So many things can go wrong when you can’t see the difference between a fork and a knife. But, um, hopefully nothing like that CSI episode, “A La Cart,” will happen while you’re at dining in the dark at Opaque. Star chefs from Aloft Hotel will prepare a four-course prix fixe mystery menu that supposedly takes you through “a journey of taste, sound, and touch.” (Vegetarian/vegan menus are available upon request.)
Consider this the perfect opportunity for your friends to set you up on a blind date, especially if the guy or gal ends up having four arms or something.
Reserve tickets here.
April 13 and 14
Aloft Dallas Downtown
1033 Young Street, Dallas, TX 75202
On Paul Quinn College’s organic farm, some of Dallas’ top execuchefs will be preparing a beautiful dinner set outside where live music, evening stars, and the buds of organic fruit provide an excellent backdrop to their culinary creations.
Celebrate the farm’s accomplishments at “A Community Cooks,” and help raise money to support the farm’s fight against the food desert surrounding Paul Quinn College. Tickets are $75 each and can be purchased here. The event starts at 5 PM with a special ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the farm’s expansion.
Participating chefs include Jeff Harris from Bolsa, Janice Provost from Parigi, Tim Bevins from Craft, Tre Wilcox of Marquee, Jason Maddy from Oak, Matt McCallister from CampO/FT33, Jon Stevens from Nosh/Snack, Randall Copeland from Ava/Boulevardier, Central 214’s Graham Dodds, the Dallas Cowboys’ Orazio La Manna, Brent Hammer from Hibiscus, and more.
Jump for more info. Continue reading "A Community Cooks on April 19th"
What a road-tripping coincidence. Nancy and Carol are traveling, so I’m posting. Word comes from Jay Jerrier that the episode of Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives featuring Cane Rosso will air on the Food Network on April 30. Take it away, Jay:
Hey All – just got our air date from the Food Network…we’ll be on Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives on 4/30. We’ll for sure have some kind of watching party at Cane Rosso. They didn’t tell me the theme of the episode (overrated blowhards??) or what other restaurants will be on it…as soon as I know I will pass it on.
Three major events going on for the food trucks this week, in addition to what we told you about last week. First is Savor Dallas in the Arts District Friday evening, followed by City Solve Urban Race Saturday from 11am to 3pm in the Arts District. Several of the food trucks will be at Stonewall Jackson Elementary School (5828 E. Mockingbird) on Saturday from 11am to 3pm to support the schools garden program. Stonewall Gardens is an outdoor science lab that all the kids visit each week. Planned food trucks include: Nammi, Ruthie’s, 3 Lions, Easy Slider, Enticed, Gennarino’s, Cajun Tailgators, Ssahm, The Butcher’s Son, and TrailerCakes. There is a $5 entry fee for adults to raise money.
Wednesday Update: This week’s “Food Truck Experience” on Wednesday evening at Sigel’s Greenville has been cancelled. The food trucks are looking for new locations.
Jump for your schedule for the week. Remember, trucks change schedules, they move, and they run from bad weather. Continue reading "Your March 26 Food Truck Schedule"
2 Comments »We sent D Magazine intern Karley Osborn to eat lunch, and she came back with photos of these wrinkly friends.
This is a story about circus elephants who do lunch.
Jump for the circus. Continue reading "Eating Lunch with Elephants"
18 Comments »
It is always a great sign when there is a significant amount of fresh cilantro resting on the order counter-top and a handmade tortilla lays on the griddle.
There is no name for the taqueria inside Andy’s Food Mart at the Phillips station on Fitzhugh Avenue. There is no menu and hence no prices and there is very, very little English spoken here.
No one was in the kitchen, so I asked the mini mart cashier what’s available and was told beef and chicken fajita. A moment later a nice woman took my order and told me “no chicken.” Okay, how about four beef tacos then or do you have pastor? She shook her head yes and I ordered 2 beef and 2 pastor tacos on corn tortillas.
Jump for more. Continue reading "Gas Station Tacos: Andy’s Food Mart on Fitzhugh"
3 Comments »Last Summer, Dallas’ first legitimate food truck event brought well over 2000 people out in sweltering 108 degree temperature. They’re now pretty much old hat, with every event roping in 5+ food trucks to feed the expected masses. There are the charitable events as well, with the food truck owners often contributing in some form.
