Photo taken Sunday April, 29th, 2012 in Dallas.

April 20^th Pappas Bros: “An Evening With The Super Tuscans”. Details here, but it’s basically a walk-around tasting of 15 of the wines that changed the way the world regards Italian red wines.

April 21th Bistro Watel’s:  4:30pm.  Taste 8 Cabernets retailing from $50 to $150 for only $20 per person.
Limited space, reservations required by reply email, or at 214 720 0323.

April 24th Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek: 7:15pm. Wine dinner featuring wines from California’s Continuum Estate and Hirsch Vineyards. Mingle with Carissa Mondavi and Jasmine Hirsch and enjoy a reception and four-course menu created by Executive Chef Bruno Davaillon. 214.443.4747

April 25th Abacus: Vision Cellars Wine Dinner.  6:30pm. Please call Abbey Close at 214-559-3111.

April 28th, 7pm at Café  on the Green at The Four Seasons Resort and Club in Irving has a wine dinner with Côte Bonneville wines and winemaker Kerry Shiels  (972) 717-0700. The take: check out this rising star winery from Washington State. It is going to get a lot more national coverage in the next few years. New chef at the Café is worth checking out too.

May 1^st Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse: “US Release of Penfold’s 2007 “Grange”. Details here, but it’s basically a national release party for one of the top ten wines in the world at 59 Ruth’s Chris steak houses across the country. The Dallas location hosts the dinner in north Texas.

“Hey, honey I’m in the mood for a good steak tonight. Where should we go?”

“How about Sēr’s?”

“No, I don’t want a new washing machine, I want a cowboy rib-eye. Why would I want to go to Sears?”

Okay, it needs a lot of workshopping but so does the name Sēr. That is the name of the new steakhouse replacing Nana in the Hilton Anatole. Sēr is set to open on October 1, 2012.

If a restaurant name is sent out in a press release and followed by “(pronounced “sear”),” I can tell you there will be trouble. Names should be easy to read and say. A customer should be able to glance at the name, style of font, and get an idea of what they are to expect.

Contemporary marketing people: We are stupid. Asador may be a great restaurant, but it doesn’t sound like one. We like our names simple. Even CampO Modern Bistro can be shortened to as CampO’s. Nobody has to pronounce that silly big O. What would have been wrong with Nana’s Steakhouse? You could have combined some tradition along with your fancy  “open, airy layout that is both casual and sophisticated. Warm cognac and whiskey leathers, locally sourced end-grain mesquite walls and community tables, rich mesquite floors and solid walnut tabletops create a masculine, yet hip and urban feel. A chef’s table and wine display will be an intimate destination adjacent to the exhibition kitchen. And, of course, its stunning views make it unique among its competitors.”

Sēr that! Full press release below.

Soter Vineyards wine maker James Cahill addresses the diners on Oregon wine

One of the titans of California, and later, Oregon, winemaking is Tony Soter. After successes consulting to Araujo, Niebaum-Coppola, Shafer, Spottswoode, Viader and Dalle Valle he scaled back to focus on his Californian venture, Etude and, more recently, his Oregon property Soter Vineyards. Last week his winemaker at the Oregon property, James Cahill, worked the crowd at Bailey’s Prime Plus in the latest in a series of impressive wine dinners that the restaurant has hosted.

I was an invited guest and had the opportunity to talk to Cahill directly about some puzzling questions that surround Oregon wine. For example: In Europe, the most successful Chardonnay is found growing in the same region as the most successful Pinot Noir (the French region of Burgundy). Yet in Oregon, world-class Pinot Noir has been accompanied by generally average to forgettable Chardonnay. Cahill agrees with this widely leveled view. He attributes the situation to early plantings of the wrong clone of Chardonnay grape. He explained that early growers took a lot of their cues from California Chardonnay growers (who, after all, were a model of success). That included the Wente clone of the Chardonnay grape. It did poorly in Oregon’s cooler climate. Later plantings using Dijon clones, he noted, had started to produce impressive Chardonnays.

