Articles for August 23rd, 2011

25th Annual Cakebread American Harvest Workshop Celebration

posted by Hayley Hamilton | August 23rd, 2011 3:53pm | filed under Celebrity Chefs, Events, Wine & Spirits, Wine Pairing | 2 Comments »


The past few days have been a filled with roaring laughter, rousing toasts, intense cooking, celebrated camaraderie, joyful reminiscing and at the very core, great food from some of the brightest chefs in American and abroad paired with stellar Cakebread Cellars wine.

The 25th Anniversary of The American Harvest Workshop brought 50 out of the 115 total chefs that have participated over the past 25 years back to the Cakebread Cellars Winery in Napa Valley to cook in their tiny kitchen with local ingredients found throughout the region, like Cowgirl Creamery cheese, Hog Island Oysters and Rancho Gordo beans, along with Texas meat company, Broken Arrow Ranch, who have also been a part of the workshop since its first year back in 1987. Continue reading "25th Annual Cakebread American Harvest Workshop Celebration"

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What Would Happen if Women Opened Restaurants With Male Body Parts as Themes

posted by Nancy Nichols | August 23rd, 2011 2:12pm | filed under Bad Names For Restaurants List, Best Gay Hangout Restaurant Evah!, breastaurants, Bring it!, Cheap trick for comments, ChirpyChirpy, cupcakes, Dog Friendly, Drinking, Goats!, Hole in the wall, hostess gifts, I Went to College for This?, I'm about to get fired, Keep Dallas Douchey!, Merguez Sausage Hunt, Murmur, Newfangled condiments, Not-so-skinny bitches, Nutjobs, Overprivileged chimps, Procrastination is part of the creative process, questionable judgment, Rants, restaurant business news, RudeDudes, Silly Reasons to Celebrate, Slow News Day, Spicy foods, youthful spontaneous restaurants, Yum is Dumb | 53 Comments »

‘Scuse me while I saddle up my high horse. Am I the only woman who is concerned about the sudden surge in Breastaurants. I mean really 35 additional Twin Peaks? A bar opening in downtown called The Spread Eagle? Seriously boys? How would you like to take your daughter into one of the restaurant’s the gals in our office just conceptualized. We call them Peteries.

Hunky Town, Twin Pricks, Tooter’s, Pecker’s Hot Italian Sausage, Tube Steak Junction, Cake Balls to the Walls, Nuts and Butts, Quickies, Long Dong Silver, Tally Whacker’s, Love Mussels, Wee Willie’s, Twig and Berries.

Ladies, the floor is open.

53 Comments »

Support Lena Pope Home with Cadillac

posted by Mary Burford | August 23rd, 2011 2:10pm | filed under Sponsored Post

In August, you can be philanthropic simply by indulging your inner foodie. A portion of the proceeds from KRLD Restaurant Week will help support Lena Pope Home. The mission of Lena Pope Home is to help create a future of hope, happiness, and success for children and families in Tarrant County. The nonprofit organization provides a wide range of services including family preservation, counseling, and alternative education. You can make an impact on someone’s life during KRLD Restaurant Week. Or to learn how you can help Lena Pope Home all year long, visit lenapopehome.org.


Sponsored Post. Please support our advertisers.

Hooters Execs Jump Ship to Expand the Addison-based Twin Peaks Breastaurant Brand

posted by Sarah Reiss | August 23rd, 2011 1:14pm | filed under breastaurants, Bureaucratic red tape, Openings/Closings, restaurant business news, Restaurant News | 9 Comments »

Execs ink the deal surrounded by their winning assets. (Photo courtesy of Twin Peaks)

Intern Harrison Smith attended a press conference this morning during which it was announced that a thundering herd of Hooters execs will be leaving Boob City (Hooters) for the rapidly expanding Breastville (Twin Peaks). Read on for his straight-from-the-press-conference-floor business tidbit:

An investment group led by Coby Brooks, who served as president and CEO at Hooters of America LLC from 2003 until last month, has signed a series of development agreements to open 35 new Twin Peaks restaurants over the next 10 years. Twin Peaks, an Addison-based restaurant franchise operating under Front Burner LLC, currently has 15 locations in five states. Six more are slated to open this year.

