Campo

Six New Brunch Spots For Your Weekend Recovery

Dallas certainly knows it's way around a brunch. What use to be an occasion-driven affair, has taken on the role of a more casual, sobering three-hour revival. With Dallas' always-expanding restaurant population, here are some new spots you should consider. Jack's Southern Comfort Food There's one ... More >>

Bar Food, Bar Food and More Bar Food: This Week in Dallas Dining

Another weekend is here. If you need plans be sure to check out Lauren's picks for food inspired weekend activities. And don't forget to support your local farmers. White Rock Local Market kicks of the season this Saturday as well. This week I reviewed Outpost American Tavern. The recent spin on t ... More >>

Outpost in Oak Cliff is Great, But Not Great Enough to Draw Travelers

Reviewing the restaurant that replaced Campo.

Outpost American Tavern Gives Oak Cliff a Worthy New Bar

Without a doubt, John Paul Valverde and his partner Miguel Vicéns have a knack for design. They opened The Bowery last year, and when things didn't work out they spun the place anew, opening Belly and Trumpet shortly after and completely changing the dining room, menu and concept. See also: - Outp ... More >>

Campo Verde in Arlington, Inside a Kaleidoscope of Crazy

No, that's not a picture from inside a kaleidoscope. That's actually from inside a restaurant, one that is bejeweled within an inch of its life in hundreds (perhaps thousands) of strands of lights and tinsel. How festive, you say? Yeah, I took that picture last week. In what might be called an Arl ... More >>

Now You Can Have Snow 's BBQ Right on Your Couch

You've heard of Snow's BBQ, right? How about Black's and Kreuz Barbecue in Lockhart? The most popular barbecue restaurants in Texas are known for their long lines and wait times as much as they are their meats. But what if you could sit on your couch and wait for a packaged brisket to drop at your ... More >>

The New Outpost American Tavern as Campo Part 2: The Laid Back Sequel

When Campo in Oak Cliff opened in back November of 2011, the creative modern cuisine at the hands of chef Matt McCallister was widely praised. Yet, three months later when Scott Reitz learned that the Stephan Pyles-trained chef already had his eye on his own project, Retiz asked the question "Campo ... More >>

Yet Another Truffle Season Marred by Less Than Fresh Fungus

This February I wrote a blog post about some troubling truffle experiences I encountered at a number of fine dining restaurants across Dallas. Both Private Social and Campo served me dishes garnished with black truffles that were completely flavorless -- a bummer when you've come to know how intoxic ... More >>

The Biggest Restaurant Closings of 2012

Time for some more year end reflection. Next week we'll look at the most notable openings, but right now I'm feeling glum. Did you lose one of your favorite restaurants recently? There were a number of notable closures over the past 12 months, some of which were expected and others which were a com ... More >>

The Week In Dallas Dining: Hefty Holiday Edition

With Thanksgiving behind us and the Christmas countdown ticking away, the next few weeks promise to be extremely caloric ones. Time to break out the hats, scarves, heavy coats and elastic pants. If you're looking for food stuff to do this weekend, Lauren's got you covered, but don't start your plann ... More >>

FT33 is Now Open in the Design District

Buzz-restaurant FT33 opened it's enormous glass doors to Dallas' 1 percent (and $30,000 millionaires) this past Saturday. The 80-seat restaurant, tucked between retailers in what can only be described as a glorified strip mall, has been eagerly awaited by Dallas' foodie community since chef Matt McC ... More >>

Could Dallas' Three Newest High-Profile Restaurants Soon Be Involved In A Power Struggle?

