As previously mentioned, last Wednesday evening I received my first box of local, organic veggies and fruits from Greenling. Problem was, I was a little skeptic at being able to work through the whole box over the weekend, particularly with requisite lard-laced Super Bowl festivities planned. Then Scott Reitz called…
Yesterday, the Department of State Health Services hosted a meeting in Austin on the proposed new labeling rules for the Texas Cottage Food law, which have bakers in an uproar. And if this video wasn’t a clear indication of how the city of Plano feels about the newfound freedom of…
Lately we’ve talked a lot about how the Dallas food scene is moving past plates of melted cheese. But let this stand as a warning to the fancy-pants chefs in this town: Melted cheese will always have a place here. You hear that? Always. And that’s how I justify the…
Union Bear in the West Village is set to open tonight. Just across from the Magnolia Theatre, the space is split between a street level, which has a large retractable windows and a bar (technically opening next week), and an underground level where there are several distinct dining areas, another…
Greenling is a company out of Austin that just started delivering farm-fresh produce and other foods to customers in an around Dallas. The concept is to bridge the gap between those who want to eat organic and local but don’t have the time or wherewithal to attain it. And since…
So, did you say you were planning a trip to New Orleans for Mardi Gras? And wanted to take back roads? Figured. It can be a really beautiful drive. Weaving in and out of the tall pine trees on nearly desolate soft rolling two-lane highways. Ahh … take a deep…
Anastacia Quiñones is just one week into her new job as chef at the modern Mexican cuisine spot Komali. The Dallas native attended the Culinary Institute of America in New York, then fell in love with San Francisco after just several hours visiting. After working there for a few years,…
Vietnam in East Dallas is the quintessential hole-in-the-wall spot that serves up amazing, traditional pho. And when Chef Matt McCallister mentioned this 16-year-old eatery as one of his favorites in a recent interview, it was time to revisit. The particular pho in the photo above is No. 79 from Vietnam’s…
My extent of beer knowledge is limited. I know that I like it on occasion. I know that Jesse Hughey knows a lot. I know that there is new stuff popping up all the time. And I know that if you want to be a brew master, you should grow…
City of Ate reported recently that the Texas Department of State Health Services had proposed new rules for the Cottage Food Law that passed last year, designed to make it easier for home bakers to peddle their deliciousness. The law required DSHS to establish specific rules for the home-baker business…
Central Market announced today that its new store, at Preston and Royal in the old Borders location, will open on Wednesday, February 15 at 8 a.m. This will be the ninth store in the Texas-based chain. CM’s serpentine-flow, European-style layout and bountiful selection of produce, seafood, cheese, wine and literally…
Chocolate Secrets is at the corner of 3926 Oak Lawn and Avondale. It serves organic candied Black Forest bacon nestled in a sea of dark chocolate ganache (see more photos below). They’re among the most magnificent things I’ve ever eaten. We now return you to your regularly scheduled bacon programming…
Oh, Paula, Paula, Paula. What happened? One day we’re fat and happy making ooey-gooey monkey bread, the next we’re being secretly photographed eating a burger on a cruise ship. Our gluttony has caught up with us. But Paula and I go way back. Ours is a tried and true relationship,…
During the last state legislative session, the Cottage Food Law was passed, clearing the way for home bakers to sell certain goods from their home. Guidelines were established, including limiting annual gross sales to less than $50,000, requiring in-person transactions and limiting sales to non-potentially hazardous foods. And boy did…
Here’s the thing about working in the Town of the Cow versus our more easterly hamlet: In these parts, when a group of people are waiting for an elevator in a downtown building, once our vessel arrives, everyone keeps their eyes straight ahead, makes haste in an orderly, yet all-business…
Jason Maddy is the executive chef at the recently opened Oak in the Design District. Maddy grew up in Austin and, after attending culinary school in New York, worked at David Bouley’s Danube, then the Driskill in Austin. A few years ago he was recruited by John Tesar to work…
Last night was Industry Night at Il Cane Rosso, and the kids (Jeffers and Zielke) from Smoke and Bolsa were serving up pie. Local and delicious were the themes. The bar stools across the pizza pit directly in front of the mouth of the big red alien-like oven are the…
Last week we got word of John Tesar’s trifecta of plans for 2012. First, he’s sold his share of The Commissary to co-owner Lucy Billingsley and plans to open other two other independent Commissaries; one at Northwest Highway and Midway and the other in cowtown at the Museum Place. Then,…
The fourth annual SOUP’S ON! Stewpot Alliance Luncheon and art sale is tomorrow at Union Station. Jeannette Walls, author of The Glass Castle, will be the keynote speaker, and nine of Dallas’ top chefs will serve up signature soups. The art sale will feature more than 50 paintings and handmade…
Yes, it’s National Pie Day. No, we don’t know why it isn’t a National Holiday. Yes, we’re drafting a letter to address this degradation of our national food. In the meantime, we’re offering up a few of our favorites to guide you through your four-hour lunch in which you try…
Dallas native Abraham Bebell previously kept spirits hopping at Cuba Libre and Victor Tango’s, and now is the bar manager at the new Oak in the Design District. He’s part of cadre of local bartenders that are rediscovering the old approach to booze. I recently drank his booze and spoke…
Chef Kyle McClelland moved from New York City to Dallas last October to take over the kitchen at The Cedars Social. The French Culinary Institute grad has an impressive pedigree and previously we spoke about his “clean” approach to cooking. Needless to say, I have been anxious to try it…
