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Ocean Prime To Open Thursday on Cedar Springs in Dallas

Guess what, gang? Here comes Ocean Prime, a swanky seafood and steaks restaurant with a gorgeous outdoor patio with a fireplace, a cocktail lounge and piano bar, and private dining rooms. OP is an import. The concept comes from Cameron Mitchell Restaurants which is based in Columbus Ohio. The company operates 17 restaurants with under seven different concepts. Yes it’s a chain, but I’ve heard from several folks they do a good job. We’ll see won’t we. Ocean Prime (2101 Cedar Springs across from the Rosewood Crescent Hotel) will open Thursday. Wonder if they’ll have crème brulee.

November Means Nantucket Bay Scallops in Dallas

I once ate a scallop from Nantucket.

I just received word from our friend Willy at Connolly Seafood in Boston that the season for Nantucket Bay scallops opened this morning and “the first dredge looks good.” This batch of sweet tender scallops (somebody get the fennel butter, quick) were pulled up this morning and are scheduled to arrive in Dallas before lunch on Wednesday. I am waiting for a list of the restaurants that will be serving them.

UPDATE: So far, you can expect to find Nantucket Bay scallops at Aurora, Oceanaire, Fearing’s, and Neighborhood Services.

UPDATE: Add Abacus, Del Frisco’s Dallas, and Stephan Pyles.

FDA To Ban Sale Of Raw Oysters From Gulf Of Mexico

Well, here comes another topic of conversation—the FDA will ban the sale of raw oysters harvested in the Gulf of Mexico during the summer months starting in 2011. Under the new guidelines, oysters pulled from the Gulf after the summer of 2011 will have to be “pasteurized” (heated with mild heat to kill bacteria) before they are sold (Gold Band Oysters). Louisiana is way ahead of Texas on this front.

Hmm. About 15 people a year die from eating raw oysters infected with Vibrio vulnificus and most of those people had existing conditions such as AIDS, hepatitis, cancer, cirrhosis, diabetes, or kidney disease. It sounds like an easy solution—stay away from summertime oysters if you have any of these conditions, but many people are infected with these life-threatening illnesses and don’t know it until they come in contact with a bad oyster.

In 2003, two people died from eating raw oysters at Rockfish in Dallas. Photographer Nan Coulter and I traveled to the Texas coast and poked around oyster processing plants and talked to fishermen. You can read the whole story here. We talked to people in the seafood industry on both sides of the “pasteurization” argument. The only fact they agreed upon was that anti-bacterial procedures are expensive. No doubt, the Texas seafood industry, which supplies about two-thirds of the oysters to the U. S. market, will feel wronged.

Processing plant near Texas City. (Nan Coulter)

Buried at the bottom of this Associated Press report:

Anita Grove, executive director of the Apalachicola Bay Chamber of Commerce in Florida, said a ban would be crushing. She said oyster harvesters, shuckers, truckers and dealers are “the backbone to our economy. It’s always been that way.”

Yes Anita, it has been that way for a long time. But I’d like to see the identification documents of most of the harvesters, shuckers, and dealers I met in Texas. Most of them were Vietnamese, couldn’t speak English, and they ran from our cameras. I’d also like to see more enforcement of the regulations designed to control where those harvesters are allowed to pull their catch—so many break the rules and fish in closed polluted waters and haul them back to shore on unrefrigerated boats.

Dallas Observer 2009 Best of Dallas® Food List: What do You Think?

Please don’t sue me for using your cover art.

I’m stuck at home in my little glass house. I see a few pebbles on the floor and I think I will toss them.

I just scanned through the Dallas Observer’s 2009 Best of Dallas® Food list. It reminds me of that Who song. What is it, Kirk? Something about the new boss and the old boss? YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! Bomp, bomp, bomp. YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

Dave Fairies, I have a quick question: Does the Observer repeat “Bests” if, when the next year rolls around, no one else  fills the category as “Better®?” (That’s mine, dude.)  This is a serious question and I ask it because I have to deal with the beast of ‘Bests” and understand the difficulty at uncovering them. So, Mr. Fairies, do you roll over “Bests” from year to year by moving them into different categories or because they are the “Best” of their original category? Let’s go through the list together and see. Jump with me. It’s not far. (more…)

Dallas Farmers Market Report: August 8

Local Farmers are in Shed One at the Dallas Farmers Market.

Looks like a bountiful weekend at the Dallas Farmers Market. Here is what you can expect to find.

Jump for the list.

