SideDish » Food Fight!

Let’s Discuss: Do You Mind Paying Extra for Take-Out Containers?

Nancy Nichols — Mon, 14 May 2012 18:11:21 +0000

This picture is not representative of Velvet Taco. Stock photo of take-out containers.

Listen up all of you people who don’t mind recycling or rescuing, we’ve got a situation we need to discuss. A SideDish reader brings up the “green tax” charged for take-out containers at Velvet Taco.

I had lunch at Velvet Taco for the first time today. When we ordered, we noticed on the menu that there was listed a “10% Green Tax” on takeout orders. I snickered at the brazen attempt to make additional money off of imaginary concern for the environment, never having seen such a fee before. (Perhaps it’s common and I’ve just never seen it at another establishment?) But thinking about it today and beyond the mere ridiculousness of a fast-casual dining spot charging more for those taking their food elsewhere, I can’t help but wonder if Velvet Tacos is violating any law. I haven’t researched the issue, but I wouldn’t be surprised at all if it were illegal for a business to call a “tax” (implying mandated by the government) any privately-imposed and discretionary fee. It certainly seems to rise to some level of deceptive trade practice to call this sort of greedy and unnecessary fee a “tax,” as it seems like a term which could very easily confuse even intelligent diners about who was mandating the charge.

Before I hand this issue over to John Franke of Velvet Taco, let me put in my Nichols’ worth. I don’t find the practice of charging for container ridiculous. Especially when said containers are made from more expensive ‘green and compostable wares that, according to one industry person I asked, can cost up to $3.00 an order. (Another in the fast food expert said: “to-go containers are direct expense of about 4% of [our] sales (in a $400 million company, that’s an eye-opening $16 million non-recovered expense) that was spent directly on to go supplies.”

On the other side, people who take food away from a restaurant don’t require the labor of a server or busser or any of the other costs a place incurs when a customer dines in (big flush, little flush!). Also, the charge at Velvet Taco is not a state-sanctioned “tax,” it’s a term they chose to use in place of “upcharge” and the 10% is based on the pre-sales tax amount.

Below, John Franke, the head of operations at Velvet Taco replies to the reader’s question.

Jump free of charge!

From John Franke:

At Velvet Taco, we strive to make the best tasting tacos in the city using the freshest, locally sourced products we can find. Using quality local ingredients is important to us, but so is giving our guests that quality at a reasonable cost to them.

In addition to the incredible ingredients and flavors, we have made a commitment to our community and the environment to be as conscience as we can on what we serve our products in and what goes in the garbage can.

Examples of that are our recycling program, our composter to supply surrounding neighbors with soil, our corn cups, corn sporks and corn spifes, our recycled wrapping for the tacos, our to go boxes, our coffee cups, our elote cups, and our to go bags.

What we came to a debate over is, would our guests join us in our environmental saving spirit and appreciate the value of the packaging and be willing to pay a small price for it? The overwhelming response has been, absolutely they are and we continue to receive resounding positive feedback on our efforts to stand up for doing our part to help the environment and asking our guests to join in the fight.

We feel it is just a small price to help the cause, we make no increased sales from the 10 percent tax, and in the spirit of keeping it simple at Velvet Taco, the blanket green tax was the clearest way we felt would work for the taco loyalists out there that visit us everyday.

I hope this helps answer your reader’s question and I welcome your personal feedback. We can only get better each day from listening to and responding to our guest’s thoughts and feedback.

Let’s give it to him.

Dallas Police on the Scene, Again, at The Chesterfield

Nancy Nichols — Wed, 02 May 2012 20:57:11 +0000

Lucky and police officer at 3:30PM . (Photo by Carol Shih)

Last Thursday, Ed Bailey, majority owner of The Chesterfield, called the police and attempted to have one of his minority owners, Eddie “Lucky” Campbell, removed from the premises. The operation failed.

According to Campbell, Gary Van Gundy, president of Edward C. Bailey Enterprises, showed up with an attorney a little before 3PM today and the police were asked to have Campbell removed. “Yes, they’re here right now,” said Campbell from his cell phone. “They are trying to have me removed from the property.” Campbell showed the officers the lease which is in Campbell’s name. “They tried to say I was trespassing,” Campbell said. “But I’m not.”

