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Chef Bruno Davaillon: The Video Interview

Can’t get enough Bruno Davaillon? Andrew Chalk did a video interview with the chef after dinner. He finds out all about Bruno’s favorite things, the kinds of foods he likes best, and much more. Watch below.

Andrew Chalk: Report on New Bruno Davaillon Dishes at the Mansion

Andrew Chalk visited the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek to sample chef Bruno Davaillon’s new menu and give us a report. You might have seen recaps on other sites, but Chalk’s is the most detailed I’ve read. Jump for it.

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Andrew Chalk: Charlie Palmer Talks About Making Wine at His Private Vineyard

Surrounded by Dean Fearing, Kent Rathbun, and Sharon Hage, chef Charlie Palmer talks with Andrew Chalk about making Pinot Noir at his house. (Nice gig, eh?)

Andrew Chalk Report: Celebrity Chef Soiree Last Night at Charlie Palmer at the Joule in Dallas

Scott Romano does a much better job of describing them in this video than I could. Excuse the poor technical quality – it was shot under battlefield conditions.

Last night celebrity chef Charlie Palmer was in town week to meet with his staff, chat with his public, and throw a little tasting party for area chefs. I spotted Dean Fearing, Kent Rathbun, Sharon Hage, and time love sampling appetizers at the bar long after the customers had cleared. Executive chef Scott Romano set out a spread that included peppered filet mignon with Armagnac sauce, pepper-seared mahi mahi, bacon-wrapped quail legs, shrimp mousse lobster corn dogs (lobster corn dogs?), and more. However, for me, the most exciting food was the large selection of charcuterie and salumi made in-house. Dishers, these samples were not contrived to please our local chefs, the food is currently on both the bar and restaurant menu.

DISCLAIMER: This event was provided by the restaurant and I was not anonymous. However, I personally took out a mortgage on my house to cover the valet parking charges.–Andrew Chalk

Tei-An at One Arts Plaza in Dallas: The Buttstory

From the ever-curious mind of SideDish reporter, Andrew Chalk:

Recent reports and videos on the making of soba noodles omitted the most curious fixture at Tei-An. No, not the rooftop patio (at least, as yet), the doors to the bathroom stalls. You step into a cubicle that appears to have a glass panel in the door. So much for privacy! However, when you close the door, the glass panel turns opaque–at least, from the inside. I assumed (hoped) the effect was two way, and (thankfully) no crowd gathered outside. This is a talk-inspiring design feature for a restaurant

I first heard of this type of glass being used in the changing rooms at high-end clothing stores. Apparently, it is made with a Piezoelectric crystal formed on the sheet. I wonder what happens when the electricity fails?

Making Soba Noodles at Tei-An at One Arts Plaza in Dallas

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Last week Andrew “Baby Face” Chalk attended the soba noodle making session held at Tei-An. The event was a big deal— Akila Inouye, Master Chef of Tsukiji Soba Academy in Tokyo, visited Tei-An restaurant at One Arts Plaza to give a demonstration of the technique of making soba noodles. Inouye’s brief U.S. tour only included New York, Los Angeles, and Dallas. Why Dallas? Tei-An owner Teiichi Sakurai is a student of the master. Here for your viewing enjoyment is Soba Noodles: The Movie.

Guessing Games With Andrew Chalk: WTF is This?

I love guessing games. Especially here on SideDish. It’s a great distraction from work and it drives my page views through the lower atmosphere. I was so happy when I opened an e-mail from SD reporter, Andrew Chalk. In it was a guessing game. So, here goes!

This is a picture of:
a)    A new building in the Arts District
b)    A modern sculpture
c)    A new $64 chocolate truffle from Noka
d)    Something caramelized
e)    All of the above
f)    None of the above
g)    Whatever I want it to be

Go for it. I’ll post another clue a little later in the day.

UPDATE: 3:09 p.m. Clue number 2.

UPDATE: DGirl takes the prize. Oh, we didn’t offer one! Whoopsie. Here’s Andrew:

It is indeed a cheese. Gjetost from Norway, also known as Brunost, is a semi-hard cheese made from cow and goat’s milk to which caramelization during boiling of the milk contributes an unforgettable brown color. The caramel is also evident in the taste which is nutty and creamy. It is usually cut with a cheese slicer in order to create thin strips as the taste is quite intense and the finish long-lived. I bought it for $15.90/lb at The Wooden Spoon in Plano. A store for all things Scandinavian except, on my last visit, the famous fetid shark. I settled for herring.

Making Soba Noodles at Tei-An: Master Chef Akila Inouye Visits Dallas

From the reporter’s notebook of Sir Andrew Chalk.

Noodles are an important part of Japanese cuisine. So important in fact that the Japanese have academies to teach the correct hand making and preparation of them. Yesterday, Akila Inouye, Master Chef of Tsukiji Soba Academy in Tokyo, visited Tei-An restaurant at One Arts Plaza to give a demonstration of the technique of making soba noodles. His visit to the US encompasses only New York, Los Angeles, and Dallas. The reason for Dallas’ place on the exclusive list is that Tei-An owner Teiichi Sakurai is a student of the master. When he sold his previous restaurants, Tei-Tei Robata Bar and Teppo Yakitori and Sushi Bar, he took time off before opening Tei-An to take a five week noodle course at the academy in Tokyo.

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Samar by Stephan Pyles Opens Tonight: Preview Dinner Report

“In the restaurant reviewing system, poor dining offenses are considered especially heinous. In Dallas, Texas, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad, known as the SideDish Victims Unit. These are their stories.”

