Articles for January 5th, 2012

Hopdoddy Burger Bar Headed to Preston Center in Dallas?

posted by Nancy Nichols | January 5th, 2012 2:48pm | filed under Burgers, I'm a rumor monger, Restaurant News | 12 Comments »

Rumor has it Hopdoddy Burger Bar from Austin just signed a lease in Preston Center for part of the 24-Hour Fitness space. Roll the buzzwords: all-natural, fresh, scratch, and crafted. The name was created to “express the perfect union of burgers and beer: handcrafted beer (hop) + (doddy), the nickname given to the native cow in Aberdeen, Scotland.”  How long before every neighborhood in town has their own gourmet burger bar? Not a bad trend. BTW, sweet potato tots are trending. I ate a whole order last night at Peggy Sue BBQ.

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Joel Harrington Lands Chef Job at Charlie Palmer at The Joule in Dallas

posted by Nancy Nichols | January 5th, 2012 1:08pm | filed under Celebrity Chefs, Restaurant News | 4 Comments »

When Joel Harrington turned in his notice at Stephan Pyles, he had plans to take a higher paying gig in Beaver Creek, Colorado. He was conflicted. Harrington has two young kids in Dallas and he wanted to stay, but the big bucks were hard to pass up. Hark! “I start tomorrow at Charlie Palmer and The Joule,” Harrington says. “I am officially executive sous chef of The Joule, but I am basically going to be executive chef of the restaurant when the renovation is complete.”  Fairy tales can come true!

UPDATE: This just in from the PR office at The Joule. “Official details for the executive chef will be released very soon.”

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This Way and DAT: The Mason Bar “Pre-Tasting Dinner” in Deep Ellum

posted by Nancy Nichols | January 5th, 2012 12:13pm | filed under Celebrity Chefs, Chef groupies, Chef's tasting, Easy Mark, Nutjobs, Openings/Closings, questionable behavior, Restaurant News, sales | 3 Comments »

Rat-a-tat-tat, here comes Chef DAT. The urchin of underground dining. However, it looks like Dah DAT will have a regular gig at The Mason Bar, the new restaurant in the groovy Masonic Lodge in Uptown Dallas, which is due to open soon. Developed by long-time Dallas entrepreneur Brandt (Trees, Green Room) Wood and the McFadden Group of New York City, the space is a “neighborhood bar with classic drinks and creative foods.”

Dah DAT is fixing a pre-tasting dinner on Friday, January 6. The “Deep Ellum arrival time” is 7PM. The (deep) six-course eclectic New Orleans-inspired tasting menu is $70 per person (plus-plus). This event is BYOB. But you must call Sir Wilkes for a seat: 214-680-5740. Absinthe butter is the new olive oil.

Oh, and one more thing about DAT. He’s offering you a chance to ride VIP. Here’s his crazy pitch:

We about to make our list 100% PRIVATE. Which means that YOU will be an exclusive member of our list and the only way for an outsider to join this exclusive list of amazing people will be to pay a membership fee of $25 to receive the emails and information for these events.

Whatch yáll think ‘bout DAT?

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Cork Wine Bar in West Village Gets New Owners

posted by Nancy Nichols | January 5th, 2012 11:28am | filed under Drinking, party, Restaurant News, Wine & Spirits | 12 Comments »

Pop a cork with Stephanie and Jeff.

Meet Stephanie and Jeff Rennells, the new owners of Cork Wine Bar in West Village. They haven’t changed the name but they’ve reworked the concept. It’s no longer a “try before you buy” shop, they’ve added tables and customers can order a tasting selection or grab their own and sit down to enjoy it. They’re trying to lure in a “whole new 30s crowd” in to try wine. Grand reopening party on January 20 with free wine, music, and nibbles.

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Sea Breeze Market & Grill in Plano Reopens

posted by Nancy Nichols | January 5th, 2012 11:05am | filed under fish, Restaurant News |

The facelift at Sea Breeze Market & Grill is complete. The dining room, seafood market, and bar have all been expanded and gussied up. And fishmonger Rick Oruch has a message to all of you from New England: he will offer whole belly clams on the menu January 19-22.

Brews News: Three New Microbreweries in Dallas

posted by Nancy Nichols | January 5th, 2012 10:25am | filed under beer, Brews News |

(clockwise from top left) DC9 and John Reardon and Drew Huerter. Photography by Joshua Martin.

Dallas is a little late to the microbrewery trend, but we’ve finally hopped on the beer brewing business with gusto. Now we have three—Peticolas Brewing Company, Lakewood Brewing Company, Deep Ellum Brewing Company–and each plan to produce 1,500 barrels in its first year. Check out this report written by David Hopkins with delicious photography by Joshua Martin.

It’s all right here.

The Stand Opens on McKinney Avenue in Dallas

posted by Nancy Nichols | January 5th, 2012 9:27am | filed under Openings/Closings, Restaurant News | 4 Comments »

Now you can have your food truck fix and permanent cover too. The Stand is a restaurant (truckaurant?) with a 1967 shiny silver Airstream parked inside. The food is “high-end classic American fare with a swanky twist” produced by chef Kellie Doyle, formerly of Bread Winners. She fixes Frito pies, sweet potato tater balls, a bacon-wrapped Nathan’s hot dog, mac and cheese, and chili. You can find The Stand sitting in the space formerly known as Rock n’ Taco on McKinney Avenue. Open until 3AM on weekends.

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What To Drink Now: Oregon Pinot Noir

posted by Hayley Hamilton | January 5th, 2012 9:15am | filed under Wine & Spirits | 5 Comments »

If a wine trip to Burgundy isn’t an option every year do the next best thing, take a trip to Willamette Valley to taste their earthy, elegant Pinot Noir.  Just a 40 minute drive outside of Portland the charming, casual Willamette Valley welcomes visitors with open arms to this destination with volcanic, mineral rich soils, days with hours and hours of sunlight opening with morning fog leading into afternoon heat, and hearty Pommard and Dijon clones creating beautiful, Burgundian style Pinot Noir.

My Portland native sweetie and I visited the region recently with some friends who had never been to Willamette before.  As much as we love the valley, we enjoyed this trip that much more given the opportunity to show friends unfamiliar with the wines and people of Willamette one of our favorite places.  Over three days we tasted through some of the best the valley had to offer.  Here are some of the best we experienced. Continue reading "What To Drink Now: Oregon Pinot Noir"

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