EATS

What a bummer to report that 4-year-old Davis Mountains Organic Beef, which raises 100 percent organic cattle, is going out of business. The e-mail notice says they will be closing their doors at the end of February, and they're cutting prices to close out their inventory:

"In an effort to sell what we have left, we have discounted our ground beef, roasts and steaks up to 85 percent off. ... If you would like to purchase any of our beef, please place your order before the last week of February. Once an item is sold out, if will be removed from our Web site." You can order online at www.davismountainsorganicbeef.com or by phone at 1-877-366-2333.

I've got calls in to see if I can find out more about why they're shuttering the business. I'll keep you posted.

The new Campania Pizza has opened in Southlake Town Square at 291 Grand Ave. It's been in the works for a while and seems to have had the usual opening-a-restaurant delays. But here's a new one: Campania's Jay Jerrier says "Today was the first day I was happy with the pizza!!"

The Southlake location is open 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. And in addition to the Campania standard of a wood-burning oven, this new one has three floors, including a rooftop patio and wine and coffee bars.

• Get more info about Campania Pizza Southlake

Three of us Eatsians got a preview peek at the new Stoneleigh Hotel and its Bolla Modern Italian restaurant today. The occasion was a media luncheon for the 2008 Texas Hill Country Wine & Food Festival, which will happen the second weekend of April.

Bolla is supposed to open in about a month, we heard, though the hotel itself won't be welcoming guests until at least March. There's still a lot of work to be done, inside and out, but we can report that the Stoneleigh is coming along nicely. The sleek, elegant interiors and eye-catching lighting all complement the hotel's well-preserved historic architecture. Later, there will be a new luxury spa opening on the lower level, too.

Bolla is situated in what used to be the old Lion's Den, which is now light-filled, contemporary and pretty much unrecognizable after its makeover. The luncheon crowd was treated to a four-course meal, with wines provided by Fall Creek Vineyards; Winn Meat Co. and Central Market also were sponsors.

Architectural rendering of the Bolla dining room, courtesy of the Stoneleigh Hotel

The annual Mobil Travel Guide ratings came out this week and there were few surprises.

Dallas' slate of four-star restaurants stayed pretty much the same: Abacus, the French Room (at the Adolphus Hotel), Nana (at the HIlton Anatole) and Stephan Pyles.

One notable absence is the Mansion Restaurant, which was demoted from five stars to four in 2002 and had remained there for the last six years.

The restaurant will go unrated this year because the restaurant and Chef’s Room were under renovation during the rating period, said Erika Gonzalez, a Mansion spokeswoman.

She said the restaurant expected to be rated for 2009.

The big surprise was that Mobil granted five stars to the three-year-old Inn at Dos Brisas in Brenham, 40 miles from College Station.

It was the restaurant’s debut on the Mobil list and one of only 17 in the U.S. and Canada to earn that five-star rating.

The only other Lone Star State restaurants to return on the 4-star list were Quattro in Houston and La Reve in San Antonio.

The Cafe at the Four Seasons in Austin, which earned four stars last year, was not included in the 2008 list.

I just got off the phone with Jim Henry, one of the state's serious olive growers, and he confirms that Tom Spicer has persuaded him to part with some of his unfiltered 2007 Texas Olive Ranch extra-virgin olive oil.

"Basically, it's our first commerical crop," says Henry, who does high-tech olive farming near Carrizo Springs (puh-lease don't spell it Carizzo). Southwest of San Antonio and not too far from Nuevo Laredo, he's got 40,000 Arbequina trees, which he planted three years ago.

All you have to do is wait till Friday. As Spicer puts it in his e-mail, he "managed to knock a 55-gallon drum loose" from Henry's limited pressing of 2,000 gallons.

In about a month, Henry expects to have a Web site up and running (www.texasoliveranch.com), where you'll be able to buy his olive oil bottled online. He's also looking for recipes that feature olive oil for a Texas Olive Ranch Cookbook. If you'd like to contribute, email your recipe.

