Articles for June, 2012
Pyramid Restaurant and Bar Introduces Their Summer Menu
Foie gras torchon with apricots, marmalade, pickled blackberries, brioche (photos by Melisa Oporto)
I know summer has arrived when the temperature goes higher than my IQ and restaurants announce their summer menus. This week, one of my favorites, The Pyramid Restaurant and Bar at The Fairmont Dallas, held a media event to showcase their summer menu and I was fortunate to be among the guests.
Many local restaurants are creating summer menus with an emphasis on the abundance of local produce. However, The Fairmont holds an advantage over other restaurants because they have a large and extensive garden on the hotel’s rooftop. You can actually go up to the sixth floor and walk past the beds where the plants grow. At the dinner, execuchef André Natera exploited this advantage right out of the starting gate. He picked the blackberries that he included in his amuse-bouche, of grilled apricot, foie gras torchon with apricot marmalade, pickled blackberry, and brioche.
Continue reading "Pyramid Restaurant and Bar Introduces Their Summer Menu"
Whataburger Reveals New Low-Calorie Menu, Whatever That Means
Flickr
I guess Whataburger is tired of contributing to America’s obesity problem, because starting on Monday, July 2 at 3 p.m., its new menu design is going into effect. Yet don’t listen to the PR mumbojumbo and be fooled by this new 550 Calories or Less section since Whataburger’s really just re-arranging its old offerings to look new. You know how some thrifty people can take their old clothes, dress it up, and make it look new again with a belt here and a necklace there? That’s exactly what Whataburger is trying to pull off.
The only thing that’s new seems to be an apple and cranberry chicken salad with two different choices of low-fat vinaigrette dressings.
In case you’re curious, here’s what the skinny part of the menu looks like:
550 Calories or Less Menu
• Whataburger Jr. with Bacon & Cheese, 400 calories
• Double Meat Whataburger Jr. with Cheese, 470 calories
• New Grilled Chicken Melt, 460 calories
• Grilled Chicken Sandwich, 510 calories
• Chicken Fajita Taco, 420 calories
• Whatacatch Sandwich, 450 calories
Whataburger breakfast choices under 550 calories include:
• Cinnamon Roll, 390 calories
• Bacon & Egg Taquito, 380 calories
• Bacon or Sausage Biscuit, 350 to 540 calories
• Egg & Cheese Biscuit, 450 calories
• Biscuit & Jelly, 340 calories
• Egg Sandwich, 310 calories
Summer Schedule For AIWF Dallas Farmers Market Cooking Classes
It’s the most wonderful time of the year for Texas produce. That double incentive to take a class at the Dallas Farmers Market and load up on supplies before you leave. Here is the summer line-up for classes.
July 14, Chef Jeff Moschetti, Jasper’s–Plano, Theme: “Backyard Grilling”
July 21, Chef Mark McDaniel, ReMARKable Affairs Cafe, Theme: “The Thrill of the Grill”
August 4, Chef Scott Gottlich, Bijoux Restaurant, Theme: “Summer Bistro Cooking”
August 11, Chef Gerard Thompson, Rough Creek Lodge Restaurant, Theme: “Rough Creek Comes to the Market”
August 18, Chef Jay Jerrier, Il Cane Rosso, Theme: “Il Cane Rosso Cooking”
[Note: Happy to learn the whereabouts of Jeff Moschetti]
Jump for sign-up details.
Continue reading "Summer Schedule For AIWF Dallas Farmers Market Cooking Classes"
New Menu at Café Pacific. Executive Chef Bill Trevino Leaves For Austin.
Jack Knox loves dogs and seafood.
Café Pacific owner Jack Knox hired Gang of Five chef and consultant Anne Greer McCann to rework the menu at the tony seafood restaurant in Highland Park Village. Ms. McCann worked with executive chef Bill Trevino to update the seafood-centric menu. (I’ve acquired a copy of the work in progress below. Sorry Jack, I have really good sources inside your operation. I dare you to fire him/her.)
