Articles for January 26th, 2012

What To Drink Now: Happy Australia Day

posted by Hayley Hamilton | January 26th, 2012 3:56pm | filed under Silly Reasons to Celebrate, Wine & Spirits |

The other day I was visiting with my dear friend Australian Chef, and D’s Best Caterer, Andrew Ormsby at his new breakfast and lunch spot in Cityplace, Kitchen D.  We were talking all things Aussie, mainly Australian Open tennis and today’s Australia Day, or Anniversary Day, celebrating the first settlement established in Australia in 1788. Celebrated annually on January 26 and marking the end of summer, Australia Day is filled with festivals, great food & wine, and sets the stage for the upcoming harvest of dozens of varietals that grow well throughout the country, with Shiraz at the forefront.  The great thing about many Aussie wines is that you can find tasty bottles in every price range, from a true value to high end greatness. Here are a few to consider while celebrating this Australia Day, or any day.  Some selections were sent for editorial consideration.
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Chinese New Year at Five Sixty by Wolfgang Puck

posted by Carol Shih | January 26th, 2012 3:08pm | filed under Chinese New Year, Food is art. Art is Food., Good Asian Grub, press trips, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

Golden pineapple sticky cake with gold-dusted chocolate talon

Last night, I schmoozed with some Dallas media people at Five Sixty by Wolfgang Puck for a complimentary sampling of its Chinese New Year’s menu. Big D foodies like Teresa Gubbins, Steven Doyle, Jennifer (RealPoshMom), and the nice lady from foodbitch (I swear you said your name was “Katie,” but your blog says “Rachel.”) busted out their phone cameras the second after Executive Chef Patton Robertson finished introducing each course. Photos of the five courses happily lodging inside my intestines have already been posted on several different blogs, so there’s no point rehashing all the deets. I’d just like to add this little bit: the lobster dumpling had a thicker skin than I’m used to, yet the golden pineapple sticky cake made the whole elevator ride up to Five Sixty completely worth it for someone with baby acrophobia.

Jump because you’re hungry and you know it.

Continue reading "Chinese New Year at Five Sixty by Wolfgang Puck"

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Soup’s On For The Stewpot

posted by Hayley Hamilton | January 26th, 2012 1:41pm | filed under Charity events, Chefs | 1 Comment »

Mushroom Soup by Chef Brian Luscher of The Grape

Tuesday afternoon several hundred ladies and gentleman who lunch, including Mayor and Mrs. Mike Rawlings, gathered to dine for a very worthy cause, the annual SOUP’S ON event benefiting The Stewpot and hosted by The Stewpot Alliance.  Led by 2011 SOUP’s On Chair Tonya Meier, and hosted by Lascaux Films Managing Partner/Producer Gary Cogill, formerly with WFAA-TV, the luncheon helps raise both awareness and funds for this 30+ year old organization.

The Stewpot was started in 1975 by The First Presbyterian Church in downtown Dallas to be a safe haven for people who have fallen on hard times, the homeless and at-risk individuals of Dallas who need a helping hand and a warm meal, which is generously provided along with resources for helping get them back on their feet.  Over the last 30+ years The Stewpot has also helped start new organizations of help for the community including Austin Street Center, Genesis Women’s Shelter, Interfaith Housing and The Bridge.  Today The Bridge serves between 1500-2000 warm meals to the homeless of Dallas each and every day. Continue reading "Soup’s On For The Stewpot"

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National Chicken Council Projects Sales of 25 Billion Wings in 2012. Richardson-Based Wingstop Expects to Pluck 5.6 Million.

posted by Nancy Nichols | January 26th, 2012 10:35am | filed under AgriBusiness, Cubicle Cuisine, Food Crime, News for Twitchers!, Politics of Food, Really?, restaurant business news, Rewritten Press Releases, Silly Reasons to Celebrate, Take-out, Wasted Calorie | 6 Comments »

I once made my opinion of the (worthless) honeydew melon very clear. Today I bring up the yucky chicken wing. They have never appealed to me but apparently I am in the minority. This morning comes word from the National Chicken Council: “More than 1.25 billion wings will be consumed during Super Bowl weekend (100 million pounds!), and, if they were laid end-to-end they would circle the circumference of the Earth – more than twice – a distance that would reach approximately a quarter of the way to the moon.”

My initial response is: if you can circle the earth twice, why don’t you just drop off a few million pounds in places where one chicken for a village causes more excitement than the Super Bowl.

My secondary response is actually a question: How many chickens does it take to make 25 billion chicken wings. Hah! You say: do the math dummy; one chicken has only two wings. But your assumption would be wrong. I turned to the Wing-onomics department (true!) at The National Chicken Council for an answer.

You’ll have to jump because you, like chickens, cannot fly.

Continue reading "National Chicken Council Projects Sales of 25 Billion Wings in 2012. Richardson-Based Wingstop Expects to Pluck 5.6 Million."

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Jeanine Stevens Presents: Dallas by Chocolate Tours

posted by Nancy Nichols | January 26th, 2012 10:00am | filed under Chocolate |

Local chocolate lover Jeanine Stevens conducts tours of chocolate destinations for other chocolate lovers. Sip wine and sample chocolate aboard her luxury bus as you discover Dallas’ premier chocolatiers, bakeries, cheesemakers and other artisanal specialty shops. The tours last about three hours and stops at places such as CocoAndre Chocolatier, Dude Sweet Chocolate in Oak Cliff, Dark Chocolate Bakery, Chocolate Angel in far north Dallas, Society Bakery on Greenville, and Scardello Artisan Cheese on Oak Lawn.

Dallas by Chocolate five Valentine’s Indulgence tours are sold out, but seats are still available on the Feb. 5, Feb. 12, Feb. 19, and Mar. 17 tours (1 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.). Tickets start at $25 per person. In addition to booking weekend and weekday tours for individuals through the her website, Stevens also does private chocolate tours and tastings for groups.