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Teresa Gubbins Closes Another Restaurant

This time it is Papou’s Greek Kitchen. The Teegster reports that Papou’s Greek Kitchen and Taverna, Pete Zotos’ Greek restaurant that shared a building with Legal Grounds in Lakewood, has “left the building.” Zotos encourages his loyal customers to visit his other spot, St. Pete’s Dancing Marlin, where he has added chicken-fried tuna to the menu.

The State of Food Journalism and Print Media: Hold on to Your Effin Hat

Technically I am on vacation this week, but I cannot relax. The demise of Gourmet coupled with Robb Walsh’s recent reveal that he will no longer remain anonymous makes me sad and nervous. Sure, they are two separate issues, but combined they illustrate that the business of writing about food and reviewing restaurants is changing. Fast.

This morning, Russ Parsons of the Los Angeles Times has an interesting story: Apres Gourmet: Food magazines find their niches. Parsons interviews Robert Boynton, director of the literary reportage program at the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute at New York University. Boynton says:

“I think of Gourmet closing as part of the bigger story of the demise of the general interest magazine. It was the closest thing the food world had to a Life or Saturday Evening Post. But in publishing today, it has become easier and more profitable to disaggregate or divide up readership into small groups.”

Jump from the ledge with me, please.

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Last Days of Gourmet: A Photo Essay by Kevin Demaria

Photo by Kevin Demaria.

Kevin Demaria, the former associate art director of Gourmet, captured the last days at the magazine with this photo essay. (Gourmet to Go?) It makes me want to kiss my keyboard. I still can’t believe Gourmet is gone. Food writing is in transition and it’s getting scary.

Dallas Candy Corn War: Pick a Side and a Personality

Yesterday at 2:59 p.m., Dave “Fairies” Faries announced on City of Ate that he hated candy corn. At 4:29 p.m., Leslie “Catch a Falling Star” Brenner proclaimed, “Here at the Dallas Morning News, we love it.”

I’ve gotta go with Faries on this. That stuff is nasty. It tastes like wax-coated “sugar.” But if Dave Faries would ever talk to me, I’d like to ask him why he insists on doing these silly wine and “food” pairings. Why would you pair a wine with candy corn or Frito’s or other random junk food? I’m just curious.

However, Mr. Faries inspired me to explore the Internet and search for my identity. Here are the results.

According to this website, I am a Snickers Bar.

“You’re a nut. Like a Snickers bar. You like to be around people and you are friendly. You are a constant smile. Some people consider you overly energetic but if you stopped being so cheery, everyone would miss the real you.”

According to this website, I am a Sauvignon Blanc.

Engaging and energetic, you have a lot to offer the world – most of it they’ve never seen anywhere else! You are the type of person who carves your own path in life… and you invite everyone else to come along. The only thing predictable about you is that you could have anything up your sleeve. You’re all about sampling all of life’s experiences. Both the savory and unsavory ones.
Deep down you are: Laid back and young at heart
Your partying style: Anything goes… seriously!
Your company is enjoyed best with: Smoked meats or spicy food.

So, there you have me. What about you? La Brenner and Mr. Faries, I think it only fair you weigh in here. And Teegster, spit that candy corn out of your mouth and play. Anything goes!

Dallas Restaurants: What Do We Need?

What kind of restaurant would Major Tony Nelson and Jeannie do in Dallas?

I was having a conversation with a “highly educated” person the other night and he said, “Dallas really needs a great burger place.” I was stunned. When I asked him what places he liked, he reeled off spots—Chips, Goff’s, Neighborhood Services—that were in his neighborhood. I asked him if he ever went out of his way to discover or try new places and he admitted that he didn’t really. He has now been downgraded to “somewhat intelligent.”  I mean talk about closed minded. (They don’t even melt the cheese at Goff’s.)

The inside-the-loop-outside-the-loop foodie argument drives me nuts. There is great food all over this area if you are willing to drive. But if you had one restaurant wish, what would you like to see in Dallas? I know what I want, it’s a fleet of these, STAT. Your turn.

What The Grape’s Brian Luscher Thinks About Dining Critics

Bend over and click here. Luscher, I thought you’d hit harder than that. You take your strongest stance on cell phone cameras? You say, “Taking scalps just because you have a hatchet isn’t the same as writing a fair review.” Are you talking about bloggers or paid dining critics? Come on, let’s rumble. Get Faries (”State” Fairies), Brenner, and Teegster over here.

