from Provident Realty Advisors

The DMN reports that Trader Joe’s is planning to open a second location in Dallas on the corner of North Central Expressway and Walnut Hill Lane. It’s set to open next year in a 14,000-square-foot store once construction begins late this year or early 2013. This means that in a year (if all goes well), I will be able to buy my precious Trader Joe’s Cat Cookies (the ginger flavor is the snappiest) at not one, but two locations in Dallas. Those cookies are extremely addicting, and a tub always disappears quickly when it’s around me because I snarf them down without even realizing.

Liz Johnstone is just as gleefully excited, since she has a thing for Gummy Tummies – these little penguin characters with fruit juice that bursts from their belly pouches. Talking about Trader Joe’s snacks makes me want to pick up a construction tool and start working on that building myself so it’ll be ready sooner.

Who else has a particular Trader Joe’s food they dearly love? Share your wealth of knowledge below. Let’s plan our grocery list before the Plano store opens later this summer.

UPDATE: Monica is on her way to Houston. I got lucky when she answered her cell phone. “This [move] has been a real struggle for me,””Greene said. I’ve always been committed to urban development. I believe in Dallas but unfortunately the area [Deep Ellum] has taken a long time to develop. It’s time for me to expand and open my doors to a larger audience.”

I say, you go girl. It’s a great move. She has been in, what I would call, an abusive relationship with Deep Ellum for a long time. It’s time she made a fresh start. That girl has some balls. Oh, wait. Nevermind.

May 18, 2012

Dear Dallas,

Years ago, I read in “Popular Science” that it takes seven years for a person’s cells to replenish. Maybe this is true for humans, but it has taken twenty years at Monica’s Aca y Alla for that cycle to occur.  Monica’s Aca y Alla, with some other creative and wonderful entrepreneurs, helped put Deep Ellum on the map.  But today Deep Ellum is paying the price of Dallas growth within the Downtown area, Bishop Arts District, Uptown and other business districts.  Deep Ellum is going through its own revitalization; old buildings are being redone, DART stations are now open and someday there will be a new world in Deep Ellum. I hope that new world is a good. I expect to continue to be a part of Deep Ellum through my support of whatever venture my ex-partners decide to re-open in the Aca y Alla space.

Indeed, Monica’s Aca y Alla is evolving and changing to Monica’s and the ME Lounge and we will be moving to new digs.  We look forward to becoming a new fixture for the Cedar Springs and Oak Lawn area. We are excited to begin a new partnership with the Crosland Group and the Axiom Group at the beautiful ilume ®  building.  Hector Hernandez will be leading the charge as the Chef for this new concept. Together, we have a vision that will continue to create reasons for guests to eat our unique – yet traditional – style of food, enjoy new menu recipes that will include some of the real Mexican-style of food that was destined for Tajin.

Reality has shown me that with the intense competition in the Mexican food segment, the challenge of finding new ways to attract (and to keep) customers grows. Yes, the new Monica’s together with ME lounge will be fast paced, inventive, exciting, and it will epitomize a new style of Mexican food that I prefer to not call Tex-Mex, but “Nueva Cocina.”

I work, I play, I live and I will always love Deep Ellum. Monica’s had a very successful twenty years of restaurant operation in this historic district.  I am grateful, and would like to thank all Dallasites for their kind and generous support over the years.  We hope you will join us over the next few weeks at Monica’s Aca y Alla to say your good-bye’s and share with us your favorite stories from the past 20 years.  Then, I look forward to sharing with you my vision of the future at Monica’s in the ilume ®.  Until then…

Respectfully,
Monica Greene

Are you ready for some hot dogs?

Yesterday, Merritt Martin of Eater Dallas, linked (ha!) to a story reporting Dallas-based Zaccanelli Food Group’s acquisition of the 133 year-old Hofmann Sausage Company in Syracuse, New York. She writes:

“Wait, what? Dallas-based Zaccanelli Food Group acquired Syracuse’s Hofmann Sausage Company in a multimillion dollar deal that means sausage expansion (well beyond Hot Haus rests, even into Texas groceries, gasp!) and, linking (ha) seemingly random investors the likes of Oneida Indian Nation, former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach and others.”

