Articles about I Went to College for This?
Jason Maddy Pops Up at Stoney’s Wine Lounge
Jason Maddy, the talented chef who separated from the kitchen at Oak last month, popped up at Stoney’s Wine Lounge last night.
Jason Maddy puts finishing touches on plates. (Facebook)
Slow Bone Co-owner Jack Perkins Ticketed for Assault
A delivery driver for a local food company called the police and claimed he was physically assaulted by Jack Perkins, the owner of The Slow Bone barbecue restaurant on Irving Boulevard. Perkins also owns Maple & Motor Burgers & Beer. The driver says he ordered a chopped beef sandwich at the counter and was asked if he wanted to add cole slaw for an extra $2.00. “I ordered and it’s $7.50 for sandwich,” said the customer. “I said ‘you gonna hit me for $2 for cole slaw?’” He claims Perkins “lit-up like a firecracker,” threw the sandwich, and followed him out to his truck where Perkins allegedly bumped his chest against his. He climbed into his truck and pulled into the parking lot next door and called the police.
Perkins’ version is different. He claims the customer ordered a chopped beef sandwich ($6.99) and, when an employee asked if he’d like to add a side of cole slaw, the customer said, “You want $2 for cole slaw? It’s already too &%*ing expensive.” Perkins says he told the customer he didn’t have to eat it and “he could just go.” He grabbed the sandwich and tossed it in a trash can.
The customer, who denies swearing at the employee, says he walked out of the restaurant and Perkins followed him. Perkins claims, “The guy slow-walked” to the door “giving me the eyeball.”
“He starting calling me cheap, “bulldogged” me, and told me to go to McDonald’s,” said the customer. “He gets an inch from my ear and he’s yelling ‘get the hell off my property’ and he is so close his spit is hitting me.”
Perkins says he escorted the man to the property line but never touched him. The Dallas Police Department showed up and issued Perkins a ticket for misdemeanor assault.
Other news from The Slow Bone: Starting Sunday, the restaurant will offer lunch only and close at 3:00PM everyday.
The Wicked World of Food Blogs: Read This and Weep
Inside the SideDish office space.
If you write or read food blogs or food-news-driven sites, Josh Ozersky’s article “Blog-Tied: How a Hunger for Clicks Drives New York’s Brutally Fickle Food Scene” is a must read. Ozersky did time as a writer on Grub Street and he lived to write about it. Here’s the money pull quote:
“I was the first editor of Grub Street, and those two years were, for all the excitement, a life radically wretched. I’ve been in a bad marriage, survived a doctoral program, suffered obsessive episodes requiring medication, lived with a girlfriend who worked as an escort, struggled to keep a business afloat, been in tax trouble and written nine books—and I have never felt the kind of pressure I did when I was helming Grub Street.”
Ozersky details the problems blogs restaurants and writers face in the nasty blogosphere.
“The blog ecology forces any potential restaurant to stress novel dishes and weird concepts because it needs to break through the noise.”
“The blogs give their blessings freely but withdraw them soon after: they’re like children who shower a puppy with adoration and then quickly regret its existence.”
I’m not asking you to cue the violins and feel sorry for anyone. I choose to swim in these shark invested waters but, honestly, it’s not always fun. Speaking from where I type, the behind-the-scenes world of the Dallas restaurant news business is wicked and full of back stabbers, liars, and cheaters who don’t “play” fair. Read Ozersky’s piece. And if you have a thought, I’d love to hear it.
28 Comments »
Join Us: 100 Best Restaurants in Dallas Party at 3015 at Trinity Groves
Come on! Do it!
T-minus 57 hours and counting. At 6PM on Wednesday, May 22, the pre-release date editions of the June issue of D Magazine will be delivered to Sharon Van Meter’s 3015 at Trinity Groves. And we are throwing a party from 6-8PM to celebrate the cover story: 100 Best Restaurants in Dallas. At 7PM, we will announce the top ten best restaurants in Dallas. So far we have representatives from 64 restaurants which range from a mom-and-pop in Richardson to a swanky haute cuisine spot in Uptown. There will be food: an eclectic mix of haute cuisine, off-the-beaten-path barbecue, and a variety of dishes from ethnic restaurants. Along with the food tastings, there will be cocktails by Brugal Rum, beer by Trumer Pilsner, DJ Jose Guevara, Land Rovers on display and a See’s Candy buffet. Additional sponsors include Express Working Capital and Poggenpohl.