Four other former Hooters executives will join him in his La Cina Restaurants franchise group: Joe Hummel, former executive vice president of operations and purchasing; Roger Gondek, former vice president of company store operations; Clay Mingus, former vice president and general counsel; and Jim Tessmer, former vice president and controller. All four resigned from Hooters of America last month due to a frustration with the way things were handled at the company, Brooks says.

jump for more… Continue reading "Hooters Execs Jump Ship to Expand the Addison-based Twin Peaks Breastaurant Brand"

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Nine Things To Know About Dallas’ Best Bartender, Danny Versfelt

posted by Courtney Egelston | August 23rd, 2011 12:37pm | filed under Bars, best of big d, Drinking, Gifts | 10 Comments »

The best bartender in Dallas. Photo by Courtney Egelston.

When D named this year’s best bartender in Dallas, we didn’t judge based on who could mix up a drink the fastest or who amazed us with Tom Cruise in Cocktail style tricks. We said Danny Versfelt was the best in town because he’s the kind of guy who will get to know you, beyond just what you’re drinking. Since Danny V. gets to know so many of you, we thought you ought to know some things about him, beyond just how well he prepares your drink.

Where you’ll find him
Al Biernat’s on Oak Lawn. He’ll be behind the bar every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night starting at 4 p.m. and Wednesday during the day. Picture what you think a friendly Irish Catholic guy with some 25 years of Dallas bartending experience would look like and that’s him. Or just look at his photo.

His bartending mantra is…
That the bartender is the host of the party. Someone told it to him in his second year of bartending and it’s stuck in his head ever since. As the host, he’s got to make sure everyone feels welcome and satisfied. He circulates, making conversation and filling glasses, not for patrons, but for guests.

He’s got more to say.

Continue reading "Nine Things To Know About Dallas’ Best Bartender, Danny Versfelt"

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Inside Swig & The Gin Mill on Henderson Ave.

posted by Sarah Reiss | August 23rd, 2011 12:14pm | filed under Bars |

Lovely Kellyn Curtis over at The Feast got a hard-hat tour of the soon-to-open Swig (formerly Park) and The Gin Mill (formerly Bar Celine) on Henderson Ave. Check it:

View more videos at: http://www.thefeast.com.

Hotter Than Hell Margarita Meltdown—Now That’s What I Call Community Spirit

posted by Sarah Reiss | August 23rd, 2011 12:06pm | filed under cocktails, Contests, Drinking, Events, I Went to College for This?, Kosher, Labor Day, Mexican Revolution, Mixology is fancy for bartender, mob scenes | 3 Comments »

Alma‘s execuchef Anastacia Quinones tipped us off to an event that she (rightly) assumed would be right up our alley. On Sept. 4, from 6 to 10 pm, the Bishop Arts District plays host to the Hotter than Hell Margarita Meltdown, a block-party-style competition for bragging rights to the best margarita in Dallas. Restaurants from all over town will be on hand mixing up their finest agave fare. Hacienda on Henderson, Neighborhood Services Tavern, and Alma will be mixing it up in honor of Henderson Ave. Maximo from North Dallas will be on-hand defending their title. Wild Salsa, Iron Cactus, and Ten Sports Grill make up the Downtown Dallas contingent. Bolsa, Smoke, Nova, Mesa, and Veracruz Cafe will show up representing Oak Cliff. Finally, Sfuzzi from Uptown/Las Colinas will shake it up bi-partisan-style.

Here’s how it’s going to go down:

All participants will be required to make 1 specialty margarita at least 50 times. All contestants will be judged by the public. A total of $1000 will be awarded. $500 for 1st place, $300 for 2nd, and $200 for 3rd place to the bartender with the most votes. Join us for $20 per person to taste and vote for your favorite margarita meltdown. You get a wrist band to taste each entry and a chip to vote for your favorite one.

Just be sure to save some money for cab fare. This one sounds like a humdinger.

To learn more, visit the Dallas Margarita Fest website.

