EATS

Chipotle Mexican Grill announced last week that it plans to buy at least a quarter of its produce this summer from local small and mid-size farms, according to Nation's Restaurant News. Local sourcing would apply to romaine lettuce, green bell peppers, jalapenos and red onions in season.

"Chipotle is the first national restaurant chain that has made a conscious effort to support the local economy where their restaurants are located," said Kirk Holthouse, whose Holthouse Farms in Willard, Ohio, will provide peppers and lettuce to outlets in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania, according to the NRN dispatch.

Like high-quality chocolate, wine and even bread, one of the pleasures of artisan cheese is reveling in the layers and intricacies of the flavors natural to the product.

But in the summer, of course, our palates tend to crave more direct, uncomplicated tastes. It's the perfect time to appreciate fresh goat cheese. When crafted from caring hands, it is no less a premium cheese, but it has a simple, pastoral quality that suits hot weather.

If you're feeling burnt out on fresh goat cheese, if you've had enough crumbly, chalky clumps of it tossed into too many restaurant salads, here's an antidote: The chevre made by La Cuesta Farms in Clifton, TX. (Check out the farm's web site, they make a bunch of other cool goat goodies as well.)

Sam's Club has rolled out a new gallon milk jug in 189 locations, according to a New York Times story. The good news? They're better for the environment and cost consumers less. The bad news? Some buyers have complained that the new design is unwieldy.

Have you seen the new jugs in North Texas? What do you think?

But you know that if you were among the throngs of people checking it out Sunday night at the grand opening. So many people, in fact, that the opening was not actually in Dali. They took over the lobby of One Arts Plaza, a set-up that had chef Joel Harloff toting trays and platters of food from the Dali kitchen across the plaza.
About that plaza: It's ringed by restaurants open or about to open, but it's still a driveway, and it's not quite clear if pedestrians or valets have the right of way. Tread carefully.
I did manage to snag a table in Dali proper. it's a tiny space -- wait, I think "intimate" is the preferred word -- with a grand view of the Arts District. I'll be going back on a night when it's less busy.

Check out Christopher Wynn's look at Screen Door, the other restaurant open at One Arts Plaza.

Photo by Jason Wynn

Two restaurants announced closings to their patrons via emails yesterday (Saturday, June 28). Scene, in downtown's Mosaic building, sent out this notice last night:

"Hello everyone, we regret to inform you that due to circumstances above and beyond our control Scene will be closed on a permanent basis starting Saturday June 28th, 2008. Please visit us at our sister location Fuse Restaurant and Lounge located at 1512 Commerce St. For more information please visit www.fusedallas.com or call 214-742-3873. We apologize for any inconvenience and would like to thank you for all of your support.

Sincerely,
Blaine Staniford, Michael Bratcher
and the entire Scene Casting Crew"

And yesterday morning, the owner of Alessio's emailed this brief missive:

"Thank you for your patronage. Unfortunately, today, June 28, 2008, will be the last evening of Alessio's restaurant. Until we meet again.

Sincerely,
Alessio Franceschetti"

I know this might be hard for some to believe, but even Central Market and Whole Foods Market shoppers are looking for ways to save money on groceries these days. They'd do well to take a look at "Your Money: Food-shopping tips direct from the store manager" in the New York Times, in which Cleveland's Tom Heinen, who with his twin brother runs Heinen's Fine Foods, talks about tips that go beyond coupon-clipping and sale-hopping.

In it, Heinen makes good points about not wasting food ("How much food do you throw out?"), scouting for the best artisan deals (you ought to be able to find a good olive oil for under $10), buying local and other ideas.

During this time of year, Central Market always scores high on commitment to local produce. Today in the store, I saw Texas peaches, blueberries, Jacksonville Best tomatoes, fresh herbs ($1 a bunch - you can't beat that), portobello mushrooms and tomatoes on the vine in red, orange and yellow clusters. And yes, you can find good olive oil under $10.

By day, Brooks and Bradley Anderson run a law practice. By night, they pursue their passion for wine and food, this time with Veritas, which they just opened on Henderson. I slipped in last night to discover a laid-back combination tasting room and retail outlet taking its first baby steps.

Brad told me that they're making cheese boards with local cheeses and that they've just struck up an agreement with The Grape's Brian Luscher to start making pates. They've got other wine-friendly foods planned. For that matter, more wine is on the way, too.

Already, the feel is terrific. Veritas is softly lit, with sofa-type seating clusters, a vibrant bar and brilliantly colored contemporary canvasses filling the walls. Some of the wines are stored on wall racks, and others are bottoms-up in champagne riddling racks. I hate to make comparisons, but let's just say it shares head space with the Wine Therapist and Times Ten Cellars.

Yep, the local burger chain famous for its cheese fries hits the big 3-0. Pat Snuffer is commemorating the occasion with generosity: Half the day's sales of cheese fries will go toward the Wounded Warrior
Project.

That's what you call deep spin. Truth is, according to a report on cattlenetwork.com based on USDA figures, most prices are up. Only a few have gone between May 2007 and May 2008.

