EATS

If you're into the whole local foods/Texas thing or just feel like supporting the Dallas Farmers Market, don't miss the Farmers Market Hoedown , 6:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday at the Food & Fiber Pavilion at Fair Park.

It's a terrific lineup of People Who Care, including Blythe Beck (Hector's on Henderson), Salvatore Gisellu (Daddy Jack's Wood Grill), James Neel (Tramontana) and others, with wines from Fall Creek Vineyards, LightCatcher Winery, Llano Estacado Winery and others.

The chefs will be cooking with Texas products from producers like Super Natural Meats (all pastured animals), Texas Organic Mushrooms, Blueberry Hill Farms, the Texas Ostrich Association, Aurelia's Chorizo and others. Biggies like Pilgrim's Pride and the Texas Department of Agriculture participate, too.

It's a fund-raiser for the Dallas Farmers Market Friends, a group that works behind the scenes to improve the market and sponsors the popular, affordable chefs' class series. For members, the hoedown is $40, nonmembers $50; all tickets must be pre-purchased. Get more info at the group's Web site.

In honor of the trick-or-treaters about to take to the streets, I suddenly find myself pondering the Halloween candy I loved as a kid. I was weird and didn't like chocolate -- no candy bars for me. I traded all my mini-Snickers and Milky Ways and Whatchamacallits for things like Sweet Tarts and Starbursts and the occasional ribbon of candy buttons. Candy corn was OK but more of a project: I liked to systematically nibble off each colored segment, one at a time.

I suppose fireballs were my favorite Halloween candy. There was always that one fleeting moment where they actually got thrillingly hot and I wondered if it would burn too badly (and if you took it out during that moment it was really hot, would it still be in the hot stage when you put it back in your mouth?), and then the red exterior turned white and it quickly became blandly sweet. Soon, then, I would just crunch it in two and start over again.

Talk to me: What was your favorite candy?

I got squired around the renovated Mansion digs by PR manager Erika Gonzalez on Monday as the staff prepares for next week's official opening to the public.

Guests already are eating in the name-tweaked Mansion Restaurant (thank goodness it's not the Rosewood Mansion Restaurant), even if the Mansion Bar and some of the side rooms are still in finish-up.

Who ever thought the phrase "light and airy" would be applied to this onetime residence?

Just touched base with Edward Searle, Director of Food & Beverage at the Warwick Melrose Hotel, about the property's search for a new executive chef for its Landmark restaurant (which was last given four-and-a-half stars by Dotty Griffith in 2004).

Searle revealed that the reason behind the protracted search is that the restaurant may radically change direction in the New Year. Since the historic Melrose was purchased by Warwick International in February, discussions have been underway to make the restaurant less formal. "That's certainly the direction Dallas seems to be going in," said Searle. "In any case, we'll let the new owners of the hotel take the lead on the concept change."

In the meantime, executive sous chef Eric Holt continues to helm the kitchen and the menu. Searle also said the hotel's bar will undergo a major renovation in early 2008.

Watch for the price of avocados to climb over the next several months, as a freeze has claimed 40 percent of the crop in Chile and the fires in Southern California have wiped out 30 percent of the state's crop.

The Associated Press reports that fires have damaged or destroyed at least a third of California’s crop in northern San Diego County. But our local expert, American Foodservice produce buyer Jeff Blackmon, says it’s not just the fires that pose the biggest threat. It’s the winds, which have been blowing new, young fruit off the trees.

“This is the late December-early January crop,” he says.

Only Mexico, the other major growing area, is expected to bring in a normal harvest. “Mexico’s in the driver’s seat for the next five or six months,” Mr. Blackmon says.

Guacamole-lovers all over the country will be jockeying for what’s left of the fruit, which will drive the price higher for everyone. It might be time to start thinking chile con queso instead for the Super Bowl.

I’m just back from a long weekend in Oxford, Miss., where I attended the tenth annual symposium of the Southern Foodways Alliance, one of my favorite organizations on the planet.

To celebrate the symposium’s entry into the double digits, the expansive topic this year was The State of Southern Food. I wound up pinch-hitting on a short talk about fried chicken for a fellow food journalist who had a family emergency.

