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Restaurant Review: Urban Crust in Plano

Teresa Gubbins, our canary in the north-of-LBJ coal mine, visits Urban Crust in Plano. This gussied up pizzeria is operated by former Daddy Jack’s (Deep Ellum) chef, Salvatore Gisellu. Hmm. Pizza. Gubbins is the Princess of Pizza in Dallas.

Office Argument: Best Frozen Yogurt in Dallas

Yesterday, all the gals here at D headquarters were jonsing for frozen yogurt. We wondered why there wasn’t a froyo shop across the street (we are very lazy). Then we got into a spirited discussion about frozen yogurt. No secret I am addicted to chocolate Pinkberry. Raya and Ryan also like Pinkberry. Jennifer loves the zum flavor at Orange Cup (I think it sucks and their packaging for to-go-froyo kills many trees). The smart girls, and by smart I mean they are grammarian copy-editor types, Allison, Kristiana, and Krista, swear by Yumilicious. Allison loves the red velvet and cake batter; Krista goes for the raspberry and plain.

So here’s the (cheap) question: Name your favorite shop and flavor. (BTW, I don’t think any froyo should taste like a cake or a raw cookie. Bad food cross-dressing.) Also, why don’t boys like frozen yogurt?

Restaurant News: Bits and Bytes

Wine dinner on a Wednesday at Castello Banfi. OMG, that looks like Karen Cassady from Central Market!

Jimmy’s Food Store. Good News: John Mariani (no, not that one) of Banfi Vintners will be at Jimmy’s on March 3. This John Mariani is the  CEO and family proprietor of Banfi Vintners the distributor for wines produced at Castello Banfi in Montalcino, Italy. Great Italian wine at good prices. I haven’t met Mariani, but I’ve toured the wine-making facilities at Castello Banfi. If you are planning a trip to Italy, I suggest you make reservations at the restaurant on property and please take time to tour the balsamic vinegar cellar. Details and wine below the jump.

Eddie V’s. Eddie V’s Restaurants, Inc. owners and longtime friends Guy Villavaso and Larry Foles have announced that they will open their Dallas Eddie V’s Prime Seafood this April at Avondale and Oak Lawn. They will begin taking reservations for their first evening, April 19, 2010, in early April. The seating capacity is–beat, beat–300. Full release below the jump.

Central Market. Take out Italian from the Central Market Deli—they offer “fresh pastas and sauces. Their stuffed pastas include a hearty ravioli loaded with mozzarella, basil and tomato; half-moons, or mezzaluna, pasta filled with shrimp, lobster and cheese; spinach-stuffed rigatoni and more. Tender fettucini, ricotta cavatelli and rigatoni require just a few minutes of cooking before revealing velvety noodles. And with eight fresh sauces such as prosciutto-loaded Filetto di Pomodoro, creamy Champagne with a hint of red pepper, or rich Alfredo, you can mix and match to create your own perfect pasta menu. Don’t forget the Parmigiana Reggiano!” Yes, don’t forget the cheese.

Tre Amici Prime Steakhouse & Seafood. This spot is now open for lunch and chef de cuisine Chris Hughes has a new menu. Bottles of wine are 25 percent off. They have a nice piano bar featuring Adrian King, which is pretty groovy. Deets below. (more…)

Best French Food in Dallas: Leslie Brenner is Off Her Rocker

French Chefs: Be on the lookout for Leslie.

OMG. I mean, oh mon dieu! DMN dining critic Leslie “Caron” Brenner has lost more than weight on her Restaurant Critics Diet. She has lost a large portion of her cerebellum.

This morning La Brenner reveals Best in DFW: French Restaurants along with a little essay on French food in Dallas.

Her top picks are Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, Toulouse Cafe & Bar, St. Martin’s Wine Bistro, Bijoux, Rise No. 1, Saint-Emilion, and The French Room.

Excuse my probable overreaction to her words but I am on Day 3 of pancake withdrawal and this article really pissaladière-ed me off.

I would like to go into a short back story on French food in Dallas and then talk a little about the endangered status of French food in Dallas and the U.S. Then I will do a Q&A with La Brenner’s text. Okay? Let’s get this party started.

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Dan Koller Goes Guerrilla: Marc”Park” Cassel’s Meal at 48 Hours @ Sylvan Thirty

Marc Cassel cooks for charity.

