Articles about Alright already!

‘Brogurt’ is Really Here

posted by Carol Shih | February 26th, 2013 10:12am | filed under Alright already! | 2 Comments »

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Yesterday, Grub Street announced the existence of the new Powerful Yogurt that helps men find their inner abs. Its website claims this beast of a snack is “specifically designed to meet the health and performance needs of busy men living an active lifestyle.” Oh boy. I guess this is for real.

Chad Houser, executive director of Cafe Momentum, posted this funny bit of insight on his Facebook wall. It’s pretty awesome:

C- announced a new yogurt for men called Brogurt. I wonder how much money they spent on coming up with that name, and how many people are going to get fired when someone in the company discovers the definition of “brogurt” on Urban Dictionary?

Update: Previously this article mistakenly associated ‘brogurt’ with Chobani. Powerful Yogurt is actually not manufactured by Chobani.

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Annoying Restaurant Gimmicks: What’s Your Pet Peeve?

posted by Carol Shih | February 18th, 2013 10:26am | filed under Alright already!, As the Restaurant Turns, Bad critters | 19 Comments »
via flickr.com

via flickr.com

Last night, Urban Taco took its complaints to Twitter in a most amusing tweet:

I’m fairly certain my friend over at Taco Trail has said something similar about the zigzag trays, too. (Correct me if I’m wrong, Jose.) Anyhoo. I get it. There are certain things I can’t stand when I’m dining out. I’m not a huge fan of seeing napkins folded into weird ways. What a waste of time for those po’ napkin folders! They all end up crumpled on your lap, anyways.

I could name a few more, but I know you guys have oodles of more complaints. Share them, will ya? It’s cathartic if we do it together.

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Help Me Get SideDish on TV

posted by Nancy Nichols | January 29th, 2013 2:17pm | filed under Alright already!, Bad critters, Bring it!, Buzz Killer!, Food Crime, I Went to College for This?, I'm about to get fired, make mine a double, Merguez Sausage Hunt, questionable judgment, SideDish Bump! | 30 Comments »

The Wicked.

In case you missed Tim’s announcement last month:

 D Magazine Partners (the magazine’s parent company) and London Broadcasting have announced a partnership that should make the local television landscape look a little more interesting. London, a local firm, owns a unique property called KTXD. It is an independent, must-carry station in a major media market. That means it is not beholden to a network like CBS or NBC, and the FCC requires that local cable providers carry it. Right now, KTXD broadcasts a lot of old classics but it plans to transition to all local programming. That’s where we come in. The station will rebrand itself as D-TV one show at a time.

So far we have several shows in production and the staff is encouraged to submit ideas. I pitched a couple of food-related shows to our publisher, Wick Allison, and he refuses to listen to me. I have emailed, called, and left voice mails with ideas. I need your help convincing him SideDish deserves a show. The possibilities are endless. Get creative and we’ll put you on TV!

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My Five Cents: Scenes From Exhibition Kitchens

posted by Nancy Nichols | January 21st, 2013 11:07am | filed under Alright already!, Celebrity Chefs, How to Open a Restaurant 101, I Went to College for This?, Procrastination is part of the creative process, Really?, Restaurant News | 6 Comments »

All the world’s a stage.

Dear Restaurateur,

If you design your kitchen so customers can watch your chef do their thing you’d better be sure they are on their best behavior at all times. Here are just a few incidents I have witnessed in the last month.

Busboy in u-shaped bar with customers all around him takes a plastic ice tea glass and fills it with ice and about four fingers of bourbon. He tops it off with Coke. He then walks through the upscale dining room to the open kitchen and hands it to the chef who takes a healthy swig. During dinner service.

I’m waiting in a short line for the ladies room which is located basically inside a restaurant’s very busy kitchen. The dude standing over the grill making fajitas (whoops!) wipes his sweaty brow with his forearm first and then a towel which he slings over his shoulder. He removes the meat, wipes the stainless steel table with same cloth, tosses meat down, and begins to chop with  glove-less hands.

It’s a slow night in a restaurant on Cedar Springs. The entire kitchen staff is standing around a various little groups and chatting. One chef is eating a sandwich. One male cook has his arm wrapped around another male cook’s waist. When an order arrives, they break apart but not before one plants a big fat kiss on the other.

I could go on.   And I’m sure some readers will chime in with other tales. I hope you listen and remind your staff to remember they are performing in front of a live audience.

