Articles for July, 2012
KRLD Restaurant Week Spotlights the Cowtown Area’s Finest Dining Establishments While Helping Support Lena Pope Home
This is a sponsored post. Please support our advertisers.
Cadillac is a proud sponsor of the 15th annual KRLD Restaurant Week, presented by Central Market happening across North Texas August 13-19 with extensions through August 26 or September 2. It’s an ideal time to explore restaurants at the top of your “must try” list. Or enjoy old favorites at special prix fixe pricing. More than 125 restaurants will offer three-course meals for only $35 for dinner and $25 for lunch (at select spots) – tax, tip and drinks billed separately. For every bite taken at participating Tarrant/Parker/West Denton County restaurants, a portion ($7 from each dinner and $5 from every lunch) goes back to help support Lena Pope Home in Fort Worth.
Sfuzzi to Open in Dallas Design District; Park Tavern Has a Mock Service Tonight
Little Miss Snitch has a keen eye. She caught sight of this Dallas Business Journal article which lets on that the 1400 Hi Line Tower is negotiating a lease with Sfuzzi. The tower, located in the Design District, has already signed on with Restaurant America for the gastro pub concept Central Standard Time. We’re still not sure what a gastro pub concept means… but we’ll let that one slide for now.
Restaurant America’s other gastro pub Park Tavern (at the Shops at Park Lane) is opening officially to the public on August 3rd, but just 48 minutes ago, it posted on Facebook that it’s hosting a mock service for anyone who can send a FB message:
If you would like to come by for our mock service tonight please send us a message with your full name, number of people in your party and a good contact number for a reservation. Mock service will be from 6-8pm tonight!!
Tuesday Boozeday, anyone?
Jump for savings and the official press release. Continue reading "Sfuzzi to Open in Dallas Design District; Park Tavern Has a Mock Service Tonight"
3 Comments »‘Burbalicious: What I Ate in Mansfield
Texas-shaped waffle (photos by Carol Shih)
In conjunction with July’s Best Suburbs issue, I’m traveling to 10 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. Last week, I went to Sunnyvale.
A coworker caught me giggling to myself the other day and asked why. I pointed to a photo of a Texas-shaped waffle and kept laughing. I don’t know what it is, but something about a Texas-shaped waffle cracks me up. Off to super-south-of-Dallas Mansfield I went for a breakfast of champions. There the tumbleweeds grow, and waffles that look just like Texas are served on red platters big enough to fit a gorilla’s dinner. Continue reading "‘Burbalicious: What I Ate in Mansfield"
Cedars Food Park is Nixing Lunch Service and Changing Its Hours
Less than a week after Cedar Food Park’s opening, the organizers are already making smart moves to change the hours. No more lunch service until further notice and evening service times are different from before. Read below:
“Cedars Food Park at Dallas Heritage Village, Dallas’ first food truck venue in a park setting, will postpone lunch service till later this year due to the extreme heat, and will begin regular service on Thursday, August 16 from 5pm-10pm and will continue every Thursday evening thereafter. Beginning Friday, August 31, the park will begin Friday evening service. Friday service will also be from 5pm-10pm and will continue each Friday evening thereafter. Cedars Food Park at Dallas Heritage Villages’ evening service represents the beginning of a unique collaboration between food trucks and Dallas Heritage Village, and will feature many of Dallas’ best gourmet food trucks, offer live entertainment, and sell beer and wine from local establishments. Food prices range from $2 – $10 with a portion of the proceeds going to Dallas Heritage Village. Always free admission and pets encouraged.”
CFP’s media guy Brad Friedman also tells George, our food truck scheduling man, “We already decided to have at least 3 beer stations at the next large event. The Saloon was a bit cooler and might have been a better spot to get beer. We’ll get it right. We will also add more signage for parking, etc.” CFP is all about improvement.
1 Comment »Artizone Starts Downtown Pick-Up Service on August 2
Here’s more reason for you to never leave the wonderful, full-blasting A/C in your car: Artizone, the online market where you can by local goods and get them delivered to your door, is starting a free downtown pick-up service every Thursday from 4:30 to 7 p.m., and you don’t even have to turn off your engine.
A concierge service makes it easier for you to pull up, show your ID, and get your trunk filled.
The pick-up service takes place at 555 Ross Ave. behind the Spaghetti Warehouse starting on August 2. There’ll be a chill party with Artizone people from 5 to 7 p.m. that night with free drinks, giveaways, and free food from some of your favorite local vendors (Kaurina’s Kulfi, La Duni, Scardello, Noble Coyote Coffee Roasters).
