other bakeries, all new to me, brought their A-game to this cupcake convention: The Perfect Slice, Pure Bliss, Haute Mama Dessert Co., Cupcake FabuLous, Cupcakes2You, and Crazy Good Cupcakes.

Jump for a zillion pictures of cupcakes and those who love them. Continue reading "Special Report: Cupcake Camp Dallas Invades Royal Oaks Country Club"

14 Comments »