Now You Can Have Snow ‘s BBQ Right on Your Couch

You’ve heard of Snow’s BBQ, right? How about Black’s and Kreuz Barbecue in Lockhart? The most popular barbecue restaurants in Texas are known for their long lines and wait times as much as they are their meats. But what if you could sit on your couch and wait for a…

Hibiscus Executive Chef Takes Over at Whiskey Cake

Gastropubs everywhere! Just eight days after The Dallas Morning News published Leslie Brenner’s guide to gastropubs, Whiskey Cake announces the gastro-blah blah based in Plano has a new chef. Brent Hammer, formerly of Hibiscus on Henderson, will take over as chef de cuisine. See also: – With a Name Like…

Joyce And Gigi’s Is Off to a Great Start in East Dallas

Joyce And Gigi’s opened quietly four weeks ago with four pyramid-shaped heaters casting towering flames to call to cars as they drive down Ross Avenue. Without the heaters you’d zip right past the restaurant. It’s tucked into a recently renovated space on Hall Street. Joyce Stenvall and Gigliola Aguilera have…

Fire and Brimstone at The Standard Pour

After seeing a number of press releases and blog posts detailing the food at The Standard Pour, I decided to head to the Uptown gastropub to see if the place was worthwhile. I was hoping the “Cocktail Den and Cravings Kitchen” would be the neighborhood’s answer to Ten Bell’s Tavern,…

The Sub-Standard Pour

The Standard Pour opened last March, promising a cocktail den with food as slinky as its old-school cocktails in the heart of Uptown. Just less than a year later it has grown into a bustling restaurant, packed to the hilt on weekends and filled with a respectable crowd even late…

White Rock Local Market to Add Second Location

Just yesterday I wrote a post suggesting that the smaller, local farm vendors at the Dallas Farmers Market be moved to Klyde Warren Park. Now there’s evidence that other models for farmers markets are flourishing in the Dallas area. See also – Want To Fix The Farmers Market? Ditch the…

How to Cook a Steak in Your Fireplace

I expected a strange look and a question or two from my dinner guests. After all, I was standing in front of a red hot fireplace with a wild look in my eye and a large flap of meat dangling from my fist. “Why aren’t you using a grill?” one…

Free Range Concepts & Pat Green Announce “The Rustic”

Dallas is going to get a really big bar. At least it looks pretty big in this rendering. “The Rustic” will open this spring, according to Josh Sepkowitz and Kyle Noonan, who also opened Bowl and Barrel recently on Park Lane. See also: – Bowl and Barrel to Open Soon…

The Farmers Market Should Move to Klyde Warren Park

I know this is going to upset some people. The folks that run the current market might not like what I’m about to say, and the Dallas Farmers Market Friends organization definitely won’t like it. The Fourton’s at Pecan Lodge probably won’t dig it either, but I’m going to say…

Quaker Steak and Lube Wants to Hurt Me With Their Hot Sauce

The first time I got some hot sauce from Quaker Steak and Lube, I promptly gave it away. I wasn’t very interested in a chain that specialized in cheese steaks and hot wings. Besides, we’d already done a post announcing the arrival of the service-themed, fast food restaurant. That was…

Tasting Balcones Texas Single Malt Whiskey

Yesterday we pointed out the mention of Balcones Texas Single Malt Whiskey in The New York Times as part of a larger discussion about malt whiskeys and their recent domestic rise. Today I got a bottle of the stuff. It tastes like this… When it comes to whiskey, I am…

Stampede 66’s Bright Lights

In a small, fenced parcel, presumably somewhere in Texas, two perfectly dressed cowboys wrestle a young calf to the ground. They use their knees to pin the animal to the dirt while a third cowboy holds a thick length of metal in the smoldering coals of a fire in the…

Missing My Cricket Tacos at Stampede 66

There’s a lot of hubub about the tacos served at Stampede 66, but I’m having a hard time embracing the enthusiasm. First of all, they start at $4 a piece, pricy no matter how good the service is at Stephan Pyles’ latest restaurant, but they also lack the authentic, gritty…

Texans Make Scotch Whiskey Better Than the Scots Do

Shame on us for not seeing this sooner. A Waco distillery whooped up on the Scots in the whiskey distillin’ business a month ago. They won Best in Glass, a recent whiskey competition, beating names I’m sure you’ll recognize like Macallan and Glenmorangie, just to name two. See also: -…

The Cheesecake Factory Is Officially Trying to Kill You

By now you’ve surely seen the Tumblr feed This Is Why You’re Fat. The blog showcases gastronomic food porn with a propensity for dishes that tend to be high in fat and calories. Deep-fried macaroni and cheese sandwich anyone? See also: -Embracing Gluttony: The Hot Mess at Pecan Lodge -Embracing…

A Reader Asks the Dining Critic for Burger Advice. Poor Reader.

Every once in a while someone mistakes Scott for a food expert and risks ruining dinner by trusting him to answer to a burning question. Got a question about food or restaurants? Send it via Twitter @scottreitz, Facebook @ Cityofate or in the comments. Tiffany asked by email, quite succinctly,…

Tiffany Derry Leaves Private Social

Tiffany Derry is bolting. In an exclusive interview with Leslie Brenner at the Dallas Morning News, which gave the Top Chef contestant’s restaurant four stars in a review published shortly after the restaurant opened, Derry announced her departure to pursue national television projects. Her last day at Private Social will…

Baby It’s Cold Outside: Time for Winter Margaritas

Cold snap anyone? Dallas is finally starting to feel a little wintery, which means it’s the perfect time to pour yourself a margarita. Seriously. I’m used to switching to scotch when the mercury drops, but I’ve seen a number of cocktail recipes that are making think a winterized version of…

Tasting the Worst Fajitas Ever at Matt’s Rancho Martinez

When I eat Tex-Mex, I generally subsist on two standard orders depending on my mood. Sometimes I want enchiladas, and sometimes I want fajitas. The rest falls into special occasion Tex-Mex, such as when I’m hunting for perfect puffy taco, or searching for good queso, or am otherwise distracted by…