Monthly Archives: November 2013

by Steven Doyle | November 5, 2013 · 1:00 pm

Hardy’s Introduces A New Wine

by Andrew Chalk

The Australian winery of Thomas Hardy was founded by an English emigre in 1853. It grew from a winery selling to a few neighbors in the state of South Australia, to one of the largest wine companies in Australia embracing over 13 brands and selling in over 85 countries.

Recently, Hardy’s chief winemaker, Paul Lapsley, came through town to introduce two additions to the lineup: William Hardy Chardonnay and William Hardy Shiraz. At approximately $17 retail both are targeted as popularly priced everyday wines for immediate drinking. Continue reading →

YoBelly App Makes Dining With Friends Simple

YoBelly, a free-to-download app for hungry bellies, is answering the question “Where should we eat?” once and for all. Leveraging individuals’ specific food preferences and their locations, the newly launched app assigns each user a personal “food zodiac” to guide them in their dining adventures. Pooling from over 60 different cuisines and millions of menu items from top restaurants nationwide, YoBelly is tastefully aligning patrons with their ideal restaurant dishes. Consider it the new matchmaking app leading to thousands of happy unions (between dish and belly, that is).”

After downloading the YoBelly app to any Android or iPhone, users will be asked a series of detailed questions pertaining to their food habits and taste. Once the survey is completed, individuals will be assigned a “food zodiac” or avatar, such as a bear, lion, or gazelle. Users will then be sent YoBelly dish recommendations from a diverse selection of restaurants selected specifically for their avatar. Continue reading →

From Restaurant To Institution… La Fogata

by Andrew Chalk

At a recent restaurant media event in San Antonio I wondered: when does a restaurant transition from just a restaurant to become an institution. You know the difference. An institution you have to visit when you are in town. A restaurant…is just a restaurant. Dallas closest approximations to an institution may be Sonny Bryan’s (at the original location), and the Mansion on Turtle Creek (talk about two ends of the spectrum).

In San Antonio, one unequivocal institution is La Fogata Mexican Cuisine. It began 35 years ago with a converted ice cream stand with seven tables but has expanded to a catacomb of interconnected buildings and patios that spans (including parking) three city blocks. It has a seating capacity of 450 and serves around 6,000 diners each week. Such daunting numbers might make you expect a faceless machine, but nothing could be further from the truth. Owned by the same family, Dwight and Marilyn Lieb, since 1997 and divided up into small cozy areas, La Fogata makes you feel like you are dining somewhere very approachable. Continue reading →

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Tagged as La Fogata, Mexican cuisine, Restaurant, San Antonio

by Steven Doyle | November 4, 2013 · 1:07 pm

Twinkie Challenge At Truck Yard Nov 16

by Steven Doyle

How many Twinkies could you stuff in your belly? I am thinking personally maybe 2. The packages come portion controlled for a reason. However, the good people at the Truck Yard wish to take it to a more epic count. Over the next two weeks the Truck Yard will be profiling ten competitive eaters on their Facebook page, followed up with a Twinkie throw-down Saturday, November 16th at 4pm. Contestants will wash down the sponge cakes with a few tallboys. Defibrillator optional.

Real Ale Coffee Porter

by Brian Wall

Beer and coffee. For some, coffee is an institution, a must for every day. The breath of day in which some cannot wake up, function or think until they have had their “first cup of the day”. An interesting thing, coffee. When someone first noticed a form of berry growing on a type of evergreen and decided to roasted the seed inside, filter it with water and drink it, really shows how in-depth the thought process of humans may be. Different areas, climates and methods of processing the seeds can either enhance or decrease the flavor. I will not get started on the Kopi Luwak coffee from Sumatra that is from civet droppings.

Coffee in beer is not something new and plenty of breweries take advantage of the roasted, bitter, earthy flavor that coffee can impart into beer. Primarily, stouts and porters are the main beers that have coffee infused into them. Continue reading →

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Tagged as beer, Coffee, Dallas, Kopi Luwak, Porter, Real Ale Brewing Company

by Steven Doyle | November 4, 2013 · 9:20 am

Wine Bargain of the Week

by Andrew Chalk

Recall that at Crave we don’t like “Wine of the Week” columns because good things don’t occur metronomically, so giving a column such a title virtually guarantees its failure to live up to expectations. However, we also have only modest creative abilities so we are going to use that title anyway.

This special has stunning provenance. 2007 Grand Vin de Glenelly Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, South Africa is from the winery owned by May-Eliane de Lencquesaing, the owner of Château Pichon Longueville Comptesse de Lalande (usually abbreviated to Pichon-Lalande) and the Rouzaud family that owns Louis Roederer. The wine was rated 91 points by critic Robert Parker and gets rave reviews from consumers. Continue reading →

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Tagged as Château Pichon Longueville Comptesse de Lalande, Dallas, Grand Vin de Glenelly, Louis Roederer, May-Eliane de Lencquesaing, Wine Poste

by Steven Doyle | November 1, 2013 · 11:55 am

Dia de los Puercos A Smashing Success – Literally

by Steven Doyle

This past week everyone was celebrating Halloween. The parties have actually been blasting for the past three weeks in anticipation. Possibly the best event we attended was Dia de los Puercos, celebrating Four Corners Brewing Company’s first anniversary at their Trinity Groves location in West Dallas. Four Corners are the people who brew such illustrious beers such as the El Chingon, a hefty IPA, and the ever popular Local Buzz, a wheat beer made with local honey.

The event took place on a cool and sunny afternoon with chef Kent Rathbun as host. Any party with Kent will include plenty of smoke pig. He brought his crew out to assemble two homemade smokers made up of cinder blocks and home-made cages consisting of bed frames and wheelbarrow handles. Genius. There a duo of pigs smoked for a dozen hours while the staf started in on ribs and other tasty meats. Plates were sold to the crowd for just a few dollars, and beer was dispensed at the bar housed inside the brewery. Continue reading →

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Tagged as beer, Four Corners Brewing Company, Halloween, Kent Rathbun, Trinity Groves

by Steven Doyle | November 1, 2013 · 10:19 am

Mi Piaci Still Has What It Takes After All These Years

by Steven Doyle

Back in late August Mi Piaci opened its location in Preston Center in the former Ocho location, and the response has been overwhelmingly incredible. This is where the neighborhood is looking to dine on fresh pasta according to local buzz. This is what Mi Piaci does best. We sent ace photographer, Robert Bostick, out to nab us a first look and his photos made us so hungry we immediately went out to sample a few of the dishes on our own. A few months have passed and the crowds seem larger, and the food is still what we would expect out of this 25 year old institution in Dallas.

The pasta is still handmade by the chef who arrives as early as 5am to start is handy work. The breads are also all house-made with similar start times. The staff looks remarkably familiar, and that is because they have all been with the restaurant for many years after having been transferred from the location on Montfort just before the August opening. Continue reading →

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Tagged as Dallas, Italian Cuisine, Mi Piaci, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Pizza, Preston Center, Southern Italy, Truffle