Cahill showed an impressive sparkling wine, the NV Soter Vineyards ‘Beacon Hill’ Brut Rosé, Yamhill-Carlton, Oregon ($29) made from the same Pinot Noir vines as the winery’s red Pinot. The objective here was a Champagne style sparkling wine and success is complete. Serve this in lieu of the expensive French bubbly either as a toasting tipple or throughout the meal.

Pheasant Galantine with Traditional Accoutrements by Michael Ehlert

Also impressive was the 2007 Soter Vineyards, ‘Little Creek’ Proprietary Red Blend, Napa Valley, California ($125).  Tony Soter’s last California Cabernet before he picked up sticks and moved north. This is an imposing blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. It is way too young to be enjoyed to its fullest right now. Best to put it away and try again in a decade (then each decade thereafter?).

One facet of this dinner that drew it apart from its predecessors at Bailey’s was the installation of Michael Ehlert as acting chef for the night. He is normally kept in a small pen at the back of The Chesterfield (a den of ill repute and great cocktails in the town once occupied by that great civic leader, Jack Ruby). From that pen he serves some of the most sensitively prepared French food in town. His efforts at the wine dinner from Bailey’s impressively equipped kitchen boasted a Pheasant Galantine with Traditional Accoutrements, a Crisp Polenta, Fiddle Head Ferns and Escargot de Bourgogne and finally a Beef Bourguignon so robust that it stood up to the Soter Red Blend.

This was a very instructive and enjoyable event. Bailey’s holds these winemaker dinners once a month. Call the restaurant to reserve places at the next one.

Crisp Polenta, Fiddle Head Ferns and Escargot de Bourgogne

Pruss has a big responsibility. As winemaker at Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, she has the weight of a massive reputation on her shoulders. Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars was one of the California wines included in the 1976 Judgment of Paris: the first time the major grape categories of France and California wines competed against each other in a blind tasting by French experts. The shocking ending: California won! The event was so significant Hollywood produced a movie, Bottle Shock,  that contained more drama than facts of the actual event.

Jump.

In reality, Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars was  voted the best red wine in the world for its 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon, Cask 23 which is now recognized as the Stag’s Leap District AVA. The tiny winery, drawing its grapes from a 44-acre block purchased for $200,000 in 1970, received global attention.

In 1998, founder and owner, Warren Winiarski hired Nicki Pruss. She had  responded to a  job advertisement pinned on the Napa County College of Viticulture & Winery Technology for a Grape Tester. Her job, for four months of the year, was to take daily samples from various parts of the vineyard of the grapes as they ripened. From June to September she measured sugar levels, malic acid, cluster and berry weight, and  submit her findings  to winemaker Michael Silacci who determined when to go into wine country’s equivalent of Defcon I and rustle up the forces to harvest the grapes (increasingly at night).

From that lowly but vital line position, Pruss worked her way up to wine maker in 2005. She has been at Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars ever since, even surviving a change of ownership in 2007 when Winiarski retired and the estate was sold to a joint venture of Marchesi Antinori Srl and Chateau Ste, Michelle.

The 1994 ‘Cask 23’ Estate Nape Valley Cabernet Sauvignon was the heir to the 1973 wine that won the Judgment of Paris. At 18 years of age it was brawny, intense, and far more complex than most 18-year-old wines. The nose has a dustyness which is more common in Rutherford wines. There is an intense aroma of both red and dark fruit. There is a good tannic backbone. The finish is clipped and the mouth feel of the fruit slightly dried suggesting that this is a wine to drink now. Like all legendary wine houses, this wine is, above all, a style. You either buy into it or you do not, but it is important for all serious wine drinkers to know what Cask 23 represents.

In 1986 Winiarski purchased the neighboring Fay Vineyard, one of the best vineyards in California. The result is a line of FAY wines. The 1999 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars “FAY” Estate, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is particularly impressive. The nose has five-spice and cedar. The aromas explode with blueberries. There is unmistakable French oak and substantial body in the mouth.