Former Dallas Restaurant Critics: Mary Brown Malouf

Mary Brown Malouf at my high school graduation.

I’ve been at my post here at D Magazine for 13 years. Sometime I wonder how many calories I have eaten; other times I wonder how many of those calories were actually worth ingesting. Restaurant reviewers eat more low-to-medium quality food than spectacular meals.

Anywhoo, in the post below, I mentioned Michael Hiller. He used to be a critic at the DMN. Over the years, I’ve seen lots of “critics” come and go. Anyone remember Betty Cook? Suzanne Hough (R.I.P)? Dave Faries? (Oh, he’s still here.) Or Mary Brown Malouf?

Mary was a real biyatch when she wrote dining reviews for the Dallas Observer. When she came to work at D in the late 90s, we became good friends. But Mary ditched D and Dallas and she’s now the Food and Travel editor at Salt Lake City Magazine. I just looked on their site and found a classic Mary Brown Malouf rant.  Gosh, I’m all nostalgic. Call me, Bill.

How about you? Who do you miss? Who do you love? Who do you hate?

Restaurant Review: Bliss Raw Café and Elixir Bar in Dallas

Strawberry cream pie. (photo by Kevin Hunter Marple)

Teresa Gubbins has something to say about everything. Today she has something to say about Bliss Raw Café and Elixir Bar in Dallas. I have not been to Bliss, well the restaurant anyway, but I hear that the regulars are, well, quite regular.

Bailey’s Prime Plus Opened Last Night. Leslie Brenner is First Customer in the Door.

Continuing her search for world-class dining in Dallas, DMN dining critic Leslie “Catch a Falling Star” Brenner (finally) found a baked potato at a local steak restaurant. After visiting the Cedar Hill location of Bailey’s Prime, La Brenner was more than disappointed to find only baked sweet potatoes on the menu. Owner Ed Bailey obviously paid attention to Brenner—last night the new Bailey’s Prime Plus on Park Lane near Northpark made its debut and right there on the menu was a big ‘ol baker with all of the trimmings. “Leslie was the first one through the door,” said Misty, a made up name for a hostess at Bailey’s. “She demanded a center booth, a baked potato, and a map of the world.” Extra! Extra! Read all about it.

Howard Schultz is Headed to Starbucks in Highland Park Village

An over-caffeinated Disher just called from her iPhone to report that all of the baristas and employees of Starbucks in HPV are readying for their close up with Starbuck’s chairman and CEO, Howard Schultz. “Oh my god,” she exclaimed. “The place is buzzing. They have the back area roped off and tables are set with manila folders and food samples.” So, there you have it. CEO groupies, you have been informed.

UPDATE: Apparently Mr. Schultz is escorting his board of directors, including Bill Bradley (Go, early 70s’ Knicks!), around Dallas.

What Do Kate Bosworth and I Have in Common? We Love Charlie Palmer.

You might recall that a week or so ago, Sarah Eveans and I cooked with Charlie Palmer at his restaurant at The Joule. (Well, he cooked. We watched.) Anyway, I vowed to go back and actually eat in the dining room, as opposed to in the kitchen–although I’m not complaining, because that lamb was delish. Anyway, last night I got to dine like a real person at Charlie Palmer. Even 12 hours later, I am still full, because the word “moderation” doesn’t seem to be in my vocabulary. But I don’t regret one bite. Well, the ricotta-stuffed agnolotti wasn’t my favorite–”smoky” was how my dining partner and I both described it–but now I’m just quibbling. Here’s a rundown of what we piglets ate: lobster corn dog (the amuse); house-smoked salumi platter (my companion claims it’s the best in the city); aforementioned smoky agnolotti; beet salad with Texas goat cheese (would have liked more beets, and they were a bit hard to find, but the greens were excellently dressed); amberjack “au poivre” atop purple hull peas, tomatoes, and pork pastrami (which another foodie friend had during Restaurant Week and couldn’t stop raving about it); salmon with sea beans and shiitake marinated in hoison and soy for this amazingly intense Asian flavor; and chocolate peanut butter bar, which we barely made a dent in, because we were painfully full. But I wanted to. So. Bad. Oh! And I almost forgot to mention each course was paired with wine by the very talented Brandan Kelley. If I were less full, I might be able to remember the wines. Brandan, if you’re reading this, please tell these nice folks about your selections, which were spot-on.

