Category Archives: Andrew Chalk

by | February 24, 2015 · 1:54 pm

Scotch Drinkers — Don’t Miss This Event

Scotchby Andrew Chalk

We are about to have one of the best Scotch tasting events of the year. Next Wednesday, February 25th March 11th between 6pm and 8pm Sigel’s is holding a tasting of at least 65 different scotches (blended and single malt) at their Greenville Avenue store. The number will likely be over 65 as wine and spirit director, Jasper Russo, is still working on attendees as you read this.

The way it will work is as follows. You walk in and get a “Passport” which entitles you to sample from the tasting booths set up around the store. Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commision (TABC) rules limit each person to 20 pours. So you can’t taste all 65 and I would pick out what you want to taste, then winnow it back to 20 and work your way around those. Representatives from the distillers will be serving the whiskies so it is a chance to ask questions as well.   Continue reading →

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by | February 24, 2015 · 9:28 am

American Heart Meets The Chefs

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by Andrew Chalk

The American Heart Association revealed the chefs who will be preparing food at the 2015 Côtes du Coeur International Fine Wine Auction and Celebrity Chef Dinner at a Chef Announcement Party held at the Sub-Zero and Wolf showroom (possibly the most spectacular appliance showroom on the planet, by the way) in Dallas. Under the leadership of Chef Richard Chamberlain (Chamberlain’s Steak and Chop House and Chamberlain’s Fish Market Grill) the sixteen participating chefs are each assigned a protein to which they apply their imagination and create a dish that is served to attendees at the gala.   Continue reading →

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by | February 16, 2015 · 1:13 pm

Musical Chairs Chef Avner Samuel Now At Sfuzzi

sfuzziby Andrew Chalk

Naan Sushi on Cedar Springs Road in Uptown has closed and the huge, sprawling, multi-roomed space is now Sfuzzi relived. There are two main dining rooms, several small private dining rooms off the main space, and a dark and booming bar in the back. This branch replaces the McKinney Avenue location closed just over a year ago. The executive chef is a little known newcomer to the Dallas dining scene, a Mr. Avner Samuel. I also spotted the talented Vincenzo Pappano in the kitchen.   Continue reading →

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by | February 11, 2015 · 9:22 am

Blending In with Raymond Vineyards and Abacus

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by Andrew Chalk

It was a packed house at Abacus in Uptown Dallas this week as Chef Kent Rathbun welcomed Raymond Vineyards Chief Blending Officer Tyson Madden for two important responsibilities. First, Kent Rathbun Concepts’ (Abacus’ parent company) own Director of Operations, Matthew Scott (who oversees wine operations as part of a broader mandate) was one of eight sommeliers selected by Raymond to blend a special wine, the 2012 Sommelier Selection Cabernet Sauvignon, for sale in a limited number of restaurant locations and to the winery’s mailing list. Madden explained how the sommeliers took base wines from Napa, Sonoma and Lake Counties in California’s North Coast and experimented until they came up with a Sommelier’s Blend that was 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and a nominal 5% Petit Verdot. We tasted their work and they made an elegant, easy-drinking wine with an unmistakable backbone of Cabernet.   Continue reading →

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by | February 9, 2015 · 9:35 am

Eat Me: Snuffer’s Bacon Burger

IMG_20150206_190432by Andrew Chalk

Snuffer’s, the venerable Dallas burger chain, is featuring a different burger each month, starting this month with the Bacon Lovers Burger ($9.49). I checked it out at a media event this week and can report that it is a succulent chuck steak patty cooked the way you want it (medium-rare for me) in a sesame seed bun with American cheese, a scintilla of acidulous pickle, sweet grilled yellow onions, a slice of tomato all topped with two slices of crisp Applewood smoked bacon. It runs through February only.  Continue reading →

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by | February 2, 2015 · 8:02 am

Côtes du Coeur 2015 Kicks Off With Big Bottle Party

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by Andrew Chalk

The biggest fundraiser in the Dallas calendar of the American Heart Association (AHA) is the annual Côtes du Coeur International Fine Wine Auction and Celebrity Chef Dinner. In fact, it is the largest fund raising gala in the nation for the AHA and has raised $24m over its 23 year history for heart disease research.

This year takes place at The Hilton Anatole Hotel on April 24th but to prepare for the main event the AHA holds a number of warm up events to encourage networking between Côtes du Coeur contributors. The first of these is the Big Bottle Party which collects large format bottles for ‘Big Bottle Alley’, part of the silent auction during the gala. It took place this week at the north Dallas home of Jana and Mike Brosin.   Continue reading →

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