by Steven Doyle
A true bowl of Texas red is near and dear to me, and I am always willing to order a bowl if found on any menu I stumble across. I am pleased to report that there are more chili offerings this year than last, and many have upped the ante in developing a perfect bowl. With temperatures dipping into freezing ranges in the coming month, what a perfect opportunity to go out and taste a bowl for yourself. Continue reading
Filed under Steven Doyle
by Steven Doyle
When it comes to modern home chili remedies we have a few people to thank. First there were the “powder men” from the mid 19th century, a term I believe chili maven Frank X Tolbert to have coined, and then there are the butchers who first canned and made brick chili at the dawn of the 20th century to sell to the chili loving consumer.
Tolbert devotes a chapter of his book “Bowl of Red” to the powder men, and waffles on who he thinks brought powdered and packaged chili to mankind. He first attributes William Gebhardt of New Braunfels, but paragraphs later he names DeWitt Pendery of Fort Worth. A little digging shows that both started grinding a powder chili mix in 1890, so it is easy to understand Tolbert’s quandry. Continue reading
Filed under Steven Doyle
Around the turn of the century, chili joints appeared in Texas. By the 1920s they were familiar all over the West, and by the depression years there was hardly a town that didn’t have a chili parlor. The chili joints were usually no more than a shed or a room with a counter and some stools. Usually a blanket was hung up to separate the kitchen.
It was during the Great Depression when chili joints meant the difference between starvation and staying alive. Chili was cheap and crackers were free. At the time chili was said to have saved more people from starvation than the Red Cross.
On of the most famous chili joints was actually the highfalutin restaurant – Chasen’s Restaurant in Hollywood, California. The owner of the restaurant, Dave Chasen who was an ex-vaudeville performer, kept the recipe his guarded secret, entrusting it to no one. For years he came to the restaurant every Sunday to privately cook up a batch, which he would freeze for the week believing that the chili was best when reheated (it is). “It is a kind of bastard chili” was all that Dave Chasen would divulge. Continue reading
Filed under Steven Doyle
by Steven Doyle
Last week we discussed the finer ice creameries in the DFW area which caused a bit of thunder. It would seem you are all very passionate about your frozen confections. In a follow up visit I checked in at Carnival Barkers new Oak Cliff location which actually proved to be more than I expected.
As we had mentioned, Carnival Barkers sells more than just ice cream. Sure they have quirky ice cream sandwiches and the like, but they also make a mean bowl of chili. Not any ordinary chili, but a true bowl of red with chunky and savory beef chunks that will leave you begging for more. You may order the chili in several forms. A plain bowl with whatever accouterments you might desire such as sour cream, cheese and onions. Or take them up on a offer of making you the perfect Frito Pie. Or best yet, the chili dog. Continue reading
Filed under Steven Doyle
by Steven Doyle
Although this has been an extremely mild winter in North Texas (so far), it is still the best time of year to enjoy a soothing bowl of spicy brick red chili. Look for the first chili cook-off of what the organizers trust will be an annual event in Trinity Groves at the 3015 event complex February 8, 2015 from noon to 5pm. Although not a sanctioned event, the rules are just as stiff with on-site cooking and a minimum of four gallons required for both a people’s choice and a judges panel award. Continue reading
Filed under Steven Doyle
photo by Robert Bostick
by Steven Doyle
There are few restaurants in the Dallas area that speak to its Texas roots as Stephan Pyle’s restaurant Stampede 66 located in its sprawling digs as big as Texas itself in the tony base of the Park 17 on the southern most cusp of Uptown. Here you will witness a sultry West Texas big sky as you dine on refined vittles under the moonlit caricature Pyles has created. Nothing is business as usual in the Pyles world; instead things are larger than life as honorably displayed on large platters of fried chicken oozing honey, or v-shelved tacos filled with rich and meaty brisket or delicately fried Gulf oysters.
Stampede is where locals and tourists alike get to play JR Ewing to a fanciful version of chicken fried steak. Executive Chef Jon Thompson calls this menu “Modern Texan”, but we call it dinner. Things are kicked up a few levels at Stampede as evidenced by the shrimp and grits dotted with a largish sphere of condensed shrimp broth that is to be macerated in the bowl to create this explosive flavor bomb. An unusual touch that begs for another bite. Continue reading
Filed under Stephan Pyles
by Steven Doyle
Pop Diner is this new and over-the-top 24-hour diner in Uptown Dallas. One of the last tenants to fill the Borders Books location the diner serves breakfast and diner fare all through the day and in the dark stretches of the morning hours. The owner, Nik Gjonaj, is originally from Detroit where he owns a successful chain of steakhouses called Luca’s Chophouse. Detroit is where his roots are, but he now divides his time between Texas and Michigan.
Detroit has their own style of cuisine that is a different take on many items we serve in Dallas, such as the hot dog. The Michigan dog is a definite style of dog you find primarily in that state, but seldom referred to it as such. That term is used by other states to describe the steamed dog, steamed bun and a rich beefy sauce. A coney if you with chile con carne. Continue reading
Filed under Chili, Steven Doyle, Uptown
by Steven Doyle photo by Robert Bostick
If you ever wander in the bartender’s inner circle you will soon find that Charlie Papaceno from the Windmill Lounge is considered the bartender’s bartender. Charlie is not only a mentor but an all-around guy who happens to be a master behind the bar. He was making these cool cocktails with significant historical value before it was fashionable. The displaced New Yorker can also make a mean bowl of red. Continue reading
Filed under Hunt for a Bowl of red, Steven Doyle