So what on earth does this have to do with Kate Bosworth? Well, she dined there this past Sunday night and ordered the beet salad, filet, and St. Emilion Chateau de Lussac. Whether or not she actually ate it, I don’t know. But the girl has good taste.

What is For Lunch Today?

Some people think my dog Lulu is hot.

I am starving, oddly, for a hot dog. There used to be a great place called Poochie’s on Lovers and Greenville. Then there was Big D Dog. Why are there no hot dog shops in Dallas? I want one right now. It would make us a world-class city for sure. (Couldn’t help it…)

DMN & Eatsblog Loses Shannon Sutlief to Pegasus News

Yow. Zah. Pegasus News is, as my mother always says, chicken on fire. First they announce “Outbursts,” and now I learn on Twitter they’ve lured Shannon Sutlief from her perches at  DMN, GuideLive.com, and Eatsblog to the roost at PegNews.  I wonder if roost-ruling Teresa Gubbins (no link, Sweet Cheeks, I do have limits) will even talk to me anymore. She’s pretty big time now.

JW Foster of the Pyramid Restaurant at the Fairmont Hotel Wins Best Caesar Salad in Dallas Competition

When life gives JW Foster lemons, he (center) makes Caesar Salad.(Thanks to Lee Fuqua for the photo.)

JW Foster of the Pyramid Restaurant and Bar at the Fairmont Hotel won the title of Best Caesar in Dallas at the 18th annual Caesar Salad Competition presented by those wacky and wonderful folks at the AIWF. Why did JW win? “Because he made the best salad,” said attendee Lee Fuqua. “We didn’t eat any of the side dishes we just ate the salads and judged the salads.”

You see a few years ago, chefs that entered the competition began to add charming side dishes such as foie gras and lobster to their salad. Once the voting public had downed a glass or two of wine they were so happy to bite into a mass of protein, they would vote for the sexy protein and not the salad. A huge rift developed in the voting masses that flock to this annual event.

But it sounds like JW Foster wooed lettuce lovers back to a semi-straightforward Caesar with his version that, according to the Teegster, “consisted of Romaine hearts dressed with anchovies, Dijon mustard, garlic, egg yolks, Texas extra virgin olive oil, Worcestershire and Tabasco sauces, vinegar, lemon juice and lemon zest, Texas “parmesan” and Romano cheeses with rosemary brioche croutons.”

Daniel Nemec of Kirby’s Steak House took second place and Eric Dreyer of Fearing’s at the Ritz Carlton came in third. For the next year, FW Foster will reign over a peaceful Caesar Salad-lovin’ community.

Greenville Avenue In Dallas: Restaurant Memory Lane

Yesterday, an old gal could not remember the name of a restaurant on Greenville Ave. But you guys freakin’ nailed it–DiPalma’s. Thanks to you, the reader is out of therapy and back at work today. However, there are a few other questions and memories floating around my inbox.

Memory:  I still have DiPalma’s recipe for chicken lasagna and remember their lemon sauced pasta — it was a great place…

Question: We used to live within spitting distance of Il Sorrento (Hillcrest and Northwest Highway) and went there for all celebrations and we miss it terribly. Do you know of another old world Italian restaurant that perhaps reminds you of Il Sorrento that we can claim as ours so we can relive our youth of smoky piano bars, palm readers, and eating way too much Gorgonzola gnocchi?

Money question: What is the name of that great hamburger place that was also on Greeneville at the same time as DiPalmas? They served breakfast too.

Answers: 1) Share the recipe for chicken lasagna. 2) The last palm reader I witnessed was at Patry’s on W. Lovers Lane. 3) There are no more smoky rooms in Dallas and almost every “marinara sauce” Italian restaurant in Dallas tastes like Il Sorrento. (With the exception of table side Caesar salad and the roaming bread guys with the silver hot boxes.)

However, I do know the burger place—Little Gus’, the original Greek “cheeseburger cheeseburger” spot frequented by an eclectic mix of artists, trial lawyers, judges, politicians, journalists, musicians, and carpenters. It was a great spot run by cousins Pete Lucas and Tony Mantzuranis.  I dug into my nostalgic t-shirt drawer and present this picture for your approval.

KRLD Restaurant Week In Dallas: Love It? Like It? Hate It?

Ferrets are sexually dimorphic predators.