Last night, Detective Andrew Chalk busted into a preview dinner at Samar by Stephan Pyles. He files this report:

Samar by Stephan Pyles opens tonight. This is undoubtedly one of the most anticipated new restaurants of the year. Yesterday, the restaurant held a preview to finalize the kitchen and service procedures and we were there. It is quite an experience.

Jumping now… (more…)

Andrew Chalk Loves Choucroute Garni à l’Alsacienne. He Found it at Lavendou.

Fall is not only in the air, the foods of fall are rolling out on local menus. Andrew Chalk was so excited when he received a newsletter from Lavendou, he copied and pasted it and sent it along to you. Why? I’ll let him tell you.

I think Choucroute is a defining dish of Alsace. Impossible to find here most of the year and I’m really pleased to see them doing this. Go with a big appetite, it’s very filling.

Fête de la Choucroute!!
Choucroute Garni à l’Alsacienne is one of the classic dishes of France. The Alsace region of Northeastern France is renowned for its cuisine. Choucroute means Sauerkraut in French, but unlike German Sauerkraut, the cabbage is cooked in wine with potatoes, onions, carrots and spices and then topped with an array of smoked meats, bacon and different types of sausages. This is truly a hearty feast fit for a king! We will feature this classic French dish beginning on Friday, 2 October through Saturday, 31 October 2009. To accompany this feast we will feature Alsace wines from various producers and our favorite beers, Kronenbourg 1664 and Stella Artois from Belgium. You may order the Choucroute on its’ own or we will have a 3-Course Alsace Degustation Menu for only $34.95 with Tarte Flambée and imported Mirabelle plum tart. 972-248-1911.

Janet Kafka: SideDish Readers Want Taberna del Alabardero in Dallas

Janet and Terry Kafka in Aspen last summer.

This just in from Andrew Chalk:

Thanks to Kirk for the heads-up to this article from the El Paso Times. Basque Restaurant Taberna del Alabardero is preparing a multi-course meal at the Coronado County Club in El Paso consisting of specialties from the Basque region of Spain. Examples include a typical Taberna pincho (Basque version of tapa): bacalao brandade (salt dried cod puree, olive oil, milk and/or cream, spices, herbs, etc.) stuffed in thinly sliced rolled zucchini slices topped with Romesco sauce (a mixture of tomatoes, peppers, onion, garlic, almonds or hazelnuts and olive oil) not to mention Jamon Iberico (Iberian ham).

Perhaps most intriguing is the reason a famous Basque Taberna is doing a meal in El Paso. It was arranged by the Honorary Consul General of Spain. Now Dallas doesn’t have a Spanish Consul General, but Google points to  The Honorable Janet Pollman Kafka as an Honorary Consul of Spain.  Any chance of getting her to contact Taberna del Alabardero and tell them Dallas would fill up their Basque meal as well (probably for many nights)?

Hey Janet, old buddy. I smell a SideDish Supper Club waiting to happen. Call me, let’s talk.

Samar by Stephan Pyles in Dallas: VIP Grand Opening Party

Samar’s creators paid huge attention to design. The following video is a tour of the restaurant with Stephan Pyles. (Pardon the sound; the place was packed.)

We sent Andrew Chalk to cover the semi-soft opening of Samar by Stephan Pyles. Here is his report. You want chandeliers? Stephan Pyles bought some chandeliers for Samar. Go Andrew:

Samar by Stephan Pyles held its invite-only preview party on Saturday and, judging by the turnout, reservations to this new eatery are going to be hard to get. (The official opening day is still TBD but planned for “early October.”)

Saturday, close to 1,000 of Stephan’s closest friends piled into the restaurant, the patio, and a specially rented spillover area. Despite the crowd, the staff coped with the rush like a well-oiled machine. Even the periodic guest-dropping-a-glass-in-a-crowded-bar problem was immediately met with a staffer who cordoned off the area while another cleaned it clean up. The kitchen and wait staff dispatched appetizers with that frictionless regularity which makes you wonder if the servers aren’t on roller skates.

The centerpiece of any restaurant is the food. Pyles installed Vijay Sadhu, formerly of Bukhara Grille and Clay Pit, as head chef because he wanted Indian cuisine to be one of the inspirations at Samar.The other influences on the menu come from Spain and the area loosely defined as the Eastern Mediterranean (mainly Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey). Here is chef Sadhu describing some of the appetizers.

Chef Sadhu showed the crowd his ambitious stuff—all of the food was prepared perfectly. As he showed at his earlier positions, Vijay Sadhu is an expert and combining flavors and bringing them out in his dishes. Here is a short list of what was served: Red Lentiles Kofte (Turkish), Kebbeh with Golden beets tzatziki sauce, Chicken kebab stuffed with spiced gound lamb served with Spice tomato jam and crispy okra, Saffron Paneer tikka with spiced vermicelli and cumin scented asparagus, Chocolate Samosa with rose jam, and Papadam cones stuffed with Mung sprouts

Guests were offered either a specially created martini that apparently involved pomegranate juice (and had a fruity approachability that made it deceptively easy to imbibe) or one of a number of respectable wines.This food, by the way, is wine-friendly.

Outside, the patio was put to good use. Belly dancers entertained the crowd that, coincidentally, became progressively less and less reserved.

Hookah pipes were available to complete one’s sense transportation from the corner of Ross and Olive to some exotic country.