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Raynickben

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  1. Hey Joiei, How've you been? I have not been to any of these places but these are the latest restaurants that everyone is talking about. They are new so your boss surely has not dined at them and they are not too far from The Mansion. You can get more information on them at www.guidelive.com. Hector's on Henderson: Hey, it's on Henderson..what a shock. 214-821-0432 Chaucer's Steakhouse: on Mockingbird. 214-821-3001 George: on Inwood. 214-366-9100 and of course for pizza: Fireside Pies, on Henderson. 214-370-3916 If she hasn't been to Lola's Tasting Room GET HER A RESERVATION!!!. Make sure you specify the tasting room. It's on Fairmount and the number is 214-855-0700.
  2. Fort Worth Star Telegam Food Editor Amy Culbertson presents Very Merry Christmas Challenge, the Star Telgram's holiday cookie contest. Add those recipes to those from the DMN's cookie contest (link on previous post) and you'll be gaining those holiday pounds in no time! The Dallas Morning News: Business Oh there is a God. American Airlines is giving up the "Bistro Bags" and trying something new. Is it better than the Bistro Bag with the turkey sandwich that has been sitting out for who knows how long (remember the 2 hour rule people!)? Starting February 1 flyers will find out. Details from staff writer Suzanne Marta here. The Dallas Morning News: Food and Wine Are you a fan of Food Network's Sandra Lee? Than this is the article for you! Learn how to pass off frozen lasagna as homemade. Learn how to make angel food cake sandwiches with angel food cake and lemon curd. The rest of us will cry. No money, No time The Food and Wine staff present their picks for the top cookbooks of the year: Booked for the Holidays Upcoming classes and events: Book it. The Dallas Observer Mark Stuertz reviews The Grand Lux Cafe at the Dallas Galleria: Disney Chicken
  3. The Dallas Morning News: Business Casual-dining chains, that would be your Macaroni Grills, your Applebees, your Fridays, are after your business in new way. It's called Take-Out which isn't new at all. But the way they are implementing take-out is the next step in their plan to take over the world! Karen Robinson-Jacobs has Another Helping. The Dallas Morning News: Texas Taste The winners of the DMN's annual holiday cookie contest are here. Click on the sidebar to bring up the pictures and recipes in each category. Want to know what the next big thing in food snobbery is? Well, according to writer Bill Marvel it is micro-bottlers. The latest drink to hit micro-bottling is Bubble-Up, a soda that had it's heyday in the fifties. Drink up! Fort Worth Star Telegram Speaking of drinking, what are some of the drinks you should discover at your local beer and wine shop? Barry Shlachter offers Santa's Best Bottles.
  4. The Dallas Morning News Kim Pierce and Karen Elizabeth Watts offer a complete holiday entertaining guide. There are suggestions on everything from appetizers to stemware. The articles are all over the place in the paper (hello layout editor!) so hopefully I got it all here. It's Fun at any price. Food gifts at any price by Tina Danze, Best Hostess Gifts by Cheryl Ng Collett, Cool stuff for foodies from the food writing staff, and More hors d'oeuvres suggestions by Kim Pierce and Karen Elizabeth Watts. ******************************************************************* Get ready for a food and wine extravaganza. It's Savor Dallas presented by Jim White and Vicki Briley White. Cooking demos, winemaker dinners, etc. will be held from Feb. 19 - 20. You can read Kim Pierce's article or visit the Savor Dallas website here. ******************************************************************** And finally if you are a port fan Wes Marshall suggests some Texas Ports you should check out.
  5. The Dallas Morning News Ok. Let's say you have $500 and you don't know what to do with it. It is the holiday season so you could spend it on gifts or give it to charity or pay your electric bill but NO....you go and spend it on one dinner at AURORA!!! Was it worth it?? Joyce Saenz Harris reports on her $495 per person dinner here.
  6. Those of you who suggested going to Subway instead of McDonald's, etc. must really READ Fast Food Nation. To quote "Dean Sager, a former staff economist for the U.S. House of Representatives' Small Business Committee 'Subway is the biggest problem in franchising and emerges as one of the key examples of every [franchise] abuse you can think of'." If you have the paperback version start reading about Subway on page 100. For Fast Food Nation to be a major influence on anyone requires that they read the book. Plain and simple. Most people don't want to hear that what they eat or like to eat is dangerous for them. It's out of sight, out of mind. The "what I don't know can't hurt me" syndrome. You have to have some initial concern about fast food to decide to learn more. Fast Food Nation had a very significant impact on the eating habits of my family. Thank you Eric Schlosser for writing it.
