Category Archives: David Donalson

by Steven Doyle | July 5, 2011 · 1:29 pm

4th of July Wine Tour of Fredericksburg

by David Donalson

The 4^th of July has always been a celebration of friends, family and fun so this year I made arrangements to be with my family at a ranch in the Texas Hill Country. While I am sure many of you can understand the simple joys of laying in a rocking chair on the porch, watching exotic animals eating corn 75 yards away and reading a book in the shade, I am sharing my Sunday because it included one of my favorite past times: winery hopping.

For those of you who have never been to Fredericksburg, it is a quaint little community built around tourism and Highway 290. Once you get to Fredericksburg, the landscape changes from rock, cedar and mesquite to little boutiques and German history. I normally do not go for this kind of thing but we had an hour to kill before the first winery opened so my family decided to lunch at Auslander Biergarten. We actually chose to sit outside in 100 degree weather for the ambiance. It also helps to have misters, fans and wooden planks providing some shade to moderate the temperature. Continue reading →

1 Comment

Filed under David Donalson, Wine

by Steven Doyle | June 30, 2011 · 2:08 pm

Davis Family Vineyards Dinner at Dragonfly

by David Donalson

Heading to the beautiful Hotel ZaZa, I was conflicted on how this dinner might go. I had heard the rumors of a one star review for Dragonfly from Leslie Brenner of the Dallas Morning News (I cannot read behind a paywall…) and yet many people whom I trust told me that Dan Landsberg, the executive chef at Dragonfly, could really cook. So as I walked by the pool of beautiful people and into the restaurant, I had a clean slate to judge the food and the wine.

Davis Family Vineyards is definitely a family affair. Guy Davis is the grape grower and winemaker in this two man show. The other man is his son. Located in the bend of the Russian River Valley, Davis Family Vineyards has your standard Sonoma varietals: Zinfandel, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. What was also interesting was the other two wines that were from juice outside the estate, a white blend and a Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. They made for some great compliments to the food. Continue reading →

2 Comments

Filed under chefs, Crave, David Donalson, Food, restaurant news, Uptown, Wine

by | June 22, 2011 · 10:00 am

Why I could not be a chef – A day in the kitchen

Cooking is one of my favorite hobbies. There is nothing better than made-from-scratch pasta or homemade desserts. I realize that I am not a professional chef by any stretch but I would like to think I could hold my own in the right scenario. I have even held a few wine dinners at my house where I cooked the food and paired it with wine as a learning experience/fun family gathering. So when Chef Randall Copeland of Restaurant AVA called to have me come out and help with wine service at a wedding he was catering in the Texas Hill Country, I arrogantly volunteered myself to help cook, thinking I could hold my own. Little did I know what I got myself into. Continue reading →

2 Comments

Filed under Ava, David Donalson, Randal Copeland, Wine

Tagged as Chef, Dallas, HEB

by Steven Doyle | June 15, 2011 · 1:32 pm

New Feature: Weekly Wine Q&A

by David Donalson

I remember when I first got into wine, buying wine was such a daunting task. Walking into a wine store and seeing bottles in different languages and labels can be extremely overwhelming. What is the difference between shiraz and syrah? How about Nebbiolo, Barolo and Barbaresco? The answer to both questions is that they are the same grape but different areas. But how are people who do not study this for a living supposed to know? Continue reading →

1 Comment

Filed under David Donalson, Q-n-A, Wine

by Steven Doyle | June 9, 2011 · 1:19 pm

Jack Daniel’s Saloon Premiers Menu

by David Donalson

Gilley’s on south Lamar has a new watering hole attached to the venue, the Jack Daniel’s Saloon. I was invited to come and taste some of the new, Texas inspired food that you can eat for lunch, before a show in the many venues, or even enjoy their catering abilities.

After a quick tour of the facilities (15 minutes of walking, this place is huge), I sat down to see what was on the menu, expecting Applebee’s Jack Daniel sauce to be slathered over everything. This was not the case and there were some good standouts. Continue reading →

The Common Table: Beer vs. Wine Dinner Battle

by David Donalson

Imagine the announcer at a big fight, introducing the match-up: “In this corner, coming in shades of red and white, representing the east coast of California, the underdog, Wine!” (Tim Campbell waiving from the corner, smiling knowing he has a great product in unfriendly waters) Then the drum roll begins, with Jeff Fryman walking in under thunderous applause as the announcer begins “And in this corner, the hometown favorite, the one, the only, Beer!”

Okay, so this did not really happen this way but when you came into the Common Table for the Beer vs. Wine dinner, you knew you were in for an all-out fight. Truth be told, both Tim and Jeff were very supportive of each other and as Corey, proprietor of the Common Table, said: “We are here to have fun.” Continue reading →

Le Bernardin – New York City

by David Donalson

Le Bernardin needs no introduction but I am going to give one anyway. It is the home of Eric Ripert, three Michelin stars and some absolutely amazing seafood. With a camera, it was time to take some pictures and eat some great food and wine. The table decided to just do the prix fixe dinner menu, a 4 course meal, under the condition of sharing so some of the plates are not what you might see on the tasting menu. Continue reading →

2 Comments

Filed under David Donalson, Le Bernardin, New York, restaurant news, Wine

by Steven Doyle | May 27, 2011 · 4:18 pm

Voveti Prosecco Sparkles

by David Donalson

Yesterday, I had the privilege of going to the industry release event of Freixenet’s new product, the Voveti Prosecco. This is done through a partnership between Freixenet, one of the main Cava producers in Spain, and Collavini family based in Friuli, Italy.

When talking with brand manager Liz Hartley, she explained how the Ferrer family wanted to expand and create an “authentic Italian Prosecco by going to the source.” “This has been over a year in the making” and the initial release was only 7000 cases, a miniscule production for a giant producer like Freixenet. The concept was to create a higher-end product to highlight the quality of the fruit. With a $17 price point, this will quickly replace most sparkling wines for my Sunday brunch. Continue reading →