Caution: Eating hundreds of mini hot dogs could do irreparable damage to washboard abs.

Former Dallas Star and all-around good guy Mike Modano will be at The Stand on June 2 from 2pm – 4pm. The casual hot dog spot is hosting an Mini-Hot Dog Eating contest and Mo will be there to “cheer on contestants and possible chow down on some mini-hot dogs as well.” You can register to be a contestant for $25. If you win, you’ll get a check for $1,000. Proceeds will go to the Mike Modano Foundation, an entity that supports at-risk children.

Full details below.

The Stand in Dallas Presents:

Dallas’ 1st Annual Mini-Hot Dog Eating Contest

On Saturday, June 2nd, The Stand on McKinney Avenue in Dallas will host the 1st

Annual Mini-Hot Dog Eating Contest.

Contestants will compete for a Dallas first: their face painted on a 15-foot by 60-foot

wide mural off McKinney Avenue for an entire year next to some of Dallas’ most

generous philanthropists.

Other prizes include cash prizes and Big D bragging rights. For contestants, the

registration cost is $25 and open now online at www.TheStandDallas.com.  All

proceeds will benefit the Mike Modano Foundation, founded by Dallas hockey-

legend Mike Modano, helping at risk children in the DFW area.  Modano himself will

be there to cheer on contestants and possible chow down on some mini-hot dogs

as well.

First Place will win $1,000 and their image for everyone to admire on the

restaurant’s wall next to others who will win their spots through an upcoming

auction.  Second place will win $500 and third $250.

The 1st Place finisher will also be recognized at The Standʼs LIVE AUCTION on

June 16th for the remaining seven positions on the mural which will also benefit the

Mike Modano Foundation.

So grab your friends and your appetite and come out to The Stand on June 2nd

and show off your eating skills! You could be crowned the champion and be

immortalized in The Standʼs mural of all things greatness in Dallas, TX.

WHEN: Saturday, June 2nd

WHERE: The Stand, 2916 McKinney Ave., Dallas, Texas 75204

TIME: 2pm – 4pm

HOW: Register online at www.TheStandDallas.com

Benefitting: The Mike Modano Foundation

Carrot cake cookies with sea-salt caramel ice cream (photo by Carol Shih)

Remember how I was really looking forward to Coolhaus Ice Cream Truck coming to Dallas? Well, I trekked all the way to the Valley View Center in Plano on Saturday to check out the TX Food Truck Fest, because I knew Coolhaus – with its glorious selection of cookies and ice cream – would be parked right there.

Surprisingly, there was a terribly good showing despite the crummy weather. A few Austin food trucks (Yumé Burger, Coreano’s, The Belgium Waffle Company, Chi’lantro BBQ) and one loner San Antonio truck (Sabor Columbiano) traveled across miles and miles of Texas terrain to be at the Food Fest, and all that driving must’ve paid off. There were old people, young people, families with toddlers, and the largest gathering of Asians I have seen at a food truck rally. Maybe food truck organizers should hold rallies in Plano more often. Hundreds of people waited patiently in long lines that stretched out across the parking lot, and most people went straight for the famous Austin trucks. The line leading up to Coolhaus was short, so I was able to order a carrot cake cookie with sea-salt caramel ice cream from people wearing Nammi t-shirts (since Coolhaus is partnered with the banh mi truck) in a jiffy.

Carrot cake with sea-salt caramel is not an ideal pairing. Combining a sweet cookie with a sweet ice cream just gives you a really sugary ice cream sandwich you end up throwing away. But I haven’t completely given up on Coolhaus yet. Next time I’ll try a classic mix: double choco chip cookies with dirty mint chip ice cream. Has anyone else tried Coolhaus yet? If so, let me know what cookie + ice cream combo works best for you.

And if you haven’t taken a bite yet, take a look at George’s food truck schedule and give this ice cream sandwich truck a whirl.

Two couples are driving from Austin to Dallas this Saturday, returning Monday. Three of the four of us grew up in Dallas. Typically, our visits are consumed with family obligations and aging parents. Not this weekend. We’re coming to play. And eat. And walk and visit museums.

