Monthly Archives: July 2013

Epicurious Emma: HG Sply Co.

emmaby Epicurious Emma

Epicurious Emma is a food review from a kid’s perspective. Emma wants to inspire peeps her age to be adventurous with breakfast, lunch and dinner, and all meals in between. She first started giving her reviews of the Fork Fight at Trinity Groves and then thought she would transition to other places kids like to eat. Life is too short not to devour what you love.

Click to see her first video for craveDFW where she reviews HG Sply Co. on Greenville Avenue in Dallas.    Continue reading

1 Comment

Filed under Epicurious Emma

Go Texan Is Meaningless When Applied To Wine

texan1by Andrew Chalk

Crave readers will recognize the above symbol as the distinctive, protected, mark of the Texas Department of Agriculture’s (TDA) “Go Texan” campaign. The campaign even has its own web site, GoTexan.org. According to that site, the aims of the campaign are to promote Texas agricultural products. Under “Rules and Guildlines” the Department says firmly “Maintaining the integrity of the GO TEXAN mark is the key to preserving the powerful brand positioning GO TEXAN members enjoy. These guidelines are provided to ensure proper use of the GO TEXAN mark. If you have any questions Continue reading

7 Comments

Filed under Andrew Chalk, Wine

Pappas Bros Steakhouse Helps Us Celebrate National Scotch Day

Scotch-Imageby Andrew Chalk

To celebrate National Scotch Day Pappas Bros. Steakhouse General Manager and Scotch expert Rick Turner sends this breakdown to the various style of Scotch and shows that they are inextricably bound up with geography…   Continue reading

Leave a comment

Filed under Andrew Chalk, Crave

The Blind Butcher Faces Opposition

blind butcherBy Scott Shtofman

Yesterday, the City Plan Commission voted on a Special Use Permit  application for The Blind Butcher.  The restaurant is an upcoming Lower Greenville concept from Matt Tobin and Josh Yingling, of Goodfriend Beer Garden & Burger House fame.  The permit in question would allow the restaurant to stay open until 2AM, as opposed to being forced to close at midnight.

Given the Texas weather, patios have gained popularity, and become an integral profit center for many local restaurants and bars.  The current design for The Blind Butcher shows an interior seating space around 800 square feet, a front patio around 330 square feet, and a rear patio around 2,050 square feet.  This rear patio is where the main discussion was focused during the meeting.    Continue reading

34 Comments

Filed under Scott Shtofman

A Gran Patron Dinner At Abacus

patron1by Steven Doyle

Last evening Kent Rathbun held one of his famous dinners, this time surrounded by the people from Patron who offered some amazing pairings with Rathbun’s surprisingly unusual food. Walking  into the restaurant I was thinking ‘Mexican’ to match up to Patron Tequila, and that would certainly work for Abacus which serves up world cuisine. But instead of just going to the immediate south of the border, we were treated to full-on pan-Latin cuisine, which took elements from Spain, South America and yes, Mexico.          Continue reading

Leave a comment

Filed under Steven Doyle, Tequila

Olamaie To Open In Austin This Winter, Pop-Ups In Dallas And Austin

Olamaie

Opening this winter, Olamaie will bring the taste of the South with a new modern spin, to downtown Austin. Unique to the city’s culinary scene, the restaurant will quickly become one of Austin’s newest dining hot spots. Prior to the opening, Olamaie will host its first exclusive pop-up dinner outside of Austin at Nonna on August 18.

Texas native and CIA-trained Co-Executive Chef Michael Fojtasek (formerly of Lincoln Ristorante and Son of a Gun Restaurant) and CIA-trained Co-Executive Chef Grae Nonas (formerly of Tarry Lodge and Son of a Gun Restaurant) have teamed up with CIA-trained General Manager Ben Hickerson (formerly of The Red Devon and Lincoln Ristorante) to form the talented team at the helm of Olamaie with experience spanning both coasts.    Continue reading

1 Comment

Filed under restaurant news, Restaurant Opening

Don Julio Comes To Lazaranda

IMG_1831

by Andrew Chalk

I just read a restaurant review by a famous critic whose prose makes mine sound like a garbage truck being shoved into reverse. He argued that great meals are made not by the food, or the beverages, but by the ‘whole milieu’ in which one enjoys it. The location, the company, the sense of accomplishment from endeavors earlier in the day. From kind remarks one heard. Maybe it was a combination of those things that made tonight’s tequila dinner at Lazaranda  in Addison so enjoyable. According to famous critic, I could have replaced the food with a TV dinner, the Don Julio 100% blue Weber agave tequila with battery acid, and the evening would have been just as adorable.    Continue reading

2 Comments

Filed under Andrew Chalk, Tequila

The Mossie Report From Tales Of The Cocktail

totc5by Mossie Power

Southern Hospitality is renowned around the world and it was something that this Irish blow-in to Dallas experienced at this year’s Tales of the Cocktail.  What was hoped was to educate, taste and taste some more spirits.  What was found was that there is spirit alive and kicking with the Texas service family.

For this eager traveler this was both a mixture of work and fun with the now legendary William Grant and Sons party on Wednesday night, with a movie, theme taking up the only time spent behind the stick.  Texas was again represented in force with Carly Boord showcasing a cell with all the colors of the rainbow with Reyka.  JP De Lora looked even more dapper than his usual fun self with slicked back hair and moustache with Milagro.    Continue reading

Leave a comment

Filed under Tales of the Cocktail