Category Archives: Competition

by Steven Doyle | April 24, 2012 · 10:36 am

Iron Fork Event May 8 2012

by Jerry Stewart photos by Robert Bostick

It is time once again for the annual Iron Fork event presented by the Dallas Observer and hosted by chef Kent Rathbun. The event will feature many area restaurants and offers libations including beer, wine and a special cocktail.

The event is highlighted by a special chef grudge match as Rathbun presents a basket including secret ingredients and judged by a panel of local food experts (including our editor Steven Doyle). TJ Lengnick from Whiskey Cake will go up against reigning champion Scott Romano as he defends his title he won with his special Scotch Egg last year that had the panel swooning. Continue reading →

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Filed under chefs, Competition, Crave, Dallas, Jerry Stewart, Steven Doyle

Tagged as chefs, Dallas, Iron Fork 2012, Kent Rathbun, Scott Romano, steven doyle, TJ Lengnick

by Steven Doyle | March 22, 2012 · 12:20 pm

Mixin It Up On The Blvd Cocktail Challenge

by Steven Doyle photos by Susan Migdol

Last night the organizers of Chefs for Farmers invited a thirsty hoard of people to stop by The Chesterfield to enjoy a cocktail tasting sponsored by Patron Tequila and FreshPoint. Guest bartenders crafted a special concoction using the tequila to ply the crowd for votes and to get them excited about the upcoming chef event. Continue reading →

Top Dallas Bartenders to Compete in Houston’s Speed Rack

by Steven Doyle photos by Susan Migdol

If you happen to be in Houston this coming weekend you might wish to attend a pretty awesome cocktail competition called Speed Rack that pits some of the hottest bartenders in Louisiana and Texas to raise cash and awareness for breast cancer. Sixteen female bartenders will be in competition for bragging rights, a $500 honorarium and a chance to compete nationally in New York City later in the year. Two of our best female bartenders will be in that competition.

You may have read about both of these women in the past on craveDFW; enter Bonnie Wilson from Whiskey Cake and Trina Nishimura from The Cedars Social representing Dallas in the Houston contest this Sunday, January 22, 2012. Continue reading →

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Filed under Bourbon, Cocktails, Competition, Dallas, fundraiser, Houston, Recipe, Road Trip, Steven Doyle, therapy

by Steven Doyle | December 8, 2011 · 1:50 pm

A Night at Common Table: Beer vs. Wine

by Tait Lifto

The Common Table dinners are legendary and not to be missed, and since I was in attendance for Beer vs Wine I (wine won, btw), I couldn’t wait to see what Tim and Jeff had in store for the rematch.

Tim Campbell – Wine & Spirits Education Trust Advanced Certificate holder and not-so-secret beer lover, Tim works for Republic National Beverage

Jeff Fryman – Master Certified Cicerone (The Common Table) with a wild brillo-pad beard knows his beer and has a well-known love affair for funkiness. I’m pretty sure his first son will be named “Bret”

First of all, let’s “set the table”… or “set the common table” as it were. TCT dinners involve special food menus created by Chef Mike Smith. These food menus are thought through well in advance of any dinner and paired with the beverages on purpose. Genius. And the food menus are incredible – my favorite in recent history was for the Mikkeller/Jester King Dinner: cheddar, bacon grits with quail – and are one-of-a-kind masterpieces in of themselves as they are not on the daily menus, so you miss a dinner and you miss those dishes (presumably forever, but I hate to follow Disney’s promotional lines for their cartoons recently rescued from some mysterious vault and digitally remastered, so I’ll just move on). Continue reading →

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Filed under beer, chefs, Competition, fun with food, Tait Lifto, Wine

by Steven Doyle | December 2, 2011 · 12:57 pm

Chef Competition at Fairmont

by Crave Staff

The Fairmont Dallas will host a chef competition on December 9th, as Executive Chef André Natera and Executive Sous Chef Paul Peddle test their culinary talents in the hotel’s legendary Venetian Room. To spice up the challenge, a special mystery ingredient will be unveiled at the start of the competition, which the chefs will incorporate into their respective dishes.

A panel of judges will evaluate each chef’s dish on the basis of overall taste, presentation, originality and use of the secret ingredient. As the two award-winning chefs compete in this knock out live-cooking challenge, guests in attendance will enjoy a four-course dinner with accompanying wine pairings by expert sommelier Hunter Hammett. Continue reading →