Executive Chef Cris "No H" Vasquez holds a Champion Dog. D.J. Pridemore eats the whole thing. (Photography by Micah Nunley)

I’ve already outlined how the Rangers will win the World Series. I’m now prepared to tell you how to plan your caloric intake when you attend a game. The Yu-Darvish moment of late yesterday took place as the Rangers food service management team—Shawn Mattox, Casey Rapp, Philip Wheatley, execuchef Cris Vazquez—revealed their heavy hitter: The Champion Dog ($26.00 with fries). It’s a 2-foot-long-all-beef hot dog topped with shredded cheese, sauteed onions, and chili. The Champion Dog, also sold as the Boomstick (Hi! Nellie!) in the general concessions area, is meant to satisfy four people. However, I watched an eating competition where D.J. Pridemore, a producer for 105.3-FM The Fan, ate a whole one all by himself. He smoked his opponent, the DMN’s Brandon Formby, who never saw the bun (made by Empire Baking Company) coming. Mr. Formby learned that baseball food, like baseball, is a now game of inches.

So Ranger food fans, here’s is news: Vandergriff Plaza (behind centerfield) has been renovated into a food court with FOUR new restaurants, Ryan’s Express 34, Smokehouse 557, Taqueria, and American Dog. They surround the bronze statute of Nolan Ryan. They’ve also added two smoking hot lounges, the Captain Morgan Club and the Batter’s Eye Club). The Kid’s Zone has been moved indoors (thank you) to the south end of the first floor. And the press box will feature sushi for the Japanese media.

Jump for Food Facts and Fun Pictures For Rangers Fans.

Four new restaurants surround the bronze statue of Nolan Ryan. (Photography by Micah Nunley)

The view from the Batter's Eye Club. (Photography by Micah Nunley)

*The one-pound hot dog is so big it actually has two names. Inside the Captain Morgan Club, it’s the Champion Dog. At concession stands outside Sections 16 and 42, it’s the Boomstick (a nod to outfielder Nelson Cruz).

*The Batter’s Eye Club (pictured above) is where I will be seated when, after winning the World Series in GAME FOUR, I watch the players hoist manager Ron Washington over their heads and pass him around the infield like a rag doll. The enclosed 150-seat (air-conditioned!) party suite sits in dead center field. The previously unused space will generate bazillions of dollars: tickets start at $75 a game but the 6,250-square foot room with theater seats, full-service bar, buffet line, and restrooms will be utilized mainly for groups and rentals. Individual seating will be on a game-by-game basis. The view is spectacular.

The Captain Morgan Club. (Photography by Micah Nunley)

*Captain Morgan Club (pictured above). This will be the place to hang when the Rangers are coasting through a game with an 11-run lead. You can’t see the grass from inside unless you watch it on one of the zillions of TVs scattered around the 9,000-square foot two-story bar/restaurant. As the name implies, there will be rum (home rum? sorry) and whiskey, and any other spirits carried by the Diageo brand. The wine list carries BV Coastal, Louis M. Martini, and Beringer, but I also spied a bottle of Barefoot, a bad hangover waiting to happen. The Captain Morgan Club will serve burgers, salads, sandwiches, barbecue, and the, soon-to-be-world-famous, Champion Dog. It will be open to the public before, during, and after games which will make it easy for you to celebrate a victory post-game Courvoisier VS. If you have the bucks, you can also rent the whole space.

*The Budweiser Bowtie at Vandergriff Plaza is the new name for the old area behind center field where you will find four new outdoor restaurants. The American Dog will feature four types of gourmet hot dogs, sausages, and hot dog sliders. The Smokehouse 557, equipped with a “specially built smoker,” will serve huge beef ribs, chopped beef sandwiches, turkey legs (ugh), and corn on the cob. You can find street tacos at Taqueria where they are also making their own flour tortillas. Chef  Vasquez says he doesn’t use any fat. “Only baking powder, flour, and water,” he said. He handed me a real hot one and I found it rather chewy. Perhaps the texture works for holding food long enough to get back to your seat without leakage, but, like I said, it was a little too elastic for my taste buds. The fillings were nice: plenty of fresh grilled, meats, onions, and peppers. Ryan’s Express 34 is all about Nolan Ryan’s beef. Here you will find four big and strong gourmet burgers such as the Tex-Mex burger where two patties are stuffed with cheese, griddled, topped with jalapenos, onions and pico de gallo, and served on fluffy pieces of Texas Toast.

Available at the Captain Morgan Club: Tuscan pasta, chicken Caesar salad. (Photography by Micah Nunley)

Clockwise from top left: Street tacos and home-made flour tortillas at Taqueria. Jalapeno burger at Ryan's Express 34. Tex-Mex burger on Texas Toast. (Photography by Micah Nunley)

*What about the new Japanese fans and media you ask? I’m glad you asked because I did. Ranger PR czar, Executive Vice President of Communications John Blake, expects 20 members of the Japanese media to travel with the team all season. He also predicts close to 60 will crowd into the press box when Yu Darvish pitches. “I have plenty of specials planned for the press box,” said Chef Vasquez. “We will have a sushi station in the Diamond Club, bento boxes with edamame, a whole California roll, and a seaweed salad at the Grab and Go stand.” He also says he’s experimenting with a hot dog and soba noodles. As the season progresses he will roll out new items geared to Japanese fans and media.

