Beer tasting (all photos by Matt Shelley)

Matt Shelley, the guy who tends to save my computer from utter destruction, is also a closet beer nerd. I have even paid him in beer before. Yesterday, he attended this year’s Brew Riot celebrating homebrewing in the Bishop Arts District between 7th and 9th street. Here’s what he has to say. It reads like a prose poem, so don’t judge him for the lack of rhyming.

Lots of homemade artisan beers.
Very crowded, but never without a beer.
Hundreds of different beers to taste: Stouts, Ambers, Wits, IPAs, ciders, Ales, Lagers, Pilsners, Doubles, tripels, Dunkels, California Commons, etc.
Dowdy Studio made t shirts just for the event at a sale price of $15. They ran out of larges, so I’ll have to live with just being medium.
$20 dollars gets you a small cup and unlimited tastings. A bit dangerous when coupled with the heat.
There was a great energy, as is usually the case with beer people. Best event I’ve been to for beer.

Jump for my IT guy’s photos.

Nate Steele of Steele Brewery served taster of his Himalayan IPA (left); Bacon crème mini cupcakes to go with beer (right)

Brew Riot on Bishop

Three Pucks was a stand out for me. Amazing cider with fresh raspberries and honey.

Allie Steele, Jessica Baldwin, and Tricia Baer enjoying some suds

Tom Spicer

Greetings from Spiceman,

In case you haven’t heard, Mitch Kauffman at Urbano and I are throwing down what looks to be a sold-out wing ding in my garden at FM 1410. There may be some sections C (compost bin) seating or section R (red ant pile) seating available but I’m not certain about that. The event is next Thursday May 24th BYOB, 6:pm doors open, 6:30 pm Food (buffet) 7:pm Music, some seating (chairs) available but bring a blanket for sitting down on the garden floor. Some Urb-an’ Spice in the garden so to speak. My gumbo, his Chef Ke’o is pitt roasting a pig (w/out lipstick) and we’re both coming up with sides a couple of which I plan to make ala vegetarian (fresh shelled peas, salads, corn bread and mo’) .Ladies, please where garden flats/shoes, and dudes…. please, no spike heels and certainly no leather chaps cuz it may be a bit too warm.

Unedited inventory list below.

Early this morning I picked up a few cases of spring onions (yellow “sweet 16’s”) from an east Texas farmer, not organic. Sorry… no appologies. Oh and…ran out of ca$h to get peaches and berries.

I also met the pea people to get 10 x 15# bags of assorted fresh shelled peas (creamers, pintos, limas, purple hulls and black eyed)

Then on to Love Field cargo facility to get freshly flown in wild and cultivated exotic mushrooms.

Gyromitra, aka flase or snow bank morel (not for novice foodies, look it up and proceed with caution)

Morels, i.e. true morels

Coral Mushrooms, aka cauliflower mushrooms, a little hard to clean but commonly eaten.

Fiddle heads are already commited but I’ll try to reserve 1# for retail.

Hen O’ Woods or Maitake mushrooms

Baby Shiitake we also sport a few imported, cultivated mushrooms like oyster and beech (aka shimejii, or crab mushrooms)

So most of you know that for our “retail shoppers” we mix them in an 8 oz bag for $10 …. Spiceman’s “Dime bag O’ shrooms”

The thing about my so called “retail store” is that it is not buffed out like a regular produce department which btw… is extremely wastefull yet a neccessary service but here in my store front, the “retail” aspect is more that I open my doors to anyone, let me say that again, ANYONE who’s brave, epicurious or crazy enough to walk in. I don’t have much of a sign but there IS a sign right above my door

My concept is that I’m kind enough to share with those people what ever I have on hand for my “chef based” traffic, wether the chefs pick it up or I deliver it gives cause for some of the best and/or different and freshest edible items one would hardly expect to find any where to be HERE. So be here now, hmmmmmm…. I like the sound of that, perhaps I should trade mark it.

My garden is turning over for summer plantings however, there’s plenty of radishes and various, adapted summer greens (exotic edible weeds) and many fresh herb varieties.

AssortMints, e.g. chocolate,orange and spearmints along with sweet basil, rosemary, thyme and the last of the fresh, green corrianderberries.