Also impressive is the 2007 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Napa Valley Merlot, a wine for which the winery receives no love.  However, I feel it is one of the best Merlots out of California. It has an open and extremely complex nose. There are hints of blueberries, mint, cedar, chocolate, and molasses. The dark fruit in the mouth leaps out of the wine. But it is not a fruit bomb. It is too complex and well-balanced. The finish hangs around seemingly forever. It is still very tannic, despite being five years old and made from Merlot. This is a wine that is simply massively structured.

The staff and Master Sommelier Barbara Werley at Pappas Bros. provided professional service throughout the evening. The wine arrived at the correct temperature and in peak condition.

Filet & Lobster Rockefeller served with Red Beans and and Sautéed Mushrooms

It was a packed house at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse in Dallas last Thursday as the restaurant played its part in the simultaneous exclusive pre-release of 2009 Paraduxx Z Blend, Napa Valley Red Wine (a Duckhorn portfolio wine) at 81 US locations across the US. Z is a blend of predominantly Zinfandel. Also served were other wines from Duckhorn properties: 2010 Migration Chardonnay, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County; 2009 Goldeneye Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley, Mendocino County and 2007 Duckhorn Vineyards Merlot “Three Palms Vineyard”, Napa Valley.

Ruth’s Chris chefs at each participating location prepared the same five course meal which delved into filet, lobster, lamb and white bean and chorizo soup. They even prepared a salad that was so light on the acids that it went harmoniously with the buttery Chardonnay. Amid five fabulous courses I put the lamb lollipops at the top of my own personal flavor favorites and rank the Merlot the best wine of the evening.

This was just the first of a series of wine dinners planned at Ruth’s Chris in 2012. Look out for a Penfold’s dinner on May 1^st featuring what is widely considered one of the top 10 red wines in the world: Penfold’s Grange (known as just ‘The Grange’ among its followers). This year’s release dinner features the 2007 vintage. The dinner will likely be a sell out. Reserve by calling the Dallas location at (972) 250-2244.

Spring Greens & Strawberry Salad with Goat Cheese Toasted Almonds, tossed with Champagne Vinaigrette

~ Duckhorn Wine Dinner Menu ~

1st Course

Spring Greens & Strawberry Salad with goat cheese,
toasted almonds, tossed with Champagne vinaigrette

Migration Russian River Chardonnay

2nd Course

White Bean & Chorizo Soup topped with julienne baby spinach

Goldeneye Anderson Valley Pinot Noir

3rd Course

Salt & Pepper Seared Lamb Lollipop with blackberry demi glace and served with sweet potato casserole

Duckhorn Vineyards Three Palms Merlot

4th Course

Filet & Lobster Rockefeller served with red beans and
rice and sautéed mushrooms

Paraduxx Napa Valley Red Blend

5th Course

Chocolate Sin Cake with fresh berries and sweet cream

Coffee & Tea

My Last Supper at Nana: Grilled duck with beets. Photography by Kevin Marple.

This news breaks my heart. Nana Restaurant at the Hilton Anatole, led by the talented and innovative chef Anthony Bombaci, will close on June 9. The restaurant will undergo reconstructive surgery and emerge as an upscale steak house in late September.

Here are some of the details I’ve beat out the bushes. The new name has not been selected. (We can certainly help with that. Leave your suggestion below.) The interior, designed by a California firm, will be “contemporary with an LA-inspired design.” (The skyline view will remain Dallas’!) The menu will be “all about steaks and one-of-a-kind sides and desserts.” The executive chef of the steakhouse hasn’t been confirmed, but that person will work under Anthony Bombaci who has been promoted. I don’t know his position at this point.