I realize a lot of you love to dine out during KRLD Restaurant Week/Month. You get a three-course meal at these restaurants for $35 and some “proceeds” go to the North Texas Food Bank. Win-win, right?

Over the years, I’ve talked to a many restaurant owners, chefs, and servers who aren’t crazy about the promotion. Perhaps given the current state of business they’ve changed their tune. I’d like to know.

Anywhooo, last year, the finest ferret at PegNews, Teresa “Vicky Christina” Gubbins, wrote the piece I wish I’d written about Restaurant Week. Here is the hot link to her story which officially makes this “Link To Teresa Gubbins Week.”  (Group hug.)

At the risk of going all Eatsblog on you, I would like to know: Why do you like restaurant week? Why do you hate restaurant week?  I will tell you this: it is the worst month of the year to be a dining critic. Okay, let’s rumble like we’re on Las Ramblas.

SideDish, an equal opportunity hot link provider.

A Blog Post To Julie & Julia Author Julie Powell

Julie Powell last night at the DMA.

Tomorrow morning when the New York Times best seller list is released, Julie Powell’s book, Julie & Julia, will be in the number two position. Not bad for a former underpaid secretary-turned-blogger-turned-book author- turned-guest lecturer at last night’s Arts & Letters Live program and the Dallas Museum of Art.

Before last night, I made my feelings about the movie and Ms. Powell pretty clear—I didn’t particularly care for either one of them. The movie was nice, but I don’t like nice overly sweet movies. I can’t comment on Julie Powell’s book or blog because I haven’t read them.  I admitted that, right or wrong, I am extremely jealous of her rags-to-riches-by-blogging success.

Last night, Ms. Powell appeared at the DMA to speak and answer questions. The main hall was filled to capacity and another crowded room watched via closed circuit. SHE IS A FOOD BLOGGER. She does not have the cure for AIDS.

The good news is that I had a chance to tell Julie Powell, in front of a live audience, that I didn’t like her. I told her I was an insanely jealous food blogger and I wanted to know how in the hell she scammed this whole movie deal. You know what she said to me? “Yes, the bloggyness now is so different. I would want to throw me under a bus, too.”

I love her.

And I’m sending her a love letter.

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Bailey’s Prime Plus Set To Open On Park Lane In Dallas

Leslie “Catch a Falling Star” Brenner, you rock. Thanks to you, the new Bailey’s Prime Plus (and stuff, and such, and beyond) will feature not only baked potatoes, but a substantially new menu.

The Baked Potato Room at Bailey’s Prime Plus in Dallas. (Kidding.)

Yes folks, as the Dallas restaurant world continues to shrink and die, flamboyant restaurateur Ed Bailey is stepping up to the proverbial plate and building another opulent “not-your-typical” steakhouse.

The second location of Bailey’s Prime Plus in Dallas will be a 12,000-square foot space with 20-foot ceilings and a reflecting pool that “traverses the entire space with four full size trees rising from its center”. The rear portion of the bar with “curved banquette seating and subdued lighting, has space for live music performers such as a jazz quartet or a DJ spinning for dancing.” Spinning and dancing and eating steaks and plain baked potatoes will be available in late August/early September.  Chef to be announced soon. I am glad someone in the restaurant business is having fun. Seriously.

posted by Nancy Nichols | July 30th, 2009 10:34am | filed under Celebrity Diners, Openings, Restaurant News, Silly Reasons to Celebrate, Skinny bitches, hold on to your effin hat | 8 Comments »

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…)

Texas Monthly Is Wrong: Barry Popik Knows The Hamburger Was Not Invented In Texas

The August issue of TexMo with the Best 50 Burgers in Texas cover story is out. And Barry Popik of Austin is hoppin’ mad. Not because Pat Sharpe thinks The Grape has the best burger in Texas, but because Blackie Sherrod wannabe Gary Cartwright claims the hamburger was invented in Texas.

Barry is a lawyer and lives in Austin and is a contributor-consultant to the Oxford English Dictionary, Dictionary of American Regional English, Historical Dictionary of American Slang, and the Yale Dictionary of Quotations. Since 1990 he has also been a regular contributor to Gerald Cohen’s Comments on Etymology. He is recognized as an expert on the origins of the terms Big Apple, Windy City, hot dog, and many other food terms, and he is an editor of the Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink. He posts commentary on Americanisms to the American Dialect Society email list, ADS-L, where he has over 7,000 archived posts since 1996. The dude knows what he is talking about, Cartwright.

