EATS

Nonna in Highland Park is one of the places that I happily frequent on my own off-duty dime. The sheer, crisp pizzas; the freshly made pastas and spare meat and fish dishes that revolve with the seasons; the sassy little Italian wine list ... I continue to be thankful that this restaurant opened.

But I've got a seasonal bone to pick with the chef, Mr. Julian (Jules) Barsotti.

Jules, I know you're trying to change up the game by making your clam pizza with summery tomato sauce. In theory, it sounds like an apt paean to hot weather produce. In reality, the acidic sauce drowns out the charm of the clams and breaks the overall spell of the pizza. I and other fans beseech you: Bring back the New Haven-inspired white version. It has year-round appeal.

In other Nonna news, folks sensitive to the mighty decibels created by diners enjoying their meals here with gusto (and who eventually resort to literal shouting to be heard) will soon get some relief. The restaurant is bringing in sound engineers to put panels on the ceiling that will knock down the operatic reverb.

This will happen between Sunday, July 27 and Sunday, August 3, when the restaurant (and its co-inhabitant, The Food Company caterers) will close for vacation. Meet you there after the 4th, hopefully tussling over who gets the last slice of white clam pizza.

On Mondays, you can make an appointment to meet with Pete Yavner, who will bring a grinding stone to Flavors From Afar. Not only will he sharpen your knives, he'll show you how to do it. The first knife is $5, which you may apply to any of Pete's Products; these include cutting boards, knives and more. Each subsequent knife is $4.

But Pete cautions that if you bring in what he calls a "gardening tool" that has to be ground down, he may have to have a little talk with you. Flavors From Afar is at 6712 Snider Plaza; phone is 214-696-2327. No excuses for dull knives now. Where'd I put my Band-Aids?

Parigi has gone green with water, installing a new filtration system that eliminates the bottled variety. That goes for sparkling as well as still.

The Natura system comes complete with reusable glass bottles, so there are environmental savings on both ends. Water doesn't travel here from far-away places like France or Fiji, and there's no glass or plastic trash to contend with. All this, for $1 a bottle.

You'll also see that Chad Houser is back in the kitchen. He's returned to the Oak Lawn restaurant as a full partner.

I don't know about you, but I always order "local" water these days. Dallas has some of the best-tasting municipal water in the country (just try Orlando's to taste the difference - yuck), and it's a small step toward a healthier planet.

The owner of Gramercy Cellars in Walla Walla, Wash., is hanging out for the next month in Driftwood at the Mandola Estate Winery, where he's helping winemaker Mark Penna with the harvest.

Harrington will stay through Aug. 17-18, the dates for this year's Texas Sommelier Conference. When the conference was held in Dallas, I found the seminars to be among the most instructive I've attended. Just learning to approach wine like a sommelier, even if you don't have their chops, helps you become a better taster.

The conference location gets moved around the state, and this year it's at the Four Seasons Hotel in Austin. The Aug. 17 seminars are open to the public; you can see the topics here. They're priced individually or as a bundle for $100.

Are you a fan of those yummy, guilt-reducing 100-calorie packs or do you suspect that manufacturers are taking advantage by charging more for less food that's nutritionally suspect? Join our debate on the Fitness blog here.

Who needs foodie reality TV (Lisa Garza) when you have the real world antics of the Dallas dining scene?

At last night's DIFFA Dining By Design kick-off party, I caught up with Gina Campisi (yes, as in her family's Campisi's pizza chain) and she admitted to some bumps in plans for her new Fedora restaurant coming to One Arts Plaza.

Specifically, the exit of former exec chef Patrick Stark (CIA-grad with rockin' Mohawk), who had recently dropped to consulting chef status and now has left the building in order to pursue new opportunities --- namely, his self-produced reality show making the rounds dubbed Stark Raving Chef. (Note to Lisa Garza).

Campisi swears she will still open by late September because, frankly, she's in too deep now not to.

You can read more about Campisi's struggles to open Fedora via a diary entry that Nancy Nichols posted on D's SideDish. Campisi loves the comments she's been getting there, but hates the photo, saying it makes her look like "Michael Jackson in drag."

Hopefully, our shot of the lovely restaurateur does her more justice.

Photo by cwynn: Gina Campisi

My man on the ground in Deep Ellum is none other than my son, Ric Martin, who works at Slocum Printing. He and photog friend Teresa Rafidi made it to Cowboy Chow yesterday, opening day for the old-timey Texas spot (open for lunch only in the short term, no liquor license yet).

That's the mashed potato parfait pictured, a layered concoction of brisket, mashed potatoes, "Cowboy caviar" (seasoned black beans) and red tortilla strips, in that order.
Verdict: yumelicious.

Doing this from memory, he told me they also sampled the Cowboy grilled cheese, brisket on Texas toast with horseradish-cheddar and sauteed onions served with killer house-made potato chips. Also on the menu, but not ready yesterday: Dr Pepper ribs and green tomato on a stick.

Amongst all this Lone Star comfort food and nostalgia, the items not to be missed, they said, were the Cowboy ice cream sandwich - and the restrooms.

Photo by Teresa Rafidi. More on Flickr here.

This week, Restaurant Critic Bill Addison reviews Irving's Temptation Cuisine, which serves Himalayan fare as well as Indian and Indo-Chinese food.

In Diner's Notebook, Bill discusses a recent post-overhaul meal at Abacus.

In Table Talk, Kim Harwell dishes on new venues, including Dosa Cafe and Cowboy Chow, as well as changes, closings and other dining news.

Photo of Temptation's Himalayan khana combination platter by Mike Stone / Special to DMN