EATS

Hill Country-flavored Fireside Pies is now serving pizza in Grapevine, as well as Plano and Dallas. The details: 1285 S. Main Street. 817-416-1285. 5 to 10 Sunday-Thursday, 5 till 11:00 Friday and Saturday.

Our Shannon Sutlief notes that Fireside is expected to open store No. 4 by February in the former Urban Bistro/In Restaurant spot on Inwood Road at Lovers Lane.

Update on a previous post: Tart Pastry Boutique & Studio at the Shops at Legacy is scheduled to have its grand opening on Jan. 12.

We're seeing so many excellent new restaurants in the area that it's hard not to have our heads spinning a la Linda Blair in The Exorcist. I had the occasion to check out Firefly last night, which has escaped our reviewers' radar so far.

It's a true Asian fusion, drawing on cuisines from Thailand to Korea, not in individual "greatest hits" style, but pulling elements of each cuisine and combining them anew. Everything is served family style, and our server was blessfully knowledgable both about the food and the sake.

The hands-down winner on our table was - what a surprise - lemongrass tofu. Even the anti-toad-food crowd might be persuaded by this dish. The tofu was sliced and crisped, then mixed with soy-etc.-sauteed onions, minced shiitakes and whole red peppers (don't eat them) that mingled hot, sweet and savory. Fried pot stickers with soy-ginger dipping sauce also ranked high, as did the Peking-style duck rice-paper wraps, or rolls as they're called here.

Firefly is just south of Belt Line on Midway, and its decor conjures up the brooding side of tiki modern, but it's pleasant and cozy.

• Get more info on Firefly from GuideLive.com

Both the Wine Spectator and the Wine Advocate's Robert Parker have gushed enthusiastically over the 2005 Bordeaux vintage, calling it one of the best in years. Now Sigel's is honoring the vintage with a dinner Jan. 17 at the Rosewood Mansion Restaurant that includes several of the area's premier producers and/or winemakers, including Jean-Charles Cazes of Lynch-Bages, Lillian Barton-Sartorius of Leoville-Barton and Jean-Guillaume Prats of Cos d'Estournel.

But those are only the honored guests. The real stars will be the seven 2005s plus seven more library Bordeaux that attendees will taste paired with a menu devised by executive chef John Tesar.

Still without dinner reservations and party plans for New Year's Eve? Check out our Holiday Planner for everything New Year's Eve, including dining specials, hotel packages, nightclub events, live music and much more. Mr. Dallas and Lesley Tellez list their favorite dive bars, and the Quick staff offers its picks for the night. Need a place to sober up, I mean, have brunch on New Year's Day? We've got that, too.

Thinking of ringing in the new year with a splurge of luxury to go with that bubbly?

TJ's Seafood Market has both caviar and lobster at the ready. And you'll be surprised to discover who has a great duck foie gras.

TJ's caviar selections include wild osetra ($280/ounce), Russian farm-raised osetra ($150/ounce), wild American sturgeon ($50/ounce) and, for the rest of us, red salmon roe ($35/8 ounces).

Everybody is gearing up for New Year's. Get in practice with one of these tastings:
FREE FOR ALL: Brut uncorks several sparklers so you can taste before you buy, 5 to 7 p.m. Fridays; free. 5330 E. Mockingbird Lane (Palomar Hotel); 214-827-2788.
SIPPIN' SATURDAY: La Buena Vida Vineyards will have live entertainment to go with tastings, ranging from $6.50 to $9, Saturday 2 to 5 p.m. 416 E. College St., Grapevine; 817-481-9563.
POP THE CORK: Tivoli Wines offers samples of sparklers, from bargain-priced to luxe, noon to 4 p.m. Saturday; free. 62 Main St., Colleyville; 817-581-9463.
And of course, don't overlook our tasting panel's recommendations.

Photo by Evans Caglage

Chopped liver. Tomato aspic. Roasted duck. GooGoo Clusters. Turmeric. What do they have in common? They all made the Saveur 100, the annual list of things that caught the fancy of the magazine's staff. Read the whole Saveur 100 here, or grab the January issue.