If you don’t like my picks, you can throw a pie at me. I’ll be right outside the front door waiting for you. It will cost you $20 to toss a pie but the money collected will go to the North Texas Food Bank.Click here for event tickets ($50.)
6 Comments »Missing Pillow Alert: Somebody Swiped Iconic Baby Donut Pillow from Hypnotic Donuts
Pillow-Gate: If you see this pillow please call Hypnotic Donuts ASAP.
Who could do such a thing. Hear the folks at Hypnotic Donuts cry:
REWARD!!! Our beloved Baby Donut Pillow has gone missing…since Sunday, May 12th. BDP has been a part of our Hyppie family long before we opened our White Rock location. As seen in this picture with a young Hyppie, BDP is about 14” in diameter, fuzzy tan cloth with pink “icing” and sprinkles, and displays cute little eyes and a smile that welcomes our customers. We have contacted the Pillow Police and they are actively pursuing leads and reviewing our security camera footage, however, we are asking the Hyppie community to keep an eye out for our beloved Baby Donut Pillow. We are offering an award of donuts for anyone that can bring in BDP in one piece…no questions asked.
Join Us: 100 Best Restaurants in Dallas Party at 3015 Trinity Groves
I have just completed D Magazine’s June 2013 cover story: The 100 Best Restaurants in Dallas. Yes, I wrote 100 restaurant reviews and ranked the top 100 restaurants in Dallas. To complete the task, I had to toss out Fort Worth, Grapevine, and the mid-cities. Maybe next time. (Which will not be in my life time.)
We’ve decided to throw a party and announce the winners on May 22 from 6 to 8 pm at Sharon Van Meter’s 3015 Trinity Groves. Owners and chefs of over 100 restaurants have been invited. I took a quick glimpse of RSVPs and I can say this is going to be an unprecedented gathering of chefs and restaurateurs from the top restaurants in Dallas. There will be food: an eclectic mix of haute cuisine, off-the-beaten-path barbecue, and a variety of dishes from ethnic restaurants. Along with the food tastings, there will be cocktails by Brugal Rum, beer by Trumer Pilsner, DJ Jose Guevara, Land Rovers on display and a See’s Candy buffet. Additional sponsors include Express Working Capital and Poggenpohl.
For $20 you can throw a pie at me. The money collected will go to the North Texas Food Bank. Click here and fasten your seat belts. It’s gonna be a blast.
6 Comments »Somebody Help This Poor Girl: Bachelorette Party in Dallas
Bachelorette parties still exist? I guess so. Listen to this gal. She’s looking for trouble.
10 Comments »I am planning my sister’s bachelorette party and need some good after-party spots in Dallas. Most of the girls (15 in all) are still in school so are poor, so preferably places with cheap drinks and cheap/no cover. Is there anything like Austin’s 6th street in Dallas??? Bar-hopping would be fun but we don’t want to be driving from place to place.
Celebrate D Magazine’s 100 Best Restaurants in Dallas on May 22 at Trinity Groves
I have just completed D Magazine‘s June cover story: The 100 Best Restaurants in Dallas. Yes, I wrote 100 restaurant reviews and ranked the top 100 restaurants in Dallas. To complete the task, I had to toss out Fort Worth, Grapevine, and the mid-cities. Maybe next time. (Which will not be in my life time.) I’m so tired I thought it would be a great idea to throw a party and celebrate the 100 best restaurants in Dallas. The marketing people agreed.
Join me and many of the 100 best restaurants in Dallas for a giant soiree on May 22 from 6-8PM at Sharon Van Meter’s 3015 Trinity Groves. The festivities will feature food from the top chefs in Dallas and the fare will feature an eclectic mix of haute cuisine, off-the-beaten-path barbecue, and a variety of dishes from ethnic restaurants. This is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to mingle with an unprecedented gathering of chefs and restaurateurs from the top restaurants in Dallas. Along with the food tastings, there will be cocktails by Brugal Rum, beer by Trumer Pilsner, DJ Jose Guevara, Land Rovers on display and a See’s Candy buffet. Additional sponsors include Express Working Capital and Poggenpohl.
