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Write a Caption: Win Some Cocoa from Nicaragua!

While I was in Nicaragua last week, I visited a remote field where workers were busy harvesting lovely yellow pods from cocao trees. I sat with them as they hacked the fruit open and extracted the seeds. Of course, I couldn’t resist sucking the delicious white pulp inside the pod and spitting the seeds at my fellow compadres. Delicious fun. More on that later.

Anywhoo, as the sun set, we headed to do some bird watching among the mangrove forests on the coast. (Tiger herons!) One of the guys on the trip, Jerry Garret, a writer for the New York Times, stayed behind and took this photo of us as we left the dock. He’s holding an unofficial caption contest with no prizes. I figured we’d have our own. Winner gets a bag of powdered cocoa (drinking chocolate) from a plantation outside of Leon, Nicaragua. (My entry was: “A pork in the river.”) GO!

Cinnamon Roll Savior: Society Bakery

cinnamon roll from Society Bakery

Yesterday I asked you guys where to get a good cinnamon roll around here (hint: not at Donuts). I got lots of great suggestions I can’t wait to try. I think Tootsie’s will be one of the first on my list, since we will be in our new offices Monday (!) and I will probably need a treat. I’m bummed that I went to the Fair last weekend before I knew about the greatness of the cinnamon roll there, especially because I searched for something I wanted to eat all night (besides a corny dog, of course) and ended up with taffy. TAFFY.

Anyway, I wanted to give a shout-out to Society Bakery, who sweetly delivered a box of cinny rolls to the office yesterday after reading the blog. This was very nice of them, and they came just in time for lunch. My first thought was, “uh oh, we might have an icing situation here.” I thought it might be–GASP–cream cheese frosting. While their version of a CR looks like a cupcake, the icing not as thick as it appeared, and sweet and buttery and delish. Not a glaze, but still good. The goo factor (looking at you, Brad), was medium, but I still got a good sticky coating on my fingers when I peeled the layers of the roll away (my prefered method of eating the CR). Overall, this was a slightly non-traditional CR but I liked it. A lot. Next up: Tootsie’s, or possibly Bubba’s this weekend.

Wednesday Morning Cinnamon Roll Search

Good morning Dishers. I woke up with a cinnamon roll craving this morning and stopped at the closest place to the office, the creatively named “Donuts” store on Lemmon next to Toy’s. This is what I got. It looks and tastes more like a glazed doughnut with cinnamon than anything else, and my craving isn’t satisfied. Where can I get a good cinnamon roll like grandma used to make, not a Honey Bun lookalike?

Dallas Observer 2009 Best of Dallas® Food List: What do You Think?

Please don’t sue me for using your cover art.

I’m stuck at home in my little glass house. I see a few pebbles on the floor and I think I will toss them.

I just scanned through the Dallas Observer’s 2009 Best of Dallas® Food list. It reminds me of that Who song. What is it, Kirk? Something about the new boss and the old boss? YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! Bomp, bomp, bomp. YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

Dave Fairies, I have a quick question: Does the Observer repeat “Bests” if, when the next year rolls around, no one else  fills the category as “Better®?” (That’s mine, dude.)  This is a serious question and I ask it because I have to deal with the beast of ‘Bests” and understand the difficulty at uncovering them. So, Mr. Fairies, do you roll over “Bests” from year to year by moving them into different categories or because they are the “Best” of their original category? Let’s go through the list together and see. Jump with me. It’s not far. (more…)

Restaurant for Sale in Dallas

Occasionally I peruse the commercial real estate listings for restaurants on the market. Today, Disher “TLS”, points us to this site.

Well established 18+ years, diner for sale in Dallas, located in a popular shopping district. Open 6 days a week Monday thru Friday 6am to 8pm Saturday 6am to 3pm Sunday closed. We serve breakfast, lunch & dinner that has been written up in such periodicals as: “D magazine, Dallas Morning News, Chanel 5 news, The Observer, and many other smaller publications” for being a great place to come and get some down home cooking food. We seat 160, and many times are at capacity with a line out the door. Staff is kind and courteous, and many have been here since the opening of the store 18 years ago creating many regular customers. Owner is wanting to move closer to his family who live too far away for a commute.

Oh time consuming guessing games. Love them. Let’s see, opened in September of 1991…I’d say the “kind staff” alone is worth $800,000.

