Articles about Unsolicited Treats

What To Drink Now: Margaritas At On The Border

posted by Hayley Hamilton | May 4th, 2012 6:12pm | filed under cocktails, Unsolicited Treats, Wine & Spirits | 2 Comments »

Thanks to On The Border who showed up today with a surprise cocktail treat bucket and an invitation to join them for their big Cinco de Mayo celebration tomorrow. If you have a favorite tequila, from Patron to Casa Noble to Milagro to Sauza, they have a cocktail for you. Looks like their “Perfect Patron” with Patron Silver, Patron Citronge and Fresh Lime Agave Sour is ideal to quench any thirst on this hot Cinco de Mayo weekend. Live music starts at 5:30 tomorrow at their Addison location with Le Freak; $5 cover charge and drink specials all night.

2 Comments »

My Sugar Box Can Beat Up Your Velvet Taco

posted by Sarah Reiss | September 15th, 2011 9:00am | filed under Baking, cake, cheap eats, Chocolate, Coffee, Cult Cuisine, cupcakes, dessert, Diets are stupid, Events, flying solo, food art, Free Stuff!, freebies, Goats!, Good Morning, grand opening, How to Open a Restaurant 101, I Went to College for This?, It's just lunch, make mine a double, Nightlife, Openings/Closings, Restaurant News, Sexy food, Silly Reasons to Celebrate, Snacks, Stupid terms for food, Tacos, Unsolicited Treats, youthful spontaneous restaurants | 1 Comment »

In what feels like a dessert response to all of the overtly suggestive taco joint names we’ve seen in the last year, Sugar Box officially opens tomorrow night in Uptown at the Mondrian. The grand opening fete runs from 5 to 9 pm and features freebie selections from the new dessert bar’s palate of cupcakes, French macarons, and cake balls with espresso, latte, and cappuccino chasers (for those of you who, unlike me, can drink coffee after 4 pm and still sleep at night). Free tasters, live music, door prizes. Why not?

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Tesar Teaser: The Most Hated Chef in Dallas Story Is Almost Here

posted by Nancy Nichols | August 22nd, 2011 1:56pm | filed under Breaking News, Bring it!, Burgers, Celebrity Chefs, Food Fight!, Hippie revolutions, Nutjobs, Overprivileged chimps, Peripatetic chefs, questionable judgment, Really?, Restaurant News, RudeDudes, Sake, Special Report, Unsolicited Treats | 25 Comments »

John Tesar finally tells it all. ALL.

Our September issue of D Magazine has been mailed to subscribers and will be on newsstands by the end of the week. The cover story, “The Most Hated Chef in Dallas,” is a rough-and-tumble profile of poor, misunderstood John Tesar. The profile was written by former DMN-staffer-turned-freelancer Jason Sheeler. Tesar didn’t hold anything back and takes plenty of shots at former employers, employees, chefs — even his old running buddy Anthony Bourdain. Tesar’s controversial thoughts will be heard loud and clear.

Sheeler spent weeks with Tesar. He shadowed him in the kitchen at The Commissary, at the bar in Tei-An, and at his condo on East Lovers Lane. During the interview process, Sheeler managed to track down Bourdain for a interview. After phone calls to publicists, assistants, and various emails and texts, Sheeler finally reached Bourdain on the phone. “Don’t ever let anybody ever tell you aren’t f**king good at your motherf**cking job,” Bourdain said to Sheeler when he answered the phone. “I don’t even want to know how you got this number.”

It’s a wild read. Tesar tells all.

25 Comments »

Let’s Go To Spain!

posted by Nancy Nichols | May 19th, 2011 9:00am | filed under Celebrity Chefs, Celebrity Diners, Cheese, Goats!, Overprivileged chimps, Shamless self promotion, Slow News Day, Travel, Unsolicited Treats | 3 Comments »

Last night I stopped by Central Market on Lovers to check out the food samplings at Passport Espana! The store is very festive and there are goodies galore. It really made me want to get on a plane and eat my way across Spain.

