Articles for December 15th, 2011

Top Chef: Texas, Episode 7 Recap

posted by Nancy Nichols | December 15th, 2011 5:06pm | filed under Celebrity Chefs, Food On TV, Top Chef: Texas | 2 Comments »

Loren Means has a lot of different jobs here at D Magazine. Only one is writing the recaps of Top Chef: Texas. I thank her for her volunteer spirit. Now let’s get it on.

Episode 7 kicks off with twelve cheftestants remaining in the competition for the title of Top Chef. Technically there are still thirteen if we count Whitney who is still alive online in the Last Chance Kitchen (LCK). For now, let’s focus on the “Dirty Dozen” as they refer to themselves. Still in the running: my boy Paul, Grayson, Heather, Chris C., Chris J., Beverly, Lindsay, Dakota, Ty, Ed, Sarah and Nyesha. The episode takes place in Dallas at Le Cordon Bleu School of Culinary Arts. Is anyone else bored?

QUICKFIRE. Padma and guest judge Tim Love, chef/owner of Lonesome Dove in Fort Worth, greet the chefs in the kitchen. Lonesome Dove is known for serving fine game. The menu includes interesting dishes such as rabbit-rattlesnake sausage (guess I have to eat my words about never seeing rattlesnake on a restaurant menu in Texas) and kangaroo carpaccio “nachos.”

Game on. Continue reading "Top Chef: Texas, Episode 7 Recap"

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Snippet from Snooty Foodie: The Expansion of Nosh Euro Bistro

posted by Nancy Nichols | December 15th, 2011 3:14pm | filed under Restaurant News, Snooty Foodies | 6 Comments »

Risotto with shaved Perigord truffles.

Hey y’all, remember the Snooty Foodies? The dashing couple who dine out so much they had to take a break from their blog? Well, they’ve decided to dip their toes back into the blogosphere by sending in a snippet whenever they bloody well feel like it. That’s why we call them snooty. Plus they use “I” instead of “we.” Here, they go.

I like Nosh.  A lot.  These guys have bridged the culinary gap between a Houston’s (or Hillstone or whatever they call themselves this week) price point and a chef-driven fine dining restaurant. Quite the anomaly, at least in the Park Cities.  There are no gimmicks, no hooks, and no real defined concept other than just kicking out straight-up damn good food cooked by talented chefs. Speaking of chefs, partner Jon Stevens (Neighborhood Services, Jardineire, Ritz-Carlton San Fran) runs the show behind the stove. Sure, Avner Samuel is prominently mentioned in all the press releases, but in my 25 or so visits to Nosh, I’ve yet to see him in the kitchen. He and wife Celeste are content to hand out smiles and hugs in the front of the house and the formula seems to be working.

Stay with them. Continue reading "Snippet from Snooty Foodie: The Expansion of Nosh Euro Bistro"

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Joel Harrington to Leave Stephan Pyles

posted by Nancy Nichols | December 15th, 2011 12:46pm | filed under Celebrity Chefs, Restaurant News | 4 Comments »

Joel Harrington took the executive chef position at Stephan Pyles last April. Today comes word he has put in his notice. “Joel was offered a very good job in Colorado,” Pyles says. “It was strictly a financial decision for him. I couldn’t match the offer.”  Harrington has two young kids in Dallas and would prefer to find a job and stay here, but the deal in Beaver Creek may be hard for him to pass up. “It’s nothing personal,” Harrington says. “I got a great offer and I have to make a decision quick.” Right now Harrington is scheduled to leave Pyles’ kitchen at the end of the month.

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Good Asian Grub: Agha Juice in Carrollton

posted by Nancy Nichols | December 15th, 2011 11:00am | filed under Ethnic Food, Good Asian Grub, Restaurant News | 2 Comments »

Fresh sugar cane juice with lemon.

D Magazine intern Carol Shih prowls Dallas for the best Asian cuisine and also writes a blog about sandwiches.

On Fridays and Saturdays after the last prayers are said in Arabic, the Ismailis of Carrollton exit the holy halls of their Jamatkhana, file into cars that’ll take them across two minutes of roads, and greet each other again inside the Al Markaz shopping complex where they fill their empty stomachs with juice and samosas.

An elevator-sized shop, squeezed between a beauty parlor and cell phone store, bears the name AGHA JUICE and a colorful neon sign that indicates it’s open until midnight.

Before Agha Juice opened its doors in 2004, Kareem Valliani, the owner, discovered that his community was missing a dessert concept. “Back home in Karachi, after dinner we would go out and have dessert. There was no place here for the dessert that we enjoyed back home.” So he bought a small space next to the George Bush Turnpike and covered the walls with bright objects he’d bought in Karachi—objects that Pakistani parents could point out to their American-born children and say, “You see that toy truck? That’s what the trucks in Karachi look like.”

Continue reading "Good Asian Grub: Agha Juice in Carrollton"

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What’s Making My Season Bright…

posted by Daniel Walker | December 15th, 2011 10:51am | filed under Baking, cake, dessert, Diets are stupid, Eat This Now!, Junk Food | 1 Comment »

Hey folks, in case you didn’t know, it’s National Cupcake Day! And I don’t know about you, but I haven’t been this excited since National Bacon Day.  If you actually need a reason to go out and stuff yourself full of cake and frosting, now you have one.  And it’s totally un-American to ignore your national holidays.  Buy some cupcakes, you owe it to your country.

Jumpers. Continue reading "What’s Making My Season Bright…"

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First Look: Liberty Burger in Dallas

posted by Nancy Nichols | December 15th, 2011 9:50am | filed under Burgers, Openings/Closings, Restaurant News, Reviews | 8 Comments »

Onion rings at Liberty burger.

The gourmet burger trend in Dallas just keeps on rolling. Liberty Burger, a sleek new spot at Forest Ln. and Inwood Rd., is a burger joint with an eco ethos. “Without quality, there is no value” is their motto. They offer burgers made of all-natural chuck, brisket, and tenderloin meat; grass-fed bison without antibiotics, stimulants, or hormones; and an interesting veggie burger made with vegetables, chickpeas, grains, and seeds. Bread is custom, purveyors are mostly local, and the packaging is compostable. There is a huge live oak tree by the self-service menu. You have to hug it before they take your order.

Jump for photos and more words. Continue reading "First Look: Liberty Burger in Dallas"

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Hey Dallas Restaurants, Are You Open on New Year’s Day?

posted by Nancy Nichols | December 15th, 2011 9:24am | filed under Holidays | 10 Comments »

Gayl C. Hobbs, the Head Concierge at the Omni Dallas Hotel, asked me for a list of restaurants that will be open on New Year’s Day. I don’t have one. But that doesn’t mean we can’t make one for her. Okay, leave it below.

UPPITY DATE: NEW YEAR’S DAY IS January 1, 2012!

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