You can see the Southern touches Ms. McCann added to the menu below. Don’t fret: the pecan ball is still on the dessert menu. The only changes: bananas Foster bread pudding was replaced with banana pudding.
After completing the new menu, execuchef Bill Trevino decided to move his young family south to Austin where he can be found at Abel’s. Trevino was at Café Pacific for ten years. (I smell a good opportunity for an unemployed chef, IJS.)
Continue reading "New Menu at Café Pacific. Executive Chef Bill Trevino Leaves For Austin."
1 Comment »The Tofu Po’ Boy From Wicked Po’ Boys is Wicked Good
Tofu po' boy (photos by Carol Shih)
Note: I cannot comment accurately on the bread due to timing miscalculations, which forced me to commit the ultimate po’ boy sin and order my sandwiches to-go.
I decided to make a trip to Richardson’s newly opened Wicked Po’ Boys since there was some skepticism in the comments section about the tofu po’ boy, and, as a huge tofu fan, I just had to see for myself what this po’ boy was all about. (See Facebook comments, too.) Even as I was munching on my tofu po’ boy, Bradford Pearson over on Park Cities People reached over for some of my gummy vitamins (don’t judge) and remarked, “Did you order the tofu po’ boy because there’s nothing else to order, or because there was no option to leave?”
There hasn’t been enough tofu po’ boy love on SideDish, so I’ve decided to make amends.
Jump if you can feel the love tonight.
Continue reading "The Tofu Po’ Boy From Wicked Po’ Boys is Wicked Good"
Food Feedback Friday
Dishers, where did you dine and what did you eat this week? Here is what you reported last week.
The Scoop on Chef Brian Olenjack
Chef Brian Olenjack
Sponsored post. Please support our advertisers.
Although born in Chicago, Chef Brian Olenjack is a fun-loving, friendly Texan at heart. He puts tender loving care into every menu item while putting BIG smiles on his customers’ faces. With Brian’s culinary leadership, Olenjack’s Grille has become a valued, admired restaurant in Arlington and North Texas. Brian can either be found guiding his kitchen crew on a busy Friday night, teaching his popular cooking classes, or volunteering his time with local non-profits such as the Boys & Girls Club or The Levitt Pavilion.
Mixed Beverage Tax Update: I Went to the TRA Tax Seminar So You Wouldn’t Have To
Sevy’s co-owner Amy Severson refers to herself as a numbers-chewing-pit bull-with lipstick. She is a brilliant accountant and she stays on top of all the legislation that affects the Texas restaurant business. On Monday, Amy attended a tax seminar hosted by the Texas Restaurant Association during the recent 2012 Southwest Foodservice Expo. Below you will find her report on some important state tax issues facing the restaurant and hospitality industry in the upcoming legislative session. If you don’t like reading about taxes, she urges you to move along, but if you own or plan to own a restaurant, bar, or hotel, you might want to read this. Agree, disagree, or shed some light, please..
First, I’d like to point out that nothing written here should be construed as tax advice. You should discuss these matters with a good CPA who is familiar with the peculiarities of your business and the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code. There are too many people out there who give out tax advice without being certified, trained tax professionals. The sad thing is that many people take free advice and, without knowing better, end up taking illegal tax deductions.
Jump and join the discussion. Continue reading "Mixed Beverage Tax Update: I Went to the TRA Tax Seminar So You Wouldn’t Have To"
5 Comments »‘Burbalicious: What I Ate in Roanoke
Key lime pie with a graham cracker crust (photos by Carol Shih)
To gear you guys up for July’s Best Suburbs issue, I’m traveling to ten different ‘burbs in the DFW area for a semi-weird cross-city food tour. I’ll be documenting all my finds in these ‘Burbalicious posts that’ll be peppered throughout June and July. If you feel like your suburb deserves a shot at some SideDish love, email me and I’ll ask my Magic 8 ball if I should go.
Out in Roanoke (population of 6,320 and home to the famous hotel where Bonnie and Clyde once stayed), I found myself some pie. Melt-in-your-mouth pie.
