Articles for May 24th, 2012

All Hell Breaks Loose: Chef Kyla Phomsavanh Kicked Out of Thairiffic, His Family’s Restaurant

posted by Carol Shih | May 24th, 2012 2:40pm | filed under Breaking News, questionable behavior, Restaurant News, Thai | 38 Comments »

Thairrific, a restaurant which was opened in 2001 by Kyla Phomsavanh’s parents, is now at the center of major drama. On its website, ex-Thairrific Chef Kyla Phomsavanh writes:

For our loyal customers, Chef Kyla (myself) and Family (Original owners that started and built Thairrific 10 years ago) would like to thank you for coming to Thairrific.

However, due to changes internally.

My Family, Wonderful Wait Staff, and my loyal Cooks will no longer be present at Cedars Springs.


Phomsavanh was running the family-owned business until longtime regular customer Daniel Sikora bought the restaurant with his company, Crucial Pickles LLC, in December 2010. Sikora played the role of an investor and handled the marketing side, while Phomsavanh managed and cooked. All was going well until six months after Thairrific moved to its current Cedar Springs location. On May 2,  (what Phomsavanh thought would be) a negotiations meeting turned into a private ousting.

Jump for it.

Continue reading "All Hell Breaks Loose: Chef Kyla Phomsavanh Kicked Out of Thairiffic, His Family’s Restaurant"

38 Comments »

Live at Five at Galleria Dallas with Duo Montuno

posted by Loren Means | May 24th, 2012 2:00pm | filed under Sponsored Post

This is a sponsored post.

Celebrate summer tonight at Galleria Dallas! The most stylish crowd in North Texas will be enjoying live music and lively cocktails at Live at Five, the spectacular live music series at Galleria Dallas.  Tonight, Duo Montuno will take the stage.  Their Latin rhythms are sure to create a fun party for everyone! Continue reading "Live at Five at Galleria Dallas with Duo Montuno"

Private|Social is Offering Special Classes and Dinners Over the Summer

posted by Carol Shih | May 24th, 2012 1:35pm | filed under Sing Along Press Releases, Sing-Alongs |

photography by Kevin Marple Hunter

Private|Social is spicing things up this summer with a couple of events you guys might find interesting. Execuchef T. Derry is teaching some mixology classes along with Rocco Milano. She’s also inviting some celebrity chefs like Kevin Sbraga, Angelo Sosa, and Carla Hall from her good ‘ole days as a Top Chef contestant to co-host special dinners.

The dinners are $125 per person for 4-5 courses. Cooking classes are $80, mixology classes are $25, but if you pair the cooking with mixology class together, you can save five bucks and only pay $100. Good deal.

Jump because you like press releases as much as I do. /s/

Continue reading "Private|Social is Offering Special Classes and Dinners Over the Summer"

Farm to Market Report: Weekend of May 26-27

posted by Carol Shih | May 24th, 2012 11:15am | filed under Farm to Market Report, Go local | 1 Comment »

Erin Ahlfinger posing like a tiger, under my direction. (photo by Matt Shelley)

We’re starting a new blog series to help you farmers market shoppers know exactly when and where to get the freshest produce around town. Erin Ahlfinger, a former D Custom intern, is now officially our slave, er, I mean.. contributor. She’s probably the nicest person you’ll ever meet, and she also happens to be a farmers market fanatic. Expect to see her market report every Thursday morning from now on. Here’s what she has to say about this weekend:

Celebration Farmers Market is one of the newer markets around town, but they’re off to a great start.  Their farmers offer red and green tomatoes for those who like to fry the green ones. Mozzarella Company will be selling a few of their cheeses made by hand right here in Deep Ellum. For the first time this week, Circle L Barbecue Sauce will be there to take care of all your Memorial Day grilling needs.

4515 W. Lovers Ln.
Saturday, 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Coppell Farmers Market: Berries are in this week and their season is short. Get ‘em while they’re plump and juicy (I like to freeze a few extra pints and throw them into smoothies later). The wide variety of produce includes several types of radishes, tart green plums, and fresh herbs. Some produce is organic, some is conventional. The farmers are always happy to differentiate.  Tickets to the Farm to Table Dinner are now on sale at the main tent.

793 S. Coppell Rd.
Saturday, 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Jump for more markets.

Continue reading "Farm to Market Report: Weekend of May 26-27"

1 Comment »

I’ve Seen the Future of Food Writing and I Want My Mommy

posted by Nancy Nichols | May 24th, 2012 10:51am | filed under Food Writing | 25 Comments »
drinking wine out of a baby bottle, Paris, France
Not me. This travel blog photo’s source is TravelPod page: Pariiii

Last month, we discussed the future of food writing and contributing to print pubs in general. In general we summarized:

Publications are shrinking. There are fewer jobs in the publishing business, not just food writing. We hear from people everyday looking for work as editors, art designers, and free lancers. Interns taking journalism classes still spend time in our offices, but instead of gathering “clips” from the magazine, they turn in blog posts for college credit.