Bailey and Campbell are locked in a bitter battle over how to operate the Chesterfield. Both teams are lawyered up and won’t get into specifics. Bailey owns 51% of the business but his name is not on the lease agreement. “Look, I’m here right now and I’m starting a huge all-night happy hour starting at 5:30 today. I am reinstating the staff that Bailey fired and those who walked out in disgust,” Campbell said. “These people have kids and need to work. Our disagreement is a private matter about business and I want to get it resolved.”

I asked him how he planned to run a business with an unhappy partner. “It’s difficult,” Campbell said. “I’m not a lawyer. Ed and I disagree on how to run this business. As far as I’m concerned, I’m still operating The Chesterfield.”

Trouble Brewing at The Chesterfield in Downtown Dallas

Nancy Nichols — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 00:18:31 +0000

My phone is blowing off the hook: several customers of The Chesterfield, the popular cocktail spot downtown, were witnesses to what appears to be an attempted coup d’etat. According to the customers, police showed up and attempted to escort manager Eddie “Lucky” Campbell off the premises. “Two guys in suits came in and took Lucky to the side and started asking him question,” said one female customer. “Within minutes a couple of Dallas police officers arrived.” Another witness and frequent customer of the bar says, “Ed Bailey [majority owner of The Chesterfield] was trying to have Lucky kicked out of his own bar. All of the employees were really upset and ready to walk out with him.” I tried to reach Campbell but he has not answered phone calls or emails. I have learned that the police couldn’t escort Campbell from the premises because it was a civil matter. Another customer said he was in a group of people who were questioned by the “guys in suits.” “Yeah, the suits were from Patrizio [another restaurant under the Bailey's Prime Plus umbrella]. They were asking the employees about the working conditions and basically trying to get dirt on Lucky.”

Needless to say, there is more to the story and hopefully I will hear back soon from both sides.

Burger Wars: Jack Perkins v Dace Street

Nancy Nichols — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 15:25:00 +0000

Yelp! I hate somebody. Yelp! Almost everybody. Yelp! Won’t you please hate me!

—all due respect to John, Paul, George, and Ringo

Why I don’t like Yelp: Reasons number 2,343 and 2,344.

Yelpers walk into restaurants and introduce themselves as Yelpers, demand special attention, and become customers from hell. If they don’t get it, they murder the restaurant online. Usually you can flush out the grandiose writers by their pompous style. I’d hate to be a restaurateur and deal with these types.

Restaurateurs rating competitors on Yelp. Yesterday Maple and Motor’s Jack Perkins “exposed” Dace Street, the son of Gene Street who has been around the business (Snookies) for a few decades. On M&M’s Facebook page Perkins writes: “Check out what Dace Street is willing to do” and links to Street’s Yelp profile page. Street is out in the open: he boldly posts his picture on the page which also contains ten reviews. He gives 5 Stars to the Street-family-owned Liberty Burger and one to Maple and Motor.

It’s all bollocks. This is all starting to make Harvey Gough look like a softie. Hi Harvey, I’ll take a number 2 and melt the cheese!

UPDATE: I just received this note from Dace Street: “Some one is screwing with me. I took down the yelp profile that was associated with me. Good grief! I never took any pot-shots at M&M or anyone else.”

Pink Slime, I’m Going to Miss You

Nancy Nichols — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 16:43:26 +0000

Looks like frozen yogurt! How can it be all bad. (photo courtesy of Elevation Burger.)

Poor Pink Slime. The frappéed beef scraps and connective tissues doused in ammonia used in food production has been called to the front of the class for being gross in a room full of politically correct food experts. What took you people so long to get all worked up about Pink Slime? Did you miss The Omnivore’s Dilemna? Fast Food Nation? Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle?

What’s next? Nasty Nitrates? According to the Food Chemical Codex, sodium nitrite, used to cure meat and prolong the shelf life of food, contains residual heavy metals, arsenic, and lead. Will you think about that the next time you bite into a Yu Dog at the Ballpark?

What is my point? I think Pink Slime got a raw deal. Anyone who pays attention to what they eat already knows about this crap. But somebody came up with a catchy name to grab the headlines and—BOOM—Pink Slime is public enemy number one.

My inbox is full of messages from burger joints now touting they are “Pink-Slime-free.” (Good news for marketing folks.) Locally, Elevation Burger has declared its 28 restaurants as “Pink Slime Free Zones.” Goody for them. They were smart enough to start by serving 100% USDA-certified organic and 100% grass-fed beef. Just be prepared to put your money where the pink slime was. (Check out City of Ate’s breakdown on the economics of a slime-free market.)

