Texas Shopping

[Richard Kilgore]

Look here for notices of deals, sales, unusual or rare items and other noteworthy things to buy in the Lone Star State. From cookware to wine to produce to meat, we'll do what we can to keep you in the know.

If you find it first, let us know.

[Richard Kilgore]

Dallas -- CookWorks: 50% off selected books and selected French and Italian dinnerware, including some Deruta.

[Richard Kilgore]

Dallas -- Viking: sale with 15 % off previously reduced electronics; 40% off previously reduced clearance items; 20 % off some cast iron, cutlery, and all bakeware, whiteware, cookbooks, Emile Henry.

Also trade in old pots and pans for 15% credit toward new, regular price cookware. And they'll donate your old cookware to a charity.

[Richard Kilgore]

Dallas -- Williams-Sonoma: scattered discounts of 15 - 25% on a limited number of products. The big annual sale usually comes in July, so stay alert.

[irodguy]

[DALLAS] Ace Mart on Forest just got an order of their 12,000 BTU portable burners in. Just went by today and scooped one up to add to my collection. The perfect thing for table side cooking.

Edited July 3, 2004 by irodguy (log)

[jerkhouse]

Forgive me if this is extra-old news, but there's a Le Creuset outlet store in San Marcos. The prices were still very expensive, and I have no idea how much it goes for retail, but I would imagine that since it's an outlet store the prices should be cheaper.

[Richard Kilgore]

I believe the Le Cruset outlet stores (McKinney as well as San Marcos) are having a sale sometime this month. Seconds as well as firsts.

As of late, the Le Cruset special deals on Amazon (follow the eGullet links) have been much better than the outlet stores. These change almost daily and are worth checking out if you are in the market for Le Cruset. Sometimes it will be just one or two colors of an item that are drastically cut. For example, a 5 1/2 qt plus a 2 qt round french oven in white for $130 shipped.

[Richard Kilgore]

Addison --- Alan Geddie at Dunn Bros Coffee in Addison is doing a word-of-mouth offer to introduce people to the difference that fresh roasted beans make. As far as I know this is the only shop in the DFW area that roasts on site.

If you buy one pound of any of 12 bean varietals for a reduced price of $10, you get a small/12 ounce drink free: brewed coffee, latte, espresso, iced coffee, iced tea, iced crema. He says you can take one pound of one type of varietal --- or try two half pounds, or four quarter pounds of different beans. I think he is going to offer this through the end of July.

I have tried the espresso blend (roasted to French roast) in my moka pot and the Guatemalan beans (roasted to Full City) in my French press, and can voutch for them: the beans are not over-roasted and the espresso is rich and smooth. They mark the roast date of the beans and do not keep them on the shelf if they are more than four days old.

[fifi]

[HOUSTON] My sister reports that Spec's on Smith Street has fresh squeezed lime juice for $6.49 a liter. Supposedly it has no preservatives, no pasteurization, no whatever. We haven't tried it yet. It is in the refrigerator case.

[Richard Kilgore]

The Dallas Sur La Table has a drawing for a $1,000 shopping blowout. Just fill out the form in the store.

[irodguy]

Texas

Nobody seems to have mentioned 75% off books. They have a great selection of cookbooks with none of them about $5. I purchased several of the Culinaria series for $5 a piece normal price about $75 a piece.

Their selection changes day to day. All books are new.

http://www.75offbookstores.com/

They have locations all over Texas.

[nessa]

Ok, how about restaurant supply stores in Dallas?

I hear they have really good every day prices, and even better sale prices, but I don't know of any. Do you?

[Richard Kilgore]

Ace, part of a national chain, is on Forrest Lane in Dallas. You can find some things much less expensive than the retail cook shops, and many things the shops do not even carry. (And vice versa, of course.) Worth a look.

[irodguy]

Yep Ace Mart www.acemart.com. They are located just around the corner from where we had dinner the other night.

Depending on what you are looking for Sams Club also has great prices in their catering department.

[nessa]

You guys are the BEST!!!!! I just took a peek at the website, and found a store on my side of town. They have just about everything I imagined they would. I know where I'm gonna be on payday.......

[irodguy]

Yep I should have warned you :) Every trip = $100 it seems. Last trip I purchased a really nice 12,500 BTU portable burner. And of course there is always the extra little stuff...

