Tag Archives: Irving

by | September 15, 2014 · 1:06 pm

Getting Your Indian Fix At Chaat Cafe

by Steven Doyle

Chaat Café  is billed as a fresh and casual Indian fast food restaurant, but there is absolutely no resemblance to what you might consider fast food. The food is served in the same relative time as any other restaurant, and is hand-made to order with precision and care. The concept is a national chain, but each location has a local flair. Since Irving has a tremendous Indian population, it is very popular with the locals.

The menu at Chaat is fairly extensive with a full line of chaat, or Indian nibbles such as Pani Puri (crisp shells stuffed with potatoes and garbanzo beans) or a variety of Pakora and Samosas.

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under beer, Crave, Indian Food, Irving, Steven Doyle

Tagged as , , , , , ,

by | July 29, 2014 · 10:58 am

Stroker’s Owners Opening Soda Fountain In Irving

DSC03378by Steven Doyle

A recent visit to Strokers on Harry Hines netted us a really good char-grilled burger, a pretty tasty Cuban sandwich (aptly named the Mark Cuban), and a tour through the nearly 2-acre facility. It was a searing hot Sunday afternoon when we met with Strokers owner Rick Fairless who guided us across the biker’s dream campus, taking us into the secret labyrinth’s where he has a crew at various stages of customizing insanely cool motorcycles. It was there he shared his plan to take over the Big State Drug, removing the apothecary portion of the historic 1948 building, and building around the 50’s era soda fountain.    Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under Steven Doyle

Tagged as , , , , ,

by | September 5, 2013 · 12:23 pm

ZENse Thai For Bright Colors And Flavor

DSC09712by Steven Doyle

This past weekend on craveRADIO we hosted Chef Tiffany Derry who raved about a restaurant that at one time she lived very close to. ZENse Thai is located on MacArthur Blvd, and in a shopping center where there are mostly Indian restaurants and shops, which makes this Thai restaurant a stand out. It just happens that the food is incredible. Derry is so taken with the restaurant that she often stages at ZENse to “sharpen her wok skills”.

Derry was kind enough to extend an invitation for lunch yesterday and we happily agreed. Along for lunch was co-host Uno Immaninvong who has an affinity for Thai having grown up with these flavors. We were also able to use Chef Uno to listen in to the kitchen talk which was not nearly as amusing as I had hoped. It was all work for the ladies who run ZENse.   Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under Steven Doyle

Tagged as , , , , , ,

by | January 28, 2013 · 3:14 pm

ZestFest Blazes New Trails In Fiery Eating Madness

zestfest1by Jeanine Stevens

Each year I typically spend months working up to a few million Scoville units’ worth of packing heat.  Then the big survival test comes at ZestFest, the largest gathering of spicy foods and spicy foods aficionados of the year.  Aisle after aisle of hotness purveyors offered samples at the 10th annual expo, held this past weekend at the expansive Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas.  The choices were enough to satisfy any and all burning food desires.  Jolokia pepper salsas: check.  Habanero ketchups: check.  Atomic wing sauces: check.    Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under Zombie Sitings

Tagged as , , ,

by | December 4, 2012 · 1:36 pm

Beaujolais Festival 2012

DSC04106by Steven Doyle

Poor weather conditions in France has more than halved the Beaujolais production this year, but that didn’t stop revelers and Francophiles last weekend from lining up in record numbers at the 2012 Beaujolais Festival that was held at the Irving Convention Center.

The Beaujolais vineyards are expected to produce just over 400,000 hecto-litres this year, against last year’s 853,000 last which was considered a good vintage. Adverse weather troubles began last February with severe frosts that damaged old vines. Hailstorms from April to August then destroyed some vineyards, and rain has slowed the development of the remaining plants.      Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under Wine

Tagged as , , , ,

by | November 26, 2012 · 10:20 am

Celebrate Beaujolais Nouveau This Friday Nov 30

by Steven Doyle

Sponsored by the French American Chamber of Commerce of Dallas/Fort Worth (FACC), the Festival not only includes Beaujolais Nouveau, but additional French and American wines. Wines will provide a taste from Alsace, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Loire Valley, Rhône Valley, California, Washington and Texas vintages.

This year’s Festival takes place on Friday, Nov. 30 from 7 to 9:30pm, at the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas (ICCLC), being the first FACC event to be held in Irving and will host more than 2,000 attendees expected at what has now become the largest Beaujolais & Beyond Wine Festival in the U.S.       Continue reading →

2 Comments

Filed under Steven Doyle, Wine

Tagged as , , , , , ,