New holiday whoopie pies at Society Bakery.

Last week, Nancy told us about whoopie pies at Tart Bakery and and Maple & Motor Burgers and Beer. One more, and whoopies were a trend, she said. Well, here’s our third: Society Bakery is selling them, and they brought us some to try. In the box: chocolate mint (gourmet Thin Mint, they say), brown sugar, bread pudding, and spice. The pies are saucer-sized and make a great cupcake alternative, IMO. My favorite was the brown sugar. Loved the maple whoopie filling, which is like vanilla frosting but much less sweet. The cake-to-frosting ratio will also likely be appealing to pepole who get overwhelmed with mile-high frosted cupcakes.

If these look good to you and you want a sample, stop by Society tomorrow night from 6–8 for their joint open house with the Corner Market. They will be giving away samples of these new flavors as well as some of their other goodies.

Nama, or “draft” sake, is unpasteurized or pasteurized just once instead of twice. Its flavor and aroma, not always favored by sake purists, tends to be more brash, more in-your-face. For “new world” and fusion cuisine, however, I personally think it’s an exciting taste frontier. “Namas” also tend to me umami “bombs” and can serve as more examples for those wanting to familiarize themselves with this “fifth taste”. Namas have to be refrigerated for the entirety of its relatively short life, from fermentation through consumption. If a consumer sees a sake labeled “draft” on unrefrigerated store shelves, it might not be a “real” nama.

I’ll lead a discussion of sake tasting, and specifically namazake, at our five-course dinner on Nov 11th, where I will, hopefully, be able to announce the latest sake certification by a Kenichi sake service team member. We’re all wishing him the best as he pursues this endeavor!

Dinner is $100 per person plus tax and gratuity. 214-871-8883

The dinner menu, using seasonal, befitting the Autumn theme, and, in some cases, local ingredients, is below, as are sake pairings. Some of these sakes are introduced to Texas at this dinner (to be truthful, I’m still working out the logistics of getting it here). One is a aged nama genshu, unpasteurized and undiluted (almost 19% alcohol, “cask strength”) but rested for 2 years–rather rare. This example is from Hiroshima, where the very very soft water used in production often leads to a luxurious mouth feel.

Kenichi Dallas Autumn 2009 Sake Dinner
11 November 2009
An exploration of nama (“unpasteurized”) sake

First Course
Seto Naikai (Seto inland sea) mirugai (geoduck) and hokkigai (surf clam) salad
Autumn sansai (mountain vegetables)
Japanese vinaigrette

Chikurin Taoyaka “Elegance” nama-chozo junmai daiginjo (Okayama)

Second Course
Roasted kabocha soup
Pan-seared Hokkaido sea scallops
Vanilla crème fraiche
Pumpkin oil

Ama no to “Heaven’s Gate” nama junmai (Akita)

Third Course
Awaji-shima bo-zushi
Shiro shoyu
Oroshi of ginger

Nanbu Bijin “Southern Beauty” nama junmai Ginjo (Iwate)

Fourth Course
Peppercorn-dusted Broken Arrow Ranch Texas sika sirloin
Matsutake and Grilled Shishito
Roasted heirloom fingerling potatoes

Kamoizumi “Red Maple” 2-year aged namagenshu ginjo (Hiroshima)

Fifth Course
Japonica (Japanese short grain) mango rice pudding
Molasses drizzle
Matcha shortbread cookie

Masumi Arabashiri “First Run” nama ginjo (Nagano)

Items subject to availability
$100 per person plus tax & gratuity

Ranchman’s Café has been a figure on what remains of the Texas Blackland Prairie around Ponder (east of Denton) since 1948. (Or 14 years after Bonnie and Clyde attempted to rob the Ponder State Bank just down the street.) The spirit of long-time owner and founder Grace “Pete” Jackson lives on under the ownership of Dave Ross who worked as a cook for Pete in the 70s while he attended UNT.

I discovered Ranchman’s in 1970 when I was a freshman at UNT (them NTSU). My friends and I used to rent horses in Denton, ride across the land, and tie our fillies to the railing at the old post office across the street from Ranchman’s. We feasted on hand-cut steaks that Pete chicken-fried in a pan and homemade pie and napped under the big pecan tree down the road.

Fast forward to last Sunday when my mom, her friend Ann, and I drove up for a nostalgic dinner. The place looks the same: the linoleum on the original tables has been worn down to the wood. Instead of pan-fried T-bones, the kitchen tenderizes round steak, dips it in flour, and milk tosses it in a deep fryer. Almost everything on the side is fried: green tomatoes, squash, and most of the vegetables-of-the-day. Ranchman’s Café make Blythe Beck’s naughty food look like spa cuisine. Enough reading, watch the video for a tour of the restaurant and a chicken fried steak cooking demonstration. Reservations: 940-479-2221 (pre-order baked potatoes.)

The City of Dallas Health Department has decided that the Celebration Farmers Market is in violation of certain codes. Celebration was told on 2 previous occasions that we could operate a Farmers Market in our parking lot under our existing permits. We strongly believe that all food handling practices and food products at the Farmers Market were perfectly safe. We have complied strictly with all Health Department codes for 38 years and take our responsibility to public health VERY SERIOUSLY.

We appreciate the warm welcome and support that you’ve provided our Saturday Farmers Market. We believe that what we along with our wonderful vendors are offering is a safe, fun and convenient setting for you to purchase healthy, delicious, local produce and other products.

We are going to approach the Dallas City Council to explore how the code can be modified to allow the Celebration Farmers Markets and others like us to provide a valuable service to the citizens of Dallas while protecting the public health.

I have contacted Ed and asked him for instructions on how you can sign the petition he plans to take to the Dallas City Council. Stay tuned. (OMG, I can hear Amy Severson already.)

