Bring it! Let's get this city turned around! (image swiped from ABC)

Dear Mark,

I am addicted to Shark Tank. And because I am too lazy to jump through the hoops to get on the show and present my idea, I’m using the power of my pudgy fingers to reach you. Let’s pick and roll:

I walk on the set of Shark Tank. “Daymond John, you are so out,” I say. “Barbara, if I wanted to sell my cellulite-reducing sous-vide hot dog you’d be my best friend, but I’m keeping it to myself. You’re out.”

I watch the other sharks glance around, really scared at this point, and go for the kill. “Kevin, don’t even open that ugly mouth. You’re out. Robert, you can buy me dinner after the show but, for now, you are dead to me.”

Cameras swing: Close-up of Cuban. Music swells.

Mark. We live in the same city. We love the same teams. More importantly, we eat in the same restaurants. Last night, our city’s finest chef, Bruno Davaillon of the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, lost Best Chef in the Southwest at the James Beard Awards in New York City to a young chef in Austin who appeared on Top Chef. It has been 18 years since a Dallas chef won this title. We need a local version of Shark Tank geared towards Dallas restaurateurs. That way, you and I can work together to tighten up our game and turn it around. We have the talent, we need the exposure. And that exposure shouldn’t have to come from the Food Network or Bravo.

I propose we put together a panel of experts and ask  restaurateurs to pitch their ideas BEFORE they decide to sink their life savings into an upscale seafood and sushi restaurant in a bad location. Let’s kick the steak house wannabes to Fort Worth. Mark, I’m asking you to invest whatever it takes to help us bring the talent of the Dallas restaurant community to the international scene. In exchange, I offer you fifty percent of my idea. Oh, and you can keep the Mavs.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Nancy

P.S. If this helps illustrate my talent: I promoted women’s basketball in Dallas before the Mavericks were a thought in your brain. Just ask Nancy Lieberman.

Atchafalaya with crawfish étouffée from the Alligator Cafe. Photography by Kevin Hunter Marple.

Cajun food is soul food. There’s nothing better than chowing down on a bowl of gumbo or crawfish etouffee that makes your insides feel warm and gooey – which is exactly how I spent Mardi Gras in New Orleans last year. I ate fried oyster po’ boys and laughed at all the drunk people. I scarfed down beignets at 2 am sitting next to a table of old grandmas wearing inappropriate clothing for their age. And mine, for that matter. Since you can’t get the whole Mardi Gras experience here in Dallas (and let’s face it, who doesn’t like watching debauchery sometimes?), here’s where you should go to get a taste:

Jump for some Cajun cravings

King Cakes- That’s the Cake Bakery is selling King cakes in two flavors: cheesecake and cinnamon. They’re $14 each, 12 inches round, and you should order them three days before you need to pick up. They’ll also make special cupcakes with Mardi Gras colors if you request.

2540 King Arthur Blvd., Ste. 111
Lewisville, TX 75056 Get Directions »
214-402-7355 (phone)

http://www.thatsthecake.com/

Mardi Gras Pies- Emporium Pie Pop Up Shop has a top-secret Mardi Gras special at their test location this weekend. Young piemakers Megan Wilkes and Mary Guantt will also be offering the “Drunken Nut” (bourbon pecan with shortbread crust) and the “Smooth Operator” (French silk chocolate in a crispy pretzel crust). Our lucky contributor, Daniel Walker, is visiting on Saturday, and should be back with a full report.

314 N. Bishop Ave.Dallas, TX 75208
February 18, 20129 am-2 pm
February 19, 20122 pm-7 pm

Gumbo Party- KNON 89.3 FM radio is hosting its 12th Annual Mardi Gras Gumbo Party at Poor David’s Pub this Sunday from 5 to 10 pm. The Alligator Cafe, Offshores Nextdoor, Louisiana Red, Crawdads of Dallas, and Fish City Grill will be vying for the “Best Gumbo of Dallas” title. Gumbo tasting lasts from 5 to 7 pm.

