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Top Chef: Texas Episode Three Recap

D Magazine’s Loren Means loves to watch Top Chef. Therefore, she volunteered to watch all of the episodes this season and write a recap. She’s a Texan, and she’s on Texan stereotype alert. Go, Loren.

I, personally, could have done without the first two episodes required to wrangle out the 13 weaker chefs. It’s just too exhausting. I prefer to start off with the rock stars and get the show on the road. Alas, no one consulted me prior to filming/editing so this is how it was done, and we have had to endure it. Episode three begins and we finally have the 16 chefs who will actually be competing for the title of Top Chef. In no particular order, other than Keith, whom I will list first because he is my favorite, we have Keith, Richie, Lindsay, Edward, Heather, Ty-lor (whom I will now refer to as Ty because they do on the show and now I won’t have to figure out how to make those two dots over the O), Beverly, Chris J., Grayson, Paul (resident Texan), Sarah, Chris C., Dakota, Nyesha, Chuy, and Whitney.

Jump to see what happens.

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Top Chef: Texas Episode One Recap

D Magazine’s Loren Means loves to watch Top Chef. Therefore, she volunteered to watch all of the episodes this season and write a recap. She’s a Texan and she’s on Texan stereotype alert. Go, Loren.

Top Chef is back and according to Bravo’s tagline for the show, “Everything is Bigger in Texas!” Wow, I wonder where they got that idea. Note to producers: We are bigger than France. And our buildings are NOT bigger than those in New York. So there’s one strike. I suggest you change your promotion from bigger to better. On to the show.

After meeting most of the cheftestants last night–not all 29 of them, but most–I think it’s safe to say we have some very talented people on this season. Tom Colicchio appears more aggressive this season and he kicked them off Simon Cowell-style. Grrr. I like this Tom.

Oh, it gets better. (more…)

Restaurant Review: The Commissary at One Arts Plaza in Dallas

Dripping cheese by Kevin Marple.

In the October issue of D Magazine, Teresa Gubbins tells us what she thinks about The Commissary.

In a profession loaded with bad boys, chef John Tesar stands out. Mercurial, dismissive, he’s a hyperactive hothead with a self-destructive streak so legendary that his old pal Anthony Bourdain has written about it. Tesar is so good at embodying the tantrum-throwing temperamental-chef stereotype that D Magazine made him the subject of the September cover story, titled “The Most Hated Chef in Dallas.”

But there is the man, and then there is what he puts on the plate. From his early days at a French restaurant called Pierre’s in Westhampton to his stint at RM Seafood in Las Vegas, he has impressed discriminating palates, including the folks who hired him in 2006 to be executive chef at the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, where he took on the intimidating task of replacing longtime fixture Dean Fearing.

She’s got a lot more tosay.

SideDish Exclusive: Corky The Greyhound Reviews The Mercury in Dallas

In a first for Dallas restaurant reviewing we present Corky the greyhound reviewing Chris Ward’s food at The Mercury.

Corky is a dog up for adoption through the Greyhound Adoption League of Texas (GALT). When fully fit, she will be handed over to a caring family as her new owner. In the interim, her injured leg will take between twelve to sixteen weeks to fully heal and cost GALT (even with veterinarian concessions) between $3,000 and $5,000. To support this kind of work the all-volunteer organization held a fundraiser on Saturday at The Mercury where dog-loving chef Chris Ward conducted a cooking class for dozens of GALT supporters and other sponsors also contributed. LaGesse Auctioneers, LLC conducted a live auction, John Hudson Photography photographed the event, Admiral Linen contributed money, and Three Dog Bakery provided goody bag contents. Artist Danielle Bennignus donated two hand-painted chefs jackets to the live auction.
GALT Chairman, John McQuade, told me that he started the charity a decade ago. It has grown to the point that it deals with 300-400 dogs a year in Texas. They find them all homes. Three quarters are adopted locally, but they have had families come in from as far afield as Maryland, Canada and even some expats. living in Mexico. All the dogs are thoroughly checked and treated by veterinarians before being released. While awaiting adoption they are lodged with ‘foster parents’ and some 50 are in this care at present, ready to be adopted. E-mail adoption committee chairman Nancy Colwell if you are interested.