Dan Koller, the managing editor of People “Who Need People” Newspapers, took his lovely and talented wife, Jessica, to dine at the first supper at 48 Nights @ Slyvan Thirty, the guerrilla restaurant on Sylvan  operated by the Smoke/Bolsa dudes, Chris Jeffers, Chris Zielke, and Tim Byres. The restaurateurs have teamed up with the Mass Care Task Force (American Red Cross Dallas Area Chapter, North Texas Food Bank, The Salvation Army DFW Metroplex Area Command, and Volunteer Center of North Texas). Chefs participating in the project will rotate and all of the proceeds for these dinners will go to these charities.

Anywhoo, Dan is writing a full report on the OC phenom for Friday’s edition of Oak Cliff People, but today he has a brief recap of his experience here. First chef up was/is Marc Cassel from Park. (There is a second Cassel dinner tonight.)  I  looked over the menu and I have three (dumb) questions. One of the items is braised Kobe beef cheeks, stroganoff risotto & Tom’s microgreens.

I am assume “Kobe” cows have two cheeks. Are they big cheeks that are divided into smaller servings? I would assume Kobe beef cheeks are very expensive. Were these cheeks donated to the cause? If everyone at the dinner (30) got two cheeks, does this mean it took 30 Kobe cows to fill the order for last night’s dinner? Or were the cheeks cut up and tossed in the stroganoff? I am curious. I love cheeks—veal and haddock are my favs. Just curious. Anyone?

Wasted Calories: California Pizza Kitchen

On March 27, 1985, attorneys Rick Rosenfield and Larry Flax traded in the courtroom for the dining room. They opened CPK and decided to dress alike.

Yesterday, a spirited conversation about pizza broke in our company kitchen. One of our IT guys, Jeff Nelson, was reheating a pizza in the oven and I asked him where it originated. “We made it at home,” he said. Hmm, the only “pizza” I have made at home involved a Boboli pizza crust, bottled barbecue sauce, roasted chicken, red onions, and fresh cilantro. Sooo 1980s.

Of course, I ripped off the idea from the original location of California Pizza Kitchen in the Beverly Center in Los Angeles. When they opened in 1985, this place was the bomb. Until then, no restaurant that I knew of (and I lived in Los Angeles!) had ever substituted barbecue sauce for marinara. There was Spago up on the hill on Sunset , but  you had to be a celebrity to secure a table at Wolfie’s spot. Then you had to pay a bazillion dollars for a boutique pie just so you could sit so close to Michael Bolton you could count the split ends of  his frizzy mullet (hint: bazillions). CPK was the gourmet pizza outlet for the masses.

Yes, this is a long lede into my rendezvous with CPK last night. I was  jonsing for pizza when I left work so I decided to call CPK. (BTW, their number was not in Directory Assistance—add $1.75 for the cell call.) I will say this—at 6:40 p.m., they were doing a bristling take out business and the staff was efficient and over-the-top nice.

Too bad the pizza crust tasted like the like the cardboard box that held the pizza until I got home (five minutes). Too bad the barbecue sauce was almost non-existent. Too bad the chicken was stringy. Too bad my friend Evan Grant is going here this week. Too bad I tasted a much better version of CPK’s barbecue chicken pizza at Puck’s fast casual spot  in the Denver airport last Thursday.

Pancakes are soo last week. Now, I’m binging on pizza. Best take out or delivery please! I want to gain 20 pounds before bikini season. I hate it when my hip bones do this.

Teresa Gubbins is Tossed Out of Tutti Frutti in Richardson

No wonder TG has 856 friends on Facebook.

I’m a little late to the PegasusNews party hosted by Teresa “Gumshoe” Gubbins. She has written an enlightening essay on the proliferation of food photography in public restaurants. It’s a great subject for debate. Apparently some restaurants have a “NO PHOTOS” policy while others are “flattered.” Gubbins is now my heroine—she managed to get thrown out of a frozen yogurt store in Richardson and used the “copyrightable” on the same day. That is just pure awesomeness. How about you? Do you take pictures of your meals in restaurants? Do you believe a plate of brisket tacos is copyrightable? Have you ever been thrown out of a restaurant?

UPDATE: Details on James Beard Award Nominations

Earlier I posted the semi-finalists for the James Beard Awards. Several people have asked me about the qualifications for nominations. Here are the voting instructions I received:

Dear Texas and Oklahoma Beard judges

1.  BEST CHEF SOUTHWEST.  Chefs must have worked in the Southwest region (TX, NM, AZ, UT, CO, OK, NV) for a minimum of 3 years–and must have been a working chef for 5 years.