Sunday, February 19
Poor David’s Pub
1313 South Lamar Street , Dallas, TX
5 – 10 pm
$15 – $20

Crawfish Boil- There’s a pre-parade crawfish boil with a side of jambalaya at the Mardi Gras Oak Cliff celebration. Click here for more details.

February 19, 2012 2 pm
Bishops Arts District

Fat Tuesday- Fish City Grill is doing a Fat Tuesday celebration at all locations on Tuesday, February 21st. Get your beads, New Orleans BBQ, crawfish, and shrimp fix inside a festive atmosphere. Plenty of local musicians should be there to jazz up the sound.

If you know some top-secret Mardi Gras food celebrations, write them below in the comments.

Faye Blackmon gets a hug from Shara (photography by Micah Nunley)

Fudgenugget. I was born in the wrong school district. If I had taken Faye Blackmon’s culinary class back when I was in high school, I bet I’d be on Top Chef right now basking in the glory of Paul’s shiny knives. But I digress. Wednesday morning, I dragged along photo intern Micah Nunley to Duncanville High School, where we watched legendary Faye Blackmon teach a batch of seniors real life skills inside the kitchen.

In May, Blackmon, 69, is retiring from Duncanville HS after teaching for 37 years.

Jump for beautiful photos of kids and food.

Main Street Cafe (above); Kids baking cookies

“I was cursed by my grandmother,” says Blackmon. “She decided there had to be a teacher in the family.”

Her grandmother probably didn’t realize that Faye would become more than a teacher. Blackmon’s curriculum has inspired countless students to pursue careers in the culinary arts. Of the eight students I had a chance to talk with, seven were already enrolled or planning to enroll in a culinary program upon graduation.

Potato swirls (left); Cookie dough (middle and right)

Valentine's Day cookie

Every other day, these high school seniors gather inside Blackmon’s enormous kitchen classroom for three hours, sometimes arriving at ungodly hours (like 6am) to run a breakfast express at The Main Street Cafe where they serve breakfast burritos, cinnamon buns, and lemonade to over 200 hungry students. Other times, they’re learning how to make Valentine’s Day cookies. A group of students were diligently adding milk and butter to chocolate chip cookie dough that would bake into beautiful heart-shaped desserts the kids would sell in order to raise money for their end-of-the-year banquet. Customers can dictate whatever not-so-subliminal messages they want written on their cookie. Like the one above.

Andy laughs about cutting the chicken

Off in the back, I found Tiffany (Blackmon’s assistant) helping Andy and Cassandra prepare for their upcoming Skills USA contest this weekend. Andy and Cassandra have to prepare an entire dinner meal tomorrow within 90 minutes, and they will be judged based on their knife skills, plating, and the dish’s taste. Even though Andy’s already been accepted into Le Cordon Bleu of Dallas, he’s still nervous about the competition. He’s been cooking the same cream of mushroom soup, glazed carrots, buttered broccoli, and sautéed chicken for the last three weeks.

Faye Blackmon works twelve-hour days helping her kids prepare for serious cooking competitions like the upcoming Skills USA. “You don’t want to see us next week. We’ll be here tearing our hair out,” she warns.

Cassandra preparing for Skills USA

When the school year’s over, Blackmon’s finally going to take it easy. She plans on visiting Budapest and running her own little business. ”It’s going to be hard to leave, but I think it’s time.”

]]> http://sidedish.dmagazine.com/2012/02/03/faye-blackmons-culinary-class/feed/ 4 http://sidedish.dmagazine.com/2012/01/10/the-perfect-procrastination-how-to-boil-an-egg/ http://sidedish.dmagazine.com/2012/01/10/the-perfect-procrastination-how-to-boil-an-egg/#comments Tue, 10 Jan 2012 20:21:01 +0000 Nancy Nichols http://sidedish.dmagazine.com/?p=34515

My perfectly boiled egg.