Squash Blossom are hit or miss, I have some on hand today.

Last but not least… g00se eGGs @ $3 each, that can be everything, let me think (got in trouble last time I did that)but, but,

OH yeah, The HERBMOBILE IS OUT AND ABOUT with Pandora’s produce box on board load with with the HerbOfWars driven by Jake with lots of deals to make.

The FM 1410 local produce Market and garden is located @ 1410 B (stands for “Between” the 2 Urbano Cafe’s) N. Fitzhugh

Ave. , Dallas, Tx. 75204 (google earth it). The garden is out back

Retail hours of operation are roughly 10:am to 5:pm mons-sats

Wholesale hours zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz, you’re prolly still sleeping.

We accept $$$, visa, mastercard, magic beans and ? o.b.o

Store #214-954-7974 we answer “Spiceman’s FM 1410 produce market, Spiceman speaking”

Caution: Eating hundreds of mini hot dogs could do irreparable damage to washboard abs.

Former Dallas Star and all-around good guy Mike Modano will be at The Stand on June 2 from 2pm – 4pm. The casual hot dog spot is hosting an Mini-Hot Dog Eating contest and Mo will be there to “cheer on contestants and possible chow down on some mini-hot dogs as well.” You can register to be a contestant for $25. If you win, you’ll get a check for $1,000. Proceeds will go to the Mike Modano Foundation, an entity that supports at-risk children.

Full details below.

The Stand in Dallas Presents:

Dallas’ 1st Annual Mini-Hot Dog Eating Contest

On Saturday, June 2nd, The Stand on McKinney Avenue in Dallas will host the 1st

Annual Mini-Hot Dog Eating Contest.

Contestants will compete for a Dallas first: their face painted on a 15-foot by 60-foot

wide mural off McKinney Avenue for an entire year next to some of Dallas’ most

generous philanthropists.

Other prizes include cash prizes and Big D bragging rights. For contestants, the

registration cost is $25 and open now online at www.TheStandDallas.com.  All

proceeds will benefit the Mike Modano Foundation, founded by Dallas hockey-

legend Mike Modano, helping at risk children in the DFW area.  Modano himself will

be there to cheer on contestants and possible chow down on some mini-hot dogs

as well.

First Place will win $1,000 and their image for everyone to admire on the

restaurant’s wall next to others who will win their spots through an upcoming

auction.  Second place will win $500 and third $250.

The 1st Place finisher will also be recognized at The Standʼs LIVE AUCTION on

June 16th for the remaining seven positions on the mural which will also benefit the

Mike Modano Foundation.

So grab your friends and your appetite and come out to The Stand on June 2nd

and show off your eating skills! You could be crowned the champion and be

immortalized in The Standʼs mural of all things greatness in Dallas, TX.

WHEN: Saturday, June 2nd

WHERE: The Stand, 2916 McKinney Ave., Dallas, Texas 75204

TIME: 2pm – 4pm

HOW: Register online at www.TheStandDallas.com

Benefitting: The Mike Modano Foundation

David Lee, Chuck Homola, Larry Papkin, and Jonathan Barrows from the North Texas Homebrewers Association

One of our new summer interns, Teo Soares, loves beer, so we sent him off on his first assignment to the 2nd Annual North Texas Beer Festival. Looks like he survived.

“We’ll compete for shelf space, we’ll compete for tap handles, but in the end we’re all friends,” said Kendra Harrell, a sales manager for Saint Arnold Brewing Company. “We’re not going to rumble.” She paused. “Although, you know, maybe I will.”

Saint Arnold was one of fifty breweries at last Saturday’s North Texas Beer Festival, which drew about 4,500 visitors to the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas. Jim Campbell from Andrews Distributing Company opened the Festival by presenting a $5,000 check to Honor Flight DFW, a local nonprofit that sponsors all-expense paid trips for veterans of World War II to the conflict’s memorial in Washington D.C. Before leaving the stage, Campbell reminded visitors to bid on a silent auction (which would eventually raise an additional $5,000 for the organization) and told us to drink.

Jump for the booze.

