“How does this place make money?” You know you’ve heard that question dozens of times–whether from a friend or in your own head–when looking at the small, boutique purveyors so popular in the food world these days. We encountered it just yesterday on a trip to Scardello Artisan Cheese from…

Recipe Demonstrated by Scott Gottlich of Bijoux As we speak (or write, as it were), eager food-lovers across the area are anticipating Restaurant Week dinner reservations at some of the finest dining destinations in town. For just $35, they’ll tuck in to three special courses, with a portion of the…

No segment of the food and beverage industry so reflects the desire for smaller, more personalized purveyors than wine. Wine lovers want magic and prestige–not a mass-market bottle from a corner gas station (usually found in a cooler, right next to the Coors Light).But therein lies the trouble. What we…

As the food media world warms up for its busiest time of year, a trickle of new releases in television and print are whetting our appetites for the deluge to come. Here are a few of our favorite picks: WWBBD? The Food Network’s newest star is none other than Olympic…

This past Saturday, a sold-out crowd gathered at Le Cordon Bleu Institute of Culinary Arts in North Dallas for the first-ever DrinkLocalWine.com Conference. Hosted by website founders Jeff Siegel and Dave McIntyre and the Texas Department of Agriculture’s Go Texan program, the event drew wine makers, wine writers, bloggers and…

The more things change, the more we find ourselves scratching our heads at the stuff the powers-that-be in the corporate food world come up with. Pop Culture Vita Food Products, Inc. is the number one brand of refrigerated seafood products, sales-wise, as well as an industry leader in the smoked…

Recipe Demonstrated by Scott Gottlich of Bijoux Next week marks the 12th annual KRLD Restaurant Week, with over 100 area restaurants offering special meals to benefit the North Texas Food Bank and the Lena Pope Home in Fort Worth. Each year, food lovers across the area count down the days…

A week ago today, Leslie Brenner of the Dallas Morning News dropped a bomb on the Eats blog: nine-year-old Lola on Fairmount Street is closing in October. The Uptown charmer has earned top marks from reviewers and locals alike for its thoughtful, well-executed menu and top-notch wine program. The announcement…

We love the idea of Texas de Brazil Express: take a trusted name in meat-coma dining and parlay it into a quick meal concept. Round out said concept with a simple assisted assembly-line format and plop it in a busy shopping center (with ample parking) and you’ve got yourself a…

We’ve all got our minds on comfort food right now. Just check out the TV. Or the newspapers, the food blogs or any restaurant menu for proof. When times are tight, folks turn to tried and true, deep fried, gravy-covered favorites for a pick-me-up at the end of a long…

It would be easy to blame it on Pinkberry. The popular yogurt company’s website touts that “in less than five years, Pinkberry has established a dominant leadership position in the frozen yogurt category.” But that only tells part of the story. What this trendsetting treat shop kicked off in Los…

Recipe Demonstrated by Jimmy Vergos of the Original Market Diner In the words of one thrice-weekly regular, “It’s just like home, but with better food!” Jimmy Vergos’ mom and dad and Pappou and YiaYia developed a loyal following over the years at the Original Market Diner by serving home style…

Zinsky’s was hoppin’. On one of its first days of service, the New York-style deli from Mark Brezinski (Pei Wei, Bengal Coast) and Liz and Jim Baron (Blue Mesa Grill) was packed with businessmen, grandmothers herding broods of kids and folks from the surrounding North Dallas neighborhoods. We even saw…

Nothin’ says summer like a hot dog. Okay, burgers and ice cream do a pretty good job of getting the point across. Cold beer, too. But you gotta admit, hot dogs hold a special place in our hearts. Why? Because no matter how you dress ’em up, they’re always more…

2533 McKinney Avenue is one of those locations. Vaguely familiar yet often overlooked, the unusual Mediterranean-style building with the wrap-around patio has always suffered from something of an identity crisis. Expect a few rounds of “It was that French place, remember? Then the Italian place…didn’t they move?” when arranging a…

Ah, bragging rights. Everyone wants to claim them, over your brother, a co-worker, the guy you battle for a parking space every morning. Now two Dallas restaurants hold them over the entire city.Nana was just inducted into the Nation’s Restaurant News 2009 Fine Dining Hall of Fame. Established in 1980,…

Recipe Demonstrated by Chef Peter Gray of Cretia’s on McKinney Cretia’s on McKinney, the bistro-slash-bakery-slash-live music venue, reopened in March after a nine-month hiatus to, um, refresh and regroup. In addition to moving just up the road to the former Tijuana Bar and Grill location, a brand new Executive Chef…

Gabriela Pataro was just trying to follow the rules. In return she got dirty looks and arguments from a bunch of angry dog-lovers. “It wasn’t a very positive thing for us,” says the owner of Café Lago of her struggle to keep dogs off the property. Open since 2000 just…

The Paulas and the Bobbys and the (ugh) Rachaels better watch their beaters. A new crop of food stars are shaking up the old “if you cook it, they will watch” formula with new concepts, insider tips and sheer, unadulterated gluttony. Oh, and one of these up-and-comers is even giving…

Of all the perceived gaps in Dallas’ huge, yet largely homogenous selection of restaurants, none has received such passionate attention as the absence of a true New York-style deli. Acceptable and even exceptional versions have come and gone, and one passable local deli-style restaurant is packed all weekend long. Yet…

David Pedack is a live wire. Handsome, boyish and unpredictable, he’s the guy who knows everyone, the guy who can really work a room. We’d expect nothing less, given his many years behind-the-scenes (or behind the bar) on the Dallas nightlife circuit. But everyone’s gotta grow up sometime. In 2008,…

Recipe Demonstrated by Executive Chef James Johnson of Pappas Bros. Steakhouse Pappas Bros. Steakhouse is known for meat. Dry aged in house for 40 days and seared to sizzling perfection, you’ll find their Rib Eyes, New York Strips and Filets Mignon on just about any Dallas-area carnivore’s Top 10 list…