1 Comment »Oh Boy, Edible Ash is Turning into a Culinary Trend
Ashes via thecigarsmokingman.com
We live in a strange world with strange food fads. First, there was edible dirt, which birthed out of Copenhagen’s Noma. Then, in 2011, London had its own scary bout of breast milk ice cream called “Baby Gaga” that sold for $22 a scoop. According to a WSJ article that came out yesterday, now that it’s the height of barbecue season, some chefs are getting all kinds of crazy with edible ash made from hay and several kinds of burned vegetables.
Boston chef Frank McClelland, for instance, coats his food in ash and “sees potential for vegetable ash as a kind of breakfast spread—a wake-up call that could work better than jelly atop a buttered English muffin. ‘You need a little caveman in the morning,’ he says.”
Ashes on top of English muffins and bagels?? I’d rather eat my jelly and cream cheese. Ashes belong at the bottom of barbecue grills and in David Bowie songs.
3 Comments »Boulevardier Opens in Bishop Arts District Today
The guys from Ava (Randall Copeland and Nathan Tate) and Veritas (Brooks and Bradley Anderson) have come up with a French bistro concept, Boulevardier, that’s soft opening tonight in the Bishop Arts District at 408 N. Bishop Avenue. Boasting an extensive wine list and dashing cocktails (like the Belle Femme), the menu (via Thrillist) is all rustic French favorites with a twist. Crawfish beignets, roasted bone marrow, and beef tongue pastrami are just a few of the brave offerings this neighborhood bistro is serving to a conservative Dallas crowd. Go big or go home, right? Boulevardier has certainly captured our attention.
Dallas/Ft. Worth Food Truck News and Schedule for July 30
The Cedars Food Park got off to a roaring success, as reported earlier. Given the many, many options that you’ve got to try our varied food trucks, there is no need to settle for a toasted blacktop asphalt surface. The opening of Dallas’ first food truck park was nearly a 100% roaring operational success. I was there right at opening time at 5pm. The food trucks were all parked with easy access. There was plenty of space so that lines from one didn’t cross with lines from another. It’s mostly grass and trees, giving lots of shade. Unfortunately, the gazebo that was supposed to be air conditioned had nothing but hot, stale air. There was a lot to like with the choice of food trucks and the operation was very well run. However, it is still July in Texas. It is bloody hot. Note to event planners: Please plan the multi-thousand food truck events for Spring and Fall. Or at least sub-100 degree temperatures.
Moving on to this week, many of the food trucks are planning light schedules because of the heat. The same Wednesday/Thursday events remain at Sigels/Greenville and Knox St. Crate & Barrel (Wednesday) and Addison Vitruvian Park (Thursday).
On Wednesday, the regular schedule starts at Cedars Food Park with 3-4 trucks each day.
This week, we add Rock’n'Ricks food truck, a Dallas-based operation serving up a menu of comfort food and philly cheesesteaks. Jump for this week’s schedule; and always check Facebook or Twitter feeds before venturing out.
Continue reading "Dallas/Ft. Worth Food Truck News and Schedule for July 30"
1 Comment »Rumor Behind the Restaurant News: Ristorante Nicola is Closing for Remodel?
Someone with a big mouth let slip that Ristorante Nicola on Preston Road will be closing for a remodeling session. An email from Jef Tingley who represents the restaurant confirms this news: “Yes, Ristorante Nicola will be closing in August for remodeling and downscaling the concept. The exact dates, timeframe and furnishings are still being finalized…” Busy travel bee Jef promises more info to come.
Bolsa Mercado Goes Vegetarian at ‘Meet and Eat’
Comeback Creek heirloom tomatoes paired with Mionetto Proseco Treviso, NV. (photos by Melisa Oporto)
Bolsa execuchef Jeff Harris shows what he can do when you put him in a box. He comes out fighting! The mandate: prepare a vegetarian meal for 20 to be served at Bolsa Mercado’s communal table as part of their ‘Meet and Eat’ series that takes place on Friday evenings. The result? A menu that even a carnivore could love. Check out Melisa Oporto’s pictures for a feast for the eyes. Continue reading "Bolsa Mercado Goes Vegetarian at ‘Meet and Eat’"
Chef Ryan Barnett’s Second Pop-Up Dinner Focuses on Air
The young chef Ryan Barnett (photo by Carol Shih)
I didn’t have time to post this on Friday, so allow me to excite your Monday lunchtime with these mouth-watering plates prepared by chef Ryan Barnett on Thursday evening at his Pop-Up Dinner at My Private Chef in Deep Ellum. This 27-year-old chef served a four-course French dinner to a small, intimate gathering of 12 people where I was invited as a guest. Barnett came from the kitchens of Neighborhood Services, Bistro 31, and Ormsby Catering before he decided to fly the rest of his journey solo. He’s hoping in several months or so, he’ll have a place where there’s a set menu he can cook. For now, this chef is hosting four pop-up dinners, each with a different theme. On Thursday night, Barnett focused his theme on air, using duck and quail as several key ingredients in three of his dishes. As our dinner party reached the second course of Texas pea cassoulet with tender duck confit and soft lima beans, all the dinner guests held their bowls closely to their chest and couldn’t stop their spoons from moving. The woman to my left aptly described the dish as a warm “bowl of hugs,” which it most certainly was.