In general, the gatherings of 5+ food trucks works terrifically well when you have lots of people in your group. For example, last Wednesday, my family of 5 stopped at the “Food Truck Experience” at Sigel’s/Greenville. For 5 different people, we were easily able to get sliders, grilled cheese sandwich, and nachos for the kids from 3 different food trucks, and more upscale food from yet a different truck for the adults. We fed our family of five for under $40 for multiple options and much higher quality than we would ever find from fast food or “fast casual”.
There are lots of special events coming up soon, as well as weekly events where you can try out this new food segment in Dallas and Fort Worth. We don’t want to inundate you with an announcement of every single event coming up. We will include them in our Monday weekly “food truck schedule” as well as independently highlight those that serve an important cause in the Metroplex.
For now though, there are a couple of recurring events and some special events coming up to tell you about. Jump for more. Continue reading "Food Truck Events Sprouting Up All Over"
3 Comments »An artsy-fartsy reader wants to know where to go to eat oysters. I can’t help him. Hear his plea:
13 Comments »Just got Rob Walsh’s new book, Texas Eats, and I have a hankering for oysters. Who does them well in town? I’m just looking for a place that we know sources them from the Texas gulf (unless everyone does). Heck, maybe even if anyone does barbecue oysters or something interesting.
I know, I know, I know. I’ve been harping on you guys about voting for the Dallas’ best Food and Drinks for the past two weeks. I’m sure you’re tired of hearing me talk about it. Do me a favor and go vote right now because it’s the last day that our survey will be open. It’s Friday anyways, and we know you need a relaxing brain exercise to transition you into the weekend.
Tell us whose burger you most adore. Is it Jack Perkins’ fatty half-pounders or John Tesar’s Farmer burger with a fried duck egg and white Vermont cheese? Maybe you’re a sucker for Stackhouse’s double-loaded burger? Then vote here today. I promise I’ll stop bugging you about it starting…. now.
I have maintained several times that we are at an inflexion point in the reputation and prestige of Texas wines. This is not out of boosterism: I have driven out to about 50 Texas wineries in the past year and reported on only five (Duchman, Inwood Estates, Perissos, Sandstone Cellars and The Vineyard at Florence). Those five were the ones that were ‘aspirational,’ in that they both tried to make the best wine they could and showed significant progress. Extrapolating to the 200 wineries in the state, the aspirational category consists of about 20 wineries. Undoubtedly, those wineries are on their strongest ground when they use the grape varieties most suited to the Texas soil and climate. For white wine, there is something of a consensus now that that grape is Viognier.
Continue reading "The State of Viognier Wine In Texas"
10 Comments »Most definitely, yes.
George Lewis, our food truck guy, sent me on a mission to try out Good Karma Kitchen and The Munch Box, and I did my best to eat as much as I could. Here are my conquests.
Continue reading "Is Driving to the Fort Worth Food Park Worth Your Gas Money?"
7 Comments »
Dishers, where did you dine and what did you eat this week? Here is what you reported last week.
I attended the Café Momentum dinner at Dee Lincoln’s Tasting Room and Bubble Bar on Sunday night. From one perspective it was just like many other charity fund raisers that I have attended. Great chef – Juliard Ishizuka. Great wine – Oak Cliff Cellars. Great Hostess – Dee Lincoln. Great service, and great guests. Dig a little deeper, however, and you find that the beneficiaries of the Café Momentum program are actually working at the benefit in an occasion that is, for them, part of their training. Those beneficiaries are the young men in the Youth Village Resources of Dallas (YVRD), a juvenile residential facility with the goal of rehabilitating young offenders by providing them with the tools to gain employment when they have completed their programs.
Continue reading "Cafe Momentum Dinner at Dee Lincoln’s In Dallas"
Tiffany Derry, former Top Chef finalist, is hosting Cafe Momentum’s 10th pop-up dinner at Private | Social on April 29th at 6 PM. Cafe Momentum is a restaurant and culinary facility for at-risk youth who strive to reach their full potential.