I’m thinking about doing a “Throw a Cream Pie in Nancy’s Face” booth to raise money for my favorite charity. Could happen. Buy your tickets here.
1 Comment »First Lady Michelle Obama and Matrice Kirk Dined at Stephan Pyles in Dallas Last Night
Last night, Stephan Pyles personally cooked for for First Lady Michelle Obama and the Former First Lady of Dallas, Matrice Kirk. First, the ladies split a Caesar salad with polenta crouton. Mrs. Obama’s entree was a seared halibut with a crabmeat-tamale tart. She also downed four bites of a cowboy rib-eye with red chile onion rings.
The First Lady and Chef Pyles spoke of his decades-long efforts with Share Our Strength and childhood hunger, which she called the other side of childhood obesity (her passion).
Pyles shares some other details, including the other First Ladies he’s cooked for (7!), on his Facebook page:
The other “Firsts” were Laura Bush, Hilary Clinton, Barbara Bush, Nancy Reagan, Rosalind Carter and Betty Ford. The one I most wanted to cook for but never did? Lady Bird Johnson. I adored that woman! Who does not think of her every time they drive through the Texas Hill Country in spring?
Madame O. was served Seared Halibut with Crabmeat-Tamale Tart, Caesar Salad and the Bone-In Cowboy Ribeye with Red Chile Onions Rings. I was impressed she ordered such a robust meal but she only had about 4 bites of the Cowboy Ribeye. Moderation! as my late and great friend Julia Child used to cry. “Eat it all”, she used to say, “just don’t make a pig of yourself”. Besides, she has to keep those terrific arms in good shape. And speaking of which, she wore sleeves last night!
Regretfully, he forgot to take a picture.
UPDATE: I can’t believe I went to college for this. I printed information above sent to me by a publicist. The details are a little off.
Here goes: Ms. Obama did NOT order two entrees. According to Pyles: ”They ordered a Caesar salad to split and she (Mrs. Obama) ordered the cowboy rib-eye for her entree. When I got their order, I sent them out a halibut/tamale tart appetizer so by the time she got to the rib-eye she was probably full (my fault). She ate almost half the rib-eye which is more than most women eat.”
UPDATE: Okay, curious folks. More from Pyles: “Matrice had the same appetizer I sent out to Michelle, she of course split the Caesar and had the Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin with Yucca-Huitlacoche Hash and pickled Blackberries as her entree. Matrice picked up the check.”
What Was Your First Job in The Restaurant Business
It’s a beautiful Friday and frankly I could use a good laugh. I’m sure most of you have had a job in the restaurant at one point in your illustrious careers. I’ll go first: I worked in the kitchen of a fast food joint on Spring Valley and Coit called Drummer Boy. (I was 15) We took fresh chicken, dipped it in honey, and deep fried it. I also made apple turnovers. (And we put nasty things in the burgers of fellow students we didn’t like!) Go.
16 Comments »Hey, Five Sixty, Answer Your Dang Phone and Other Aggravations
I’m a lot crabby today. It started last night when I arranged to meet a colleague for drinks at The Establishment, the new craft cocktail lounge on Travis. The place opened a week or so ago and is owned by Brian Williams and Michael Martensen the boys behind Cedars Social. I arrived at 5:45PM and found the doors locked. Of course, they are too cool to put up a sign but I’d seen the picture of the entrance on Facebook so at least I was in-the-know enough to know which of the five doors into the space to knock on. Using my iPhone, I went to their Facebook page for hours.
Apparently they are too cool to list their hours. From reading older posts it looks like they randomly decided when to open: Sometimes 5PM; sometimes 7PM. Also, the bar isn’t called The Establishment—that will be the name once they get the kitchen open. The bar/lounge is actually called Smyth. Unless you are on Facebook 24/7, you wouldn’t have a clue. I called the phone number which was answered by some space cadet at Cedars Social who couldn’t help me one bit. Strange business model if you ask me. Maybe it works in New York, but this is Dallas and I think Tristan Simon taught us a while back at Sense that private or reservations-only bars don’t work here. The ‘80s are over.
