Even eaters who dine out only on special occasions have typically been exposed to Berkshire pork and Waygu beef. But when it comes to duck, few restaurants bother to reveal which breed they’re serving. “Every time I see duck on the menu, it just says duck,” says Ted Hill, co-chair…
Gallo. Robert and CK Mondavi. Beringer. Kendall-Jackson. Franzia. You know them as the 800 pound gorillas, the Two Buck Chucks, if you will, of the wining world. They take up voluminous amounts of space on the grocery store shelves with their bottles, magnums and boxes of mass-produced vino, much of…
One thing the Internet is good for these days is finding new ways to infuse your food with bacon. If you’re vegetarian, and you were thinking “At least my liquids are safe from meat”: you thought wrong. First there was Jones’ Bacon soda line, and now, thanks to Archie McPhee,…
Apologies for missing last week’s Walk the Wok. Hope everyone has been eating well and has discovered something tasty since the last time we rendezvoused. During my MIA time, I’ve been revisiting past blog-subject restaurants with the intention of doing updates. I stopped in at Naga Thai to see if…
A press release from 7-Eleven today announces “Purple Friday” as an alternative to “Black Friday,” the busiest shopping day of the year, when hordes of deal-seekers rise at the asscrack to trample each other for large-screen televisions, game systems and other crap they couldn’t possibly survive without. But while your…
One of the “joys” of working from home is having the role of caregiver thrust upon me when my son is sick and prohibited from attending daycare. Since first matriculated in daycare several months ago, he’s spent almost one day every week at home with a fever. If I build…
(Editors’ note: Look, we warned you last week that we opened the door to poetry from City of Ate staffers who wanted to praise their Thanksgiving faves. So, here goes: a bit of blank verse — that’s a technical term for prose with funny line breaks — from Merritt Martin…
It’s no dirty secret that combining two already-great foods into one juggernaut food is a staple in this country. So, what’s better than to take a fried thing and drop it on top of a breakfast thing? Not much, we’d propose. So, let’s embark on another photographic journey, shall we?…
Coca-Cola last week introduced a new type of freestanding recycling center, setting up its first “Reimagine” unit near a Kroger store at 2210 S Fielder Road in Arlington. The “Reimagine,” described as “the size of a delivery truck”, accepts unsorted bottles and cans in bulk — even those not manufactured…
The New York Times this weekend dipped into a discussion that’s always swirling around the practice of food criticism: Why write about restaurants where many readers can’t afford to eat? “Times reviews create the illusion that indulging in expensive pleasures is common and normative,” reader Ishwar Bridgelal complained in a…
TJ’s Fresh Seafood market is spinning its lobster promotion this weekend as an antidote to turkey, but it’s almost certain Pilgrims wouldn’t have taken advantage of the deal. Befitting the first Thanksgiving’s coastal venue, the table the Pilgrims and Wampanoags shared was piled high with sea creatures. The shore dwellers,…
For much of the last century, many workers who worried about which stuffing recipe to use and whether to serve Aunt Gertrude a second glass of wine didn’t have to fret about buying a turkey, which came courtesy of the boss man. But the ritual of rewarding every worker with…
A pair of Austin vegans is tackling the food group many ethical eaters consider the most difficult to recreate without resorting to animal slaughter: Seafood. While liquid smoke and seitan make a passable faux roast, even talented cooks have trouble conjuring the nuanced flavors of seafood in soy. That doesn’t…
(We asked some of our City of Ate contributors to write paeans to their favorite Thanksgiving dishes. Jesse Hughey kicked us off with a…well, let’s call it a “poem” honoring green bean casserole. Today, Andrew Marton writes about good gravy. Tomorrow? More CofA poetry. You’ve been warned.) Among the many…
Travel + Leisure’s just released its list of America’s favorite cities, which conveniently leaves Dallasites a few hours to get to Austin for dinner. Dallas-Fort Worth didn’t fare well in the food and dining categories, finishing 32nd out of 35 cities ranked in the online survey conducted this summer. San…
Among other things, the Thanksgiving cooking class at Stephan Pyles taught me that the main things I know about journalism are wrong. I had a journalism professor open his class with, “You think you’re going to be happy? You’re not. You think this career is going to be easy? It’s…
Sunday morning dawned early, but not bright, in my house. You know how people say cheap beer gives you a bad hangover? Well, expensive beer does too, if you drink enough of it. I have the Anvil Pub to blame for its enticing and extensive selection, but only myself to…
At the grocery store this weekend, we were stuck in a checkout line five deep. Seems that everyone but us decided to shop for their Butterballs days ahead of Thanksgiving. We aren’t cooking this year because, well, we aren’t keen on the idea of spending the entire day in the…
Each week City of Ate will give you the lowdown on a local happy hour in Quittin’ Time, with the details and why you should or shouldn’t take up the featured bar or restaurant on its drink specials. Where: Buzzbrews, 4334 Lemmon Ave., 214-521-4334 When: All day Monday, 3 to…
After my last date at a seafood establishment, I was leery to go to another one. But when a new guy suggested S. & D. Oyster Company for our dinner date, I felt relieved and said “of course.” If you’ve never eaten at S. & D. Oyster Company, you must…
Over the past week, City of Ate has caught up with Dallas-area chefs. We asked them about their Thanksgiving plans and what they’re thankful for – because if we have to suffer the same cheesy fate at our families’ Thanksgiving, it might be interesting to learn if they did, too…
(Editors’s note: We asked some of our regular contributors to write odes to their favorite Thanksgiving dishes. “In verse,” some asked. “If you like, sure. Why not?” Here’s the first answer to that question.)Ode To The Humble Green Bean CasseroleTwo cans green beans, one cream o’ mushroom soupWith milk and…