Carry on do-gooders. There are important battles to fight for healthy food. Just don’t get all high and mighty. Some of us still like to enjoy food in foreign countries that are lucky to have beef scraps to cook.

Public Hearing Notice: The Future of the Dallas Farmers Market Will Be Discussed This Thursday

Nancy Nichols — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 17:45:54 +0000

The efforts to privatize the Dallas Farmers Market have been futile and the city of Dallas’ efforts to energize the DFM have been quagmired in chaos. I’d love to see someone swoop in and make the DFM a destination for residents, framers, and visitors. However, the emergence of Phil Romano’s Trinity Groves project in West Dallas could be the final nail in the coffin of the Dallas Farmers Market if they don’t get their shiitakes together. Romano’s grand plan calls for vendors of all shapes and sizes and he and his partners have the backing to get it done.

Meanwhile, the debate on privatization of the Market and surrounding the Market with permanent housing continues. If you would like to show your support the Dallas Farmers Market, you can join the Dallas Farmers Market Friends. They also have a petition you can sign to try to influence city officials to consider other options for the housing solution. Their goal:

…is to present both sides of the story (via links on the DFMF.org website) so people can get a feel for everything going on. In the end, they’d love to have people speak out, sign the petition and hopefully convince city officials to alter their decision about the supportive housing. They’ve added links to the petition itself to the DFMFriends.org site, and have the links to both sides of the story there, as well.

There is a public hearing this Thursday. Do your homework here, decide which side you’re on, and show up at the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library (1515 Young Street) on Thursday, April 5 at 6 PM.

Occupy Nana: A Peaceful, Tell-Your-Nana-Love-Stories Protest to Keep it Alive

Nancy Nichols — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:16:00 +0000

My plea: I can’t write it, sing it, dance it, or say any better than Neil Sedaka. You can help save Nana by writing your stories about your experiences at Nana. Put on your go-go boots and come-a come-a, down dooby do down, down to the comments.

Attention Dallas Restaurant Industry: Judges Needed for GDRA Competition

Nancy Nichols — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 15:30:39 +0000

On Tuesday, February 7, 2012, the Greater Dallas Restaurant Association will be hosting its annual TX ProStart Regional Competition for over 25 high school teams from our area that utilize our ProStart curriculum. What is ProStart? I’m glad you asked. ProStart is a two-year program that provides training and certification in both culinary and management. Over 30 teams of high school students will compete in culinary and management battles. The top 3 winners will go on to State competition, and the State winner will go to the Nationals in Baltimore. The National winner will get a free roundtrip to Saturn. (Just wanted to see if you were still with me.)

The GDRA needs judges! So, if you are a chef, a sous chef, a kitchen worker, a recipe developer, a kitchen manager, or an expert in your restaurant, contact Contact Tracey Evers, tevers@gdra.org or our assistant director Candice Sullinger , csullinger@gdra.org.

More details below.

As part of this program, the GDRA awarded over $80,000 in scholarships to students headed to culinary or hospitality management programs after high school. We also help them secure jobs during high school and after graduation.

What: GDRA Regional TX ProStart Competition

When: Tuesday, February 7, 2012

8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Where: Arlington Convention Center, 1200 Ballpark Way, Arlington, TX

What: 30 different teams of high school students competing in culinary and management competitions. The top 3 winners go on to State Competition, and the State winner go on to Nationals in Baltimore, MD.

How to help: We need judges for the culinary portion of the competition!! We have 22 culinary teams competing, which requires judges for product check-in, menu and recipe costing, sanitation, organization, and of course, taste. It’s a long day, but incredibly rewarding. These kids blow your socks off!!

**Judges would need to be available all day on the 7th, and for half a day on January 9 for training and orientation.**

Top Chef: Texas, Episode 6 Recap

Liz Johnstone — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 00:40:07 +0000

D Magazine’s Loren Means loves to watch Top Chef: Texas. Therefore, she volunteered to watch all of the episodes this season and write a recap. She’s reviewed episode one, two, three, four, and five. Today she reports on episode six which takes place in Dallas. Go, Loren.