Below the jump I’ll throw out some thoughts on the state of fried chicken, but let me ask right here: What’s the best fried chicken in the DFW area? I’ve been so focused on trying Texas-specific dishes that I haven’t consumed much gospel bird here. Now I’m starving for it. Is it Brother’s? Babe’s or Bubba’s? Any great fried chicken at a restaurant whose name doesn’t begin with a B?

I'll never love the corporate-ized Cafe Express like I loved it when it was Robert Del Grande's faster-food brainchild (he of Houston's Cafe Annie fame). But I've made my peace with the Wendy's buyout, resigned that it will never be the same, but also comforted by the fact that when you're in a hurry and want something quite a bit better than fast food, it's still a good call.

But Sunday night, when I stopped by for a turkey burger, I had to wonder: Whose relative twisted whose arm to lock down the mustard concession? Of all the great mustards in the world, the Lovers Lane Cafe Express (and presumably the others) had out a dozen jars of Madison Street Whole Grain Dijon, a no-name mustard made by an Ohio outfit.

We tried three bottles and, to a jar, the mustard refused to come out, all balled up it was in the middle of the bottle. We finally had to pry the top off and scoop some out with a knife. We watched other customers struggle with jars, too. And after all that, the flavor was so flat we had to fall back on a squeeze of standard French's yellow.

Has anyone else been annoyed by this stupid restaurant trick? Other aspects of the changeover at Cafe Express? Or did you just give up?

Jimmy's is having a pre-inventory wine sale this Saturday and Sunday: 20 percent off all wines. Don't bother calling and asking them to hold something for you. Get yourself up and get over there: they're opening at 8 a.m. Saturday for the sale. Remember, though -- no wine sales until noon on Sunday.

Part of the New York experience is pizza and, continuing Bill Addison's thread on great NY pizza houses, I had the chance to eat at Luzzo's, another contenda for best. Luzzo's meets the hole-in-the-wall criteria, with a downstairs bar that smells as musty as an ancient wine cellar. About as dark, too. Cool, though.

They use a coal-fired oven to achieve great pies like the one at left. The crust is cracker-thin but still has its yeasty-dough-crust thing going on, nicely scorched on the bottom and sides. This is my favorite combination: just a brush of tomato sauce, some blobs of fresh mozzarella, then after it's fired, some velvet-textured prosciutto, fresh arugula and a grating of Parmesan. The beauty, though, is its understatement: If a little (of the toppings) is good, then a little is good. Period.

In Dallas, the closest I've gotten to this is at Arcodoro & Pomodoro. With all the buzz about pizza lately, got anything to add?

Some interesting culinary innovations are, as usual, cooking in chef Anthony C. Bombaci's kitchen at Nana, the 27th-floor restaurant atop the Hilton Anatole tower.

Wednesday night, we got a taste of the new seasonal menu while seated at a table (Table 42, if you want to ask for it) that had a spectacular view of downtown Dallas' skyline. Visual bonus: a silvery full moon floating over the city.

And for the lucky diners to take home? A candy box containing six chocolate truffles -- and a 3-ounce slab of chocolate adorned with the portrait of "Nana," the restaurant's namesake. She's the lovely, voluptuous and mostly nude lady in a famous 1881 oil painting by D. Marcel Suchorowsky. Since its purchase by Trammell and Margaret Crow in 1981, the painting has graced the wall above the bar at Nana.

PHOTO: Portrait of Nana, reproduced on a 3-ounce slab of chocolate

You there, Chateau Margaux, you get to come, and you get to pour one wine that's scored 90 or higher in the Wine Spectator. That's one wine, got it? And hey, that goes for you, too, Gaja, Opus One and Dom Perignon.

With that strict critieria, 259 wineries and estates got invited to cram into two ballrooms at the Marriott Marquis in New York for the Wine Spectator's New York Wine Experience international tasting, which started last night and continues tonight. On Thursday, the crowds were as thick as a mosh pit, and the heat beating down from the lights cranked up the crush.

What a range you get with the 90-plus profiles, from Dr. Loosen, with his brilliant sweet-crisp 2005 Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Beerenauslese Long Gold Cap, to Clarendon Hills' drop-dead, Old World gorgeous Australian 2004 Astralis. And that's a syrah, thank you, not a shiraz.

But wait, in this heady group were three producers with Texas ties.

Learn more about the art and history of tea with tea expert Sheila Williamson, who will also present an etiquette lecture, at Farmers Branch Historical Park on Thursday, Nov. 1, from 7 to 8 p.m. The event is at a restored historical church on site. Admission is free. 972-919-8731 for more information.