Hark! This morning, an email with the subject line: Check out this trip to Spain.

Turns out the festivities at Central Market has inspired A Taste of Spain, a boutique travel agency specializing in private, authentic culinary tours of Spain, to create a special tour for CM customers. It’s called the Ultimate Foodie Tour of Spain and it takes place September 11-18, 2011. Check out the full itinerary. Here are some highlights.

From hands-on cooking classes to VIP wine tours to avant-garde meals in Michelin-starred restaurants, A Taste of Spain has created a spectacular itinerary with the participation of Spain’s best chefs, food purveyors, and wineries throughout Madrid, Rioja, Basque Country, and Catalonia. Among the highlights: dinner at the restaurants of Paco Roncero and Quim Marqués (pictured is coca de sardines from his Suquet de l’Armirall), two of the participating chefs during Passport Spain; a private visit to Caves Naveran to taste and learn the process of Cava, the Catalan sparkling wine; and lunch at a private sociedad gastronómica.

I am not getting paid for writing this or taking any freebies but I’m just saying, I am going on this trip. Anyone care to join me? Book your reservation. Questions? Email culinary@atasteofspain.com.

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Cattleack Barbeque Visits the D Empire

posted by Sarah Reiss | January 12th, 2011 11:33am | filed under BBQ, Unsolicited Treats | 1 Comment »

Members of the D Empire chowing down on Cattleack Barbeque served by owner Todd David.

This report just in from D CEO managing editor, Christine Perez:

Alas, I had back-to-back appointments yesterday and missed the lunch that Todd David of Cattleack Barbeque brought in s a special treat for D Empire employees. I edited Peter Simek’s profile of David’s new catering business for the current issue of D CEO and was dying to try Cattleack’s specialty beans. (And yes, I’m sorry to say, I edited in a misspelling of the barbecue meister’s company name; it’s Cattleack—get it?—not Cattlejack.)

I talked with Rhett Taylor, advertising director for D CEO, to get his take on the meal (knowing he would have partaken, as sales guys are always looking for a free lunch). Here’s what Rhett had to say:

“The meat was very tender and flavorful, even without the sauce. The sauce was a little spicy for me, but I’m a wuss. The creamed corn was good, but spicy, too. The coleslaw and peach cobbler were both fantastic. The best part of the meal was the beans. There was as much meat in the dish as beans.”

So there you have it.

Click here to read Peter Simek’s profile of Todd David and Cattleack Barbeque.

1 Comment »

Celebrity Bakery Christmas Cookies

posted by Allison Hatfield | December 14th, 2010 3:15pm | filed under Christmas, cookies, dessert, Holidays, Unsolicited Treats | 3 Comments »

celebrity christmas cookies

Make the perfect belly, er, stocking, stuffer.

3 Comments »

Keith Schlabs and Matt Quenette Are Out To Kill Me

posted by Sarah Reiss | December 10th, 2010 3:58pm | filed under beer, Events, food pairings, Unsolicited Treats |

The Moth's cicerone, Matt Quenette, only looks innocent.

I thought about this post a lot yesterday as I lay in bed for 17 hours with the blinds drawn and a cool, dark pillow over my head. I could see it all so clearly: by hook or by crook, Schlabs and Quenette (respectively, the Meddlesome Moth’s co-owner and cicerone) are bound and determined to do me in with their Satan-in-a-Sunday-hat charm and invitations to rare beer tastings.

Exhibit A: Wednesday’s once-in-a-lifetime Saint Arnold Vintage Divine Reserve tasting — nine beers paired course by course with seared jumbo sea scallops, Scotch eggs, and individual pumpkin pies — co-conceived by special guest Saint Arnold owner/brewmaster Brock Wagner and the Moth’s Chef Chad Kelley.