3 Comments »

If You Could Eat Anything in the World, What Would You Eat Right Now

posted by Nancy Nichols | August 23rd, 2011 11:06am | filed under Cheap trick for comments, Slow News Day | 25 Comments »

Like I said, it’s a slow news day. But I was gTalking with a friend of mine and she and I were fantasizing about what we would eat if we could eat anything we wanted right now. I’m still looking for a Hatch chile cheeseburger. She’s jonsing for mojito sorbet. You?

25 Comments »

Brews News: Lips of Faith Pairing Dinner With Beer Expert Lauren Salazar at Meddlesome Moth

posted by Sarah Reiss | August 23rd, 2011 10:28am | filed under beer, beer pairings, Brews News, Chef's tasting, Cult Cuisine, Diets are stupid, food pairings, Foodie People, hold on to your effin hat, menus |

On Monday, Sept. 12 at 6 pm, Lauren Salazar, sensory specialist and educator for New Belgium Brewery, will be at Meddlesome Moth for a night of rare beers, delicious food pairings, and entertaining discourse on New Belgium’s rare Lips of Faith series of ales. Lauren has been with New Belgium for close to 15 years and has been instrumental in developing their Lips of Faith beer program, which focuses on beer experimentation, smaller batch limited releases, special barrel-aged releases, and a combination of old world brewing techniques meeting new world imagination.

Each course will be paired with a beer selection from her prized cellar and will include:

jump for the menu… Continue reading "Brews News: Lips of Faith Pairing Dinner With Beer Expert Lauren Salazar at Meddlesome Moth"

Company Café Says “No Comment” to Second Location

posted by Nancy Nichols | August 23rd, 2011 9:56am | filed under Breakfast, Bring it!, Cult Cuisine, I Hate it When That Happens, Keep Dallas Douchey!, questionable judgment, Restaurant News | 2 Comments »

The Deep Bowl at Company Cafe is delicious.

Late yesterday afternoon Steven “ubiquitous” Doyle sent me a link to a post he wrote about Company Café. He wanted me to link to it. Here’s a clip:

We spoke to Stephen White today, owner of Company Café, the relatively new restaurant on lower Greenville Avenue that brings to its clientele fresh, gluten free food with an organic twist, and he confirmed what we had heard about his new location which has broken ground across from the Katy Trail Ice House at 3136 Routh Street in Uptown Dallas.

I just called the restaurant and they quickly jumped to “no comment” when I asked about the move. The dude on the phone didn’t sound too happy. “No deals finalized. I’m not allowed to comment on this.” Curious. However, I just reached White and he says “it’s months away but we have city approval.” He didn’t sound too happy.

2 Comments »

You Can’t Hide From SceneTap App

posted by Nancy Nichols | August 23rd, 2011 9:30am | filed under Copy/Paste Press Release, Drinking, flying solo, Keep Dallas Douchey!, Merguez Sausage Hunt, Murmur, Procrastination is part of the creative process, questionable judgment, Really?, Travel | 2 Comments »

Just when I think I’m pretty hip to high tech I get a press release that blows my mind.

Here is a sample from one:

When tourists and travellers arrive in a new city, one of the first things they often look for is a place to grab a bite or get a good drink. Now, if they want to know where to find their favorite bar scene before they head out, they can turn to SceneTap, which shows the following in real time:

·         Number of people in the bar

·         Male-to-female ratio

·         Average age of patrons in the bar

·         Food and drink specials

SceneTap is a free app for iPhone, Android and the Web, and it gathers this information anonymously using facial detection cameras and “people-counting” technologies in participating bars.The app launched in Chicago in July and is expanding its network to a number of other major cities soon. More than 250 bars around the U.S. have signed up so far.

Here’s a stupid question. Is this a good thing or a bad thing?

2 Comments »

Week Two: 2011 KRLD Restaurant Week Reader Reviews

posted by Nancy Nichols | August 23rd, 2011 9:00am | filed under KRLD RESTAURANT WEEK 2011 |

Okay Dishers, we have rounded the first corner and headed into the straightaway of week two of 2011 KRLD Restaurant Week. Comments are open and operators are standing by ready to take your opinions. GO, EAT, REPORT! Take pictures of the best servers and email the photos to me!