2.  RISING STAR:  Born on or after Jan. 1, 19879.

3.  BEST NEW RESTAURANT.  Opened in the calendar year 2009.

4.  PASTRY CHEF:  Five years working minimum.

5.  RESTAURATEUR:  Multiple locations; 10 years working minimum.

6.  OUTSTANDING CHEF:  Five years working minimum.

7.  OUTSTANDING RESTAURANT:  Open 10 years minimum.

8.  WINE & SPIRITS PROFESSIONAL:  Minimum of 5 years working in the industry.

9.  WINE SERVICE:  Restaurant open 5 years minimum.

10.  OUTSTANDING SERVICE:  Restaurant open 5 years minimum.

Soap Opera Update: Avila’s Mexican Restaurant on Maple in Dallas

What Dallas Tex-Mex restaurant is on the verge of collapse?

Yow. Zah. Looks like the pendulum of justice has swung to the other side of the Avila family. Last week when I spoke with Ricky/Ricardo Avila and his fiancée, Michelle, Ricky told me his 88-year old mother was suffering from the onset of dementia. He claimed that he and Michelle were the primary care takers of Mrs. Avila, the founder of the Avila’s Mexican Restaurant on Maple Avenue. “It’s sad that other members of my family do not even visit her,” he said. Ricky/Ricardo explained that he owned the restaurant business and his mother owned the building. “She’s just not sure what is going on most of the time,” he said.

The whole Avila family appeared before Judge Ken Molberg on Tuesday, February 9. “It took him ten minutes to realize I owned the business,” said Ricky. As I reported from the restaurant, Ricky/Ricardo and Peter Tarantino were running the restaurant.

Yesterday morning, I received an e-mail from blogger Texaskatey reporting  there was a sign on the door saying the restaurant was closed along with a link to the restaurant’s website announcing Avila’s was moving to another location. Apparently, the previous night, Ricky/Ricardo Avila and company gutted the interior of the restaurant.

A little later, an e-mail from Patricia Avila Guajardo, who I can only assume is one of Ricky/Ricardo’s sisters, hit my inbox. The note, printed below the jump was addressed to Kim Pierce of the DMN and cc’d to me. She claims Avila’s Mexican Restaurant on Maple will “begin operating as soon as possible.”

I agree with Patricia on one point—this whole soap opera is “out of control.” From where I sit, it looks like everyone is guilty. Why Ricky/Ricardo and company did not wait for scheduled legal proceedings to take place is astonishing. Late yesterday, DMN’s Karen Robinson-Jacobs reported the judge ordered Ricky/Ricardo to “‘restore all property and tangible things taken or removed from’ the restaurant within 24 hours of Thursday’s order.” Hmm. Stay tuned.

UPDATE: Wilonsky has the legal documents online.

Jump for Patricia’s side of the story. (more…)

Mecca on Harry Hines is Hopping!

Most of the people dining here at Mecca are without power in their homes. Breakfast for lunch is big today!

Pancakes.

Powerless.

NBA All-Star Weekend: Celebrity Sightings

Diddy has to eat somewhere.

If you spot a celebrity dining in a Dallas area restaurant, we want to hear about it. Servers, this is your time to spill more than the refried beans. We’ll be here all weekend. Go, eat, report. In the meantime, you can help Diddy. He’s looking for “the dopest strip club in Dallas.” Or Tweet to other visiting celebs from here.

Valentine’s Day Dining in Dallas: Last Call

Over it.

This is the last post for Valentine’s Day dining options in Dallas. Open his link and you will find romantic options from restaurants, bakeries, and take-out spots. If you are a restaurant and you are not on this list, please post your information in the comments section.

Restaurant Review: Norma’s Café in North Dallas

Pancakes at Norma's Cafe by Kevin Marple.

What a great day to eat pancakes. Breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner! Norma’s Café serves great pancakes all day. Recently, we sent Teresa Gubbins to check out the newest Norma’s in Farmers Branch North Dallas. I think she likes it.  Almost as much as Miss Yvonne really, really likes Cowboy Curtis’ jheri curl mullet.

Local Sports Authorities Gina Miller and Marc Stein Advise Media Types (and Spectators) About Where To Eat in Dallas During NBA All-Star Weekend

Do you think their recommendations are right on? Find out here.

Hey Peter Tarantino! Where are You?

Peter Tarantino by Kevin Marple.

Where have all of the Tarantino brothers gone? Once upon a time Peter, Matthew, and Patrick were the darlings of the Dallas dining scene. Peter’s last restaurant, Tarantino’s in Deep Ellum closed some time ago. Wilonsky spotted him last June in the kitchen at Avila’s. I’m just curious. This guy can cook. Anyone.