So what's the good news? Bacon. The price of bacon has gone down slightly. Also the price of oranges, pears (we are not buying pears right now), strawberries, tangerines (also out of season), carrots and cucumbers.

The less-expensive beef cuts such as ground chuck and beef and round steak are up slightly, bobbling at or near 1 percent. (The more expensive cuts aren't listed.) Eggs are up 28 percent, but eggs are still a relatively inexpensive source of high-quality protein.

You see the bad news with field crops, which includes grains. Wheat is up 80 percent. You know what that means: bread and other wheat-based foods are sure to follow. This report also verifies what I've been seeing with one of my favorite ingredients: Lemon prices jumped 155.16 percent over the past year. Yikes. I'll have to squeeze those babies a little harder.

Häagen-Dazs has an initiative to raise money for honeybee research, which includes an ice cream flavor called Vanilla Honey Bee and an event about honey bees from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Dallas Zoo.

Guide staffer Nancy Moore wrote about the event. She says, "At the zoo event, there'll be free sample servings of its Vanilla Honey Bee flavor ice cream, and visitors can learn how to help save the honeybee population. Check out zookeeper talks at Bug U!, the zoo's insect exhibit, and see some live bees at work in the hive display. Other activities will include bounce houses, carnival games and bug-themed crafts."

She also says to check out Häagen-Dazs' Help the Honey Bees Web site where you can send "Bee-Mail" to your friends and make your own animated honey bee (that's my Shannon Bee at left).

After seeing a mention of beef rendang in last week's review of Tom Tom Asian Grill and Sushi Bar last week, reader Alan writes to ask: "Do you know of any restaurants in the Dallas area that offer beef rendang? At one point there was a Malaysian restaurant in Frisco (off Preston) that served a more traditional version of the dish. I would love to find another option to Tom Tom, although I like the restaurant."

My curiosity is piqued now, too. Any leads, gang?

Fans of OrangeCup, NorthPark's all-natural frozen yogurt shop, will be able to get their froyo fix four more places. They'll still have to head to the mall, though. A Stonebriar Centre location is expected to open the first week of August, followed by a shop in the Galleria in mid-August. Two more -- in Berkshire Court in Preston Center and The Shops at Legacy -- will open later.

Dining and happy hour specials

• BLUE GOOSE CANTINA In conjunction with Addison's Kaboom Town celebration, specials include $3 chile con queso, wells, domestic beer and house margaritas. This Thursday, July 3, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. at Addison location, 14920 Midway Road. 972-726-8771.
  
• THE GRILL ON THE ALLEY A rotating menu of a chef's selection of lunch dishes includes Santa Fe chicken wrap, ahi tuna wrap, lobster quesadilla, California turkey melt and crab cake sandwich. Mondays through Fridays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Prices generally range from $11.95 to $19.95. 13270 Dallas Parkway. 214-459-1601.
  
• INDUSTRY BAR 5427 Belt Line Road. 972-503-4637.
  
  
  
  • Bring your own mug to have it filled (up to 48 ounces) with your choice of select domestic draft beer for $5. Mondays from 4 to 8 p.m.
    
  • Complimentary happy hour buffet of menu samplings such as quesadillas and wings. Wednesdays from 4 to 8 p.m.
    
  
  
• THE OLD WARSAW Sixtieth-anniversary celebration features a five-course menu (includes selections such as lobster crepes and Chilean sea bass) for $60. Through Monday, June 30, starting at 5:30 p.m. 2610 Maple Ave. 214-528-0032.
  

How good are the new Fudge Mint Cookies from Back to Nature? Good enough to spark some lively chatter about how they stack up against the revered Girl Scout Thin Mints. The fact that they're made without high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils makes them kind of health-foody. But they hold their own. General opinion seems to be that they're at least as good as Thin Mints -- with the added bonus of being available year-round (somewhere besides in my freezer).

Look for them at Whole Foods Market.
UPDATE, more stores: Kroger, Target, Wal-Mart, Tom Thumb.

Or you could make your own. This one looks way easier. Report back, please.

If you're planning to stop by at Preston-Forest mainstay TJ's Seafood Market, which bills itself as a one-stop shop for fresh seafood, takeout, candles and dinnerware, take note of its summer hours, effective July 7. The new hours will not affect the full-service catering arm of TJ's.

Summer hours
Mon-Thu noon to 6:30 pm
Fri 10 am to 6:30 pm
Sat 10 am to 6 pm
Sun noon to 5 pm

Canary Cafe chef-owner Mansour Gorji is adding hummus to his small line of Gorji Gourmet retail products . So far, it's for sale only at the restaurant and Dallas Whole Foods Markets. But if it's as good as his pomorodo sauce - my favorite jarred pasta sauce hands down - it will hold its own in the sea of competitors. I haven't seen it yet on the shelves (just read the press release), but I'm guessing it will be in the refrigerator case with the other hummuses. Hummusi?