Episode six of Top Chef kicks off with 13 cheftestants left standing. This is either lucky or unlucky, depending on your beliefs. I love the number 13 so I’m feeling pretty good and placing bets that Bev goes home and I can smile again. Still in the running to be the winner of Top Chef ninth season are Paul, Grayson, Ed, Heather, Sarah, Dakota, Chris J., Chris C., Whitney, Ty, Nyesha, Lindsay, and Beverly. They’re all hanging out at the W, sipping adult beverages, and joking about a boys vs. girls rivalry in the opening scene. Cut to a shot of the Dallas skyline (the view from their suite at the W), a shot of the DART in the West End, and then on to Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts.

Quickfire Challenge

Padma and Chef Dean Fearing greet the cheftestants in the kitchen at Le Cordon Bleu. Dean is currently chef and partner at his namesake restaurant, Fearing’s, at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Dallas and was the original chef at The Mansion on Turtle Creek where his famous tortilla soup was born. (You can find a very similar version of it at Fearing’s, as well.)

Paul feels at home, since he was trained at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Dallas but tells us he also feels a bit of extra pressure to perform. I immediately pray that he doesn’t have a performance anxiety snafu. Don’t they make a pill for that?

The chefs draw knives to reveal one of five “mother sauces.” For those of you who know what they are, I take my hat off to you. I love good food and appreciate the art behind it but can’t say I have an expansive knowledge of culinary terms or techniques. I love when this show provides me with the opportunity to learn more about food and cooking, not just opportunities to take jabs at Beverly.

We are told that Chef Antonin Careme was the first to classify all variations of sauce under one of the five mother sauces. Essentially, all sauces stem from one of these five basic recipes: Hollandaise, Béchamel, tomate (though this one came later), Espagnole, and velouté. I heart eggs benedict so I am very familiar with Hollandaise, tomate is sort of a freebie, and I have certainly had my fair share of dishes with a Béchamel sauce. But I knew nothing about Espagnole or velouté, much less the whole concept of mother sauces, so thank you, Top Chef. This episode is already much more enriching than last week’s.

It’s a sauce-off! The chefs must use the mother sauce they’ve drawn to build a sauce of their own. Nyesha is thrilled and shares of her dream of becoming a saucier, one of the most prestigious positions on the line, according to Chef Dean, as it gives the “wow” to the item. Grayson is also stoked as she has previously worked as a saucier. Chefs scatter and cooking begins.

Heather joins my bandwagon and starts picking on Beverly, who has managed to turn her Espagnole into an Asian sauce. This irritates Heather, so I let it irritate me. Once time is up and Padma and Chef Dean have tasted everyone’s dishes, he tells us that some were too sweet, some were too acidic, but overall the seasoning techniques were done well. The three he liked the least were Dakota’s Béchamel as the peach was too overpowering, Nyesha’s tomate had too many flavors going on, and Beverly’s Espagnole was overwhelmed by the use of too many other strong flavors.

The top three were Chris C., whose velouté had an excellent flavor combo, Paul, who made a great Espagnole with quail and pickled okra, and Grayson, who impressed Dean by managing to make ravioli in 1.5 hours. Since I’m in a betting mood I try to quickly guess who the winner will be. Paul’s quail with pickled and roasted mushrooms with garlic scapes and okra sounded like something right off the menu at Fearing’s, but Grayson’s scallop with charred corn sauce, corn ravioli and blueberry balsamic reduction…oh my heavens. Anyone who knows me knows that almost every time there is a stuffed pasta on a menu, I’m getting it. I also love all things corn and it’s no secret that I love a scallop. I’m rooting for Paul but I’m lusting after Grayson’s dish. Food porn is a real thing.

Dean must see what I see and announces that Grayson’s mother sauce was cooked to perfection. She’s the winner and has immunity this week. I’m sure when the camera crew left he gobbled it all up. Someone eats this stuff, right?

Elimination Challenge

Padma announces that the winner of this week’s elimination challenge will not only have bragging rights but will also receive the keys to a 2011 Toyota Venza. Cut to Nyesha telling us she drives a truck that’s a real gas guzzler and she would love to win this car. Do I care? No. Why are we hearing this? Cut back to Padma as she tells the chefs “in Texas, steak is one of life’s most important pleasures.” I’ll agree with Padma but I think it’s more accurate to say that it’s not just one of life’s little pleasures here in Texas—it’s a way of life. We like our steak and we like it medium rare. Anything cooked above that is a damn cheeseburger, man.