Beer reps tend to fit a certain mold: lively and a little brazen, with loud voices and firm handshakes. Harrell is no different. She has a fondness for phrases like, “I’m excited,” and, “That’s badass,” and, “We will continue to rock it.”

Saint Arnold, for which she works, brews its beers according to the Reinheitsgebot, the medieval German purity law that restricts brewers to four ingredients: water, malt, yeast, and hops. That list may be short, but the brewery makes the most of it. Its Summer Pils was crisp and hoppy but not bitter, while its Weedwacker tasted like cloves and left a hint of banana in my mouth. (When I asked how they make different beers using only four ingredients, Harrell took pity on my cluelessness and pointed out that wineries use only one.) Though some of the company’s seasonal offerings are brewed with berries and sugars, Saint Arnold mostly sticks to those four ingredients. According to Harrell, this is in contrast to other brewers, which, “if they could fit a kitchen sink into the brew tank and it would impart flavor, they would do it.”

To Christopher Hubbard, District Manager for North American Breweries, this fitting-of-the-kitchen-sink-into-the-brew-tank approach is what makes craft beers great. “There’s so many different ingredients you can put in. We’ve made beers with dandelions, different types of berries, chocolate—you name it.” The Rochester-based company owns Seattle’s Pyramid Breweries and Vermont’s Magic Hat Brewing Company, both of which had stands at Saturday’s event. Visitors who came by Magic Hat’s booth walked away with wristbands and samples of the brewery’s Magic Hat No. 9.

Though most vendors at Saturday’s event considered themselves craft brewers, beer giants Pabst, Miller, and Anheuser-Busch also pitched booths at the Festival. Their well-known beers offered alternatives to the more idiosyncratic flavors of smaller breweries. “There’s only so much motor oil you can drink,” said James “Rev” Frederick from Pabst. At Anheuser-Busch’s stand, the brand’s new Bud Light Lime-A-Rita was particularly popular. “You serve it over ice,” a rep explained.

Budweiser dubs itself “The King of Beers,” and in a sense it is: Anheuser-Busch today commands nearly 50% of the U.S. beer market. In terms of sales, large breweries rule the industry. But the crown comes at a cost. Harrell told me about the rep who visited her booth but only tried the Saint Arnold Root Beer because he viewed the brewery as a competitor. “He was also wearing a beer shirt that wasn’t a craft beer shirt,” she said.

Beer, after all, is a social drink. Chad Jacobson, who trekked to North Texas from Montana with the Big Sky Brewing Co., said the best thing about craft brewers is that, when the dust settles, “We can all go out and sit at the same table and have a drink.” Jeremiah Wallis, from the Kansas City-based Boulevard Brewing Co., echoed that sentiment: “All of us are friends. It’s all of us going with the big guys trying to get to their level, but we know we’ve got plenty of room to grow.”

While they remain underdogs, guys like Jacobson and Wallis share a sense of camaraderie and a love for the craft. “I think that if you talk to most craft brewers, you see the passion that they have for making really good beer and selling it to customers,” said Harrell. “It’s really cool to work for someone who says, ‘If it costs more to do it this way, that’s cool, because I want to make something really good and get it to customers and have them enjoy it.’”

That, to use her words, is badass.

Market (left); Chocolate caramel pot de crème (right) photos by Becca Brooks

Our spring intern Becca Brooks attended a delightful Central Market lunch as an invited guest on Friday. She files this report.

I had lunch in Paris today. I couldn’t see the Eiffel Tower or smell fresh macarons from the boulangerie, but Central Market gave me the French fix I’ve been longing for.

If you haven’t stopped at Central Market this month, you are truly missing out. They’ve turned the entire place into a Parisian market. From now until May 22, Central Market is themed “Passport France.” The only thing cheesy about it is the fromagerie, which is now home to hundreds of authentic French cheeses. The employees wear French berets and welcome you with a warm “Bonjour!’

Jump for more France.

Central Market (left); Chicken with morel mushrooms with spears of asparagus (right)

The Cooking School at the Lovers Lane Central Market was packed. I snagged the last seat in the room. About 40 women attended, and unless you count a chef and a waiter, there were no men at all.