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From My Inbox: Food Events And Happenings In Dallas

*EatZi’s Market & Bakery’s Summer Series Cooking Classes
featuring the culinary creations of Chef Jay Valley the tricks of the trade inside the kitchen of Hunger Busters’ new facility. (Details below the jump.)

*Lookout Oceanaire! Coming to Uptown in November: Ocean Prime.

*Swirl Winery is excited! They are teaming up with Sushiya and have a zillion events in August. (Deets below.)

*George Clooney added you as a friend on Facebook. WHOOPS, dang personal mail. I really should get a separate account. Carry on. (more…)

Restaurant Review: Lunch at Sushi on McKinney

Sushi on McKinney's rainbow roll

This was my first visit to Sushi on McKinney in either incarnation. Yes, longtime Dallas sushi fans lamented the loss of SM last year only to see it reopen a short time later a block south of its longtime McKinney Avenue location. I can only imagine they cried for the old girl because of the memories not the food. (It’s kind of how I am about the Charco Broiler in Pleasant Grove. But I digress.) I have no sake-clouded history to draw on. No “remember whens…” Just the platter of sushi placed before me. In a word: average. Not bad. Not great. Just okay. We wanted toro. They didn’t have it. Instead, we stuck to the basics. Tuna, salmon, and yellowtail were all perfectly nice, satisfying my cravings. But the rainbow roll–a combo of tuna, salmon, hamachi, and avocado–was perplexing. The salmon was silky and fresh yet the tuna looked dry and the hamachi tasted a tad fishy. Crab sushi was mealy and somehow salty. Octopus, happily, was super fresh. It had that snap and tension it needs without being chewy. I can’t say I hated the meal, nor was I delighted. SM might have been the place 20+ years ago. But I’ll be dropping my dollars at Yutaka, Zen Sushi, and Oishii first. Sushi on McKinney lovers, sound off in the comments. Let me have it.

SideDish Movie Screening In Dallas: Julie & Julia

Last night, the Dallas Museum of Art and Arts & Letters Live hosted a private screening of Julie & Julia. If I have to write even one sentence to describe what this movie is about, you might as well skip this post and go here.

Several Dishers attended, and I await their reviews below. I am not a movie reviewer, but the following is my Sybil-esque recap. (I say Sybil-esque because I had two strong and separate reactions to the film.)

Full disclosure: I have not read Julie Powell’s book or blog. I am extremely jealous of her rags-to-riches-by-blogging success. Also, other than Lions for Lambs, the movie she did with Tom Cruise, I have enjoyed watching every film Meryl Streep has ever made. (“I haaad a faaaarm in Aaaafricaaa…..” slays me every time.) Okay, here goes: (more…)

Sevy’s Seafood Adventure: Wolfish From The Boat In Boston To The Table In Dallas

Wolfish in Gloucester, Mass on Tuesday.

Tuesday, Jim “Sevy” Severson and I met Scott Swicker, a fisherman in Gloucester, Mass. His boat, the Aaron and Alexa, was full of fish he’d just pulled in from the Georges Bank region of the Gulf of Maine. One species was the wolfish (wolf fish, wolffish, ocean cat, lupe de mer). Sevy likes wolfish—the unsightly sucker feeds on clams and lobsters and once you get past his ugly mug, the meat is, like me, sweet and flaky. Sevy decided to feature the wolfish as a special on Thursday at Sevy’s Grill.

We watched as the boat was unloaded and the catch was weighed and processed through the Steve Connolly Seafood Company in Gloucester, MA. The next morning we were in Connolly’s packing plant in Boston when the wolfish arrived. Sevy was standing over the box as his order was packed. We followed the box out to the dock where it was loaded into a refrigerated truck and whisked away to the airport. I hopped on another flight and got back in time to head over to Sevy’s where chef Michael “Buzzy” Zeve was waiting with the wolfish in a pan.

Wolfish on the plate Thursday in Dallas.

By 8:00 p.m. last night, our table of six was feasting on wolfish. It’s not gorgeous on the plate either, but the meaty fish is simply prepared and a delight. Here is how Buzzy cooked it:

I season with sea salt and course brown pepper and pan sear it in olive oil on the presentation side for about a minute and a half. Then I flip it over and finish it off in the oven for about 5 minutes. I served it on top of orzo folded with a puree of basil and reduced cream. I surround it with a roasted red pepper beurre blanc. It’s all pretty straightforward.