Joe Drape of the New York Times gets all serious about Tex-Mex in today's issue.
I'm totally on board with Robb Walsh, the Houston writer quoted extensively, including this pronoucement: "The embodiment of Tex-Mex is a cheese enchilada with gravy."
Mr. Drape is a staunch supporter of Herrera's on Maple Avenue in Dallas, where he gets an enchilada plate with a taco on the side.
Tell us: Where's your favorite Tex-Mex in Dallas? What do you order?

This week, Restaurant Critic Bill Addison reviews Plano's Yao Fuzi Cuisine. In his Diner's Notebook column called "The dollars and sense of dining out," he questions when a meal's expensive is worth it.

When restaurant reviewers wrestle with the weekly and ever-sticky conundrum of assigning star ratings, one major factor we take into account is this: Does the price of the meal feel fair in relation to its quality?

Hugh and Pam Hamilton, who own Hugh Hamilton Wines down under, were in town yesterday to show their new vintages, and we met up at The Fish, the swank sushi-and-more spot in West Village next to Cork. Theirs was no ordinary wine producer visit - it will end with a flogging - which I'll explain in a minute.

In the ongoing quest for wines that go with sushi or sashimi, add Hugh Hamilton Verdelho (pronounced ver-day-ho or ver-dello), an Australian take on a Portuguese varietal. In Hugh's hands, this unwooded white has a fresh citrus-tropical entry that turns almost lime on the palate with palate-cleansing crispness and a soft, almond finish.

But here's the catch - or the one that almost got away: The extremely small-production wine is available only at The Fish. They're both worth checking out (miso black cod: drooler city).

Reps of the Food Network will be in Dallas soon to check out candidates for The Next Food Network Star.

You can apply by e-mail: Send your name, age, phone number, e-mail address, city, a brief summary of why you want to be on the show, occupation (if not cooking professionally how do you continue to keep your passion for cooking alive), and a picture of yourself to: CastingNFNS4@yahoo.com.

Or you can just show up at open call on Nov.2 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at The W Hotel,
2440 Victory Park Lane.

The cute factor is bound to be high at the Art of the Historic Paper Doll Tea, which features "living paper doll" models dressed in old-time fashions and separate menus for adults and kiddos. Lee Park and Arlington Hall Conservancy is putting on the event on Sunday. Reservations are required, more info here.

Paula's Texas Orange and Paula's Texas Lemon are two wickedly wonderful citrus liqueurs. They are quite nice on their own, but Quintessential Chocolates Company of Fredericksburg goes Paula one better by using the Texas Orange as the filling in dark chocolate candies.
Here's where to order Paula's Texas Orange chocolates. They're $6.50 plus shipping for a box of six pieces (a convenient size for filling a Christmas stocking).
Quintessential Chocolates also makes chocolates filled with various wines and spirits, including some Texas wines.

This comes from our colleagues on the Metro blog:

A reader sent Neighborsgo editor Kandace Dodson a story suggestion, with pictures. There's an interesting woman in Rowlett, the reader says, who owns her own bakery called Absolutely Edible Cakes. Words won't describe one of Nikita Jackson's latest cake creations. So here's the photo (at right). The cake is designed to look like the bride.

From the additional pictures that were sent, we can tell you that this bride's cake is virtually life-size. The design is an extravagant replica of the real bridal gown, the bodice of which features a heart-shaped, jeweled panel with paisley and flower shapes embroidered into it.

Though this is one of her more spectacular specialty efforts, Nikki Jackson also does more conventional wedding and special-occasion cakes, as her bakery's website makes clear. She says she has "had cakes featured on Good Morning Texas, Walker Texas Ranger and on the billboards throughout the state of Texas, when I created cakes for the Texas Lottery Commission."

For more information, contact Ms. Jackson at 972-463-9199.

Looking for a gift for the budding oenophile on your holiday list? Try the three-DVD box set of Uncorked! Wine Made Simple ($49.95), a six-episode series featuring Ted Allen, the culinary expert from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.

Viewers will learn the essentials of wine selection, meet industry personalities and join the host on tours of the California wine country and key regions of France. The set also includes 15 bonus features such as cooking demos and wine pairings.

Uncorked! is available at major retailers and through Amazon.com.