[Richard Kilgore]

yeah...watch out for that "extra little stuff".

[fifi]

At Ace Mart:

Deli containers, packs of 50 for about 10 cents apiece. The lids seal really well, too.

Heavy aluminum half sheet pans for about $5. Don't forget to look for the wire racks that fit the pans.

Big packs of the terry cloth "bar mops". They are my everyday dish towels by a mile. I have a huge pile of them and if one gets wet or grubby, it goes in the washer. I may use 5 or 6 of them in an evening. I use them as gifts for my dish towel challenged friends and family.

The "little gadgets" aren't always a bargain.

But I did finally find the red plastic shrimp peelers there.

[irodguy]

Don't forget those pouring spouts and a large variety of plastic squeeze bottles including the 3 spot. Just what you need for plate decorating :)

[Richard Kilgore]

Seen at Williams-Sonoma, Dallas Galleria: Half Pint ISI dessert creamer, sage color, $23 (regularly $45 the price tag says -- a bit high for the half pint), a very good deal at this price.

[Richard Kilgore]

Dallas -- At W-S Galleria: Super Benriner (wide) for $25 (reg. $50).

[Richard Kilgore]

Williams-Sonoma annual sale continues. 50 - 75% off selected items. (Stores only, not internet.)

[irodguy]

Next week Saturday 10/23 & Sunday the 24th is the Chef's catalog sale an event not to be missed!

The sale is at their new location 4121 Pinnacle Point Dr Dallas TX 75211. From Dallas & Ft Worth, exit Cockrell Hill Rd. go South turn left on Pinnacle Point Dr.

[Richard Kilgore]

I received this email from Tom Spicer at SpiceAirUnlimited.com. Tom continues to have impressive specialty produce offerings for our best restaurants and for retail. Here's the current crop from his Sugoi Farms.

Richard

Sugoi Farms, Mineola, TX

Organically Grown and Wild Salads:

Pea Tendrils - fat and fluffy, not pea shoots... 3" in length dark green.

Mixed Lettuces - baby heads or cut leaves of crisp head lettuces to custom blended Mescluns from Mineola, TX

Arugulas - Wild Sylvetta, Runway and traditional Arugula... mostly baby and medium sizes

Asian Greens - all sizes...lolitas, baby and large

Braising Greens - includes a variety of hearty greens from Tuscan Blue Kale, Purple Kohlrabi greens, with Tatsoi, Chards and other thing like Kales and Chicories.

Micro Greens - all kinds, cruciferous vera duras and the likes as well as chards with beets mysterious accents like cucumber salad burnette and chervil. We can custom blend these if you like.

Upland Cress - dark green, crisp and turgid.

Wild Salad Components - Wild cress, wild dandelion, wild sheep sorrel, wild mache and wild arugula... born to be wild.

Frisee - blanching in progress, limited for today but good through the holiday.

Salad Burnette - Looks a bit like a small flat parsley leaf with a strong cucumber flavor. We use it to accent our micros and custom salads.

Herb Stella - very fine leaves, like a spider grass with mellow flavor...excellent mystery garnish.

Veg:

Petite Breakfast Radishes - ready now

Tatsoi Heads - like skinny baby bok choy, very tasty and dark green, spoon shaped leaves...flea beetles favorite

Baby Purple Kohlrabi in a week

Herbs-

African Blue Basil - about the only remaining basil on the farm this late in the season, limited (2#- 5#)

Chervil - limited

Chives - thin to thick in size... take your pick.

Cilantro

Dill -

Oregano -

Sage - East Texas, Jack Rabbit Sage. Full, fat leaves.

That's all I have time to tell you about other than more carrots in a month. Happy Thanksgiving !

Call us... Ronnie Mac will hook you up to your choice of delivery 214-325-1951, question for me? leave them on voice mail 214-325-1951 or reply to Tom@SpiceAirUnlimited.com. Recommend American Food Service for best, far reaching and quality distribution. Questions about that, hmmmmm... ask or call Joe Dodd Morrison @ 972-385-5970

[Lizvert]

The name says it all. I send 'em to my reeeeeeeaally good clients.

www.sininabox.com

The holiday special is a good deal, I paid $35 for a box of 16 a few months ago.

If you call and they're not there, the phone message is cute, too:

"We're out of the box right now, please leave your name and number. . . . "

Edited November 23, 2004 by Lizvert (log)