Hopefully the chefs understand this, since they’re responsible for creating a four-course dinner, two of which must involve steak, for the 200 guests attending the Cattle Baron’s Ball. They will work as one team and organize themselves into groups and courses. They have 30 minutes to plan and then they hop in their Venzas to head to Whole Foods. Again, Nyesha chimes up and comments on how spacious the car is. What is going on? I don’t care. Ooooh. Toyota totally slipped her a couple Benjamins. It’s the only thing that makes sense. I vow to tune out all Toyota comments for the rest of the season.

Sarah, Beverly, and Dakota take over the first course and decide to serve gazpacho. Chris J., Ed, and Paul get together for the second course of sirloin. For the third course, Nyesha, Ty, Whitney, and Chris C. decide on ribeyes. Ty worked at a steakhouse in New York City for two years and feels very comfortable with steak. For the fourth and final course, Heather, Lindsay and Grayson decide to serve cake. Heather is the only chef trained in pastry so this makes the most sense to her. Interestingly enough, she chooses to make the same cake she made for the quinceañera. It’s actually Ed’s recipe, and he’s not happy.

Back in the kitchen, everyone is slicing and dicing and for the second time this season, there’s blood. Lots of it. Ty has stabbed himself in between two fingers with an oyster knife and needs a medic. The medic rushes in and immediately sees that he needs stitches. He refuses to leave and asks that she bandage up his whole hand so he can get his work finished. High five for being hard core, Ty. Here, I will resist the urge to crap all over Jamie again 1) because it’s old news and 2) because I call 911 when I get a paper cut.

Once prep time is up, the chefs head home and Ty heads to the ER. At 6 a.m. the next morning Ty returns from what I can only guess was Parkland Hospital based on the description. I could be dead wrong but 60 people in the waiting room, some of whom had gunshot wounds, sounds a lot like Parkland to me. If you know better, please feel free to correct me. I know that you will anyway. Four stitches and one hour of sleep later, Ty is ready to join his team for service at Southfork Ranch.

Inside the walls of Southfork, Heather has taken the lead and is running the show. She and Lindsay made the cake yesterday, so they are setting up tables and getting the room ready for service. Back in the kitchen, chefs are working their tails off, helping each other out and doing their best to stay on schedule. Ty is outside in the heat marking steaks that will be flashed in an oven just before serving. Beverly is in a corner peeling shrimp for the gazpacho, a chore that is taking too long for Heather.

“Beverly has been working on shrimp for two days…if that were my prep cook I would be through the roof!” she says. Heather then decides it’s her job to ride Beverly’s ass the rest of the day and I think it’s funny. Dakota calls Heather a bully but from where I sit, I totally get it. Aside from Beverly, everything is running like a well-oiled machine until it’s not.

The first course of tomato-watermelon gazpacho has gone out and is well received for the most part. The second course of New York Strip Carpaccio, heirloom tomato salad, and mushroom bacon goes out, and people are in love with the Strip. The salad left something to be desired but overall, it’s good. The problem is, people are still eating it and the chefs are panicking over when to flash the steaks.

Ed gets excited, flashes the steaks too soon, and a quiet hush falls over the whole kitchen. It’s bad. It’s really bad. “Flashing the steaks early is the same as when the meteor hit the earth and made the dinosaurs extinct. It’s that big of a deal,” Chris J. tells us.

The third course goes out and the steaks look bad and the potato gratin Whitney was in charge of is undercooked and looks a mess. The whole plate looks like bad room service. The judges— Padma, Tom, Dean, and Hugh Acheson—are not impressed. After Dean’s request for medium rare steaks at this event, his arrives medium well. In a restaurant setting, this steak would have been straight back to the kitchen as inedible. The standout on this plate was Nyesha’s compound butter, and it didn’t go unnoticed.

The final course of “Right Side Up” Texas Peach Cake is a hit. It’s light, moist and not too sweet and ended the dinner on a better note. Overall, Tom is disappointed, and Hugh feels that the theme of the night was “okay dishes done in a mediocre style.” Yikes.

Judges Table

Heather, Nyesha and Chris J. are brought in as the top three. Chris’s Carpaccio was done perfectly and was the shining star of the second course. Nyesha’s butter saved the ribeye dish and Heather’s dessert was spot on. Having delivered a great dish and played the role of leader, Heather takes the win and the new car.

