The Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek's chef Bruno Davaillon and his station, which had my favorite item, smoked hummus. Photos by David Higbee

Friday night’s soirée, TACA Lexus Party on the Green, took place on the lawn at the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek.  There were cars up for winning, a cork pull, fabulous trips and dinners in the silent auction, and food. Oh, so much food. More than 30 chefs gathered in the courtyard to offer up some of their best fare. And it was all going really well, too, that is until Mother Nature got involved. It was a bit muggy at first, then there were sprinkles—little ones that grew—and then it rained. Partygoers and chefs headed toward the doors of the Mansion. Within a couple minutes, Mansion employees walked around offering umbrellas to those who stayed outside. But within maybe 15 minutes, it all cleared up, people and chefs returned to their stations, and the party continued.

Stephanie Hutson, marketing manager at The Mansion, was in high spirits. She said the party hosted about 600 guests. But she was also looking forward to the weekend when she would travel with Mansion chef Bruno Davaillon to the James Beard awards. Davallion’s dish was one of the best of the night. He served pork belly with smoked hummus, pickled ramps and rhubarb. I’m a sucker for hummus. Friday night, I discovered I’m a sucker for smoked hummus. I also really enjoyed Tim Byres’ dry cured pork with purslane and cantaloupe. It was a light, fresh dish on a muggy evening.

Chef Serge Botelli from Rosewood Tucker’s Point in Bermuda got rave reviews for his ancho-cocoa rubbed grilled quail, which came with sage polenta, spiced capsicum jus, and fig syrup. Several people also directed us to the Crescent’s chef Juan Rosado. He was serving a short rib with crispy, sticky rice and pickled vegetables. The ribs (a little large for one bite, but still manageable) offered a bit of kick at the end, which paired nicely with the rice.

I have a very large sweet tooth, so I knew I couldn’t leave without trying the Mansion’s chef Nicolan Blouin’s Mansion Macaroon Mania, an assortment of macaroons, which were made in-house. My favorite was the peanut butter and jelly. I’m simple.

Jump for food shots.

Photos by David Higbee

Fish City Grill Executive Chef Randy Morgan presents oysters to the contestants. (photos by Erin Ahlfinger)

D Magazine intern Erin Ahlfinger files this report.

As part of Oyster Fest 2012, Fish City Grill held its third annual oyster eating contest at the Preston Road location Sunday afternoon benefiting March of Dimes. The spicy aroma of Cajun seasonings welcomed contestants and attendees as they arrived, and drew in plenty of curious passerby. Blues rock band Prophets and Outlaws provided entertainment and a touch of southern atmosphere as crawfish bubbled away in a pot large enough to hold a meeting in. The mudbugs were a supplemental attraction. This was Oyster Fest, and the bivalve mollusk would rule the day.

For those who prefer cooked oysters to the raw variety, Fish City Grill Executive Chef Randy Morgan manned the grill preparing lemon butter and parmesan chargrilled oysters. Some 1200 raw gulf oysters had been shucked and waited in a refrigerated truck for the competition to begin.

Bernie Hauder sucks down oysters

Every member of each team of four would be given 30 seconds to inhale as many oysters as they could stomach for the sake of pride, philanthropy, and a three days and two nights in New Orleans. As the teams and judges were introduced, a small army of servers delivered the shiny trays of shellfish in a processional-style display of pageantry known as “the running of the oysters.”

Six teams received two hundred oysters and five minutes to dress them to their liking. Every condiment from horseradish and lemon juice to Worcestershire sauce was readily available, but the teams used the majority of these five minutes to strategize. They formed huddles. They uttered rallying cries and last minute preparations – from arranging even rows to placing a tiny plastic oyster fork in every single mollusk – were finalized.

"I Touched the Butt" team members from left to right: Phil Scott, Bill Neubauer, Bernie Hauder, and Andrea Buchanan

Right after the starting signal sounded, slurping noises quickly faded into cheers from the crowd. An increasing number of teary-eyed faces looked up from the battle line. These were not the tears of dedicated culinary athletes wrapped up in the exhilaration that can only come from devouring an oyster per second with minimal chewing. These were the tears of contestants who had been too liberal with the horseradish.

In the end, team I Touched the Butt took home the shell-studded trophy after collectively inhaling 103 oysters in two minutes. They managed to beat out second place team Halfshells by only three. If you were considering taking up competitive eating in your spare time, winning team member Andrea Buchanan has a few words of wisdom to impart. “Drink lots of booze,” she advises. “It lubricates the throat.”