Well established 18+ years, diner for sale in Dallas, located in a popular shopping district. Open 6 days a week Monday thru Friday 6am to 8pm Saturday 6am to 3pm Sunday closed. We serve breakfast, lunch & dinner that has been written up in such periodicals as: “D magazine, Dallas Morning News, Chanel 5 news, The Observer, and many other smaller publications” for being a great place to come and get some down home cooking food. We seat 160, and many times are at capacity with a line out the door. Staff is kind and courteous, and many have been here since the opening of the store 18 years ago creating many regular customers. Owner is wanting to move closer to his family who live too far away for a commute.

Oh time consuming guessing games. Love them. Let’s see, opened in September of 1991…I’d say the “kind staff” alone is worth $800,000.

The winning chef and somm get a week’s stay at the Culinary Institute of America’s Greystone Campus in Cali.

Here’s a hint: the winning restaurant served a grilled Texas peach salad with a Brazos brie crouton.

Jump for the winners.

Winners of the 2009 AIWF D/FW Chapter Wine & Food Pairing Contest
For KRLD Restaurant Week – Presented by Central Market

It is with great pleasure that AIWF D/FW Chapter is announcing first, second and third place winners of this year’s AIWF D/FW Chapter Wine and Food Pairing contest in conjunction with KRLD Restaurant Week.
Drum Roll Please!!!

DALLAS (August 27, 2009) – - Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek took first place with exceptional pairings of the incomparable team of Eric Brandt, Executive Sous Chef and Michael Flynn, Wine and Beverage Director. Those dining at the iconic restaurant were all abuzz over the terrific pairings throughout their menu. “The pairings were incredible, balancing and enhancing flavors with every course.” commented Cheryl Neufeld. Additionally, the Frisée and Grilled Texas Peach Salad with Brazos Brie crouton matched smoothly with the wine’s bright red fruits which complimented the peach. The slightest hint of white pepper on the finish tied in nicely to the slightly bitter frisée. The wine pairing for the salad was Domaine de Nizas Rose, Coteaux de Languedoc, 2007 (a Wine Spectator top 100) which proved a favorite of Christina LaBarba. “The magnificent texture of the salad combined with the wine is unbelievable!” she claimed. When Michael was asked about the restaurant week popularity at The Mansion, he replied “Comments from our guests have been consistently favorable. We have had a sizeable percentage of our Restaurant Week diners opt for the wine pairings, which I think has enhanced their dining experience considerably”. As first place winners Michael and Eric will each receive a scholarship to the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley. Michael! Eric! Congrats! You are Napa bound!

Second place goes to Executive Chef Matt McCallister and Wine Director Brian Boomer of Stephan Pyles Restaurant. These two creative professionals developed a first class experience that included an imaginative menu of food and wine featuring both familiar and exotic flavors of Texas. Mexican Chocolate Fondant with Fleur de Sel Caramel and Kahlua Creama paired with Marenco Brachetto D’ Acqui “Pineto” Piedmonte DOCG 2008 was definitely the most popular choice for dessert. Brian said, “People just go crazy over it!” As second place winners these two great “foodie” minds will be awarded monetary prizes for their Wine and Food pairing achievement. Kudos to Matt and Brian!

Third place is awarded to Hilton/Anatole’s Nana restaurant team of Executive Chef, Anthony Bombaci and Wine Director, Russell Burkett for their superb pairings. The unique culinary style of Chef Bombaci delivered European flavors with Italian- influenced dishes paired with Burkett’s choice of world renowned wines. As third place winners Tony and Russell will receive monetary prizes for their Wine and Food pairing achievement.

This is the tenth year of the AIWF D/FW Chapter’s contest. The committee for this year’s contest was Chaired by AIWF D/FW Chapter Board member Kelly DeKort with assistance from Debbie McKeever, Chair of AIWF D/FW Chapter and Marianne Howells of KRLD radio.  Judges are recruited by Coordinator Michele Axley, a culinary professional from Dallas and Northern California. The identities of the judges for the contest are not revealed. Each is considered a leader in their culinary field

For those that are not familiar with Restaurant Week, KRLD Restaurant Week it is a charitable event in which participating restaurants expand their usual dining experience to patrons at a remarkable reduced cost of $35.00 for a three course menu. Price of wine pairings is left to the discretion of the restaurant. Seven dollars of that cost is donated by the restaurant to North Texas Food Bank and the Lena Pope Home. A majority of participating restaurants will continue offering their Restaurant Week menu through Labor Day weekend. A list of participating restaurants can be found online on the KRLD website.

This is the shrimp cocktail. It is a nitrate and sulfite-free shrimp from the Gulf. It was served in a nifty, square-shaped chilled glass with house made c**ktail sauce and a dollup of horseradish. It tasted like shrimp cocktail. We loved it.

This is the almond crusted brie appetizer. Taste memory: mozzarella sticks from childhood, except way better. I made this comment aloud and Connie from Modern Luxury said, “well, that’s an interesting comparison.” What she was thinking was, “go back to Applebee’s, you no-palate-having pleb.” The triangle-shaped nuggets were served with strawberry/ginger/balsamic jam and marsala wine jelly. That jam was to die.

Salad time. This one is called “That Salad.” For real. It has blue cheese, Michigan cherries, and candied pistachios. The salad was created around the nuts because during tastings everyone would say “gimme gimme more of those nuts,” meaning the pistachios. So, they called it That Salad, because of “those nuts.” Got it? No? Moving on.

This is a little sampler plate of mains and sides. We tried the cowboy rib-eye, the filet, the jalapeno-crusted striped bass, oven-roasted taters, creamed spinach and creamed corn. The meat served at BPPPL is from Allan Brothers. It is wet-aged for 21–35 days. The corn was my favorite because they added some polenta, which made it creamier and fantastic.

