When I was first learning about and drinking wine I remember trying a Tempranillo from Rioja and thinking that was the wine of Spain. Yes, rather naive, like someone from Spain thinking all wine from the U.S. came from Napa, but at the time wine from Rioja was popular and easy to find, more so than some of the other regions in the country. Now, after years of tasting and enjoying wine from throughout the diverse wine regions of Spain I have learned that great Spanish wine reaches beyond that first glass of Rioja I enjoyed.
Winemakers from throughout Spain have recently been in town to meet with members of the wine trade to taste selections from Spain’s increasingly popular Priorat, Ribera Del Duero, Monstant, Penedes, La Mancha and Jerez regions. I was an invited guest to a few tastings. I also had a chance to visit the Priorat region on my recent media visit to the country. Here are some to look for if you are in the mood for a great Spanish wine.
Continue reading "What To Drink Now: Wine of Spain…Beyond Rioja"
4 Comments »Whirling dervish chef Avner Samuel and his sidekick chef Jon Stevens are ready to open Snack, their “street-food-inspired-low price-points-small-plates-daily-chalkboard-special restaurant on Henderson in the space formerly known as Horne & Dekker. (Whew!) There will be three bar areas: one with cocktails, wine and beer; the second is a raw bar, but also includes a charcuterie element and hot small plates; the third, features a large wood-burning oven for made-to-order flatbreads and distinct hot dishes. (Whew!) Listen up:
From the age-old market-squares and bazaars to today’s street food vendors, SNACK is the creation of a street-to-table inspired menu. The menu includes dinner items such as short rib tacos with pineapple habanero and cilantro crema ($8), pork shumai dumplings ($9), chicken shawarmas with cucumber tahini and pickled onion ($8), and smoked oysters escabeche served with wood oven toasted bread ($7). The brunch menu features items from a pan-fried egg sandwich with Serrano ham and avocado ($13), to a charcuterie flatbread with pan-fried egg, arugula and herbs ($14); and “street tacos” a la carte with a small assortment of sweeter entrees, like coconut griddle cakes ($11), to choose from.
Bizarre is right! Let’s see, Samuel-Stevens now oversee two locations of Nosh Euro Bistro, Snack, the transition of Bailey’s Prime Plus from steak joint to a chef-driven kitchen, and the addition of the lavish Aurora Room to BPP. My guess is Samuel and Stevens already have their paws on the menu at The Chesterfield. What? You hear there will be more Nosh Euro Bistros if this relationship lasts? Oh, glorious Dallas dining. Are you coming back to life or going crazy?
UPDATE: Snack will have it’s own valet parking.
Forgive me, forgive me. I am four days late with this news that I have known about for awhile. One of our SideDish photographers, Desiree Espada, is one of 10 recipients selected for the Dallas Museum of Art’s 2012 Awards to Artists. You have seen her work all over our blog (like here and here), but outside of SideDish, she also does some amazing collaborative work with her friend Kasumi Chow. The DMA recently announced on its website the winners, and the Observer picked up the story including some quotes from Desiree. I just have to share because I know Desiree is too humble to make a big deal out of this, but Nancy and I couldn’t be more proud!
6 Comments »I guess I brought the torture upon myself when I “liked” Flippin’ Out Crepes’ Facebook page a week ago. It all started when I caught sight of its mom’s triple chocolate bundt cake crepe with fresh raspberry sauce on my newsfeed on May 11. The crepe laid innocently in a plastic container, ready to be gorged down. Then, yesterday, a philly crepe with cheese bursting out from its sides made its photo debut on my homepage. Great. Thanks, Flippin’ Out. You’re making it really hard for me to heed Mark Bittman’s advice on consuming less meat. All I want is to bury my teeth in that brown glob of dead cow, let cheese dangle from the lips of my mouth, pat my balloon belly, and take a fat nap afterwards. Forget about work. The thing is, I was ready to ignore your tempting offerings and go back to my crepe-less life, but then you posted a breakfast crepe with fluffy egg and bacon about an hour ago. Why??? And how in the world did you know I was already thinking about you?
I think it’s time for me to dislike you on Facebook. It’s been a tough decision for me, but I’ve decided it’s best that we break up this newsfeed relationship for the sake of my sanity.
The dates for one of the area’s most interesting events is set. On August 12- 13, the Four Seasons Resort & Club Dallas at Las Colinas will host the 8th Annual Texas Sommelier Conference. The three-day conference includes educational sessions, wine tastings, and social media workshops. The 2011 TexSom conference featured the largest contingent of Master Sommeliers at a public event. This year should be no different. However, you don’t have to be any kind of sommelier to buy a seat. Some of the names you can rub shoulders with include:
Scheduled Master Sommeliers include James Tidwell, Drew Hendricks, Wayne Belding, Brett Zimmerman, Guy Stout, Tim Gaiser, Laura Williamson, Keith Goldston, Nate Ready, Melissa Monosoff, Brian Cronin, Cameron Douglas, John Szabo, Geoff Kruth, Laura DePasquale, Jay Fletcher, Andrew McNamara, Peter Neptune and Greg Harrington. The speaker lineup also includes James Beard Award Winners Rajat Parr and Paul Grieco, Master of wine Christy Canterbury, wine marketer Paul Wagner, Union Square Hospitality Group Wine Director John Ragan, and Leonetti Cellar Owner Chris Figgins.
The seminar topics, times, and various ticket prices are listed below. For more information or to register, click here. Like, fast. Continue reading "The 8th Annual Texas Sommelier Conference: Registration is Open!"
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