We originally wanted to enjoy chef Pyles’ Fuego, but he’s not doing it this year, it seems. [Ed note: Pyles says Fuego is “catch as catch can” but this week he will release some firm dates.] One of us is a vegetarian. We’re into good food. We like locally sourced too. So far, our plan is Samar on Saturday night, and Si Tapas on Sunday night. I’m thinking Velvet Taco would make for one easy lunch. I like Dream Café for Sunday brunch, but where else should we consider? We like sitting outside. What other place should we try to fit in for lunch? Where should we go for desserts? Is Five Sixty good for a late night cognac? Thanks in advance for taking the time to answer.

Artistic rendering of an artist's rendering.

I’m a sucker for birds. So is Mexican artist Luis Sottil. You may have seen his work in other Mi Cocina restaurants: he currently has paintings in six other restaurants. The mural at the new Mi Cocina in Lakewood, in the old Matt’s space, is scheduled to open in July. Sottill uses only natural pigments such as cochinella, mother of pearl, minerals, vegetables dyes, and14kt gold in his paintings. For this painting he was inspired by these birds: “Hooded Oriole, Altamira, Golden Cheeked Warbler, Painted Bunting, Texas Hummingbirds, and the Northern Mockingbird.” Tex-Mex for Twitchers!

UPDATE: Scott from dallasfood.org brings up a good point in the comments section. Several of the birds listed above would be a rare sighting at White Rock Lake. The press release reads:

This is the first time Sottil has studied the local natural environment and incorporated it into his Mi Cocina murals. The artist has chosen to feature birds including the Hooded Oriole, Altamira, Golden Cheeked Warbler, Painted Bunting, Texas Hummingbirds and, of course, the Northern Mockingbird.

Luis Sottil was inspired by his research of the history and “exuberant beauty” of White Rock Lake and the Lakewood area, and it reminded him of the lush biodiversity on his native Tampico, Mexico. In particular, Sottil was drawn to the many colorful birds that are common inhabitants of White Rock Lake which reminded him of home.

Hmm. Methinks Sottil should seek the advice of JR Compton and switch out the golden cheeked warbler for a monk parakeet. If you truly want to represent the “exuberant beauty” of White Rock Lake.

Take a good look at the kids in the video below, and you’ll find that it’s really hard to say ‘no’ to a charity dinner as good as this one.

The menu:

Passed Bites
Lamb Kibbeh with fava bean puree & pita crisp
Bacon Popcorn with ‘bacon dust’
Duck Rillette with Texas peaches
Beet Salad with pressed cucumber, sumac & feta

Second Course
Ricotta Cavatelli
English peas, sweet corn, smoked tomatoes, pea tendrils

Main Course
Roasted Kobe Petit Filet
Roasted mushrooms, spring onions, Swiss chard, green garlic & banyuls jus

Dessert & Coffee
Chocolate Pudding Cake, Ethiopian Coffee Ice Cream & Hazelnut Biscotti
Cultivar Coffee Single Origin Ethiopian Coffee

UPDATE: Thanks, Timmy. Here is a link to the new ChefWear catalog which includes many other Dallas chefs. See how many you recognize

Time is running short and I want to get you the schedule before the day is up.  Before you jump though, note that CoolHaus DFW is now out and about on a regular schedule.  Watch for it at Thanksgiving Square or Crate & Barrel parking lot on Wednesday evening.

Tuesday Update: City Street Grille added Wednesday lunch in the Arts District and a Friday lunch at Robbins Jewelers on the North Dallas Tollway.  Also, added Zombie’s Food Truck.

Jump now for your schedule:

from Facebook

My taco buddy José Ralat-Maldonado (aka Taco Trail) is crazy about Rock and Roll Tacos, and he reports that owner James Quiñonez is taking over LaGrange’s kitchen and revamping the restaurant to become more serious about its tacos. José writes:

For one, he’s installing the bed of a 1954 Chevy pickup truck converted into a salsa bar with 15 varieties of the America’s leading condiment, working taillights and an exhaust pipe connected to a smoke machine, two-inch white walls and red pin-striping. A wall will be lined with vinyl LPs.