Fish City Grill donated 100% of proceeds from the competition to March of Dimes, in addition to a percentage of their sales from the event. By the time the last empty shell was collected and the final lemon wedge had been squeezed, over $2,000 had been raised to fund research aimed at preventing premature births.

Here come da judge. Brian Luscher, BYOChalk. (Photography by Kevin Marple)"

White Rock Local Market at Green Spot Market and Fuels kicks off its fourth season of markets on Saturday March 24 (8AM 1PM). White Rock Local Market is a non-profit 501(c)(3), independent farmers market offering a venue for local farmers, ranchers and artisans to bring what they grow or make and sell directly to the East Dallas neighborhood.

To get things rolling, they are hosting a chili cookoff on Saturday. So far judges for the contest include Jeffery Hobbs (Sissy’s, Suze), Graham Dodds (Central 214), and Brian Luscher (The Grape). Winners take home vintage trophies and gift certificates for market products.

Jump for the market’s awesome vendor list and how to sign up for the cookoff.

To sign up for the Chili Cookoff, click this link.

WRLM’s Spring 2012 Chili Cook-off will help WRLM launch its first ever membership program that allows customers to support WRLM. Member benefits range from discounts at area businesses, to a custom-shopping tote designed by Dallas’ Banner Theory, to exclusive WRLM workshops and farm tours – and more!

Food vendors at this market: organic growers Farmer Jones Plants and Produce, Texas Worm Ranch and Good Earth Organics are back, as well as Kitchen Pride Mushrooms. Later in the spring, we will be joined by Rae Lilli Farm, Sachse Heritage Farms, Larken Farms and Lightsey Farms. Juha Ranch returns with grass fed beef, chicken, lamb, pork and eggs; Homestead Heritage will be there with their wide variety of meats and cheeses. Eagle Mountain Cheese, Grapevine Grains, The Tamale Company, Lucido’s Pasta, and Texas Olive Ranch.  Empire Baking and Village Baking Company will be there, along with Tough Cookie Vegan Bakery and newcomers The Bread Crumb and EMA Baking. Corked in Texas will bring wines from Lone Oak Winery in Burleson, including the 2010 Texas Viognier, which won double gold at the prestigious San Francisco Wine Competition last month. And more…

The event is free. See http://www.whiterocklocalmarket.com for more information or call 214-797-4989. For a complete list of vendors go here: http://www.whiterocklocalmarket.com/vendors.html

White Rock Local Market is a non-profit 501(c)(3), independent farmers market, a public space offering a venue for local farmers, ranchers and artisans to bring what they grow or make and sell directly to the East Dallas neighborhood.  The mission is to strengthen the community by creating a meeting place for residents to buy fresh, local and healthy foods, and quality arts and crafts.  WRLM happens twice a month (from March through December) – the second and fourth Saturday – at The Green Spot Market and Fuels, 702 N. Buckner Blvd. The second Saturday includes all vendors – food and crafts.  The fourth Saturday is just for farmers, growers and artisan foods. See http://www.whiterocklocalmarket.com for more information.

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Londoner Charlie "Chuck" Bailey has a dedicated following among the Friday's crowd, even on this side of the pond. (photos by Karley Osborn)

We sent intern Karley Osborn out to brave a bartending championship in Grapevine on a Sunday night. What a trooper.

Two nights ago, while the rest of you were crying in your living rooms over Meryl Streep’s Oscar speech, I was cheering alongside the corporate world of TGI Friday’s as flair bartenders from nine of the chain’s international restaurants competed to become the “Greatest Bartender in the World.” Er, more specifically, the greatest TGI Friday’s bartender in the world.

The Gaylord’s Glass Cactus was decked out for the event’s 21st year like any 21-year-old’s birthday party venue should be with inflatable noise clappers, flashing strobe lights, and party anthems that sounded out of place until the drinks started flowing. Fans, friends, and family of the nine competitors helped themselves to fancified bar fixings like portabella sliders and fried jalapeno peppers as the competition introductions began around 7:00 p.m.

Jump for some Enrique Iglesias action.

Things got a little confusing when Enrique Iglesias (who probably hasn’t had so many people whip out their cell phones to take his picture since his 2003 mole removal) jumped onstage with Friday’s’ VP of Drink and Menu Innovation George Barton to talk about rum, which Enrique claims to have a “passion” for now that he’s a partial owner of Atlantico (ALERT: that was a promo).

Drink pile

Soon it was back to business, with Brad Kaplan of Colorado leading off the competition. Brad, last year’s Fan Favorite, said if he were to be a drink, he’d be a Buttery Nipple. Unfortunately, his hands ended up with the buttery label: he dropped a few bottles mid-juggle, and said sheepishly that he “could have felt better” about his performance after the time ran out.

