There are A-list bartenders working the hot clubs. But you know something? They all had to start somewhere.Bittenbender is new to bartending. The Dallas native spent years playing guitar in a band, touring from venue to venue…until fatherhood caused him to rethink priorities. So he took a job as a…

I guess the ironic thing about all of this was Charles Elmer Doolin (who also invented the “Cheeto”) was a bit of a food purist himself and health food advocate…Doolin was the treasurer of the Texas Natural Foods Association and an avid follower of Dr. Herbert Shelton, a San Antonio…

Good God…Brian Luscher (The Grape) in a cowboy hat with pinstriped apron and Brooks Anderson (Veritas wine bar) in a camel jacket. Notify Tom Ford. Wait, scratch that. Maybe Edsel Ford?Chef Luscher won the sixth annual steak cook-off in Hico. That’s his belt buckle in the case. …

That’s right, our Hot off the Grill newsletterer condenses a week’s worth of dining information into one easy to read email, chock full of colorful graphics. OK, we lied. The graphics are pretty repetitive. But the news is always different, always useful–particularly this edition, when you find out a little…

Under no other circumstances would we hand over our keys to a stranger and let them drive off. But at almost every restaurant, valets hop into Porsches, Kias and whatever else pulls up and roar away. Tullos has been at it for a decade–the last eight at Al Biernat’s. He…

“I’m hoping they voted the way they did because they want to come here.” (Eric Gigon, an owner of Track in Rowlett, on the city’s smoking ban, which goes into effect today. Voters supported the city council’s original ban by a two to one margin in a special election. Track…

I’m not only going to borrow a couple paragraphs from Scott at DallasFood.org, but I’m also lifting them out of context. Hope he doesn’t mind. In the midst of a thoughtful post discussing a blogger code of ethics proposal, Scott wrote: The professional has to blow part of his budget…

Kirin Court221 W. Polk St., Richardson214-575-8888On Saturday afternoons, most non-people watching restaurants sit relatively idle, if they’re open at all. But you’ll find much of the area’s Chinese population (and a nice cross-section of Richardson, as well) huddled over the dim sum at Kirin Court, even well past lunch time.The…

Yeah, why not. With the end of Tutankhamun’s reign in Dallas, it seemed like the thing to do: resurrect some comments about ancient Egyptian dining and drinking habits. Born in Arizona, he moved to Babylonia–then on to Egypt, which he ruled for just nine years, starting in 1333 BCE. The…

“He was a happy-go-lucky guy with a great work ethic.” (Ed Murph, owner of Norma’s Cafe, on Lonnie Ray Ellis, one of his kitchen staff. Ellis died last week in an auto accident with a DART bus. Norma’s staff placed a donation jar at the counter to raise enough money…

Both Leslie Brenner and I hammered the kitchen at Nick & Sam’s Grill. But there’s no denying the restaurant’s popularity. Some people rank Mi Cocina amongst the city’s top ten restaurants while others–myself included–consider it mediocre at best. Again, it turns out, those who favor the local chain comment on…

Talking about gin, of course. That so many people hate gin, love gin or can tolerate only one specific brand of gin says a lot about the spirit. Although bound together by juniper, the amount of this fruit and balance of other botanicals involved in distillation–as well as the distillation…

She’s worked in some of the city’s most respected kitchens, including Cafe on the Green, Mediterraneo and The Riviera. As executive chef at Trader Vic’s, she picked up a spot in the Dallas Morning News’ list of top new restaurants in 2007.Crockett now serves as general manager for Cadillac Ranch,…

“This was my first restaurant in Dallas and it lasted eight years. It’s been great; I had a wonderful time. There were about 40 different reasons why I sold it. So, I’m starting a new chapter in my life.” (Former Mirabelle chef-owner Joseph Maher on selling his stellar North Dallas…

People we’d like to shake hands with:The Addison city council, for voting to allow Sigel’s to plant the 1950s-era sign, dismantled when the chain’s Lemmon location closed, in the northern ‘burb. Years ago I visited a spot in Lithuania where some rich guy had resurrected Soviet statues torn down when…

Mirabelle17610 Midway #140972-733-0202The pall of death hangs over Mirabelle.It’s Tuesday evening. A once-full bar sits dark and deserted, the mirrored-shelves vacant. Wine racks are empty–as is a walk-in cellar. Of the 30 or so seats in the gasping restaurant, only mine is filled…and I make for a crowd so insignificant…

He’s come a long way since he first learned to cook, helping his mom both in the garden and kitchen. Hobbs’ resume includes stints at Celebration, Hotel St. Germaine, Toscana, and the Riviera, where he worked alongside chef David Holben. In his first executive chef position, at Il Sole, he…

“I don’t think we have a right to tell somebody what to do with their personal property.” (State Senator Bob Deuell, a doctor, explaining his vote against a statewide smoking ban. The bill was endorsed by the Senate Health and Human Services Committee by a vote of 5-3. Deuell is…

When asking about dishes considered unsuitable–or at least unusual–for wine, the experts generally push me toward something fruity and acidic.Makes sense, really: these are the two elements most capable of battling excess salt, wallowing fat and other banes of wine pairing. So when I approached the woman at Majestic on…