Barry sent me an e-mail this morning at 1:38 a.m. It  reads:

It’s not true. Any simple Google for “Fletcher Davis” would have found my work. Anybody would have asked me. I have two young children now, but I work for free.

[Cartwright wrote:] “The documentary evidence supporting this claim is strong: An article filed from the World’s Fair by a reporter for the New York Tribune described a sandwich called a hamburger, made by an unknown vendor.”

Has he [Cartwritght] seen the actual article? Has any of us found the 1904 New York Tribune citation? Why is it missing in the ProQuest digitization of the New York Tribune? Why is it missing in the Chronicling America digitization of the New York Tribune? Even if shown to exist, the 1904 newspaper article wouldn’t prove anything. There is no other documentary evidence from any historical newspaper. Zero. Zip. Nada. STRONG EVIDENCE?

As I discovered several years ago, there is a citation for “hamburgers” in the 1883 New York (NY) Sun. Hamburger sandwiches were served in the 1890s in Chicago, in Los Angeles, in Dallas, and even in Montana and Hawaii.There is no reason whatsoever to conclude that everyone got the idea from tiny Athens, Texas.

[Cartwright wrote:] “There it was dubbed ‘hamburger,’ a term apparently coined in derision by St. Louis citizens of Teutonic extraction who viewed as barbaric the culinary practice, native to Hamburg, Germany, of devouring large handfuls of ground beef, sometimes raw.”

Yep, the name “hamburger” was coined in St. Louis in 1904. This is beyond incompetent.

The Texas Monthly has fact-checkers and access to Google searches, no?

I’m sure Mr. Cartwright wrote this piece just to get Barry all ticked off so that a wild fire of talk about his article would spread across the blogosphere. Facts be damned, it’s all about links and hits. Dishers, we might as well strike the first match.

SideDish Winner: Best Burger In Texas Contest

Disher Peter Quinones won the Guess the Best Burger in Texas According to Texas Monthly Contest. Chef Brian Luscher of The Grape is so blown away, he is going to give Peter, a “burgers for two” dinner. Good times. (I continue to write about the Texas Monthly Best Burger in Texas so that you will become so tired of reading about it you will not buy the magazine. Have I succeeded?) PQ, details coming your way.

Texas Monthly’s Best Burger In Texas: The Grape

The best burger in Texas according to Texas Monthly is served at The Grape in Dallas. Here is the list:

TEXAS MONTHLY’s 50 BEST HAMBURGERS IN TEXAS:

1.    The Grape, Dallas, Classic Cheeseburger
2.    Counter Café, Austin, Counter Burger
3.    Alamo Springs Café, Fredericksburg, Cheeseburger (With Green Chiles on a Jalapeno-Cheese Bun)
4.    Toro Burger Bar, El Paso, Toro Burger
5.    The Cove, San Antonio, Texas Burger
6.    The Porch, Dallas, The Stodg
7.    Perini Ranch Steakhouse, Buffalo Gap, Hamburger Steak on a Bun
8.    Dutch’s, Fort Worth, Bacon and Bleu Cheese Burger
9.    Beck’s Prime, Houston, Bacon Cheeseburger
10.    Orlando’s, Lubbock, Cheeseburger in Paradise (more…)

Why SideDish Wasn’t Up This Morning And Contines To Be Slow

Wick’s explains the slow down and crash on FrontBurner. Pat Sharpe promised burger winner today. If the site is slow, follow us on Twitter: DSideDish.

Texas Monthly Best Burger in Texas: Winner Is In Dallas

Okay Dishers, Texas Monthly foodie (HAH!) Pat Sharpe has given YOU a clue. The best burger in Texas, according to that skinny bitch in Austin, IS IN DALLAS. Here’s the deal:

If I told you, they’d have to kill me. But let me say this: It’s in Dallas. (You’re number one, you’re number one . . . .) It would be about the fiftieth — no, hundredth– place that would come to mind when you think, “I’m in the mood for a burger.” But once you had it, no other would do. Pat.

The list is coming out mid-afternoon tomorrow. So they sayeth (the almighty “they”).

Okay, I have a prize. I don’t know what it is, but it won’t be a date with “the almighty ‘they’, Evan Smith,  it will be good. If you guess the winner of the Best Burger in Texas according to Texas Monthly, you will win it. Here is my guess: Taco Diner. GO.