*There you have it. The Rangers have invested over $11.5 million to make you happy and fat. Thanks to the installation of new video boards and a high-tech in-park audio system last year, we should have nothing to bitch about. Unless Yu Darvish chokes.

Turkey leg, corn on the cob, beef ribs, and chopped beef sandwich from Smokehouse 557. (Photography by Micah Nunley)

]]> http://sidedish.dmagazine.com/2012/04/03/the-texas-rangers-will-win-the-world-series-and-the-james-beard-award-for-best-new-restaurants/feed/ 5 http://sidedish.dmagazine.com/2012/02/06/men-will-be-boys-finalists-announced-for-%e2%80%9cname-a-pizza-for-mike-napoli%e2%80%9d-contest-at-cane-rosso/ http://sidedish.dmagazine.com/2012/02/06/men-will-be-boys-finalists-announced-for-%e2%80%9cname-a-pizza-for-mike-napoli%e2%80%9d-contest-at-cane-rosso/#comments Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:20:01 +0000 Nancy Nichols http://sidedish.dmagazine.com/?p=35712 It was bound to happen: pizza lover and baseball writer, Evan Grant, finally met pizza maker and baseball lover, Jay Jerrier. The twosome came up with a publicity stunt. (SHOCKER) They invented “Name a Pizza for Mike Napoli” contest. (If you don’t know who Napoli is, you can go back to work.) If you love the catcher-first-baseman-DH lovingly referred to as “Dirtbag,” you will love this: Today, Grant and Jerrier announced four finalists plus Grant’s unofficial “look-how-funny-I-am”entry, “The (he wishes) Grand Salami.” Hear him brag:

After much consideration, pizza-maker extraordinaire Jay Jerrier and pizza-eater extraordinaire Evan Grant (that’s me), have come up with four finalists for our Name a Napoli Pizza contest.Tuesday (Feb. 7 or tomorrow to most of you), we will roll out some samples of these fine entries for you to taste and, as always, the full Cane Rosso menu will be available. One of these fine recipes will end up as a special pie on the Cane Rosso menu for the next month and one of these neophyte pizza creators will walk away with a nice little prize package. Maybe we can come up with some other surprises, too. So, if you are free come on down. We’d love your input here and at the restaurant. Here are the finalists. Be there at 7PM.

Mark Abuzzahab and Eric Nadel at Sundown at the Granada. Photography by Jason Acton.

Most of you know Eric Nadel as the voice of the Texas Rangers. This year, Eric begins his 34^th year as a Rangers broadcaster in 2012, his 18^th as the lead radio voice. The other day, he picked up his seventh 2011 Texas Sportscaster of the Year Award from the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. When he’s off the air, he practices his new hobby as a concert promoter. He’s helping a few female singers  get gigs. His current hot property is Daphne Willis. 

Nadel loves to eat. He leans towards vegetarian food most of the time, but he can be seduced by a bitchin’ burger every once in a while. When he travels, he sends reports of restaurants he discovers in American league cities. Last night he was invited to a “friends and family” preview dinner at Sundown at the Granada. He was so excited when he finished he dashed off this quick review and sent it to me at 11:41PM.

Most people were eating burgers and sliders but we found a very wide range of vegetarian options and we tried four of them, all of which were great. We had stuffed avocados (you get three different kinds on a plate), a chopped salad (with kale, sweet potato, avocado and all the normal veggies too), homemade veggie burger, and a succulent quinoa-black bean-sweet potato dish with avocado sauce. Unfortunately I totally forgot to take pictures. If tonight was any indication, you will really like this place. They are buying locally produced ingredients such as grass fed beef and free range chicken whenever possible, avoiding the Sysco type distributors whenever they can. The owner and his wife are vegan primarily for health reasons, but he says he has no trouble giving the public whatever they want to eat. He has come up with a big vegetarian selection with lots of taste, great seasoning. It’s the best tasting vegetarian food I have had in Dallas. And the other people were raving about the burgers. The chef is the guy who has been catering for the bands at the Granada.

Mignon's Braised Wild Boar (potato gnocchi, grilled fresh figs, shaved truffle cheese and aged balsamic)

When a restaurant has something worth shouting about it hosts a dinner for the media. Mignon realized that they had something worth screaming to the ceiling about when they announced Chef James Sleeth’s new Game Week Menu. The press dinner took place last week. I was fortunate enough to be invited and I came away impressed. We started with an appetizer of Braised Wild Boar (potato gnocchi, grilled fresh figs, shaved truffle cheese and aged balsamic), $13, which expertly long-cooked those fruit and meat contrasts into a compote that was simply ideal for the upcoming cold weather. It seemed to be a dish that would be difficult to top were it not for the Elk Tenderloin (pommes Anna, caramelized pearl onion, candied pecans, rosemary oil and demi-glace), $49. Elk is one of the treats of Colorado ski country but a rarity around Dallas.