Elizabeth New Seitz, founder of French Affaires and self-confessed Francophile, led a casual presentation celebrating French cuisine and culture while the rest of us died and went to heaven. First, we were served a plat de charcuterie, which included a delicious wild boar pate with chestnuts. I am relatively new to French food and the idea of Foie gras de canard, but the duck liver was my favorite part of the plate.

Jim and Diana (left); flowers (right)

Next, we had a traditional green salad with vinaigrette, which is always a good idea. For the main entrée, the chefs served chicken with morel mushrooms and spears of asparagus. Everyone’s favorite part was dessert, of course. Instead of a traditional soufflé or macaroon, the chef made a chocolate caramel pot de crème, which dramatically improved my quality of life. The custard was served in a 4-ounce ramekin, the perfect size for my full belly.

You still have the rest of the month to experience Passport France wine seminars and cooking classes. The full schedule can be found here.

Bittman, the Batman of Food Policy (photo by Carol Shih)

If you’ve read Mark Bittman’s book, Food Matters, and his column on The New York Times, you’re probably familiar with his effortless ability to weave in food policy, politics, and the way we eat within a single sentence. Last night, Bittman (aka the Batman of Food Policy) spoke to a large crowd at the Temple Emanu-El about the importance of eating right and being food conscious.

“The only aspect of food that you can discuss now without bringing in everything else is how much fun it is to eat. And even that is become tainted. You can barely talk about the garden or the supermarket or the food on your table without talking about the failure of government, the dominance of corporations, and the breakdown of food security. Food engages everything.”

Bittman used soda, his idea of the 21st century’s tobacco, as an example of how the government isn’t doing the best job to protect its people.

(Jump for the six minute video that took me the whole day to upload because I am an idiot…)

“Soda is food’s opposite. It’s empty nourishment…Some say taxing soda – or prohibiting its use with food stamps – is a slippery slope, one that will lead to defining which foods are nutritious and which aren’t, and which government funds should we subsidize and which shouldn’t. The basic point is this: we should subsidize foods that we should encourage people to eat, we think are right for people to eat, and we should be disincentivizing those that we don’t.”

Most importantly, food matters on a personal level. “If we can’t get soda taxed, eliminate government subsidies, fix school lunches, help poor people eat well, we can still set an example – you and I – by eating a plant-heavy diet.” Bittman encouraged his Dallas audience to shift its diet to more fruits and vegetables, and to contribute – a little at a time – to the growing need for changes to our food policies.

D Magazine intern Erin Ahlfinger files this report.

If you’re wondering how many different tacos make a tacopalooza, the answer is twenty one.  Five of the most popular purveyors of tortilla-wrapped delights in town rolled into Bryan Street Tavern Saturday afternoon for Tacopalooza 2012. They brought with them an assortment of nearly two dozen taco types to be devoured by a full house of Cinco de Mayo revelers, as well as a group of discriminating judges to determine which taco was tastiest.

For the purists in the crowd, there were plenty of takes on the traditional street taco on hand, including Rusty Taco’s smoky, sweet namesake creation of achiote marinated pork, pineapple, and cojita cheese, wrapped in a corn tortilla. Fuzzy’s Taco Shop served up Baja-style tacos, while the Dos Paisanos food truck proudly presented their tacos al carbon. Though you won’t normally find street tacos on the menu at Bryan Street Tavern, the house kitchen rose to the occasion and presented a delightfully tender pulled pork taco of its own.

Jump for more taco goodness.

Those who subscribe to the philosophy that what is resides in a tortilla need not be dictated by tradition alone were among friends at Tacopalooza 2012. Taste buds with a wild streak quickly found their way to Velvet Taco’s creative concoctions featuring ingredients such as Thai basil, rotisserie chicken, goat cheese, and basil crema.  Opting out of the patio in favor of the parking lot, the Tin Star Taco Taxi offered an impressive eleven different tacos including fish tacos and vegetarian options.

While the array of available eats provided plenty of festivity, twenty one tacos alone do not make a “palooza.” Sombrero-clad bartenders serving icy libations indoors were supplemented by a margarita stand tucked outside among vendors peddling goods from beeswax products to cupcakes. Local bands provided air conditioned entertainment to those who sought refuge from the heat just inside the patio.