Jump for the four courses.
Continue reading "Chef Ryan Barnett’s Second Pop-Up Dinner Focuses on Air"
Start, a Fast-Casual Concept, Opens in Upper Greenville on August 8
START's interior (left); Owner Erin McKool (right) photos by Joy Zhang
McDonald’s better keep an eye on Erin McKool, the new queen of fast food. This mother of a four-year-old boy is opening up Start, a kid-friendly restaurant at 4814 Greenville Ave. that provides “good for you” food in a cutting edge environment. There WILL be a drive-through for moms-on-the-go. But really… healthy fast food? Isn’t this an oxymoron?
Owner McKool explains it best:
“Our food is healthy and handmade, but not necessarily ‘diet food.’ Organic and natural is critical to us, so all of our eggs, milk, sugar and many other items are organic. We only use meats and eggs from humanely raised animals, and we don’t use products that are raised on hormones and antibiotics, or treated with nitrates. Our bakery items are made with 100% whole wheat flour.”
The menu has everything from steel cut oatmeal with pecans, maple syrup, raisins, and dried cranberries to baked chicken and cheese empanadas. Substituting for a gluten-free English muffin or burger bun is just $1.50 extra, and over at the Kid’s Corner section, little ones can get grilled cheese sandwiches on multigrain bread with breaded and baked (or grilled) chicken bites. The only thing that’s missing are the french fries, but I guess those aren’t very healthy. Still, Start looks like a pretty darn good way to start and end the day, every day. Repeat this new mantra yourselves, folks: McKool’s is the new McDonald’s. McKool’s is the new McDonald’s.
Cedars Food Park is a Food Truck Lover’s Heaven
Rockn' Rick's scrumptious pulled pork po' boy will make a believer out of any food truck skeptic.
I write to you today as a former food truck skeptic. I’d eat every doubtful word that ever crossed my lips if there were any room left in my stomach after my Saturday night chow-down at the grand opening of the Cedars Food Park at Dallas Heritage Village.
Eighteen of the city’s most popular food trucks gathered in the clearing in Dallas’ first city park to feed hundreds of hungry patrons, most of whom were already avid food truck diners. Folk band The Sicklies played tunes best enjoyed from one of the many rocking chairs on front porches of 19th century homes. I chose to enjoy them from the front porch of the saloon, staffed by the bartenders of Lee Harvey’s, with a pilsner from Deep Ellum Brewing Company in one hand and a pulled pork po’ boy from Rockn’ Rick’s in the other. The classic combination of tender pulled pork flavored by a tangy, sweet barbecue sauce and dill pickle chips in a buttery toasted roll changed the way I will think of mobile cuisine. I won’t say it was the best pulled pork I’ve had in Dallas, but it was one tasty sandwich.
Jump if you love mobile munchies.
Continue reading "Cedars Food Park is a Food Truck Lover’s Heaven"
6 Comments »The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Opens Along North Tollway in September 2012
First, there was In-n-Out Burger, then came See’s Candies and Trader Joe’s. Now another one of California’s imports, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, is planting itself in DFW and will attempt to convert many of you Starbucks people into the original ice blended coffee drinkers. The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is opening at 15250 North Tollway, right next to In-n-Out. It’s going to become the California corner of Dallas in September, just you watch.
Jump for the press release.
Continue reading "The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Opens Along North Tollway in September 2012"
Chad Houser Leaves Parigi to Become Executive Director of Cafe Momentum
Janice Provost and Chad Houser (photo by Elizabeth Lavin)
Word comes straight from Chad Houser’s mouth that he’ll be saying sayonara to Parigi, his home-away-from-home for the last five years, in order to be the executive director and chef of Cafe Momentum at the end of August. He’ll be making this announcement to the public at the pop-up dinner tonight with guest chef Graham Dodds. We feel bad for Janice Provost losing her partner-buddy, but this means that Cafe Momentum, a nonprofit restaurant concept aimed to transform the lives of at-risk youth, is moving in the right direction, and we can’t wait to see where it’s headed. Even though the movement is still a baby and celebrated its one year anniversary just a month ago, Houser, Cafe Momentum’s co-founder, has plans to find a permanent location and to expand the program even further in order to include more boys from the Dallas County Youth Village since what Cafe Momentum’s doing is already working so well.
