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Tei-An at One Arts Plaza in Dallas: The Buttstory

From the ever-curious mind of SideDish reporter, Andrew Chalk:

Recent reports and videos on the making of soba noodles omitted the most curious fixture at Tei-An. No, not the rooftop patio (at least, as yet), the doors to the bathroom stalls. You step into a cubicle that appears to have a glass panel in the door. So much for privacy! However, when you close the door, the glass panel turns opaque–at least, from the inside. I assumed (hoped) the effect was two way, and (thankfully) no crowd gathered outside. This is a talk-inspiring design feature for a restaurant

I first heard of this type of glass being used in the changing rooms at high-end clothing stores. Apparently, it is made with a Piezoelectric crystal formed on the sheet. I wonder what happens when the electricity fails?

Dallas Restaurants: What Do We Need?

What kind of restaurant would Major Tony Nelson and Jeannie do in Dallas?

I was having a conversation with a “highly educated” person the other night and he said, “Dallas really needs a great burger place.” I was stunned. When I asked him what places he liked, he reeled off spots—Chips, Goff’s, Neighborhood Services—that were in his neighborhood. I asked him if he ever went out of his way to discover or try new places and he admitted that he didn’t really. He has now been downgraded to “somewhat intelligent.”  I mean talk about closed minded. (They don’t even melt the cheese at Goff’s.)

The inside-the-loop-outside-the-loop foodie argument drives me nuts. There is great food all over this area if you are willing to drive. But if you had one restaurant wish, what would you like to see in Dallas? I know what I want, it’s a fleet of these, STAT. Your turn.

The Munson Wine Trail: Homestead Winery, Making Sherry in North Texas

In the video above, Gabe Parker, owner of Homestead Winery, discusses the winery’s La Bodega de Mitchell sherry with Andrew Chalk. Below, is Chalk’s report on the sherry production at Homestead Winery.

Every now and again, you discover a really memorable wine. It usually happens when you least expect it. Such was the case on Labor Day when I decided to spend the day traveling the Munson Wine Trail and started at Homestead Winery in Ivanhoe. The visit started typically enough. We were taken through the range of Homestead wines from dry whites to, reds, to sweet wines. The surprise came right at the end when owner Gabe Parker said, “Have you tried our sherry?” That caught my attention. Outside its traditional home in Spain,  a wine labeled ‘sherry’ is usually a bad wine cut with cheap brandy to mask its ‘unsaleability’ (Ed. note: new word, Kirk.).

Gabe was insistent and thrust a glass of a pale brown liquid into my hand. It was the right color for an Oloroso sherry certainly, but that is the easiest characteristic of a wine to replicate (just play around with the Deputy Dawg  Chemistry Set for a bit). I smelled it and discovered a nutty, slightly orangey nose of genuine Oloroso sherry. One sip and the caramel and earthy flavors of sherry wrapped in complex patterns around my tongue. There is a hint in the nose and the mouth of the spirit used in fortification. This wine is definitely sweet, but not cloying. How can they do this, I wonder, without the sine qua non of sherry production, the solera? (more…)

Opulence in the Time of Recession: Ten15 Elm Restaurant to Open in Downtown Dallas

It sounds like somebody still has some money and big ideas. “Listen” to this:

“High-end design and sensual opulence return to nightlife in Downtown Dallas this fall. Thrive, a Las Vegas style nightclub and Ten15 Elm restaurant will be in the new 20,000 square foot edition to the Downtown Dallas Crowne Plaza Hotel set to open this September at 1015 Elm St. This multimillion-dollar renovation was envisioned by the owner of TOG Hotel Properties, Terry Tognazzini and Charles Doell of Mister Important Design, renowned nightclub designer in San Francisco and Las Vegas.”

Somebody fill me in—I didn’t realize Downtown had lost its sensual opulence. Oh wait, there is more:

“The new edition of the Downtown Dallas Crowne Plaza Hotel will be transformed into a celebration of cutting edge style and luxury. Setting the new standard for Dallas’ nightlife experience, Thrive will offer unrivaled service in a high-energy atmosphere with state-of-the art lighting, elaborate metallic wall coverings, and a never-been-seen French ceiling.  The French ceiling is a new concept from Europe that is created from stretching reflective vinyl over the ceiling and using molds to create stunning designs and visual effects.

Jump for more info on the bar.  However, the details about the restaurant are scarce: “Ten15 Elm is a plush yet approachable dining destination that will offer simple well-executed dishes created by local Dallas chef Brian Litolff.” According to this, Litolff’s most recent gig was as a private chef in Allen. (more…)

Why SideDish Wasn’t Up This Morning And Contines To Be Slow

Wick’s explains the slow down and crash on FrontBurner. Pat Sharpe promised burger winner today. If the site is slow, follow us on Twitter: DSideDish.