It’s really best if I let the menu — which, it must be noted, would have sucked the restraint out of Norman Vincent Peale — speak for itself:

jump for the menu… Continue reading "Keith Schlabs and Matt Quenette Are Out To Kill Me"

Jammin’ on a Friday Afternoon with Jam Jar Sweets

posted by Sarah Reiss | November 5th, 2010 2:23pm | filed under dessert, Diets are stupid, Food Porn, Unsolicited Treats | 7 Comments »

Jam Jars both small and large.

Clever culinary student and 20-something entrepreneur Emily Skipper surprise-delivered these tasty treats to our offices this afternoon. (How did she know we’d need a 2 p.m. pick-me-up?) Her clever Jam Jar Sweets concept of jamming homey cobblers, s’mores, and cakes into Mason Jars may not be the first we’ve tried, but it might just be the tastiest.

UPDATE: Check out Emily and her Jam Jars at the Addison Four Winds Market at the corner of Beltline and the Toll Road on Saturday and Sunday.

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Lil’ Bits Mini-Donuts Gives D Staffers a Reason to Get Out of Bed on a Friday Morning

posted by Sarah Reiss | October 29th, 2010 11:50am | filed under Baking, Breakfast, Brunch, catering, cheap eats, Nostalgia, Silly Reasons to Celebrate, Skinny bitches, State Fair, Unsolicited Treats, youthful spontaneous restaurants | 1 Comment »

Mini-donuts fry best in soy oil (left); the finished product (right)

What’s this? Jump to read all about it… Continue reading "Lil’ Bits Mini-Donuts Gives D Staffers a Reason to Get Out of Bed on a Friday Morning"

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Fat Foodie Fight: Teresa Gubbins Takes on Leslie Brenner’s Battle of the Bulge

posted by Nancy Nichols | January 6th, 2010 3:39pm | filed under Contests, Food Fight!, Health Food, Silly Reasons to Celebrate, Skinny bitches, Unsolicited Treats | 1 Comment »

This is not Leslie Brenner on a diet.

This is not Leslie Brenner on a diet.

DMN dining critic Leslie Brenner is on a diet. On January 4, she announced that she is determined to lose 20 pounds on her Restaurant Critic’s Diet.  (I’m sure the Oprah’s peeps have already called.) So far, Brenner has dropped 9 pounds in 7 weeks. Today in an f-laden post (Foodies Fit Forever!) she reports that, on deadline, she managed to burn 401 calories at the gym.

Teresa Gubbins, always on deadline at Pegasus News, decided to take a shot at La Brenner’s efforts. In a tidy little essay, “Shedding #s, The Restaurant Critics Diet,” La Gubbins, the emaciated veteran dining reporter, takes a look at the dietary hazards of being a restaurant critic. Gouda stuff.

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Material Connection of the Day: Peanut Butter Cookies From J. Dorian Chocolatier

posted by Jennifer Chininis | October 29th, 2009 2:22pm | filed under Baking, cookies, Unsolicited Treats | 8 Comments »

j dorian peanut butter cookiesToday we received a basket of peanut butter cookies from J. Dorian, welcoming us to our new offices. Dorian Isenberg, as you know, is one of our very best friends. He likes to bring us cupcakes and chocolate chip cookies. When I stopped by his shop recently–I was taking some white cupcakes with raspberry filling to a baby shower–I told him that I thought it was a real bummer that no one could make a decent peanut butter cookie. Most of the time they are too dry or too sweet. (Do you know of a place? Let me know.) Then I asked if he had thought about adding PB to his repertoire. He assured me he was working out the final recipe. And today we’re taste-testing.

The texture is perfect–the right balance of crumbly and moist. And here’s a revelation–it actually tastes like peanut butter, as opposed to some overly sweet sugar-dusted, dried-out hunk of cardboard. The verdict: “The best peanut butter cookie I’ve ever eaten,” declared one Web-ette. I concur. Later I will report how well they freeze, because that’s where they’re going–straight to my freezer to pull out on another rainy day.

8 Comments »