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Articles about best of big d

Report From 2012 Savor Dallas: Top Ten Dishes Served at International Grand Tasting

Mint chicken salad from The Mint. (Photography by Elizabeth Lavin)

The popular International Grand Tasting at Savor Dallas 2012 took place on Saturday night at Irving Convention Center in Las Colinas. Organizers noted the move from Dallas to Irving was to make it easier for the residents of Fort Worth to attend.  Any worry that the change in venue would deter event patrons was quickly dispelled once the doors  swung open.  The place was packed, people shuffled around tightly, filling the venue as guests got the opportunity to hob-nob and rub elbows with some of the finest chefs in DFW.  The food and drink were, of course, spectacular as chefs were well prepared to excite and surprise their guests this year.

While nearly every dish our small group sampled was delightful, we thought we would pay homage to some of the most exciting and delicious dishes presented this year.  So here are (in no particular order) our picks of the Top 10 Best Bites of the 2012 Savor Dallas International Grand Tasting

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Who’s your Burger Papa?

Liberty burger (photo by Kevin Hunter Marple)

I know, I know, I know. I’ve been harping on you guys about voting for the Dallas’ best Food and Drinks for the past two weeks. I’m sure you’re tired of hearing me talk about it. Do me a favor and go vote right now because it’s the last day that our survey will be open. It’s Friday anyways, and we know you need a relaxing brain exercise to transition you into the weekend.

Tell us whose burger you most adore. Is it Jack Perkins’ fatty half-pounders or John Tesar’s Farmer burger with a fried duck egg and white Vermont cheese? Maybe you’re a sucker for Stackhouse’s double-loaded burger? Then vote here today. I promise I’ll stop bugging you about it starting…. now.

Vote Now For Best Restaurants and Bars or Forever Hold Your Peace

The pin you would've gotten had I been richer.

If you haven’t voted already, there are two days left for you to redeem your shame. The Readers’ Choice poll for Best Restaurant and Bars will be open today and tomorrow only. And then, my friends, that is it for 2012. The website will give you a big, fat error message and you’ll have to sit patiently until 2013 to make a difference in Dallas dining. For those of you who’ve already voted and continue to vote, I give you my most heartfelt thanks. If it were possible, I would send you all buttons you can pin to your suits that say, “I VOTED TODAY” in red, white, and blue lettering. Unfortunately, I am not made of paper and plastics.

Edit: The survey for Best Nightlife (where most of the bar voting is) will be coming soon, so hold on to your mouse clickers.

Who Meats Your BBQ Needs?

Lockhart's ribs (photo by Kevin Hunter Marple)

Imagine, for a minute, that you are the BBQ Snob leading Anthony Bourdain around the Big D. Where would you take him to get the best ‘cue? Who has the juiciest ribs and the best brisket? Honestly, which joint would change the No Reservations star’s opinion on the goodness of Texas barbeque?

We’re on Week Two of the Readers’ Choice poll for the Best Restaurants and Bars. Vote here once a day until March 23 to make Dallas a better restaurant city.

Who’s your Pizza Daddy?

Coal Vines' pizza

Coal Vines' pizza with sliced tomatoes, mozz, and parmesan (photography by Micah Nunley)

Good morning. Did you wake up, brush your teeth, and throw on some clothes? Most importantly, did you vote for your favorite pizza place for our Readers’ Choice poll yet? If you’re dazzled by Jay Jerrier’s ability to run Cane Rosso and tweet, like, every ten seconds, or in awe of Urban Crust’s Salvatore Gisellu and his dough-throwing skills, show your avid support for whoever you think makes the best slice in Dallas by voting here.

Get your voting game face on. And repeat once a day until March 25.

Vote for 2012 Best of Big D Readers’ Choice: Food and Drink Category

This is your time to shine, Sidedishers! Tell the rest of Dallas where to get the best hamburgers, pizzas, margaritas, sushi, and other good eats because we know you have an opinion. Voting in our Readers’ Choice food and drink category starts today and ends on March 25, so vote once a day for the next two weeks if you’d like. Vote on your phone, vote as you’re pretending to do work, and vote while you’re waiting for the other guy to make the next move in Words with Friends. Do your duty and make sure only the best of the best earn that coveted spot in our August 2012 issue.

Start voting now.