While everyone prepares to take in another season of Top Chef this month, a different sort of battle will unfold in Dallas' dining season this fall. Three high-profile openings are scheduled in the coming weeks and each will compete for Dallas' discretionary dining dollars. John Tesar's Spoon, Ste ... More >>

Restaurants Come and Go: Openings and Closing in September

September was another churning month for the Dallas restaurant community. Sisu opened in Uptown, Ser took over the 27th floor of the Hilton Anatole and Campo said goodbye. Read on for the full list of openings and closings and be sure to share tips about shifts in the scene in the comments section b ... More >>

Campo Closes, To Reopen as a New Concept in a Few Months

If you were planning on dining at Campo this weekend you'll need to find other plans. News of the restaurant's closure is spreading like and Internet bushfire on Eater, Escape Hatch and other food blogs. Owner John Paul Valverde is quoted as saying the restaurant is not gone for good, but will reop ... More >>

FT33 Plans to Open in October and a First Look at the Menu

Chef Matt McCallister is surely working fast these days to wrap up the final details for his new restaurant, FT 33, which we now know is set to open in October. The new spot at 1617 Hi Line Drive in the Design District will feature classic and modern techniques and will focus on a seasonally driven, ... More >>

The People's Last Stand's Chef Josh Black to Host Private Dinner, and Space is Limited

The People's Last Stand announced yesterday a private event by chef Josh Black, who has been on hand since June 1, following a fleeting stint at Campo. We'll ignore for a moment that it is a "private" event only inasmuch as anyone who is able and/or willing to shell out $55 for dinner or $75 for din ... More >>

Acme F&B Goes Whole Hog

McKinney Avenue's newest restaurant is turning heads - and eating them.

The Bowery, the New Hot Dog Joint on McKinney, is Open (Photos)

The Bowery on McKinney, in the charming old house that used to be Lumi, had a low-key opening this weekend. This upscale hot dog restaurant is the brainchild of three blossoming restaurateurs: Richard and Tiffanee Ellman of Oak and John Paul Valverde, part owner of Campo. For all involved, it's an ... More >>

Oak and Campo Team Announce Bowery: A New Concept In The Old Lumi Space

Richard and Tiffanee Ellman (the people behind Oak) and John Paul Valverde (one of the people behind Campo) started teasing a few weeks ago that they have made a move on the old Lumi space on McKinney Avenue. This morning they announced the name and some details about the concept. Bowery will be a f ... More >>

Oak, Sissy's, Javiers, Tacos: This Week In Dallas Eats

What a hot week. Monday started with news of a fire at the Panda Express in NorthPark Center. I just got off the phone with an employee there and they told me the location would be reopening this weekend. Greasy shopping mall egg rolls will be back to normal soon. With that out of the way, let's wra ... More >>

Campo's Chef Michael Elhert on Working with Boulud, Eddie Campbell and Tex-Mex

Michael Ehlert moved to Texas from New York City in 2011, where he worked at DBGB, one of Daniel Boulud's concepts. In Dallas his first kitchen home was at The Chesterfield in downtown. Last month, he moved over to Campo, where he is now the executive chef. We sat down last week to discuss his culin ... More >>

Chicken Scratch, Spicy Wings And Four More Stars: This Week In Dallas Dining

The first week of the unofficial summer season is slipping away, and I find myself craving BLT's. The tomatoes I've been getting in some of my salads have started to come to life, and I hope it's a sign that the summer fruit will fare better this year, compared with the last dismal season we had. Be ... More >>

Mother's Day in Dallas: A Survival Guide

Mother's Day is only behind Valentine's Day in terms of craziest days to eat out. Choosing almost any other day of the year would be probably provide a better experience, but mom gets what mom wants on this day. I prompted Chris Jeffers, co-owner of Smoke, one of the best brunch spots in the city, ... More >>

Eddie Campbell Gets Booted from Chesterfield While It and Campo Shuffle Chefs

There's drama fit for daytime TV at two notable Dallas restaurants. A few chefs and a notable bartender have been spinning in and out of the front doors at a dizzying rate. The afternoon my Chesterfield review ran I heard that Michael Ehlert, the chef responsible for the lackluster cooking I'd tas ... More >>

Chef Nicole Van Camp: Texas Weather Can Make Bringing the Farm to the Table Hard

When Nicole Van Camp was 15 years old, she decided to become a vegetarian based on the grounds of animal cruelty. But she lived in highly carnivorous Carrollton. Unless she wanted to starve, she had to learn to cook. She quickly fell in love with her new life-sustaining hobby. And although she learn ... More >>

Victor Tango's Chef Greg Bussey on Evolving in the Kitchen and the Best Korean Food In Town

Victor Tango chef Greg Bussey is a chef's chef. By that, I mean so many other cooks in Dallas mention Bussey's tables as one of their favorites to dine at. After meeting the soft-spoken, quick-to-smile chef, it's easy to understand why. After attending the California Culinary Academy, Bussey spent ... More >>

Can Campo Survive without Matt McCallister?

