Demonstrated by Chef Brian Luscher of The Grape “How do we improve on an institution?” That’s a question Brian Luscher asks himself a lot these days. It’s been almost two years since he and his wife Courtney took ownership of The Grape, a cozy bistro on lower Greenville Avenue that’s…
When you were a kid, Mother’s Day was easy. All you had to do was make a potholder or an ashtray in art class and make sure it didn’t fall apart or shatter between taking it home on Friday and presenting it (along with a similarly ill-crafted breakfast in bed)…
Everyone in the world of ice cream knows his name. Many of the local restaurateurs do, as well, for Gentry’s Plano-based company Henry’s Homemade Ice Cream deals with many of the city’s upscale venues.Since moving his company to Texas from Philadelphia, he’s racked up dozens of awards, including first place…
“Extra points for the almost in the round bar that allows for awkward flirting by those who are twice-divorced and back in war paint.” (Mr. Dallas on the scene at the restyled Catalina–formerly Catalina Room–which he praises for inexpensive, classic cocktails. Be warned: the man says the crowd is ‘decidedly…
If there’s one thing you can get fast in Dallas, it’s food (if there are two things, they’re food and meth. Three? Food, meth and laser hair removal). And when it comes to fast food, boy, have we got options. Me: Hey Dallas, I know this is a crazy question,…
Nickie is a fan of English football’s perennial also-ran, Liverpool. That’s neither here nor there, really, except that I got into a rather lengthy (but friendly) flap with Nickie one night over the relative chances of her cast-off Reds against my mighty Red Devils of Manchester United, and that she…
This week’s roundup features hidden sugar, hidden protein, and gives you a reason to badger your teetotalling friends with the question, “why do you hate America?” If you don’t own a coffee grinder, you’ll probably want to after reading this. Then again, you could just consider your pre-ground cup of…
No matter how many variables I threw him, the guy from Crush kept pointing to the same three wines, although not in the same order.It has a lot of fat. Yes, this would be best, but these would be good. I think it’s cured with Chianti. Maybe, so this will…
Mexican cooks reuse leftovers like nobody’s business. Consider the plight of the frugal family in days of yore, north or south of the border. The basics of life–shelter and food–are not certainties. Since the beginning of farming, rural families learned not to toss any part of a plant or animal…
Some may consider the term silly, but Leann Berry is a proud mixologist. Whatever you call the bartender–right down to “hey, you”–say it to Berry during Salum’s happy hour 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays.She’ll serve margaritas and other tequila cocktails. A rotating selection of mixed drinks–all sans…
Hell with all this ‘mixologist’ talk. After 16 years behind a bar, Bryan calls himself an inebriation specialist.The Grapevine’s longstanding early shift bartender–he signed on in 1998–knows most people in the joint by name…or he will, if you show up again. His casual, chatty and honest style fits in with…
“Speculation that Starbucks is losing retail market share to competitors has been grossly exaggerated. Our customers are not trading down.” (Howard Schultz, chairman of Starbucks, announcing lower pricing on certain items in some markets to combat slower sales. The Seattle-based chain reported a 77 percent drop in earnings for the…
Driving around DFW, you have to take notice of the seemingly endless strips of six-lane traffic and the stores and restaurants on either side. Yeah, local dining hasn’t suffered as much as in other parts of the U.S. But with Bloomberg reporting today that restaurants have a greater chance of…
Jimmy John’smultiple locationsDude Factor: 9, or Jerry Springer (paid for sex with a check), on a scale of 1 (Eliot Spitzer, resigned in shame after press conference) to 10 (Charles Barkley, returned triumphantly to TNT and T-Mobile endorsements)I’m gonna level with you bros. Unlike my Dude Food compatriot Jesse “The…
(A Fairytale) Once upon a time, on a Friday night in a town called Dallas, Veggie Girl got confused. She thought she was Girl Drink Drunk. So she waltzed herself to a couple of happy hours and sampled their libations. But as the night wore on, Veggie Girl got hungrier…
Hey, we’re a corporate entity and all that, but our weekly Hot off the Grill, food news in one place, handy e-newsletter just might keep you informed and save you a little time, as well. Besides, it promotes City of Ate, so we’d be cads if we didn’t recipro…recepri…do the…
Today is Cinco De Mayo, a big day for Mexican and Tex-Mex restaurants. Chances are you can head to your favorite and find some kind of celebration featuring food or drink specials. But to any restaurant trying to top Mattito’s (3011 Routh St.) annual fiesta, all we can say is…
It’s hard to imagine a downtown Italian grocery achieving such popularity. But Jimmy’s Food Store, run by brothers Paul and Mike DiCarlo, has an enviable following.Why not? The family operation has been in the same location since 1966…except for much of 2005, when fire gutted the building. They cure sausages,…
“This is amazing. It’s a true miracle.” (Mr. Tempest, a masked Mexican wrestler visiting Las Palmas restaurant in Calexico, California, where the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe–or the Virgin Mary, depending–appeared on a griddle. More than 100 pilgrims rushed to the place to worship the grease stain. Naturally, the…
Gloria’s5100 Belt Line, Addison972-387-8442Gloria’s, if everybody wants you…The formula for success in the restaurant industry depends upon…well, let’s stop there. Several formulas exist, But if a restaurant wants to draw steady crowds and surpass margin of income averages, it seems to hinge on a catchy beat and non-threatening lyric. In…
When a restaurant first opens to the public, there’s always a period when things–both little and big–go decidedly wrong.No matter how many hours managers devote to training staff on the menu, they flub up when asked about ingredients. Still unfamiliar with the dining room layout, food runners deliver entrees to…
NY Pizza3917 W. Camp Wisdom Rd., #103972-298-4700Promised delivery time: 40 minutesActual delivery time: 37 minutesEase of telecommunication: 20No delivery charge: 10Not being Pizza Hut: 10Steaming-hot pizza and cold-enough soda: 10No parmesan or red-pepper packets offered–despite overly generous $5 tip from my wife who, because of her own food-service job [part-time,…
