EATS

You know we rarely post thinly veiled publicity grabs from food makers, but who wouldn't want an Oscar Mayer Wienermobile parked outside his or her home on Labor Day or any day?

Here's how it can be yours: Oscar Mayer is looking for America's "Best Dressed Dog." You enter by "dressing" your dog, snapping a pic and uploading it to the Hotdogger Blog site plus submitting a 100-word essay. Go to http://hotdoggerblog.com/ for details.

Oscar Mayer also tells us that between Memorial Day and Labor Day, Americans will eat an estimated 7 billion (with a "b") hot dogs, including 150 million on July 4th, enough to stretch from D.C. to L.A. more than five times. Wrap your brain around that.

Jasper Russo writes that the Sigel's 1950s sign is set to debut tomorrow at 9 a.m. If you are an uber-fan, be there. Otherwise, there's a dedication planned in July. Here's the full text:

"With fingers crossed we alert you to the news that the sign crew will be at our Addison location at 9 a.m. tomorrow to begin mounting the sign. Looks like all of the technical glitches have been worked out and the new electrical lines run.

"We are still planning a dedication ceremony and sales event for the formal recommissioning of the sign. This will probably happen after the 4th of July and will feature a 1950s theme, including a sale featuring an number of high profile wines and spirits at 50% off."

The store is at 15003 Inwood, in Addison.

If you want you audition for the next round of The Next Food Network Star, plan on being Austin Friday, July 17, at the Hyatt Regency Downtown. That's when the crew will be on hand for the Texas stop on the national audition circuit for the sixth season of the show. For application, contest rules and submission instructions, go to www.FoodNetwork.com/Star. Click on "Casting Call."

Party people in the house. An Irvington, N.Y.-based marketing company is looking for hosts/hostesses (thousands of them) to sample all manner of food, drink and other consumer goods in the comfort of the host's own home.
I stumbled across the Web site for House Party Inc. while checking on an event set for tomorrow to promote Domino's Pizza (sorry the event's booked up now).
The idea is pretty simple: find consumers who already are enthusiastic about a product, have that person invite over friends and family. The product maker chips in funding (samples, coupons, etc) so partygoers can try the product. Think Tupperware parties, but you don't have to feel guilty about not buying anything.
You have to agree to blog about the event, so House Party looks for techno-savvy hosts.
Spokeswoman Terese Kelly said about 25 percent of the parties are food/non-alcoholic drinker-related (it's the No. 1 category). But only 3 percent of the hosts of the 10 most recent events were from the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Hey, who loves a party more than the folks in Big D?
To try out (events can have up to 25,000 host applicants) check out the House Party site.
If you get picked to host an event, please drop us a note.

Food, Inc., filmmaker Robert Kenner's expose on the food-industrial complex, will be shown in a special free screening tonight at the Magnolia Theater in the West Village. It starts at 7:30 p.m., first come, first served. The movie opens its regular run on Friday.

The Milestone Farmers Market, which takes place the third Sunday of every month, is moving the EatGreenDFW.com farmers, ranchers and artisanal producers - and their customers - inside to beat the heat. They'll be in the main events area of Milestone Culinary Arts Center from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, at 4531 McKinney.

Not only that, the center's executive director, Sharon Van Meter, will be conducting mini-cooking lessons in the center's kitchen, including the best ways to cook grass-fed meat. Goodies on hand include grass-fed beef, pork, lamb and poultry, eggs, onions, lettuces, garlic, herbs, greens and more. Also organic insecticides and soil-enhancement products, specialty peppers and locally roasted coffee beans.

Also coming up: EatGreenDFW offers a tour of three of its farms south of Dallas in conjunction with Food Roots. Participants will visit JuHa Ranch, Oak Grove Farms and Garden Harvests, which show the diversity of local producers. It's all day Saturday, July 11, and includes transportation, $89 a person. Get more information here.

Blue Mesa Grill, a supporter of local agriculture, is holding a corn festival Monday through the end of July featuring corn dishes made from locally grown corn, plus a one-time buffet special Thursday.

The corn dishes will be made with Texas corn grown by farmers Larry Harvey and Craig Janske. Varieties include Silver Queen (heirloom white), Butter and Cream (yellow-white mix), Jersey Gold and Super Sweet. Dishes range from corn-crusted grouper tacos to a corn pancake with achiote shrimp.

A corn festival and Partida Tequila buffet with all items takes place 5 to 9 p.m. Thursday; it's $14.95 food only. Cash bar. (Tthis is good artisanal tequila, from the only family tequila company headed by a woman.) The corn festival specials and the buffet are available at all locations.