The “others” Martin omits are significant players that are anything but randomly linked. Like the “Zaccanelli” behind the group:  Frank Zaccanelli, a native of Syracuse, is the former team president of the Dallas Mavericks. He was the minority owner to Ross Perot Jr.’s majority. Together, they sold the team to our (foodie) hero, Mark Cuban. Before that, Zaccanelli was a big wig at Perot Jr.’s company and they did some big deals like Alliance Airport and large real estate developments all over the state. (Huge overstatement in the interest of time.) Zaccanelli Food Group received majority funding from the powerful central-New York based Oneida Indian Nation Enterprises, a group dedicated to “re-investing in Central New York.” Other investors include former Syracuse Police Chief and two-time Syracuse University All-American basketball player Dennis DuVal, Syracuse University Head Basketball Coach Jim Boeheim, Dallas Cowboys quarterback and businessman Roger Staubach, and several high-profile restaurateurs and sports figures.

The until-now family-owned and operated Hofmann Sausage Company is a well-respected name in the restaurant business. They make some fine sausages and hot dogs. Call me crazy, but I swear I ate a Hofmann dog at Fuddrucker’s a century ago. Oh, that brings me to another “other” in this multi-million-dollar-dog deal: Phil Romano, the creator of Fuddruckers®, World’s Greatest Hamburgers®. Secret fact: Romano ALSO grew up in Syracuse eating Hofmann dogs. He loves them so much he sells them at Eatzi’s! Now he’s going to show the world just how much he hearts Hofmann dogs. Romano is in charge of creating a national chain of Hofmann’s World’s Greatest Hot Dogs restaurants. (I’m sure the ® is still at the attorney’s office.)  I, for one, can’t wait. Hot dogs are the new hamburger.

Update: Hofmann products will be available in 64 Texas Albertson’s stores, including those in DFW, this weekend. That was fast.

Pregnant With Paperwork: John Tesar has a lease.

John Tesar will not be stopped. The former (fill-in-the-blank) chef has inked a deal to take over the former La Tramontana space on Westchester in Preston Center. In January, Tesar announced he would be opening Spoon Bar & Kitchen in another space. However, the landlord killed the deal and Tesar moved his operation down the street.  Tesar has a signed lease, architect, and contractor and is scheduled to begin later this week.

Spoon will seat 68 and feature a 15-seat bar with a built-in raw bar and small plate menu. Tesar will be center stage in an open kitchen whipping up “three unique dining experiences”:  an a la carte menu that will change weekly; two nightly tasting menus (one from the land and the other from the sea); and a private chef’s table for 10. Cooking classes! Wine maker dinners! Eight seats almost in the kitchen! He plans to open fall 2012. Bring it, Tesar! Let’s Spoon! According to JT’s PR machine: Spoon is “ranked number seven on Eater National’s “25 Most Awaited Restaurant Openings of 2012.”

Two weeks in Provence coming soon.

Get ready for Central Market’s yearly culinary salute to foreign food. In 2010, we celebrated Argentina (Hi, Francis!). Last year we pigged out on Spain (Hola, Paco!). This year they are throwing a two-week soiree for France, specifically the southern region of Provence, which will begin on May 9 and run through May 22.

Here’s a little poop I learned: Zee hottest ticket will be a seat in the outdoor tent where the kick-off event, “A Taste of Provence,” will feature a sampling of dishes prepared by Chef Patrice Olivon! C’est magnifique! You know Olivon, oui? He’s the cute French dude who won Iron Chef hosts “Dinner is Served,” a lovely show on PBS. It is set for Wednesday, May 9, and begins at 6 p.m.

The menu includes some personal favorites from his childhood (served family-style at long tables), which will be paired with French wines (shocker!). Think: Pissaladiere (thick, pizza-like dish popular in Nice and Marseilles); tomates farcies (tomatoes stuffed with beef, rice & herbs); cod with aioli; roasted lamb with ratatouille; and warm seasonal fruit cooked in red wine served over vanilla ice cream (really?). So frugal Francophiles, get a cheap trip ($35 per person) to Provence, if only for one evening.  Tickets can be booked by clicking here or by visiting the Cooking School reservation site for Dallas.

Sancerre! Profiteroles! A truffle in every pot! Vamos, I mean, nous permettre d’aller!

(Below, I will copy and paste an actual MEDIA-ONLY release so you can get an insider’s look on how real food writing works. I will pair it with commentary from a professional media person.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE [Loud and clear! Got it. Type fast. Did somebody else get this while I was grabbing a sandwich. Hang on let me check the other sites!]

April 1, 2012 [WTF? Am I late here? It's April 16. Did this already go out and I am so screwed? Note to self: Google news before you write it. Alternatively, swear under your breath at PR people.]