Jump for more.

Braised Rabbit (roasted Yukon gold potatoes, baby carrots, Brussels sprouts and braising jus)

Another rarity on Dallas menus is rabbit. Braised Rabbit (roasted Yukon gold potatoes, baby carrots, Brussels sprouts and braising jus), $49. The long, slow cooking technique made the meat fall-off-the-bone tender and moist. This was not a stew (another popular rabbit preparation) so the vegetables cooked separately retained their flavor. This was a good thing especially for the Yukon gold potatoes which retained that buttery flavor that gives them their character.

Grilled marinated Quail (field greens, fresh winter pear, marinated feta, toasted filberts, mixed berries and raspberry Champagne vinaigrette)

We also had a salad course Grilled marinated Quail (field greens, fresh winter pear, marinated feta, toasted filberts, mixed berries and raspberry Champagne vinaigrette), $14. I loved the seared quail but would have liked some crunch to add contrast to the greens (maybe quinoa?).

Also on the menu, but not tried: Peking Duck 3 Ways (frisée salad, with pine nuts, black berries, grape tomatoes, and sherry shallot  vinaigrette), $39 and Venison New York Strip (herb crusted pommes parisienne, chantrelles, spaghetti squash and glace de veau), $49.

The wine list features around 130 selections with markups 3x+ retail. Strength is in California with a focus on big names.

Congratulations to Mignon and chef James Sleeth for taking this step. It adds a new category for Plano diners. The Game Menu runs thru November 13^th (although popular items will likely continue on the regular menu). During this time, the regular menu is still available for people who prefer it.

Jump for the glorious cheeses.

Paula Lambert and Emily Samuel.

Mozzarella Company, Dallas, TX

Paula Lambert

Goat Ricotta 1st place

Hoja Santa (Herbal Goat) 1st place

Pecan Praline Mascarpone Torta 1st place

Queso Blanco with Chile and Epazote 3rd place

Brazos Valley, Waco, TX

Rebeccah Durkin

Eden (Brie) 1st place

Brie (Brie) 2nd place

Cheddar 3rd place

Pure Luck Farm and Dairy, Dripping Springs, TX

Amelia Sweethardt

Hopelessly Blue (Goat Blue) 2nd place

Basket Molded Chevre 2nd place

Three Happy Cows, Dallas, TX

Edgar Diaz

Blueberry Drinkable Yoghurt 2nd place

Plain Drinkable Yoghurt 3rd place

Eagle Mountain, Granbury, TX

Dave Eagle

Birdville Reserve (Am-made Intl style) 1st place

Latte Da Dairy,  Flower Mound, TX

Dr. Anne C. Jones

Goat Cheese Truffles 2nd place

Empire Bakery

Meaders Ozarow

Anthony Bourdain on stage at the Majestic Theater in Dallas. (photo by Elizabeth Lavin)

Last night, Anthony Bourdain fans packed the Majestic Theater. Baseball be damned, the worshipers of All-Things-Anthony showed up to lay themselves at the cowboy-booted feet of their hero.

Tony walked onto the stage at 8:10 and greeted the audience: “I am a whore. I am in every way compromised, jaded, bought and paid for, including my nice f—ing jacket.”

For the next hour and 45 minutes, the crowd hung on his every word. He was loose, casual, at ease, good-natured, straight forward, no bull. He was exactly the guy you see on TV, except, in person, you could see just how fine he wears boot-cut jeans.

After the show, we got to hang out with Tony and watch him sign books and greet his fans. Hundreds of folks bought books and stood in line to get his autograph. He walked into the VIP room and he very calmly said, “Look, I’m here and I’m not leaving until every book is signed, every picture is taken. I’m not in a hurry, so grab some food, have a drink, relax.”

I plan to write a longer report, but my day job calls. In the meantime, I’ll post the pictures that Tony most graciously allowed our photographer, Elizabeth Lavin, to shoot. Oh, and John “Jimmy Sears” Tesar was there. I mean everywhere. If you notice him in every shot, it is because he tried to get in every shot. At one point I thought he was going to start signing copies of Bourdain’s Medium Raw. He could have. That’s how he serves his burgers.

On to the show.

Bory Taft, Leena Varehese, Kim Chang Chung Lee. (photo by Elizabeth Lavin)

The Tony, The Tesar, The Brad. (photo by Elizabeth Lavin)

Linda Tucker scores a photo op. (photo by Elizabeth Lavin)

Bethlehem? No, the VIP room at The Majestic Theater after Anthony Bourdain's show. (Photo by ELizabeth Lavin)

Tesar hogs the spotlight. (photo by Elizabeth Lavin)

A Bourdain. A beer. A book. (photo by Elizabeth Lavin)

Nobody went home hungry. (photo by Elizabeth Lavin)