Today we're doing "show, don't tell." For your entertainment, we have TWO videos.
First up: It's the '80s all over again as chefs Stephan Pyles and Dean Fearing face off to see who can make the best airline food. Alas, the deal was a tie. But it's still fun to watch. Kinda like the '80s all over.

Then, check out Janice Provost of Parigi and a batch of chefs from around town talking about how they develop their menus based on what's fresh at the Dallas Farmers Market. Looks like some excellent shopping, but it was all happening 'round midnight last night. I'll have to head over on Saturday morning to see if they still have any of those yellow tomatoes.

Photo: Stephan Pyles (left) and Dean Fearing, by Randy Eli Grothe

On June 6, we listed our critics' picks for the eight best sushi spots in DFW and asked readers to share their favorites. Now it's time to reveal the results.

Visit the Best in DFW page to read the extended critics' picks and find out more about Best in DFW, including upcoming topics.

Read the full list of readers' comments about sushi here.

Also check out Bill Addison's column, Hot sake deserves the cold shoulder.

Photo of Zen Sushi's Nouvelle Yellowtail Sashimi by Sonya N. Hebert / DMN

It was with much fanfare that American Airlines celebrated the 20th anniversary of its Chefs' Conclave today at the Milestone Culinary Arts Center and Viking Cooking School with a cooking duel between two of Dallas' favorite sons/celebrity chefs.

Here was the set-up: Dean Fearing and Stephan Pyles (both of eponymous restaurant fame, above-ish with Nancy Brussat, another conclavite from Convito Cafe & Market in Chicago) would each prepare three entrees - chicken, seafood and beef. A panel of three judges would pick the winner from each pair, which the airlines would add to its First and Business class menus for the fall.

The massive granite work table at the center of the kitchen had the guys facing off over a hillock of ingredients, from habanero peppers to purple Peruvian potatoes. The chefs had 30 minutes to complete each dish, with tasting and judging between rounds.

First up: the rubber-chicken entree.

Photo: PR Newswire Photo Service.

If you've been reading this blog, you probably know Alberto Lombardi's West Village eatery, Pescabar, is scheduled to open Wednesday, July 2. According to a press release, the "Italian seafood restaurant will feature a menu focusing on fresh fish and seafood flown in daily from Hawaii, San Francisco, New York and Washington State." One item in a description of menu highlights grabbed my attention: Italian sashimi. While I was wondering about the marriage of Italian and Japanese culinary concepts in this dish, a Google search on the local Pescabar took me all the way to Poland, where apparently there's a PescaBar in Gdansk, Krakow and Warsaw. Don't know yet if there's a connection.

Parigi chef-owner Janice Provost wants everyone to know that she and the staff will be taking a refresher week starting July 3 (next Thursday). The Oak Lawn restaurant will reopen on July 11. The idea is to give the staff a well-deserved break and give the restaurant a mini-makeover to spiff things up.

Parigi doesn't get a lot of ink. (So yesterday. What would you call it online? Blink? As in blog ink?) But it does what it does - smart urban bistro - so well, with good food, a commitment to local sourcing and well-chosen wines. This is so cliched, but I love the Caesar salad. Wait, maybe it's not cliched, maybe it's just classic. Spin, baby, spin.

I know I go on and on about Saturday morning being THE action day at area farmers markets, including the Dallas Farmers Market. It's true that you can get items on Saturday that you can't get the rest of the week - organics, pastured meats and eggs, pasta, the best selection of farmer-raised fruits and veggies.

But if you work or live downtown, you can also get a good selection of local fruits and vegetables on weekdays without the crowds. I made a quick dash down a few minutes ago for more tomatoes and parked right in front of Lemley's in Shed No. 1. No hassle: Get in, get out.

Between Lemley's and the other guys who stay all week, you can find Jacksonville Best tomatoes (a cult item), blueberries, blackberries, green and yellow tomatoes, okra, squash, onions, peaches, potatoes, cucumbers, shelled peas and more all either grown by the farmer selling them or by a farm merchant who picks them up at the farm. Thanks to Lemley's toms, my car smells like a tomato. Not so bad.

IF you want a little country fix, stop by Flavors From Afar Saturday between noon and 4 p.m. when Allen and Caroline Fruth drop by with eggs from pastured hens (left), pastured beef, maybe even some goat butter.

They'll share the story of how they left corporate life to start farming and their philosophy of raising animals. Joyce Saenz Harris wrote about Fruth Farms, which is about an hour east of Dallas, here.

Caroline will also have samples of goodies made with their farm's products, including mini-quiches (not the kind you buy at Sam's), angel food cake with strawberries, and sliders.

Photo courtesty of Flavors From Afar

This week, Restaurant Critic Bill Addison reviews Bene Bene Ristorante, which is on Frankford near the Tollway in Far North Dallas. Sneak peek: He says, "It doesn't aspire to grandeur or innovation or regional Italian authenticity, but much of what it does (particularly with pastas) it does well."

Share your own review of this restaurant. Leave a comment below.

Photo of Bene Bene's gnocchi by Elizabeth M. Claffey / Special to DMN