Southwest Foodservice Expo: Disher Video Reports

Wow. Disher Andrew Chalk took his job at the Expo seriously. He just turned in video clips of the oddest finds at the show. Put on your earplugs and enjoy. (You know where to put the cork.) Great stuff, Andrew.

First up: Coffee made from civet cat poop.

Second: The cutlery eating machine.

Third: Food so good you can’t eat it.

Fourth: Making rum in Austin. Texas. Yes, Austin, Texas. Good stuff.

Finally: The talk of the Expo: Chocolate covered crickets. Yes, bugs.

Southwest Foodservice Expo: Reports From Day One

Gena and Mark Maguire. Mark will be sworn in as new prez of TRA tonight.

Yesterday, the Southwest Foodservice Expo opened for a three-day run at the Dallas Convention Center. I spent most of the day wandering the halls with InsideCorner’s Evan “Grumpy” Grant. We bumped in to PegNews’ Teresa Gubbins and Marc Lee, Mark and Gena Maguire, Herschel Walker, Amy Severson, Lee Fuqua, and Richard Chamberlain.

I hope the 12 Dishers who “won” an opportunity to roam the event will file their reports below. If you followed DSideDish on Twitter, you already know our knee-jerk reactions. If not, I’ve decided to post my report through pictures. Click on the box below for slideshow.

Southwest Foodservice Expo June 28, 2009

SideDish Heads to the Southwest Foodservice Expo on Sunday

Twelve Dishers and I will hit the floor of the Southwest Foodservice Expo on Sunday. Join us on Twitter (DSideDish) or catch the reports on Monday.

SideDish Tasters Choice: Southwest Foodservice Expo

The Southwest Foodservice Expo starts next Sunday. Last week, I posted names of the Dishers picked to attend. If your name is on the list and you  have NOT received a confirmation e-mail from me, click on my name below and let me know. We will be the Twittering Fools. (DSideDish)

Eligible Dishers:
foodczar, Shane, DallasDeliFan, webra, JJFoodie, TM, Brandy, Lori, Andrew, Robin, Rob, Lori, S, Margie, Lindsay.

Science Project: Making Wine at Vintner’s Cellar in Plano, Stage 3

Right now my wine looks like many hangovers waiting to happen.

On May 1st, I started making a batch of wine with Vintner’s Cellar’s owner Larry McDowell. During our first meeting, I chose to make Viognier and we started the project by mixing the juice of the grapes with yeast.

Two weeks later, I returned to rack the wine–separating wine from its sediment, or lees, and transferring my creation into another glass container using a plastic siphon.

Wednesday, I headed up to Plano to get down and dirty with my wine—we added all kinds of nasty sounding chemicals to degass the plonk, I mean wine. You see, when yeast converts the sugar to alcohol, carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring byproduct. So we opened little packets of potassium sorbate, metabisulphite de potassium, and Isinglass and added them to the fermented juice to kill the remaining yeast and help the solids sink to the bottom.

We stirred the mixture until it looked like cloudy unfiltered apple juice and then recapped. In two weeks, I’ll returned to taste, tweak, and bottle my wine. If you’d like to follow along with pictures, they’re below. Chin-chin.

Science Project: Making Viognier, Stage 3

Last Call for Southwest Foodservice Expo in Dallas

The Texas Restaurant Association has agreed to let me bring some guests to the to-the-trade only show that runs from June 28-30.  So far I have requests from Robin, Rob, Lori, S, and Margie. If you missed the earlier post, or I missed your request, check it out and let me know by the end of the day. Perhaps the video I shot at the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago last month will inspire you to join us.

Hey Food Nerds: The Southwest Foodservice Expo is Coming to Dallas

Maybe Charlie from Whirley-Drinkworks will be in Dallas. He knows all about “fueling profits.”

I got into a bit of hot water last week for blogging from the National Restaurant Show in Chicago. The event wasn’t “Dallas” enough for some folks. Well, a lot of the vendors I met in Chicago, including this fabulous young yodeler, will be in Dallas for the Southwest Foodservice Expo. The dates are June 28-30 and the foodie events look like fun.

I don’t know if the people from Korea will be here, but if they are, you will enjoy the Korean quesadillas. Wait, you can’t go–the show is “open to the trade only.” You are a just a lowly consumer. I don’t think that is right. What if we do this: have a little contest and pick one Disher a day to accompany me to the show! Together we can catch a seminar, the Burger Brawl, or just look at geeky equipment. I’ve asked the Texas Restaurant Association for permission. And I’m just making it really hard on them to say no. Jump for the endless possibilities for foodie fun. Hurry up June 28th. (more…)

SideDish in Chicago: The Smoking Gun and the AntiGriddle

I guess you can tell I like to hang out with the food nerds. I am fascinated by huge industrial equipment. (beat, beat) Here’s another video from Phillip Preston of PolyScience. He talks about two new innovations, the Smoking Gun and the AntiGriddle.