I don't know the price yet at Spiceman's, and you have to bring your own bottle. And if you try to get there first - I bet it goes fast - don't think you'll elbow your way in front of me. FM1410 (on Fitzhugh near Bryan) opens at 10 a.m.

I'm posting this link to an item about cheeseburger in a can for two excellent reasons:
1. It came from the boss's husband.
2. It gives me a chance to post a link to this OTHER site, which has nothing to do with food beyond having "cheezburger" in its name. But it amuses me. (Warning: kitten alert.)

This week, Restaurant Critic Bill Addison reviews BLT Steak, chef Laurent Tourondel's steakhouse with a bistro twist, and Aurora, Avner Samuel's French restaurant on Oak Lawn Avenue.

The other new review is of Plano favorite Jasmine Thai Cuisine.

Do you agree with our reviews? Disagree? Leave a comment below.

For years, Parigi on Oak Lawn Avenue has been a chic spot for French- and Italian-inspired New American fare. Now you can add Spain to the restaurant’s culinary influences. Chef Mariano Fernandez, a native of Valencia, Spain, has left Café Madrid to join Parigi’s kitchen.
Chef-owner Janice Provost sees the addition as a natural complement to the restaurant leanings. “Spanish, French and Italian have a common Mediterranean thread, and Mariano will bring his Valencian flair to the restaurant."
Besides Spanish-influenced additions to the menu, look for a giant paella party on the restaurant’s chi-chi patio this March.
Tina Danze

Photo of chef Mariano Fernandez by Randy Eli Grothe

I spent most of last week kicking back in Santa Fe. The fact that it was 24 degrees one morning was not enough to keep me from ordering an espresso milkshake at foodie haunt Cafe Pasqual's.
It was amazing -- dense and almost gritty with ground coffee beans. Even with my husband's help, I had to admit defeat, just before the manager stopped by to boast that it was made with housemade ice cream -- five scoops of housemade ice cream. Surely these were tiny scoops?
We were meeting friends for lunch in three hours, so I launched into an aerobic shopping spree.
Lunch was at The Shed, another Santa Fe institution. I followed the herd and ordered the No. 5 -- two blue-corn enchiladas with red chile, pinto beans and posole. Alas, I probably needed a couple more hours of power shopping to fully appreciate the meal.
The cool thing here, of course, is that both spots have been dubbed "America's Classics" by the James Beard Foundation -- and they're about 5 minutes apart, making the Santa Fe plaza a target-rich environment for award-loving foodies.

Over on the Metro blog, DMN colleague Katie Menzer has news from the Pillsbury Bake-Off, which will be held April 14 at the Fairmont Hotel in Dallas:

Pillsbury has released the recipes of its 2008 Bake-Off finalists, and the company is asking people to go to its Web site to vote for their favorite recipe. The winning contestant gets $5,000.

Katie adds: "I wrote an article last year about the four North Texans who are finalists in the contest, and I’ve already voted for my favorite among them. You’ve got to root for the hometown team, after all."

Check 'em out, then go here to vote.

Love the eats at Asian Mint? Chef-owner Nikky Phinyawatana shared the recipe for the restaurant's Thai Red Curry Shrimp in a recent cooking class at Milestone Culinary Arts Center.

Central Market Dallas has all its pears lined up in the produce section, and smack in the middle is something called a Red Angelo pear. It's a cross, the produce department tells me, between a Forelle and a Red Sensation (although I think the sign said something different, a Forelle and something else). Further, when you bag and weigh, it comes up as a Red Silk pear.

Yada, yada, yada. Whatever you call it, it's a superb little piece of fruit, thin-skinned with a beautiful red exterior and sweet, intense, creamy-crisp flesh. And just $1.49 a pound.

The creative cook could turn this into a terrific Valentine's Day dessert, especially since rain in strawberry-growing areas is putting a little damper on that traditional fruit. Red Angelos are a Central Market exclusive.