Most people who visit Roanoke dillydally on Oak Street where all the restaurants congregate along a single strip. And though this little town prides itself on being a “Unique Dining Capital in Texas,” chain restaurants like Babe’s Chicken Dinner House and Twisted Root Burger draw in large crowds of high schoolers glued to their iPhones.
Sorry, that was completely off topic. Let’s go back to pies. Nothing in life is more important than the pies from Oak Street Pie and Candy Co. at this moment.
Continue reading "‘Burbalicious: What I Ate in Roanoke"
New Sign Shipped to Dallas: Guess the Restaurant
Check out this vintage sign that was shipped to Dallas. It’s currently getting hooked up inside a local restaurant. Guess the name of the place and you will win a Godiva Chocolate black-almond-truffle-scented candle.
Farm to Market Report: Weekend of June 30-July 1
St. Michael’s Farmers Market: New this week! Look out, Park Cities and Preston Hollow residents. You already have the fabulous Celebration Market, and beginning Saturday, a new stop for local produce and artisan foods (decisions, decisions). St. Michael’s will look to specialize in sustainable, natural and organically grown produce from smaller farms like Rae Lili Farm in Cooper, Texas. They’ll have some of the more obscure produce such as Swiss chard and mini-cabbages. They’ll also have fresh eggs. EMA baking company will be there with some awesome homemade biscotti under the brand name Martin’s Biscotti. They’re one of my favorite vendors from the White Rock Local Market, which is only open twice a month. Now you can get their amazing curry coconut biscotti on a weekly basis.
8011 Douglas Ave.
Saturday, 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Celebration Farmers Market: The pork plan didn’t pan out for last weekend but Holleman Farms is (really) going to debut their Red Wattle pork this weekend. Red Wattle are native to Texas and are one of the leanest species of hog. I know, I know. You’re doubtful after last week’s disappointment, but Fourth of July is Wednesday and they’ve promised us ribs, roasts, chops and bacon at the very least. The Celebration Farmers Market pork forecast also calls for a 50 percent chance of sausage. Joy Farm will have two kinds of cucumbers and cherry tomatoes, and as well as indigo rose tomatoes.
4515 W. Lovers Ln.
Saturday, 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Jump for more locally grown goodness.
Continue reading "Farm to Market Report: Weekend of June 30-July 1"
Look What I Made: Flour Tortillas Recipe
Homemade flour tortillas (photos by Travis Awalt)
This recipe will turn you into a snob — a tortilla snob anyway. You have been warned.
Jump like a hot tortilla.
Continue reading "Look What I Made: Flour Tortillas Recipe"
2 Comments »Mozzarella Company Turns 30 on June 30
The always smiling Paula Lambert.
I know it’s really hip and cool to be an independent artisanal food producer these days. I’m not discounting the current movement, I’m just saying that for some of us it’s been going on all along. Paula Lambert started her little cheese factory in Deep Ellum in 1982 and before you could say farm-to-table-eat-drink-local-at-a-long-table-with-ecO-friendly-utensils-and-Matt-McCallister-is-my-best-friend four times it’s 2012. Her little company now produces an incredible variety of over 30 cheeses that are shipped all over the world. And Little Miss Paula? Does she sit back her tuffet counting her curds and whey? No way. She still sets up her demo tables at local markets and passes out samples to customers old and new.
To celebrate her achievement, the Mozzarella Company will offer a 30% discount on all retail cheeses purchased at their little storefront on Elm Street in Deep Ellum. This 30th anniversary celebration and discount offer will last for 30 days, beginning June 30. Congratulations to Paula and her fine dedicated staff.
6 Comments »
Dallas Arts District: Dining in the District
Photograph courtesy of The Screen Door.
Sponsored post. Please support our advertisers.
Located within the 19 walkable blocks of fun, architecture, and culture, the Dallas Arts District is home to some of the city’s best restaurants. While many residents and visitors have discovered these fine eateries, there hasn’t been a central location for information on all of the great choices – until now.