Thanks,

Nancy

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Chefs: Put Down Your Squeeze Bottles

posted by Nancy Nichols | October 9th, 2012 10:15am | filed under Alright already!, Buzz Killer!, dessert, Food is art. Art is Food., I Went to College for This?, Restaurant News, SideDish Readers Are Smart People, That is Just Wrong | 16 Comments »

This would make Jackson Pollock too dizzy to eat.

All of your senses should be aroused when a plate of food is set in front of you. Before you take one bite, you’ve already eaten the dish with your eyes. The presentation of a dish is important. My eyes shut, my shoulders slump, and I breathe a heavy sigh each time I spy a dessert, entrée, or appetizer that has been assaulted with squiggles, swirls, dots, and curly cues of sauces, frostings, or oils forced through a squeeze bottle. Chefs, a little goes a long way. Not only is it outdated, it makes me think you are trying too hard to sell what is underneath. What started with the Hostess Cupcake (Halloween costume idea!), should stop now.

What presentation style turns you off?

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Good vs. Evil: An Evening with Anthony Bourdain & Eric Ripert at Bass Hall in Fort Worth

posted by Nancy Nichols | September 19th, 2012 9:30am | filed under Alright already!, Celebrity Chefs, Celebrity Diners, Cult Cuisine, Merguez Sausage Hunt, Overprivileged chimps | 3 Comments »

The Tony. The Tesar. The Brad.

Last October, Anthony “Tony” Bourdain graced Dallas with his presence when he appeared before a sellout crowd at The Majestic Theater. (Check out the pictures we snapped here.

“T” also spent a few weeks hanging out at SXSW in Austin this spring where he filmed a episode on Texas barbecue with local BBQ Snob, Daniel Vaughn. Bourdain will be back in November for a show with his super chef pal, Eric Ripert at Bass Hall on November 9.

Have you had your fill of Bourdain or are you headed west with The Brad?

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KRLD Restaurant Week 2012: Reader Reviews

posted by Nancy Nichols | September 4th, 2012 9:00am | filed under Alright already!, KRLD Restaurant Week 2012 | 1 Comment »

PEOPLE, it is over. There are ZERO restaurants still offering deals for  KRLD Restaurant Week 2012. This is your final chance to write reviews of your experiences. Type hard and make word salad.

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In Dallas, Urban Organic Farmers are Pissed About the West Nile Spraying

posted by Carol Shih | August 24th, 2012 1:13pm | filed under AgriBusiness, Alright already! | 5 Comments »

www.dirtdoctor.com

There aren’t too many urban farmers in Dallas, and even fewer are the urban organic farmers who’ve been affected by the West Nile spraying that went on for eight stressful days. Beekeepers (like Brandon and Susan Pollard of the Texas Honeybee Guild), people with chemical allergies, and urban organic farmers have been the loudest in their criticism against the aerial and ground spraying, and they’re making their shouts heard on Facebook and Twitter these days. The Eden Organic Garden Center and the Texas Worm Ranch are two small gardening businesses in Dallas that have struggled to preserve their produce’s organic purity amidst the chemical assaults on their land.

Eden Organic Garden Center/CSA Farm

On the edge of Dallas and right up against Mesquite lies Marie Tedei’s one-woman farm, the Eden Organic Garden Center, where, in Balch Springs, the county has honored her farm’s organic integrity by declaring it a no-spray zone since 2007. But between the late-night hours of last Thursday night and early Friday morning, a contract worker driving a truck didn’t turn off his ground spray, didn’t slow down when he saw Tedei waving him down to stop the spray, and instead continued along his merry way.

Stay with me here.

Continue reading "In Dallas, Urban Organic Farmers are Pissed About the West Nile Spraying"

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Wednesday Food Porn: Oak’s Grilled Pork Tenderloin

posted by Carol Shih | August 1st, 2012 12:50pm | filed under Alright already!, Sexy food | 2 Comments »

Pork tenderloin with couscous (photo by Joy Zhang)

Here’s a little photo-loving to help you get over Hump Day. Today also happens to be the day Oak is starting its new lunch menu. There’s pan seared trout, baked goat cheese with lavosh and marinated olives, and a ham and cheese croissant that looks so fine.. I’m not even going to finish this sentence. Jason Maddy’s new menu is designed to reflect the changing season and what’s available to him from purveyors and small farms.

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Move Over KRLD RW, Julia Child Restaurant Week Starts in Dallas on August 7

posted by Nancy Nichols | July 13th, 2012 10:53am | filed under Alright already!, Baking, Books, Bring it!, Charity events, Cooking, KRLD Restaurant Week 2012, Merguez Sausage Hunt, restaurant business news, Restaurant News, Sing Along Press Releases |

In honor of what would have been Julia Child’s 100th birthday (August 15), Alfred A. Knopf is announcing Julia Child Restaurant Week, a component of the “JC100,” in partnership with more than 100 restaurants across America.