Oh, Nana. You have been such a blessing to this city. We loved you when Doug Brown was the chef and Jason Foss was the pastry chef. We loved you during the fancy days when David McMillan sent entrees out of Versace and Rosenthal china and general manager and wine expert Paul Pinnell roamed the room. We love you for bringing Anthony Bombaci to Dallas. This news makes me appreciate my last meal at Nana even more.

Make a final visit and pay homage to Nana. You have a little over three months to get your Bombaci fix. Make a reservation now: 214-761-7470. And name the new restaurant below!

Werley confirms California Cabernet is the most popular wine category among the patrons at Pappas. So popular that she said she would have to check her records to find which of several also-rans came in second (white Burgundy is the likely contender). It was fitting that this tasting of a dozen Cabernet Sauvignons should focus on California. Nine of the wines in the tastings were produced in California.  Those choices were rounded out with one Ozzie wine, a rosé from South Africa, and a sample from Washington State.

Follow me.

My faves were the 2007 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars “SLV”. Napa Valley, 2005 Geyser Peak Winery Block Collection ‘Walking Tree’, Alexander valley, Sonoma, 2008 Lewelling Vineyards, St. Helena, Napa and the 2011 Mulderbosch Rosé of Cabernet Sauvignon, South Africa. The latter is a very unusual treatment of the bar room bruiser of red grapes. It is a delicate and aromatic rosé ideal for spring days on the patio (they are coming back, honest!). All of the wines served are available on the Pappas Bros. wine list.

While Pappas’ wine team poured the wine to patrons from three serving tables, the wait staff toured the room dispensing heavy hors d’oeuvres. Tickets were $55, which is typically the price of these monthly events. To hear about future events, e-mail arobinson@pappas.com and ask to be put on the list.

Two forays into their deep wine cellar are coming up in March: On March 2^nd a Beringer Wine Dinner with winemaker Ed Sbragia and Fred Dame MS. On March 23^rd What Would You Drink: Favorites of Pappas Bros. Sommeliers? is the next in the monthly tastings series. Call (214) 366-2000 to make reservations. A sellout for both is assured.

Wagyu Beef Burger on the Plated Lunch Menu at Capital Grille

Capital Grille rolled out a new lunch option earlier this month – serve customers a high quality, multi-course, customizable meal in 45 minutes flat, allowing those of us who watch a lunch hour clock the ability to have a delicious meal and still meet time constraints.  A friend and I were invited guests of The Capital Grille in Uptown earlier this week to try out the Plated Lunch menu and test if we really could get in and out in 45 minutes.

Capital Grille's Roasted Red Pepper Soup (front) and Clam Chowder (back)

The concept is easy, enjoy a soup or salad to start, then dig into one of their unique sandwich combinations paired with a seasonal side dish.  Options include a delicious and fresh Roasted Red Pepper Soup with a Sweet Potato and Pepper Hash; classic, creamy Clam Chowder or a Seasonal Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette, followed by a selection of sandwiches including a decadent Wagyu Beef Burger complete with Havarti cheese and a Fried Egg on a Brioche bun, to Filet Sliders with Boursin and Mushrooms, to a traditional Lobster Roll with tons of fresh lobster.  Sides range from Parmesan Truffle fries to Roasted Root Veggies to an interesting spin on green beans, sauteed with ginger, garlic, onions and tomatoes.  Indulgent, scrumptious and filling.

The best flavors had to come from the red pepper soup and the Wagyu burger….add a fried egg to anything and it is good….though I am slightly surprised it didn’t have bacon on it as well, that would have clearly taken it over the top though.  And as promised, we had everything in and out in a timely manner ensuring I would have time to run by Starbuck’s on the way back to the office for my afternoon caffeine fix, if needed.

Though all was delicious, they do call this menu “lighter fare” and there really isn’t anything light about it, other than somewhat smaller portion sizes to some of their normal meals.
However, without question, the food is savory, hearty and well executed and the gracious staff makes a quick lunch seem like you have enjoyed leisurely afternoon get away.

See how the wines paired with Mignon’s winter menu.