Read Restaurant Critic Bill Addison's top 10 new restaurants of 2007 in slideshow format.

Read Bill's 10 personal fave upscale places, plus read lists of new restaurants and notable restaurant closings

Do you agree with Bill's picks? Tell us what you think, share your own best-ofs and let us know what new restaurants you're most looking forward to trying.

Yesterday's big Christmas dinner at a friend's house included a spiral-cut honey ham. And even though there were 11 of us gathered 'round the dining-room table, there was still plenty of ham leftover to send home for a second, third and even a fourth meal.

What to do with all that leftover ham?

My favorite thing about the day after Christmas is half-price Mint M&Ms at Target. That was me piling 14 bags in my cart this morning, at $1.39 per bag. (My sister called last night with an order for 8 or 10 bags, so as you can see, my stash is practically gone already.)
I'm always amazed that there isn't more of a scramble for these babies. While other early-morning shoppers were angling for half-price gift bags and ornaments, I calmly shoveled the M&Ms into my cart, undisturbed. (And I do mean angling; one woman used her cart to block other shoppers' access to the ornaments. She's going on the Naughty list.)
Do people not know about Mint M&Ms? Not like them? At the rate they were going, you can probably still snag some today.

I decided to supplement a relative's Christmas Eve buffet of vegetable cheddar slices, seasoned saltines, Little Smokies and ranch spinach dip with a few things of my own. I chose Arina Goat Gouda and Florette Goat Brie, both from Whole Foods. And when the plastic cork was popped on the Cook's California Brut ($6.63 for 1.5 liters at Sam's Club), I decided to add the fresh-squeezed juice of blood oranges. It was a merry Christmas Eve after all!

While visiting relatives over the last few days, I was fed Cowboy Stew. Maybe it's unTexan to admit that I'd never had it, but it's true. What confused me about it was the ground hamburger meat in it. Isn't stew supposed to have stew meat? So, I did some reaserch, and apparently Cowboy Stew is always made with hamburger meat. I think I'll try this Texas Cowboy Stew recipe with kielbasa sausage added next time.

You don't even have to cross Preston to walk from Houston's to its new sibling, R&D Cafe. Just stroll across the parking lot to the new restaurant, which has been open a month. You could call it the Houston's overflow restaurant, but already it's got a wait of its own. The Hillstone Restaurant Group mothership in Los Angeles has actually patterned it off the Newport Beach R&D Cafe. When we dropped by recently, it was wall-to-wall Parkies.

At least one reader took exception to Anne Greer McCann's simplified King Ranch Casserole recipe. Not the real deal, the reader says.
But with so many versions of this Texas classic floating around, who's to say?
Tell us: Do you make your own King Ranch Casserole from scratch? If you buy it, where's your favorite source?

Although it's been open barely three days - the plexiglass enclosure around the top of the swanky bar isn't even finished - Loft 610 is slowly, gently getting up to speed. The S.O. and I dropped by for drinks because we'd gotten word about what cool space it was.

Click here for drink recipes -- everything from homemade almond liqueur to Mexican coffee. Cheers!

Paul and Merrill Bonarrigo, the affable proprietors of Messina Hof winery in Bryan, have written Vineyard Cuisine, with favorite recipes and wine pairing-tips. Get a recipe from Vineyard Cuisine here.

Nancy and Gary Krabill at Flavors From Afar want folks to know that the festa will go on despite the fact the ship with all the Italian goodies remains stuck in the New York City port. They are assured that the goods will arrive in Dallas during the first of January.

Be advised, they say, that there will still be tastings galore today at the store (including the fabled fig balls) and gift cards with stories on the producers to take home. "In honor of this trip taking longer than Columbus, we're calling the gift cards the Nina ($25), the Pinta ($50) and the Santa Maria ($75)," they say. The shop's at 6712 Snider Plaza.

Check the calendar: Christmas is next Tuesday. So if you haven't placed your order for holiday tamales yet, you'd better get a move on.

In case you missed it: Last week, Taste ran a list of reader recommendations on favorite tamalerias around the Dallas area. People swear by all of these, and we can vouch for a few of them ourselves. So give them a shot, and see which tamaleria becomes your personal standby.

