Category Archives: David Donalson

by Steven Doyle | May 26, 2011 · 4:34 pm

The Night of Wicked Fun

by David Donalson

For a guy to admit that he saw a Broadway show should be an indication that he is either a masochist or it was a really good show. I admit that I was dragged in by my wife but I saw this as an opportunity to get rack up some points and catch a pre-show dinner. Since our hotel was close to the theatre, we decided to go walking (you do a lot of that in NYC) to the Gershwin Theatre. So, after some careful discussion on what people wanted to eat, we decided to go to BANN, a modern Korean restaurant a block away. Continue reading →

Crave Cat Craves Katz

by David Donalson

Katz’s is both a blessing and a curse. You see, every time that I have gone looking for a good pastrami sandwich, I am left a little wanting. Thousand Island (aka Russian, I don’t know why) is for salads and McDonalds. Swiss cheese is fine but sometimes overshadows the meat. It is hard to figure out what the big fuss was over. So I admit I stopped looking for good pastrami. But in preparation for my trip to New York, a name kept coming up: Katz’s Deli. You can see it on shows like Man v. Food and Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations so I figured if there was any place that I could go to get myself a pastrami sandwich, it was there. Continue reading →

3 Comments

Filed under Crave, David Donalson, Food Porn Alert, fun with food

by Steven Doyle | May 17, 2011 · 9:05 am

Pappa Bros Wine Tasting – What Would We Drink?

by David Donalson

Have you ever gone to a restaurant with a good wine list and wondered: “what would the sommelier drink?” Well, we finally got a small view of what the sommelier’s at Pappa Bros. Steakhouse would like to drink. Here was the list for the tasting:

There were some interesting notes on the wines at the tasting. First of all, Grenache was a well represented grape, scoring ¼ of the wines in the tasting (the Rose, Gigondas and the Calatayud). I have to say that I agree with their selection because these were some of the tastiest wines available, especially the Rose and the Gigondas. This was a great way to experience what real rose should taste like. Believe it or not, a pink wine does not have to be sweet! The rose was a wonderful mixture of cherry, strawberry and red apples, mixed with white pepper and herb. It even had a nice minerality carrying through the palate that made it sing. There was zero sweetness in this wine yet it was the big winner for me. Continue reading →

1 Comment

Filed under Burgers, chefs, Crave, David Donalson, Events, Wine

by Steven Doyle | May 13, 2011 · 12:44 pm

Dinner With Spain’s Chef Arolo

by David Donalson

photos by Jackee Donalson

One of the more interesting aspects of Central Market is their cooking school. They have a kitchen set up in a room where chefs and staff can come in and do demos for customers. This is the area where Chef Arolo set up as part of his Passport Spain dinner last evening in Southlake.

Chef Arolo and his two Michelin stars may look intimidating but he was gracious with his time and has a great sense of humor. He started by saying how his “English may not be very good but it is easy to speak in the language of taste, of gastronomy.” Arolo described his cuisine as traditional, local cuisine with a focus on what is seasonally ready to eat. Sure he can dabble in the molecular but the focus is on tradition. He demonstrated this with a traditional fried potato dish served with a spicy red sauce and aioli called patatas bravas. Continue reading →

Veritas Wine Tasting – Bruno Rocca

by David Donalson

photos by Jackee Donalson

While most people were hiding from the storms on Wednesday, I took the opportunity to try some fantastic Italian wine by Bruno Rocca at Veritas Wine Bar in Dallas. Luisa Rocca, daughter of Bruno Rocca was on hand to pour four of the family wines: 2009 Bruno Rocca Dolcetto d’Alba “Trifole”, 2008 Bruno Rocca Barbera d’Alba, 2007 Bruno Rocca Barbaresco and 2007 Bruno Rocca Barbaresco “Rabaja”. If you have not had much in the way of northern Italian wine, this was a great introduction. Continue reading →

1 Comment

Filed under Crave, David Donalson, Events, henderson, Wine

by Steven Doyle | May 9, 2011 · 10:33 am

Mother’s Day Brunch at Nana

by David Donalson

Mother’s Day is known as the most popular day for dining out and my family was not the exception. This year we went to Nana for their “champagne brunch”. The food was great but I admit that I felt a bit betrayed by Nana. If you are going to call it a “champagne brunch”, please have actual champagne and not another sparkling wine. I like cava and other sparkling wines and I understand the costs associated with having champagne on one of the busiest days of the year but be honest with your customers. Call it a “Sparkling brunch” instead.

Continue reading →

2 Comments

Filed under David Donalson, Design District, fun with food, Wine

by Steven Doyle | May 4, 2011 · 1:34 pm

Urbano Café hosts Sharon Hage

by David Donalson

photos by Jackee Donalson

Yesterday was a special opportunity for me. I was able to enjoy a dinner prepared by Sharon Hage. This may not be a big deal to some people but it should be. She is one of the best chefs in Dallas and now that York Street is gone, the chances to eat her cooking are far too rare. Here is what she served, prepare for food porn: Continue reading →

1 Comment

Filed under chefs, Crave, David Donalson, Food Porn Alert, fun with food

by Steven Doyle | May 3, 2011 · 10:29 am

Truchard Wine Dinner

by David Donalson

One of the best aspects of writing about events is the people that you meet. It was through one of these connections that I learned that Dr. Tony and Jo Ann Truchard from Truchard Vineyards would be at Restaurant AVA for a 5 course tasting. How could I pass on a chance to eat great food by Randall Copeland and drink good Carneros wine with the winemaker? The answer is that I couldn’t. Continue reading →

1 Comment

Filed under chefs, Crave, David Donalson, fun with food, Rockwall, Wine