CENTRAL MARKET PREPARES TO SHARE “L’ART DE VIVRE” [WHY didn't I think of that hed? (That's editorial lingo for headline. We are all too lazy to type the whole word out.]

Prepare for a gustatory tour of France’s famously food centric regions [Weak sub. Oh, that's edit-speak for sub-headline. Waaaay too long to type. "Food-centric regions" in France  is redundant.]

WHO: All Central Market stores across Texas [ Great start. WHO! Always start with WHO. It worked for Horton and it will work for you.]

WHAT: Get ready to celebrate two weeks devoted to France, a country know for its vast array of distinct food and wine offerings. Central Market, a division of H-E-B will host PASSPORT FRANCE May 9 – 22 to explore the delicious to be found in every day France, “a nation of Foodies.” [Yes, it pedestrian but it's short and to the point and food writers need short. And points. Next.]

This is the specialty retailer’s third foray into a wide-scale international celebration. In 2011, Central Market hosted Passport Spain; and in 2010 it launched with Passport Argentina.  Customers traveled the cultural and culinary landscape of these countries without booking a plane ticket or packing a bag. The events are known for their bounty of exciting food finds, live music and performers, authentic décor and celebrity chef and wine maker visits. [Great insert of backfill information. If I didn't work here last year, I now know how much great stuff I missed by living in Washington, DC.]

This May, CM store visitors can experience all things French during Central Market’s two-week extravaganza. Hands-on crepe making. Wine tastings hosted by winemakers, some part of multigenerational winemaking families. Stellar chefs such as Anne Willan of La Varenne and Patrice Olivon of PBS and Iron Chef fame will make appearances and host events. “An Introduction to French Cheeses” will be hosted by the Ambassadress of the French Cheese Club. [Okay, I'm fading a little.]

The aisles will be filled with finds from around France, such as La Mere de Poulard cookies, Kougin Amann, aged Comte, Petit Montebourg fresh cheese, Fallot Dijon and hundreds more, many exclusively available at Central Market. [I'm am so back. Those cookies are like crack, heroin, pot, and gin all baked into a thin disc of sin.]

From classes in the art of French cookery to French cheeses, breads and wine tastings, Passport France will take visitors on an incredible gustatory tour with no jet lag. [Well, I am confused. What do I do with all of this Ambien?]

WHEN: May 9 – 22, 2012 [Excellent information. Thank you Central Market for making my job a walk in the freaking park!]

WHERE: Central Market, all store locations: Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Plano,  San Antonio, and Southlake. Go to www.centralmarket.com for the latest details and to review classes available in May. Further details will be released as they are available. [Even bettah! There is more to come so I know there will be more to write. My job feels secure. Until the end of May.]

ABOUT CENTRAL MARKET: Central Market’s open, serpentine-flow, full view European-style layout offers a completely new food shopping experience.  A bountiful produce department with unmatched quality and variety, an 80-foot seafood case with selections from throughout the world, hundreds of cheeses, 2,500 wine labels, stupendous specialty grocery aisles with delights from every continent, and a world-class cooking school featuring hands-on instruction are among the features that make the Central Market experience unique. www.centralmarket.com. [Oaky, the serpentine-flow thing is getting old, but so am I. The store is really more maze-like but I suppose that would cause people to run for the straight aisles of Tom Thumb. Stupendous is a bit dramatic and delights, well my mind stayed to another train of thought, but I was immediately brought back to reality by the hands-on instruction. Oh, yes. France and hands. Good stuff. Count me in.]

I made fresh country gumbo if you want to know what gumbo should taste like, get yourself down here fast. South Louisiana tomatoes are here, fresh goose and chicken eggs too. Radishes and baby mixed color arrots are beginning to po in the garden out back. Fresh shrooms landing this afternoon along with stinging nettles, ramps, fiddlehead ferns and Verpa Morels.What else do I need to say? I done said it, so…

Rock 'n' Roll Taco's Former Support Vehicle (from RnR Twitter link)

Several of the local food trucks are already out helping with disaster relief.  So-Cal Tacos is in the Arlington/Kennedale area helping out.  The Butcher’s Son is sending one of their trucks out to help.  Many of our local food trucks are donating their tips to disaster relief. If you are an organization in need of assistance with feeding crews or families during clean-up, put your contact information in the comments section, and hopefully, you will hear from one of the food trucks to help.

