Food & Drink

Baby Back Shak1800 South Akard214-428-7427Dude Factor: 9, or “Bobby Patterson” on a scale of 1 (Cowboy Troy) to 10 (Freddie King)Remember those Chili’s commercials with the “I want my baby back, baby back” song? Of course you do. They’re burned into the memory of anyone who’s ever been within 100…

No surprise that anyone who calls herself a “diva” would use the term “retail therapy” for what most of us call “shopping.” The million-dollar spending sprees of notorious divas like Britney Spears, Mariah Carey and Michael Jackson come to mind. So perhaps some wariness is understandable when talking about an…

We began the 10 Questions series early in the new year, so it seems like a good time to pause and look back.Over the past few months, we’ve interviewed some interesting characters, including chefs, waiters, managers, bartenders, food critics and outright celebrities. While we never intended the 10 Q segment…

“I just wanted to find a way to save money. We have to sell ads for our yearbook, for our school newspaper. I don’t think this small amount of advertising will change my classroom.” (Jeb Harrison, history and economics teacher at Pocatello High School in Idaho, who agreed to carry…

Mattito’s6129 W. Main St., Frisco214-872-3411There’s one key difference between the original Dallas operation and its Frisco counterpart: location.And before you finish that “no shit, Sherlock” response, allow me to explain. In this case, location refers to mindset more than anything else. Mattito’s famed Uptown restaurant is neatly camouflaged by other…

Every once in awhile I wonder just why some people are keen to lavish praise on restaurant owners. Yeah, I know–the Food Network and those in the media who promote the celebrity chef idea share a portion of the blame. But many of the folks who dine regularly simply don’t…

Three months in and Quesa-D-Ya’s looks like the restaurant to beat. They slipped past the early leader, Nandina Asian Tapas, the week of January 26 and have held on since, easily brushing off a few feeble challenges.So as the first quarter closes, we pause to assess the highs, lows and…

For many of us, our earliest interests in mushroom recipes didn’t extend much past pizza. Or just maybe disguising the nauseating taste of manure-grown psychedelic mushrooms…or so we’ve heard. But if your interest in cooking with mushrooms has matured beyond the juvenile, your recipe could win you as much as…

Davis is kinda like Richard Petty or the New York Yankees, at least in the world of competitive barbecue.Since he began working the pit in 1994, this Marietta, Oklahoma, native has claimed 66 grand champion titles, including last year’s World BBQ Cook Off in Munich. He’s even featured on the…

“People ask me every day if Kent’s place is hurting our business. I tell them, ‘heck no, they are helping it.’ I look at it this way: Everybody loves comfort food. Kent serves the rich guys, and I serve the guys who used to be rich. And believe me, there…

After a long night traipsing around Austin looking for another Michelob Ultra or Tuaca giveaway party, nothing soaks it all up like a lukewarm slice of Roppolo’s pizza and a mind-clearing read through the City of Ate archives. That’s how some of us felt, anyway, in the wake of SXSW…

Robert “Bob” Sambol, 55, owner of Bob’s Steak & Chop House, was indicted yesterday for theft of $200,000 by a Dallas grand jury. After former customer Lee Thompson, Jr. invested $300,000 to fund a wine/cigar lounge add-on to Bob’s Lemmon Ave. restaurant, Thompson claims Sambol didn’t follow through and wants…

In the fifteen years of tending bar Chancy Jones put in before taking a job at Windmill Lounge, he remembers shaking up two–maybe three–Negronis. Three months at the cocktail dive on Maple and he’s an expert.”I’ve probably made 40 or 50 of them,” he says.But the complex, bittersweet and herbal…

For his review this week, Dave tries eating where the waiters eat, with a trip to DiTerra’s Urban Italian.Thanks to photographer Sara Kerens, we’ve got plenty more close-up shots of their food, flattering lighting and all, in our slideshow here…

Beverage distribution behemoth Ben E. Keith is branching out with another vino offering. And unlike the distributor’s inaugural label, Solemar, it’s not one they make themselves. The family-owned Chateau Diana, located in the Dry Creek Valley region of California, offers three brands. First described in the press release is the…

Before he opened Sevy’s Grill back in 1997, Severson had already piled up 23 years of food service experience…probably not counting his time at McDonald’s as a teenager.The Michigan native studied at the famous Culinary Institute of America and worked several kitchens before earning a local following as chef at…

“At Brinker, we hold the utmost respect for the litigation system; however, we are disappointed in the jury’s decision and plan to appeal. We remain steadfast in our belief of the merits of our case.” (a spokeswoman for Brinker International Inc. on a federal jury verdict this week awarding $270,000…

Think your server deserved a good tip? How ’bout the manager back there chatting up that cute trainee all night? Or the chef who overcooked your burger? The question of who gets a hand on your tip dollars just cost Dallas-based Brinker International a good $270,000. The company behind Chili’s…

Avanti Neighborhood Bistro5001 Addison Circle, Addison972-386-7800Duck confit consists of meat cooked in its own fat. The French developed a simple process rendering it perfect for storage over those occasional periods of foreign occupation. Merely by ramming it into a crock also packed with fat, duck (or other fatty meats like…