Eat This Now: Black and Blue Burger from Kenny’s Burger Joint in Frisco

When do you know that you have started to become a little too familiar with a restaurant? Well, if you pull into Kenny’s Burger Joint and your kid starts cheering, “Yay! Uncle Kenny.”  And no, I’m not related to Kenny Bowers…and my kid hardly even recognizes his grandparents.  Perhaps this familiarity could be seen as a problem in a city that offers so many burger options, but to be honest, its easy to get underwhelmed by the consistent stream of the newly minted burger joints.  Seems like there are about 2 new openings a week, la-dee-frickin-da. These days, I can count on one hand the number of places I will actually patronize to in order to obtain a truly exceptional burger.  Kenny’s has been doing things right since the beginning.

Kenny will tell you that he originally got such excellent feedback from his “Sterling Silver Burger” at Kenny’s Wood Fired Grill, that it was only natural to create a burger-centric restaurant.  And we are all blessed because of it.  Sure, it’s a bit of a pain for many to trek out to Frisco, but when quality and consistency intersect, the results can be something so enticing that nearly anyone can bust out of the north-of-635 bubble.

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Eat This Now: Biscuits and Sausage Gravy from SMOKE in Dallas

It’s hard not to feel cooler when you are eating at SMOKE.  The place reeks of hip.  It’s the kind of place James Dean would meet Jay-Z for brunch if the opportunity presented itself.  But attitude can only go so far if you ain’t got the goods to back it up.  Luckily, as most people know, Tim Byres, owner of SMOKE, dishes up some truly big flavors, matched only by Byre’s apparent love for capitalization.

I’ve spent a good deal of time exploring the biscuit and gravy scene around town.  I’ve generally found that a few places can produce an excellent biscuit, but an exemplary and hearty gravy is really where most fall short, often producing a lifeless blend of flour and water which does more to detract from the biscuit than complement it.  However, the handmade biscuits with spicy sausage gravy from SMOKE, have managed to remain a frontrunner in my mind’s race for best B&G in the city.

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Drink This Now: The Drinking Chocolate with Vanilla Bean Marshmallows at Dude, Sweet Chocolate

In a perfect world,  Katherine Clapner of Dude, Sweet Chocolate and I would totally be BFFs.  We would hang out, like, everyday…stuffing our faces silly with her wonderful chocolate creations while watching Lord of the Rings, spending hours planted in front of the X-Box, playing hackey-sack, and toilet-papering the neighbors’ houses.  Then, the end of the day would go something like this:

“Hey Kath, would you whip me up some of your wonderful hot chocolate, pretty please?”

“It’s called drinking chocolate, you numb-skull, and what do I look like, your mom?”

“Well actually, if my mom had a few more tattoos…”

etc, etc…

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Eat This Now: Bacon Cheese Tater Tots at Maple and Motor in Dallas

You would think that frying up a tater tot would be something any idiot could do correctly.  Oil meets potato, done.  But unfortunately, this is not the case.  If I had a dollar for every time I’ve had to eat a mushy, stale, lifeless tater tot, I’d have enough to run for president (and I’d probably be more qualified because of it than other current presidential hopefuls).  So, if you’ve ever had a Napoleon-Dynamite-sized hankering for these golden nuggets of pleasure, I’ll make it simple for you, the best in the city can be found at the house that Jack built, our loveable, Maple and Motor.

Everyone knows that M&M puts out some killer burgers.  That’s a given.  But it’s really pretty difficult to go wrong at this place.  Practically everything I have eaten there is exceptional.  I’ve even licked the floors and it tasted good.  But the tater tots have become a guilty obsession of mine over the past few months, an obsession that is too delightful not to share.  These tots are not winning any prizes with the granola-loving, tree-hugger health food crowd, but this is Texas, people…and here we embrace obesity like a soft snuggly teddy bear.

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Eat This Now: The School Daze from Good 2 Go Taco in Dallas

Nothing says “thank goodness those little brats are back in school again” like a taco.  And where else on earth are you going to find a meatloaf taco besides Good 2 Go.  The “School Daze” taco may be a an homage to the thousands of school lunches across the country serving up a questionably eatable mystery meat loaf with instant mashed potatoes flakes, but luckily the love poured into this brilliant creation is unmistakable and the flavors are more than splendid enough to cast away any scarring memories of school cafeteria food from your younger years.  And this meatloaf can be enjoyed without having to endure the company of “Stinky Joey” making musical farting noises with his armpits or “Billy Braces” picking broccoli out of his head gear for 15 minutes ( I do, however, miss the chocolate milk).