Rock ‘n’ Roll Tacos won’t be one of those helping out as they themselves are recovering from tornado damage. I’m sure many of you saw this car on the news yesterday. It was the car of Mary Ann Quiñonez, the owner and operator of Rock ‘n’ Roll Tacos. She was picking up her daughter at Crosby Elementary School in the Diamond Creek subdivision of Forney, and just missed being in the car that was tossed 100 yards into the next field. Luckily, Mary Ann and her daughter escaped the car and ran for safety to the school before it was hurled away.

Update: Enticed Shaved Ice is donating 100% of sales tonight to the Red Cross.  They’ll be located at the Walgreens at Midway and Frankford.

Update: Bud Kennedy reports via Twitter:  “Food truck @SoCalTacos and others being turned away from feeding Arlington relief workers, per FB; it’s a secured area.”

The face of world domination (photo from libertyguys.com)

The DMN reports that the Walmart empire is taking over the former Whole Foods and Blockbuster space, replacing it with a Neighborhood Market store that’ll be open to the public in September. Wal-Mart promises to bring 90 new jobs to the area and support community projects, but it’ll also be really, really close to the new Trader Joe’s.

Looks like there’ll be some grocery wars waging in Lower Greenville later this year…

Edit: A few more juicy details from James Tidwell, the Master Sommelier and Beverage Manager at Four Seasons:

Jonathan trained at the Culinary Institute of America and has previous experience at Four Seasons Houston, The Stone House 1854 in Little Compton, RI, and The Bentley Hilton in South Beach, FL. He was the chef de cuisine during Katie’s maternity leave, and was spectacular in the role. I am very excited that he has accepted the position on a permanent basis. His menus have been superb for pairing with wines and other beverages, and I am excited to continue the collaboration on food, beverage, and service with he and Kyle Miller, our restaurant manager.

I was sad to see Katie depart, but know that she is enjoying motherhood. I am happy that she found a position that allows her to indulge her love of cooking while spending time with her family.

I anticipate that Jonathan’s cooking will be similar to Katie’s in many ways. They shared a common aesthetic where food is concerned.

The chocolate store on Belmont Estate. Woman drying cocoa beans by walking through them. (photography by Nancy Nichols)

Two weeks ago, I was on a cruise headed for the island of Grenada when I received an email about The Grenada Chocolate Company. Needless to say, the headline–“Grenada Chocolate Company and FairTransport Team Up To Make First Ever Carbon-Neutral Trans-Atlantic Mass Chocolate Delivery”—got my full attention. I rearranged my schedule and made plans to meet with Mott Green, the founder of GCC, a tree-to-bar organic chocolate cooperate. Sadly, the only time we could meet was at high noon on a Sunday. The factory was closed so I met with Green at their retail store which is located on the beautiful Belmont Estate, Grenada’s first and finest agri-tourism organic farm.

Green was busy getting ready to pack four tons of his organic dark chocolate and sail with it from Grenada to New York City. He’d partnered with Netherlands-based shipping company, FairTransport, and the ship, the wind-powered Brigantine Tres Hombres, was set to sail from Grenada with Green and his chocolate today. This voyage, according to Green, is the “first carbon-neutral trans-Atlantic mass chocolate delivery.” Green built his own insulated cool room, powered solely by wind and sun, for the ship’s cargo hold. (Click here to follow the ship’s progress and Green’s blog about the journey)

Jump for the story and pictures.

Mott Green with friend and fellow sailor, Charlie Boxer. (Photography by Nancy Nichols)

Green’s rags-to-chocolate-making story is unique. Twenty years ago he was a squatter in New York City. He hooked up with a homeless reggae singer and the two hitched their way through the Caribbean eventually landing in Grenada with only their knapsacks and bicycles. Green slept on floors in the St. George’s area. He returned year after year until he found an old bamboo house he could fix up in the Hermitage village in 1988. The next year he returned and, much to his friend’s amazement built his own bamboo house deep in the rainforest. Green had no no running water or electricity. “People thought I was mad living in the wilderness,” said Green. “Luckily Grenada is known for having no poisonous snakes.”

The Brigantine Tres Hombres. Loading the vessel. (Photos courtesy of Fair Transport)

For ten years he lived among cocoa trees. “I love to tinker with technology and build contraptions so I helped a lot of the local cocoa farmers build pumps using natural materials,” said Green. “I began drying my own beans and making cocoa balls and became a cocoa hobbyist.” His methods were crude: he roasted dried cocoa beans on a stove, took the shells off by hand, and ground them in a coffee grinder. “It’s a gritty concoction,” said Green. “But the trick I learned from the locals was to pour it through a strainer to get a really smooth fatty drink. Those cocoa balls, which you can buy all over the island, got me into chocolate. Before I knew it I would be traveling around with my dried cocoa beans spreading the word about organic chocolate in Grenada.”

