Articles for September 25th, 2012

Patrizio and Bailey’s Grille in Cedar Hill are Closed

posted by Nancy Nichols | September 25th, 2012 4:24pm | filed under Closings, Openings/Closings, Restaurant News | 9 Comments »

Ed Bailey’s empire continues to fall. Head honcho Ken “Kesey” Kuczwaj confirms both were “under performing.”

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Chili Cook-Off Marks the Beginning of State Fair Festivities

posted by Iris Zubair | September 25th, 2012 1:50pm | filed under Chili, State Fair of Texas |

Chili cooking on the stove (photo by Raymond Jeffcoat)

Never having been to a chili cook-off before, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I walked up to the parking lot at Fair Park on Sunday, September 23. One thing was predictable, though: the scorching Texas heat at an unforgiving 91 degrees. This was one of the few chili cooking competitions before the long awaited Terlingua International Chili Championship on November 3. The scores from the State Fair of Texas Chili Cook-Off could add to the points needed to qualify at Terlingua. As I walked through all the different cooking tents, I was constantly reminded of just how dedicated these competitors were as they spiced, stirred, and simmered their recipes to perfection.

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My Five Cents: Restaurants, Beware of Food Writers Who Expect Freebies

posted by Nancy Nichols | September 25th, 2012 1:40pm | filed under Amy Severson, As the Restaurant Turns, Buzz Killer!, Food Writing, FTC Rules Approved Post, PR People, Really? | 55 Comments »

Full disclosure: Last night I took my good friend Don Waddington to dinner. Don, who recently lost his wife, Polly, wanted to attend Sevy’s 100th wine dinner celebration. Sevy’s has been Don and Polly’s favorite restaurant since it opened. The Waddingtons traveled on both D Magazine chef cruises, which also included Jim Severson and his wife, Amy. I know Jim and Amy and consider them good friends. Amy contributes to SideDish. I do not review Sevy’s, and it is one of the few restaurants I go to on my own nickel.

Back to last night. Sevy’s private dining room was filled with loyal customers. It was not a media event. I wasn’t working. However, I noticed a woman with a camera and a tape recorder in her hand working the room as if she was the hostess. She snapped pictures, took down names, and chatted with everyone in the room. When a course was served, she would sit down, but once she was finished, she was up again and working the room. At one point, I overheard her say, “Well, I can’t write about it if I don’t taste it.”

I turned to Amy Severson and asked if she knew the name of the woman. “She came in the restaurant the other day and introduced herself as a food writer, asked for a copy of our logo, and made a reservation for the wine dinner,” Amy said. “There was never any discussion of any quid pro quo, nor was there any discussion of her covering the wine and food dinner for us as a PR move.”

However, it was obvious to all at our table that this woman was all about PR, but not for the restaurant. She was there to promote herself.

Oh, let’s get to the bottom of this.

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Big Thought’s Fourth Annual Food for Thought Event was a Major Success

posted by Tiffany Thomas | September 25th, 2012 11:47am | filed under Charity events | 1 Comment »

Chef Tiffany Derry's pan-seared scallop on creamed corn (photos by Melisa Oporto)

Big Thought, a leading nonprofit benefitting public education through creative learning, pulled off another successful Food for Thought event this past Saturday at the Frontiers of Flight Museum. Food for Thought featured foods from celebrity chefs and local big-name restaurants of Dallas, so if you missed it, there’s always next year.

Jump for photos and the play-by-play.

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Have a Bucket List? Company Café Wants to Know About It.

posted by Sarah Bennett | September 25th, 2012 10:37am | filed under Neighborhood restaurants | 1 Comment »

The "Before I Die" wall (photo by Sarah Bennett)

Two weeks ago, the popular Katy Trail restaurant, Company Cafe, put up a massive chalkboard wall on its exterior, asking diners and passers by one question: What do you want to do before you die?

The project is a partnership with The Intown Chabad, a local Jewish community led by Rabbi Zvi Drizin. The point of this experiment is to get people to examine their potential and share their aspirations. Company Café operations manager Jeff Wells had seen similar projects in other cities and thought the restaurant would be a perfect fit for the concept. That’s why he put up the “Before I Die” wall.

“It’s such a focal point on the trail,” he said of the 15-foot board, covered in multicolored chalk. “We liked it because it really is a wonderful community project.”

So what’s on Dallas’ bucket list? Scribbles range from lofty to strange goals. Some want to travel the world, learn another language, and save a life. Others (who might not be taking the wall so seriously) write that they’d like to puke on a friend or bathe in cream corn. As for Wells’ dream?

“I haven’t written on it yet,” he said. “I’m trying to find the right one.”

Sarah Bennett graduated from Southern Methodist University in May 2011 with a degree in English/Creative Writing. She admits her nerdy passion for historical fiction, and can be found on the weekends cheering on the Mustangs from the Boulevard.

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Pitmasters Announced for Second Annual Texas Oklahoma Red River Barbecue Shootout

posted by Nancy Nichols | September 25th, 2012 9:04am | filed under BBQ, Food Fight! | 1 Comment »

Last year, Dallas Restaurant Group (Dallas Chop House, Wild Salsa, Dallas Fish Market) and Downtown Dallas Inc. teamed up to create the Texas Oklahoma Red River Barbecue Shootout. Basically it’s a barbecue competition between four pitmasters from Oklahoma and four from Texas. This year, the second event will take place downtown at Main Street Garden on during Texas/OU weekend (October 11 &12).

The pitmasters competing for the 2012 Champion title and a $1000 prize in the two-round contest are:

TEXAS

Cliff Payne (2011 Event Champion) Cousin’s, Fort Worth,TX

Lance Kirkpatrick, Stiles Switch BBQ & Brew, Austin,TX

Kelly Duncan, Big Daddy’s – Lavon, TX

Rev. Jeremiah McKenzie, Baby J’s BBQ & Fish, Palestine, TX

OKLAHOMA

Robby Corcoran, Burn Co. BBQ, Tulsa,OK

Terel McNac, Steve’s Ribs, Edmond, OK

Russ Garrett, Coach’s,  Oklahoma City, OK

Bill Ritter,  Mud Creek BBQ, Ringling, OK

DRG Concepts and Downtown Dallas Inc. are bringing in live music from Texas and Oklahoma and the bands will perform all evening on October 12, starting at 5:30 p.m. The concerts are free and open to the public. Everyone is invited to bring their lawn chairs and blankets to enjoy the music on the lawn at Main Street Garden. In addition to the barbecue on the Red River Shootout People’s Choice Rib Plate, attendees will be able to purchase beer, wine and margaritas at the October 12 event. Who wins? Downtown Dallas!

More info below.

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