EATS

Mmm, crêpes. They're Proustian food for me. I sink into one and remember my mother's 70s crêpes Suzette; stopping compulsively to buy them at stands throughout northern and central France; hanging out at my friend Sylvie's tiny crêperie in Key West on Duval Street.

Kim Harwell's review of Crêperie du Château ran last week, and now comes word that a new crêpe-centric French spot, Normandie Alliance, has opened on the corner of Rosemeade Parkway and PGB Turnpike.

Chef-owner Gilles Perrette has operated a crêpe stand at the State Fair of Texas for the last two years, and he's planning on being there again this year. Perrette's vision for his new spot is to offer inexpensive, true-minded French fare (he's from France's Burgundy region). Savory crêpes are made in the traditional style, using nutty buckwheat flour. Soups, quiche, sandwiches, and salads are all available to go, too, with many of the foods on display in the style of markets found in the south of France.

Right now, the restaurant is only open for dinner, starting at 4 p.m. (It's BYOB at the moment as well.) Perrette said in a phone interview that he's committed to organic and local ingredients. He's a regular these days at the Dallas farmer's market.

The place has been open for less than a week, so I need to wait a bit before I swing by for a crêpe Complète (egg, ham, roasted potatoes and gruyere). If you check it out, let me know.

Christmas is only a day away, at Plano's Martini Park. Stop by tomorrow for Christmas in July, benefiting the North Texas Food Bank. Donate canned goods or money, check out the wintery decor, tune in to live music and take advantage of cocktail specials. Christmas is Tuesday, July 15, from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Dallas Morning News Business columnist Cheryl Hall shares this tale about Roger Staubach. You know him, right? Or maybe not. Read on:

NO, ROGER STAUBACH DOES NOT SELL COFFEE

In 2007, Roger Staubach was honored with the Horatio Alger Award in Washington, D.C. - along with Howard Schultz, the founder of Starbucks Coffee Co.

The three-day event focuses on high school scholarship winners from severely disadvantaged family situations.

"The kids all knew that the Starbucks guy was there," recalls the 66-year- old former Cowboy turned real estate executive. "Even after the third day, some of them were coming up to me and saying 'Hey, Mr. Starbucks, I love your coffee.' I'd tell them, 'No, that's Mr. Schultz. He's Starbucks.'

"I asked Schultz at the deal, 'Do you think I could start up a Staubach's Coffee? Would that infringe on your naming rights?' And he said, 'Yeah. I'd have to sue you for that.' "

The Staubach Co. chairman says it's a frequent fumble that he finds hilarious, albeit humbling.

"We had a temporary receptionist in D.C. who came in and after a full day there, she still thought she was working for Starbucks Coffee."

And no, she didn't get a starting position.

Roger Staubach, former Dallas Cowboy, now real estate tycoon

Seventeen Seventeen, the Dallas Museum of Art restaurant that has had rising-star chefs such as Kent Rathbun and David Uygur in its past, has a fresh roster of talent in its kitchen, thanks to a new partnership with Sodexo Inc. (The international management company works with, among others, Alain Ducasse at the Eiffel Tower's Jules Verne restaurant in Paris.)

Executive chef Jason Ferraro (formerly at Envoy, the contemporary American restaurant at the Ambassador Hotel in Milwaukee) is now in charge at Seventeen Seventeen, as well as overseeing the Atrium Cafe and all of the DMA's food service. Jason's only been in town for about a month and a half, but he's getting a strong assist from a DMA neighbor who has 30 years of experience with Dallas diners: Stephan Pyles (pictured), who has been consulting with Sodexo on this project since last fall.

Today the DMA gave a media-preview lunch that offered a look at what diners can expect, starting tomorrow, from the reinvented Seventeen Seventeen.

Lisa Garza, our local competitor on The Next Food Network Star, made it to the final three at the end of Sunday night's episode, knocking out plucky but inexperienced Kelsey Nixon to become the only woman left standing. She's joined by Adam Gertler -- good on camera, unpolished in the kitchen -- and Aaron McCargo -- pretty solid in the kitchen, improving on camera -- in the finals.

So who will move on next week? My money is on Lisa and Aaron. Lisa clearly knows the most about food of the final three, but in some ways that has been her down fall. The Food Network has never been about gourmet, but that seems to be the culinary position she's taking. Still, she comes off as the most authoritative of the three when it comes to food knowledge. When watching the show, Aaron's food has been the one that I want to taste the most week in and week out. And he's getting better on camera, especially the last two weeks. If he can just learn to talk and cook, he'll be in good shape.

That leaves Adam. Unless he builds on his food victory from Sunday night (and learns how to make more than mac and cheese) I have a feeling he's done for after this week. But he's clearly the best on camera, so I think Sunday we're going to find out just how important that is.

Who do YOU see as the final two?

It's the day foodies have been waiting for since, oh, last September: The KRLD Restaurant Week has been officially revealed (officially, because some got a sneak peek last week). Check out GuideLive.com's Restaurant Week package. We've got the list of participants, how long they're running their specials, online menus, online reservations and more.

So, have your reservations yet? Where you going? Are you excited about some new additions to the list (hello, Fearing's)? Upset that some faves aren't participating (whaddup, Mansion)? Tell us. Then come back after your meals to let us know how it went. Last year, readers had plenty to say.

Used to be, Dominion Farms was the only local producer raising pork, and it was available from the farm or a retailer like Roy's Natural Market. Now Dominion is selling at three farmers markets: Coppell, McKinney and Frisco (and Rebohoth Ranch is raising pigs, too).

I had a chance this weekend to test-drive Dominion's bone-in pork chops and some of the cured bacon. Verdict: It's worth the difference in price. The bone-in chops had a nice edge of fat on one side and grilled up juicy (even the center medallion), with a vivid, almost nutty, flavor. Even I was gnawing the bone.

The cured bacon is funky and irregular in size, but again cooks up with such good flavor. I've been putting it in breakfast quesadillas with my favorite canned refired black beans, Zapata (available at Whole Foods Market), which has a perfect spreading consistency. Also BLTs with the Lemleys' tomatoes.