Courtney Foster with the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce sent me this description of the Battle of San Tomato. 'Sounds like a little bit dodge ball, a little bit food fight:

The Battle of San Tomato is back! A brief description of what this battle entails would be basically there are two teams at war with each other and their only weapons are what else but TOMATOES! Keep in mind the idea of dodge ball, these teams will have boundaries they cannot cross but once you are hit enough times with tomatoes you have lost the battle. Our Tomato Fest crowd will then decide on the victor and trophies will be awarded. It's all quite a sight to see! The Battle begins on Saturday, June 13th inside the Tomato Bowl Stadium at 4 p.m.

See my earlier entry here for details about the Tomato Fest.

Several farmers at area farmers markets have told me that they expect to see the first sizable harvest of field tomatoes coming off the vines by the weekend - which is also just in time for the 25th Annual Tomato Fest in Jackson, once called the tomato capital of the world.

With activities like a tomato-eating contest, best home-grown tomato contest and tomato shoot - even a "Battle of San Tomato" presentation - the East Texas town celebrates its favorite local crop. Activities are free and take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. There are athletic events, such as a 5K run, before that time and a gospel concert and street dance with an Elvis impersonator afterward.

You can get the particulars at www.jacksonvilletexas.com.

While I was considering the tofu barbecue at a Texas dude ranch on Saturday (long story), some family members were attending the debut of Cowboys Stadium.

The report: Parking was easier than expected, the stadium looked "wow" on the walk up, and the jumbo, jumbo video screen was fabulous, though it did show every pore and line on Reba and George's faces.

Less impressive? The long lines at the concession stands, running out of hamburger buns early on and a stadium reduced to serving only chips and water by the time George Strait was singing.

Stadium officials say they're working to correct the food and beverage issues by the time the Jonas Brothers hit the stage next.

Did you go Saturday? What were your impressions?

Photo by LARA SOLT/Staff Photographer

I was all set to list this with wine events for the June 10 GuideDaily, when I spied the fine print: Deadline for reservations is Monday at noon.

What is it? An American institute of Wine and Food lunch with Rosewood Mansion beverage director Michael Flynn and Salum chef-owner Abraham Salum collaborating on the menu and wines. Chef and sommelier will be on hand to answer questions about their pairings (which sound delish).

411: 12:30 p.m. Saturday (June 13); $63. Salum, 4152 Cole; 214-696-2493 (AIWF hotline) for reservations.

Check out the menu on the jump.

Paula Disbrowe, who gave us the Cowgirl Cuisine cookbook, is off on another foodie venture. This time, she's expanding her Feather Down Farms agritourism concept based in the Netherlands with three U.S. farms: one in Illinois, two in upstate New York.

The farms each have what you might call luxury tents, filled with sleeping accommodations, wood-burning cookstove - even a flushing toilet. You get to be a part of farm life (the kids gather eggs in the morning for omelets), buy organic, farm-raised and locally produced food at the Farm Shop to cook in your home tent, and generally enjoy a rural experience.

The farms are geared to families, but anyone is welcome, and the season runs from May to mid-November, weather permitting. Check it out at www.featherdown.com.

Each year, Paul and Annette DiCarlo, co-owners of Jimmy's Food Market, hold a no-holds-barred food-and-wine bash. It's strictly casual, with everyone gathered around the long kitchen table, or at the stove or in the den where wine and snacks flow freely.

This year, the Sunday festivities included Sharon Hage's seared foie gras (pictured), which she cooked on site and drizzled with 25-year-old balsamic vinegar (I licked my plate clean on this one), and tabbouleh (one of three), Adelmo Banchetti's "not-Mexican" buffalo mole (made with white wine and Cognac) and steak tartare.

Marie Tedei of Eden's Organic Garden Center writes to say she will be "visiting with Michael Libbie of Rural Lifestyle on Highway 6 radio show next Sunday at 8 a.m. Go here http://tinyurl.com/5qgdpp for details about the Webcast, unless you'll be traveling through Central Iowa and can listen on the radio.

"We'll talk about the farm/CSA and our fight to keep our rural way of life, including our right to keep chickens and roosters in town." In case you don't know about the latter, a member of the Balch Springs City Council wants to pass an ordinance making roosters illegal and hens...difficult to keep.

Personally, I love Marie's garden/farm/ranch and its wandering critters. Why the city can't find a way for her poultry to continue peacefully coexisting is a mystery; her only close neighbor is a horse ranch. I know the ordinance is aimed at other people, but Marie shouldn't be penalized because of problems others create. What do you think? And don't forget to listen in.

If you've ever wanted to plunge into the rooftop swimming pool at The Joule --- but didn't want to shell out the coin for an overnight --- then put on your swim trunks, baby. The downtown hotel's reinvented pool lounge is now open by reservation to non-guests (code for "the public," but dress cute).

Even if you don't fancy taking laps in a pool that cantilevers out over the street and has a Plexiglas back wall view to below, you can still lounge. Charlie Palmer provides the bites up here, everything from burgers and brats to smoothies, and the cocktails were designed by big-deal mixologist Lucy Brennan (voted top bartender by Playboy, Food & Wine, and Bon Appetit, just FYI ...)