(DMN file photo: Evans Caglage)

Those of you who have been waiting impatiently for Dallas' first souffle bistro will have to wait only a little longer. Rise no. 1 is now scheduled to open in Inwood Village on Jan. 8. Executive chef Cherif Brahmi's menu will feature savory and sweet souffles, and there will be a full wine list chosen for its pairing potential.

Andf we hear that the Stoneleigh Hotel & Spa now is set to open sometime in February. Also debuting there: Bolla, the modern Italian restaurant from award-winning executive chef David Bull, who formerly headed the Driskill Grill in Austin.

Stay tuned for updates!

Why wait until New Year's? Check out the Taste wine panel's picks for sparkling wines under $20.
Remember: Shop for others.

Have a Martha Moment on Saturday. Chef John O'Neil will be at It’s A Grind Coffee House in Plano from 1 to 3 p.m. making homemade peppermint marshmallows using the peppermint syrup available at the coffee house. Cap it off with hot cocoa with a homemade marshmallow on top. 4152 W. Spring Creek Pkwy. (at Coit), Plano.

This just in from chef Richard Chamberlain:
"Just a heads up to those of you who have not heard. My 12-year-old son Stephen and I will be doing 2 segments on the Today Show in New York next Thursday morning, Dec. 27. No specific times yet. Wishing everyone a safe and joyous holiday season."

If your Christmas wish is to not cook, check out our holiday dining guide for a list of special brunches, lunches and dinners happening on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. And scroll up and down to see even more holiday events, including New Year's Eve and Day dining specials, parades, festivals, Nutcracker performances, live music, Santa sightings and more.

Run, don't walk, to the new Nonna (in the former Food Company space, across from Whole Foods Market) for their handmade flatbread. They serve it piping hot from a wood-burning oven, puffed-up with steam, drizzled with olive oil and topped with sea salt.

You could stop there, but of course you won't, and neither did we. The thin-crust white pizza with clams, white wine sauce and plenty of Parmigiano-Reggiano was euphoria served by the slice.

The only thing that brought us back down to earth were the desserts. My advice? Skip them for now until they work the kinks out.

It just leaves more room for the flatbread.

Nonna, 4115 Lomo Alto Drive across from Whole Foods Market in Highland Park, 214-521-1800

If you've ever lived in Austin -- or visited there very often -- you probably have stopped by Las Manitas at 211 Congress Ave., just north of the river. Maybe you've even made it a regular stop, as my husband and I always do. It's been at the same address since opening in 1981, and is sometimes called Las Manitas Avenue Cafe because the sign from the site's previous restaurant is still up on the front of the building.

The little Tex-Mex eatery is one of the city's most beloved gathering spots for breakfast migas, cafe con leche or an enchilada lunch plate. Its loyal patrons have included everyone from first lady Laura Bush, Texas Monthly editor Evan Smith and the late Gov. Ann Richards to musicians such as Los Lobos and Freddy Fender. Singer Alejandro Escobedo gives a concert there every year, during the South By Southwest music festival.

But its fans know the restaurant's days are numbered.

That sucking sound you hear downtown is the sound of a power vortex locking onto its new home. Charlie Palmer at The Joule and sommelier Drew Hendricks' Next Vintage Wine Shop opened softly, quietly on Monday.

The S.O. and I dropped by for drinks, and the next thing we know there were bite-size lobster corn dogs with mustard creme fraiche -the signature appetizer - before us. Barbecued pork sliders with coleslaw on sesame brioche buns. Ricotta agnolotti with corn puree and crisped shiitakes. Diver scallops nested on artichoke pesto. This was a preview of what chef Palmer, sitting at the other end of the bar, and his Dallas crew, headed by Scott Romano, plan to offer in the weeks to come.

But the food is almost secondary to the "see and be seen" vibe that's already gathering force here.

This week, Restaurant Critic Bill Addison reviews Ferrari's Italian Villa in Grapevine and Vietnam Restaurant in East Dallas.

The other new reviews are of Copeland's of New Orleans in Southlake and Iravat India's Bistro in Plano near Asia World Market.

Do you agree? Disagree? Leave a comment below.