Upcoming Foodie Event: Les Dames d’Escoffier Raiser Grazer in Dallas

Gina Puente-Brancato (owner La Buena Vida Vineyards, Grapevine, TX), Carol Ritchie (“Cookin’ with Carol” TV cooking show host), Cristianna Ginatta (owner Paciugo Gelato), Janice Provost (Chef/Owner Parigi), Sharon Hage (Chef/Owner York Street), and Paul Lambert (Mozzarella Company).

Inside scoop: You can get some of the best food and travel bargains in town at the silent auction tables during the annual Les Dames d’Escoffier Raiser Grazer. (One year I “won” four nights at a darling boutique hotel in Jamaica for $250, half of what they charge for one night.)

Anywhoo, the next LDE Raiser Grazer will take place on Sunday, February 28th at the Fashion Industry Gallery from 6-9:00 p.m. This year’s theme “Women Stars of Wine & Food” will showcase just that—Dallas area chefs and wine gals doing their thing. Tickets to the Les Dames Raiser Grazer are $50 after February 26 and at the door. However they are available  NOW onlinefor $45.

Jump for full details. Follow Les Dames on Facebook.   for up to the minute news.

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Bird Break: Bluebirds Love Mealworms

Because I firmly believe that procrastination is part of the creative process, I will take a break from working and share this video with you. I filmed it last summer in Frankston, Texas. It stars Bill, an Eastern Bluebird, who has been living with his “wife” Hillary at my family’s lake house for four seasons, and one of his sons, Sonny Jim. “Together,” Bill and Hillary and I have “raised” around 48 fledglings. In the process I have spent hundreds thousands of dollars on mealworms. Why? Because the second I walk out of my house and whistle, they show up. And it makes me happy.

Food Porn: Best Barbecue in Dallas Photography

Our go-to food photographer, Kevin Marple, took gorgeous shots of barbecue and the atmosphere of barbecue joints for this month’s story on the best barbecue in Dallas. Of course we couldn’t fit them all into the magazine, so last week I sat down with barbecue expert Daniel Vaughn and we looked over many of Kevin’s photos and talked about barbecue. On this video, Daniel talks about the importance of smoking meat, the kinds of wood used by different places, and the variations in the pits he discovered. It’s good stuff. Enjoy it here.

Daniel Vaughn Talks BBQ Today on WRR

This morning at 11:00, Daniel “BBQ Snob” Vaughn will talk about his story “The Best Barbecue in Dallas” on Classic Café with Tempie Lindsey on WRR (101.1 FM). If you haven’t read it, pick up a copy of the February issue.

I Scuba For Scallops Taste Off: The Results

Richard Chamberlain and chef Lan Nickens start the competition.

I’ve just returned from Chamberlain’s Fish Market Grill in Addison where Richard Chamberlain and I hosted the “I Scuba for Scallops Taste Off.” There were 12 tasters and all 12 picked the hand-harvested diver sea scallops over dry-packaged U-10 sea scallops. As we’ve noted, many restaurants offer “diver scallops” on their menus but very few actually serve real diver (hand-harvested) scallops. I’ve only located two places in Dallas—The French Room and Aurora—that serve them occasionally on tasting menus.

Here’s one thing I’ve learned—a lot of chefs in Dallas don’t know the difference. Richard Chamberlain admitted that he had “diver” printed on his menu and he was serving dry-packaged U-10s. Today Chamberlain not only educated our little group, he also educated his staff.  Chamberlain has a batch of hand-harvested diver scallops. If you want to do a tasting, he and his chef Lan Nickens will be happy to cook up a plate for you until they run out. If you’re a seafood fan, this is a big treat. Real diver scallops are not only rare they cost 40 percent more than the U-10s.

U-10s (top). Diver scallops (bottom).

The first noticeable difference between the two was the color. The raw dry packaged U-10s were light, almost white while the divers had a grayish, tan tint. Once cooked, the diver scallops seared to a gorgeous caramel brown while the U-10s stopped at a light “biscuit” brown. I’m guessing water content played a roll in the caramelization—diver scallops aren’t packed in water or stored on ice for longer periods of time like U-10s. The diver scallops were “denser” with a “meatier” texture while the U-10s appeared “looser” with a “springy” texture. If either one of these cooked scallops appeared alone on a plate you would consider each a thing of beauty. However, when we put the two side-by-side, our eyes and taste buds gravitated to the diver.

JUMP FOR MORE PHOTOS. (more…)

Dave Faries is Leaving The Dallas Observer

The Teegster has the Outburst. Dave Faries has the story: he is leaving his position as the Observer’s dining critic and returning to the Old World. Faries was living in Prague when he took the job at the DO. He says, “Before leaving Prague I had promised to spend a year in a top 10 market, re-learning the joys of top level cuisine (something the Czechs were short of) and learning the art of blogging. I’ve exceeded that, loitering here for many months more. It’s just hard to shake…But, I have opportunities to pursue in the Old World–the life of a shabby expat, you know.”