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Nine Things To Know About Dallas’ Best Bartender, Danny Versfelt

The best bartender in Dallas. Photo by Courtney Egelston.

When D named this year’s best bartender in Dallas, we didn’t judge based on who could mix up a drink the fastest or who amazed us with Tom Cruise in Cocktail style tricks. We said Danny Versfelt was the best in town because he’s the kind of guy who will get to know you, beyond just what you’re drinking. Since Danny V. gets to know so many of you, we thought you ought to know some things about him, beyond just how well he prepares your drink.

Where you’ll find him

Al Biernat’s on Oak Lawn. He’ll be behind the bar every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night starting at 4 p.m. and Wednesday during the day. Picture what you think a friendly Irish Catholic guy with some 25 years of Dallas bartending experience would look like and that’s him. Or just look at his photo.

His bartending mantra is…
That the bartender is the host of the party. Someone told it to him in his second year of bartending and it’s stuck in his head ever since. As the host, he’s got to make sure everyone feels welcome and satisfied. He circulates, making conversation and filling glasses, not for patrons, but for guests.

He’s got more to say.

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The Best Donuts in Dallas

The donut is America’s unsung hero.

For decades these delicacies have been fueling this nation’s finest law enforcement officers, and without them your streets would be overrun with all kinds of riffraff. Countless early morning board meetings have been brightened by the magical combination of sugar and fried dough. And where would Homer Simpson be without his signature pink icing with sprinkles? Not season 587, I assure you!

Despite their iconic nature, frankly speaking, truly exceptional donuts are not easy to find in Dallas.  I don’t think I am alone in my sentiments towards the Dallas donut scene.  While this city is surely not lacking in the sheer number of independent donut shops, it is eerie how incredibly similar and mundane most neighborhood shops have become.

But for the valiant donuteer, all hope is not lost.  I have scoured this land for three years searching for something extraordinary.  Of course, it would be unrealistic for a person to try every donut shop in this city (and still live to tell about it).  So I’ve hunted for suggestions from every corner I could think of (blogs, Chowhound, Yelp, Urban Spoon, magazines, newspapers, Twitter, Facebook, the cops at Waffle House) and ate my way through enough donut shops to personally ensure the future of Lipitor. Luckily, fantastic donuts do exist in this city.

Here I present to you, in no particular order, the five best places for donuts in and around Dallas.

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How to Make the Best Pizza in Dallas at Cane Rosso

Pizza the Neapolitan way.

On a recent Saturday afternoon, I went to D Magazine’s Best of Big D pick for best pizza, Cane Rosso, to learn how to make an authentic Neapolitan pie.

The owner, Jay Jerrier, kindly welcomed me into his kitchen near the end of a busy lunch hour. Before my arrival, I expected to be clumsily cooking in the safety of a kitchen in a back room somewhere. This was not the case. The pizza oven is right in the middle of Cane Rosso, and I had no choice but to take the risk of embarrassing myself in front of the entire restaurant.

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Eat This Now: Looking beyond the pizza at Cane Rosso in Dallas

I’m starting to think that Jay Jerrier is basically the culinary King Midas.  Everything the man touches is nothing less than gastronomic gold.  It’s not good enough that, essentially, the entire city of Dallas is certifiably psychotic over his pizza. (Personally, I have had at least three auditory hallucinations while eating his pizza, in which my “Paulie Gee” spoke to me, telling me to give all my money, the deed to my home, and my first-born child over to Mr. Jerrier)  Jay continues to offer this city a seemingly endless string of brilliant dishes including hot, succulent sandwiches, house-made pastas, and rich, creamy gelato.  With the addition of the burly, bearded wunderkind, Matt Reddick, to the Cane Rosso kitchen, there is no telling what adventures are in store for diners able to painfully pry themselves away from the pizza.

Matt has been charged with running “the left side of the menu,” and while he may not be the big man up front, sweating in front of the scorching pizza oven, he is no less working miracles in the back.

Read on! It only gets better from here.

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The Dallas Must-Do List: The Bob Armstrong Dip

Could this be the food of the gods?