But no worries, Brad—by the time your number was finished, certain members of the TGI Friday’s crew were dancing on tables and screaming your name like they were at a concert and you were Enrique. P.S. Don’t you wish your work conventions were a little more like Friday’s?

Next came guys like Paul from the Dominican Republic, who would be a Cosmo because the ladies love him, and Santiago from Sea World Orlando, who considers himself more of a Horny ‘Rita kinda guy. Rookie Ram Ong, this year’s Fan Favorite, hailed all the way from the Philippines.

The celeb judges—Kim Haasarud, a mixologist who has judged culinary creations on Iron Chef America, and Charlotte Voisey, a former UK Bartender of the Year who’s appeared on Top Chef Masters—chimed in occasionally to praise the “fluidity” of contestants as they balanced Bacardi bottles on their heads, spun Smirnoffs around the rims of martini glasses, and threw olives into the air before spearing them with a toothpick held between their lips.

Ultimately, it was Swede David Kringlund—another Cosmo—who took the $10,000 prize and the 2012 Best (TGI Friday’s) Bartender in the World title. When David triumphed over UK runner-up Charlie Bailey, the place erupted. After all, it was a long road to the top: David bested 8,000 other mixologists, battling through local, regional, and divisional competitions before arriving in Texas for the final showdown.

David Kringlund wins the 2012 World's Best (TGI Friday's) Bartender

“We’re on our way,” David declared proudly from the stage of his home store in Sweden.

It was no Meryl Streep moment, but it came pretty darn close. Confetti shot from the ceiling as the Swede was handed a trophy that resembled a snow ski, which he kissed passionately as the rest of the competitors hoisted him onto their shoulders.

It was a tender moment Enrique would have probably written a song about if he had stuck around for the end of the show. But surely he’ll send David home with a congratulatory case of Atlantico rum—the kind of liquid-gold trophy a bartender envies most.

Pee-wee Herman stops by for a surprise visit.

PROLOGUE

Jonesy’s gone, but five chefs are left
In fair San Antonio, where we lay our scene.
It’s still unclear whose knife skills are best,
At least we know Ed sleeps in suits, not blue jeans.

Jump for the rest of sonnet.

ACT 1: QUICKFIRE

Padma stood in front of 80,000 pancakes (were they real??), which made a trip to IHOP look verrry tempting at the moment. But then a withered version of Pee-wee Herman showed up riding a red bicycle in his signature suit and bow tie – an ode to childhood memories – and thoughts of IHOP disappeared. The chefs made fancy schmancy pancakes for Pee-wee because they’re his favorite food. Grayson tried making a Minnie Mouse-shaped pancake, and Pee-wee (ever the nice guy) said, “That’s the best pancake I’ve ever had.” Then he repeated that same line after trying all five chefs’ pancakes, which made him the nicest judge on this planet. (Albeit, still a bit creepy.) Ed won the challenge with his burnt edges pancake, which did not look appealing in the least bit. Not at all.

Act 2: ELIMINATION

The chefs had to ride around San Antonio on red bicycles, buy their own ingredients, and bust into somebody’s kitchen to cook Pee-wee a family-style dinner that he’ll eat inside the Alamo. Sarah became a Lost Chef after getting her directions confused, but she still managed to steal Lindsay’s kitchen while Lindsay was out scavenging for… berries or something. Lindsay was pissed when her ONLY FRIEND, Sarah, betrayed her, and turned into a super witch (surprise, surprise) at the next kitchen she found. Meanwhile, inside a mansion kitchen, Ed was getting bossed around by this one dude and had to cook him two eggs over easy. Didn’t the dude know that Ed was competing on Top Chef? Wow, you just made yourself look like a douche on national television.

After all the cooking, the chefs had to bike their dishes over to the Alamo. Most impressive moment of the entire show: when Grayson balanced her chicken dish with one hand and biked with other. Hot dang.

The judges lounged inside the Alamo, tasting all the chicken dishes that the cheftestants prepared for Pee-wee. Dinner conversation sounded like an exchange between five-year-olds. We almost had to hide under a chair like Ed from all the maturity going around.

Padma: Now, when you think of the Alamo, what will you think of?

Pee-wee: Chicken.

Padma: I know you are, but what am I?

Pee-wee: I’m rubber; you’re glue. Whatever bounces off me, sticks onto you.

