More than 300 people came together at the Bath House Cultural Center on Sunday to support White Rock Lake and the Red Cross, as well as to take part in the Chef's Picnic (part of the Beach Party of the Century).
Red-checkered tablecloths covered the tables and Deep Eddy was on hand serving their Minty Deep Daily (half Deep Eddy Sweet Tea Vodka and half lemonade, served over ice with a mint leaf garnish), which goes down just a teeny bit too easily in this godforsaken heat.
The chefs themselves served their fare, including meats, sides, fruit, veggies and sumptuous desserts. Here are my top three picks:
Pecan Lodge Mesquite Smoked Brisket by Diane and Justin Fourton. Crispy BBQ Chicken by Brian C. Luscher, chef/owner The Grape I'm kind of at a loss for adjectives for the brisket. Let's see..."fantastic" should cover it. It was preposterously tender, barely holding together long enough on the fork to go from plate to mouth, and the flavor was rich and smoky and sweet. Two words. More please. The chicken from The Grape that I squeezed onto my plate crisp outside and tasty and tender the meat inside, if it had been meticulously marinated for hours.
Banana Pudding with Chocolate Snicker Doodle Cookies by Paul Wackym, Wackym's Kitchen This is my kind of dessert: layers of fresh bananas, thick banana pudding, and chocolate snickerdoodle cookies. The combo of textures and flavors was spot-on. The only problem was the cup was too damn too small.
Tickets were $55 and all proceeds from the event benefited the Dallas Chapter of the American Red Cross and the Comerica White Rock Centennial Celebration, funding capital projects to enhance the park.