by Steven Doyle
Last week I was invited to work a shift at Val’s Cheesecakes at 3906 Maple Avenue. This is something I have done off and on for many years and believe it helps with reviews and writing about restaurants in general to spend time in the belly of the beats. Restaurant kitchens can be exciting, vibrant and they speak a language all their own. Continue reading
Filed under Crave, Steven Doyle
by Steven Doyle
A visit to the very new Prohibition Chicken in Lewisville brought some smiles this past week. This new restaurant serves up a deliciously conceived yard bird in a host of fashions including a nicely roasted version that has been pecan smoked to an inviting dark patina, another that is smoked then fried, yet another simply fried, and then one more that is hot chili fried which has been given a jalapeno ranch dusting. All uniquely devised with a double dipped coating that leaves for a large bite packed with flavor.
But Prohibition Chicken is not necessarily about the bird, there is so much more going on in these walls. When I visited there was talk of a speakeasy, which I am always highly suspicious of when I hear that term. We do have a few legitimate versions in the DFW area, but then we have another slew of these speakeasy’s which are merely backroom bars located down a hallway, hardly qualifying as a spakeasy. I was pleased to see Prohibition did their homework and came up with a whimsical entry via an old phone booth ala Please Don’t Tell (PDT) in New York which requires a waltz through a run down hot doggery. What we find inside Prohibition’s speakeasy, once we dialed in the correct number on the antique telephone (this may eliminate some millennials which have never actually dialed a phone), we were able to enter into the Wonka of cocktail lounges.
Filed under Crave, Steven Doyle
Chefs For Farmers (CFF) 2017, the down-home, no-fuss festival celebrating top chefs and local food, will be bigger than ever before with more than 150 combined chefs, food artisans, bartenders, breweries, wineries, and distillers.
This year is to be the best and brightest yet in what we have described as the pinnacle of food festivals in Texas.
The fifth annual festival will again feature exciting pop up dinners, delectable tastings, and parties that celebrate the vibrant Dallas culinary scene with talented chefs from across Texas and beyond. And, as the festival name implies, each CFF chef has one thing in common – they support local farmers. Continue reading
Filed under Crave, Steven Doyle
by Steven Doyle
Slater’s 50/50, a unique Burger, Bacon and Beer restaurant, brings its notorious over-the-top menu and namesake patty to Dallas and is now unofficially open.
Making its Dallas debut in Lower Greenville, this location is the brand’s first franchise. Partner and franchisee, Dave Coussirat, first experienced Slater’s 50/50 during a trip to San Diego and knew he had to bring the concept to his hometown of Dallas.
“It was love at first bite for my family,” said Coussirat. “With so many creative burgers, bacon and craft beer, Slater’s 50/50 was an obvious fit for the Lone Star State. We’re excited to make it part of Texas”. Continue reading
Filed under Crave, Steven Doyle
by Steven Doyle
We must be amusing ourselves when we order Chinese cuisine at restaurants that we seriously know are not serving anything close to what the Chinese might actually eat. There are restaurants that serve Chinese food that the Chinese consider indigenous, and we report on those often, but let’s take a look at dishes that the Chinese possibly never even heard of in their country. Continue reading
Filed under Crave, Steven Doyle
Before fast food and home delivery, there was chop suey and red leather booths. American Chinese food was a precursor to ubiquitous chain restaurants, democratizing the once-exclusive dining-out experience for working-class whites, African Americans and Jews.
The influence of Chinese cuisine throughout the 20th century and beyond is told in Chop Suey, USA: The Story of Chinese Food in America, by UC Irvine history professor Yong Chen. The new book opens with a question: Why is Chinese food so popular in the United States? Continue reading
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Republic Property Group, with the help of acclaimed local chef Graham Dodds, will launch “The Farm Stand Café & Market”, a first-of-its-kind dining concept in the core of Light Farms, an award-winning master-planned community in Celina, Texas. The innovative approach includes both a restaurant and market, which will feature cafe-style seating and market area with chilled and dry snacks and goods for grab-and-go purchase, organic produce, pastries, school-kid lunch boxes, sandwiches and more. The cafe will offer a full menu with lunch, dinner and desserts, 7 days a week. Continue reading
Filed under Crave, Steven Doyle