The preparation and presentation may be simple and straightforward, but how the fish gets from the ocean to your plate in Dallas is quite the opposite. And despite being landlocked, Dallas is a market that receives some of the freshest seafood in the country. Thanks to our central location, fresh fish from the Gulf of Maine hits Dallas well before the west coast.

Sevy’s Seafood Adventure: Wolfish Handpicked In Boston Arrives In Dallas

Greetings from American Airlines flight number 1237. I’m headed back to Dallas from Boston, where I left the Severson family to start their family vacation. I thought you might enjoy this story from our adventure in Beantown (waydahgoRangers).

Yesterday, we visited the Steve Connolly Seafood Plant in Boston with Amy and Jim “Sevy” Severson and their two kids. We trailed Sevy as he picked out his order, which includes a nice wolfish that will be served as a special tonight at Sevy’s Grill. Then Connolly’s corporate chef, Carlos Santos, took us into the kitchen and showed Sevy some simple ways to prepare wolfish, cod cheeks, swordfish, scallops, Bay of Fundy salmon, and striped bass. Then we packed the ugly but tasty wolfish in ice and walked it out to the loading dock where it was put in a refrigerated truck headed for the airport.

We grabbed some Blue Point oysters and a few beers and went to a park by Logan airport where we watched the AA jet carrying Sevy’s precious cargo take off and fly over our heads at 3:00 p.m. I am rushing home right now, so that I can make it to Sevy’s tonight where I will dine on said wolfish. Don’t tell Michael “Buzzy” Zeve, Sevy’s chef and partner, about my plan. Tomorrow morning I’ll post a review and pictures.

Interesting note:  While we were in the packing room, I spied orders going to Nick & Sam’s, Neighborhood Services, The Adolphus, Neiman’s, Fearing’s, Lakewood Country Club, Stephan Pyles, and Old Hickory Steakhouse and Ama Lur at the Gaylord Texan.

Good Morning Dallas: I’m In Boston

I’m in Beantown to do a story on seafood. Later today, Amy and Jim Severson will join me and for the next couple of days we are going to tour fish markets and fisheries. Wednesday we are going fishing. I am looking for a spot for dinner tonight. Anyone? (Will be Tweeting: DSideDish.) BTW: The high today in Boston is going to be 71. Degrees.

Oceanaire Files for Bankruptcy

The DMN reports that Oceanaire Seafood Room at the Galleria has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Dallas. Initial court filings indicate that Oceanaire (Yikes! Cheesy music on their web site.) owes between $10 million and $50 million to 50 to 99 creditors; assets are listed as $10 million or less.

UPDATE: I just pulled this from the comments. NN

Hello, My name is Jeff Bowman and I am the General Manager/Operating Partner of The Oceanaire Seafood Room here in Dallas. I want to let everyone know that the Oceanaire here in Dallas is still open for business. We have been and will continue to be the premier seafood restaurant for people seeking the best dining experience in the Metroplex.

La Calle Doce in Lakewood Is Open for Business (So Go and Get Some Fish Tacos)

Fried calamari with chipotle dipping sauce.

I know this isn’t news, really. The soft opening for this Lakewood favorite happened back in April; the grand opening took place in May. But I hadn’t been since long before the fire, so I thought I’d share some thoughts about the new space. For one, it’s bigger and brighter and more beautiful than before—not that I have any real complaints about the old space. I used to live in Lakewood and ate at La Calle Doce quite a bit. It served its purpose as a neighborhood Tex-Mex joint just fine. The big deal here is seafood, though, so at a media dinner last night we were bombarded by plate after plate of seafood specialties. Calamari–fat, meaty strips–had just the right chew, and I loved the heat of the accompanying chipotle dipping sauce. Another hit: shrimp cocktail, which is presented kind of like a soup in a fiery (but cold) tomato broth. The wedge of avocado cut through the heat and made it a refreshing summer appetizer. (more…)

Cheap Eats at Dallas Fish Market

And the bargains keep coming. Downtown’s Dallas Fish Market just debuted its new bar menu featuring grilled calamari steak, pan-fried red chili oysters, skate BLT, Maine Jonah crab claws, achiote marinated fish tacos, and bruleed figs (pictured left). Better yet, the bar food menu is 50 percent off daily 5-8pm. Photo by Gustav Schmiege

Nancy Flunks Geography: Columbia River is Not in Alaska

Alaska is not on this map

I like maps and I’m glad an eagle-eyed reader named Kirk likes maps too. Kirk sent me this map. It’s the Columbia River. I referred to the Columbia River in an earlier post about salmon. I mistakenly said our next batch of king salmon was coming from the Columbia River in Alaska. Maybe there is a Columbia River in Alaska and perhaps there is a salmon or two swimming around or up it, but the salmon available in markets now comes from the river you see to the left. Thanks, Kirk. I will now go jump in a lake.