Menus additions will include elote shooters, shrimp cocktails, house-made mole poblano, mac n cheese with shaved habanero, serrano and Anaheim chilies, chocoflan, what James Quiñonez calls, “the works, man.”

And then there is the expanded taco program, now with fajitas, chicken chipotle, steak and Mexican gravy tacos, a fried-to-order hard shell job brisket, Baja-style beer batter-fried fish and shrimp tacos, as well as something James Quiñonez says he ate when he visited Mexico: bacon-wrapped shrimp with bell peppers, onions and jack cheese.

They’ll be joined by two vegetarian options. One with black bean, rice, avocado and queso fresco in a hard shell another with purple potatoes, mushrooms, caramelized onions and cotija cheese.

You are probably wondering how this has anything to do with you. Well, José is feeling mighty generous today. On Wednesday, May 16, from 5-8 p.m. there will be a soft opening for family and friends at LaGrange. (The official opening goes down on May 31.) He has one pass (I lied in the headline) that is good for two people.

If you’d like to go to this exclusive event, tell me in the comments section where you get your tacos in Dallas. I’ll enter all the names in one pot and pick a random winner tomorrow (Tuesday, May 15) at 3:00 p.m. Whoever wins will receive an email from me with instructions on how to claim your pass.

This picture is not representative of Velvet Taco. Stock photo of take-out containers.

Listen up all of you people who don’t mind recycling or rescuing, we’ve got a situation we need to discuss. A SideDish reader brings up the “green tax” charged for take-out containers at Velvet Taco.

I had lunch at Velvet Taco for the first time today.  When we ordered, we noticed on the menu that there was listed a “10% Green Tax” on takeout orders.  I snickered at the brazen attempt to make additional money off of imaginary concern for the environment, never having seen such a fee before.  (Perhaps it’s common and I’ve just never seen it at another establishment?) But thinking about it today and beyond the mere ridiculousness of a fast-casual dining spot charging more for those taking their food elsewhere, I can’t help but wonder if Velvet Tacos is violating any law. I haven’t researched the issue, but I wouldn’t be surprised at all if it were illegal for a business to call a “tax” (implying mandated by the government) any privately-imposed and discretionary fee. It certainly seems to rise to some level of deceptive trade practice to call this sort of greedy and unnecessary fee a “tax,” as it seems like a term which could very easily confuse even intelligent diners about who was mandating the charge.

Before I hand this issue over to John Franke of Velvet Taco, let me put in my Nichols’ worth. I don’t find the practice of charging for container ridiculous. Especially when said containers are made from more expensive ‘green and compostable wares that, according to one industry person I asked, can cost up to $3.00 an order. (Another in the fast food expert said:  “to-go containers are direct expense of about 4% of [our] sales (in a $400 million company, that’s an eye-opening $16 million non-recovered expense) that was spent directly on to go supplies.”

On the other side, people who take food away from a restaurant don’t require the labor of a server or busser or any of the other costs a place incurs when a customer dines in (big flush, little flush!). Also, the charge at Velvet Taco  is not a state-sanctioned “tax,” it’s a term they chose to use in place of  “upcharge” and the 10% is based on the pre-sales tax amount.

Below, John Franke, the head of operations at Velvet Taco replies to the reader’s question.

Jump free of charge!

From John Franke:

At Velvet Taco, we  strive to make the best tasting tacos in the city using the freshest, locally sourced products we can find.  Using quality local ingredients is important to us, but so is giving our guests that quality at a reasonable cost to them.

In addition to the incredible ingredients and flavors, we have made a commitment to our community and the environment to be as conscience as we can on what we serve our products in and what goes in the garbage can.

Examples of that are our recycling program, our composter to supply surrounding neighbors with soil, our corn cups, corn sporks and corn spifes, our recycled wrapping for the tacos, our to go boxes, our coffee cups, our elote cups, and our to go bags.

What we came to a debate over is, would our guests join us in our environmental saving spirit and appreciate the value of the packaging and be willing to pay a small price for it? The overwhelming response has been, absolutely they are and we continue to receive resounding positive feedback on our efforts to stand up for doing our part to help the environment and asking our guests to join in the fight.