The six bars currently produced by Grenada Chocolate Company. (Photography by Nancy Nichols)

He got serious in 1999 when he formed the Grenada Chocolate Company. “Yes, my dream finally made sense,” said Green. “My progression was: Activist, love Grenada, love cocoa, love machines and tinkering, making chocolate, and doing it all without hurting the land.”

Drying the beans is done the old-fashioned way. (photography by Nancy Nichols)

The fruits and nuts of Grenada. Many are used in the store where local chocolatiers create bon bons. (Photography by Nancy Nichols)

Fermenting or "sweating" the beans at Belmont Estate. (Photography by Nancy Nichols)

Green doesn't consider himself a chocolatier. He makes chocolate and several of the locals turn his chocolate into bon bons using local fruit and nuts. (Photography by Nancy Nichols)

Green is the subject of Kum-Kum Bhavnani’s new documentary film, “Nothing Like Chocolate,” which premiered at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in February 2012. Here is the trailer.

The only stores in the U.S. carrying Green’s chocolate are the Whole Foods in New York and Los Angeles. However, you can order on line or by phone from a supplier in Portland, Oregon.

During our conversation we discussed the possibility of Green coming to Dallas and doing an event to promote his chocolate. I have an hour of audio I am trying to turn into a pod cast. This man has s a great story and he tells it better than anyone.

For more information about the Grenada Chocolate Company. For more about FairTransport and the Brigantine Tres Hombres.

Little did I know that five hours later, at 2 AM on Sunday morning, owner Christopher Zielke would receive a call in the middle of the night because someone broke into his store. “It was just a cash register and broken glass window,” says Zielke. Nothing to cry about, but the thief had also stolen a huge sum of cash from the register. Usually Zielke empties the register and leaves it by the window to tell wannabe burglars, “Hey, look, no money for you,” but that night he forgot this habit of his.

“I think it’s the same person who’s been stealing from Oddfellows, Eno’s, and Bolsa. He goes directly for the cash registers and doesn’t touch anything else. He’s in-and-out within 30 seconds,” says Zielke.

Zielke, who wanted something positive to come out of this, collaborated with Elliot Munoz to make a short video immortalizing the Bolsa Mercado burglar forever. That’s the story of how an every day thief turned into an advertising star in Dallas. Enjoy.

Be Patient from elliott munoz on Vimeo.

If you’re not sure why he’s a big deal, take a look at the profile below:

WHY HE’S AMAZING Because he goes beyond just barbecue, with an in-kitchen wood grill and smoke pit for smoking or curing almost every dish on the menu.
CULINARY SCHOOL Johnson & Wales University (Miami)
BACKGROUND Stephan Pyles, Mansion Restaurant (Dallas)
MUST-TRY DISH Hand-pulled all-natural whole hog, North Carolina style, which is roasted overnight.
WHAT SMELLS SO GOOD Byres smokes or cures almost all his dishes over wood, using either the mesquite-fueled wood grill and barbecue pit in the kitchen or a vintage Appalachian cold smoker out back, which uses hickory, pecan wood and charcoal.
MENU INSPIRATION Before opening Smoke in fall 2009, Byres spent the summer traveling across the South in a rebuilt VW bus, tasting regional barbecue. “Everybody wants to label barbecue styles and areas,” he says. “But wherever you go in the rural South, styles developed from availability and necessity. It’s just honest cooking.”
LOCAL FLAVORS The kitchen team planted an herb and vegetable garden behind the Hotel Belmont, where the restaurant is located.

If you’re feeling a lot of Tim Byres-love today, go vote for him in our People’s Choice Best Chef category so he can also show up in the August issue of D Magazine.

Pictured from left to right: Event & Sales Director, Julia “Smelly Pirate Hooker” Garton, Owner /Operator, Mike “I look Like a Blueberry” Schoder, and Will Ferrell.

Will Ferrell was hanging out at Sundown at Granada this afternoon. Ferrell is in town on a press junket to promote his new movie “Casa de Mi Padre.” The film opens on March 16.

Is anyone else as excited as I am???? This almost makes up for the fact that DFW doesn’t have free wi-fi.

I bid thee, Dallas, to go vote for thy favorite chefs whose first names start with a T.