Articles for May 30th, 2012

TJ’s Seafood Market to Open a Second Location in the Shops at Highland Park

posted by Nancy Nichols | May 30th, 2012 5:24pm | filed under Openings/Closings, restaurant business news, Restaurant News, seafood | 13 Comments »

Jon Alexis: The Pied Piper of Seafood.

TJ’s Seafood Market, the fish-and-more-and-beyond shop in Preston Forest, is adding a second location next door to Julian Barsotti’s recently opened Carbone’s in the Shops at Highland Park. Jon Alexis, the king salmon of the family-run business says there will be no changes to the original market which has been open since 1989. The new space will offer daily specials of fresh seafood dishes and tables and chairs for 24 diners.  “For the last 3 years we’ve visited seafood markets from coast to coast and cherry picking our favorite ideas,” Alexis says. “We will operate like they do on the coasts:  If you ask for 2 servings of grilled Bay Of Fundy salmon, you’ll see the salmon taken out of the case and eat it (along with two sides) 10 min later.”

Alexis is out to break consumer’s assumptions that Monday’s fresh raw fish is Wednesday’s blue plate special. “At TJ’s, the fish case is the menu. You will get the same fresh fish served at the best chef-driven fine dining restaurants in Dallas,” Alexis said. “ We’ll prepare authentic, classic, “fish-driven” preparations: ceviches, sashimi, raw oysters, fish tacos, soups and stews, boiled and steamed shellfish,  and lots of regional, healthy fish.” And you can eat all of it in your flip flops.

“Italian markets and seafood markets are common neighbors in other cities,” Alexis said. “Julian and I are already discussing ways to partner and provide a truly unique shopping experience.” The opening date is targeted for Oct 1. The address is 4212 Oak Lawn Avenue.

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Eddie Cervantes to Open E Bar Tex-Mex on Haskell in Dallas

posted by Nancy Nichols | May 30th, 2012 2:31pm | filed under Openings/Closings, Restaurant News, Tex-Mex | 6 Comments »

I just caught up with Eddie (Primo’s and Hully & Mo) Cervantes. The veteran Dallas restaurateur is set to open E Bar Tex-Mex on Haskell in “two to three weeks.” It’s a small space: there is room for only two cooks in the kitchen, the interior seats 42, the patio seats another 44, and there are 16 more stools at the bar. “It’s nothing extravagant,” Cervantes says. “I just wanted to start over from scratch and have fun.” Cervantes is calling all of his old chef buddies who used to hang at Primo’s late at night. “Dean has been in and he loves it,” Cervantes said. “He says he’s gonna bring in all of his industry friends.” (1901 North Haskell Avenue)

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2012 Chefs of Summer Auction: Buy Your Tickets Now

posted by Carol Shih | May 30th, 2012 12:33pm | filed under Celebrity Chefs, Charity events, Events | 1 Comment »

Here’s what I like most about my job: spreading the word about organizations that support Dallas and put their blood, sweat, and tears into making our city a better place to live. The GDRA (Greater Dallas Restaurant Association) is holding a pop up fundraiser on Sunday, June 3, from 6 to 9 p.m. in order to raise money for over 30 high schools in the area that teach TXProStart, a two year culinary/hospitality arts program for students interested in culinary arts and restaurant management.

Teachers like Faye Blackmon from Duncanville High School have inspired countless kids to enter the restaurant industry, armed with knowledge and passion. I personally witnessed the kind of transformation these culinary programs have on our youth when I spent three hours at Duncanville High School, admiring these high school students’ skills as I watched them prepare complicated dishes for the ProStart competition.

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We Need a Felony Franks in Dallas

posted by Carol Shih | May 30th, 2012 10:32am | filed under Hole in the wall, Hot dogs are the new hamburger | 4 Comments »

It’s been a weird morning. I was listening to NPR this morning and jamming out to the show, “Marketplace,” when I heard about Felony Franks, this hot dog joint in Chicago where Jim Andrews, the owner, hires ex-inmates and gives them a chance in the restaurant business. The menu is prison-themed with names like “Misdemeanor Weiner” and “Convicted Chili Fries” that don’t hide Andrews’ mission to help out his community in a non-traditional way. I walked out of my car, still thinking about what I’d just heard on NPR when I ran into a friend who told me about her crazy mugging story in New York City. The guy who stole her cell phone was sentenced to jail for three months after the cops found him.

Why don’t we have something like this in Dallas? I can see why some critics don’t find the concept cute, but it’s hard to deny the fact that Felony Franks is still doing the community a lot of good. Check out this WSJ vid:


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Save the Date: Dallas Chocolate Conference and Festival 2012

posted by Nancy Nichols | May 30th, 2012 9:05am | filed under Chocolate |

Sander Wolf of DallasChocolate.org has booked the Addison Conference Centre on September 29 for the Third Annual DallasChocolate.org Chocolate Conference & Festival.  Wolf says he’s booked over a dozen chocolate makers and chocolatiers to participate in the day-long celebration of chocolate. So far they are:

Tejas Chocolate (Houston), Rogue Chocolatier (Boston), and Dallas chocolatiers Chocolate Secrets, Wiseman House, Dr. Sue’s Chocolate, Oh Brownie, The Dark Chocolate Bakery, Pure Chocolate Desserts by Zach, Toffee Treats, Elegantly Chocolate, Collin College, and Sublime Chocolate.

There are two components to The Chocolate Conference & Festival 2012: sampling chocolate and learning about it from classes taught by experts. The day begins with a Chocolatierʼs Roundtable, a free-flowing discussion with all participating local chocolatiers. Stay tuned. More to come.