In a blog post announcing his Parigi departure, Houser says:
“Cafe Momentum reminds me why I fell in love with cooking in the first place. It’s familial. It nurtures souls and bodies. Regardless of their background, when these young men come into Cafe Momentum, they speak the same language: food. I’m very grateful to Janice for being such a supportive partner and friend, and to the Cafe Momentum board for believing in me.”
Provost says she isn’t looking for a new Parigi partner, but she’s looking for help in the kitchen. And even though this is the end of the Parigi dream team, she’ll continue working with Houser on their vision for Cafe Momentum, so this ain’t a real goodbye, it’s just where love goes…
Screen Door in One Arts Plaza Closes This Saturday
Big Mama’s fried chicken, collard greens, baked mac 'n' cheese, and a side of gravy (photos by Carol Shih)
Four days ago, Nancy announced that The Commissary was closed and speculated yesterday that Screen Door might be next. It turns out that she’s right. The Screen Door in One Arts Plaza is closing doors tomorrow. A few friends and I went there for lunch just to capture some Southern comfort food memories before it completely shutters down, and our waiter told us that he and the other employees found out late last night around 10 p.m. that it was official: Screen Door’s last dinner service will be at 7:50 p.m. this Saturday. They’ll open bottles of wine and say goodbye. According to the waiter, The Commissary will re-open as Ziziki’s in approximately three weeks (rather soon, it seems) and Screen Door will re-open as a French concept as part of the Lombardi family in late September early October. (Still waiting on a call from a Lombardi spokesperson to confirm this fact.)
Free matches. Now a collector's item.
When I asked Chef David McMillan if he was sad to see Screen Door go, he shook his head no. “That’s the way it is when you have a fun economy,” he said. He’s hoping to open something closer to where he lives, either in Colleyville or Southlake.
Jump for updated news.
Continue reading "Screen Door in One Arts Plaza Closes This Saturday"
Report: Cakebread Cellars Tasting at Bijoux in Dallas
The effect of oak age. Cakebread Chardonnay (left) and Reserve Chardonnay (right). Note the deeper gold hues in the longer oak-aged wine.
Cakebread Cellars is one of the most respected wineries in California’s Napa Valley and I was honored to be a guest at a tasting of their wines hosted at Bijoux, Scott and Gina Gottlich’s restaurant, in Dallas this week. Located in the exclusive Rutherford area of the valley, Cakebread epitomizes wines that represent their place: valley floor fruit from central Napa Valley and cool climate fruit from Carneros at the southern end of the valley which is, in archetypal California contrarian fashion, also the coolest part of the valley on account of its proximity to cool air funneling north from San Francisco Bay.
Continue reading "Report: Cakebread Cellars Tasting at Bijoux in Dallas"
Bits & Bites: Things To Do and Chew in Dallas, July 27-29
This weekend I’m going to a BYOB painting class, and hopefully I’ll discover that I’m some sort of art genius instead of a blob artist. What are you doing? Oh, you don’t know yet? Here are some ways you can fill up your time in case you don’t feel like painting a Tuscan landscape with me.
Friday
Want to make new friends without joining an online group? Go to the “Meet and Eat” Dinner Party tonight at Bolsa Mercado. The menu is light and summer-y, and just the way it should be since the outside temperatures are too high for comfort. Join the fine people of Bolsa Mercado for a five-course dinner with summer berry soup, roasted hen, and sweet corn ravioli starting at 7:30 p.m. Cost is $75 per person (tax/gratuity included) and guests must email contact@bolsadallas.com or call 214.942.0451 to reserve a spot using a credit card.
Saturday
Erin’s compiled her weekly farmers market report for all you morning risers. If you still want berries, you better lug yourself to the closest market, because berries are starting to run out this season. Continue reading "Bits & Bites: Things To Do and Chew in Dallas, July 27-29"
What To Drink Now: 2012 Summer Olympics Cocktails ~ London Calling
London in the summertime is the ideal time to visit, with this year being that much more so as we start the 2012 Olympic games in the city that truly hasn’t stopped celebrating since the Queen’s Jubilee. As our athletes embark on making dreams for themselves and the country come true consider raising a glass to their efforts, and to cheering them on to victory. Here are a few ideas.
In honor of London, the host for these summer games, a classic cocktail tweaked a bit using one of my favorite spirits, Pimm’s No. 1.
Summer Olympic Games
2 oz Pimm’s
1 oz Van Gogh Cool Peach Vodka
Ginger ale or Ginger beer
1 orange slice
5 torn mint leaves
3 broken up slices of cucumber
Directions – Build all ingredients in a highball glass with ice except for the ginger ale or beer. Shake well and top with ginger ale or ginger beer. Continue reading "What To Drink Now: 2012 Summer Olympics Cocktails ~ London Calling"
Food Feedback Friday
Dishers, happy Friday! Where did you dine and what did you eat this week? Here is what you reported last week.
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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.
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