From August 7 – 15, notable chefs like Emeril Lagasse (9 of his restaurants in 4 cities), Traci Des Jardins (San Francisco, CA), Alice Waters (Berkeley, CA), Barbara Lynch (Boston, MA) and Michel Richard (Washington, D.C.) “will join the “JC100″ in the exciting celebration of Julia Child, with special menus and events inspired by one of our most beloved culinary icons.”

For four Dallas Restaurants, this celebration might present an interesting challenge. Cadot, Lavendou, Rise No.1, and Landmark at the Warwick Melrose could be participating in two official Restaurant Weeks. For, as we told you yesterday, KRLD Restaurant Week 2012 kicks off with a preview weekend (Aug 10-12) and officially invades 125 DFW restaurants on August 13 and their special menus could run for one, two, or three weeks.

KRLD Restaurant Week participants donate $7 from each $35 prix fixe dinner to the North Texas Food Bank and Lena Pope Home. The press release for the “JC100” says: “restaurants will feature dishes, menus or events inspired by 100 of Julia’s most cherished recipes, which were handpicked from a list of 3,700 by a jury of culinary luminaries chaired by her longtime editor Judith Jones.” Oh, and coincidentally, Alfred A. Knopf will release DEARIE: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child, author Bob Spitz’s new biography of Julia.

Here’s the complete “JC100″ list. Here’s the Facebook page. Here’s a little song you can all join in with, it’s very simple and I hope its’new.

Please, Burger King, Stop This Bacon Madness

posted by Carol Shih | April 11th, 2012 12:31pm | filed under Alright already!, Bacon | 2 Comments »

I thought the bacon craze might have hit its low with Jack in the Box’s bacon milkshake, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. Now Burger King is jumping into the fray with its very own bacon sundae. According to Internet chatter, there’s no word on whether this item will be officially added to BK’s menu, but it definitely looks like its not ruling that option out. BK displayed this lovely bacon sundae ad in Nashville.

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Top Chef: Texas, Episode 16 Recap

posted by Carol Shih | February 23rd, 2012 4:48pm | filed under Alright already!, Delusional behavior, Top Chef: Texas | 5 Comments »

[Sorry this is late. I keep getting distracted because Paul Qui is posting creepy photos of fish here and here on Twitter. Yeeea, Paul, I "sea" you.]

It’s down to the three amigos: Pretty Paul, Stinky Sarah, and Lame Lindsay.

Good thing Bev’s gone because this trio has to cook Asian food inside Vancouver’s Chinatown for the Quickfire Challenge. “Asian food is not my forte,” says Sarah. Naw, really? All I’ve seen you do is make pasta and fish. You are lucky Bev isn’t here to whoop you with some of her braised short ribs.

Jump for more cans of whoop @$$.

Continue reading "Top Chef: Texas, Episode 16 Recap"

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It’s Hip to be Square at Denton Square Donuts

posted by Daniel Walker | October 3rd, 2011 10:00am | filed under Alright already!, Bacon, Baking, Breakfast, cheap eats, dessert, Eat This Now!, Good Morning | 5 Comments »

I don’t know if I told you, but I have a thing for donuts.  Maybe that’s a bit of an understatement.  But it’s rare, in this city, to find a place that is willing to push the limits when it comes to these tasty morsels of fried dough and sugar (obvious exceptions excluded).  Therefore, any donut news is good news in my book, and any upstart entrepreneur that is daring enough to risk their livelihood, families, pets, and entire life’s savings on the humble donut is A-OK with me.

When the buzz around Denton Square Donuts began to surface a number of months ago, I was intrigued to say the least.  The obviously non-traditional shape of these donuts is enough to rouse one’s attention, but most donuteers will recall similarly shaped offerings at the mighty Doughnut Plant in NYC.  The toppings which adorn DSD’s baked goods are also enough to get the salivary juices flowing: Brie with Apricot Jelly, Cream Cheese and Jalapeno Jelly, Apple Pie, and the nearly-ubiquitous Bacon and Maple.  Yet still, some may argue that places like Hypnotic, Gourdoughs in Austin, and Voodoo in Portland have been offering up equally ambitious donuts for years.