You may be tempted to buy a jar of Calloway’s Nursery Pumpkin Butter on sheer impulse — it is displayed next to the cash register.
Or maybe, you think, even if we don’t have seasons in Texas, you can at least buy a little autumn in a jar.
But the real reason to purchase this pumpkin butter is under the lid. The silky spread is like liquid gingerbread, chockablock with spices and sweetness. It’s so spicy that there’s an afterburn.
Immediately, the cogs start to work thinking about the best delivery vehicles: biscuits and toast. Apples and pears. Vanilla yogurt (and toss in some granola for a breakfast treat). Toasted poundcake, maybe topped with a little coconut, too. Cheesecake. A spoon.
The pumpkin butter is made for Calloway’s with nothing but pumpkin, brown sugar, water, lemon juice and spices. A 9-ounce jar is about $5. Look for it at Calloway’s stores.
Laura H. Ehret

I encountered a bit of a traffic jam in Kroger Sunday afternoon as the staff tried to determine how to display the ginormous containers of oil that were already arriving for frying the Thanksgiving turkey.

I say this is an undertaking best left to the pros. But we do have fried turkey instructions from a few seasons back if you're determined.

But what I want to know is, where do you buy your fried turkey? We get lots of questions about this every year and there's no way to keep up with all the places. Send us your favorite source and we'll keep a list.

Carole Walter (right) may be 70-something, but the master baker and James Beard Award-winning cookbook author isn't slowing down a bit.

Her fourth book, Great Coffee Cakes, Sticky Buns, Muffins & More (Clarkson Potter, $35), was just published this month and is already going into its second printing.

Ms. Walter will be in Dallas on Tuesday for a book signing and demonstration at Milestone Culinary Arts Center, 4531 McKinney Ave. in Dallas, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Then on Thursday, she'll do another book signing from 1:30 to 3 p.m. in the exhibit hall at the National MS Society Conference at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Dallas.

Ms. Walter, a certified culinary professional, is appearing on behalf of the MS Society because she has lived with multiple sclerosis for 29 years. She also has been teaching for 30 years, specializing in technique and hands-on classes. She views her experience as an opportunity to educate others about how to build culinary skills while dealing with the challenge of a disability.

McKinney mom and cookie maker Mary Beth Schad (left) will be one of 11 women honored as part of the first "Dreamers Into Doers" awards on Tuesday's Martha Stewart Show (12 noon on KXAS-TV, Ch. 5).

Mary Beth Schad started a home-based business after a friend told her, through a mouthful of cookies: "I'd buy these from you." She named her company Ellie & Ollie after her kids, Eloise and Oliver, who are her taste testers.

Mary Beth and the other "Dreamers Into Doers" finalists will be featured in the November issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine, and they'll also be recognized at a ceremony Tuesday evening at Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall. In addition, Martha will present a "Living Legend Award" to singer-songwriter Carole King, who also will be on tomorrow's TV show.

Ellie & Ollie cookies come in five varieties: Poppydoodles (caramel, chocolate and peanuts), Key Lime Crackles, Cinnamon Toast, Crunchy Peanut Butter, and Mary Beth's signature Chocodoodles, made with dark semi-sweet chocolate and M&Ms.

Mary Beth's Ellie & Ollie cookies are packaged for gift giving at $20 per box of 15, and are available online or by calling 214-733-1056.

As a cooking show addict, I've been watching Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares -- both the U.S. version Wednesday nights on Fox, and the Brit version on BBC America.

Both have their charms. And the common denominator seems to be an incredible ability for restaurant owners to delude themselves (that they're still right though losing lots of money) and be defensive when an accomplished owner and chef shows them the way. Didn't they agree to his coming in for a makeover?

J.W. Foster is the new top toque at the Pyramid Grill in the Fairmont Hotel downtown. Foster was previously the executive sous chef at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto, another Fairmont property.

More details, hopefully including a glimpse of his new menu, forthcoming ...

Update: Just a couple more details, actually. Mr. Foster has been at the gig less than two weeks, and he won't be unrolling a menu of his own vision until January. Looking forward to seeing what comes up with -- a Canadian perspective could be a welcome, left-of-center addition to the scene.

Alan Peppard managed a sneak at the remodeled dining rooms and bar at the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek. As is usually the case in restaurant remodels, the exact opening date is a moving target.