When Campo Modern Country Bistro first opened, it did so to much fanfare. Owners Miguel Vicéns and John Paul Valverde built a charming space from a rundown bungalow in Oak Cliff, and they hired Matt McCallister to consult as a temporary executive chef. In the weeks preceding the opening, McCalliste ... More >>

Dallas Chefs Support The Farm at Paul Quinn College with Culinary Cookout

Back in 2010, students at Paul Quinn College, Dallas' only historically black college, tilled up their football field to create an urban garden in a food desert. Since that time, the "We Over Me Farm" has cultivated over two thousand pounds of corn, squash, greens, tomatoes and other produce for the ... More >>

Matt McCallister Announces FT 33

While reviewing Campo, and bitching about truffles, I've been alluding to Matt McCallister's new restaurant but not coughing up the name. A server squeaked while I was reviewing Campo, and when I followed up with McCallister, he asked I not print it. I'm glad I didn't because I was just a smidgen of ... More >>

Sundown Chef Patrick Stark Talks Sourcing Locally and Scorching Hot Pans

Originally from Akron, Ohio, Patrick Stark, chef at Sundown at Granada, enrolled in the Culinary Institute of America fresh out of high school at 17 years of age, partially because he just wanted the get the hell outta town. He's worked throughout the United States, a few spots in Europe and had a t ... More >>

303 Bar and Grill's Psycho Burger

Oak Cliff's newest burger house is still searching for its identity

Matt McCallister Ate a Yelper for Breakfast

​Poor, poor Tina. With just nine Yelp reviews under her belt she decided to report on her experience at Campo Modern Country Bistro. She wasn't fond of her meal, awarding the experience a single star. Tina "really wanted to like" Campo but was upset that her chicken came with a bone in it (it ... More >>

James Beard Awards: Stephen Pyles, Bruno Davaillon and Teiichi Sakurai are Semifinalists

Alison V. SmithTei An Chef Teiichi Sakurai​The James Beard Foundation just released this year's semifinalists, and to be honest they're a total snooze -- at least as far as Dallas is considered. Stephen Pyles is a finalist for Outstanding Chef for his work at his eponymous restaurant; Bruno ... More >>

Campo Names Josh Black its New Exec Chef; Matt McCallister Still on His (Long) Way Out

Earlier this week I heard that Matt McCallister, the chef at Oak Cliff's Campo, had put in his two weeks. I tried to call the chef to confirm, but we've been playing phone tag for days. I did get in touch with a manager there, who basically told me the same thing he did when I conducted interviews f ... More >>

Why Those Black Truffles You're Eating Don't Taste Like Truffles at All

FlickrBlack truffles don't really work like this, as I recently learned.​I remember my first encounter with truffles vividly, probably because it was a simultaneously euphoric and traumatic experience. I was on a date at Al Tiramisu, a basement Italian restaurant in Washington, D.C., which I p ... More >>

Lockhart Goes Nose-to-Tail on Friday. Let's Hope It's a Sign of Weirder Things to Come.

While I loved the whole thing, there are some stand-out lines in Lauren's recent cover story on the state of Dallas dining. Matt McCallister's quotes are priceless, but there's also a bite from Brian Luscher that has stayed with me. Fifteen years ago -- hell, even five years ago -- sweetbreads, hea ... More >>

Can Campo's Matt McCallister Turn this Big Box of Crap into Awesome Apps? Probably.