Judges determined that Tin Star Taco Taxi rose to the top. The steak, avocado, grilled onion, and jack cheese taco appropriately titled the “Number One” was deemed the most craveable taco of Tacopalooza 2012.

Upon learning of his victory, Tin Star taco vendor Bobby Oswald hardly bats an eye. “I’m glad to hear it. I’m not surprised, though.” Oswald confesses. “I know our tacos are worth coming back for.”  If you’re not willing to wait for them to come back to Tacopalooza 2013 to try the Number One, take a look at our Food Truck Finder to see where to find the Tin Star Taco Taxi in action.

Tom Spicer and his artichokes

Tom Spicer is one cool cat, and he’s becoming even cooler (in my book) now that I know he’s throwing a party in his garden on May 24 at 7:30 pm. Urbano Cafe owner Mitch Kaufmann is teaming up with the artichoke guy to bring a New Orleans legend, Spencer Bohren, to the gardens for an entertaining evening filled with song and storytelling. You can bet that the company will be delightful and the food – from whole roasted pig to the homemade gumbo – will certainly be fresh.

Jump for the full release.

(DALLAS)  – Urbano Café and FM 1410 are joining forces to throw a BYOB food and music bash in Spiceman’s famous urban garden on Thursday, May 24, at 7:30 p.m.

Spicer and Urbano owner Mitch Kauffman draw on their New Orleans roots to bring internationally acclaimed New Orleans-based musician, storyteller and songwriter Spencer Bohren to the garden. Food will include a whole roasted pig, homemade gumbo roasted corn and vegetables, summer squash salad, potato mash and more.

Guests can bring a cooler for their beverages, sit on the porch or throw a blanket or lawn chair out in the garden, load up a plate of food and relax to some great blues.

“Tom and I have wanted to do an event that celebrates our unique location, the garden, great food and music,” said Kauffman, whose first restaurant job was at the Pontchartrain Hotel on St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans. “We both saw Spencer play all over New Orleans at places like Tipitina’s and Snug Harbor, and we thought he’d bring the right sound to bring it all together.”

“Food and music are meant to be shared, and what better way to do it than with friends, in the middle of the city in an oasis like my garden,” said Spicer, a Louisiana native, slow food activist and renowned musician in his own right. “People have enjoyed my produce at restaurants all over town but don’t realize it comes from right here – I love showing them and seeing their reactions.”

Admission is $55 and includes food, gratuity and tax. Call Urbano Café at 214-823-8550 for reservations. For more information go to www.urbanodallas.com.

Wolfgang Puck's donated dessert course: Vanilla bean panna cotta with a blueberry shot + blueberry white cheddar crumble (photos by Carol Shih)

John Cox, Ray Skradzinski, Oliver Sitrin, and Heather Dorris may not be names that trip off your tongue. But if history is any guide they will be big-name chefs in Dallas in the next few years. They were the four winners in this year’s Rising Star Chefs Contest: Heather Darris (Bolla), Oliver Sitrin (Marquee), Ray Skradzinski (Five-Sixty by Wolfgang Puck), and John Cox (Hyatt Regency) Former winners have included Andre Natera (now execuchef at The Pyramid Restaurant), J. Chastain (now sous chef at The Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek), Omar Flores (now execuchef at Driftwood) and Anthony Bombaci (now execuchef at Nana).

Jump for photos and the rest of the story.

This year’s winners presented their dishes to a banquet of paying customers at their awards dinner held as part of the 2012 Dallas Wine and Food Festival last night. The sold out event was held at in a packed dining room at the Nasher Sculpture Center. Emcee Gary Cogill introduced videos of each chef in action while guests dined on a meal prepared by the chefs consisting of each of their winning dishes plus a dessert from Wolfgang Puck Catering (who provide catering to The Nasher). Sponsors ‘d’Arenberg and and Lilikanoon provided the wine. For a full list of the many sponsors involved see here.

See the photo show below for the food in all its glory!