Breakfast Review: Another Broken Egg Cafe

Broken Egg's strong coffee and Crab Cakes Cavallo

First, I love breakfast. Every Saturday and Sunday morning, I bide my time with a pot of coffee, the Times, and some HGTV, waiting for the partner in crime to wake up so we can go somewhere to eat. Our usual haunts are Allgood Cafe, Bolsa, Hattie’s (on Sundays), and the Mecca. Second, I love Casa Linda. Great area. Love the Spanish-style shopping center. But I hate that there aren’t more dining options. That’s why I was happy to see Florida-based mini-chain-in-the-making Another Broken Egg Cafe open. Breakfast and Casa Linda: Two great tastes that taste great together. The verdict for Another Egg? Dependable. Lets start with coffee, the benchmark by which all breakfast joints should be measured. Broken Egg brews Communtiy Coffee (the cafe started out in Louisiana) and they brew it nice and strong. Not so the Bloody Mary. It was a tad weak, lacking bite. Lots of celery salt and picked okra though. That’s a plus. For breakfast, we stuck with egg based dishes: the aforementioned biscuits and gravy with eggs and Crab Cakes Cavallo. The latter is a satisfying crab cakes benedict-style dish with a nice light hollandaise sauce with andouille sausage and scallion. Dry country potatoes were not as “great” as the menu touted. The biscuits and gravy came with choice of meat (patty not link, thank God), potatoes, and two eggs. The gravy was flavorful but thin and the biscuits a bit dense. An order of cheese grits with a dash of Broken Egg’s homemade pepper sauce perked up our hit-and-miss meal. (You can buy the pepper sauce as well as the coffee mugs, assorted t-shirts, and bud vases at the cafe. How very Hard Rock.) All in all, a serviceable breakfast joint with moments of greatness. I’ll return to try the blackberry grits and monster cinnamon roll (both considered “specialty items”) and support Casa Linda’s latest culinary endeavor. That, and I love breakfast.

Dalmore Scotch Tasting In Dallas

Last Thursday, Rhonda Reinhart and Sarah Evans attended a Delmore scotch tasting at Di Terra’s in Dallas. This is what they remember:

Richard Paterson by Sarah Eveans.

Meet Richard Paterson. He’s a scotch whisky master blender, and he came all the way from Glasgow to present a Dalmore scotch tasting Thursday night at Di Terra’s on Lower Greenville. I was there, and I was scared. See, I don’t drink scotch—or any brown liquor, really. So when Paterson started his speech by declaring that “Scotch whisky is not for p*****s,” I was frightened but also, oddly, delighted. I mean, he said “p*****s,” for crying out loud. I liked him already. Plus, what if I ended up loving the scotch? Then clearly I would be a badass and not a p-word, and that would make me very happy. But then we tasted the first selection. And, well, let’s just say things were not looking good for my badass-ness.

After a lesson on the proper process for scotch drinking—hold the glass at the bottom, swirl, smell, pour in water, hold in mouth, swallow—we tried a 12-year-old single malt that lingered in the throat and mouth long after the sip was swallowed. And I don’t mean that in a good way. The scotch was so strong and so burn-y, and I was obviously a p-word. Paterson said the top note was citrus. I couldn’t tell. I was too busy letting the Evian wash it all away.

Upset but undeterred, I pressed forward with scotch No. 2. This one, called Gran Reserva, was stronger. Great, right? I couldn’t even handle the first one. Sadly, the same thing happened. So, at this point, I’m thinking fine, whatever, maybe I’m not a scotch drinker. I could deal. (more…)

Comfort Food In Dallas: What Comforts You

I am getting a little uncomfortable with the direction comfort food is taking. Can I blame it on the Gen Y population? Sure, why not. They don’t read SideDish. Gen Y’ers are more Britney than Julia.

While the overall trend in dining today is to eat sloooowly, the Gen Y’ers I know are more content to snack quickly. What happened to the good old days of turning on The Thorn Birds (before you knew Richard Chamberlain was gay), grabbing a spoon and a half gallon of ice cream, and eating the whole thing? Once, after I got turned down for what I thought was my dream job, I went back to my apartment, made a three-layer German chocolate cake, and ate every last crumb. Did I feel better? You betcha.

What is comfort food? At home it is one thing, but now restaurants are trying to comfort us in public. Take Kent Rathbun. (beat, beat…) He has gourmet comfort food. He isn’t alone; there are lots of folks making their mortgage payments by selling upscale mac and cheese. Isn’t gourmet comfort food an oxymoron? If you agree, then WTF is healthy comfort food? A lie? You betcha.

I was curious to see if there were any distinctive differences between generations when it came to constant cravings. I didn’t have to Google far to find this little salty tidbit. Jump with me. (more…)

Evan Grant Writes About Breakfast

Evan “Pigarino” Grant loves pork products.

Our InsideCorner sports writer Evan Grant knows a lot about baseball. He also knows a lot about food. For ten years, Evan was the “dining companion” on many of my restaurant reviews. He is too famous to dine with me now. Anywhoo, he is in Seattle and this morning he ventured out of town to a famous breakfast spot. If  you love breakfast like Evan loves breakfast, you will want to read about his meal.

