Monthly Archives: May 2013

by Steven Doyle | May 21, 2013 · 4:35 pm

Tesar Gives You A Knuckle Sandwich For Lunch

by Steven Doyle

I know we recently chatted up the lunch service at Spoon Bar and Kitchen, but after a visit this afternoon just before the rains drifted in and out of the area I relished with a few friends at the beautiful little restaurant in Preston Center.

There were a few items I needed to taste, and one I wolf a full portion. The last time I was in was for a media tasting and one of my table mates ordered the ramen, so I went in a different direction. As we discussed at our table today, there can be no wrong orders since everything is perfectly delicious. But I wanted a whole bowl of that ramen. Continue reading →

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Filed under John Tesar, Lunch Bunch

Tagged as Dallas, John Tesar, Lobster Roll, Lunch, Spoon Bar and Kitchen

by Steven Doyle | May 21, 2013 · 10:13 am

Ben Leath New Exec Chef At People’s Last Stand

by Azure Wedan

The People’s Last Stand recently rolled out a new menu featuring only a handful of their former favorites. Dishes such as baked truffle mac and short rib nachos can be credited to People’s new head chef Ben Leath. Hailing from The Cedars Social, by way of Spoon Bar and Kitchen, Leath brings a fresh take on the tiny kitchen at the craft cocktail bar in Mockingbird Station. Continue reading →

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Filed under Azure Wedan, chefs, restaurant news

Tagged as Ben Leath, Dallas, Mockingbird Station, People's Last Stand

by Steven Doyle | May 20, 2013 · 5:22 pm

Two Very Special Wine Dinners From Kent Rathbun

by Andrew Chalk

August Briggs Winery and wine make Jesse Inman come to Abacus on Tuesday 21st. August Briggs Winery is an employee-owned winery in Napa Valley dedicated to producing very limited quantities of great wines from carefully selected vineyards across Napa and Sonoma counties. Continue reading →

Brew Riot 2013 Video Recap

The 2013 version of Brew Riot was held once again in the Bishop Arts District in Oak Cliff. This is where over 60 home brewers gather and sample out their finest. Also showing support were many of the local brewers such as Peticolas, Deep Ellum Brewing Company, and Four Corners who actually got their start by competing at the sudsy festival.

We splashed our way through the event, and enjoyed some pretty terrific beers. Several of the home brewers will be announcing that they will join the ranks of nearly 20 breweries that opened in North Texas within the past few years. Continue reading →

First Look: HG Sply Co.

by Steven Doyle

HG Sply Co. opens for dinner service beginning tomorrow, May 21, 2013, and Dallas will finally get a taste of Paleo. After sampling several of the dishes during pre-opening festivities the word ‘diet’ should hardly come into play. The restaurant is made up of ingredients that have actually been hunted and gathered from neighboring farms and ranches, a practice performed by many new, up and coming restaurants in our area.

The restaurant takes advantage of the original charm of the building after having stripped away the sheetrock and years of abuse, exposing a beautiful and rugged patina. Continue reading →

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Filed under Restaurant Opening, Steven Doyle

Tagged as Dallas, HG Sply Co., lower Greenville, Paleo, Restaurant

by Steven Doyle | May 20, 2013 · 8:03 am

Robert Mondavi at 100

by Andrew Chalk

The late Robert Mondavi would be 100 this year were he still with us. The winery (part of Constellation Brands since 2004) is making a national tour to acquaint their wholesalers and retailers with their latest offerings. I was an invited guest at a tasting in the metroplex this week and it seemed an appropriate point to see what had changed and what had remained the same since Robert Mondavi himself ran the show.

Gary Midyette, Director of Operations for Robert Mondavi Winery, led the tasting. He has been with the winery since before the Constellation purchase. Likewise, the wine maker of the offerings that we tasted, Genevieve Janssens. In fact, a lot of the same faces still work there and the same core line of wines is still made. I examined the style of the wines as well as we progressed through the product line. Continue reading →

Long Shadows Emerges from The Shadows

by Andrew Chalk

Allen Shoup left the position of President and CEO position at Washington State’s largest wine maker, Chateau Ste. Michelle, in 2000 but he had no intention of retiring. After three years ‘gardening leave’ (presumably to serve out a non-compete) he founded a new and very unusual winery. Long Shadows Vintners has not one winemaker, but one winemaker for each wine. Furthermore, that wine maker is not an employee but an acknowledged worldwide leader in that genre. For example, the Long Shadows Cabernet Sauvignon is made by Napa legend Randy Dunn. The Merlot, by French legend and Pomerol native, Michel Rolland. There are actually seven superstar winemakers making seven Long Shadows wines.

At a tasting this week at Pappas Bros. Steakhouse, at which I was an invited guest, I questioned Shoup about the stars involvement with the wines. It is important, in a week in which Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have apparently produced a Provence Rosé wine, to clarify how involved the stars were in the production of the product. Pitt and Jolie’s involvement seems as plausible as Kim Kardashian getting a Ph.D. from Cal. Tech. Did Brad Pitt choose the date when picking started? When asked what type of barrels to age the wine in, did Angelina Jolie respond ‘pink’? This is obviously nothing more than vapid marketing. Continue reading →

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Filed under Andrew Chalk, Wine

Tagged as Dallas, Long Shadows Vinters, Pappas Bros Steakhouse, wine

by Steven Doyle | May 17, 2013 · 2:47 pm

The Great Copper River Salmon Race Of 2013

by Andrew Chalk

The battle of the Copper River Salmon has been crazy in Dallas. With the announcement from Matt McCallister (FT33) and Scott Romano (Nick and Sam’s) taking to the waters of Cordova, Alaska to procure their very own specimens. John Tesar (Spoon Bar and Kitchen) quickly lashed out that he was expecting his own shipment well before the chefs dipped their poles into the water. Continue reading →

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Filed under Andrew Chalk

Tagged as Copper River Salmon, Dallas, FT33, Plano, Spoon, Whiskey Cake