The lights went out at the downtown Neiman Marcus on Wednesday, September 30. After more than a century on Main Street, the flagship store closed for good, and the Zodiac Room on the sixth floor closed with it.
Some longtime customers showed up that last day dressed in black. A few left flowers at the entrance. That might sound dramatic if you never had lunch there. If you did, it makes perfect sense.
Continue readingFiled under Steven Doyle
The Zodiac Room opened on the sixth floor of the downtown Neiman Marcus flagship in April 1953, designed by New York decorator Eleanor LeMaire around a celestial theme, with signs of the zodiac worked into both the main dining room and the terrace. Stanley Marcus wanted a restaurant that would give out-of-town shoppers a reason to stay downtown longer, and for more than seven decades it did exactly that. On September 30, when the downtown store closes for good, the room closes with it. It’s a room CraveDFW has written about before, back when its future still seemed settled.
Continue readingFiled under Steven Doyle
Every few years, an email that predates most people’s inboxes resurfaces somewhere, usually forwarded by a relative who swears it happened to a friend of a friend. The story goes like this: a woman is shopping at Neiman Marcus in Dallas, stops for lunch, falls in love with a chocolate chip cookie, and asks the waitress for the recipe. The waitress says it’ll cost “two-fifty.” The woman agrees, assuming two dollars and fifty cents. Weeks later her credit card statement arrives showing a charge of two hundred and fifty dollars. Furious and refused a refund, she gets her revenge the only way available to her: she mails the recipe to everyone she knows and tells them to keep passing it along.
Continue readingFiled under Steven Doyle
After extensive negotiations between Saks Global, the parent company of Neiman Marcus, and Dallas city officials, the historic Downtown Dallas flagship store will remain operational through the 2025 holiday season. This decision comes after earlier plans to close the store on March 31, 2025, were reversed following collaborative efforts to preserve this iconic retail destination.
The store’s continued operation provides an opportunity to reimagine the space in collaboration with the city of Dallas. Proposed concepts include transforming the location into a modern fashion, art, and entertainment destination, featuring luxury retail experiences, curated art exhibitions, and a fashion and event center.
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by Steven Doyle
Enjoy the popovers with strawberry butter, but you will most likely want to check out the chicken salad or grilled cheese served with a splash of tomato soup at Zodiac, the 68-year-old favorite for ladies who lunch and the rest of the free world.
Fans of the restaurant crave the chicken salad, which is actually made with cream, a dollop of mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, celery and diced chicken breast. This with a side of the Mandarin orange gelatin mold “souffle” with export you back to the 1950’s where such delights were commonplace on a luncheon plate. Continue reading
Filed under Steven Doyle
by Steven Doyle
A popover is a great find. Consider the roll to be similar in make up to that of Yorkshire pudding, made with an egg batter. Super light and airy these beautiful beats were made with beef drippings, but now lighter made with plenty of eggs and butter.
We found a few great versions in the Dallas area in case you have a desire to sample some on your own for good measure. Continue reading
Filed under Crave, Steven Doyle
by Steven Doyle
We just caught word of what will most definitely be an amazing pop-up with Matt McCallister and at a fun location – the Zodiac at Neiman Marcus downtown Dallas March 8, 2018 at 7pm.
McCallister is the chef-owner of FT33 in the Design District and has been nominated for a a James Beard for Best Chef of the Southwest, Food and Wine named him Best New Chef and his restaurant was featured on the Top 50 New Restaurant list from Bon Appétit. His accolades run deep, and the chef has been on the leading edge of the farm-to-table movement in North Texas. Continue reading
Filed under Crave, Steven Doyle
by Steven Doyle
This week DFW area Neiman Marcus stores will celebrate the 100th anniversary of Julia Child’s birth with special dishes inspired by the culinary icon and offered by the Dallas chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier, an international organization of women in the culinary profession. Continue reading
Filed under chefs, Dallas, Les Dames d'Escoffier
