April 5, 2011
My list of Five Things to Eat this week includes crawfish (pictured), pizza and fried deliciousness from Cane Rosso and a blood orange margarita from Shinsei. But probably not all at the same time. 

My list of Five Things to Eat this week includes crawfish (pictured), pizza and fried deliciousness from Cane Rosso and a blood orange margarita from Shinsei. But probably not all at the same time. 

March 30, 2011
These delish enchiladas (from BEE) are mentioned in my story for Quick this week, 10 Great Places to Eat in Oak Cliff. There are WAY more than 10 restaurants worthy of my money in that neighborhood, but instead of doing a list of places people already knew about, I decided to write about new restos or more “undiscovered” places. I think I could write two more stories about hidden gems in OC…and maybe I will…

These delish enchiladas (from BEE) are mentioned in my story for Quick this week, 10 Great Places to Eat in Oak Cliff. There are WAY more than 10 restaurants worthy of my money in that neighborhood, but instead of doing a list of places people already knew about, I decided to write about new restos or more “undiscovered” places. I think I could write two more stories about hidden gems in OC…and maybe I will…

March 17, 2011

Eat Like You’re at South by Southwest

Since I jump on a band’s bandwagon (ha) about three years after they become popular (Black Keys rule, BTW), I’m not at SXSW. But I know some of you are pining. You wish you were standing for hours on end, possibly braving rain or oppressive heat, to bop your head to the sound of a group with a hip name like The Corn Eaters. 

Maybe next year. In the meantime, you can eat like you’re in Austin at these Dallas restaurants. 

March 15, 2011

Sunday night’s Chefs for Farmers event at Highland Park Cafeteria was quite a spectacle. I like a good spectacle, so I had fun. First of all, seventeen chefs cooked up cafeteria favorites like chicken-fried steak (Jack Perkins of Maple and Motor), cabbage rolls (Brian Luscher of the Grape), and sloppy joes (Restaurant Ava). Secondly, two furries (one Care Bear and one chicken) were on hand seemingly only for photo ops. Third, the amount of food served was epic. Guests filled up massive trays full of chef-made goodies—more than most could eat in one sitting. This has become somewhat of a hot topic since, but I think this is really more because the amount of uneaten food was so obvious (piled on trays in plain view) as opposed to discreetly whisked away by servers or dumped by busboys when diners have left. But that’s just my opinion…anyway. 

Next time there’s a CFF event you should come. The people involved are fun and the food is really good. My favorite of the evening was John Tesar’s fried chicken and mac n’ cheese, especially because when my friend requested (jokingly) for “only the crust, please,” the chef obliged and scooped off a heaping portion of that crusty goodness. Nice. 

March 3, 2011

Quick 3/3: Chef David Anthony Temple’s Mardi Gras Tips

My column this week for Quick DFW focuses on Mardi Gras tips from chef David Anthony Temple, or DAT, as he’s known around town. I met DAT last week and quickly learned that if the guy invites you to one of his “underground dinners,” you should definitely go. After our interview, I got a mass email from him that said he had some wild boar in his possession. He said he was going to cook it for 30 hours and then we were invited to come eat it…ummm…YES please. I ate two huge bowls or boar with delicious white beans (recipe in the Quick story, winning), drank a bunch of wine (the dinners are BYOB), saw a few people I knew, and even got to hear DAT rap. Yes, rap. He’s multi-talented, this one. Anyway, sign up for his emails at chefdavidanthony.com so we can all party together next time. 

February 24, 2011
For this week’s Quick, I went to the greatness that is S&D Oyster Company to learn how to shuck an oyster from the man himself, Herb Story. Herb has owned S&D for almost 35 years so he knows a thing or twelve about shuckin’. He only uses Gulf oysters and assures us that they are totally safe. He also says that old myth about only eating oysters in months with an “r” in them is ridiculous. Ah, being right is so satisfying. 

For this week’s Quick, I went to the greatness that is S&D Oyster Company to learn how to shuck an oyster from the man himself, Herb Story. Herb has owned S&D for almost 35 years so he knows a thing or twelve about shuckin’. He only uses Gulf oysters and assures us that they are totally safe. He also says that old myth about only eating oysters in months with an “r” in them is ridiculous. Ah, being right is so satisfying. 

February 23, 2011

This story in the New York Times today reminded me that I wanted to post the pictures of my visit to Gourdough’s in Austin. Talk about doughnut porn. These fat, hot doughnuts were the best I’ve ever had, by far. The first picture is of the Flying Pig, a genius creation with a huge pile of bacon and maple icing. My doughnut, the Naughty and Nice, was *just* cinnamon and sugar…but with the deep fried bread, copious amounts of cin and sug, and a honey butter frosting for dipping….awwwwwmygah. If you like doughnuts and you’re in Austin, check them out. www.gourdoughs.com.

February 21, 2011
Here are those jalapeno poppers from Kenny’s Burger Joint. Creamy, fatty, and spicy treats. Go getcha some.

Here are those jalapeno poppers from Kenny’s Burger Joint. Creamy, fatty, and spicy treats. Go getcha some.

February 21, 2011

French fries are delicious. They really, really are.

This week’s cover story for Quick DFW is all about French fries. I got to talk about my favorites, and I also got to eat a lot of fries to find the 10 most delicious. However, not every place that came recommended made the cut.

Dairy-ette (limp), the Midway Point (seemed frozen), Mama’s Daughter’s Diner (just not delicious enough), and Kenny’s Burger Joint were sampled and not included. However, the jalapeno poppers at Kenny’s were fantastic. Huge peppers stuffed with cheese, wrapped in bacon and deep-fried. Heaven. I’ll post that picture next.