Nuts and Edible Seeds

I Made Candied Bacon. Now You Make It. Now.

When I opened up this cookbook at Christmas, this was the recipe that had to be made. I waited for the right moment, then I tried it out. There are no photos of the results, because the results were eaten too quickly. I assure you, this bacon is amazing. It's sweet. It's spicy. And it's bacon. What ... More >>

The Lot: Sharon Hage Tackles Papadum!

Just when you think there can't possibly be another Sharon Hage designed restaurant, the former York Street chef cranks out another. The next goes by the name The Lot and will open February 25 on a two-acre lot where Gaston Avenue and East Grand Avenue meet up with Garland Road. This time Hage is c ... More >>

A Texas Pecan Processor is Suing Over Nuts Contaminated by Rodent Droppings

George Martin and Marty Harrell used to be friends. They live 800 miles apart but swim in the same professional circles, the former heading Corsicana-based Navarro Pecan Company, one of the world's largest pecan-processing companies, and the latter in charge of the Harrell Nut Company, which shells ... More >>

Senator Charles Schwertner Wants To Give Texans Their Very Own Pie

The recently elected Senator Charles Schwertner has been busier than a beehive down in Austin. In addition to standing up for conservative values and cracking down on illegal immigration, the senator just filed a very important piece of legislation. If it passes the 83rd Legislature of the State of ... More >>

Seasons 52 is Open at NorthPark Center

Seasons 52 opened Monday at NorthPark Center, between Neiman Marcus and Dillard's in the old McCormick & Schmick's space. The casual upscale grill and wine bar seats over 400 diners and focuses on a menu that changes seasonally -- or perhaps like all 52 weeks of a farmers' market. In addition to ... More >>

Lower Greenville Avenue Is Getting A New Southern Comfort Restaurant

This October, 1 Jack's Southern Comfort Food should open up on Lower Greenville Avenue, provided permits and all those other things that keeps restaurants from opening when they say they will go through. A new release about the opening uses the word "biscuit" an unprecedented 22 times, in case you' ... More >>

10 Great Not-Meat Things You Should Grill

With the brief, if glorious, respite from 100-plus degree weather, we took again to outdoor activities that, for many of us, have been shelved since late May. And though fall may be upon us, we have at least a solid three weeks, if not more, of summery weather perfect for cranking up the grill and c ... More >>

From Sara's Market, A Sunflower Seed to Add to Your Baseball Mix

Last week while I perused the aisles at Sara's Market & Bakery in Richardson, Zaid Bayan, one of the owner's son, excitedly directed me towards one of their most popular items in the store: sunflower seeds. Sara's is a cornucopia of unique items from the Middle East, plus it has a great old-school ... More >>

Patience Is A Virture In Matters Of Pour-Over Coffee

"So you really brew every cup by hand?" I asked the petite barista wrapping up her shift at Mercantile Coffee House. She told me it was the only way they could do it, so I pointed to the two massive drip machines perched on the counter, prompting her honesty. "Gotta have some reason to keep people f ... More >>

I'm Doing a "Foodie Cleanse," but for Some Reason It Doesn't Involve a Baconoscopy

Cleanse. It's a word that strikes fear into the heart of every foodie and non-foodie alike. A cleanse used to mean a woman named Monica was about to get up close and personal with a big scary tube to literally flush your system. Nowadays a cleanse usually involves juicing (which is so hot right no ... More >>

The Yu Dog: When Darvish is on the Mound, There's Seaweed on Your Dog

There was some social media gossip about a Yu Dog at the Rangers Ballpark on Monday night, so I contacted Casey Rapp, the Operations Manager with Metroplex Sportservice, which coordinates most of the food for the stadium. (Rapp has a pretty cool, yet tiring, job and keeps in touch throughout the sea ... More >>

Coconut Water Tastes Like Bed Bath & Beyond

In 2009 the New York Times ran an article describing a trend taking over the city. Various shops were selling young coconuts, with undeveloped shells, liberated of their tops and served with drinking straws. "I think it's stylish, it's pretty," said a Brooklyn shop owner who was selling cases of coc ... More >>

For Day-Dreaming's Sake, a Look at Austin's South Congress Food Truck Park (with Photos)

I was down near Austin over the weekend (not for SXSW) and decided to check out the South Congress food truck park, to get a little sense of what may happen in Dallas by 2027. The food truck park is a testament to the best weirdness of Austin, as demonstrated by the musician just trying to earn a b ... More >>

The State of Pecan Pie in Texas: It Ain't That Good

​Texas Pecan trees have taken a punch. The USDA predicts our state's trees will collectively produce 40 millions pounds of pecans this year, which is 30 million pounds less than the 2010 crop. The Sunnyvale Pecan orchard east of Dallas is closed for the season. And today I spoke with Red Gra ... More >>