This dish may or may not be on the menu when/if you eat at BPPPL. It is a purple Peruvian potato mash with a blue cheese cream sauce. They aren’t sure if it will sell. We all thought it was good but look at it–richer than Mr. Bailey himself. And oh yes, they will have baked potatoes, so LB will be happy.

For dessert, we tried the Bailey’s Boozy Hot Fudge Sundae, with Bailey’s ice cream, Belgian hot chocolate, Heath Bar crumbles, cherries, and almonds.  It tasted good. Real good.

Here are the toppings, served on the side, so that I could dump a whole bunch of chocolate and Heath Bar on there and make it more like eating a chocolate-covered Heath Bar with a side of ice cream than an ice cream sundae.

Last thoughts: The high ceilings, gold accents, and fake/real trees reminded me of Vegas, which is where Bailey got some of his inspiration. They are catering to ladies who lunch, they said, and I can see that crowd enjoying the lofty space (and it doesn’t hurt that the rest is right across the street from NorthPark). That is all.

Society Bakery's NKOTB cake. The hottest one is second from the right.

A couple of weeks ago, a very exciting thing happened. The New Kids on the Block came to town. If you get my newsletter (Oh, you don’t? Sign up here) or ever check out www.dmagazine.com, you probably already know how excited this makes me. (I know it’s not the coolest thing in the world, but we all have our guilty pleasures, and this one’s mine. Haters to the left.) So when Roshi Muns from Society Bakery sent me this picture, I had to know more details. Like, why wasn’t I invited to this party. Here is her story:

The New Kids manager found us. They had asked a local contact where to get an awesome cake and they said Society Bakery! So they sent us their tour poster to get inspiration. The party was a private band and crew party at Gilleys the night before their Friday night concert. It was to celebrate the completion of 140 shows on their tour. They took the pic and sent an email saying they loved it. And this week they sent us a care package with hats and t-shirts and blankets and cds and even baby clothes. We put their pic up in the bakery.

The cake was half chocolate, half vanilla, with vanilla frosting. I’m posting this because I know I’m not the only person out there who wants to squeal a little bit when they see this picture. Also, props to Society Bakery. I need to come visit. And after I leave, if you’re missing a t-shirt or two, I don’t know anything about it.

Washington State, where Dallas/Keller Mel actually lives.

Well friends, we have almost reached the end of The Next Food Network Star. We are this close to finding out who will be the next Bobby/Giada/Rachael/Sandra/Paula. Last night, we got down to two. Dallas Mel is still bringing it. But wait! WTF is this? Oh, man!! I’ve already written my entire recap, so even though I feel quite deflated, here it is anyway. Sad face.

Well here we are again, in Miami, watching “I’m Korean, ya’ll” Debbie blow-dry her hair. “I’ve had some lapses in judgment,” she admits. Um, yep. After they get ready, she and Dallas/Keller/Kirkland Mel and dreamy Jeffrey are greeted by Emeril. There was some commotion in my house at this moment, so I missed the details, but I gleaned that Em tells them they will be making three courses in three hours, and there will be a demo during the dinner. Also, they are to be “inspired” by a new film called Julie & Julia. The contestants watch a free screening (read: ENORMOUS movie plug) and get all wide-eyed about Julia Child and what she means to them. They laugh, they cry. Then, it’s off to shop at some Whole Foods market knockoff. Mel decides her menu will be: ratatouille, chicken and potato tart, and salad and cheese. Deb mentions “Seoul to Soul” about 600 times. She is making Korean shortribs for her second course, BBQ shrimp for first, and a fried egg roll for dessert. Jeff is making seared scallops, seafood risotto, and mousse. He gets to the register, and the total pops up: $317. They had $1000 to spend. At this point, I think I’d be grabbing some extras or something, but Jeff is his usual calm self.

The contestants are taken to a private house in Miami where they will cook. The heavens open up and the angels sing when the walk in. The place is like a huge white box with a long table in the middle. Our three walk around the room and look at the nametags: Rick Bayless, Morimoto, Tyler Florence, Marcus Sammuelson, the Neelys, they’re all there. They walk in to the kitchen, and then, OMG! Michael, Katie, and Jam/Tam are there to be sous chefs! What a surprise! Or not, because this happens on every stinkin reality cooking show! Anyway, they start cooking, and Deb is very concerrrrrrned about Jeff’s risotto. Yeah, I’ll bet she is. Jam/Tam is helping Mel and whoopsie, the orzo she’s making is waaaay too salty. Luckily she has a backup, but then with six minutes to go (or so they make it seem), she pulls what appears to be a raw tart out of the oven. So this is where we are all supposed to think she is crashing and burning. Meanwhile Katie keeps asking Jeff about the risotto. “Um, are you SURE you want this much liquid? Really, like this? Are you sure? Absolutely sure? Double-dog sure?” He says yes and we all know where this is going…

Our (former) girl Mel comes out first. She’s smiley and talking pretty slowly about her.entire.life. There’s some tough stuff in there, for sure, but the speech went a little long IMO. And for some reason, the Neely woman was crying, but maybe Morimoto had just spit his straw wrapper at her from across the table. Bobby calls her poetic. Then she serves the rat-a-touille and the Neely man likes it. Next up is the brick chicken, which she also demos. It was kinda weird to see them demo’ing to these chefs and treating them like they are just Food Network viewers (now, make sure the pan is hot and place the chicken skin-side down, etc). But, that’s the way they had to do it. Everyone loves the brick chicken and surprise! The potato tart is not raw but perfectly cooked. She does a salad and cheese dessert (what they have for dessert every night at her house, grumble), but the hit is really the little pastry she also serves on the plate. Even Francois Payard loves it. So, she does well. Really, really well.

