Each week, Pairing Off attempts to find just the right bottle of wine to go with ordinary food…or in this case, smoke.The gentleman at Pogo’s was adamant when I asked the usual “which wine would go best with” question.”I wouldn’t pair it with wine,” he told me. Twice.Obviously whiskeys or…
Yeah, yeah–pretty damn juvenile of us…not to mention downright sexist.But, damn it, if Danica Patrick can embrace beauty as well as hard nose racing skill, then we’re allowed the occasional foray into ‘babe-licious’ territory. Now, it wasn’t an easy process. After much hemming and hawing, we had to pass up…
Does the city have something against chefs named David? David McMillan, recently ousted from Consilient restaurants. His long career includes Nana and his own 62 Main. David Gilbert, didn’t fit in at Lazare. The rising star left and was replaced by his sous chef, Ryan Carbery. David Uygur, will be…
The folks from Sprinkles just sent a box of cupcakes and a press release. The cupcakes feature a blue star on white icing (though the cake itself is the color of algae). The press release speaks of their arrangement with the Dallas Cowboys.Apparently if you buy these Cowboys-themed cupcakes (from…
The folks from marketing introduced their new hire. Bruno is a descendant of Max Schmeling and looks like a bigger, angrier, more violence-prone copy of the Hitler-era heavyweight. He’s also standing outside my office. So here goes: This week, in our free and practically award-winning email newsletter, Hot off the…
Green Papaya 3211 Oak Lawn 214-521-4811This much is obvious: few people care whether or not Green Papaya trots out traditional Vietnamese dishes or Texafied facsimiles. It’s not even an issue. The place has been so consistent over a long term that when they home in on authenticity or when the…
An American style milkshake in part requires a blend that will stand a spoon but can be sipped from a straw without much trouble. Response to last week’s ranking of ten different milkshakes, however, suggests some people really don’t consider the difference between a milkshake and stirred up ice cream…
The question came to mind after we received a note about the new–and very popular–Burguesa Burger holding a meeting to tempt franchisees.As you may or may not know, Jeff Sinelli’s stand serves something called the La Monumental, a sandwich bulging with two patties (each dripping with cheese), ham, avocado, refried…
You know, we have some fine prize material piling up in my office, from a tiny pail full of paper clips all the way up to John Bonnell’s Fine Texas Cuisine, a book full of food porn and recipes. Too bad no one ever wants one of our giveaways.So, on…
I personally think zubrowka and aged genever are the finest spirits one can drink. But neither are easy to find, unless you travel.Zubrowka is a flavored vodka generally associated with Poland, where they’ve been distilling and drinking it for a good six or seven centuries. Pale gold in color, it…
After the creme brulee, I ordered a Bombay martini. The waiter instantly responded “regular Bombay or Sapphire.”At 99 percent of Dallas restaurants, they only know the latter. Personally, I prefer the former and am impressed he asked…
Years and years ago, Aurora chef Avner Samuel blurted in the middle of a phone conversation that he had introduced creme brulee to Dallas–and vice versa, I suppose. Let’s assume that’s the case. Why then, didn’t he go that one step further and show local chefs how to caramelize the…
Alligator Cafe4416 Live Oak214-821-6900The way they blare Kennedy-era tunes, you’d almost think Alligator Cafe was stuck in time. And from the cooking, you’d suspect it was a little out of place.Let’s see–walls, furniture, pretty much everything else smudged and worn, the menu board featuring catfish, crawfish, boudin balls and ettouffee…You…
“This is bullshit.” Normally soft-spoken, at least by defensive lineman standards, Ernie Story may be wired on energy drinks—just about everyone else is. Besides, there are six months of anticipation pent up behind this day. He stomps away from a cluster of older men, back toward the cinder-block locker room…
Too bad no one can make it to Lumi. The restaurant is far more interesting than its immediate neighbors, although I say that with some hesitation. Just to the south sits Patio Bar & Grill. And there’s nothing wrong with Hook, Line & Sinker, on the other side. Sometimes you…
Europeans have fresh, seasonal foods, universal health care and about 30 weeks of vacation each year. But we have milkshakes.OK–so they serve a literal version: milk shaken with some flavoring. Ours involve ice cream, crammed into a glass and churned with a little milk (or, better yet, cream) into a…
Recession? There must be one, judging by our paychecks and news today that Lola planned to shut down. Still, July saw an unprecedented (even in boom times) wave of restaurant openings.Strange–July and August are not generally considered the best of months by those in the food service industry. Maybe rents…
Each week, Pairing Off attempts to find just the right bottle of wine to go with ordinary food.There’s nothing better than a pound or so of ground beef slapped on the grill…except maybe the same, topped with bacon.Of course, some people are content–or so they say–to deny themselves life’s culinary…
Normally I find restaurant opening/closing stories to be rather tedious, as far as news goes. Places come and go all the time, you know.But Leslie Brenner’s announcement on Eats that Lola will soon shut down…Damn.Turns out she was intent on reviewing the place. Guess what–I had one planned for the…
Nice piece by the equally nice Kim Pierce in today’s Dallas Morning News, tasking Claudine Martyn of Slow Food Dallas to cook up a meal using only local and seasonal ingredients.Good looking dishes, but the concept hardly seems a challenge.What I would really love to see is that same article,…
So I was kinda stalling. I don’t like the self-promotion thing, you know. Then a note from marketing crashed through my office window. “We have Dude Food guy Noah Bailey,” it read. “We will force feed him carrot sticks, peeled and dressed in hibiscus oil, until you run the promo.”My…
Cuba Libre2822 N. Henderson Ave.214-827-2820If you recall the restaurant’s party days, it seems like we’d never get around to calling Cuba Libre and old stalwart.Yet there it is, the grand old kitchen of booming Henderson Avenue. Tristan Simon still owns the place, though he now spends much of his time…
