Food & Drink

Scardello’s chocolate, cheese and bubbles tasting is the perfect event to mask emotional pain. What better coping mechanism is there than a curated collection of food and alcohol? This Lonely Hearts Edition of Scardello’s multi-day tasting involves some special pairings and solo-style treats. Tickets are $45 and selling fast, just…

It’s nearly 40 miles from the Dallas Observer offices to Tender Smokehouse in Celina, a fact that spurred some internal debate before our visit. We can almost write the Facebook comments ourselves from readers who will think we’ve ventured too far north to be relevant. But North Texas food is…

All-American is a series that looks at beloved, longstanding North Texas eateries and examines their histories while exploring how the food has changed — for the good or bad — over the years. Once you’re in the dark embrace of the Cock & Bull, other than yanking out your phone…

Part Dallas food fest, part live chef cooking competition, Dallas Observer’s Iron Fork returns to Centennial Hall at Fair Park on Wednesday, April 25 with unlimited food samples from nearly 50 Dallas restaurants, beer/wine/cocktail tastings and Iron Fork’s Chef Challenge, which pits two Dallas chefs against one another in a…

In the past six months, downtown Dallas has seen the arrival of two titans of fine French dining. The French Room, a storied space with a century of history, reopened to considerable acclaim. Just blocks away, Bullion offers an equally refined take on classical gastronomy in an art-filled space designed…

Maybe you’re great in the sack. You’re a sex sherpa guiding your lover to new levels of ecstasy and exploration. For you, Valentine’s gift-shopping won’t be necessary. For the rest of us, there are macarons. Yes, macarons. Some may argue it’s a tired trend, that they never taste as good…

In theory, there’s no reason a buffet shouldn’t be a premium dining destination, right? Give it an unlimited budget — charge customers a little extra — and you could ensure a huge selection of fresh, continually replenished foods in a fancy-looking dining room with elegant trimmings. You could also hire…

Wow Donuts and Drips in Plano was two years in the making. Opened in December near the Shops at Willow Bend, this is not your typical doughnut place. General manager David Sim put a lot of research into the concept. “Coffee shops are where people hang out — it’s a…

Jeng Chi opened in 1990, a few doors down from where it stands today as one of DFW’s most well-known Chinese and Taiwanese restaurants. Then, it only had four tables, and owners Yuan and Mei Teng served only dough-based items — dumplings, noodles and gua boa (buns). They did not…

It’s that time of year again for Chinese families across the globe, when red lanterns and red and gold emblems are strung across ceilings, doors and street lights. Relatives convene and the elders tuck ornate red envelopes full of cash, or hong bao, beneath the pillows of sleeping children. The…

Let’s skip the platitudes — ranging from “Valentine’s Day is hell on earth” to “I bought you this stuffed animal from Walgreens” — and get right to it: If you’re in a relationship and haven’t explicitly set greeting card holiday-related boundaries, you’re gonna have to pull something out of your…

Don’t call Fernando Barrero a chef. He’s been in the restaurant industry for two decades in positions ranging from dishwasher to manager, and he jumped into a couple of cooking classes at Brookhaven College but quickly refuses the title. He prefers to keep the cooking at home, he says. Barrera…

It started with something called flour salt. BrainDead Brewing chef David Peña’s powers of food deductions are acute, preserved after years of shellacking his mind with Whataburger cheeseburgers and hot, salty french fries. In order to reconstruct the A1 Thick and Hearty Burger from the ground up — he recently…

This time of year, you may find yourself overtaken by a particular flavor of malaise that can only be eased with vacation planning. While the next few months may be barren of three-day weekends and company holidays, the promise of a few beach-filled days is often just the brand of anticipation…

A beautiful dining room hasn’t been enough to keep a consistent concept in place at the Cedars Social. But now, three women see the space not as a hurdle, but as an opportunity. Restaurateur Monica Greene, chef Anastacia Quinones and bar manager Leann Berry will reopen the Cedars Social this…

“Modern Mexican Plates. Familiar Flavors.” The tagline on Jalisco Norte’s website summarizes this new restaurant’s double identity. The Mexican hot spot, right between Uptown and Highland Park, is trying to have things both ways, serving sophisticated Mexican fare available nowhere else in Dallas while also plating $9 orders of nachos…

In December, we broke the big news: Dallas is about to get its first festival dedicated to the humble slider sandwich. Between the Buns will take over Dallas Farmers Market from 4-7 p.m. Saturday, March 24, with unlimited slider samples and ample booze for purchase. Now, we have an idea…