Next up is Debbie. She literally runs out to the table. She tells some story I don’t pay much attention to, and then serves her BBQ shrimp on a savory corn salad (would corn salad be sweet?). Tyler calls her out by telling her it’s not very “Seoul to Soul.” Ha, hahahhahaha. Alex-the-chef-from-Butter told her “we want you to bleed culture.” Ew. The shortribs got mixed reviews due to the relative toughness of the meat compared to “usual” preparations of shortribs (”we Koreans like to gnaw on our meat,” Deb said). Bayless liked it, but then again, he hadn’t said much lately and maybe just needed some face time (facetime!). Deb demos her fried egg roll dessert, and Neely man loved it, but Marcus Samuelsson’s dough was raw. However, Deb was undeterred. “I feel like yeah, I rocked it,” she said when it was finished. Next up is Jeff, and I gotta say, I really noticed Susie perking up when he came out today. She kinda fluttered. He demos his scallop and does it pretty much flawlessly, though he didn’t plate it that I saw, which struck me as weird but no one else thought so. Tyler loved it, everyone loved it. BUT. The risotto is up next. And we all already know where this is going–in fact, sous-chef Katie probably caught the first cab out of there after plating it up. He’s explaining how the dish represents his “wife on a plate,” (!), and the chefs faces are going are slowly going snarly and sour as they chew. Jeff pauses to breathe, and he really, really shouldn’t have done that. “This is the worst risotto I’ve ever had,” Payard spouts off. “This is a DISRESPECT TO ITALY!!” yells Marcus S. They all seemed really, really offended…but they didn’t really explain why…it was undercooked? Too soupy? Was the fish bad? Who knows. Anyway, they hate it, and Jeff crawls out from under the table long enough to talk about his mousse and biscotti. Thank G it’s not a disrespect to eggs or something. That part is over, and now it’s time for judging.

So, we head back into the brightly-lit judging room, and someone says, “this is arguably the most difficult challenge of the season.” What’s to argue about? Cooking for those chefs would be tough for anyone, any day. Bob says Mel keeps surprising him, and the pastry was the best thing he ate all day. Then he says Jeff had a “magical moment” in the demo, but they are all stuck on the fact that he only spent $300 of his $1000. Bobby F. wanted more flavor out of Deb. They all get a chance to talk. Mel says the same thing she did last week, about being a voice for housewives, and Deb decides that she “understands the whole population of America!!” Barf. The judges deliberate. Bobby does NOT like Deb, thank goodness, because everyone else does. Bob says Jeff “has the goods.” The contestants come back in. Mel is safe! Then…omgomgomg…Jeff stays. Deb is ouuuutttta heeeeere! Finally. But she handles it pretty well. Mel and Jeff chat on the balcony and they are pretty cute. Nothing bad to say about either one of them (ed note: obvs this was written before the Washington info). Next week: Their own pilots.  Until then…

A Miami resident I'd like to meet: Gloria Estefan.

Sorry for the delay in posting. Since three days have elapsed since the show, hopefully I won’t get yelled at in the comments for telling you who leaves up front. It’s really coming down to the wire for our Dallas/Keller Mel. This week, the heat was still on in Miami. Bobby wore a fedora. Jump for it.

So, the ep begins and our finalists are in Miami. For the first challenge, they will appear on a morning show, called “Wake Up, Miami!” or something like that. They will each be presenting a dish, which seems straightforward enough, but what they don’t know is Bob and Susie and guest judge Michael Symon are in the back room with Ashton Kutcher planning to punk them. Well, Ashton isn’t there, but the others are planning on pulling pranks on live tv. Nice. Deb goes first. Symon has stolen her utensils. Come on, FN! You can do better than this. Deb doesn’t even hesitate when she can’t find her whisk/fork/spatula, she just does it with her hands. Girl did good. Next is Jeff, who has “audio problems,” which means a huge fuzzy mic is jammed in his face during the segment. Does he flinch? Not a chance. Just runs his fingers through his hair and says it’s all good. Our girl Mel has the unfortunate task of dealing with the host, who becomes totally overbearing and decides to add his own ingredients to her dish, like an entire bottle of hot sauce into her tapenade. Unfortunately, she goes into overdrive mode, spouting “herewegoherewegoherewego” over and over again. Jam/Tam is last, and she gets the meanest prank of all–the stage manager tells her to wrap it up when she actually has two minutes left, then tells her to speed up, stretch it out, etc. This was the hardest one, IMO. She handles it okay, but doesn’t smile and appears very stressed (ya think?). Deb is the winner (”I won a challenge!!!” she screams, and I punch the TV), and the crew moves along to the next challenge, which we will refer to us the Red Lobster Challenge. In this challenge, our brave contestants will be cooking seafood outside on a grill. They will only be able to use the grill, nothing else. The winner of the RLC gets their dish on the menu at Red Lobster for like, two days or something. Okay, sorta challenging, but the contestants go into the safe zone and start creating dishes that fit in their comfy zones (Deb goes asian, Jeff goes tex/mex, Jam/Tam goes Carribean).
So everyone starts sweating and cooking. Bobby shows up in his fedora and Ray Bans and throws a curve ball. They are going to take away some of the contestant’s ingredients. Pretty clever. So, Jeff’s chilis go away, and he gets asian ingreidents in their place; Mel gets habanero peppers instead of citrus, Jam/Tam gets her pineapple replaced with celery root, and Deb gets mediterranean ingredients instead of her asian ones. So obviously, everyone is flipping out. Mel throws about 100 habaneros on the grill, Jeff rubs his forehead a lot, Jam/Tam looks for a cookbook under the table. Deb is the only one who seems calm. She takes her anchovies, olives, and CAPERS, and begins cooking away.