Eat This Now: Soft Shell Crab Sandwich at Parigi

I love soft shell crab. When I was growing up, my family and I would spend a week in the Florida Panhandle every summer, and I’d eat soft shell crab every chance I got. Some people are turned off by the idea of eating the whole thing, shell and all. And that’s a tragedy, because they’ll never have the pleasure of eating this sammy from Parigi. The crab was cooked perfectly–well-seasoned, with just the right crunch. But the bread is what makes a good sandwich great, and that is so true here: the bun was soft and buttery, not to thick, and reminiscent of the pan de yema at La Duni. Roasted potatoes–not too many, mind you–had a punch of heat. Get this dish while you can.

Columbia River King Salmon is Here

With Copper River salmon-gate in our rear view mirror, it is time to look forward to the next shipment of wild king salmon from Alaska—those pesky fish from the mighty Columbia River, Spring King or “Springers” as they call them in the biz. Jon Alexis of TJ’s Seafood Market has recovered from the Copper River ordeal, and is now giving the survivors of Jammin’ With Wild Salmon and SideDish readers first notice. Fresh from electroshock therapy, Mr. Jon Alexis.

Hey Salmon Tasting Gang-
D Magazine Tasting Winner “Copper River King” season is over. But every door that closes opens another one (or whatever the saying is.) Tomorrow we’ll get Columbia River Salmon . Here’s the story: (more…)

Do Divers Really Dive for Diver Scallops?

I get a kick out of menu writing, but sometimes it gets out of hand. Years ago, I think it was at the Mercury, I came across a dish that boasted “wind-dried” tomatoes. I’ve always chuckled at “baby lettuce” and brought my dinner companions to tears by ordering “teenage squash” or “middle-aged mushrooms.” There are endless possibilities for romanticizing any dish.

But seriously, when you read “diver scallops” on a menu don’t you imagine some hunky dude in a Speedo and snorkel gear skimming the ocean floor. He pauses briefly to inspect each scallop before he gently picks it up and places it in a velvet box on ice. Next stop? Your plate.

I got curious when Urbano Café announced earlier today that they were serving diver scallops. I don’t know a whole lot, but I do know that there is no commercial diver scallop season open at the moment. Scallops are now being harvested by boats that rake the bottom to harvest. The guys on the boat are not wearing Speedos or singing this song.

So, I contacted my buddy Willy at Steve Connolly Seafood in Boston to see what is open now. He says:

Areas where they are being harvested by boat [now] are DelMarva (Delaware/Maryland/Virginia) , Elephant Trunk (Delaware), Area 2 (Georges Bank) etc. [See map.] This is a highly regulated fishery and that is why there are seasons and openings and closings of areas to ensure the exploitable biomass maintains.

Doesn’t sound quite as tasty, eh? Think of this: What if half of the menus in Dallas had diver scallops that were actually handpicked by a flipper-footed stud muffin? How many flipper-footed-stud-muffin divers would it take to feed us scallops? Then think of the whole country? Yow. Zah. The Eastern coastline would be a mass of bobbing heads.

Is “diver scallop” creative menu writing or misrepresentation of a product? Why not be real and write Elephant Trunk Bay or George Bank-harvested scallops? Or is it more important to create the image that some guy is braving the North Atlantic for your dinner? Just a thought.

Quick Review: Raquel Garcia’s Seafood Shack in Dallas

This just in from our seafood-lovin’ intern, Sara:

Calling Vanna White.

Raquel Garcia’s Seafood Shack is the definition of a neighborhood dive (c’mon, it’s got shack right in the name!) with its Dairy Queen-esque structure and daily specials painted on the window. Heck, it’s even got a drive-through.

It also boasts some of the best ceviche in town, and on Mondays you’re practically robbing the place with happy hourmargaritas at $1.50, ceviche for $1.25, shrimp ceviche for $1.50 and
shrimp ceviche tostadas (pictured) for $1.50 each.