Update on Trader Joe’s in Dallas

Grass does not grow beneath Teresa Gubbins' shoes.

Leave it to Teresa “Gumshoe” Gubbins to find a snitch in Trader Joe’s camp. Since the grocery chain announced they were planning locations in Dallas last May, they have been quite secretive about their locations. According to TG, you can rule out the former location on Greenville Ave. Her Deep Throat coughs up three possible locations: Walnut Hill and Central, Knox Ave., and Fort Worth. All of the details are here.

There was a time when Trader Joe’s was cool and funky and carried stuff you couldn’t find elsewhere, but I think the company is now running on a tired image. In the 70s,  Two Buck Chuck played a significant role in nursing wine drinkers off the Spanada bottle but the last TBC I sampled burned the enamel off my teeth. So, Trader Joe’s? Yes or no? Why?

Former Dallas Observer Dining Critic Hanna Raskin is Off Her Rocker

Earlier this morning, I received a link to a Seattle Weekly blog post written by former Dallas Observer “critic” Hanna “Sudafed” Raskin  and planned to write a rebuttal. Eater “Up at Dawn” Dallas beat me to the punch. However, I would like to throw a few more. Her post– “Professional Food Critics Not Needed in Portland”– is embarrassingly amateur. Read it, I’ll wait.

This quick assessment from a professional food critic who reviewed Dallas restaurants while taking copious amounts of sinus medication? After my ENT doctor read about Raskin’s sinus problems,  he called me and said: “She had no business reviewing restaurants. Her palate was dead.” If I were a restaurateur who was reviewed during her reign, I’d be demanding a redo. No wonder she called Dallas a “dining nowhereville.” She wasn’t able to taste anything. She blathers on:

I shouldn’t be surprised that the imagined relationship between rigorous professional criticism and good food doesn’t hold up. I moved here from Dallas, a city that’s covered ruthlessly by established food critics, including the Dallas Morning News‘ Leslie Brenner, D Magazine’s Nancy Nichols, and Texas Monthly’s Pat Sharpe. The food there isn’t any better for it.

Hanna, you take one trip to Portland and declare “Portland appears to have entered the post-professional critic era, and the food scene hasn’t suffered.” Oh my. I need a Xanax. Writers in Portland were sadly laid off by print publications. Raskin should be next.

The History of Hedary’s in DFW

Teresa Gubbins has a nice piece today on the history of the Hedary family and the restaurants they have opened and closed over the years. The family has created some of the most memorable Lebanese food in Dallas and Fort Worth. Click here for the whole story.

Two Things That Have Already Ruined My Day

1. Ann Hathaway is going to play Ruth Reichl in Garlic and Sapphires. I would have picked Tina Fey

2. Groupon for tickets to see Stevie Nicks. I feel old.

Brittany Wilkerson Crowned Miss Twin Peaks 2011

The full press release is below the fold. I haven’t read it, I just looked at the pictures. Twin Peaks, a Dallas-based breasteraurant, that features attractive waitresses, excuse me, Twin Peak Girls. I guess they had a contest because they have picked a winner. You can read the press release below.

Here is my question: Brittany is a lovely girl but don’t you think the winner of Miss Twin Peaks would, how do I say this, have significant peaks? Okay, sorry. I’m a big fat procrastinator promoting sexism.

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Somebody Help This Poor Boy: Peach Cobbler in Dallas

Assembling a mise en place for my super-secret East Texas peaches dessert. Doggie chew bone (right) not included.

Have you been eating Texas peaches? This guy has and he has a question for you.

Just finished some peaches I picked up at Dallas Farmers Market last week, and they were spectacular. Which brings to mind the question: which restaurants in town serve a great cobbler? I’m a Southern boy and really enjoy these  two months of the year when you can get a good peach cobbler at its freshest. Any info would be appreciated.

I’m not giving him my address and I know Gubbins wouldn’t give out hers. So, restaurants feel free to sell your peach desserts below.

Kitchen Fire Breaks out During Hell’s Kitchen Watching Party at Nosh in Dallas

Who needs Gordon Ramsay? Carrie Keep is hardly in hell.