Tickets are $100 and include wine pairings. Reserve your spot here starting at noon on Thursday, March 22. Read the rest of Derry’s bio below:
Texas native Derry began in the food industry when she was just 15 and competed in American Culinary Federation competitions to pay her way through the Art Institute of Houston. While completing her studies at AIH, Derry began working at Pesce Restaurant, where she advanced from garde manger to junior sous chef.
Shortly after graduating at the top of her class, Derry became the executive sous chef at Grotto Cucina Napolitano. Following a move to Dallas, she returned to the Art Institute as an instructor in the culinary school. In 2008, she became executive chef of Go Fish Ocean Club in Dallas.
Derry is best known as “fan favorite” on season 7 of Bravo’s Top Chef, where she made it to the final four. Her quiet confidence, warm Southern charm, and genuine natural ability in the kitchen made her a natural selection for season 8’s Top Chef All Stars, where she was again a finalist.
Gromer Jeffers Jr, a reporter for the Trail Blazers Blog at the Dallas Morning News, states the facts:
1. Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins is in the restaurant business. He owns a small stake in Mr. Mesero, an Uptown Mexican spot that opened late last year.
2. Dallas County Commissioner Elba Garcia, Jenkins’ Democratic ally on the commissioners court, also has an ownership stake, along with her husband, former state Rep. Domingo Garcia.
3. Jenkins said he was brought into the deal by Mico Rodriguez, who gave Dallas the popular Mi Cocina restaurants.
Nothing wrong with that. Gromer goes on to quote said judge: “We’ve got the best steak dish in town,” Jenkins boasted.
Whoa, judge! That is quite a ruling. Then Gromer points out: DMN dining diva, Leslie Brenner, gave the joint one star. If I were Gromer or Rodriguez, I would demand a retrial. I don’t know about the steak, but the food I’ve eaten at Mr. Mesero is four-star. Whoops, I don’t do stars. Therefore, I call on a jury of my peers.
If you haven’t voted already, there are two days left for you to redeem your shame. The Readers’ Choice poll for Best Restaurant and Bars will be open today and tomorrow only. And then, my friends, that is it for 2012. The website will give you a big, fat error message and you’ll have to sit patiently until 2013 to make a difference in Dallas dining. For those of you who’ve already voted and continue to vote, I give you my most heartfelt thanks. If it were possible, I would send you all buttons you can pin to your suits that say, “I VOTED TODAY” in red, white, and blue lettering. Unfortunately, I am not made of paper and plastics.
Edit: The survey for Best Nightlife (where most of the bar voting is) will be coming soon, so hold on to your mouse clickers.
1 Comment »Tonight I am going to do a dining review and I am going to tweet four pictures during the meal. You can follow along @DSideDish. If you guess where I am before I leave, you will win a prize.
3 Comments »
Jimmy John’s advertises that their delivery is Freaky Fast. See their blog at www.freakyfast.com. But does their desire to be freaky fast give their 20-something young man without a handicapped placard some freaky authorization to park in a handicapped parking place? The driver did dutifully leave his flashers on.
We’ve had our say about valet parkers before. How about delivery? Does anything go?
16 Comments »
The co-owners of Nosh Euro Bistro, Avner Samuel and Jon Stevens, are going out of their New American comfort zone and opening a restaurant that’ll feature cuisine from Thailand, India, the Middle East, Mexico, and more. SNACK Global Kitchen & Bar is taking over the former Horne & Dekker spot on 2323 N. Henderson Avenue and gutting it to create three different bar areas – one with cocktails, wine, and beer; the second will serve small hot plates; and the third “will feature a large wood-burning oven for made-to-order flatbreads and distinct hot dishes cooked in various vessels over the fire (40 seats total for all three drink and food bar areas).”
“SNACK will feature small plates with recipes from around the globe. The cocktails, wine and beer list will reflect and complement the globally influenced menu, while at the same time remaining at a low price per ticket average.” The menu will change frequently and two large blackboards, (5 ’x 8’) against the sidewalls of the restaurant,” says Samuel, “Whatever the market will bear that day will be on the menu.”
This joint is open nightly seven days a week and will provide brunch service on Saturdays and Sundays. The Kitchen is open until midnight, while the bar closes at 2 AM.