An Open Letter to Chef DAT

Posted on October 11th, 2011 3:06pm by Nancy Nichols
Filed under Bad Names For Restaurants List, Celebrity Chefs, Celebrity Diners, Cult Cuisine, Dancing, Drinking, Food is art. Art is Food., Hippie revolutions, Hole in the wall, I Went to College for This?, make mine a double, Nutjobs, Openings/Closings, questionable behavior, questionable judgment, Really?, Restaurant News, Rewritten Press Releases, Slow News Day, Steven Doyle, UpsideDown Restaurants, youthful spontaneous restaurants

Dear Chef DAT,

Who are you? I’ve been getting press releases from you for a long time but for the life of me I can’t remember meeting you. I do understand that you live underground and you cook a lot there as well, but do you ever actually come out during the day?

You talk funny. I mean, you write funny. You “sound” like you are totally hip and in with all of the IN people which explains a lot about our relationship. It’s so cool that you are throwing a birthday party for yourself on October 23! You must have lots of friends! Three LIVE bands, CAJUN food, and BYOB! Totally bitchin’. And Thursday, you only have 20 seats left for your super secret dinner in Deep Ellum. Have you done the math? Do you think you can get that many people under the ground in Deep Ellum? It must be so freakin’ dark, dude. Six courses for $66? That dinner is like so effin’ New Testament! And payable in “unmarked, untraceable cash only”? Brilliant.

Keep it up and maybe you’ll get your own restaurant one day. Oh, wait. My spirit is shaking. I’m getting an incoming subliminal message from, wait…oh…I can’t quite make out the voice, I can only hear pigs squealing. Oh, now  it’s clear. It’s  Steven Doyle LIVE from the State Fair. He says you have a “concept portfolio”  for a future restaurant called Twenty-Seven. Far out, it sounds so Satanic! Will you take American Express? Awesome. Keep us posted.

Good luck,

Nancy Nichols

43 comments

  1. Or, y’know, you could ask him instead of writing a snarky (read: lazy) post about him.

    @ 3:13 pm on October 11, 2011

  2. With apologies to @RuthBourdain for a moment I imagined a Twitter feed from @NancyDAT whereby a veteran local food journalist is mashed up with a hyper-buzzed local underground chef. Then again, maybe not.

    @ 3:16 pm on October 11, 2011

  3. Thanks Uncle Nancy for the giggle!

    @ 3:24 pm on October 11, 2011

  4. I have to agree with Nancy. His writing style actually turns me off from attending his dinners. He needs to have someone else write his copy.

    @ 3:27 pm on October 11, 2011

  5. More of these! I’ve been to one if his dinners. Kinda weird but fun. Lots of younger people. Nice guy.

    @ 3:49 pm on October 11, 2011

  6. @majority of people who receive his email – Majority of people who receive my emails come to the dinners and have a great time meeting other people! If you don’t like the way I write or talk then you’re probably boring and you should stay home and enjoy TV dinners. :)

    @ 3:51 pm on October 11, 2011

  7. He F’n rocks. Ahead of his time in Dallas. I’ll apologize for the uber conservatives in Dallas who have to have everything handed to them in black and white, new times roman font, water with lemon and a straw, missionary position, etc. etc. C’mon people. Rise up. Let loose. Have a drink. Drive on a 1/4 tank of gas. Carry cash. U might actually have a little fun.

    @ 3:51 pm on October 11, 2011

  8. to get on my horribly written email list go email us at dat@chefdat.com – thanks for the story Nancy (we met at Aurora and Spicer’s btw)

    @ 3:52 pm on October 11, 2011

  9. Awesome. Thanks for playing!

    @ 3:58 pm on October 11, 2011

  10. Love chef DAT! His dinners are a blast and his food is delicious. Love his emails too—clever and much more fun to read than a press release.

    @ 3:59 pm on October 11, 2011

  11. Still haven’t attended one of DAT’s dinners, but he is a good guy who loves food and is probably doing more to bring Hawaiian fish into Dallas than anyone we know.

    The one time he got seafood from TJ’s for a dinner he chose great product.

    And for those criticizing Nancy’s writing style on this post, it seems to me a brilliant way to get the word out about something buzzworthy without blindly endorsing it.

    And her “snarkiness” mimics the release itself.

    FAKE OUTRAGE OVER A BLOG POST. RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE!!!

    @ 4:02 pm on October 11, 2011

  12. #OccupySideDish

    @ 4:17 pm on October 11, 2011

  13. People in Dallas get fussy about having to pay w/ cash because most of the $30k milli’s in Dallas don’t have $150 in cash to pay for these dinners. Big inconvenience.

    @ 4:35 pm on October 11, 2011

  14. His dinners are amazing. And the man knows a cocktail! I feel lucky to be on that list.

    @ 4:43 pm on October 11, 2011

  15. Yo! Awesome DAT! Hawaiian fish dude is right on.

    @ 4:44 pm on October 11, 2011

  16. Rock em till they drop! See ya Thurs bro. Riot!

    @ 5:02 pm on October 11, 2011

  17. I met Chef DAT this summer during the Bastille on Bishop event. I have since been to many of his Underground dinners and I must say that they are “THE BOMB”!! This guy can cook!! It’s refreshing to find a chef that truly cares about where his ingredients come from and how he is going to prepare them. His menu’s are well thought out, the food is always great and the dinner crowd is a lot fun. I always look forward to his emails. They are a reflection of his personality! And I agree, if you don’t like his emails, you probably won’t like his dinners.