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22 Comments »SideDish Exclusive: D Magazine Owner Wick Allison Exposed as a Closet Foodie!
When in Rome: Wick Allison, accompanied by Paula “Butter Queen” Deen, kisses the hand of the Pope. Recipe for fried shrimp sold separately.
I’ve known Wick Allison, the editor in chief and owner of D Magazine, since 1974AD. He’s an intelligent man in so many ways. However he doesn’t know bupkis about bagels, baba ganoush, or Bordeaux. He is a culinary ignoramus. Wick’s idea of a perfect meal is a tuna sandwich with extra mayonnaise on toast, served with fries. No wonder he’s been satisfied with my food writing for 16 years. It’s the only section in the magazine that is over his head.
Yesterday I wrote a post urging you to help me get SideDish on TV. We (I) have a great opportunity to create as many food-related shows on KTXD — soon to be D-TV – as we (I) can get developed. However, Wick claims he’s not interested and because he isn’t interested, you aren’t. I sent him a link to my post. He didn’t reply directly but he told his assistant to tell me that he “isn’t a foodie” and doesn’t know the first thing about “foodie talent.”
How could such a entrepreneurial thinker be so brainless about food programming? Food Channel? Food Network? Bobby Flay Eats Dry Toast? Wick would never miss a chance to cash in.
Suspicious, I snuck into Wick’s office last night to search for ammunition. And there between the version of The Bible he edited and the current issue of The American Conservative, I uncovered the mother lode. Tuna sandwich and fries, my sass. Wick is a freakin’ closet foodie, and I found the pictures to prove it. He travels the world and eats and drinks with all of the major players.
What do you say now, Wickster? Fried shrimp with Paula Deen and the Pope? Barbecued ribs with Ronald Reagan and Padma? How long before I find more evidence of your secret epicurean adventures? Give SideDish a show, or I’ll give you one you’ll never live down.
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6 Comments »Help Me Get SideDish on TV
The Wicked.
In case you missed Tim’s announcement last month:
D Magazine Partners (the magazine’s parent company) and London Broadcasting have announced a partnership that should make the local television landscape look a little more interesting. London, a local firm, owns a unique property called KTXD. It is an independent, must-carry station in a major media market. That means it is not beholden to a network like CBS or NBC, and the FCC requires that local cable providers carry it. Right now, KTXD broadcasts a lot of old classics but it plans to transition to all local programming. That’s where we come in. The station will rebrand itself as D-TV one show at a time.
So far we have several shows in production and the staff is encouraged to submit ideas. I pitched a couple of food-related shows to our publisher, Wick Allison, and he refuses to listen to me. I have emailed, called, and left voice mails with ideas. I need your help convincing him SideDish deserves a show. The possibilities are endless. Get creative and we’ll put you on TV!
30 Comments »My Five Cents: Scenes From Exhibition Kitchens
All the world’s a stage.
Dear Restaurateur,
If you design your kitchen so customers can watch your chef do their thing you’d better be sure they are on their best behavior at all times. Here are just a few incidents I have witnessed in the last month.
Busboy in u-shaped bar with customers all around him takes a plastic ice tea glass and fills it with ice and about four fingers of bourbon. He tops it off with Coke. He then walks through the upscale dining room to the open kitchen and hands it to the chef who takes a healthy swig. During dinner service.
I’m waiting in a short line for the ladies room which is located basically inside a restaurant’s very busy kitchen. The dude standing over the grill making fajitas (whoops!) wipes his sweaty brow with his forearm first and then a towel which he slings over his shoulder. He removes the meat, wipes the stainless steel table with same cloth, tosses meat down, and begins to chop with glove-less hands.
It’s a slow night in a restaurant on Cedar Springs. The entire kitchen staff is standing around a various little groups and chatting. One chef is eating a sandwich. One male cook has his arm wrapped around another male cook’s waist. When an order arrives, they break apart but not before one plants a big fat kiss on the other.
I could go on. And I’m sure some readers will chime in with other tales. I hope you listen and remind your staff to remember they are performing in front of a live audience.