I’m hankering for a lavish banquet to celebrate the Lunar (or Chinese) New Year, which is on February 7. It’s the Year o’ the Rat. Any folks know of Chinese restaurants in the Metroplex that serve particularly interesting, well-prepared banquets? Searching around, I saw that some folks on eGullet are organizing a shindig at Kirin Court on the 9th. Sounds like a smart choice. Any of you gastros had good CNY experiences at Kirin or other spots in years past?

The 2008 State Fair of Texas doesn't open until September 26. But if you need to get your freaky fried food fix early, I found that the Studio Bar and Grill in the Palladium/ Loft/ Gilley's complex has fried guacamole bites – a Big Tex Choice Awards finalist – as well as fried queso bites. The former were a fan and critic favorite. Listen to Restaurant Critic Bill Addison's post-guac bite musings in our State Fair food review audio slideshow (click on page 14 and page 15).

It's probably safe to say that nobody else has enjoyed a career arc exactly like the one Deborah Rogers (left) has had.

In her 20s, she was a world-traveling fashion model with the famed Eileen Ford agency. Then she went into corporate finance in London for four years. When she returned to Fort Worth and married, she became a stockbroker.

When she and her husband, attorney Pollard Rogers, bought her grandfather's little farm on the edge of Fort Worth, her life changed again. In 2003, Deborah became a full-time goat farmer and the producer of Deborah's Farmstead, an award-winning line of artisanal goat cheeses. (We wrote a Taste cover about her in mid-2005.)

Now, Deborah's been appointed to the Small Business and Agricultural Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve Bank's Eleventh District. She is one of eight small-business owners and agricultural operators who are serving three-year terms on the advisory council. Their job: To provide the Fed with ear-to-the-ground information on regional economic activity and business conditions. The central bank then uses the council's reports to help construct its economic projections.

"This is a huge honor," Deborah says. "I really am excited. I think my financial background helped." After all, she notes, "This is right up my alley: farming and finance."

Our DMN colleague Leona Allen, aka "Boss Lady" to the Metro staff, brings some sad news about one of my husband's favorite downtown lunch spots:

Had my mouth all fixed for some Baby Back Shack ribs, and the place is closed. They just had a fire. Said they'd be closed for about a week. Folks keep going to the door only to be turned around looking pitiful.

Wine drinkers love BYOB. It gives them a chance to match personally selected or favorite wines to a meal - or just bring a bottle purchased at retail, which is usually less than half what wine lists charge (and why the Wine Therapist has a dog in this hunt).

In its most recent newsletter, the Wine Therapist monthly wine group members (head cases in need of serious and ongoing (wine) therapy) came up with what they think are the best.

This is one of the best lists I've seen, to which I would add S&D Oyster Co., which charges a $2.50 set-up fee. My favorites from their picks are Food From Galilee (Lebanese) in Snider Plaza and Amici Signature Italian (upscale, chef-owned) in old downtown Carrollton and Kebab-N-Kurry on North Central.

Read on for the Wine Therapist faves, and you tell me who we've missed - or if you have a fave and why.

The folks at Off the Vine...Into the Glass hold one upscale tasting every month, and tonight is it for January. They'll be tasting eight wines, including three 2004 Napa cabs (it was a very good year): Midsummer Cellars, Sage Vineyards and Sauvage. It's from 7 to 9 p.m. at Into the Glass, 322 S. Main St., in historic old Grapevine. Cost is $50 a person, but you've got to have a reservation: 817-442-1969.

Whenever we ask Eats readers (Eats-ers? Eats-ians?) what you think of our reviews, plenty of you chime in with our opinions. So I know you're hitting the new hotspots as soon as the doors open. I want to know: Where have you tried lately? Any new faves? BLT Steak, Cafe R+D, Charlie Palmer, La Cubanita, Grimaldi's, Loft 610, Medina, Nonna, Rise Number One (a.k.a. the souffle place) Scene? Where should I go now in order to beat the post-review rush?