Mmm. Fuzzy Navel.​Welcome to the return of The Box. Last time, Trailercakes turned our big box of crap into two delicious cupcakes. This time, Chef Matt McCallister of Campo will get a chance to turn a box of chips, hot dogs and wine coolers into something that's actually edible. Here's the c ... More >>

Donuts, Reubens and Dallas' Prettiest Food Blog: This Week In Dallas Dining

FlickrI'm pulling for the Ravens.​When I moved to Texas I was very upset about the weather. Multiple weeks of triple-digit heat and no rain had me begging for relief. I asked everyone if winter was at least mild. No, everyone said. There's ice and it's so cold it burns your skin. Fortunately ... More >>

Campo is One of Dallas' Best Restaurants -- For Now

Oak Cliff has one of the city's most daring restaurants. But will the chef stay put?

Campo Modern Bistro Serves Up Poetry, But How Long Will Its Poet Last?

It's odd putting time into a restaurant review when you know the restaurant you're writing about will most likely not exist as it does for very long. Campo Modern Country Bistro, the subject of this week's review, opened last year with Matt McCallister as its "consulting executive chef." After desig ... More >>

Foodbitch's New Year's Resolutions

Resolutions are nasty little things we "make" every January 1 so we can disappointed in ourselves for not living up to our own ridiculous expectations. Well guess what? I resolve to be who I am for the next year, and be fucking happy about it, too. Here's what else I'm going to do. Gain 10 lbs. I ... More >>

The Next Generation Of Dallas Chefs

​Forbes recently listed 30 movers and shakers in the national food scene who are under 30. The article highlights the new guard, the young chefs and food purveyors who promise to carry the torch for the next generation of restaurant patrons. Dallas has some younger chefs worth mention on the ... More >>

Booze Booze Booze Tacobots: This Week In Dallas Grubbing

​Ouch. Remember that whole Bar 828 thing in Oak Cliff? Seems like a distant memory. While milling around out back of the event, I asked a bartender (details fuzzy for obvious reasons) his best hangover cure. He told me a gin and tonic water poured over a couple of alka-seltzer tablets with som ... More >>

Pig Parts, Happy Endings and More: The Week in the Dallas Food Scene

​I'm thinking the cool and damp weather warrants a pot of hearty braised lamb shanks and lots and lots of red wine. Or maybe I'll get around to making my first pot of chili since moving to Texas -- anything to counter the clouds and mist that looks down-right Xanax-inducing. But first there's ... More >>

Piglet Alert: Crispy Pig Ears Spotted at Campo

Flickr​Back in August, I wrote about RedFork's snout to tail plate, and lamented the lack of offal on Ryan Carbery's menu. The chef told me a head cheese terrine was received with mixed reviews; customers were more likely to order it when he called the charcuterie a pork pate. Shame. Head chee ... More >>

An Interview with Campo Chef and Stephan Pyles Vet Matt McCallister

Kevin Marple​Chef Matt McCallister worked his way up from line cook to executive chef at Stephan Pyles in Dallas, then took off around the country to stage at other top restaurants: Daniel in New York City, McCrady's in South Carolina and Alinea in Chicago. Now he's opening a new restaurant in ... More >>

Italian Eats, Stackhouse Love, and a Cheap-Ass Sandwich: This Week in Dallas Grubbing

​Ugh. On the heels of a massive bowl of Pho with a Dallas Super Yelper (more on that next week), I'm ready for a quiet night at home. I wonder how many minutes I'll last alone on my couch before I get the bug to get out and look for something to interesting to eat. I give myself till 7:30 tops ... More >>

Campo Opens in Oak Cliff

Rachel Laine​Campo Modern Bistro opened this week at 1115 N. Beckley Ave. in Oak Cliff. Owners Miguel Vicéns and John Paul Valverde of Coevál Studios recruited Matt McCallister, formerly of Stephan Pyles, to run the kitchen. McCallister has been dabbling in many different things lately, in ... More >>

For Fashion Week, Five Foods Just as Hard to Eat as Those Clothes are to Wear

Abacus​It's Fashion Week, which means lots of impractical clothes clothes on impractically shaped people. But designers aren't alone in their ability to turn something as functional as clothes into high art. Chefs often do the same with food, as demonstrated by the above dish -- a salad from ... More >>

Roy Williams: Man or Myth?