During the cooking, the judges are just staring them down, peppering them with questions. Jam/Tam totally loses it here. “I’m irritated!” she screams when Bob T. asks her how she’s doing. Everyone else handles it in stride.

Jeff wins with his wasabi-coated shrimp and barramundi in asian broth, though I kinda thought Mel was going to take it with her habanero-marinated fish. Jam/Tam’s dish gets praise, but Deb blows it when Bobby asks her where the capers are. “In the dressing,” she says. “No, you didn’t give me any capers, just olives,” she corrects. “Um, excuse me, my name is BOBBY FLAY AND YOU WILL NOT CORRECT ME,” screams Bobby as his hat pops off. In judging, the crew is NOT happy with Deb for lying, and everyone is confused about why she continues to do this. She cries a little bit and she is safe. Jam/Tam goes home. She just didn’t bring it. Kept saying that we hadn’t seen the best of her yet–when, exactly, were you planning on bringing it, Jam/Tam? Never? Oh, okay, cool. See ya.

Next week, final three. They really, really like Deb. I’m still rooting for Dallas Mel. I like Jeffrey too but Mel’s got more “fire,” like Bobby said. And, Emeril will be there, and so will Tyler (yum), and Morimoto, and the lady chef with spiky blond hair. It’s going to be a good one. Until then…

I just called Coal Vines to ask if they took reservations, and the lady who answered the phone was VERY rude.  She said they didn’t take reservations in an angry tone, and then I asked if she had an estimate of what the wait would be on a Friday night (usually they have some sort of idea)… (this is what makes me mad) she said “I don’t know; it’s not like I have a crystal ball.”

I have had several unpleasant phone experiences dealing with restaurants. People who answer the phones at restaurants should be trained to know how important their job is–they are, in some cases, a customers first contact with the business. It’s one thing to lose a customer after bad food or service, it’s quite another to lose them when they are in the process of choosing where to dine. Coal Vines just lost customer for life.

This burger is not from Dallas. It can’t be good.

Sometimes when I read food stories in Texas Monthly I get really jealous of their food reviewer, Pat Sharpe. I mean that skinny bitch has the whole state of Texas to choose from when she eats and writes. There have been so many times when I have been sitting in a dive-of-a restaurant somewhere in Texas and I find myself saying, “This would be such a great Texas Monthly story.”

Of course, instead of sending the information to Pat like a respectable colleague, I sit on it. Yes, that is not nice, but it is the way I roll. Who knows, Pat could move to New York and Evan Smith could call me and say, “Hey remember all of those Texas Monthly story ideas you had? Why don’t you come down here and write them for us? You can have an office right next door to Brian D. Sweany and we will pay you $10 a word.”

POP! SMACK! Fade to reality:
The cover story for the August issue of Texas Monthly reveals the 50 Best Burgers in Texas. In the same issue, there is a story by Gary Cartwright, a writer I liked until he wrote that stupid nostalgic  piece on  geezer sportswriters in June (no link, find it yourself). Anywhoo, Mr. Cartwright is going to prove to all of us that the hamburger was invented in Texas. And I am going to weigh 110 pounds tomorrow morning.

So, we have TexMo’s take on the best hamburgers in Dallas and how they rank in the state. I can’t wait. It’s such a great Dallas story.

The Power Lunch is available Mon–Fri, 11:00am–2pm. Call 214-397-4111 for reservations.

UPDATE: The Power Lunch menu will feature two first course options, three second course options, and two dessert options. These dishes are not on the regular Craft menu, they are speeeeshal. The menu will be “refreshed” every week. Now you know.

Green beans and serrano ham at Si.

D intern Sara Stoltz lived in Spain for three years where she taught English and wrote for an English-language magazine and a national culinary magazine. She got to meet lots of temperamental Spanish chefs (names please, SS) and eat plenty of Spanish food. Here is her first impression of Si Tapas & Spanish Cuisine in Uptown.

After living in Madrid for three years, I thought I’d had my fill of all things tortilla and chorizo. Instead, being back in the states now I find that every Sunday I long to linger over a big chunk of mellow manchego and a nice slice of tortilla or as we say in Dallas, Spanish omelet. Even though I did a lot of cooking in Spain and my tortilla-flipping skills are still in shape, I prefer to go out to eat.

Tortilla with squiggly lines of aioli at Si.

If I lived near Oak Lawn, I’d make Si Tapas & Spanish Cuisine part of my weekly routine. Si is the brainchild of former Hola! owner Ildefonso Jimenez. He took over the charming cottage on Allen Street that was recently vacated by Watel’s. The patio in front could  pass for one of the many terrazas that line Madrid’s tiny streets, except there are no heavy clouds of cigarette smoke in your face at Si. 

I went to Si for a lazy Sunday afternoon lunch. The menu is extensive, with dishes from all over Spain: sausage from Mallorca and Cabrales, a super-strong, acidic blue cheese from Asturias in northern Spain. Our first plates were green beans with Dijon mustard and thinly sliced serrano ham, and a tortilla, which didn’t come as a cake-like slab but as an individual little tart with lines of aioli squirted back and forth across the top. The tortilla was too dry for my tastes, I prefer them runny and with more onion.

Next up was thick slices of morcilla, fried blood sausage, which we found too salty until we added a chunk of manchego and a slice of bread to each bite. And finally, a hearty bowl of fabada Asturiana, a white-bean and sausage soup that is the most comforting thing you can eat on a cold night in Spain, but probably too heavy for the middle of July in Dallas.

The genius of Spanish food lies in its simplicity. Most of the great tapas dishes have no more than a few ingredients. At Si, presentation isn’t over-the-top; it is Spanish—straightforward and matter-of-fact. Si has a great Spanish wine list and nice staff, which is not something you usually find in Spain.

