Articles for August 28th, 2012

What To Drink Now: Wines from Ricossa – Part 2, Pairing with Piedmontese Food

posted by Hayley Hamilton | August 28th, 2012 2:27pm | filed under press trips, Wine & Spirits |

Roman ruins in Turin

La Corte di Canobbio Hazelnut Gelato

While traveling through the Piedmont region of Italy as a guest of Ricossa Winery, producers of affordable, delicious, varietally correct wine of Piedmont, it was hard not to have a few pinch me moments.  Piedmont is one of the most beautiful regions of the world. Dotted from one end to the other with vineyards and hazelnut trees, surrounding ornate palaces and summer castles that date back to the 1400′s, including the palace in Turin, Italy’s first capital city.

Each of these summer castles are lovely with unique and intricate paintings decorating their interior beauty, while enhancing the lush vineyard dotted landscapes just outside floor to ceiling windows. Continue reading "What To Drink Now: Wines from Ricossa – Part 2, Pairing with Piedmontese Food"

Happy Birthday Cafe Pacific

posted by Nancy Nichols | August 28th, 2012 2:13pm | filed under As the Restaurant Turns, History of Dallas Food, restaurant business news | 7 Comments »

Yesterday Café Pacific turned 32-years old. But, according to owner Jack “Knucklehead” Knox, the storied restaurant’s real birthday is today. He says:

It has been thirty two years since we quietly unlocked the front door to Cafe Pacific for what we hoped would be an unannounced soft opening. Nothing worked. The servers couldn’t serve, the bartenders couldn’t tend, the cooks couldn’t cook, and the owner was unqualified to own. I saw no advantage to our staying open longer so that we would have more time to offend the maximum number of first time customers. We closed at seven. We opened again twenty fours hours later to only slightly better results.

He sends the original dinner menu below. Continue reading "Happy Birthday Cafe Pacific"

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Do You Want to Work at Hopdoddy’s at Preston Center? So Do I…

posted by Carol Shih | August 28th, 2012 1:20pm | filed under Burgers |

In less than two months, it’ll be October. And once it hits October, I can stuff my face into a Hopdoddy’s classic burger, which is precisely what I plan on doing as soon as this originally-in-Austin burger place opens up in Preston Center. My homeslice William over on Park Cities People dropped by the storefront and has the details on how one can get hired at this joint.

Desta Ethiopian Restaurant is Temporarily Closed

posted by Carol Shih | August 28th, 2012 11:09am | filed under Closings, Ethiopian, Ethnic Food, Openings/Closings, restaurant business news, Restaurant News | 1 Comment »

Flowers left in front of Desta

I dropped by Desta last night to see what’s been going on with the Ethiopian restaurant ever since the owners, Yayehyirad Lemma and Yenenesh Desta, were found shot dead in front of their house after a long night’s work at their restaurant on August 15. For the past two weeks, mourners have been leaving fresh flowers in front of the empty Ethiopian restaurant, which is now temporarily closed until further notice.

DMN reported last week that a Dallas man named Abey Belette Girma, 37, is believed to have shot the married couple with a pistol because he claimed the two had “disrespected” him. Apparently, Girma was a customer at Desta.

Hopefully, the restaurant will be up and running again. Mac Mckennon, Executive Director of the Mutual Assistance Association For The Ethiopian Community, says the family is still hurting and figuring out what they will do with Desta. Mckennon plans to address the tragedy at the first Taste of Ethiopia this coming weekend at the Plano Centre, which will celebrate the Ethiopian food community in Dallas.  ”We cannot not say anything about what happened,” says Mckennon. He’s right: Desta will be sorely missed during all the festivities.

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Chef Jon Bonnell to Open Seafood Inspired Restaurant–Waters–in Fort Worth

posted by Nancy Nichols | August 28th, 2012 9:44am | filed under Bad Names For Restaurants List, Openings/Closings, Restaurant News | 1 Comment »

The space formerly known as Bailey’s Prime Plus in the West 7th area will morph into Waters, Bonnell’s Fine Coastal Cuisine. Chef Jon Bonnell describes the place as “Fort Worth Fancy.” His shooters will not be lobster, they will be oysters. The fish will be fresh, sustainable, and “eco-friendly seafood from the waters of the world.” Waters will open in February 2012. In the mean time, you can visit Bonnell at Bonnell’s Fine Texas Cuisine.

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Dallas’ First Taste of Ethiopia Celebrates the 11th Anniversary of Ethiopian Day

posted by Carol Shih | August 28th, 2012 9:11am | filed under Ethiopian, Ethnic Food, Events | 3 Comments »

from squidoo

The Mutual Assistance Association For The Ethiopian Community (MAAEC, Inc.) and The Ethiopian Day 2012 committee are putting on the first-ever Taste of Ethiopia, which will feature the “sights, sounds, and tastes of Ethiopia” at the Plano Centre on 2000 East Spring Creek Parkway on Labor Day weekend.

“The first thing we are going to do,” says Mac Mekonnen, the Executive Director of MAAEC, “is have the coffee ceremony.”

Mekonnen explains how Ethiopians have a unique way of drinking coffee – since the drink’s name did derive from the region of Kaffa after all – and the ceremony entails three steps: roasting, grinding, and boiling it in hot water. Then people just sit around drinking very strong coffee (most Ethiopians don’t add sugar). Sitting and drinking where the tradition part comes in.

“In Ethiopia, time is not money,” says Mekonnen. “They talk about their families and friends, and sit around. In this country, you grab and go coffee. It’s a very unique experience…”

After the coffee ceremony, food and samples from three Ethiopian restaurants (Ghion, Ibex, and Lalibela) in Dallas will be provided to guests. There’ll be dance performances, a fashion show, and short films during the entire program that runs from Sept 1-2, 11 a.m. to midnight both days.

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KRLD Restaurant Week 2012: Reader Reviews

posted by Nancy Nichols | August 28th, 2012 9:00am | filed under KRLD Restaurant Week 2012 |

There are sixty, 60, SIX.TY restaurants still offering deals for  KRLD Restaurant Week. Are you participating? If so, please share your experiences. Tip your servers and if they are exceptional, snap their picture, take down their name, and allow us to adore them.