As you can tell from the headline, I am deep in the process of procrastinating. While my real job calls for thousands of words about dining, I am convinced it is far more important that I drop what I am supposed to be doing and answer a question sent to me by PR boy toy Jef Tingley. Yes, he spells his name with one “f,” but I will save that analysis for a later procrastination post.

“Jef with one f” asked me how to boil an egg. Don’t laugh. How many times have you had tiny shards of shell pierce the delicate skin beneath your fingernail? I shared my secret with “Jef with one f” by private message on Facebook which made several people curious enough to email and ask (BEG!) for my secret.

You are going to have to jump hard.

How is it that I hold the key to the secret method of boiling an egg? My first job in a kitchen called for me to make 300 deviled eggs every morning for 2 years. Do the freaking math. I have peeled a ****load of eggs in my day. Okay, don’t say I never gave you anything. I’m opening a vein and spilling it now:

Place ROOM TEMPERAURE eggs in lukewarm tap water. Add (a lot) of iodized salt. Bring the water to a boil slowly and allow it to “soft rumble™” (MINE!) for 3 minutes. Turn off the heat. If you are cooking on electric heat soft rumble for 2 minutes and leave the pan on the element.  NOW, and this is critical: how fast they are ready will depend on how many eggs are in the water. If you have a couple dozen, leave them in the water until it is cool. Otherwise, usually 20 minutes will do. BEFORE you proceed to the next step, fish one of the eggs from the water, dry it off, and spin it. YES, SPIN IT on the counter. If it wobbles around like Stephen Doyle at 2AM, it isn’t done. If it twirls around fast and steady like Leslie Brenner when she lived in LA, it’s ready to peel. Pour out the water, NOT THE EGGS YOU NINNY, and refill the pan with cool water. Peel the eggs while they are submerged in water. Sometimes I toss a little ice in there if I find a difficult egg. If your eggs crack while cooking, like me on deadline, you’re totally screwed. Repeat the above process.

Your nubby little fingers can now type me a thank you note.

Now, back to my regularly scheduled work load.

In an effort to become a “well rounded human being,” I am trying to step out and find some ways to give back to the community. In light of that, I thought it would be neat to find a way to combine the desire to help out with my enjoyment of food and the preparation thereof. So, I was wondering if you might know of any opportunities on that avenue, or if there’s anyone out there who might know more about it.

The avenue is long and wide. Help him find a place to park.

Continuing its 23-year holiday tradition, Norma’s Cafe, the original Dallas comfort-food icon that has served Texas home cooking for 55 years, will again host its annual free Thanksgiving Feast on Nov. 24 from 11 am to 1 pm at its Oak Cliff location on 1123 W. Davis Street in Dallas.

During the event, 55 volunteers, many of whom helped start the tradition in 1988, will serve more than 4,000 home-cooked, Thanksgiving meals to hungry Dallas community members.

“The purpose of this day has never changed in 23 years – we enjoy sharing this day with the community and invite anyone who needs or wants a hearty, home-cooked meal to join us. That’s the meaning of the holiday to us,” said Ed Murph, owner of Norma’s Cafe. “At Norma’s Cafe, we are so thankful for our talented staff, loyal customers, and our volunteers and sponsors who make this event possible every year.”

Guests who partake of the Thanksgiving Day feast can expect a full spread of holiday staples, including turkey and dressing with cranberry sauce and gravy, mashed potatoes, peas, salad with ranch dressing, homemade rolls and cornbread, and fruit or a slice of the famous Norma’s Cafe Mile-High Cream Pies for dessert. In addition to the Oak Cliff event, Norma’s Cafe will be collecting monetary donations for the North Texas Food Bank and will be delivering to-go turkey dinners to several local churches and charity organizations.

This year’s event is made possible in part by several generous sponsors, including Ben E Keith, Schepps, Classic Caps, Clicks Radiator Service, Instant Whip Foods, Community Coffee, and Tyson.