When the judges finally remembered how old they were, out came the criticisms. Sarah’s egg salad wasn’t well-seasoned, Grayson’s runny egg-yolk chicken was too big and overwhelming (just like that Wisconsin steak), Ed’s chicken was a tad undercooked, and Paul’s roasted chicken was one of the judges’ favorites. Lindsay won even though she had the least time to cook. Then Grayson got the axe for her Texas-sized portions.

But that wasn’t the end.

Up until this point, the chefs didn’t know about Last Chance Kitchen. They learn that the eliminated chefs had been competing amongst each other in order to rejoin the cast for the finale. Next week, the winner of Last Chance Kitchen (either Bev or Grayson) will be released back into the jungle.

ACT 3: EPISODE 14 PREVIEW

A scary clip in which Paul Qui is crying and mumbling, “I’m sorry.” Is he going home next week?? You can’t kick the Texan out of Texas!

Other discounts for Saturday only:

* Wild Salsa, Dallas Chop House, Dallas Fish Market: 20 percent off food
* Iron Cactus: $5 hot chocolate infused with Rumpleminz
* Ravenna: Children under 10 get a free pasta dish; accompanying adult must purchase entrée
* The Joule: complimentary hot chocolate, hot cider, popcorn, and cookies

Henry Gentry of Henry's Homemade Ice Cream.

Henry Gentry of Henry’s Homemade Ice Cream insists ice cream will “make you pretty.” After 26 years of making ice cream at the “micro-creamery” in Plano, Henry’s business is looking pretty good. I’ve noticed his name on some fancy menus alongside the likes of Paula, Tom, and Jimmy’s.

Henry “speaks in ALL CAPS.” He sends word: “HENRY’S placed in every category this year at the NATIONAL ICE CREAM Awards in Jacksonville, FL. A total of 30 entries were submitted by Ice Cream companies from all over the nation. The competition was tough, but HENRY’S licked them!!!”

1st Place in BEST NEW FLAVOR for Butterscotch Blast

2nd Place in Homemade Vanilla

2nd Place in Strawberry

5th Place for Best Southern Flavor for M. L. Dubay Toffee

In the press release, Henry thanked his employees (a nice touch) and Mrs. M.L. Dubay for surviving cancer and opening her Toffee Treats business. Ice cream must make you nice too.

Barry and Darryl King, creators of Brothers Sauces

Intern Megan Falconer spent her Saturday spectating at the Travel & Adventure Show’s Fiery Foods Competition. Let’s read her recap…

Saturday, three local chefs fired up the kitchen and taste buds of spectators at the International Fiery Foods Challenge as part of the Travel & Adventure Show at the Dallas Convention Center. Kenneth Patrick, the owner of Ken’s Texas Catering, made habanero shrimp. Spiceupyoursoul blog creator, Prajakta Remulkar, prepared a spicy gambas dish, and the founders of Brothers Sauces, Barry and Darryl King hit it hard with Crockpot pork.

jump to find out who won the competition AND the trip to Mexico…

The audience sampled and voted for the best dish, along with three judges. Kenneth Patrick’s shrimp received the “Hottest Flame” award. “I wanted to show people an easy way to cook shrimp as a full flavored dish, every bite has spice from the peppers but the pineapple and mango balanced out the heat,” Patrick said.

Prajakta Remulkar received the “Balanced Flame” award for her Philippine dish. “The competition was fantastic and so much fun. I believe food is the key to bringing people together, and I hope that the dish inspired people to explore what other cultures have to offer,” Remulkar said.

The crowd’s choice, crockpot pork, was awarded to Barry and Darryl King. “BBQ is king in Texas, and you can’t argue with the crowd. We’d rather be the peoples’ champ out of an audience of 60 than the judges’ favorite from a panel of three. There are a lot of what we call “Brother’s Lovers” out there, and you can’t pay people to brag about our sauce the way they do,” King said.

Audience members were given a copy of each recipe to take home. Travel Channel’s own Mark DeCarlo, former host of Taste America with Mark DeCarlo emceed the event and hosted a cooking challenge on Sunday. “I love coming to travel expos like this because people that travel understand how to enjoy themselves. The best way to travel is through food. I wouldn’t recommend eating a whole pepper like the judge did today though,” DeCarlo said.

On Sunday, Mark DeCarlo invited audience members to compete in their own cooking challenge. Three audience members each prepared a spicy and simple guacamole dish from his book, A Fork on the Road: 400 Cities, One Stomach. The winner received a vacation package to Mexico’s Yucatan. (Winner’s name TBA.)