Breakfast at Wimbledon

One of my favorite days all year, and though my favorite Rafael Nadal pulled out of the tournament before it began, I will be watching with hopes that Roger Federer is there, and will continue on with his Grand Slam streak for this year.  This year’s final will be held on July 5th, yes the day after fireworks and celebration.  So why not continue the festivities with cocktails and some of your favorite breakfast indulgences.  Strawberries are a requirement for any proper Wimbledon breakfast.  English Bangers are also a favorite of many Wimbledon fans.  For me, that would be a fluffy frittata filled with local veggies, paired with a tall Bloody Mary made with “The Ultimat Vodka.”  (more…)

Burning Question: Who Has the Best Hangover Food?

How sad. I’m already planning my Sunday morning. But I have a party to attend Saturday night where the vodka will flow freely and the host is known for toxic Jell-O shots. I know. Classy. Anyway, I’m always looking for a great brunch/lunch spot for tasty food to soak up all the residual alcohol. I know greasy burgers are the common cure. (Howdy, Angry Dog!) But I’m looking for something a little different yet still effective. One of my new faves is the Hangover Helper at Kozy (pictured left): a mountain of scrambled eggs, ground buffalo, mushrooms, salsa, gauc, and spinach. That and a strong cup of coffee does the trick. So, SideDishers, what gets you through the morning after?

Where To Dine for Mother’s Day

Have you seen Sarah’s story about the top picks for Mother’s Day brunch? It’s a streamlined version–a cheat sheet, if you will–of Nancy’s SideDish post about where to wine and dine your mom on the big day. Sarah’s taken over MD duties, so she’ll add to the story as the news rolls in. Personally, I’ve been dreaming about that eggs Benny from Jasper’s all day …

What I Ate Before I Left London: Eggs Benny

Eggs Benedict. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I mean, is there a more perfect breakfast food? I think not. I don’t need to bore you with the details–the perfectly cooked egg that oozed yolk just-so, etc.–because I know all you really want to do is ogle the photo. Thank you, Langham London, for sending me on my way to Gay Pa-ree with a full tummy.

Araucana Easter Eggs from Flavors From Afar

Because SideDishers can’t just hunt everyday grocery store eggs for Easter, Flavors From Afar is taking orders for all-pastel, all-Araucana eggs from Fruth Farms in East Texas. (By the way, Araucana is a breed of Chilean chicken that lays blue eggs. Yes, I had to look it up.) Anyway, FFA owner Nancy Krabill boasts that these fancy eggs are “eggier” tasting with bright orange yolks and after one taste, you’ll be hooked. For $5.50 per dozen, they best be tasty. Order now because apparently they go fast.

Somebody Help This Poor Girl: Chicken and Waffles

So, I was watching the L.A. episode of No Reservations yesterday, and totally drooled as your man Tony visited Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles.  Chicken and Waffles is a dish I have always been curious about, always wanted to try – even though Tony B. didn’t seem too keen on it.  Is there anywhere here in Dallas that serves a great version of this dish?  I looked on your breakfast post from last week, but none of the comments mentioned Chicken and Waffles.

I miss (aargh. totally inappropriate groovy music warning) Roscoe’s House of Chicken & Waffles. The last time I had C&W in Big D was at Victor Tango’s. I gotta go. You folks, help.

Somebody Help This Poor Boy: Me

Lotta hankerins going on ’round here this morning. Nancy’s Pondering a Ponder trip. And I’m in Arizona still jonesing for a good breakfast. I’m going to indulge in a guilty pleasure: Cracker Barrel’s country ham. (Please don’t start ripping me; I said it was a guilty pleasure).

I like my ham salty. How can you go wrong when you combine pork and salt. I mean, really? But outside of Cracker Barrel and Waffle House (another guilty pleasure) – I’m a Southern Man after all  – who makes country ham in Dallas?  Anybody got a line on where I can hunker down with a slab of this salty sensation and some eggs when I get back in town?

Who Wants More Pancakes? Or Migas? Me, Me, Me!

Nancy: Didn’t you post about all-things breakfast related recently? It seems to be the hottest topic in food these days. Maybe that’s because finding a good breakfast is so hard to find and finding a bad breakfast makes the day seem that much gloomier.

Fortunately for me (and you traveling, Dishers), the current issue of GQ (I’m nothing if not stylish) has a nationwide rundown on the best breakfasts out there. Unfortunately, the fine folks there didn’t think it was important enough to put the breakfast guide on-line. We, being servants of the public however, read and digest GQ so you don’t have to.

The piece includes a nod to the late-night Chilaquiles at Cafe Brazil, while also pining for the Chicken Fried Steak and Eggs. But the real Texas winner is Polvo’s, a funky Mexican place in Austin. Robert Draper raves about the migas and the salsa bar there. What surprised me is Draper didn’t mention Polvo’s various breakfast potato concoctions. They are the best I’ve ever had. Must. Get. More.

Nancy, I think we need to get on the breakfast thing post-haste. Can’t wait to do the, um, research.

UPDATE: Hi Evan! NN, here. I snuck in your online backdoor. Here is the breakfast post. Carry on. Dude, you’ve been in Arizona for five days and no In-N-Out? Slacker.