Thanks,
Nancy
6 Comments »The Top Twelve Bites I Put in My Mouth in 2012
There’s a common sentiment among restaurant critics: We eat a lot of poor quality and mediocre food before we taste something memorable. But, oh baby, when that over-the-top bite hits your mouth, you know you’ve found it. Something about the drink, dish, or dessert pushes it above the hundreds of thousands of other bites you’ve taken over the year.
The following items rocked my senses in 2012. In no particular order, and off the top of my head, they are:
Start Restaurant’s Mediterranean quinoa salad with fresh feta, ruby red tomatoes, barely blanched broccoli, and kalamata olives lightly tossed with extra virgin olive oil and herb vinaigrette.
Seasonal Smash at FT 33. Ketel One Oranje, Hum, organic rum muddled cranberry, lemon, and habanero simple syrup, apricot, and fresh thyme poured over clear, cubed ice.
Corn ice cream at Monica’s Nueva Cocina.
Yeasty angel biscuits at Sissy’s Southern Fried Chicken.
The 7-ounce steak topped with a dab of bone marrow at Oak.
The celery root and carrot salad spiked with fresh mint at Canary By Gorji.
Maine lobster and blood sausage in Syrah reduction at The Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek.
Roghan Josh, chunks of lamb in traditional brown onion gravy spiced with coriander, turmeric, tomato sauce, and red pepper at Mughlai.
The sashimi salad with silky raw fish on curvy ribbons of white seaweed at Tei-An.
Crack in a Box, hazelnuts, almonds, and macadamia nuts blended with 72% South American chocolate with raw cocoa nibs from Dude, Sweet Chocolate.
Housemade stout beer ice cream sundae decorated with whipped cream, chocolate sauce, meringue chocolate kisses, and crumbles of pretzel streusel at Cook Hall.
French onion soup thickened with caramelized onions, nutty Gruyere, and a thick slice of a baguette at Boulevardier .
1 Comment »
Taco Drama: Taco Republic in Richardson Will Not Close or Move
Taco Republic is back in the silla again!
Yesterday I reported Taco Republic in Richardson would close at the end of the year and reopen in early 2013 on Maple Avenue. Earlier this morning, our man on the trail of tacos, José Ralat-Maldonado, said Taco Republic was going to close for good on December 27. Then a few minutes ago José sent an update:
Owner Ron Guest said his main business partner saw the SideDish post, liked it and decided Taco Republic is no longer closing. Please disregard the text changes I sent earlier.
Somebody Help This Poor Girl: New Refrigerator
What an appropriate day for this gal with a head for watching reality TV and a bod for storing food to ask about refrigerators. She writes:
Hey, Nancy. Long time no see. My fridge died yesterday. Lucky I could just put everything outside last night but I’ve got to buy a new one today. What kind of fridge do you have or do you recommend? I cook a lot and like to freeze things, but I’m sick of having a side-by-side model. Maybe I’ll get one with freezer on the bottom. Maybe you’re readers have some thoughts.
I’m sick of my side-by-side but it sure beats digging through a bunch of frozen leftovers. Thoughts smart people?
8 Comments »
Somebody Help This Poor Girl: Electric Meat Slicer
A loyal Disher with early gift-giving friends risks a friendship by asking the following:
4 Comments »I received an Waring Pro FS155 electric meat slicer as an early Christmas present and am considering returning it. But first, I thought I’d check with the SideDishers to see if anyone has any good uses for it other than the obvious. Is it worth keeping?
The Refrigerator Challenge: Top Chef Season 10 Contestant Danyele McPherson
The premiere of Top Chef’s tenth season airs Wednesday night on Bravo at 9PM. Dallas has three (out of 21) contestants on the show: Danyele McPherson (The Grape), John Tesar (Spoon), and Joshua Valentine (FT 33).
I’ve asked all three chefs to send me photos of their refrigerators and answer a questionnaire about their food-storing habits. I don’t know if they will all participate in this challenge, but Danyele McPherson sent her stuff in this morning.
So, I’d like to introduce you to Danyele McPherson, chef de cuisine at The Grape. She is also an anthropologist. She drinks beer, wastes produce, and eats Smart Ones.
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SideDish is a food-related discussion among editors at D Magazine about the Dallas-Fort Worth dining scene -- everything from good meals to bad service, kitchen gossip to restaurant news, chefs' secrets to culinary trends. Bon appetit.
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