  7. D Magazine Phil Romano, owner of Il Mulino (Dallas), received a somewhat bizarre review from DMN critic Dotty Griffith. She gave the restaurant four stars but the words in her review paints a different picture. Phil Romano was p.o.'d and has filed suit against the paper. Nancy Nicholas tells the whole story in Romano's Revenge. But before you read that, here's the review that started it all: Griffith's Il Mulino review Jennifer Chininis presents the 4th Annual Chefs' Choice Awards. Local chefs vote on their picks for best chef, restaurant, etc. Just like high school. Read it here. Dallas Observer Dave Faries asks The Burning Question: Do Specialty ingredients really make a difference? Answer What happens when people skip out on reservations? Answer The Ft. Worth Star Telegram Amy Culbertson reports on a novice cook's attempt to cook a stellar Thanksgiving meal. She learns to remove the bag of giblets from the turkey, hilarity ensues, and so on. Thanksgiving 101 The Dallas Morning News: Business Cheryl Hall reports on restauranteur Mico Rodriguez, founder of Mi Cocina. Karen Robinson-Jacobs reports on the growing use of technology used to teach English to restaurant workers. Worth a read here. The Dallas Morning News: Texas Taste A Tex-Mex Thanksgiving by Kim Pierce offers a different take on classic recipes. You might anger your guests who waited all year for the Thanksgiving green beans/mushroom soup/fried onion concoction but someone has to stop the madness! And if you go the Tex-Mex route you'll need some Mexican wine to calm down that poor chap who is crushed by the absence of sweet potatoes with marshmellows. Serve him Casa Madero and the number for Luby's. Kim Pierce reports on Whole Foods new red seal that signifies artisanal products in their stores. Stop on Red. Laura H. Ehret's Cookbook Review: Celebrations 101 by Rick Rodgers.
  8. The Dallas Morning News had an interesting article a week or so ago that profiled a local company that installs surveillance in restaurants to catch theft, scam artists, etc. Read it here. You never know who's watching you!
  9. The Dallas Morning News: Texas Taste Newlywed, newly fed features the Salt & Pepper Cooking Co. located here in Dallas. Their classes are designed to teach people who want to learn to cook; the true beginner. Article by Kim Pierce. Cathy Barber reviews The Gourmet Cookbook and asks the reader to decide if it's a cookbook or a doorstop. I'm thinking she didn't like it. Barbara Rodriguez visits The Rahr & Sons Brewing Co., a microbrewery in Fort Worth. and Yeah! for Centennial Fine Wines and Spirits. They now have an internet station where customers can go online to read wine reviews and get other info before buying wine. Other store improvements are here. Ft. Worth Star Telegram Late to the game but still providing some useful info is Cooking on Red Alert which gives some tips and recipes you can use while we go through the tomato shortage. Article by Amanda Rogers.
  10. The Dallas Morning News In the Business section writer Cheryl Hall profiles Digital Witness, a Dallas company that installs and monitors surveillance systems in restaurants and bars. Oh, it's more than watching to see if the bartender is giving out freebies. Waiter, there's an eye on my soup********* Karin Shaw Anderson reports on all the customer help provided to Jimmy's Food Store after their recent fire. Clean-up. The Ft. Worth Star Telegram And now that Halloween is over and bags of candy can be purchased for 50-75% off it may interest you to know some of the candy history and current trends in candy making. Raising the bar on candy by Heather Svokos.
  11. I learned at the CIA that five to six hours is sufficient to extract flavors. Any longer may develop bitterness. Beef or Veal stock = 6 hours, Chicken stock = 5 hours. (I'm reading my notes here). Yep, that's what it says.