We told you chef Carrie Keep was hot. Last night her bosses at Nosh Euro Bistro, Avner and Celeste Samuel, hosted a season-premier watching party for Hell’s Kitchen. Carrie, a line cook at Nosh, is one of the contestants. The restaurant was full of loyal patrons and friends when–POOF- a knob on one of the gas valves fell off and a small fire flared in the open kitchen. Always the problem solver, Celeste Samuel picked up the phone and calmly called the Highland Park Fire Department and moved the guests outside. When the firemen arrived, they were greeted by a glamorous crowd having cocktails in parking lot. With the fire out When the danger was gone, the TV-watching party turned into a photo op. The show? Who knows what happened. The reality of the parking lot was much more fun. Jump for photos taken by Lindsey Miller.

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Park Restaurant Sold and Gets a New Bad Name

A few weeks ago, I actually made a phone call and reported the closure of Park Restaurant. Short story shorter: Owner Donald Chick sold the place to Peter Kenny, owner of Capitol Pub. Today, Teresa Gubbins digs deep in the dirt and reveals Mr. Kenny has already come up with new names for both Park and its sibling, Bar Celine. Park will now be Swig. Really? “Hey gang, let’s go to Swig for brunch?” Doesn’t work for me.

Meanwhile, Bar Celine will be called The Gin Mill. I love gin so I won’t complain about that. However, Swig is going on my Bad Names for Restaurants List. Right beside our this place. Teresa has more important stuff here. (Asador, really chaps my sass.) Moving on.

Rumors Behind the Restaurant News: Sharon Hage to Chef at Place at Perry’s in Dallas

Good morning, SideDish Nation. I’d like to begin this fine day with a rumor. True or false? Sharon Hage is going to be the new chef at the Place at Perry’s which has plans to move into new digs across the street. I’ll be back in a minute with the answer. (If you get bored, count how many times I used “at” in this post.)

UPPITY DATE: “False-ish,” Hage said. She has been asked to “explore a menu refresh.” The gig is only for a week.

Chef John Tesar to Appear on Extreme Chef

We’ve followed chef John Tesar from the refined confines of the Rosewood Mansion to a cocktail den in South Side to upscale burger joint in One Arts Plaza. It only seems logical go travel along with him to a mountain in the wilderness. Huh? Ever the clever chef, Tesar is, once again, letting his freak flag fly. How high? Tesar is not spilling details other than he will be competing on a new Food Network show called Extreme Chef. He could be killing a live rattlesnake for breakfast or cooking a rabbit on a car engine, both of which I would pay to see live (especially the visual of this nerdy black glasses steaming up over a steaming radiator). But we’ll all have to wait until the show debuts on June 30.

The premise: “Each episode pushes three chefs to their physical and mental limits as they must adjust to extreme conditions and unpredictable curveballs such as swimming across a lake for ingredients and using a car engine as a makeshift stove.” The victorious chef pockets $10 grand which, after taxes, might be $5,000. Whatever, soon we have yet another Dallas chef on TV. I hope Tesar wins. He could flaunt his victory over Anthony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmern.

The first time I watched the trailer below, I thought it was a joke. It’s not. It’s reality. Excuse me while I open a can of Sterno for lunch.


FOOD NETWORK’S EXTREME CHEF SIZZLE by multivu

Backyard Chicken Coops in Dallas

My mother grew up in a small town outside of Archer City, Texas. A couple of nights a week she watched her mother go out in the back yard, grab one of the many chickens running around the yard and snap its neck. A couple hours later the former “pet’  was devoured for dinner. It wasn’t a trend; it was how they lived.

Now having a groovy chicken coop in your backyard or on a patio in New York is trendy. The gals over on the D Home blog have the scoop on the “must have” coop. If you want to get your backyard bird party started, the folks at Northaven Gardens have the knowledge and supplies. I’d rather have a goat.

