Articles for February 6th, 2013

Chef Tim Love Turns Denton Love Shack into Queenie’s Steakhouse

posted by Carol Shih | February 6th, 2013 2:08pm | filed under Business, Openings/Closings, Restaurant News | 3 Comments »

Tim Love is really going through with his plans to kill all the Love Shacks, besides the last one standing in Fort Worth. Today, on Twitter, “The Rootinest, Tootinest, Doggone Shootinest Chef in the West” announced that he’s calling his new Denton restaurant baby “Queenie’s Steakhouse.”

18 minutes ago, he tweeted a sampling of this yummy dead fish.

Correction: This article first stated that there’s only one Love Shack left. There are actually two Love Shacks still standing, and Tim Love says another one is on its way.  

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The Taste, Episode 3 Recap: Comfort Food

posted by Christina Colavecchia | February 6th, 2013 1:43pm | filed under Celebrity Chefs, Chef's tasting, The Taste | 3 Comments »

Ludo Lefebvre, Nigella Lawson, Anthony Bourdain, and Brian Malarkey (via popgoestheweek.com)

After two audition episodes, the four mentors (Ludo Lefebvre, Nigella Lawson, Anthony Bourdain and Brian Malarkey) are finally ready to compete after choosing four lucky chefs to be a part of their teams. The mentors are ready to lead them, guns a’ blazin’.

The show’s first competition, a group competition, pits each cheftestant against each other, but in a group. It’s confusing. Gabrielle Hamilton (of Blood, Bones, and Butter fame) is supposed to judge an individual spoon (a.k.a. dish) made by an individual chef that is chosen by the members of their team. What really happens is this: the “mentors” (and believe me, this term is used loosely) yell, scream, kick, and push their chefs into choosing the dish the mentor believes is the best. The result: chefs that don’t like/respect their teams’ decision.

Here’s an example. As time ticks down, Ludo absolutely panics and shoves Sarah’s mac n’ cheese to the front of the table for the half-naked waitress to deliver to Gabrielle. As Gabrielle tastes and critiques the teams’ spoon, Ludo is upset at his choice and wishes he had gone with Shawn. Gabrielle hates the mac ‘n’ cheese.

It pays to be kind, though. Nigella, who decided to lead her team instead of bully them, wins. Her chef, Lauren, creates a delicious chicken stew that wowed Gabrielle, mostly due to Nigella’s help with the deep-fried chicken skin garnish. Lauren (the show’s youngest contestant) wins immunity and the help of Gabrielle on her team for the looming individual challenge.

Continue reading "The Taste, Episode 3 Recap: Comfort Food"

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Belly & Trumpet Opens Tuesday, February 12

posted by Carol Shih | February 6th, 2013 11:56am | filed under Business, Openings/Closings, Restaurant News | 2 Comments »

Two peas in a pod – Zenner and Mendoza

Richard and Tiffanee Ellman  (Oak) have teamed up with John Paul Valverde (Coeval Studio) for Belly & Trumpet, a cozy restaurant located inside a house on 3407 McKinney Avenue in Uptown.

Featuring the carefully balanced and innovative creations of Executive Chef Brian Zenner (Chef de Cuisine, Oak), the menu will change regularly and be comprised of sharable items.  Chef Zenner enticed former Mansion on Turtle Creek colleague, Rudy Mendoza, to join him as his Sous Chef, and together they will seek to incorporate global influences into a menu that Zenner describes in the following manner: “With Belly & Trumpet, we are striving to extend beyond the ordinary in everything we do.  We are challenging ourselves to be inventive and thoughtful, often taking a classic favorite and adding an exciting twist.  Regardless, our primary goal is for our food to be consistently soulful and delicious.”  Chef Zenner will remain the Chef de Cuisine at Oak while overseeing Belly & Trumpet on a daily basis.

The General Manager, Adam Karpf was most recently the manager at Michelin rated Spiaggia in Chicago, and prior to that he was a manager at the Mansion on Turtle Creek.  Thus Belly & Trumpet reunites Zenner, Karpf and Mendoza in a setting where their teamwork and collaboration will serve them well in creating the social, shared experience of Belly & Trumpet.

Jump for a sneaky peek at the menu.

Continue reading "Belly & Trumpet Opens Tuesday, February 12"

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Into Shelley’s Belly: Mudsmith Coffee on Greenville

posted by Matthew Shelley | February 6th, 2013 10:29am | filed under Coffee, Eat This Now!, How About This Weather?, Into Shelley's Belly | 3 Comments »

Mr. Mocha (left); Brooke Humphries, owner (photos by Matthew Shelley)

If Tyler Durden opened a coffee shop after he married Janis Joplin and made babies atop Mount Badass, Mudsmith on Greenville Ave. would be that coffee shop.

The first time I ventured in here, I immediately turned around realizing that I wasn’t cool enough yet to patronize this cozy, wide open coffee shop. Its long and fertile interior beckoned to me like the lilies of eastern Fiji that crawl and tenderly awaken your pores before bringing you to your knees before the sun. I returned and quickly realized that I needn’t fret over my style or coolness, for the people at Mudsmith welcome you with warmth and generosity. They are quiet and gentle, and they work to please you without spoiling the privacy that so many come to coffee shops for.

Continue reading "Into Shelley’s Belly: Mudsmith Coffee on Greenville"

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SideDish on TV Audition: Blaine Duhe

posted by Nancy Nichols | February 6th, 2013 8:54am | filed under Put SideDish on TV! | 3 Comments »

Last week, I started a campaign to get SideDish on TV. So far, That Sports Girl Gina Miller, has thrown in her two cents and we’ve published not one or two audition tapes for potential hosts, we’ve presented three!

Here’s a little background on our next potential star, Blaine Duhe.

Blaine Duhe’s culinary tale started in a home kitchen inSouth Louisiana.  There, he served as a pint-size sous chef to his father, helping make gumbos, jambalayas, and all kinds of Cajun dishes. He eventually made his way into the restaurant industry as a new restaurant trainer for Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, helping to open over twenty new locations nationwide. He has since moved on to the digital world of web design, but he continues to bring a practical, yet inventive approach to cooking in and dining out inDallas.

His idea for SideDish on TV:

 My idea for a local cooking/food entertainment show called Everyday Eats. EE blends the typical cooking presentation with a look atDallas’ best restaurants for eating out. So whether you’re tuning in to learn how to make kale kimchi, or finding out the best things to order at Velvet Taco, Everyday Eats is your guide for eating well!

Put your hands (and fingers) together for Blaine Duhe!

Would you like to send in an audition tape? Check this link and email me.

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