We are giving away two pairs of tickets for this weekend’s Travel & Adventure Show at the Dallas Convention Center—an event that, apart from being a trade show, is also home to the Fiery Foods Challenge on Saturday and a cooking competition with the grand prize of a Yucatan vacation on Sunday.

The travel show starts on Saturday at 10 am with The Fiery Foods Challenge running from 1:30 to 3:30 pm. The format: three North Texas chefs will compete for audience votes with their signature dishes. Kenneth Patrick from Cedar Hill, owner of Ken’s Texas Catering, will whip up his habañero shrimp (1:45 p.m.); Prajakta Remulkar, who writes at spiceupyoursoul.blogspot.com will come out swinging with spicy gambas (2:15 p.m.); and Barry and Darryl King, founders of Brothers Sauces will blow the lid off their “Beat The Heat” crockpot brisket (3:15 p.m.)

jump to find out how to win tickets…
On Sunday, it a separate competition, selected audience members will compete for the chance to win a Yucatan vacation. Event MC, Travel Channel personality Mark DeCarlo, will select three audience members who will be asked to create their version of a simple dish (think something like guacamole). Again, the audience will taste and judge, with the winner receiving a vacation to Mexico’s Yucatan region. (I have no idea what his selection criteria will be.)

Want to be part of the audience? The first two people to email me at sarah.reiss@dmagazine.com with the name of Mark DeCarlo’s Travel Channel show will each receive a pair of tickets at Will Call. Tickets are for both days of the show and will give you access to both the Fiery Foods Challenge and the Cooking Challenge.

The Travel Show runs from 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. on Saturday, November 12 and continues on Sunday, November 13 from 11 a.m.- 4 p.m. (The show opens at 9:30 a.m. Saturday for travel professionals.) Additional tickets are $9 online with Promo Code: PRDFW or $15 at the Door. Kids 16 years old and under are free of charge.

Schedule thus far (with more to be announced)….

11/7 – Brian Luscher from the Grape

11/14 – Chad Houser and Janice Provost from Parigi

11/21 – Randall Copeland from Restaurant Ava and soon to open, Left Bank

11/28 – Jack Perkins from Maple & Motor

12/5 – John Tesar from The Commissary

12/12 – Dean Fearing from Fearing’s

12/19 – Daniel Vaughn from Full Custom Gospel BBQ

12/20- Nancy Nichols and Leslie Brenner

Jump

I made the last one up but wouldn’t that be awesome!

We reaped the fruits of their labor last night. (We being Cathy Barber from the Dallas Morning News, Teresa Gubbins from Pegasus News, Robert Wilonsky from the Dallas Observer, and Dave Cathey from the Oklahoman.) We judged the ribs on texture, tenderness, appearance, and sauce. We judged the crust, the cut, the rub. We wondered if the ribs were too spicy. Too sweet? Was the fat cooked down? Was there too little fat? Did we like the pumpkin-y sauce? What about the hot sauce? How about that pickle? After about two hours and sampling 35 ribs apiece (don’t worry, we didn’t all of them), we were stuffed. And we’d made a decision.

The winners are all below. Go.

We went out to the patio (one of my favorite patios downtown) and the winners were announced. The Texas winner was Cousin’s Barbecue from Fort Worth. The ribs are picture number 6 (I took the pictures as we went, but never knew whom the ribs belonged to. I found out the order this morning). These ribs had a deep smokiness that won most of us over. Some of them were just slightly overcooked, but the great flavor of the meat and the barbecue sauce was enough to make it the winner. That pickle may have had something to do with the win as well. Have some water nearby if you try it, though. It is a spicy vegetable.

The Oklahoma winner was Leo’s BBQ from Oklahoma City (picture number 3). I liked how they presented their sauce. On the left side, you had a medium sauce, and on the right, you had their hot sauce. The hot sauce’s texture was a bit grainy, but the medium was just about perfect, as were the ribs.

So now it’s your turn to do some judging. The winning pitmasters have been at work in Main Street Garden since 5:30 this morning. They’ll be out at the park tonight from 5 to 10 p.m. Get a plate of ribs from both Leo’s and Cousin’s. Then vote for who you think is the best. The winner will get $1,000. (And all proceeds that DRG Concepts makes will go to Kidd’s Kids.) You can also talk to and test the barbecue sauces and spices from the other pitmasters. And while you’re there, you’ll hear performances from bands from both Texas and Oklahoma.

My only little bit of advice: don’t even look at 35 ribs. You’ll smell like barbecue for the next day and you may get a little sick.

At this point, I have no idea who will win the barbecue contest. But I do know who will win Saturday’s game—Boomer!