Si is the most authentic Spanish restaurant I’ve tried in Dallas. If there were a few hipsters in tight jeans and outdated American rock band t-shirts hanging around Allen Street, I would feel like I was back on the Iberian peninsula. 2207 Allen St., 214-720-0324.

The Dirty Dozen Cooking Class is an interactive cooking class. Students come to Abacus in Dallas at 2:00 P.M. on a Sunday afternoon and receive a personalized Abacus chef’s jacket. The class is then divided into four teams. The teams are headed up by Executive Chef/Partner Kent Rathbun, Executive Sous Chef Jermaine Brown, Abacus Sous Chef Omar Flores, and Abacus Pastry Chef Rick Griggs. Each team spends the day preparing one of four courses, which includes dessert (unless the theme is buffet). At the end of the day (around 5:30 P.M.), each student invites one guest for dinner, wine, and a great time. Instead of leaving with recipes, you will leave with the knowledge of “how to.”

Jump for the schedule and the hoops.

***Payment is due at the time of booking and refunds will be not be issued for cancellations within two weeks of the class.  If we can rebook your spot, you will receive a full refund. There may be times when Chef Kent cannot make the class and there will one of our other chefs in his place.

The cost is $400 per class
All spaces will ONLY be filled by email.  As soon as you see a class you like, sign up asap, the classes tend to sell out within hours of this email being sent out.
To sign up for the classes please email donnat@kentrathbun.com
For more information you can call Donna Tanner at 469-867-3681

August 30, 2009
Italian
Learn to create a traditional and delicious Italian meal! Travel Italy with us and combine fresh ingredients with a good time. Italian wines will accompany the meal. Chef Aaron Staudenmaier will take Chef Kent’s place for this class.

September 13, 2009
French
Join us in our celebration of classic and inventive French food. We will take a journey into the many regions of France, where we will experience what is undeniably one of the world’s most sought after cuisine. Our journey will be complemented with French wine pairings. Bon Appétit!

October 11, 2009
Breakfast and Brunch
Come taste our chefs favorite morning foods. When you plan your foodie gatherings, don’t forget the most important meal of the day! A festive brunch can make a get together even more special. This class will start at 9:00 am and your guest should arrive at 12:00. Chef Aaron Staudenmaier will take Chef Kent’s place for this class.

November 5, 2009
Holiday
Prepare a five star holiday meal with all of the fixings. Our chefs will show you how to create an unforgettable, traditional holiday feast. Learn to professionally arrange your dishes for an exquisite holiday meal. Don’t miss turkey and all the trimmings at this buffet! Chef Aaron Staudenmaier will take Chef Kent’s place for this class.

December 6, 2009
Comfort Food
With cold, gray days upon us, what better time to enjoy a comforting and hearty meal. With Rathbun’s Blue Plate kitchen open, Chef Kent and the others are sure to have some great dishes up their sleeve.

What are the main factors you take into consideration when starting a wine list?
The main factor is always food. Does the wine (which always comes second to the food) match the weight of the food, method of preparation, style(s) of cuisine, and regions of specified cuisine? Secondly, the type of restaurant; is it fine dining, semi fine, casual, or a lounge atmosphere? Then, where is the location and what are the demographics? You can’t write a killer wine list for a fancy place in the middle of Kaufman! Nor can you have a casual wine list for a three-Michelin joint in the heart of a metropolis.

Do you have a certain number in mind, price range, budget?
There is always a number I shoot for. My idea was to have a list with minimum 300 labels. The labels show our guests and consumers that we pay enough attention to detail to pretty much include all styles, regions, sub-regions and producers. Guests want to feel like they have more than their eyeful of producers they are familiar with. Then you have to include the geeky producers and geeky regions and grapes. This takes the guests on a vacation they have never been on before or gives them something to try that they have only heard of or read about in articles.

Pricing always needs to be competitive for your area because you don’t want your neighboring restaurant stealing the business! And it is never comfortable when a guest tells you they saw John Doe Cabernet Sauvignon at the spot next door for $60 cheaper on their wine list. But at the same time, ambience, service, and venue come into play with a wine list, so certain wines based on availability, allocation, and name can garner a higher price on the list.

Budget is not really a factor, because these days there are great wines in all categories of pricing and vintners and winemakers are making such balanced and harmonious wines at all price ranges.

Where do you start? What was your budget at Five Sixty? How big was the wine list?
At Five Sixty, I started with Wolf, because he is Austrian. I picked every Riesling, Gruner Veltliner, Sylvaner, Furmint, Kerner,  Blaufrankisch, and Zweigelt I could find. Think cuisine! Then I went to Germany, Alsace, Loire, Burgundy, and then Oregon. Why? All of these wines are feminine, light, elegant, and compliment the food exceptionally well. Then I rounded off with the heavy hitters of Bordeaux, Napa, Italy, Washington, and Australia. The wine list was pretty big, with $160,000 in wine inventory only.

Did you have specific regions you focused on? How did you choose those?
Since the cuisine was mostly Asian, you have to think about spices, herbs, types of protein, weight of protein. So I focused on regions that are synonymous with the given style of food and went straight to Burgundy, Germany, and Austria. Pinot, Chard, Riesling, and Gruner have different tiers of crispness and acidity per given vineyard, so knowing their styles I paired based on the given menus style.

How do you price the wines? Is it an across-the-board markup or do you price them differently?
Most wines receive an across-the-board markup, but wines that are rare, highly sought after and highly allocated, or Puck Restaurant only, receive a different and slightly higher markup. The markup on the wines varied from bottle to bottle. [In reference to the Belle Glos Taylor Lane Pinot Noir, priced at $127] I did have Taylor Lane on the list at a 34% markup, which is very average and comparable to what other fine venues would offer. Normal markups were anywhere from 25% to 40%. You never want to price yourself out of the game, but you always have to take into consideration the service element, as well as ambiance, staff, name, and knowledge of sommelier on staff. All of these roll into pricing factor.Single vineyard stuff is always more expensive, and if you are the only place in a city or the state that got the allocation, you can charge what you want!