For my 12th stop on the list of Things Every Dallasite Must Do, I went to Mattito’s for some of their Bob Armstrong dip. Armed with insider knowledge, I planned to impress the waiter with my Dallas savvy when ordering the off-menu dip.

As soon as we were seated, our waiter offered to get us drinks and asked if we would like to order some Bob Armstrong dip. My bubble was burst.  I convinced myself that merely saying, “yes please,” instead of asking what it was still gave me an aura of being in the know, but it was far less satisfying.

All of my disappointment melted away when he came back with a bowl of queso, guacamole, ground beef taco meat, and a dollop of sour cream, ready to be thoroughly mixed with the accompanying spoon. Though probably not the most original mixture of ingredients, it is delightful, and much better than just plain queso. I had to remind myself to eat it with tortilla chips instead of digging in with a spoon.

I’m not sure how Teresa Pullen managed to eat 2 pounds and 14 ounces of the mixture in last year’s Bob-eating contest on Cinco de Mayo. Today’s happens at 5 p.m. After sharing a bowl — along with more than a few baskets of tortilla chips and one of Mattito’s unsettlingly bright blue Rumbaritas — I could not bring myself to order an entrée.

I did, however, finish by ordering a plate of two sopapillas dusted in cinnamon sugar with a dish of honey to dip them in. Sounds like a balanced meal to me.

Lisa Collins is a D Magazine intern.

The Dallas Must-Do List: Eat Chicken-Fried Steak at Babe’s Chicken Dinner House in Roanoke

Crossing another item off the Dallas Must-Do List has made Courtney Foreman a happier human being.

I know it’s embarrassing, but I’ve only done 4 of the Things Every Dallasite Must Do. This only encourages me to set out and accomplish as many as I can. First on my to-do list is:  Eat chicken fried steak at Babe’s in Roanoke.

There’s something about coming to Roanoke to eat at Babe’s chicken that really sets the mood for fine dining. Of course, “fine” is a term used loosely, considering Babe’s in Roanoke has been around for 18 years and your chances of running into a local hillbilly greatly increase when walking in. But regardless of the way the restaurant looks, you know for a fact you’re going soon to be eating your weight in chicken or chicken-fried steak, as those are your only two options on the menu.

Though the restaurant has nine locations now,  I’m partial to the original in Roanoke, since I live only 5 minutes down the road from it. So it came as a shock to me when I realized I had never actually ordered the chicken-fried steak. Time and time again I would resort to my usual order of fried chicken, but on Monday night, I ventured off and ordered what was said to be so legendary. (more…)

Vote in the 2011 Best of Big D Readers’ Choice: Food and Drink Poll. Once an Hour Through March 13.

Need more information? Click here.

Otherwise, get to it.

CuriousDish: Love of Stephan Pyles’ Restaurants in Dallas

Heaven and Hell cake at Stephan Pyles. Photography by Kevin Marple.

Have you ever known a Stephan Pyles restaurant that you didn’t love?  In a recent post– Which Dallas Restaurant Would you Revive?–Dishers showed lots of love for Chef Pyles’ concepts.

First we loved Routh Street.  The Baby Routh, the restaurant that signaled the uber-upscale Routh Street wasn’t going to play well in the early 90s recession.  Star Canyon, with its brilliant in its food, energy, and design came along in the mid-90s.  I admit I didn’t quite get AquaKnox in the late ’90s but recently Chef Pyles is delighting Dallas with Stephan Pyles, Samar by Stephan Pyles, and Fuego at Stephan Pyles.

Which one is your favorite? Have you “had” them all?  Tell us.

Mojito Tasting with Chef Julia Lopez Tonight at La Duni

In this battle-axe of an economy, where even having a job is worth popping a cork over, you have to carve out every cause to celebrate that you can. I chose to celebrate yesterday’s successful (read: bloodless) completion of my first day on the 21st floor by scooting over to the Knox-Henderson La Duni for Street Tacos loaded with fat chunks of mahi and perfectly muddled Margarinhas. Both of which made me wish I were first in line for tonight’s Chef’s dinner with Chef Julia Lopez (who, incidentally, won me over a couple weeks ago when, in a refreshing show of humility, she appeared at my Northpark tableside to personally make amends for a kitchen mishap). My guess is that the mojito tasting and “surprise entertainment” alone will be worth the $42 admission!