Storybook Beginning: Beloved Restaurant La Palapa Veracruzana Gets a New Life as Mesa

Teresa Gubbins has been all over this story like hot on fries (where did I just read that?). She reported Friday that the former owners of foodie favorite La Palapa Veracruzana that closed nearly two years ago, Raul and Olga Reyes, have been given a second chance to showcase their talents at Mesa. Their savior? No, not Carl Van Fleet of In-N-Out. The Reyes’, according to Gubbins, were saved by “by a support group that includes Chris Zielke, co-owner of Smoke and Bolsa, as well as Nick Zukin, the Portland blogger and restaurateur who is co-owner of Kenny & Zuke’s Delicatessen. Bolsa bartender Eddie “Lucky” Campbell consulted on the cocktail menu, which includes a luscious house-made horchata — spiked, of course.” Opening day is set for Friday, May 20. 118-A West Jefferson Blvd.

John Tesar Previews The Table in Dallas

Faux cuttle fish pasta with Iberico pork and lemon fondue at The Table in Dallas.

Chef John Tesar is on fire. The guy has been working non-stop since last winter. First, he kick-started the menu at The Cedars Social, where he still oversees the kitchen. Then he signed a lease on the Dali Wine Bar space and divided it into two restaurants: The Commissary and The Table.

Early returns from The Commissary are blissful. Colleagues have stopped by my cubicle and uttered “OMG” “To Die For” and “How can it be so good and so cheap?” “It blew my hair back!” Saaa-weet! The menu is centered on gourmet burgers and fine wine. It’s a burger joint with a sommelier (Scott Barber).  The other portion of the space, The Table is a 12-seat tasting room where Tesar will perform the higher end dishes that brought him to the Big Show. Teasar calls it “deconstructed fine dining.” He is resurrecting canapés!

Anywhoo, last night Tesar threw a private party at The Table. The guest list included Jennifer and David Uygur (Lucia), Chef Bruno Davaillon (Mansion execuchef), Michael Flynn (Mansion sommelier), Tim Byres (Smoke), Teiichi “Teach” Sakurai (Tei-An), and The “Ubiquitous” Brad. Who was that skinny little bitch sitting next to Byres? Our own Sarah Reiss. “The food was incredible,” Reiss said. “Tesar overwhelmed us (in a good way ) with 13 courses; he wanted to try everything out on his friends. I just sat back and listened to all the great industry talk and insider raves.” The 13-course, seafood-centric marathon, that was anticipated to last 150 minutes, lasted over 4 hours. Reiss gives the best dish award to the faux cuttle fish pasta with Iberico pork and lemon fondue.

Reiss said the talk at the table revolved around the current dining culture in Dallas and how chefs are trying new things on the menu (pig’s ear and tripe), and the fact that restaurateurs are more willing to take chances. “This generation is going to forever define the dining in this city,” said Tesar.

Wonderfully pompous or prophetic? Or both? The Commissary opens for lunch today. Go. Eat. Report.

Happy Good Friday

You may have seen this video before but every time I watch it makes me smile. Happy Good Friday.

Two Dogs Dining in a Busy Restaurant

Restaurant Review: Whiskey Cake in Plano

The Three Little Pigs pulled pork sliders served on a warm brick. Photography by Kevin Marple.

This month in D Magazine, Sarah Reiss writes about three little pigs and a good burger.

In the bandwagon world of nouveau-rustic dining, one of the more damning descriptors a reviewer can ascribe to a restaurant is the word “franchiseable.” The term not only brings a curl to the lip of a certain breed of foodie, but it also puts the restaurant in the position of having to overcome typecasting.

Which brings us to Plano’s Whiskey Cake. Taking hold in the former Plano Tavern location, this neo-steampunk eatery—with its exposed brick, yellow-filament Thomas Edison bulbs, and warehouse sensibility—appears to be at war with itself. On one hand, we have the postindustrial aesthetic, on-site herb gardening, in-house curing, and advanced cocktailery—all tough to replicate. On the other, there are kitschy signs, costumed servers, familiar layouts, and an interior that feels like you have landed in Anywheresville, USA. This is not a value judgment as much as a recognition that, no matter how good the food, much of the Whiskey Cake concept screams “franchise.”

Click for more.

Somebody Help This Poor Dog Lover: Mother’s Day Dining in Dallas

A colleague with a soul for saving dogs and a bod for sin wants advice on where she can take the two loves of her life—mother and dogs—to celebrate Mother’s Day. That would be May 8. Give it up dog-friendly restaurants.