Continue reading "Dallas Arts District: Dining in the District"
Sneak Peek: Urban Rio Cantina & Grill in Plano
Urban Rio in downtown Plano (left); Grilled chicken rio club quesadillas (right) photos by Melisa Oporto
Urban Rio, the newest restaurant in downtown Plano, is Nathan and Bonnie Shea‘s baby. For two years, the owners of Urban Crust dreamed and conceived and schemed about opening a Mexican restaurant until, finally, last Monday, it all came together when they opened their doors to the public. The restaurant features a menu of “Next Mex” cuisine and is housed inside the historic Plano Ice House, which was gutted for the Shea family’s Urban empire. On the first floor lies Urban Rio and Nate’s Gelato where guests can get their dessert fix, while the second contains a cantina called On the Rocks with a full bar. The third floor is used as office space. The Rooftop sits at the fourth floor, and the Sheas plan to use the space as a catering service and event center where musicians can play live music.
But I’m getting too far ahead of myself.
Jump for NSFW food photos.
Continue reading "Sneak Peek: Urban Rio Cantina & Grill in Plano"
Tales of the Cocktail Will Feature 10 Dallas Bartenders
High tide cocktail (photo by Elizabeth Lavin)
New Orleans isn’t just king of po’ boys, it’s also the home of a 10-year-old cocktail festival that hosts some of the most respected mixologists around the country. Tales of the Cocktail is happening from July 25-29 in New Orleans, and Rocco Milano, Private|Social’s Beverage Director, worked with the festival committee to create a special tasting room called “Come and Get It: Cocktails Texas Style,” highlighting all that Dallas has to offer. Ten of Dallas’ best barkeepers will be creating a unique libation that’ll represent how the cocktail movement is ticking in Texas. Here’s the list of guys who’ll be the faces of our great state.
Abraham Bedell, Oak
Brad Hensarling, The Usual
Eddie “Lucky” Campbell, The Chesterfield
Greg Katz, Victor Tangos
Jason Kosmas, Marquee Grill
Kyle Hilla, Bolsa
Michael Martensen, The Cedars Social
Omar Yeefoon, The People’s Last Stand
Rocco Milano, Private|Social
Sean Conner, Whiskey Cake
If you’ll be in New Orleans next month, think about dropping buy the “Come and Get It” tasting room on July 25 from 10:30 a.m. to noon at the Hotel Monteleone on 214 Royal Street.
First Look: Chef Vijay Sadhu Opens Pepper Smash In Plano
Chef Vijay Sadhu doesn’t let anything like a failed restaurant concept keep him down. When his innovative, yet unpopular, Sutra, the modern Indian cuisine restaurant at the The Shops at Legacy closed, he gathered new ideas and investors and opened Pepper Smash, A Cocktail Kitchen. Sadhu reworked the Sutra interior, 86ed the Indian food, added an extensive mixology program, up-tempo music, and a snazzy website. The food is Modern American with a Mediterranean twist.
Recently I attended a tasting event for the media and many dishes we tried (seemingly the whole menu) were impeccably prepared. I have said it before but will repeat it again: Sadhu’s greatest strength is his ability to wring every ounce of flavor out of the ingredients he choses. So pick a protein, like chicken, that could be bland and put it in Sadhu’s hands. He grills it until the flavors of the Maillard reaction http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maillard_reaction emerge and balances them with tahini sauce.
Jump for more food and photos. Continue reading "First Look: Chef Vijay Sadhu Opens Pepper Smash In Plano"
5 Comments »Food Truck Update: TX Delizioso is No Longer
Sydney Brown and Lauren Noblet, the owner/operators of Enticed and TX Delizioso have made a tough decision. After the mild Dallas winter passed, they expanded their fleet and debuted TX Delizioso,a food truck featuring Italian food (mainly pizza) with a Texas twist. They used a lot of local products and it was the only truck with GoTexan certification.
I generally give food trucks 6-8 weeks to established their truck groove, and sure enough, after about 8 weeks, I loved TXD’s pizza. It was a great artisanal pizza at a pretty good price ($7.50) with as many toppings as you wanted on it.