The winery showed a range of their wines based on the grape varieties most popular with consumers. Each one was matched with a course in the five-course meal. We tasted through Chardonnay, Merlot, an Oregon Pinot Noir, the Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve and, with dessert, a chocolate-infused red wine that is their biggest seller. The star wine of the “show” was the 2008 Waterbrook Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, Columbia Valley. It is concentrated with flavors of dark fruit and a bouquet of fruit and cedar. The tannins are unmistakable, but not harsh. It can be enjoyed now or kept 3-5 years. Columbia Valley wines exhibit a characteristic difference from their northern California brethren. They are less fruity. The effect is even more pronounced in the northern extension of Washington’s wine growing areas – the Okanagan Valley in Canada. Waterbrook wines are going to be available by the glass at Mignon for the near future. The Mignon wine list, by the way, features over 100 selections by the bottle and over 30 by the glass or half bottle.

The dishes offered us a chance to check out the winter menu at Mignon. The Braised Prime Beef Short Rib with Roasted Butternut Squash, Horseradish Sour Cream and Charred Scallion Vinaigrette was a stellar dish in its own right as well as a fine match with the Merlot. Grilled Quail Salad with Field Greens, Fresh Winter Pear, Marinated Feta, Toasted Filberts, Mixed Berries and Raspberry Champagne Vinaigrette went gently on the vinaigrette, which reminded me that quail is often good paired with Pinot Noir. With that reserve Cabernet we had Mint Crusted Rack of Lamb with White Cheddar and Dino Kale Grits with Port Wine Balsamic Figs. The rack was cooked a tasty medium rare and the earthy grits were ideal for mopping up the port wine sauce. Not a thimbleful went to waste.

So far there are no final plans on bringing Waterbrook wines into the retail trade here, but check out the wines by the glass at Mignon with a meal, or as part of the lively bar scene.

Braised Prime Beef Short Rib with Roasted Butternut Squash, Horseradish Sour Cream and Charred Scallion Vinaigrette

Chile rub New York strip. Photography by Kevin Marple.

When popular Dallas chef Joanne Bondy left her post at Ciudad to work at the ginormous Gaylord Texan, industry folks thought she was crazy. Now, almost six years later, we’re crazy for the improvements and the personal touches she has added to Old Hickory’s menu. It’s still mostly a steak restaurant. Filets, Cowboy rib-eyes, and the Prime rib-eye, topped with blue cheese, smoked bacon, and tobacco onions, are big sellers. But Bondy also offers a separate farm-to-market menu with local and regional ingredients.

Jump for more.

Details below.

Dinners Taking Place on October 20 Across the U.S.

Orlando, Fla.–— On October 20, Ruth’s Chris (www.ruthschris.com) is proud to celebrate 26 generations of best-in-class winemaking from Tuscany’s Antinori family with a special Antinori wine dinner at 38 of its locations across the United States.  At the dinners, guests will enjoy highly-coveted wines like Super-Tuscan Tignanello, along with iconic wines from the Antinori family estates paired with Ruth’s Chris Steak House signature dishes.

Guests dining at the Ruth’s Chris Manhattan location will be joined by special guest Marchese Piero Antinori, chairman and patriarch of the family company and one of the most influential individuals in the wine world.

“We are excited to partner with Antinori and to share the Antinori estate wines from Tuscany and Napa Valley with our loyal customers. With 38 locations participating, this is the largest wine dinner series in our restaurant’s history,” said Helen Mackey, Corporate Director of Beverage Strategy for Ruth’s Hospitality Group. “Our four-course meal created by executive chef Rick Crossland embodies our signature style and is the perfect complement to these iconic wines.”