  12. The Dallas Morning News: Texas Taste Kim Pierce provides info where local house-made sausages can be found. This article is worth clipping and saving. You never know when you need a good sausage. (don't say it). The Daily Grind The Ft. Worth Star Telegram Executive Chef Jake Duplantis over at Lone Star Park has a huge job ahead of him next weekend when The Breeder's Cup is held. He tells Amy Culbertson how to plan a buffet in Building a Better Buffet. Dallas Observer Dave Faries asks "Can you really learn to cook at a cooking class?" Kitchen Detention
  13. I had to be educated on Gnocchi de susine as well! susine is plums. The gnocchi were filled with small purple plums and then rolled in cinnamon and sugar. They were about the size of a nickel so you know how tiny those plums were!
  14. I finally had my opportunity to dine at the Tasting Room at Lola's so I'm bringing this topic back up. This couldn't be an easier way to dine. We came in, were seated right away, handed the menu, I said we'll have all 14 courses with wine pairings and within 60 seconds we were on our way to gluttony. Our menu was as follows: wine: Roederer Estate, Brut Sparkling, Anderson Valley N.V. Gay Island oyster with horseradish mignonette Marinated branzino with lettuce and mustard Taylor bay scallop with fennel and chili Warm salad of squid and olives wine:Zenato, Lugana “San Benedetto”, Veneto, Italy 2003 Friseé salad with lardons and a poached quail egg Sauteéd monkfish with speck and cranberry beans Rotollo of braised organic chicken and chanterelles wine:Artesa, Syrah, Sonoma 1999 Chestnut soup with bacon Poached duck with braised endive Prime N.Y. strip steak with a watercress puree Seared Sonoma foie gras with crab apple wine: Chambers, Muscadelle, Rosewood Vineyards, Rutherglen, Australia N.V. Grape sorbet with black currant puree Three artisan cheeses with pears and chestnut honey Gnocchi de susine First of all, presentation is everything here and as course after course came out I was wowed by the creativity in plating. The branzino was tightly rolled in bright green lettuce to the size of two thimbles and drizzled with a mustard seed oil. The foie gras had tiny little grill marks on each side and it sat across from a perfect rosy crab apple with a rich brown applesauce puddle. The strip steak was placed upon a bright green watercress puree in the shape of the "dark" half of a ying-yang. Why have I never seen a quail egg so perfect? Why have I never eaten such bright white rings of squid? Where is this chef getting his ingredients? Heaven? Overall the taste of each plate was on par with the presentation. I will never have a better oyster, I just know it. The bay scallop was sublime and the gnocchi de susine were creamy, sweet perfection. Alas, they had to come at the end when I was so full! There were some off moments though. There were four courses in a row that featured some form of bacon: the frisee salad with lardons, the monkfish with speck, the rotollo, and the chestnut soup with BACON. By the time that soup came out I was a walking salt shaker. And bacon is a very strong flavor so it was disappointing after the first four unique and flavorful courses to have four so similar. Did it not occur to anyone working there to say "Hey chef; we get it. You like bacon!" The wine selections were generally good, except the Muscadelle. I knew it would be sweet but that stuff is liquid cotton candy. Ughh. The service was friendly, helpful and expedient. The whole dinner took two hours, quicker than I expected but the timing worked. It is refreshing to have such consistantly outstanding variety of small tastes versus the whole side of cow one must plow through at some other upscale restaurants. It was a memorable meal and I hope Lola's continues this unique culinary experience because I want to go back. Hold the bacon.
  15. The Dallas Observer It's the annual "Best Of" issue for the Dallas Observer. The catagories include: Culture, Sports, Market, Scenes, and the reason why we are all here FOOD!! There must be something in the water, because no one's drinking it. In Ft. Worth they're drinking aguas frescas. (article by Sandy Guerra-Cline appears in the Ft. Worth Star Telegram) In Dallas they're drinking Sangrita: tequila's friend (article by Louise Owens appears in The Dallas Morning News) and Sherry. Tina Danze tells you what sherry is, how to shop for it, how to serve it, etc. Also, in the Dallas Morning News this week: Barbara Rodriguez features Chef Johndavid Bartlett, major player in the slow foods movement. Reviews of Cookbooks Bringing Tuscany Home by Frances Mayes with Edward Mayes and Half Baked Gourmet Party Food by Jan Turner Hazard & Half Baked Gourmet Desserts by Tamara Holt.