We feel it is just a small price to help the cause, we make no increased sales from the 10 percent tax, and in the spirit of keeping it simple at Velvet Taco, the blanket green tax was the clearest way we felt would work for the taco loyalists out there that visit us everyday.

I hope this helps answer your reader’s question and I welcome your personal feedback. We can only get better each day from listening to and responding to our guest’s thoughts and feedback.

Let’s give it to him.

David Lee, Chuck Homola, Larry Papkin, and Jonathan Barrows from the North Texas Homebrewers Association

One of our new summer interns, Teo Soares, loves beer, so we sent him off on his first assignment to the 2nd Annual North Texas Beer Festival. Looks like he survived.

“We’ll compete for shelf space, we’ll compete for tap handles, but in the end we’re all friends,” said Kendra Harrell, a sales manager for Saint Arnold Brewing Company. “We’re not going to rumble.” She paused. “Although, you know, maybe I will.”

Saint Arnold was one of fifty breweries at last Saturday’s North Texas Beer Festival, which drew about 4,500 visitors to the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas. Jim Campbell from Andrews Distributing Company opened the Festival by presenting a $5,000 check to Honor Flight DFW, a local nonprofit that sponsors all-expense paid trips for veterans of World War II to the conflict’s memorial in Washington D.C. Before leaving the stage, Campbell reminded visitors to bid on a silent auction (which would eventually raise an additional $5,000 for the organization) and told us to drink.

Jump for the booze.

Beer reps tend to fit a certain mold: lively and a little brazen, with loud voices and firm handshakes. Harrell is no different. She has a fondness for phrases like, “I’m excited,” and, “That’s badass,” and, “We will continue to rock it.”

Saint Arnold, for which she works, brews its beers according to the Reinheitsgebot, the medieval German purity law that restricts brewers to four ingredients: water, malt, yeast, and hops. That list may be short, but the brewery makes the most of it. Its Summer Pils was crisp and hoppy but not bitter, while its Weedwacker tasted like cloves and left a hint of banana in my mouth. (When I asked how they make different beers using only four ingredients, Harrell took pity on my cluelessness and pointed out that wineries use only one.) Though some of the company’s seasonal offerings are brewed with berries and sugars, Saint Arnold mostly sticks to those four ingredients. According to Harrell, this is in contrast to other brewers, which, “if they could fit a kitchen sink into the brew tank and it would impart flavor, they would do it.”

To Christopher Hubbard, District Manager for North American Breweries, this fitting-of-the-kitchen-sink-into-the-brew-tank approach is what makes craft beers great. “There’s so many different ingredients you can put in. We’ve made beers with dandelions, different types of berries, chocolate—you name it.” The Rochester-based company owns Seattle’s Pyramid Breweries and Vermont’s Magic Hat Brewing Company, both of which had stands at Saturday’s event. Visitors who came by Magic Hat’s booth walked away with wristbands and samples of the brewery’s Magic Hat No. 9.

Though most vendors at Saturday’s event considered themselves craft brewers, beer giants Pabst, Miller, and Anheuser-Busch also pitched booths at the Festival. Their well-known beers offered alternatives to the more idiosyncratic flavors of smaller breweries. “There’s only so much motor oil you can drink,” said James “Rev” Frederick from Pabst. At Anheuser-Busch’s stand, the brand’s new Bud Light Lime-A-Rita was particularly popular. “You serve it over ice,” a rep explained.

Budweiser dubs itself “The King of Beers,” and in a sense it is: Anheuser-Busch today commands nearly 50% of the U.S. beer market. In terms of sales, large breweries rule the industry. But the crown comes at a cost. Harrell told me about the rep who visited her booth but only tried the Saint Arnold Root Beer because he viewed the brewery as a competitor. “He was also wearing a beer shirt that wasn’t a craft beer shirt,” she said.

Beer, after all, is a social drink. Chad Jacobson, who trekked to North Texas from Montana with the Big Sky Brewing Co., said the best thing about craft brewers is that, when the dust settles, “We can all go out and sit at the same table and have a drink.” Jeremiah Wallis, from the Kansas City-based Boulevard Brewing Co., echoed that sentiment: “All of us are friends. It’s all of us going with the big guys trying to get to their level, but we know we’ve got plenty of room to grow.”