The menu consists of the following:

1st Course:  Pear, Gorgonzola & Arugula Salad

Paired with Antica Napa Valley Chardonnay

2nd Course:  Roasted Tomato and Crab Soup served with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil from Antinori’s Pèppoli Estate
Paired with Marchese Antinori Chianti Classico Riserva

3rd Course: Wild Mushroom Risotto
Paired with Guado al Tasso

4th Course:  6oz Filet and Cold Water South Atlantic Lobster Tail served with creamy polenta and broccolini gratin
Paired with Tignanello

Dessert
Autumn Pumpkin Cheesecake

Seating is limited and reservations are required. Pricing varies from $95 to $120 per person. For a complete list of participating restaurants and to reserve your space at any of their participating locations, please visit: this link.

Before you jump to conclusions about real vs. lab-created meat, science writer Michael Specter, who traveled to laboratories in the Netherlands and North Carolina to examine the progress scientists have made in developing in vitro meat, is quick to point out that this is real meat. It’s real muscle cells, the same ones that live inside a real cow, minus the environmental bugbears such as pesticides, UV radiation, etc. (Specter wrote about the arguments in favor of lab-made steaks in the May 23 issue of The New Yorker.)

Even though the technology and global feasibility are still in development, I’d lay money on the fact that the technology’s not going to fade away. And being that this is Texas, this is a topic worth familiarizing ourselves with so that we can have a reasonable discussion about the technology’s pros and cons.

Pros: a reduction in animal cruelty and greenhouse gas emissions

Cons: You tell me. Especially in light of rising population numbers and the domino effect of socioeconomic and environmental pitfalls associated with feeding all those people.

Agriculture stats show that the largest share of Texas’ agricultural income is derived from beef cattle. Texas ranks #1 in the country in cattle raised—a number that can exceed 14 million head. That’s about 20 percent of the nation’s beef cattle.

I encourage you to listen to the episode of Fresh Air and read Specter’s article, then return for a discussion in the comments section.

Bob Sambol leaves Bob's Steak & Chop House officially "Bob-less."

Exclusive! Breaking! Must credit SideDish!!

Minutes ago, Bob Sambol told his staff and investors that he is decamping the legendary Bob’s Steak & Chop House to take a job at MCrowd. Come Monday, diners at the Mercury Grill will find Sambol waiting to greet them at the front door. He’ll run that operation and will spearhead an MCrowd foray into fine dining with as-yet-unnamed future restaurants in the Dallas area.

Naturally, if you’ve been playing along at home, you are right now recalling that Sambol is a thief who recently copped to stealing $300,000 from an investor. I asked MCrowd co-owner Ray Washburne why he would take on that risk and the baggage that comes with it. I found it curious that he didn’t have a ready answer and seemed to be thinking out loud as he looked for one. Washburne said Sambol is a talented guy and a hard worker. “In the restaurant business,” he said, “you have very few people who are true restaurateurs, who work the door and know their customers’ names.” Sambol is one of those guys. (Washburne said Al Biernat is another.) But Washburne also said the hire was a real Dallas thing. “One reason Dallas is a great city is if you’re honest and you work hard, people are willing to listen to you,” he said. I replied, “Honest?” Washburne laughed and said, “We’re all sinners. Bob has addressed his issues. He’s looking for a fresh start, and working with the structure that MCrowd has, he can flourish.” Hang on, though. There’s one more reason Washburne gave for making the hire. Sambol got deferred adjudication and is on probation for 10 years. “If he messes up once,” Washburne said, “he’s done. He’s got a gun to his head.” In other words, he thinks Sambol is a safe bet.

For his part, Sambol told Nancy: “I’m really excited. I’ve had some incredible heart-to-heart talks with all of the partners. I’ve been honest with them, and I respect [Mercury Grill chef Chris Ward] and his staff. We are not looking back. We’re looking forward to increasing business and perhaps creating new projects for Chris.”

Ward is known for being, oh, let’s call it quiet. What is going to happen when MCrowd installs an operator at the Mercury who has grown accustomed, over the years, to having his name on the building? “Bob has a great passion for the restaurant business,” Ward said. “He has plans to boost the business at Mercury. We’ve also talked about doing another restaurant together.”