Ty, Whitney, and Ed are brought in as the bottom three. We know their mistakes. After failing to deliver cooked potatoes after being given six hours to do it, Whitney is asked to pack up her knives. Hopefully someone also told her to stand up straight. Hasta la gratin, Whitney.

Last Chance Kitchen – Chuy vs. Whitney

In this episode of LCK, Keith, Andrew, and Richie are in the kitchen with Tom. Throughout the challenge they sit on the sideline asking questions and end up playing a role in judging. Whitney and Chuy each draw knives to reveal two proteins. Whitney pulls elk and Chuy pulls ostrich. They must use this protein to make a delicious burger. Because these meats are so lean the chefs must find a way to make a juicy burger. Whitney and Chuy both add ground pork for fat. In the end, Chuy’s burger was slightly undercooked and had less flavor than Whitney’s and he was asked to hand over his coat. Whitney now reins the LCK.

Dan Koller Has a Few Things to Say About Rafa’s Cafe Mexicano

Nancy Nichols — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 15:38:17 +0000

Don't Mess With Texan: Dan "The Captain" Koller.

Dan Koller is one of my favorite people. Why? Because he scares me. He looks like a cuddly Teddy bear, but underneath that nice-guy veneer lies the heart (maybe) of a cold-blooded managing editor. Last night “The Captain,” as I call him, took his family to Rafa’s Cafe Mexicano on Lovers Lane. He files this report over on Park Cities People.

Last night, my family and I visited Rafa’s for the first time. I know this place is beloved by Park Cities families, as evidenced by the large number of them who were there when we were. But I judge a restaurant by how easy it makes my life as a parent, and Rafa’s failed in that regard.

XX Caesar Salad Competition at Westin Galleria Gets Rowdy

Nancy Nichols — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 02:17:35 +0000

Hail the real Caesar! (photo by Mark M. Hancock/Dallas Morning News)

According to several attendees of Sunday’s XX Caesar Salad Competition, the charity event ended with a quite a bang. SideDish reporter Andrew Chalk was leaving the Westin Galleria tonight when he heard emcee Scott Murray yelling from the Senate floor stage. “At first I thought it was the live auction and somebody had just made a big buy,” Chalk said. “Then I realized he was shouting abuse at some guy in the audience.”

I contacted AIWF rep Freda Ballas. “We did have some people complain about him [Murray] using the f-word,” Ballas said. Both Ballas and Chalk tell the same tale. Murray was onstage pulling names from the raffle bowl and announcing winners. You buy a ticket and a number is called. Simple. Tonight, a nice little girl put her hand in the bowl and pulled out a ticket and handed it to Murray. Instead of announcing a number, Murray read out a name.

Some dude near the stage yelled something to the effect of “This is rigged,” and Murray went nuts. From various reports Murray say words to the effect of: “If somebody thinks I have control over the tickets I pulled, you can meet me outside right now and I’ll give you a check for $500.” Meanwhile, Del Frisco’s chef, David Holben, was busy packing up his knives. He won the competition.

Somewhere, both Julius Caesar and Caesar Cardini are smiling. Holben’s victorious salad was an extra-garlic-and-anchovy version of Cardini’s original. Murray battled like a gladiator.

Côtes du Coeur Wine Society and Young at Heart’s Kick-Off Event: Pizza Smackdown at West Village

Nancy Nichols — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 14:30:14 +0000

Urban Crust's team with Salvatore Gisellu and Nathan and Bonnie Shea pose for their victory shot..

D Magazine intern Carol Shih attended the Pizza Smackdown at West Village shopping center last Thursday. She observed three of the cities’ biggest pizza egos, I mean chefs. Here is here account of the shenanigans.

I am happy to report there were no casualties at the Mobile Pizza Smackdown (except for some bruised egos). The American Heart Association hosted their annual kick-off event and bravely invited Paolo Cavalli of Cavalli Pizzeria, Salvatore Gisellu of Urban Crust, and Jay Jerrier of Il Cane Rosso to a pizza battle in a corner alley of West Village. It seemed harmless enough to innocent bystanders there to just wine and dine, but unbeknownst to them, this was an epic, all-out pizza war between three rival chefs battling to become the King of Pizza.

Jump for the details.

The weapons? Three wood-burning ovens on wheels, the freshest ingredients, and three different styles of pizza. Current members and non-members of the Society and AHA walked between the chefs, sampling pies and wine provided by Pogos while dropping gold coins at whichever tent they felt deserved all the pizza glory.