How did you tailor your wine list to Dallas’s clientele, specifically? Were there certain wines you felt you had to include?
Dallas diners love to spend big so I surely gave them those hitters that they could depend on. But on the flip side, the masses need to be able to pick a $70 Cab and a $50 Pinot. Dallas diners want diversity. I was able to corner every style and profile for that level of comfort.

How do you educate a staff on a wine list that large?
Daily tastings and seminars for servers, bartenders, and the like. The staff needs to have every wine by the glass hit their palate, and even wines from the menu. Then there are weekly and sometimes daily tests to keep all information fresh as well as geography lessons on grape variety and type, because one needs to know there is difference in Cabernet coming from four different regions based on climate and that affects food greatly. There is nothing worse than an uneducated server not knowing how to pair and suggest different wines with different foods.

What do you think is the best way to organize a list? By varietal, country, flavor, etc?

Always organize country first, then region, then varietal (and vineyard where applicable). The wine list must have flow and starting at the country then dwindling down is the only way that makes sense for me.

What were some of your favorites that went on the list?
Servin Chablis, Lopez de Heredia Rioja Tondonia, Matrot Meursault, Mikulski Volnay, Fontodi Flaccianello, Gobelsburg Riesling Gobelsburger, Chiquet Brut Rose Champagne… just to name a few!

Here is the official information from the family:

There will be a visitation Sunday, July 5th from 7 to 9 pm at Turrentine Jackson & Morrow (2525 Central Expressway. Allen, TX  75013. 972-542-2601) Funeral mass will take place Monday, July 6 at 10:00 am at Holy Cross Catholic Church (7000 Morningstar
The Colony, TX  75056. 972-625-5252.

Services will be followed by a reception at the church. If you like to participate in the preparation of the reception, please call 214-217-2818.

If you attend and are a chef, please wear your “chef’s best” to honor François and to reaffirm our commitment and friendship to the great profession that we have chosen.

Please keep Catherine, Antoine and Julia in your prayers.

J.T. Lemley.

Saturday the Dallas Farmers Market was teaming with a bounty of good eats. After the ice cream social, I headed to Shed 1 to pick up some local goodies. The temperature hovered around 102 degrees. Sadly, JuHa Ranch was  sold out of beef and the checkout line at Texas Meats Supernatural–a marketing co-op of Rehoboth Ranch, Truth Hill Farm, and Windy Meadows Family Far–was too long.

J.T. Lemley: The farmers touch.

However, the ever-present J.T. Lemley was full of tomatoes and peaches and Dr. Blueberry was selling the sweetest dang berries I’ve ever eaten.

Thanks to Esquire for this photo.

Recently I dined at Café on the Green and perused Master Sommelier James Tidwell’s wine list. Sure the restaurant is in the tony Four Seasons at Las Colinas and there are a lot of business types looking for a good steak and a California Cabernet, but I found a lot of unique and reasonably priced wines. Obviously Tidwell has a knack for taking wine seriously but not to the point of making it unapproachable.

I asked Tidwell to show us his favorite picks. Guess what? He did.

“I like to recommend interesting finds, but do not want to
intimidate, alienate, or otherwise put people off wine by using esoteric or
obscure specialty items,” said Tidwell. “On the other hand, why recommend what people
already know, love, and drink daily? Tough decisions!”

Jump for the joy of wine.

So, here is a mixed bag of goodies from the list. Bottle prices are in
parentheses.

Our by the glass wines are tasty and have some options that are a half-step
away from what people immediately recognize:
- Leth Gruner Veltliner 2007 ($57) – Spot-on example of gruner veltliner.
Aromatic, yet savory; lively, yet substantive; restrained, yet delicious.
And, many people have heard of gruner and Austrian wine, so I don’t
consider this recommendation as revolutionary as in years past.
- Sanguineti Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2005 ($89) – A little pricier
than some Chianti’s, but well worth the money. A wonderful example of the
Sangiovese grape with all the character and depth of great Tuscan wine.
YUM!
- Gilles Robin Crozes-Hermtiage Papillon 2005 ($85) – No oak makes this the
unadultered Syrah wunderkind. Peppery blue and red fruits with a rich,
meaty quality make it worth twice as much money. Really.
And, three other choices:
- 75 Wine Company Amber Knolls Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 ($67) – Has
the green olive note and ripe fruit of well-made Cab. A favorite of the
servers, and a real value. Plus, it is from Lake County, so a little off
the map for most wine drinkers.
-Villa Wolf Pinot Gris 2007 ($37) – Yes, from Germany! And, an excellent
example of the wine. Crisp, clean, and light. Has a little more weight than
some Italian offerings, but just shy of some Oregon offerings. A great
aperitif or food wine.
- Meibo Yowano Tsuki Midnight Moon Junmai Ginjo Sake ($45) – Ahhh. Fruity,
with grain and mineral notes; restrained, with hidden layers; refreshing,
with a tangy finish. This is an amazing beverage for food, especially
during the summer. Why don’t more people drink sake? (That’s a rhetorical
question, but feel free to misinterpret it.)

Hope this is what you wanted. Please let me know if you need more
information, or other recommendations.

Photo courtesy of Bravotv.com. (Sidenote: Kelly Choi: prettier than Padma? Discuss.)

