It started with a bit of a Lazy Susan-style idea. Ask a bunch of Dallas’ best chefs, one at a time, some questions ending with, “Who will you be watching closely in 2016?” Then we’d (oh so cleverly) ask that very chef the same series of questions. Wouldn’t that just…
If you read up on chef/owner Avner Samuel before walking into Nosh Bistro & Bar in North Dallas, you may expect Southwestern cuisine with French flair à la The Mansion. And you’d be partially correct. In 1998, after cheffing at a jaw-dropping 20 restaurants around town in a career spanning…
If the piles of pie and cookies at every holiday party haven’t satisfied your sweet tooth yet, or if you need a dose of alcohol with your sugar, you’ve come to the right place. Here’s a wine nerd’s rundown of different types of delectable dessert wine you can serve to…
Hey kid, sweet gingerbread house! I’m sure you’re super proud of that, what with all the gumdrops and icing and skittles on the roof. I’d sure hate to ruin your Christmas, Kanye-style. But I’ve gotta, because kid, “Imma let you finish, but Andrea Meyer has made one of the best gingerbread creations…
Google “shrimp sausage” in quotation marks. The results, you’ll find, are recipes for shrimp and sausage as two separate ingredients, not one crazy thing. After five whole pages of results for “Creole shrimp and sausage,” paella, gumbo, pasta, jambalaya, kabobs and the like, finally one hit turns up for shrimp…
The Mast Brothers are a couple of pretty well-loved purveyors of artisanal, expensive chocolate. They’re based exactly where you’d expect people who make chocolate from their own beans to be based: Brooklyn, NY. But this week Mast has been slapped across the face by a blogger who, we’re pretty sure,…
The famous (and perpetually disgruntled) 19th century poet Charles Baudelaire once said, “With wine, with poetry or with virtue, as you choose. But get drunk.” We’re taking him at his word and skipping straight to the wine. Here’s where to get started and make the ghost of Baudelaire happy. 1…
If you’re doing last minute Christmas shopping for a wine lover, here are some affordable ideas that will make their lives a little easier when it comes to wine. In case you’re not convinced, I’ve included my own personal anecdotes as to why these things are not only great, but…
This year, gift your booze-loving friends more sophisticated presents than just a handle of Tito’s and a six-pack of Tecate. (Although, to be honest, they’d probably still love to get those.) Here are 10 cool gifts to please all of the boozehounds on your list, from the tipsy tailgater to…
Venues throughout Deep Ellum will open their doors this evening for a special, holiday edition of the Deep Ellum Wine Walk. This event is perfect for the art-lover whose resveratrol levels could use a little pick-me-up. For $10 (or free with a new, unwrapped toy) you get a holiday edition…
Welcome to “You Like This,” in which we ask chefs two questions: 1) What’s the best-selling dish at your restaurant? and 2) What’s your favorite dish at your restaurant? We hope the answer to the first question will open your eyes to the fan favorites and the Dallas palate, and…
One of the first things you learn when you’re learning about wine is to never order the cheapest bottle on a restaurant’s wine list. It’s a trap, a bottle of bad juice meant to insult the taste buds of the kind of customer who deliberately buys the least-expensive thing. Or…
When news broke of chef Graham Dodds’ departure from Henderson Avenue favorite Hibiscus, the local restaurant gossip grapevine went wild — partly because it was a surprise but mostly because Hibiscus’ creative menu had won rave reviews. Days later, and more news: For the first time in Dodds’ career, he…
Children and stoners of East Dallas rejoice — neighborhood favorite Hypnotic Donuts is opening a new joint next door, this time vending a wider variety of sweets. “We live near the doughnut shop, and I know there’s nowhere to get ice cream,” says owner James St. Peter. “The joke is,…
One of the terms we hear frequently these days out there in the gastropub wild, is “house-made.” Pickles are house-made, almost sparkly with holiday spice. Ketchup is house-made, spiked with curry powder. We hear it so frequently in the days following the Great Gastropub Revolution of the 2000s that it’s…
In lieu of a year-end list on burgers, here is a musical presentation of some of the best darn burger gifts you can give yourself in Dallas right now. (We’re assuming you’re your own true love. We’re very big on self-esteem here.) For Burger Christmas, these are the cheeseburgers and…
The much beloved Austin Tex-Mex taqueria, Tacodeli, has grown a loyal fan base since founder Roberto Espinosa opened the first location in 1999. This popularity lead them to eventually expanding into 5 Austin locations before deciding it was time to branch out again, spreading the taco love with sights set…
Dallas is the booziest city in America. We spend more of our income on drinking than any other city, and it’s not just our thriving craft beer and cocktail scenes that are keeping the locals happy. Local restaurants have developed deep, interesting and affordable wine lists to pair with the…
In case you missed it, Intrinsic Brewery and Smokehouse opened a week ago, and there has been much rejoicing over the newest craft brewery in downtown Garland. Our own Brent Nuss gave us the scoop on Intrinsic’s selection of suds, but the food deserves its own mention. Intrinsic’s owners Molly…
There’s a wine called “The Gambler” on offer at Patrizio, Uptown’s newest Italian restaurant. The Gambler isn’t an especially good glass of wine, but it is a good mascot for the eatery, since Patrizio’s food, drinks, service and even the bill are a roll of the dice. One moment you’re…
Less than six months after he opened the upscale Thai spot Kin Kin, chef Eddy Thretipthuangsin has reconcepted and reopened the spot as Bite by Eddy T, a “new American” restaurant with Asian influences. The “freshly bitten” decor is dark and golden in hue, with deep purple uplighting and rich…
Shopping for wine can be an intimidating experience. Since wine is predominantly available in 750ml formats and can sometimes involve a large investment, the risk is higher than purchasing other alcohol. The Observer talked to the experts at Central Market about shopping for wine, and they provided insight on how…