Dude Sweet's Crack In a Box: I GOTTA HAVE IT, GIMME SOME, CRAAAACK

​ The first time I bought Dude, Sweet Chocolate's "Crack in a Box," it was on a whim and possibly because the name was amusing. Later that evening, as I polished off the last bite of the two large slabs that were inside the box, I had my "ah-ha!" moment: the name is in reference to the fact th ... More >>

Supper Club! Smoke Chef Tim Byres Sends Along His Menu

Tim Byres of Smoke​Supper Club at the Kessler, (presented by City of Ate)our dinner series that features local chefs whipping up bad ass food alongside local tunes, is happening soon (June 8 y'all.) This month's chef is Tim Byres of Smoke. Oh yes, we're excited too. Chef Byres will prepare a four- ... More >>

Texas Hill Country Cooking Takes Manhattan, Sort Of

This New York City restaurant is serving up something called a "Texas hand roll." Someone should tell them city folks that the Chicken Ranch was in East Texas, not the Hill Country.​Hill Country, the wildly popular New York City barbecue joint that's been busily indoctrinating Yankees in the w ... More >>

Baskin Robbins Fans, Texas Pecan Growers Bugged by Flavor Changes

​When Baskin-Robbins recently announced it was axing five of its 31 signature flavors, the resultant uproar centered on French Vanilla, a fixture since the company's founding in 1945. More than 1000 people have joined a "Save French Vanilla," group on Facebook, pleading with the company to ke ... More >>

If Memory Serves: Secret Toffee

Recipe Shoebox​If Memory Serves chronicles moments from my dining past, perhaps explaining what's wrong with me.Every year around the holidays, my mom sends a tin of what she calls "Secret Toffee."Actually, I learned the name of this chocolate-toffee cookie thing just last week, having spent a few ... More >>

Veggie Guy: Spiral Diner's Faux Meatballs Win National Acclaim

The prized dish.​A recent survey conducted by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), ranked Spiral Diner's Sketti & Meatballs among the nation's top ten faux meatball dishes. You'd think the Spiral crew would be doing somersaults and touchdown dances over the news, but these guys ... More >>

Veggie Guy: Roy's Natural Market

​After a rough Saturday night--I'll spare you the details, but I will say this: there was much vodka involved--Sunday's hangover carried into Monday. Tuesday--still not human. So I got online to Tweet about my misery. Then I saw a Tweet from one of my raw food friends that read, "Alcohol acts a ... More >>

On The Range: Chiles Rellenos

Chiles rellenos, Emeril-stylePoblano peppers or Anaheim? When making chiles rellenos, the chef must first consider which pepper might better serve his or her vision of the completed dish. Indeed, they are similar and both are widely used, but tasting reveals subtle but noticeable differences. ... More >>

Food For Thought 4.28.09

"This is a journey, and we still have work to do, but expanding our sourcing of beans from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms and partnering with the Gates Foundation represents significant steps." (Steve Yucknut, vice president of sustainability, announcing Kraft's intention to increase coffee be ... More >>

Back To School

North Texas Daily A friend of mine swears that he ate at Mr. Chopsticks in Denton at least five times a week during his tenure as a student at the University of North Texas during the late '90s. He still makes a half-hour trip to the place a couple times a month. I could never understand this obses ... More >>

The Texas Rangers' Biggest Fan

Woodshed Trip

Review: Cafe R&D

Café R&D serves up pretty, tasty dishes, but where's the meow mix?

Review: Spiral Diner & Bakery

Spiral Diner & Bakery lets you avoid sins of the flesh

Birthday Luau

Roy's turns two decades old

Elegance Is Key

Learn to cook for some of your friends

Holy Holly! Actually Good Christmas CDs

Review: Aló Cenaduria & Piqueos

Bland on Bland Crime

September's CDs produce more beef than a Western Sizzlin'

Holy Buzz

Shinsei froths with sincere creativity

Best Thin-Crust Pizza

Scalini's Pizza and Pasta

Best Jazz Dinner

Watel's

Best Orange Chicken

Jade Garden

Best Cooking for Canines

No Bonz Barkery

Best Frozen Custard

Wild About Harry's

Best Free Bar Snacks

Nana

Best Hamburger

Keller's Drive-In

Best Chocolate Fix

Super Target

Glogg

The alternative to eggnog

Ripened Kiss

There are only a few rough spots at Chez Gerard

Best Sushi

Teppo Yakatori Sushi Bar

Best dumplings

Tabil spiced pork dumplings, The Landmark at the Melrose Hotel

Best sports spectator experience

MasterCard Colonial Golf Tournament

Top of the shops

When you've got nothing better to do, you might as well go buy something

Out There

Hot Dish