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Nothing to do With Dining: Procrastination is Part of the Creative Process, Take 27

Our cycling Disher with a bod for grammer grammar and an eye for cedar waxwings, sends word that today is National Grammar Day. Good timing–our editorial staff has been discussing the use of “bring” and “take” for three days. Do you bring your own bottle or take your own bottle—that sort of thing. I’m not very smart in that department so I just listen, but I did find an interesting link on the press release to National Procrastination Week.  I am the best, or at least the most dedicated, procrastinator on D’s staff.  I am procrastinating at this very moment. Here is an interesting factoid—they claim if you quit drinking coffee your focus on projects will increase.  No coffee? That would be the end of blogs. They were created for professional procrastinators. How do you suck time from your work?

Dallas Foodie Wins Food Network Recipe Contest: The Grape Will Serve It

Thanks to Mike Hiller, we don’t hear much these days from Brian Luscher, the reformed blog commenter and chef/owner of The Grape. Earlier this morning, Luscher broke his silence and sent me a link to the results of the Food Network’s recent coffee-themed recipe contest. The winner is Denise Brown who, according to Luscher, is “a Dallas dining scene regular, local foodie, food event volunteer, and long time fan of The Grape. Not a restaurant person, just a great regular gal.” To honor Denise, Luscher will feature her Turkish Coffee Pots de Crème on his menu at The Grape all month.

SideDish Supper Club On Sale Now: Samar by Stephan Pyles in Dallas

Yow. Zah. I must say we have pulled together one fabulous evening. Thanks to Stephan Pyles, execuchef Vijay Sadhu, and managing partner George Majdalani, the next SideDish Supper Club at Samar by Stephan Pyles is going to be over-the-top. Not only are they opening the restaurant just for us, but they also designed a one-of-a-kind menu for SideDish Supper Clubbers.

I asked Pyles why he wanted to do the Supper Club, and he had this to say:

“Having traveled the world in search of exotic flavors and preparations, the opportunity to showcase those tastes and customs in this one-time dinner spectacle was very exciting. You will savor the cuisine and cocktails inspired by India, Spain, and the Eastern Mediterranean–think curries, garam masala, cardamom, tandoori, naan, labneh, pomegranates, and pumpkin kofte. Have you ever had a remarkable Lebanese wine? Had your fortune read from the grounds of your Turkish coffee? You will at this dinner! Revel in the unique experience with Indian and Arabic music, belly dancers, and the exotic hookah ritual of narguile shisha.”

Stephan Pyles knows how to throw a party!

During the dessert course, Kyle Stewart of the Cultured Cup will demonstrate a traditional Afghan tea ceremony, and everyone will be able to try Samar’s Afghan Tea, as well as an authentic Masala chai.

Dancing girls! Hookahs! Lebanese wine! Goody bags! Communal tables! Dancing Hookahs ? Perhaps.

The  SideDish Supper Club is not just dinner; it’s a culinary learning experience. Please join us on Sunday, December 6, for the next SideDish Supper Club. The cost is $110 per person and we have included tax, gratuity, and valet parking.

CHECK OUT THE MENU BY CLICKING ON THE SIDEDISH SUPPER CLUB LOGO TO THE RIGHT. Hurry, seating is limited. 214-922-9922. (more…)

What Does Your Cup of Coffee Say About You?

I guess mine would say I’m cheap, black, and half and half. Tomorrow (Tuesday) on Think (90.1) with Krys Boyd we will find out what our coffee says about us and our society. At 1:00 p.m., Bryant Simon, Professor of History and Director of American Studies at Temple University and author of Everything but the Coffee: Learning About America from Starbucks, will discuss the topic. Leave what your coffee says about you in the comments below and perhaps Dr. Simon can use our comments to tell us what our coffee says about Dallas.

Last Day for Starbucks VIA Taste Test

Unless you’ve had your head in the ground, it’s been hard to miss the media blitz from Starbucks concerning their new VIA Ready Brew coffee. Yep, Starbucks is getting into the instant coffee business and they swear it’s as good as their traditional in-store drip. So, find out for yourself. Drop in to see your favorite barista, test the VIA against SB’s Pike Place brew, and see if you can tell the difference. You’ll get a certificate for a free tall brewed coffee and $1 off the VIA Ready Brew pack. And hurry. Today’s the last day for the taste test.