John Cox's pan seared halibut, venison sausage, English pea, roasted poblano fricassee with Buerre Blanc

Ray Skradzinski's pan roasted pork tenderloin, trio of cauliflower black pepper blood orange sauce with marjoram

The winners of the Rising Star Chefs' Contest: Heather Darris (Bolla), Oliver Sitrin (Marquee), John Cox (Hyatt Regency), and Ray Skradzinski (Five-Sixty by Wolfgang Puck)

Oliver Sitrin's steak moutarde with parsnips and brussels sprouts

Heather Darris' pan roasted boneless lamb rack, yellow curry puree, sweet apple relish, and spinach beech mushrooms

Here are my destination picks for May 5:

Tacopalooza – This taco fest is where I’ll be stuffing my face at Bryan Street Tavern between the hours of 1 and 7 PM. Ten different taquerias, taco trucks, and dessert trucks will be available to taco-hungry people. There’ll be live bands, drink specials, and even a taco eating contest. My friend, the Taco Trail blazer José Ralat-Maldonado, will be doing some taco judging, too.

WHEN AND WHERE
Saturday, May 5, 1 to 7 PM
Bryan Street Tavern
4315 Bryan Street, Dallas, TX 75204

May 5 also happens to be the Kentucky Derby, and what better way to celebrate than to head over to Sissy’s Southern Kitchen & Bar for their Jockeys & Juleps party? Guests will be dressing up in sharp, race-day attire and sipping from a selection of refreshing cocktails for $5. Watch the Red Carpet Special and Kentucky Derby on the big screens behind the bar and in the Scotch Room. Plus, you’ll receive a special prize if you’re wearing the best Derby outfit in the house.

Saturday, May 5, 2012
Drink specials run from 4 p.m. – 7 p.m.

WHERE:
Sissy’s Southern Kitchen and Bar
2929 Henderson Avenue
Dallas, TX 75206

The Dallas Wine & Food Festival is actually starting today and running until May 6. On Cinco de Mayo, though, there’ll be Chef Demos at Mockingbird Station from the likes of Kay Agnew (Bridge Bistro), Tre Wilcox (Marquee Grill), and David Trubenbach (Asador). Learn how to entertain with style.

Go here for the Chef Demo schedule.

WHEN AND WHERE
Saturday, May 5
Mockingbird Station
Northeast corner of Mockingbird Lane & Central (I-75) [Map]
Registration inside the Angelika Film Center – Dallas [Map]
11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Dress: Smart Casual - Free Surface Parking

$25 per person
$15 added cost to guarantee a place in each Seminar and Happy Hour*

]]> http://sidedish.dmagazine.com/2012/05/02/alternative-ways-to-celebrate-cinco-de-mayo/feed/ 1 http://sidedish.dmagazine.com/2012/04/30/fish-city-grill%e2%80%99s-oyster-eating-contest-was-a-slurping-success/ http://sidedish.dmagazine.com/2012/04/30/fish-city-grill%e2%80%99s-oyster-eating-contest-was-a-slurping-success/#comments Mon, 30 Apr 2012 17:09:52 +0000 Carol Shih http://sidedish.dmagazine.com/?p=40483

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.

Folk dancer (left); Food carving by Edubijes Mojica (right); photos by Carol Shih

Alejandra Arreguin, a 23-year-old student of the Politécnico de Guanajuato, is one of five students who traveled all the way from León, Mexico to Dallas last week for the 3rd Annual Savor Mexico (a collaboration between Desperados, the Consulate General of Mexica, and Politécnico de Guanajuato). Arreguin and the other 1st place winners from their respective categories prepared award winning dishes for a large crowd that gathered at The Milestone Culinary Arts on Friday. Desperados provided margaritas and mojitos as traditional Mexican music played throughout the evening, creating a festive ambience for the Yucatan-inspired dishes.

Jump for the photos.

The winners hold their trophies

Alejandra Arreguin, 1st Place, Appetizer
Sergio Hernandez, 1st Place, Entrée
Anne Nova de la Tejera, 1st Place, Mixology
Edubijes Mojica, 1st Place, Food Carving
Erik Trujillo, 1st Place, Desserts

Alejandra's appetizer: Panucho De Cazon - topped with black beans, sahrk, epzote, manzano y habanero peppers

Erik Trujillo's dessert: Helado de Lima - Fresh lime ice cream topped with pumpkin seeds, mint leaves, raspberries and served with a pasta cigarillo

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