Monthly Archives: September 2014

by Steven Doyle | September 8, 2014 · 1:01 pm

Rahr & Sons Turns 10 and Del Frisco’s Grille Throws a Party

Fritz Rahr holds court as the Rahr beer tasting and meal starts at Del Frisco’s Grille in Fort Worth

by Andrew Chalk

It only seems like a decade, but this year but this year Rahr & Sons Brewing Company, the Fort Worth family-owned-and-run pioneer of craft brewing, turns ten. This week, Del Frisco’s Grille in Fort Worth’s buzzing downtown threw a celebratory “plates and pints” dinner with brewery founder Fritz Rahr in attendance to regale a packed room of happy Rahr fans (Rahrites? Rahrians?) with just some of his extensive mental inventory of tales from the first ten years. Continue reading →

Win Tickets To America’s Test Kitchen Live At The Majestic Theater In Dallas

by Steven Doyle

Join Christopher Kimball for a behind-the-scenes tour of America’s Test Kitchen Wednesday, October 29th at The Majestic Theater at 7:30PM. Find out the secrets of recipe testing and how we rate equipment, perform taste tests, and investigate the science of cooking. Participants also get a private tour of how they film their two public television shows. You’ll witness some of their most embarrassing TV moments, from the Yule log disaster to the smoking TODAY show segment that almost summoned the fire department.

Tickets (starting at $35.00 plus applicable service fees) go on sale Friday, August 22nd at 10AM at the Ticketmaster website, or call 800-754-3000. A limited number of VIP tickets ($75.00 plus applicable service fees) are available that include a post-show meet and greet and a signed copy of America’s Test Kitchen New Family Cookbook. Continue reading →

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by Steven Doyle | September 5, 2014 · 1:00 pm

Local WingBucket Planning Expansion

by Steven Doyle

There is nothing quite as delicious as that perennial bar snack, the chicken wing. The tiny blasts of tender flavor can be jooked up in all sorts of seasonings and impart whatever imaginative smack the cook wishes to present. However, the sad state of affairs with this particular chicken part is that in recent years the wing has been relegated to frozen pre-cooked and pre-flavored masses of disappointment. There are, however, several terrific places in Dallas to find the chicken wing in its natural glory, made fresh and from scratch and coated with as much imagination as the bird can stand. Enter WingBucket.

Owned by Nhat Ngo who is a second-generation restaurant owner, and is personally on his fourth attempt at creating something successful. As the saying should go (at least in Ngo’s case) fourth time a charm. Ngo comes from a family who specializes in pho, and has restaurants across DFW. What his family did for noodles Ngo wishes to do for chicken. Continue reading →

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Tagged as Chicken, Dallas, Frisco, Plano, WingBucket, Wings

by Steven Doyle | September 5, 2014 · 9:46 am

Wine of The Week: A Classy Rosé for Under $20

by Andrew Chalk

I bet that 90% of you have not had a Tavel. A statement that is semantically, but nonsensically, equivalent to your left arm having had a Tavel, but the rest of your body not having done so.

More reasonably, Tavel wines are hard to find in Dallas/Fort Worth, so many readers will not have tasted one. I urge you to change that! Tavel is a village in the south of France near the town of Avignon. Oenologically, it is famous for making rosé wines of distinctive character when young and tremendous ageing potential. The major grape varieties are Grenache and Syrah, but in this region Mourvèdre, Cinsault, Carignan and more obscure varieties are also widespread. Continue reading →

2014 Texas Grape Harvest: The Early Results

by Andrew Chalk

Across the state of Texas, growers are harvesting grapes to make into wine that will become the 2014 vintage. It has been said that you can’t make good wine without good fruit, and the point at which the quality of the fruit is fixed is the moment of harvesting. That makes now an appropriate time to ask the people in the vineyards for an initial assessment of what the 2014 harvest will be like in terms of quality, quantity and character. I sent a survey to all known Texas grape growers and wineries asking them some key questions. Many responded, and I have attempted to assemble their thoughts below. If you grow grapes in Texas, or make Texas wine, and feel that you have something to add, please leave a comment below. Winemaking is, after all, a fluid situation (sorry). Continue reading →

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by Steven Doyle | September 4, 2014 · 7:58 am

I Like Pie: Key Lime at Rex’s Seafood

by Steven Doyle

A recent visit to Rex’s netted us some pretty wonderful seafood dishes, great wines and one of our favorite pies, the slightly sweet, tart and creamy key lime.

The big specials at Rex’s are the lobster roll on Friday’s and the lobster club sandwich on Saturday. Currently you may take advantage of the salmon that is swimming in from Alaska, and one of the many offerings such as a crab topped redfish with a beurre blanc, or the meaty swordfish that is served simply with sea salt and pepper. Continue reading →

First Look: TJ’s Seafood Market New Location at Preston-Royal

by Steven Doyle

One of our favorite seafood restaurants and markets started in their tiny digs at Preston and Forest back in 1989, and founded by Tom Haden and Jim Kearnen (thus the T and the J). The pair retired ten years later making way for the new owners, Pete & Caren Alexis who appreciated the shop since its inception. The family promised to maintain its values and excellence in quality and service. In 2009, Jon Alexis took over as the “third generation” owner of TJ’s Seafood Market. Continue reading →

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Tagged as Dallas, Preston Royal, seafood, TJ's Seafood Market