SideDish in Chicago: The Rotary Vacuum Evaporator

Not everyone at the NRA Show in Chicago yodels. Some come here to sell. I met up with Phillip Preston, the president of PolyScience, a leading producer of temperature control equipment, to talk about culinary technology. In this video, Preston describes the newest rotary vacuum evaporator. Food nerds, unite.

Live From Chicago: SideDish at the National Restaurant Association Show

This video kinda “speaks” for itself. People will do anything to sell, sell, sell. So far, this young lass from Tennessee is the best.

Look Out Chicago: Here I Come

Commercial kitchen equipment is sexy stuff.

I’m leaving for Chicago in a couple of hours to try and tackle part of the annual National Restaurant Association Show.  I have a few things lined up: dinner tonight at, home of the best margarita in the world,  Topolobampo, three seminars, and plans to hit the all-things-Korean booths. (Korean food has a huge presence at the show this year.)  I’ve found two Dallas restaurateurs on the program: Jeff Sinelli and Jack Baum. Baum is on a panel discussion titled “Back to the Basics With a Plan for the Future.” I hear they are already casting the movie. Sinelli’s topic is “Top Restaurant CEOs Reveal Successful Sales Driving Menu Strategies for Overcoming Tough Economic Times.” Or, in short, Nap Time. I’ve got my trusty list of street food ideas from you, dear Dishers, and I will get to as many of them as my elastic waist pants will allow. I will Tweet (DSideDish), blog, and flog myself against the machine.

Stay with me—I’ve got a couple editions of “Rumors Behind the Restaurant News” getting ready to break. Juicy stuff. Or as we say in Korean, ” 나중에 봐요.”

Science Project: Making Wine at Vintner’s Cellar, Stage Two

Measuring the gravity of yeast: Science projects are not always pretty.

On May 1st, I decided it would be a good idea to blend my own batch of Viognier. I headed to Vintner’s Cellar in Plano with very little expectation of producing a world-class wine, I just wanted to go through the process and create something. Here’s my first report.

Yesterday I returned to rack the wine–the process of separating wine from its sediment, or lees, and transferring my creation into another glass container using a plastic siphon. My “instructor” Larry McDowell measured the gravity of the yeast (.994). This is a good thing—the yeast had converted the sugars in the grape juice into alcohol.  I must tell you at this stage, the juice looks like murky off-color pee floating on top of lemon curd. (If you were at the gynecologist, you would be talking  kidney infection.)

We inserted a long siphon into the nasty plastic bucket with my soon-to-be-FUQUA-caliber-award-winning wine, and transferred it to a splendid glass bottle where the wine will sit for two more weeks. Lesson number one from lesson number two: do not eat a spoonful of lees. Pictures below.

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What Dallas Needs: A Tweeting Truck With Indian Food

Attention restaurateurs and entrepreneurs, Dallas needs this YESTERDAY . How can we pull this off? Mr. Stephan Pyles and Vijay Sahu, I’m talking to you.
Take  Samar, your soon-to-open-restaurant, and put some of it on the road. Dishers, the petition starts here.

Frozen Rose Wine Beverage Will Debut At Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial in Fort Worth

Sometimes press releases are funny. The more you read, the less you learn. This morning comes word from the Grape Ranch, the largest winery in Oklahoma. Owned by two Dallas-based, “very excited” entrepreneurs, brothers Jack and Dan Whiteman, the company makes Frozen Rose. Grape Ranch announced today they’ve made a deal with The Wine Frog in Fort Worth to distribute “its popular Frozen Rose wine beverage throughout Texas.” Starting with The Colonial. There is nothing in the release that describes the drink. So I searched the Internet to find the answer: pay no attention to the Urban Dictionary, it’s a frozen wine beverage in a bag. The most interesting thing I learned was about The Wine Frog in Fort Worth. Good little story. Jump for the joy of the full release.

UPDATE:  Todd Bleakley from Sales and Marketing at Grape Ranch/Frozen Rose says, “I guess we should have been a little more detailed. Frozen Rose is unique, refreshing frozen wine beverage like a frozen margarita, but more delicious. Much more than wine in a bag.
(more…)

A Bacon Lightsaber That Cuts Through Steel? Oh Yes.

I present the bacon lightsaber.

Hat tip to Matt Sommer for the link.

Twitter Along With Me

See that Pine Warbler to the left? He lives in my yard. His name is Buzzy. I introduce you to Buzzy because he is the poster bird for my Twitter account. Come fly with me.

UPDATE: PR Peeps, if you send me press releases and ask me to Twitter them, I will poke you in the eyes with my steely beak.