Paolo Cavalli of Cavalli's Pizzeria.

Paolo Cavalli of Cavalli Pizzeria stood under the first tent, sweating from his oven’s 700 degree temperature and talking about his pies as tenderly as he would talk about his offspring. Making pizza is close to his heart. Knowing Cavalli’s Pizzeria is the oldest restaurant of the three, I decided to try this pizza first, biting into fresh mozzarella melted inside a light tomato sauce. My first instinct was to shake the slice and see if anything fell out. Nope. This margherita pizza held itself together well despite my abuse. When asked about the pizza feud, Cavalli bluntly stated: “It’s been going on since we opened. More with Il Cane Rosso. With Jay we have a bickering kind-of-forth relationship. Let’s just say he gets a lot of his inspiration from us, if you know what I mean.”

Il Cane Rosso’s owner, Jay Jerrier, had a different opinion. “Well, I didn’t know there is a rivalry!” he said with a big smile. “If there is, nobody told me. The competition really doesn’t mean anything to us. We’re here to support the charity and, honestly, we didn’t even know it was a smackdown.”

The chef and owners of Urban Crust (Nathan and Bonnie Shea and chef Salvatore Gisellu) agreed with Cavalli when it came to Jay, mentioning that Il Cane Rosso now has 4-5 of their ex-employees. Despite this minor issue, they are still cordial with each other – in fact, throughout the evening everyone had been quite well-behaved so far. No shouting, no yelling; just three pizza chefs feeding happy people. Nothing was noticeably tense about the event until Jerrier disappeared thirty minutes before they announced the winner. Noticing Jay’s small pile of gold coins (clearly he wasn’t going to claim any title), I looked over and spotted Paolo Cavalli and Nathan Shea of Urban Crust wildly gesticulating to each other about some matter.

A little after eight, the moment everyone was waiting for finally came. Urban Crust amassed the most gold coins and won bragging rights for having the best pizza that night. Of the twelve people I asked, all twelve unanimously agreed that Urban Crust had the best taste, thickness, and a perfect crisp on all sides and the middle – a trait that Jay’s thin, soggier slices couldn’t match up to. But even though Urban Crust told me they were “all about the crust,” I still preferred Cavalli’s crust. It was lighter, more airy, and had just the right amount of chewiness. Still, there is no doubt that Salvatore Gisellu has magical, pie-making hands. His Black & Blue pizza is the best combination of basil pesto, juicy sirloin, baby Portobello’s, onions, and blue cheese this mouth of mine has ever tasted.

Urban Crust's Buffalino pizza (Buffalo mozzarella, teardrop tomatoes, grana padano cheese, basil and garlic

At least all the chefs agreed on one thing: they were happy to help out with charity and feed hungry people; the competition, they said, was just a side thing. It probably didn’t help, though, that Cavalli and Gisellu prepared appetizers and drinks in addition to their pies. Jerrier grumbled to me at one point (before his disappearance) that he wasn’t “bribing people with fresh fruit and sangria illegally.” Despite one unsolved mystery, I’d say the entire event went smoothly, thanks to bigInk PR for their creative minds and muscles. It’s all in the name of friendly competition, wouldn’t you agree?

Point CounterPoint: Should Dallas Restaurants Have a Time Limit?

George Lewis — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 17:06:31 +0000

"Hello, beautiful lady. My name is Jason. I'll be your waiter tonight. You'll have 2 hours to complete your meal. And your time starts ... NOW"

[Ed. note: George poses this, in my opinion, stupid question. I am challenging him with, in my opinion, a smarter one.]

George: A couple of weeks ago, a Zagat survey reported that 60% of dinners in New York supported a time limit which allows the restaurant to boot you from your table so they can seat another party. But we’re not New York. So let’s ask the question to Dishers. Would you mind a time limit?

Nancy: George, you ignorant cluck. You are right on one point: we are not New York. I hate rushed service. Take MiCocina (beat, beat). Those waiters aren’t servers they’re animal trainers. They can turn a table of six in 40 minutes. It drives me nuts. I get the same vibe at Houston’s. Every time you sit down you can feel the beat: water, menus, drinks, order, eat, dessert, BOOM. Maybe, just maybe, we are eating out to have a conversation that doesn’t fit into the restaurant’s time frame. I think no time limit is best for the customer.