Also, what are you looking forward to in the coming months? All those One Arts Plaza places are supposed to open next month. Then there's Bolla and Villa-O.

Just got word that Michael Costa and his Rainmaker Restaurant Group have opened a new venture in Rowlett. Maya Mexican Kitchen & Tequila Bar is located at 3801 Lakeview Parkway and is open daily for lunch and dinner.

Kent Lemmons is the executive chef, overseeing a menu that focuses on regional Mexican offerings. The restaurant has a guacamole and salsa bar with daily specials, and the full beverage bar boasts an array of margaritas, made to order with fresh-squeezed lime juice.

Call 469-326-1390 for reservations and information.

If you enjoyed Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma, check out his new book, In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto (Penguin, $21.95).

Of it, Publishers Weekly says:

Examining the question of what to eat from the perspective of health, this powerfully argued, thoroughly researched and elegant manifesto cuts straight to the chase with a maxim that is deceptively simple: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."

Kim Pierce's item about Sigel's super-sale on Burgundy (below) was the 1,000th post on the Eats blog -- and we have been publishing only since late last May.

Plus, we've had twice as many comments as posts -- 2,050 as of this morning.

Our thanks to everyone who reads and contributes to Eats. Keep it going, folks!

Sigel's is cleaning house to make room for the 2005 vintage of Burgundies, whose prices are being pushed up by a weak dollar and strong demand. So Sigel's is pricing selected bottles of older vintages, including those from 1999, at what you might call fire sale prices. Out with the old. In with the new.

There's nothing wrong with the older vintages, by the way (and because this is Burgundy, some should have only improved with age). They've been stored at Sigel's Black Hole Warehouse since they were released, sez Sigel's (and I believe 'em), so they should be in perfect condition. They've been shipped to Sigel's Elite on Fitzhugh at Cole, and I've copied a partial list of what's available. No, I haven't proofed it for errors. I've got to say, though, that I doubt they're marking down an $1800 bottle of wine to $64.99. That's probably a typo.

Terroir may not be the first thought that comes to mind with a wine company that produces millions of bottles of wine each year. Nevertheless, Kendall-Jackson Winery's book, The Art of Terroir, is a lovely valentine in pictures and prose depicting its best coastal California vineyards in Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino, Santa Barbara and Monterey counties.

On March 6, the winery brings photos from the book to Dallas, hosting a reception and a tasting of its Highland Estates wines at the Nasher Sculpture Center.

Far from the ubiquitous wines most people associate with the K-J label, these are single-vineyard, small-production reds. I was tasting them today with George Rose, who did the book's photography, and K-J winemaster Randy Ullom over lunch at Al Biernat's.

If you're a fan of Tre Wilcox -- he of Top Chef fame -- you'll want to catch his appearance on Taste Of, KLIF's cooking show, the evening of Tuesday, Feb. 5, at the Milestone Culinary Arts Center, 4531 McKinney Ave.

Tre, who's just gone out on his own as a private chef after a star-making stint as chef de cuisine at Kent Rathbun's award-winning Abacus, will demo making an intimate Valentine's Day dinner.

Tickets for the event are $40; call Milestone's Rebecca Harkinson at 214-217-2811.

And if you can't attend the live demo, you can listen to the radio show on Sunday, Feb. 10, at 2 p.m. on KLIF 570-AM.

Chef Tre Wilcox (DMN file photo by Evans Caglage)

You'll remember that the other week, Taste had a story on the pastry whiz known as the Ace of Cakes (left).

Now it develops that Duff Goldman, ace Baltimore cakemaker, is taking his "Charm City" moniker very seriously: He made a cake in the magical likeness of Harry Potter's Hogwarts castle and its mysterious lake. This was a special commission for the VIP after-party, when Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix premiered in Los Angeles last July. It's supposed to be the Ace's "biggest cake to date."

The Hogwarts-cake show will air tonight on the Food Network at 9:30, and will repeat several times over the next few weeks.

Photo: Vincent Lupo