by | March 25, 2014 · 1:10 pm

Scenes From 2014 Savor Dallas

whiteby Steven Doyle

Another successful year for Savor Dallas was completed this past weekend. This was the tenth annual event for organizer, Jim White. And with his massive amounts of volunteers he managed to pulled off the best food and wine even ever seen in North Texas. After a two year hiatus at the Irving Convention Center, and after having outgrown several hotels in Dallas, White managed to pull in the event to Dallas Convention Center and the Omni Dallas Hotel. Brilliant move on Savor’s part.

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by | March 25, 2014 · 11:09 am

Chef Andrew Bell Intros New Menu At Bolsa

andrew-bellby Steven Doyle   photos by Elliott Munoz

I love a change of seasons. This almost always calls for new menus using seasonal ingredients, especially at a restaurant such as Bolsa located in Oak Cliff. This is the case today as chef Andrew Bell sends word that he has something new in mind for his diners.

After taking charge of the kitchen several months ago, chef Bell has created a menu that is finally his own.  Co-owner Chris Zielke explains, “We wanted Andrew to take his time on creating this new ‘core’ Bolsa menu and took the new spring season as a jumping off point to implement it.  The new menu is simply spectacular and these are some of the best dishes I have ever seen come out of our kitchen.”

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by | March 25, 2014 · 9:01 am

What On Earth Is Chef Jason Weaver Cooking Now?

weaver

by Andrew Chalk

When Jason Weaver headed the kitchen at The French Room from 2005 to 2009 the restaurant reached the highest culinary point that I have witnessed there in my 30 years in Dallas. Bill Addison, the then restaurant critic of The Dallas Morning News (this was B.C. — before Crave), and a man parsimonious with his accolades, gave the restaurant five stars, denoting it as one of the best restaurants in the city. Zagat named it the best hotel restaurant in the country in its 2006/2007 survey.

With a change in hotel corporate ownership, Weaver left (and The French Room menu ossified) and opened The Mandarin Oriental in Las Vegas before eventually returning to Texas to become executive chef at the La Torretta Lake Resort and Spa in Montgomery. In 2011 he was the high-profile hiring of the year, when it was announced that he would be the first executive chef at the Omni Dallas Hotel. That title means that he chefs just about everything except Bob’s Steakhouse (which is a tenant rental situation). That means flagship restaurant Texas Spice, sports bar The Owner’s Box, the Lobby Lounge, coffee bar Morsels, in-room dining, banquets and catering.

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by | March 24, 2014 · 9:22 am

Report: Savor Dallas Reserve Tasting

wine_pour-fullby Andrew Chalk

The highest-end wine event at Savor Dallas is the Reserve Tasting, which gets the ball rolling on Saturday night. Here are some pictures to indicate the kind of wines available.    Continue reading →

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by | March 21, 2014 · 11:16 am

Greenling Offers Free Nutrition Coach

greenlingby Jennifer Thomas

Greenling, an Allen-based grocery delivery service of local and organic food, has launched a free nutrition coaching program offering personal consultations and guidance for its customers.
The first local program of its kind, the Greenling Nutrition Coach Program connects customers directly with expert, personalized guidance on grocery choices, meal planning, health goals, special allergies and more.

“Greenling’s mission has always been to make real food more accessible,” said company founder Mason Arnold. “Our nutrition coach program will take another step to reduce the barriers around cooking with local and organic ingredients, with personal consultations to help customers meet their families’ needs without spending hours planning or breaking the bank.”   Continue reading →

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by | March 21, 2014 · 10:13 am

Savor Dallas Kicks Off With a Sold-Out ‘Savor The Arboretum’

IMG_3690.640x480by Andrew Chalk

Savor Dallas’ inaugural event may also become its most popular. Savor The Arboretum takes place in the pastoral scenery of the Arboretum grounds and raises money for the arboretum’s education department.

Crave was there and we assembled a photo essay of the event as it unfolded under perfect weather.    Continue reading →

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by | March 21, 2014 · 9:27 am

Seafood Friday Isn’t Just For Catholics

A COVER PHOTO FOR REPORTby Joey Stewart

Fish is an integral part of a healthy diet. While our good Catholic friends have a commanding reason to eat it today, so does everyone else. The FDA recommends that we each eat a minimum of 2-3 servings per week. You can knock out two of them today at lunch and dinner at these fine options here in Big D.   Continue reading →

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by | March 20, 2014 · 2:12 pm

Go Texan: An Important Update

GO-TEXAN--229x300by Andrew Chalk

Yesterday, I reported the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) decision regarding my proposed change to the rules covering the use of the ‘Go Texan’ logo on wine. I interpreted their response as first: no change in the status quo (i.e. 0% Texas grapes required in Texas wines); second: I concluded that a paragraph that contained the sentence “Specifically, we will implement those ideas to limit the use of the mark on wine bottles based on the origin of the fruit.” was empty of meaning as the letter did not announce any specific measures to do so.

The TDA reacted quickly with an email today in which they totally reject my interpretation of their original letter. That paragraph that I had treated as an imprecise dismissal of changes in Go Texan was apparently the operational paragraph of the letter. In full, they said:   Continue reading →

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