  16. Just saw on the news they expect to open in 4 to 6 weeks, same location.
  17. Yesterday I was at the fair and had the fried marshmellow. It was better than I expected! New this year: fried oreo, fried smores, and fried nutter butter. I can't eat too much sweet stuff so the marshmellow was my limit. I think the fried nutter butter would be great with a beer at 9 a.m. don't you? I just got the regular corny dog but a woman who got the jalapeno cheese version was complaining to the worker that she could neither see nor taste the jalapeno cheese so she must have been given the regular by mistake. The worker said "no, it's in there" and wouldn't even look to see if the woman was given the wrong kind. So who knows! It may be a lame version. Hook 'em horns!
  18. That's awful. I wonder what happened. Hopefully, they will be able to open at a new location. We need that place!
  19. reseek: This is a no-brainer. If you are going to be at Club Indigo on Saturday night go to Monica's Aca y Alla, right down the street, before the show. It's unique and very well done tex-mex/mexican. The menu and prices can be found at Monica's. Sometime when you are back in deep ellum you must, absolutely must, go to The Green Room. I think it's more than what you are looking for on this trip as you can see on their website but it is a great place. You can just go there for drinks at the bar too. By the way, this weekend is going to be crazy downtown. The TX/OU football game is on Saturday during the day and a lot of people from both schools stay the night and party. Go early and get settled whatever you decide to do. No help on Ft. Worth. I don't know the town very well.
  20. I absolutely agree that Dallas has a defined cuisine. Maybe the fact that I've come here from NJ, moved back to the east, then back to D, moved to the west, and moved back to D that the cuisine of Dallas is clear to me. I have lived in NYC which offers cuisine so over-the-top next to the most basic of diners in block after block after block that it is overwhelming. You tend to stick with what you know. I have lived in places where the best restaurant in town is the place where at least you know you won't get food poisoning but doesn't get any fancier than baked ziti. Dallas has restaurants it can be proud of. Not only is there innovation abounding but there is COMPETITION among restauranteurs to continue this innovation. Competition leads to high quality in food and presentation, attracts new talent, attracts new business. Des Moines (for example) might have one or two great restaurants but Dallas has countless great restaurants. It's exciting to be a foodie here. And most importantly, it is accessible. Anyone can go to any restaurant here from The Mansion on Turtle Creek to a Lebanese bakery and feel welcome. I think when they stated that Dallas has a defined cuisine they weren't saying Dallas is known for it's "breaded xyz" they meant that this town has a great past, present, and future in the food industry and we are recognized in the top echelon of food cities. I agree.
  21. Excellent point! I will never forget the one and only time I went to a certain Mexican establishment which requires you to raise a flag when you want MORE. More of that fine slop sir? Uh, no. Regardless if I am in a fine dining establishment or a noisy family restaurant with the kids I always get a sinking feeling when the server puts a massive plate overflowing with food in front of me. My initial thought is "I'm going to be wasting some money here" and the second thought is "why didn't I just order two appetizers" and my third thought is "can this be reheated?". It requires too much thinking!
  22. Thank you everyone for your suggestions. The one that gave me the "aha" moment was bkeith's. I think I did work the eggs too much (the phone rang, didn't turn off the mixer, etc.) I'll go with that for now and then move on to the other suggestions, starting with the voodoo tiki dance. Thanks again!
  23. The Dallas Morning News has an article today about strategies to keep your diet in line with the enormous portions often served in restaurants. We've all seen the nutritionists say that a healthy portion of steak should be the size of your fist but when we order said steak in restaurants the whole cow comes out. Too Much on our plates by Michael Precker also quotes area restauranteur's feelings on sharing plates. Please Mr. Hall, mess up the presentation. I'd rather have that then mess up my clothes portioning out the caesar salad!
  24. D Magazine Food Editor Nancy Nicholas recalls 30 years of some of the great restaurants in Dallas. I've been here for about half of those years and it was mindblowing to remember just some of the places that have come and gone. Remember Sfuzzi? Yikes! 30 Years of Dining My favorite was not mentioned: Enigma. This was the place where you never saw the same thing twice, even at the same table. The menus were each different, the presentation and the cooking methods were different, and the china and silverware were all mis-matched. And no one knew who owned the place either! It was fun.
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