Tag Archives: Chili

by | March 1, 2013 · 3:51 pm

What Is The Detroit Chili At Pop Diner?

DSC05862by Steven Doyle

Pop Diner is this new and over-the-top 24-hour diner in Uptown Dallas. One of the last tenants to fill the Borders Books location the diner serves breakfast and diner fare all through the day and in the dark stretches of the morning hours. The owner, Nik Gjonaj, is originally from Detroit where he owns a successful chain of steakhouses called Luca’s Chophouse. Detroit is where his roots are, but he now divides his time between Texas and Michigan.

Detroit has their own style of cuisine that is a different take on many items we serve in Dallas, such as the hot dog. The Michigan dog is a definite style of dog you find primarily in that state, but seldom referred to it as such. That term is used by other states to describe the steamed dog, steamed bun and a rich beefy sauce. A coney if you with chile con carne.    Continue reading →

1 Comment

Filed under Chili, Steven Doyle, Uptown

Tagged as , , , ,

by | February 8, 2013 · 12:35 pm

The Hunt For A Bowl Of Red: The Windmill Lounge

windmillby Steven Doyle   photo by Robert Bostick

If you ever wander in the bartender’s inner circle you will soon find that Charlie Papaceno from the Windmill Lounge is considered the bartender’s bartender. Charlie is not only a mentor but an all-around guy who happens to be a master behind the bar. He was making these cool cocktails with significant historical value before it was fashionable. The displaced New Yorker can also make a mean bowl of red.       Continue reading →

1 Comment

Filed under Hunt for a Bowl of red, Steven Doyle

Tagged as , , , ,

by | February 1, 2013 · 3:05 pm

The Hunt For A Bowl Of Red: The Fatted Calf

IMG_5145by Bryan Coonrod

In our search for the perfect bowl of red, we asked contributor Bryan Coonrod to chime in on one of his favorite chili bowls in the DFW area. Bryan is one of the area’s hottest DJ’s in Dallas and has a voracious appetite.

One of my favorite suburban cities to dine in is Rockwall just east of Dallas on I-30 . You can find several of the top restaurants in the area here such as Ava, Zanata, Culpepper’s and The Fatted Calf where we end up today to try their Texas Red Chili. Chef-Owner Ted Grieb runs this establishment and delivers some awesome food time and time again, which you can tell by the full dining room we saw today. The chili here is quite the serving; a large bowl that you can call Texas-sized.  Continue reading →

2 Comments

Filed under Bryan Coonrod, Hunt for a Bowl of red

Tagged as , , , , ,

by | January 25, 2013 · 8:50 am

Pyles Freshens Up New Stampede 66

pyles2by Steven Doyle

Just a few months after opening his latest venture, Stephan Pyles is already tweaking Stampede 66. The homage to his hometown roots integrates cuisine from across the great state of Texas. Now Pyles is rethinking the idea of  so much in one menu.

“My initial intent was to give diners a sampling of Texas foods cut from a broad cloth. In retrospect, I have come to realize the menu is perhaps too broad and tries to encompass too much. Streamlining the menu a bit will help the kitchen focus more intently on each of the items that remain,” said Pyles.   Continue reading →

Leave a Comment

Filed under Stephan Pyles, Steven Doyle, Tacos

Tagged as , , , , ,

by | January 24, 2013 · 11:57 am

The Hunt For A Bowl Of Red: Tolbert’s Restaurant

tolbertsby Steven Doyle

Last week we began a short series that explored chili in the DFW area. We began with Jack’s Southern Comfort Food located on lowest Greenville Avenue where we found some pretty tremendous chili. We are hoping to uncover more bowls as we continue our search. We have had many really interesting suggestions, and we plan to hit them all up to see if Dallas is really a chili town.

That being said, we loaded up the crave wagon and aimed it towards Grapevine where the legacy of chili resides. Tolbert’s Restaurant is now owned by Frank X. Tolbert’s daughter, Kathleen Tolbert Ryan who also runs the big chili festival in Terlingua, which I am mighty happy to make that pilgrimage each year in November. Continue reading →

3 Comments

Filed under Chili, fun with food, Hunt for a Bowl of red, Steven Doyle

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

by | January 18, 2013 · 2:12 pm

The Hunt For A Bowl Of Red: Jack’s Southern Comfort Food

DSC05088by Steven Doyle

There was a time when Dallas was ripe with bowls of chili. I’m not talking the bean-ridden nonsense infiltrated by our neighbors to the north. I refer to the perfect bowl of red that has somehow escaped our dining landscape.

Back in the 1880’s the San Antonio chili queens dominated the Plaza, hawking their home-made chili that was often made with just meat, tomatoes and chiles, served with a side of beans and tortillas. The queens would offer chili to the soldiers and just about anyone that happened by as they kept the pots waed over a mesquite fire. In 1937 with a concern for public health, the chili queens were banned from the Plaza, and some of them took to brick and mortar restaurants. Consider these dames the early pioneers of the modern day food truck.    Continue reading →

4 Comments

Filed under Hunt for a Bowl of red, Steven Doyle

Tagged as , , , , , ,