The lunchtime crowd is fun and eclectic; scoot up to the bar and rub shoulders with students from the nearby Cordon Bleu culinary school, businessmen, large Hispanic families with screaming children, and construction workers drinking copious amounts of beer at11:30 in the morning. Other good nights to go are Tuesdays (25-cent oysters) and Thursdays ($1.50 shrimp ceviche tostadas). Located on Webb Chapel just south of Forest Lane.

Tasty shrimp ceviche tostadas.

Eat Lobster Now: Dallas Restaurants Offer Deals

Looking for lobster? Here is what local restaurants are charging.

Al Biernat’s: $33 per 6oz
Oceanaire: $30 per 1.25 lbs
Truluck’s: $65 per 10-12 oz
Dallas Fish Market: $48 per 1.5lbs
Landry’s: $37.99 per 1.5lbs
Newports: $24 per lb
YO Ranch Steakhouse: $39.50 per 9oz
Old Warsaw: $15 per lb
The Palm: $65 per 3lbs
For at-home enthusiasts: TJ’s Fresh Seafood Market: $14.99 per lb, no
extra charge for cooking all through June

What Kind of Salmon Are You Eating? The Questions Continue

Our spirited and spontaneous Jammin’ With Wild Salmon Blind Taste Testing has sparked some brilliant conversation. I wish I could say here, but it’s on DallasFood.org. While the tasting wasn’t the most scientific—we set out to just see if we could pick Copper River salmon out of the pack—we have touched off a great debate on salmon. I have a call in to a seafood expert and have a list of questions. Would love to have yours answered at the same time. Hit it.

UPDATE: Well, I’ve just spent the last two and a half hours researching and writing a report. As I copied the document and just as I was ready to paste  it into the blog format, my computer crashed. The whole interview is lost in cyber space. Excuse me for a few hours.

Jammin’ With Wild Salmon Blind Tasting: A Report

The salmon taste committee was blindfolded. Dumb idea.

Last night twelve diligent Dishers showed up at TJ’s Seafood Market to learn about and taste different types of salmon. The event was sparked by a debate last week on whether Copper River salmon is more flavorful than other wild salmon or if it is just  marketed more effectively. One seafood industry insider said, “We in the fish business call Copper River Salmon, Stupid River Salmon. Way over priced.”

Copper River salmon was the winner.

We set out to see if this was true. The goal was to taste test three wild salmon samples in a blind test. The first “problem” was, due to the Memorial Day weekend, the supplier couldn’t secure three wild varieties so we had to substitute an Atlantic farm raised salmon from the Bay of Fundy at the last minute.

The second mishap was my fault–I insisted the tasters wear blindfolds. I thought they would be influenced by the color of the fish. It worked–they couldn’t see the differences in color, but they also couldn’t see their evaluation sheets. Then, halfway through the program, I learned from a chef at the table that Copper River isn’t necessarily redder than other salmon and that some vendors  “dye the fish to [a restaurant’s] order.”

That was just one of the eye opening lessons we  learned last night. TJ’s marketing director Jon Alexis gave a nice Salmon 101 class and his mother, owner Caren, enlightened the group with stories from her years of experience as a fishmonger. Jump for the full report.

UPDATE: Click here for Worzel’s report.

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Blind Tasting of Copper River and Other Salmon is Tomorrow Night

Attention testers, don’t forget to meet tomorrow night at TJ’s Market in Preston Forest for Jamin’ With Wild Salmon, the Officially Unofficial Blind Tasting.  We’ll start as close to 7:00 pm as we can. In the mean time, download this song and get ready to rock. (TJ’s is located in the SW Corner of Preston Forest Shopping Center.
214-691-2369)

Blind Tasting of Salmon Event Gets Better

So far we have eight folks who have volunteered to be a judge in next week’s salmon tasting. One Disher not only signed up, she sent a music suggestion. You must listen to the link, it’s brilliant. We need a name for this happening. And we need to pick a wine too. I’m thinking Champagne, but I’m always thinking Champagne. This is a group effort. Get busy.

UPDATE: Tasting is “sold out.” Doesn’t mean you can’t come and watch.

Blind Tasting of Copper River and Other Salmon Is Set for Next Wednesday

Last week we talked about doing a blind tasting of Copper River salmon mixed with other salmon varieties to determine if Copper River lives up to its hype. Today I actually organized it. (Can you tell I’m on deadline?)

The tasting will be next Wednesday, May 27 at 7pm. TJ’s Market in Preston Forest is providing the space, the fish, and doing the cooking. Somebody will bring wine. If you want to participate, e-mail me now. Limited to 15 tasters. UPDATE: We have our 15 tasters.