“Dotoho” Dave, we will miss you. Have a palacinka for me.  SO, here’s the big question: who will fill his post? Dallas Dude? Worzel Gummidge? Scott? You guys pick.

Rumors Behind the Restaurant News: Charlie Palmer

Yow. Zah. I picked the wrong night to stay at home and watch Law & Order. Last night, as Benson and Stabler nailed another rapist, Tom Jones dined at Charlie Palmer at The Joule after his performance at the Meyerson. According to my super secret source, Mr. Jones didn’t drop any “Sex Bombs” as he downed a salumi platter along with prawn and mutton curry. In other CP news, sommelier Brandan Kelley is no longer overseeing the wine program. Michael Lefko is now the wine director for Charlie Palmer and NextVintage.  He joined Charlie Palmer in 2008 as a sommelier and before that he was working at Mercury Grill.

Remembering Darryl Beeson

Darryl Beeson with Ravenswood founder Joel Peterson. (Jim White photos)

Many of us in and around the restaurant business have vivid stories to tell about Darryl Beeson. He was an easy going and friendly guy. Besides wine, he loved jokes. Almost every conversation started with one. Good or bad, you always laughed at Darryl’s jokes. Darryl Beeson died late yesterday after complications from a car accident. He was only 54. Details on Darryl’s funeral are still pending.

Savor Dallas co-founder Jim White had a long personal and professional history with Darryl. Below, Jim remembers Darryl Beeson.

UPDATE: Memorial service for Darryl Beeson is Friday February 5 at 3:30 p.m. at Restland in Dallas.

Darryl Beeson’s Class–and a class act.
by Jim White

The first time I ever met Darryl Beeson he seemed very professorial.  Maybe it was his tweed jacket, vest, bow tie, horn rimmed glasses and Adolphe Menjou mustache.  Or, perhaps it was his thorough awareness of “things” and his tendency to conduct “mini-seminars” on them.  He could talk about everything from sports and current events to broadcasting or social-scene gossip.  But it was his encyclopedic knowledge of wine that impressed me as I got to know him.  He was producing Jody Dean’s midday talk show in the winter of 1994 when I returned to Dallas to become KRLD’s morning news anchor.  I was also charged with developing a “Restaurant Show.”  Something operations director Michael Spears had been quite keen on while we were still in Chicago plotting our return to Big D.  Darryl was to be my producer for the program, slated to start in the spring of 1995.  I was quite intimidated by the prospect of hosting a program devoted to cooking and wine.  I did very little of the former, although I could hold my own with the latter.  But since Spears knew I had a love of these things and travel, cultivated by radio stints in San Francisco, numerous forays to Europe, and about a year of being in the dining circle of a Chicago restaurant critic, he insisted I could do it.  It was Darryl who helped smooth what seemed like a rocky road ahead to me.  And a damn steep learning curve–it was a daunting assignment just getting to know who the players were in the Dallas and Texas restaurant biz after several years out of town.

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SideDish Tasters Event: Diver Sea Scallops vs U-10 Scallops

This could be YOU!

Sorry for the last minute notice but I’ve decided to organize an impromptu  SideDish Tasters Event. Some of you participated in the SDTE we held last summer for Zinsky’s. Others contributed to the Jammin’ With Wild Salmon (and wild commenters) at TJs Market in Preston Forest . I’m going to gather some hand-harvested diver scallops and some U-10s and see if YOU can taste the difference. ONLY FIVE OF YOU.  Chef Richard Chamberlain of Chamberlain’s Fish Market has agreed to do the ordering and provide the space. We are trying to work out the details but this much I know: The event will take place at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 2 at Chamberlain’s Fish Market in Addison.

Stay tuned. Contest rules will be announced soon.

Popolos in Dallas to Close: Teresa Gubbins Knows an Employee

Gumshoes are not for sissies.

Veteran reporter, Teresa Gubbins over at PegNews, says that Popolos will close on Saturday. Gubbins’ long experience in food journalism pays off once again. Way to go, Ace. Now I’m curious. Why would a landlord raise the rent on an established restaurant and risk losing a paying customer? Did said landlord get a better offer? Was Popolos paying their rent? If Popolos can’t pay the rent in Preston Royal, how can a 26-seat fried chicken restaurant that opened a week ago across the street make money? Details on my experience at The Chicken Coop are in the works.