Category Archives: Andrew Chalk

by | January 9, 2015 · 10:42 am

Wines of the Week

wineby Andrew Chalk

2011 Carmen Carmenere ‘Gran Reserva’, Apalta Vineyard, Colchagua Valley $15

The problem with Carmenere is that it is difficult to ripen.That leads to wines characterized by green pepper aroma and taste characteristics. Plaudits to Carmen at having avoided this this problem in 2011 and producing a wine with just enough green notes to contribute breed and structure without the negative side effects.

This wine has a an opaque ruby color. Smoky coffee, clove, black pepper, raspberry and black cherry aromas and bouquet. The mouthfeel is full of luxuriant tannins, complex fruit flavors confirming the nose, medium acid and a medium long finish.   Continue reading →

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by | January 8, 2015 · 9:05 am

Eureka! In Greek Means “I Have Found It”

EurekaExteriorby Andrew Chalk

So said Archimedes, apparently while in the bath, although it is not generally considered to be an anatomical reference. In the modern context, Eureka! is a new eatery, open only about a month, in the new Uptown development 3700M (so named because of its address on McKinney Avenue).

It occupies the highly visible slanted corner facing busy Blackburn and McKinney so we expected it to be discovered quickly. Shrewdly, our media event had been planned for what turned out to be the coldest night thus far in 2015, 28℉, which made concurrent temperatures in Stockholm (37℉) look OK and London, at 52℉, positively balmy. Plus, it was a Wednesday, so we figured we would have our pick of plum tables. Fat chance! The place was packed, and there was even a line. Twenty and thirty somethings had braved the cold to down the food that we were about to discover. Additional customers appeared every few minutes to pick up takeout orders (a bravery award to the bearded guy in the blue t-shirt).  Continue reading →

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by | December 31, 2014 · 10:49 am

Carso, In Granite Park, Brings Stylish Mediterranean To Plano/Frisco Corridor

bombaciby Andrew Chalk

I was delighted when I heard that Anthony Bombaci was to be the execuchef of the Hilton Dallas/Plano Granite Park. It meant that Hilton was committed to food quantumly beyond the standard hotel fare and that Bombaci, who has kept the Hilton Anatole’s food operations sans SĒR humming smoothly until now, had a marquee restaurant added to his portfolio of the other food and beverage outlets (plus banquet service) at the new hotel. At a recent media event I finally got a chance to experience the new hotel and sample the food.

Carso is easily accessed via a door right by the complimentary valet stop. One step into the room and you notice the careful contrivance in the design. Lots of contrasting surfaces of white stone (redolent of the Hill Country), chocolate colored wood and sparkling metal offset by the soft fabrics of the chairs. Lots of nooks and pass-throughs deceive the eye about the room being a cube. It feels sophisticated and comfortable. The large bar area on the other side of the lobby echoes many of these themes but is more open, presumably for sports TV viewing.   Continue reading →

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by | December 31, 2014 · 9:26 am

Wines for 2015

wine_glassby Andrew Chalk

As we look to the new year for more excitement and rejuvenation, Andrew has a nice list of wines to start your 2015 off right.

2011 Col Solare Red Wine, Red Mountain, Washington. $75

This wine of the product of a collaboration between the Marchesi Antinori of Tuscany and Chateau Ste. Michelle of Washington State. It is as blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 4% Malbec.

Although a Bordeaux blend this would never be taken as an old world wine. It is firmly fruit-driven and ripe, luscious fruit at that. It needs to be aged 5-10 years for best enjoyment but can be drunk today if infanticide is one of your sidelines.   Continue reading →

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by | December 29, 2014 · 9:40 am

A Better Class of Sushi Teppan Grill in Addison

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by Andrew Chalk

Hibashi, in Addison, aims to be a higher class of sushi bar and teppan grill. The fish is fresh, the vegetables include a broader selection than found at other, more budget level, teppan grills, and the meat is Certified Angus beef. If, like me, you have avoided teppan grills because of a perceived lack of food quantity, then Hibashi may be the solution you have been looking for.

At a media event last week I put their model to the test and came away impressed with the breadth of the menu and the comfort of the surroundings.  Continue reading →

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by | December 22, 2014 · 8:59 am

Alice In Wonderland To The Max

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by Andrew Chalk

“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”

“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.” ― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

Last Thursday, it was Max’s Wine Dive located in Fort Worth’s buzzing West 7th Street area. The restaurant hosted one of the most macabre dining events I have been to anywhere in the area: a 12-course Alice In Wonderland themed dinner with matching wines. The event, apparently a creative joint venture between GM Chad Wherry, execuchef Stefon Rishel and, from corporate, Alex Bell the Max’s chain “Creative Content Manager” (as well as being involved with wine buying).

Staff dressed up as characters from the book with Alex Bell as the Mad Hatter who proceeded to punctuate gaps between courses with a rhyming dialog that he had memorized (!) based loosely around the food and the book.  Continue reading →

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by | December 5, 2014 · 8:00 am

All Change at The Second Floor

Executive Chef at The Second Floor, Andrea Maricich

by Andrew Chalk

Make careful note of this name: Andrea Maricich. She is the person Scott Gottlich chose to be executive chef at The Second Floor by Scott Gottlich at the Westin Galleria Dallas. She started in June and has had a ‘soft introduction’ in 2014. However, I predict that 2015 could be ‘The Year of The Andrea’ if she continues on her current trajectory. She trained in New York and San Francisco before she and her husband ran a restaurant in Boise, Idaho, for 17 years. The economic downturn prompted the move to Dallas to take the position of chef de cuisine at Hotel ZaZa. From there she came to The Second Floor. Continue reading →

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by | December 3, 2014 · 8:00 am

Perry’s Opens a Big-City Steakhouse in Frisco

Perry’s Famous Pork Chop

Perry’s Famous Pork Chop

by Andrew Chalk

Frisco is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, predicted to outsize Plano in the 2020s. One needs little confirmation of the big-city intentions than a visit to the new Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille just opened in Stonebriar Centre (on the east side of Parkwood just south of Gaylord Pkwy. Google maps wrongly shows it north of Warren Parkway for some reason). Continue reading →

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