I bring the subject up again because I received a disturbing email geared towards the “promotion” of restaurants on blogs. Jump for it.

Continue reading "I’ve Seen the Future of Food Writing and I Want My Mommy"

25 Comments »

Hypnotic Donuts is Staying Up Late for Dallas Donut Lovers

posted by Daniel Walker | May 24th, 2012 10:30am | filed under Breakfast, Diets are stupid, donuts, Eat This Now! |

(lovingly ripped from Hypnotic Donut's Facebook page)

This Friday night, Dallas will have its first opportunity to curb the late-night donut munchies at Hypnotic Donuts.  Currently, good late night donut options are, well, essentially nonexistent, but Hypnotic is hoping to change all that.

Owner and donut-debonair, James St. Peter, has been wanting to provide late night donuts for some time now, and I, for one, whole-heartedly support this decision. For now, St. Peter and the crew are in donuts-for-dinner trial mode and will see how things pan out beginning this weekend before making permanent plans.

Continue reading "Hypnotic Donuts is Staying Up Late for Dallas Donut Lovers"

Eat Cupcakes for Charity at Cupcake Camp Dallas 2012

posted by Daniel Walker | May 24th, 2012 10:00am | filed under Baking, cake, Charity events, cupcakes, Eat This Now! | 3 Comments »

Attention all sugar junkies, prepare yourselves for Dallas’ biggest bake sale of the year, Cupcake Camp Dallas is back and bigger than ever. This year’s event will see over 25 professional bakeries and 19 amateurs all donating more than 7,500 cupcakes for charity. The event benefits the LEAP foundation, a non-profit organization composed of volunteer physicians and support staff who provide free surgical care to children and adults with deformities.

This year’s event is being held on June 2nd at St. Mark’s School of Texas (10600 Preston Rd, Dallas) from 1-4 PM.  Tickets can be purchased online or at the door.

Many well-known Dallas bakeries, including Society Bakery, Dimples, Trailercakes, and Tart Bakery will be in attendance, but this is also a wonderful opportunity to taste of the talents of many excellent bakers from all around the Dallas area that you may be less familiar with. A full list of bakers can be seen here.

Last year’s event was such a huge success, the camp is expecting to double its attendance this year.  We’ll have a full report of the camp for you here at SideDish after the event, but trust me, this is one eat-a-thon you will not want to simply admire through the glowing pixels of your computer monitor.

3 Comments »

Chalk Talk: Checking Out the Wine List at Oceanaire Seafood Room and Notes From a Tasting of CVNE Wines

posted by Andrew Chalk | May 24th, 2012 9:49am | filed under Andrew Chalk, seafood, Texas Wine, Wine & Spirits, Wine Pairing |

2010 Cune Monopole, Rioja, Spain

Anyone familiar with CVNE knows the name stands for Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España. Those who don’t are confused as to how to pronounce the famous Rioja which has belonged to direct descendants of Real de Asua family since 1879.

This week, North American Sales Director and family member by marriage, Sam Ferraro, was The Oceanaire Seafood Room in Dallas to talk about the wine. The name has been altered to read Cune on the page. The winery, in the spirit of rather being rich than dead, embraced it (you can do that if your product overtakes the historical memories). Ferraro has increased US sales by over 700% in his first year on the job: From 2,000 cases in 2010 to 15,000 cases in 2011 (still relative peanuts in the largest wine market in the world) but he sees this as only his first step. Ferraro told us the story of how he entered the wine market. It’s a classic. Continue reading "Chalk Talk: Checking Out the Wine List at Oceanaire Seafood Room and Notes From a Tasting of CVNE Wines"

What To Drink Now: Memorial Day Refreshers

posted by Hayley Hamilton | May 24th, 2012 8:14am | filed under cocktails, Holidays, Wine & Spirits | 2 Comments »

Patios and plunge pools are on the agenda for many this weekend, and what goes better with a long weekend in the sunshine than an incredibly refreshing cocktail.  Here are a few to consider sipping this holiday weekend, they are guaranteed to cool you off on what is sure to be a hot Memorial Day.  A few selections were sent for editorial consideration.

I have become a rum drinker, sipping Brugal Extra Viejo and either soda or diet ginger ale with a squeeze of lime instead of my previous go to of vodka and soda.  The Golden Mojito with Brugal Anejo takes this to the next level with fresh mint and a bit of simple syrup.

Golden Mojito
50 ml Brugal Anejo Rum
15 ml sugar syrup (equal parts sugar and water, heated until the sugar dissolves)
2 lime wedges
a few mint leaves
Ginger ale
Directions – Add the mint and lime to a shaker and muddle together.  Add the rum, sugar syrup and ice and shake until very cold.  Strain into an ice filled highball glass. Top with ginger ale and garnish with extra mint leaves. Continue reading "What To Drink Now: Memorial Day Refreshers"

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