Howard Schultz is Headed to Starbucks in Highland Park Village

An over-caffeinated Disher just called from her iPhone to report that all of the baristas and employees of Starbucks in HPV are readying for their close up with Starbuck’s chairman and CEO, Howard Schultz. “Oh my god,” she exclaimed. “The place is buzzing. They have the back area roped off and tables are set with manila folders and food samples.” So, there you have it. CEO groupies, you have been informed.

UPDATE: Apparently Mr. Schultz is escorting his board of directors, including Bill Bradley (Go, early 70s’ Knicks!), around Dallas.

Custom Frappucinos Debut. Dallas Twitches with Excitement.

Some people see Starbucks as the evil empire. Others can’t function without their non-fat no-whip double tall [enter drink name here]. Me? I love my local haunts (whatup, Pearl Cup and Opening Bell!) but have to admit that Starbucks is convenient, quick, and consistent. No crime in that. So, Starbucks fans, starting today there’s a new way to get your caffeinated freak on: customizable Frappuccinos. Yep, you can add any flavors, any type of milk, add more espresso, or perhaps even the blood of a young virgin sacrificed upon the altar of Corporate America to complete your creamy frozen beverage experience. Gentlemen (and ladies), start your blenders.

Quick Review: Cappa Cafe

Our hard-workin’, sweet intern, Sara, discovered Cappa Cafe on Walnut Hill this morning. She files this report:

For those who fall under the category “definitely NOT morning people,” breakfast on the run is sort of standard. So Cappa Cafe, a tiny, all-brick standalone off Walnut Hill and Central in the middle of a shopping center is a godsend. Not fast-food chainy type fare, it’s got a good selection of coffees, lattes, and cappuccinos at friendlier prices than Starbucks (my medium skim cafe au lait was only two bucks, and they have one called the Hammerhead that I might have to try) andpastries, breakfast sandwiches and burritos, plus paninis and salads for lunch. I kept passing by thinking I was seeing the grand opening, because they’ve got flags and a huge banner announcing their existence, but apparently they’ve been open for two months now. Food was ready pretty fast, which means it might have been sitting under a heat lamp for a while, but it tastes fresher than most and the staff is super perky, which means their coffee works.

Iced Coffee Day Is Happening Right Now

For those looking for a morning bargain, point the car towards your nearest Dunkin Donuts today. They have deemed it “Iced Coffee Day,” and we can get a 16oz iced coffee for 50 cents. Also, five cents from each cup goes to Home for the Troops, an organization that builds specially-designed homes for injured veterans at no cost to them.

Are You Depressed? Try Making Depression Food.

I love this.

New Breakfast Duos at Starbucks

Over on ShopTalk, our resident Starbucks expert Katie McNew has some scoop about the coffee chain we love to hate to love. (Or something like that.)

DFW Airport to Offer Healthy Dining Options for Frequent Fliers

In the corporate restaurant business, restaurants with hundreds of locations are considered especially heinous. An elite crowd, known as brand creators, attempt to serve healthier cuisine. These are their stories:

DFW Airport is about to get a slew of new restaurants for consumers “trending toward healthier eating habits.”

1) Cereality.  A cereal bar and café with Cereologists™ who assist customers as they create their own cereal. Now you can do what your mom never allowed:  mix Cap’n Crunch with Frosted Flakes and cover them with malted milk balls and banana flavored milk. (Those gals in the picture must have pop rocks in their cereal!)
2) UFood Grill. Considered by someone, as “the next generation of fast food, combining flavorful, high quality and nutritious food with an appealing atmosphere, accessible pricing, and quick, convenient service.” Think: Fired-up Burgers™, artisan sandwiches, UBowls™, grilled entrees, and specialty salads. Got to be great—UFood was recently named “2009 Best New Concession” in the Food & Beverage category by Airport Revenue News. George Foreman sends all of his friends there.
3) Blimpie. You know it, now fly with a hot or cold sub, to Panini, or fresh salad.
4) Urban Taco. Yes, that Urban Taco. Markus Pineyro and Chef Fernando Huerta will open their first airport location. (Folks, do me a favor. Eat these tacos before you board the plane.)