While they remain underdogs, guys like Jacobson and Wallis share a sense of camaraderie and a love for the craft. “I think that if you talk to most craft brewers, you see the passion that they have for making really good beer and selling it to customers,” said Harrell. “It’s really cool to work for someone who says, ‘If it costs more to do it this way, that’s cool, because I want to make something really good and get it to customers and have them enjoy it.’”

That, to use her words, is badass.

Market (left); Chocolate caramel pot de crème (right) photos by Becca Brooks

Our spring intern Becca Brooks attended a delightful Central Market lunch as an invited guest on Friday. She files this report.

I had lunch in Paris today. I couldn’t see the Eiffel Tower or smell fresh macarons from the boulangerie, but Central Market gave me the French fix I’ve been longing for.

If you haven’t stopped at Central Market this month, you are truly missing out. They’ve turned the entire place into a Parisian market. From now until May 22, Central Market is themed “Passport France.” The only thing cheesy about it is the fromagerie, which is now home to hundreds of authentic French cheeses. The employees wear French berets and welcome you with a warm “Bonjour!’

Jump for more France.

Central Market (left); Chicken with morel mushrooms with spears of asparagus (right)

The Cooking School at the Lovers Lane Central Market was packed. I snagged the last seat in the room. About 40 women attended, and unless you count a chef and a waiter, there were no men at all.

Elizabeth New Seitz, founder of French Affaires and self-confessed Francophile, led a casual presentation celebrating French cuisine and culture while the rest of us died and went to heaven. First, we were served a plat de charcuterie, which included a delicious wild boar pate with chestnuts. I am relatively new to French food and the idea of Foie gras de canard, but the duck liver was my favorite part of the plate.

Jim and Diana (left); flowers (right)

Next, we had a traditional green salad with vinaigrette, which is always a good idea. For the main entrée, the chefs served chicken with morel mushrooms and spears of asparagus. Everyone’s favorite part was dessert, of course. Instead of a traditional soufflé or macaroon, the chef made a chocolate caramel pot de crème, which dramatically improved my quality of life. The custard was served in a 4-ounce ramekin, the perfect size for my full belly.

You still have the rest of the month to experience Passport France wine seminars and cooking classes. The full schedule can be found here.

Vegan pancakes with homemade blueberry sauce (photos by Michelle Saunders)

D Magazine intern Michelle Saunders is moving on to bigger and better opportunities, so this will be her last recipe… for now. Last week she brought you these (un)healthy Mexican chocolate cupcakes, and this week she conquers breakfast.

I made this for Mother’s Day brunch, and my non-vegetarian mother enjoyed it immensely. Using bananas as an egg substitute is a trusty vegan trick that works surprisingly well to help leaven baked goods. This simple blueberry sauce makes a stack of ordinary pancakes feel like a gourmet treat and it only takes minutes to make. Serve with freshly squeezed orange juice mimosas for maximum breakfast pleasure!

Pancake Ingredients:

1 c. flour (can use half wheat if you like)
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbs. sugar
1 banana, mashed
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. almond milk

Blueberry Syrup Ingredients:

2 c. fresh or frozen blueberries
½ c. water
¼-½ c. sugar*
2 Tbs. cornstarch
2 Tbs. water
1 tsp. vanilla
¼ c. fresh orange juice**
3 Tbs. orange zest

Pancake Instructions

Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl.

Add milk, oil, vanilla, and mashed banana.

On a preheated and greased griddle, scoop ¼ c. of batter for each pancake and cook until golden brown on each side.

Blueberry Syrup Instructions

Combine cornstarch and 2 Tbs. water in a small bowl and set aside.

In a medium saucepan combine blueberries, water, and sugar over medium heat.

Stirring frequently, bring mixture to a low boil then reduce heat.

Add cornstarch mixture to blueberry mixture and stir slowly.

Let mixture simmer until appropriate thickness is reached (about 5-10 minutes).

Remove mixture from heat and add fresh juice, vanilla, and orange zest.

*The amount of sugar you use should depend on how tart or sweet your berries are and can be adjusted to suit your taste.

**If you don’t have oranges you can use lemons and lemon zest for an equally delicious sauce.