    @ 5:03 pm on October 11, 2011

  18. DAT is doing for food/dining in Dallas what so many others are trying to do with local music (not to mention he’s actually trying to incorporate *gasp* great local music). Grass-roots, community-building, no- pretention, butt-kicking, quality-first, good-times. Oh, and by the way, his food is amazing and he’s about the most genuinely nice guy you’re ever bound to meet. We’re lucky to have DAT in the Dallas food scene, and people that don’t get that are defining our local culture in a way I just don’t understand, nor want to.

    @ 5:13 pm on October 11, 2011

  19. DAT, I remember when you were talkin about doing underground dinners – thought you were crazy…now, most of my friends have been to them…You inspire me bro! Don’t let anyone steer you away from your dream…Go DAT Go!!!

    @ 5:21 pm on October 11, 2011

  20. Love me some Chef DAT! Off the wall and the man can cook.

    @ 5:25 pm on October 11, 2011

  21. erm, what? He has a restaurant concept?

    @ 5:41 pm on October 11, 2011

  22. Don’t let this beetch dumb you down bro. Stay hard!

    @ 5:48 pm on October 11, 2011

  23. David’s not going to take Nancy’s letter as an insult. She know’s how to joke and he know’s how to take one.

    I’ve eaten with David. I’ve been drinking with David. David has cooked for 30 people in my home. I think of him as a friend.

    He has a full share of talent, but he is, as most delicacies are, an acquired taste.

    @ 6:07 pm on October 11, 2011

  24. Nancy you rock! I want meet you. You are too funny. Keep up the good work!

    @ 11:37 pm on October 11, 2011

  25. What’s Steven Doyle doing at the State Fair?

    @ 8:35 am on October 12, 2011

  26. Chef DAT gives me gas

    @ 9:24 am on October 12, 2011

  27. @Andres: I am either judging prized sows or hosting chefs demos in the Creative Arts building each day.

    @ 9:31 am on October 12, 2011

  28. Been to one of the dinners. Great food. Never would have tried it elsewhere. And DAT is personable and friendly. Not a rick with a P like so many other “iconic” Dallas chefs.

    @ 9:38 am on October 12, 2011

  29. @DATSKI, the only way to get traction on this blog is to be associated with Tristan Simon or operate a food truck.

    Do one of those things and you will be treated more fairly.

    @ 9:50 am on October 12, 2011

  30. Who DAT?

    @ 9:59 am on October 12, 2011

  31. Oh, ouch Glenn. If you made better fried chicken we’d write about you. Datski got the riff and played along.

    Chris: rick with a p==genius

    jonfromtjs–to the head of the class.

    @ 10:01 am on October 12, 2011

  32. [...] An eagle-eyed cat that barks just informed me Sharon Hage is no longer the chef for the upcoming longest table dinner in the world, Outstanding in the Field.  Apparently Hage backed out and the organizers have added Jon Bonnell of Bonnell’s Fine Texas Cuisine. Anne Jones, of Latte Da Dairy, is still the host farmer. The $200 tickets to the October 19 FloMo event sold out months ago. I’ve been trying to reach Hage for a week. Guess she’s gone off the grid. Or maybe she’s underground. [...]

    @ 12:08 pm on October 12, 2011

  33. it’s a slow news day isn’t it Nancy?… have any of you downloaded “POP UP DINNER BLOCKER” yet?
    Dat’s just trying to scrape by and share the fun hoping to make that “connection”. He really wants his own restaurant but…
    needs to know it’s not a hasty process.
    Go get some chef schoolin’DATSKI and apprentice a year or two under a “Master Chef” before you expect to get any respect
    or investors. But go Dat go.

    @ 2:20 pm on October 12, 2011

  34. Beazlebub are you really from Artizone? I followed your link.

    @ 11:21 pm on October 12, 2011

  35. Jeanie… yes, I am a member/purveyor of the artizone online shopping community. Sorry the trail ran cold. Yours truly Rumpelstiltskin ooops, I mean…Beazlebulb ps: why does it matter?

    @ 2:17 pm on October 13, 2011

  36. Well then you must be Tom Spicer. I only wondered why you bashed Nancy about writing this. Your name is linked to Artizone. I think there was a lot of love and respect for DAT even in Nancy’s post. I met DAT at Spicers and he seemed like an alright guy. A little wacky in a gentle harmless way.

    @ 11:51 pm on October 13, 2011

  37. Much love to David for all that he does, not only for Artizone, but for all the other people/businesses in town whom he credits and shows support to.

    @ 10:37 am on October 14, 2011

  38. go on, do your thing DAT!

    @ 10:52 am on October 14, 2011

  39. Nancy… did I bash you? I think Jeanie’s hearing dog whistles. The FM 1410 has, and continues to give DAT whatever he needs to succeed (including a line of credit which he pay’s interest with some mighty fine potables)
    There’s nothing but fun and luv for DAT here.
    rotflmao

    @ 12:46 pm on October 14, 2011

  40. Is Spicer still in business? I thought they were turning that dump into a parking lot…..

    @ 2:19 pm on October 14, 2011

  41. [...] words, but I’ll give it a shot. Our favorite forager Tom “Spiceman” Spicer is teaming up with Chef David Anthony Temple (aka underground chefDAT) and Artizone.com to present “Dinner in the Garden.” The event, [...]

    @ 11:49 am on October 18, 2011

  42. [...] Well, he’s getting the press part. [...]

    @ 12:32 pm on October 19, 2011

  43. [...] Dinner. The (apparently) elusive chef DAT cooks up five courses with wine pairings in Tom Spicer’s private garden. Nancy has all the [...]

    @ 3:25 pm on October 24, 2011