Locations? Cereality™ Cereal Bar & Café and Blimpie® will be in Terminal C, Gate C6. UFood Grill℠ in Terminal B, Gate B8, and Urban Taco in Terminal C, Gate C22. They are all scheduled to open the week of March 9th. Flight attendants, please prepare your doors and cross check.

Somebody Help This Poor Girl: Breakfast

There are several people around here that don’t think it’s a great idea to do a story about eating breakfast in Dallas. I love the idea: pancakes, bacon, fancy eggs, sloppy eggs, breakfast tacos, bacon, ethnic variations, bacon. Help me convince these creeps that Dallas is full of great breakfast bites. I’m in for the cinnamon rolls at Mecca.

Free Cappucino Saturdays at Flavors From Afar

Owner Nancy Krabill discovered two new roasts —Sant’ Eustachio and Cafe del Doge—on her last visit to Italy in November and now she’s sharing the brew for free on Saturdays at her Snider Plaza gourmet boutique. Sounds like a good reason to skip that super grande, half-caf, mocha, double shot, skinny, frappe with extra whip and just drink some good coffee.

Geniuses at Einstein’s Giving Away Bagels

I stopped to grab a coffee at Einstein’s Bros. Bagels at Mockingbird and Abrams on my way in to work (their Winter Blend is one of my favorite drip coffees of all time, but moving on). I pulled up and there was a tent of sorts outside the store, which I thought might be an efficiency measure for people picking up bagels by the dozen. Nope. The store is undergoing remodeling through Wednesday, and until then they’re giving away bagels, schmears, muffins, and coffee. I really just wanted a coffee (no Winter Blend, however they had my second favorite, Vanilla Hazelnut, on tap), but the kindly bageler insisted I take some food, too. I asked for one cinnamon raisin bagel (my son’s favorite), and when I got in my car, found that he had put in two. Go getcha some.

My New Coffee Obsession

Lately I’ve been stopping by Gachet Coffee Lounge in Victory on my way to work in the morning to get my morning brew. Specifically, I’m keen on the Cafe Francois: Gachet’s bold drip topped with a generous dollop of homemade whipped cream. It got me thinking. It seems like Dallas’ coffeehouse culture is getting (pardon the pun) perky. Before Starbucks invaded, we had a nice coffee culture brewing (ouch — yet another bad pun): Cafe Society, Java Jones, Chumleys, etc. Then Starbucks took them out one by one. Now, it seems every neighborhood has a cup of Joe to call its own. So, which houses are your favorites? What are your top sips? And, if it sounds like I’m fishing for research then, yes, guilty as charged. I’m doing a coffeehouse story for our print product. Now, start commenting.

Mustang Donuts Restores My Faith in Humanity

After a particularly rigorous track workout at Germany Park, I moseyed to Mustang Donuts to nullify the calories I had just burned. Since it had been awhile since I’d bought doughnuts there, I didn’t realize that they don’t take credit cards (all I had on me was my license and my debit card). The lady behind the counter insisted that I place my order anyway and said I could come back and pay later. Through a dropped jaw, I asked for five cake (three plain, one lemon iced, one blueberry), half a dozen doughnut holes (one of every flavor, including iced with sprinkles!), and coffee. She apologized to me for the inconvenience and said I didn’t even need to return today if I didn’t have time. I did, though, and I will. Not only was the service exceptional, but the doughnuts were really delicious—creamy frosting in just the right amount, and generous helpings of sprinkles. They were standout, for sure. And she spotted me two extra doughnut holes, so bonus points for that.

Local Starbucks Machines Get New Look

I went to my neighborhood Starbucks (Mockingbird and Abrams) yesterday for a venti skinny vanilla latte. But that’s not exactly news. What is of interest are the brand spankin’ new machines with which they brewed my potion. The barista said they had just gotten them in the previous night. She wasn’t sure if it was part of a companywide roll-out, because they were a matter of necessity for her store. The fancy contraptions are lower (so the coffeemakers can actually see who they’re serving) and have a more refined temperature gauge so extra-hot and kids’ temp don’t get confused.