Continue reading "It’s Hip to be Square at Denton Square Donuts"

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Bolsa is Making a Major Announcement at Noon

posted by Nancy Nichols | September 13th, 2011 11:18am | filed under Alright already!, Breaking News, Celebrity Chefs, Hippie revolutions, I Went to College for This? | 1 Comment »

In an attempt to upstage Leslie Brenner’s appearance on KERA’s Think with Krys Boyd, those crafty dudes at Bolsa are making a “major announcement” on their Facebook page at noon.

UPPITY DATE: Hmm, I hear they are taking over the Confusion space. Chefs will be familiar…

UPPITY DATE: False on space. True on chefs.

1 Comment »

Tesar Says He’ll Reopen The Table Under A New Name: One Art

posted by Sarah Reiss | August 5th, 2011 10:49am | filed under Alright already!, Breaking News, Celebrity Chefs, hold on to your effin hat, How to Open a Restaurant 101, I Hate it When That Happens | 5 Comments »

Last night, John Tesar appeared on Extreme Chef and emerged victorious (and with $10,ooo prize money to show for it).

This morning, however, Steven Doyle reported this even more interesting (and par for the course) quote from the wild life of Mr. T:

“We closed The Table but we are about to open it back up again. It will be called One Art. The One Art is about the art of being a chef. There will be two seating’s, five nights a week. Much like Ad Hoc. There will be 3 courses or more. It will cost a flat $55. Everything farm to table and local as humanly possible. Less reliant on foie and truffles.”

So, there you have it. Let loose.

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Sweating Prohibition-Era Bullets At The Cedars Social

posted by Sarah Reiss | June 27th, 2011 11:42am | filed under Alright already!, Beverages, Buzz Killer!, cocktails, Hot Links!, Mistakes I made, Mixology is fancy for bartender | 5 Comments »

The glasses aren't the only thing that's sweating. Ball and Chain (left) and Belleview (right) cocktails at The Cedars Social.

In her June review of The Cedars Social, Nancy described house mixologist Michael Martensen as someone who, “has spent the last eight years redefining cocktails as a culinary art, and his thoughtful, exhaustive drink menu at The Cedars Social celebrates almost 100 years of drinking… ‘It’s a cocktail den. It’s all about imbibing. We don’t have olives or Red Bull, and we don’t make dirty martinis. We need people to get out of their comfort zone.’”

Given that breaking out of my comfort zone is my favorite hobby, I called some pals to meet me for a cocktails-only visit last Friday afternoon/evening. There, at the corner of Lamar and Belleview, we lucked into some threadbare velour chairs in the bar area, ordered some cheese, and settled in for the long haul.

jump to read how things went so very very wrong… Continue reading "Sweating Prohibition-Era Bullets At The Cedars Social"

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Somebody Help This Poor Underling Out

posted by Sarah Reiss | June 10th, 2011 1:03pm | filed under Alright already! | 17 Comments »

This just landed in my inbox, let’s help avert this last-minute crisis:

My new boss’ wife thinks it’s kicky and bohemian to announce spontaneous cocktails and dinners at their house. The latest of which is tonight. I just received an email saying we should all come by for TGIF BBQ. For the record, if you don’t actually work, you can’t claim TGIF rights. But I digress. Even though she’ll have the whole mess catered, it’s frowned upon if you don’t bring a special treat to share. As this is last minute, I have no time to cook something. Can anyone suggest a good takeout salad, side, or dessert that will be yummy with BBQ but not break the bank? Thanks!

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The Widowmaker Happy Hour: Beer & Bacon at Mextopia.

posted by Sarah Reiss | May 27th, 2011 12:48pm | filed under Alright already!, Bacon, Bars, beer, questionable judgment | 2 Comments »

If you haven’t heard yet, Richard Avila’s Mextopia on Lower Greenville is starting a new Beer & Bacon Happy Hour on Thursdays and Saturdays from 4 to 8 pm. That’s right, not dry old popcorn, not dusty peanuts—glistening strips of bacon. I’m picturing communal plates on the bar, but for all I know they could be handing out newspaper-wrapped bacon bundles (a la fish & chips) or bacon woven onto kabobs, or perhaps even bacon-filled waffle cones.

Now, I loves the bacon, and I have no doubt that the $2 Tecate and Firemans No. 4 will pair well with the salt and grease. But for god’s sake, man, think about the quantities, the gluttony, the greasy fingers (visual proof of when you have one too many and start to play grab-a@* with that cute guy from sales).

I’m thinking that Avila’s self-proclaimed “fun, festive, family” vibe is about to see some seriously questionable pork-themed behavior. There’s only one way to find out.

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