Articles for July 25th, 2012

Another Reason Why We Love Tom Spicer

Deep in a forest beyond the douchiness of Dallas lives free spirit, forager, and my fellow Firesign Theater fan, Tom Spicer. He’s the head fiddlehead over at Spiceman’s FM 1410. Today he sends this gorgeous photo and a note. I quote:

Do you… verjus? Harvested early this morning at Spiceman’s FM 1410 garden, Cabernet Sauvignon grapes that I bare rooted from canes brought to me from Benziger’s biodynamic vineyard in Sonoma County, CA. by my dear friend, Beat Kotoun of Korbrands Wine importers/marketers.3 years later, we are basking in their glow and so can you @ $10# CHEERS    Spiceman, aka “Larence of Lakewood”

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Teresa Gubbins to Join CultureMap Dallas

Jennifer Chininis: The Ferdinand Magellan of CultureMap.

Last week I reported PegasusNews was bought by the Dallas Morning News. In the post I pondered the whereabouts of ace reporter Teresa Gubbins. The rest of the PegNews staff are now employees of the DMN, but Gubbins didn’t make the move. (More likely, she wasn’t asked to make the move. She’s been there and done that.) Nobody could get TG on the phone so I offered a prize to the first person who could find her.

Earlier today I tweeted: Hey, I spotted @tgubbins coming out of a cartology class early this morning. She’s alive!

I just received a reply from former D Magazine managing editor turned CultureMap editor, Jennifer Chininis:

Hey, @DSideDish. We have an update on the whereabouts of @tgubbins. She’s with us! So, do we get a prize?

What is CultureMap, you ask? Right now it’s four former D Magazine employees sitting around trying to launch a new lifestyle website. I guess  Gubbins ups that count to 4.5. TG still writes freelance for us.

No prize, Chininis. You didn’t read the fine print of the contest. They are: “contest not valid for individuals who leave D Magazine only to turn around and steal the talent.”

UPPITY DATE: Timmy has a CultureMap business story.

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Lemon Bar Moving to Space Formerly Known as Alma

Two lemon bars.

Lemon Bar is leaving the West Village and moving to the space at 2822 Henderson Ave that was once Alma. A Lemon Bar staffer said that the lease at West Village had expired, and they were looking forward to being in a location where there was no landlord. West Village spokesperson said that they’ve been “inundated with phone calls” from businesses interested in going into that space, and that they’ll definitely looking to put a restaurant there. Meanwhile, nearly two years after plans were initially announced, the Frisco branch of Lemon Bar finally has an opening date: August 4. According to a post on Frisco Online:

The Frisco Lemon Bar is jointly owned with the World Cup Plaza landlords. I’m thinking the delays in opening the bar have only been cash flow related in finishing the build-out using their own funds. And the banks won’t finance big build-out money if your building is below certain occupancy levels. The landlords lost a ton on the previous bar (Scores) at that location and have been sitting on a lot of vacant office space in the World Cup Plaza buildings going back about 5 years now. But they’ve turned the corner just recently with a record amount of new office space leased (plus the coffee shop.) Congrats to them! The overall shortage of office space in Frisco has played well into their hands – so I’m assuming they now have the cash to move full speed ahead with the Frisco Lemon Bar since they’re starting to hire.

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What To Drink Now: New Wines of Greece…Xinomavro from Naoussa and Amyndeo

Perhaps the most exciting variety for red lovers from Greece is the Xinomavro (Ksee no’ ma vro.) While traveling through Greece as a guest of New Wines of Greece we went north to the area of Naoussa, thought to be the home of Dionysus’s mother, Semele, is planted completely with Xinomavro (meaning acid-black in Greek), and we are lucky for it. The deep black grapes flourish in the semi-mountainous area known for its full-bodied, intense wine that need time to age to truly let their flavors shine, but when they do the well-aged Xinomavro could be easily mistaken for an earthy Barolo or Nero d’Avola.  Also almost exclusively planted with Xinomavro is the region of Amyndeo, just over Mount Vermion.  The Xinomavro from Amyndeo tends to be slightly lighter, more fruit forward and approachable early than those from Naoussa, helped by the regions cooler climate and higher elevation.  Though I think the most traditional (and delicious) representations of the grape came from Naoussa, I did find a few good every day type options from Amyndeo if you don’t want to wait 5-7 years to open the bottle. Continue reading "What To Drink Now: New Wines of Greece…Xinomavro from Naoussa and Amyndeo"

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Vote for Good Karma Kitchen as the 2012 Vegetarian/Vegan Truck of the Year

Team Lucy (Good Karma Kitchen‘s little truck) is fightin’ for the title of Mobile Cuisine’s 2012 Vegetarian/Vegan Food Truck of the Year. If you love their gluten-free options and chocolate dreams, then do these sistahs a favor and vote for them here. Snap your fingers, clap your hands, and go clickety click on the “Vote” button.

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Chalk Talk: Kim Crawford Wine Dinner at Abacus in Dallas

Despite the 100-degree Monday night in July, Abacus Restaurant in Dallas was packed for  a tasting of Kim Crawford Wines from New Zealand.  Wine maker Anthony Walkenhorst brought the impressive wines; Abacus execuchef Aaron Studenmaier and Abbey Renager (pastry chef) produced impressive and complementary food. I was an invited guest and had a chance to interview him before the meal.

Jump for more. Continue reading "Chalk Talk: Kim Crawford Wine Dinner at Abacus in Dallas"

What to Eat Post-Wisdom Teeth Removal: Scrambled Eggs with Truffle Oil

Scrambled eggs with truffle oil (Photo by Lesley Mann Lynch)

If you saw my earlier post about caring for my husband post-wisdom teeth removal with a peach and bourbon ice cream recipe, you won’t be surprised to see another. Anyone who has had experience with this type of recovery knows that one batch of ice cream, no matter how delicious, is not enough to see a patient through recovery. My patient asked for ice cream for every meal for the first 48 hours, but he and (I imagine even the traditional 18-year-old patient) will eventually tire of ice cream for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

For at least the first three days, soft foods are a must. So, what to do? My husband’s usual chicken and beef diet wasn’t going to fly, so I went with eggs. I hesitate to call this a recipe, but here are my guidelines for the best scrambled eggs ever, laced with truffle oil. The patient won’t think he or she is complying with dietary restrictions. Continue reading "What to Eat Post-Wisdom Teeth Removal: Scrambled Eggs with Truffle Oil"

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