TX Delizioso
However, like the cold weather took Enticed off the road, the sweltering summer temperatures have taught Sydney and Lauren new lessons: prep times turned out to be longer than they’d planner for and it was difficult to find workers who could juggle cooking and the eccentricities, such as truck temperature in excess of 140 degrees, of managing a truck. Sydney and Lauren have taken TX Delizioso off the road and they are currently reevaluating their plans. They plan on refocusing on Enticed Shaved Ice and adding a second truck to that concept. That’s a net gain for DFW.
3 Comments »Get Fuel City Tacos for $1. Offer Lasts Until Midnight
This one’s pretty straightforward. Fuel City is offering $1 tacos until midnight today to celebrate its recent partnership with Gulf Oil.
Subscribe
SideDish is a food-related discussion among editors at D Magazine about the Dallas-Fort Worth dining scene -- everything from good meals to bad service, kitchen gossip to restaurant news, chefs' secrets to culinary trends. Bon appetit.
- FrontBurner Blog
- SideDish Food Blog
- FrontRow Arts Blog
- D Home Blog
- ShopTalk Fashion & Beauty Blog
- BridalBuzz Weddings Blog
- Park Cities People Blog
- Preston Hollow People Blog
- Oak Cliff People Blog
- Party Pics
- DAILY
- Al Dia
- Daily Commercial Record
- D Home Blog
- Dallas Morning News
- Denton Record Chronicle
- Diario la Estrella
- The Herald Democrat (Sherman)
- McKinney Courier Gazette
- Pegasus News
- Quick
- Star-Telegram (Fort Worth)
- ALMOST DAILY
- Allen American
- Carrollton Leader
- Celina Record
- Colony Courier Leader
- Coppell Gazette
- Frisco Enterprise
- Flower Mound Leader
- Garland Morning News
- Hood County News
- Lewisville Leader
- Little Elm Journal
- Mesquite Morning News
- The Mesquite News
- Plano Star Courier
- Richardson Morning News
- Rowlett Lakeshore Times
- Southlake Times
- Waxahachie Daily Light
- WEEKLY
- Cedar Creek Pilot
- Cedar Hill Today
- Dallas Business Journal
- Dallas Examiner
- Dallas Observer
- Dallas Post Tribune
- Dallas Voice
- DeSoto Today
- Duncanville Today
- Ellis County Press
- El Heraldo News
- Fort Worth Weekly
- Fort Worth Business Press
- Oak Cliff People
- Park Cities People
- Preston Hollow People
- The Sports Page Weekly
- Texas Lawyer
- Wylie News
- MONTHLY
- Advocate Magazines
- Avid Golfer
- CliffDweller
- Cowboys and Indians Magazine
- Cross Timbers Gazette
- Dallas CEO
- Dallas Child
- Key Magazine
- PaperCity
- Texas Technology Magazine
- Texas Monthly
- BI-MONTHLY
- D Home
- SEMI-YEARLY
- D Weddings
- COLLEGE NEWSPAPERS
- SMU Daily Campus
- TCU Daily Skiff
- North Texas Daily
- UTA Shorthorn
- TELEVISION
- Dallas Community Television
- The CW Channel 33
- KDFW FOX Channel 4
- KERA PBS Channel 13
- KTVT CBS Channel 11
- KTXA TXA Channel 21
- KXAS NBC Channel 5
- TXCN.com
- WFAA ABC Channel 8
- RADIO
- KERA 90.1 FM
- KLIF 570 AM
- WBAP 820 AM
- KXEB 910 AM
- Texas Talk Radio 990 AM
- KRLD 1080 AM
- The Ticket 1310 AM
Home |
Masthead |
News from D |
About Us |
Contact Us |
Subscribe |
Advertise |
Privacy Policy |
Customer Service |
Awards | Archives | Reprints | d custom | Jobs | Advertiser's Index
Awards | Archives | Reprints | d custom | Jobs | Advertiser's Index