New Central Market Organics Coffees at, You Guessed It, Central Market

People who do not drink coffee make me a little nervous. Many mornings, my only motivation to crawl out of bed is the thought of a huge, steaming cup of my morning coffee. I don’t always have a lot of money, so I end up buying the cheaper stuff, but if I were rich like you, I would buy Central Market Organics Coffees. You can find them in the bulk section. They’ve got Breakfast Blend, French Roast, Panama Finca Santa Barbara, and one I really like the sound of, Sumatra Mandheling (yes, please!). Prices range from $9.99 to $10.99 per pound. Go and buy now.

Bill “Freckle Face” Addison is a Weiner

Whoopsie-doodle, I mean winner. (What would I do without Spell Check?) Anywhoo, I just intercepted a secret DMN company memo announcing:

“Bill Addison will receive a national Association of Food Journalists award for restaurant criticism. The other finalists are: Will Ferrell for Talladega Dinner Nights and M.F.K. Fisher’s Recipes from the Grave. The ranking of the three awards will be announced at a conference in October.”

Kidding, so, so, so kidding. Way to go, Freckle Face, I hope you beat the pants off of your true rivals Lee Klein of Miami New Times and Tom Sietsema of The Washington Post-it.

Sometimes a Scarf is Just a Scarf

When I think of terrorism, Rachael Ray is probably one of the last people who comes to mind. But hey, that’s just me. CNN reports that Dunkin’ Donuts recently pulled an ad after complaints that the scarf she was wearing resembled a traditional Arab headdress.

The coffee and baked goods chain said the ad that began appearing online May 7 was pulled over the past weekend because “the possibility of misperception detracted from its original intention to promote our iced coffee.”

I wonder what Mrs. Ray thinks about all of this? I’m guessing it’s not “Yum-o!”

Starbucks, How Could You?

For months I heard nasty rumors that Starbucks was discontinuing almond syrup, but I never thought it would actually happen. And then, it did. The girl behind the counter broke the news to me that it was gone. I stood in line perplexed as to what my next move should be. I wandered out of the store in a daze with a feeling of hopelessness and fear. OK-maybe not fear, but I was pretty ticked. How could they do this? Was it to punish me? Is it because my drink was so complicated- an iced-half-caff-Venti-2%-2 pump almond-latte with extra ice? Really? It’s not that hard. So, the question I pose to you is what restaurant/eatery took something off the menu that you loved and how did you recover?

New Year’s Resolution: Drink Better Coffee

1. Drink more espresso. Here’s a great infographic to show you what’s what as far as espresso drinks go.

2. Buy fresh roasted coffee, buy it often (every week or two), and grind it at home with a burr grinder. Here’s a few places to score some black gold:

Dunn Brothers – Addison

Coffee Company – Dallas

Mawker Coffee – Dallas Farmers Market (Shed #2)

Addison Coffee Roasters – Addison

Update, almost forgot: White Rock Coffee – Dallas (thanks darley)

3. Learn. You may drink it everyday, but do you really know anything about it? While how the name “Americano” is an insult would go great here, I’m going with Espresso Porn. Other reading material:

CoffeeGeek

Coffee Obsessive videos at Chow.com

Can’t make (good) espresso at home? Here’s help.

Aeropress, How I Love Thee

Nancy may like her folgers, but I can’t stand most drip coffee. Call it fru fru, but I don’t care. It’s bitter, and gives me the jitters.

That’s why I’m happy to have found the Aeropress. It’s somewhat similar to a french press, except it uses air to push the water between the grinds and through a very fine filter. Everything happens in around 30 seconds, which reduces the acidity, and in turn the bitterness. The result is a very good cup of homemade espresso. I add hot water to mine to make an americano.

Aside from not having to fight Wick for our coffee machine every morning, other benefits include cleanup. Click the filter cover off, and push the plunger while aiming at the trash. A puck of used grinds goes flying, and yes, it’s fun. Wipe the end of the plunger and you’re done. No need to clean the cylinder, as the plunger cleans the sides as you push down. The best part? It’s under $30. I found mine at Sur La Table.

Here’s Boing Boing’s Mark Frauenfelder demonstrating how it’s done.