Articles for February 7th, 2013

Phil Romano sues Hofmann Hots CEO Frank Zaccanelli For Misuse of Funds

posted by Nancy Nichols | February 7th, 2013 5:30pm | filed under Bad critters, Food, Hot dogs are the new hamburger, I miss Il Mulino, Incubator News, It's just lunch, italian food, Overprivileged chimps, restaurant business news, Trinity Groves | 9 Comments »

Badda Bing: Do not piss of Phil Romano. He will sue you.

Really?  Holy cow.  I just flipped over to EaterDallas and saw the headline: Hofmann’s CEO Gets Sued for Using Company Money as His Personal Slush Fund.

Frank, I know you’re a tough guy but, dude, you don’t ever want to piss off Phil Romano. (Right Dotty?) Especially on his home court of Trinity Groves. Allegedly, Zaccanelli used $34,000 to pay for non-business expenses that include $1,ooo at a Dallas nightclub, a house and a job for his mistress, and other ditties for his wife. Romano and several other investors are suing Zaccanelli.

Excuse me for being naive  but how do people think they are going to get away with crap like this? Really? A house lease is considered a “facility payment?” Oink.

The first Hofmann Hots opens tomorrow at 11AM in Trinity Groves. I bet it will be packed now.

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SideDish on TV Audition: Revisiting Dallas With Nathan Brown

posted by Nancy Nichols | February 7th, 2013 10:22am | filed under Food, Put SideDish on TV! | 6 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, two , or three, four, we are now up to five.

Today, we introduce Nathan Brown. His tape was sent to me by his producer (impressive!), Kevin Huckabee. Here’s the swing and the pitch:

Hello Nancy, I’m Kevin Huckabee, producer for “Revisiting Dallas with Nathan Brown”. I have an interesting story. Last year, a good friend of mine named Nathan Brown and I put forth an effort to produce a series about re-defining Dallas by exploring the new culture of young restaurants, pubs, and businesses and departing from the old encrusted cowboy, southern stereotypes. The truth is,Dallas is the number two growing city to live and that is attributed to our acceptance of change and diversification. Please take a look at the treatment I put together for the show and if you like the idea lets take the necessary steps to get it off the ground as a program for the new D-TV concept. Thank you.

If you would like to star on SideDish on TV, email a bio and video clip. Now, put your hands together for Nathan Brown.

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Interview with Bobby Deen: From Mama’s Table to Mine

posted by Aimee Pass | February 7th, 2013 10:00am | filed under Celebrity Chefs, celebrity sightings, cookbooks, Food |

Like mother like son? Bobby Deen and his mama, Paula

If the novelty of your gym membership has worn off, you’ll be looking for new ways to keep up with your get-fit New Year’s resolution—as many of us are. Luckily for you, there’s plenty of small things you can do with your diet to make a difference without giving up the good stuff altogether. Son-of-a-superstar-chef and growing legend himself, Bobby Deen will be in Dallas tomorrow, February 8, to sign his new cookbook, From Mama’s Table to Mine, at Barnes and Noble (7700 W. Northwest Highway).

There’s definitely nothing about this book that screams diet, but if you take a look at most of the recipes, each one has been modified from one of his mother’s originals. Most of the dishes cut a couple hundred calories off each plate. I was lucky enough to talk to him about his book before he gets here.

Aimee Pass: What’s your trick to making healthy food taste good?

Bobby Deen: What I do is a lot of shuffling around. I find the major culprit in recipes—find what contains the most fat and calories—and find a way to cut it back, which is really simple, or replace it with fresh spices or with vegetables. Things that are flavorful, but not necessarily fattening.

Continue reading "Interview with Bobby Deen: From Mama’s Table to Mine"

Top Chef: Seattle, Episode 14 Recap

posted by Carol Shih | February 7th, 2013 9:00am | filed under Food, Top Chef Season 10 | 3 Comments »

Josh gives up on bacon, and Sheldon barely scrapes into the top three. Yeesh. I’m happy.

Round 1: Quickfire Challenge

Everyone is boo-hooing over the loss of the lovably evil Stefan. “Aw, man, I’m going to miss Stefan,” says Josh. “He’s very good-hearted.” They’ve barely started mourning when the four remaining chefs land in Juneau. Sean Brock of Charleston is standing next to a purple Padma, who quickly shows off the mother lode of Alaskan king crab at Tracy’s King Crab Shack. Guess what? They get to make a dish highlighting the crab.

Josh thinks his poached king crab with succotash and bacon is going to win him $5,000. “I nailed it. 100%.” He couldn’t have been more wrong. Brock, a succotash snob, disagreed and said the “bacon was unnecessary.” Sheldon wins with his miso soup from crab innards, even though Brook’s crab toast and compound butter rocked, too.

At least Josh has learned his lesson. “I’m done with bacon, apparently.” Thank. Heavens. No more bacon, please. Continue reading "Top Chef: Seattle, Episode 14 Recap"

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Pop Diner in Uptown Softly Opens Today at 11 A.M.

posted by Carol Shih | February 7th, 2013 8:30am | filed under Business, Food, Openings/Closings, Restaurant News | 3 Comments »

Pop diner interior (photos by Ariel Gonzalez)

Nik Gjonaj has this thick northeastern accent that tells you, right away, he’s not a Dallas native. He lives in Detroit, where he owns an upscale chop house and a flurry of other restaurants. When his cousin and business partner, Kola, lured him to Uptown, he fell so in love with Dallas, he says he might move. Permanently.

But for now, the restaurateur is happily traveling back and forth for his new project, Pop Diner, which sits right next to Max’s Wine Dive on 3600 McKinney Ave. Inside, it’s exactly what it sounds like: bright colors, 1980′s and early 1990′s pop art, and booths to make it feel like a diner affair. Much of what you see on the walls is made by Lesli Marshall, a mixed media artist in Dallas. The art is fun and playful, but most importantly, it acts as a rotating gallery for the diner. Everything’s for sale.  Continue reading "Pop Diner in Uptown Softly Opens Today at 11 A.M."

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