This week’s chefs were Wylie Dufresne (WD-50 in NYC), Graham Elliot Bowles (Graham Elliot in Chicago), Elizabeth Falkner (Citizen Cake in San Francisco) and Suzanne Tracht (Jar in Los Angeles). The QF Challenge was the vending machine one. Dufresne made a grilled cheese with crispy ham and some sort of reduction that solidified, and he must have said f*** about 100 times, which made me love him. Graham did a tuna salad with beef jerky miso, Elizabeth did braised beef jerky and a savory ice cream, and Suzanne did a ARGH THE COMPUTER JUST KICKED ME OFF AFTER MY POST WAS FINISHED AND ONLY SAVED THIS MUCH!! Damn you, internet Gods! Okay, this one is going to be even shorter because my fingers just can’t type that whole thing again. Suzanne makes Frito-crusted shallot rings and she wins. Oh ya, former Top Chef contestants Ilan, Betty, and Michael were there. Woo.

Next we have the Elimination Challenge. It’s pretty cool. Lost-inspired. So they only have a few proteins to use, including tuna, wild boar, and uni (foods found on an island), and they can only buy Dharma-approved items at Whole Foods, which means mostly canned stuff. The Lost writers will be there to judge (but wouldn’t it have been more awesome if Josh Holloway was there? IJS).  They arrive at WF and Wylie and Graham’s bro-mance really begins to develop. They are helping each other with menus, patting each other on the back, and even swatting each other on the hiney once and a while. Okay, everything but that last part. They gather up their goods and head back to the kitchens where they have 2 hours to prepare a meal for the Lost writers. Wylie makes a chicken and egg dish with a banana mustard that is almost a disaster–judge Jay doesn’t have any chicken on his plate when the food arrives. Wylie has this look on his face like “WHAT IN THE H-E-DOUBLE HOCKEYSTICKS IS GOING ON TODAY? I’M WYLIE DUFRESNSE, FOR GOD’S SAKE!” But thankfully, one of the Lost writers with glasses–oh wait, they all have glasses–has two pieces of chicken, and he passes one along to Jay. Moment saved. Everyone loves it. Next up is Elizabeth and her wild boar two ways, one of which was sous vide. She also smears some papaya/yam baby food on the plate, and no body is diggin’ it. Graham passes out pretty plates of tuna trio for his meal, which include a tuna maki roll, a tuna tartare topped with canned green beans (brilliant! cries everyone), and a piece of coffee-encrusted seared tuna. Again, everyone loves it. Last up in Suzanne. Her plate looks like a hot mess. She’s got risotto, another pasta, a slice of wild boar, and like six other things going on. “It’s a holiday meal,” she says, and everyone goes, “Ohhhhh, it’s a holiday meal, now we love it!” and proceed to praise the heck out of it (but really, how good does uni risotto sound? yummmm).

I really thought this week was going to be like last week, with four great chefs but one that goes above and beyond (this week Wylie, last week Hubert). But no. Wylie’s fabulous chicken and egg couldn’t save him from his hardened sauce Quickfire disaster, and he lost to Graham, who lost to Suzanne by 1/2 point (I think, I really should have taken notes). Suzanne was the only chef I hadn’t heard of before last night, but she really rocked. She was confident and poised and didn’t even yell f*** once. But overall, I liked this episode much better, probably because they were actually able to cook in kitchens and not on hot plates in some freshman’s smelly dorm room. The end.

Mark Brezinski and chef Lex Berlin

Last night was the Friends and Family Official Tasting Party for Zinsky’s Deli. Thanks to owners  Liz and Jim “Blue Mesa” Baron and Mark “Bengal Coast” Brezinski, a group of SideDishers were allowed to come  to taste and judge chef Lex Berlin’s current recipes for the restaurant. The event was held at Brezinski’s Bengal Coast restaurant at the Centrum.

Liz and Jim Baron

The room was loaded with industry folks: Sharon Hage, Mary Kimbrough, Tina Wasserman, Bonnie Itzig, Robert and Meaders Ozarow (Empire Bakery did the bagels), and Texas Rangers radio broadcaster Eric Nadel and InsideCorner’s Evan Grant stopped by after the game.

Here is the photo gallery. Click on the picture below and then select slideshow:

SideDish Tasters Choice: Zinsky's

Jump for my tasting notes.

Most of my “Shiksa Tasting Notes” are captions on the slide show above. But here are some notes:

Voting system: Red bead (Yuck), Yellow bead (okay), Green (good), platinum (best you’ve ever tasted. You picked up the bead that correlated with you opinion and put it in the voting glass.

Class act: Last night was also the service for Norman Brinker. Before the tasting got underway, Mark Brezinski, who worked with Brinker for four years, gave a lovely speech on Brinker’s life and his impact on the Dallas restaurant scene. He the asked for a moment of silence.

There were around 100 people there and 100 strong opinions. Smartest comment: “The problem with deli’s is that people have very strong flavor memories from their childhoods,” said Jim Baron. “People will always compare every deli with what there memories that aren’t always accurate. The food can be great but not up to the standards they think they remember.”

I loved the Zinsky “For Two” Sandwich: three meats (one pound made up of pastrami, turkey, roast beef), three cheeses (American, pepper Jack, Muenster), three types of cole slaw (spicy with horseradish, regular, and pickle slaw), four breads (rye, white, pumpernickel, and wheat), and Russian dressing. The pickle slaw is great (Berlin uses shredded pickles instead of Napa cabbage). Bread was oh-so-thinly sliced so you didn’t feel like you just ate a ton of bricks. My pick of the night.

Zinsky’s will open in Preston Royal on July 20th. Or they may be a divorce (that is a joke).

Two dollars of every Zinsky Sandwich sold will be donated to Jewish Family Services in Dallas.

I met some but not all of the SideDish readers in attendance. If you were there, please leave your tasting notes in the comments section.