George: You can’t have a conversation in under 2 hours? Are you sitting with your fork in one hand and Blackberry in the other? Talk, talk, tap, tap. Assuming your waiter greets you in a timely manner, takes your order, and serves you your drinks and food, you really can’t finish in 2 hours? If not, move to the bar. I think it’s good for business.

Who is right?

DRG Concepts and Downtown Dallas Inc. Announce Texas/OU Weekend Barbecue Blowout

Nancy Nichols — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 18:23:55 +0000

Here’s another great reason to head downtown during Texas/OU weekend: the folks at DRG (Dallas Chop House, Wild Salsa, Dallas Fish Market) and Downtown Dallas Inc. have teamed up to create the Texas/OU Red River Barbecue Shootout. What is the Red River Barbecue Shootout, you ask? It’s a competition between four pitmasters from Oklahoma and four from Texas on one night followed by a rocking party the next. The dudes doing the cooking are:

TEXAS OKLAHOMA

Kent Black                                Keith Jennison

Black’s – Lockhart                  Elmer’s    – Tulsa

Joe Duncan                               Charles Smith

Baker’s Ribs – Dallas              Leo’s BBQ - Oklahoma City

Kelly Duncan                            Jev Vandegrift

Big Daddy’s – Lavon               Van’s Pig Stand – Shawnee

Cliff Payne                                  Joe Wells

Cousin’s – Fort Worth             Smokin’ Joe’s Rib Ranch and RV Park – Davis

The competition will take place on October 6. Pitmasters will be cooking their signature St. Louis pork ribs and sauces all day in Downtown’s Main Street Garden (St. Paul and Main Street) for a 7 p.m. special private judging by a panel of food experts, sports industry members, and community leaders. From this “blind” judging (where judges will not know who cooked what recipe and judge only on food) , two winners, one from Oklahoma and one from Texas will be selected. (The panel of judges will be announced in advance of October 6.)

Jump for more.

Then, the two winning pitmasters will cook their winning recipes up all day on Friday, October 7, to be sold at The Texas/OU Red River Barbecue Shootout Celebration in Main Street Garden from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. The Ultimate Champion Winning Pitmaster will be determined by a People’s Choice vote among the 2,000-plus attendees expected at the event. This will also be a “blind” contest, during which attendees will be invited to purchase a Shootout Rib Plate with “Ribs A and B” identified only and for which they will place a vote. A $1,000 prize, and additional gifts and prizes will be presented to the Champion Pitmaster at 8:30 p.m.

Then on Friday, October 7, Main Street in downtown will be the spot to be for music, food and fun. As a part of the celebration, DRG Concepts and Downtown Dallas inc. are bringing in music from Dallas’ Eleven Hundred Springs, Norman’s Damn Quails, and Austin’s Backporch Mary. The bands will perform all evening on October 7, starting at 5:30 p.m. The concerts are free and open to the public. Everyone is invited to bring their lawn chairs and blankets to enjoy the music on the lawn at Main Street Garden.

Food, including the Red River Shootout People’s Choice Rib Plate, as well as beer, wine and margaritas, will be available for purchase at the October 7 event.

Robert Colombo’s Primo’s Deal is on Shaky Ground

Nancy Nichols — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 15:31:43 +0000

On June 15, I reported Robert Colombo’s “deal” to “buy” Primo’s. It was a complicated transaction that essentially made Colombo a partner in the restaurant which is owned by Phil Lacerte and Frank Linero. Colombo and crew were brought in to freshen the place up and manage the restaurant. Colombo hired Tony Porcaro, the former general manager at Nick& Sam’s and Bella Restaurant, to perform the same duties at Primo’s.

Porcaro is out and Colombo may be right behind him. The deal has never been formerly inked. At least that is what Colombo is saying. “We are going through difficult negotiations,” Colombo said. “We aren’t sure if it will be finalized but its been a good experience. We had the basics finalized. They aren’t restaurant guys and they brought us in to do renovations. But they’ve been in Aspen and the Bahamas so we didn’t get it executed.”

I asked Colombo what his official position at Primo’s is at this time. Is he still observing the restaurant’s operations? “Gee, I don’t have a definitive answer to it,” Colombo said. “We never did day-to-day or controlled the bank accounts. I’d say I’m actively negotiating and not technically a partner.” Colombo runs La Reve group which owns Villa-O and Sfuzzi’s. He recently closed Trece.