Category Archives: Andrew Chalk

by Steven Doyle | May 27, 2014 · 9:00 am

Major Chardonnay Tasting Thursday, May 29

chard2 by Andrew Chalk

Sigel’s reports that they are doing their annual Benchmark Chardonnay Tasting on Thursday, May 29th from 5-7pm at their Greenville Avenue store. They say that twenty wines will be tasted but, if past experience is a guide, other winemakers will jump in so there will be more. Based on our past experience, this event is Crave recommended

Here is the current list (I have put a + sign to the left of the name to indicate the wines that I expect to be especially interesting, either because they should be of exceptional quality or good value for money). Continue reading →

Applebee’s of the Air: American Airlines First Class Dinner

chalk1 by Andrew Chalk

Flying back first class from London gave me a chance to board first, sleep on a full-flat seat and take on board something larger than a reading glasses case without being charged more than the price of half a tank of gas. Another perk of first class travel is first class food. American Airlines says its menu selections are “inspired by you and created by our experienced culinary team. So sit back, and satisfy your cravings with the fine cuisine offered onboard.” They then say: “Satisfy your palate with our chef-inspired menu options that range from succulent entrées to light and refreshing selections.”

Buoyed by such promises, I eagerly awaited meal service. The glossy, printed menu informed me that I would start with an amuse-bouche of “Chicken Pakora with Mango Chutney” (right). The wait was not to be long. Cabin staff bustled around in the kitchen and reappeared with china bowls containing. . . containing what? Two spherical mediocrities on a cocktail stick atop a miserly portion of chutney. The uninspiring appearance turned out to be this dish’s biggest strength. In the mouth, these pakora were just glutinous balls of tasteless glop. Either the recipe had gone wrong in the kitchen, or these were made of those resins you see on documentaries about industrial plastics. These images show the light snack fritters that I was expecting and they bear no relation to the dense, leaden orbs that we were served. Continue reading →

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by Steven Doyle | May 20, 2014 · 10:06 am

San Antonio’s Culinaria Kicks Off With The Best of Mexico

IMG_20140516_213504 The St. Anthony Hotel Welcomes Guests

by Andrew Chalk

Dallas should steal this idea. Imagine a food and drink festival at the architecturally exquisite but currently deserted Quadrangle or Crescent. Imagine it held on a balmy Friday evening. Imagine there were Dallas Mexican food eateries from across the regional, price and stylistic spectrum found in this city. Add fresh cocktails (most tequila-based) and Mexican beers and you have ‘The Best of Mexico’, the opening event in San Antonio’s big Spring food festival ‘Culinaria‘. SA holds it in the beautiful open-air shopping mall named The Shops at La Cantera.

Unlike Dallas’ attempts at open-air malls it is is pretty fully rented and vibrant. Tonight, the event area is packed as San Antonio natives and the tourists resourceful enough to venture beyond the River Walk check out food creations from the dozens of Mexican establishments that line the route. The crowd is eclectic.

There are a lot of young people, some Hispanic families with children, and shoppers caught up in the event who buy tickets on an impulse. Lots of people know what to look for, so the lines at some booths are five minutes long while others are a straight walk up. Continue reading →

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Tagged as Culinaria, San Antonio, St. Anthony Hotel

by Steven Doyle | May 16, 2014 · 11:02 am

High Plains Grape Growers Take Extraordinary Measures Against Frost and Save Their Crops

Apocalypse Now. Growers at a High Plains vineyard burn hay bales on April 15th of this year to keep air temperatures above critical levels. Above, a helicopter beats the rising warm air back down to the vines. Several growers took these measures in order to save their harvests

by Andrew Chalk

On a visit to the Texas High Plains last week the biggest story was ‘the frost that failed’. Despite temperatures down to 24⁰ which created the third worst frost in 67 years of record Continue reading →

Wine List Checkup: The Centurion Club at DFW Terminal D

by Andrew Challk

Time was, you went to the airport to catch a flight. Now, people may make the treck to DFW just to spend time at the American Express Centurion Club. AMEX has made a move that is at once brilliant and simple. Seeing the dumbed-down, emasculated concept of a club being run by the major U.S. airlines, it has set out to replicate what seasoned international travelers are used to at first class lounges in Asia or the middle east. There is the expected upscale decor, the bar, work areas, comfortable lounges and friendly staff. But there is also a spa where you can get a massage or a manicure. The first-class food menu is created in conjunction with Dean Fairing.

At the bar is Balvenie 12 year Doublewood, Herman-Marshall Texas Whiskey, Belvedere, Fernet-Branca, Tito’s, Hendrick’s and Jonny Walker Black Label. The cherries are maraschino. And best of all, there is no charge for anything. Shrewdly, AMEX hands out free memberships to Platinum and Centurion members. Gold and Green Card members can get in for $50/visit. Continue reading →

Under the Radar: A Modern Steakhouse Downtown

by Andrew Chalk

What do you expect from a steak house? A litany of classic cuts (filet, ribeye, strip, porterhouse/t-bone) and derivative sides like button mushrooms and baked potatoes? Maybe with a giant monolithic whole carrot to add color?

What if you have been there, done that, and become somewhat more demanding. Want a choice of grass-fed beef? Dry-aged corn-fed beef? Sides that are as creative as the entrées in most farm-to-table restaurants? Charcuterie that is made in house? Housemade mustard and chutney? A 300-selection wine list that includes Texas selections from Duchman Family Winery and The Vineyard at Florence? Local beers from Deep Ellum Brewing Company? To turn to credentials, how about a chef who Staged at The French Laundry (and only turned down the job that was offered because of the prohibitive cost of living in Napa Valley, California). How about also staging at Alinea and working for a year at TRU in Chicago? Continue reading →

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Tagged as Dallas, Dalls Chop House, Duchman Family Winery, OpenTable, SteakDowntown

by Steven Doyle | April 23, 2014 · 10:30 am

Plan to Head To San Antonio in May for Culinaria

img11-400x468 by Andrew Chalk

You might describe it as “Savor San Antonio“ or the “San Antonio Wine and Food Festival”. Whatever term you choose, Culinaria is five days of wine, spirits, beer and the best restaurants the city has to offer, all set around the most vibrant downtown in Texas. And don’t overlook how much San Antonio’s gourmet scene has improved in recent years. As well as national quality restaurants, there is one of the country’s best cocktail conferences and cocktail bar scenes. Culinaria is simply where that all comes together.

The events, which benefit culinary students and food-related aid organizations, run every day from Tuesday 14th through Sunday 18th with the biggest concentration at the weekend. Wine dinners take place all over town on Wednesday 14th and Thursday 15th May. The 15th also sees the HEB sponsored food truck event. Continue reading →

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Tagged as Culinaria, May 14, San Antonio

by Steven Doyle | April 18, 2014 · 9:48 am

Out of the Vines Came Forth… Vodka

IMG_3841.640x480

by Andrew Chalk

Kiepersol Estates, the remarkable winery that grows some 14 vinifera grapes in the east Texas region where it is axiomatic that vinifera grapes are killed in the crib by Pierce’s disease, has done it again. They have just released Dirk’s Vodka, sourced from grape juice from their own vines. Kiepersol founder, Pierre de Wet, named the vodka in honor of his his father who, he says, “lived life well”. Continue reading →

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Tagged as Dallas, Dirk's Vodka, Kiepersol Estates, Texas, Vodka