Clearly, it's time to get back in the gym.

The Joule, a Luxury Collection Hotel, 1530 Main Street, tenth floor pool deck, make reservations by calling Maria Booth at 214.261.4501 or email her at mariabooth@pmnightlifelounge.com.

Photos by Carter Rose

Daniel Patry, who owns Patry's Bistro and Wine Bar, and Master Sommelier Guy Stout both were students at Thomas Jefferson High School when Daniel's family ran the original Patry's and Guy worked at Dominique's, a restaurant where Shinsei holds forth today.

The two have gotten together to collaborate on a nostalgic wine dinner May 20 at 7 p.m. with a menu includes seafood en croute (seafood in puff pastry), tournedos au champignon sauvage (tenderloin with wild mushrooms) and wines selected by the MS himself. The price is $75 plus tax and tip; call 214-352-2489 for reservations.

Dali Wine Bar and Cellar chef Joel Harloff, recently featured in Food & Wine and Bon Appetit, is headed for the prestigious James Beard House in New York, where he will present a dinner with Tex-pat Kathryn Hall of Napa's HALL wines on June 8. He's also taking along Brazos Valley cheeses from Homestead Heritage near Elm Mott and Texas quail.

You can get a preview of the big event at Harloff 's "dress rehearsal" on May 17 at Dali. It's $125 plus tax and gratuity. See the Beard House menu here. Make reservations for the Dallas dinner at 214-646-1947. Festivities start at 6;30 p.m. with a reception, and dinner is at 7 p.m. Now, just what is a "triple cream meltaway"?

Don't have reservations yet? Take a look at our Mother's Day dining guide. There's brunch, lunch and dinner; buffet and a la carte; steak, Italian, Mexican and New American – and many more.

• Find more Mother's Day events here.

Sharon Hage is quickly becoming the Susan Lucci of New York's annual James Beard Awards.

The esteemed Dallas chef has been nominated five times with no wins, which puzzles all of us foodies back home who know her talent. (Time for a conspiracy theory?) We found out last night that Hage lost 2009's "Best Chef: Southwest" nod to Paul Bartolotta of Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare at Wynn Las Vegas.

(Does it mean something when the chef of a cozy neighborhood gem is passed over for the chef of a glitzy, two-story restaurant in a Vegas hotel? Just asking.)

Anyway, let's comfort ourselves with a plate of chef Hage's springtime gnocchi with English peas and shoots.

Urban Taco is throwing a party tomorrow from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. to celebrate its two years at Mockingbird Station. (And by the way, the latest on opening a second location on McKinney Avenue is that it's looking more like the end of the year.)

Stop by tomorrow and you'll find a DJ playing Latin lounge tunes, a live mariachi trio, outdoor bar and new menu items. And if that's not enough to get you going, there will be giveaways throughout the evening. (I've always been a sucker for door prizes.)

Photo by Ben Torres: Chicken mole tacos

This weekend at the Dallas Farmers Market, Five Sixty executive chef Sara C. Johannes will lead a cooking class showcasing Asian flavors. On her menu will be Korean kalbi short ribs with kim chee, green Thai curried seafood with Japanese eggplant and a ginger-peach crumble. Although this won't be a hands-on class for participants, guests will get to sample Johannes' tasty creations. The class runs from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. this Saturday and costs $25 in advance, $30 at the door. For tickets, call 214-653-8088.

Texan T.V. Munson played a pivotal role in saving the European wine industry after the devastating phylloxera epidemic of the late 19th century. North American grapevines were resistant to the pest, and Munson, who had been working in Denison north of Dallas to improve American grapes, helped the French select the rootstocks onto which European vines - and others that followed around the world - were successfully grafted.

All of this is the long way of explaining why the restored long-time Denison residence of the Texas viticulturist has been turned into memorial and museum, which is being dedicated on Saturday. The public is invited to an open house at Vinita Home from 2 to 4 p.m. It's at 530 West Hanna. For more information, go to www.tvmunson.org.

Flavors From AFar in Snider Plaza and Molto Formaggio in Highland Park Village are teaming to host a progressive tasting for Mother's Day called Weekend in Italy May 8-10. We're not so big on posting calendar-type events on this blog, but this sounds so good - and if you're an Italian food-and-wine fan, it's downright terrific.

Basically, it's a self-paced, progressive tasting of Italian antpasti, sweets and new wines that Flavors owners Nancy and Gary Krabill discovered in Italy plus Italian cheeses and wines at Molto Formaggio. That's dinner for a lot of us. Cost is $100.

But get this: You also get a gift bag at each location. Flavors' includes 3/4 liter of Tuscan olive oil, fresh tomato sauce from Puglia, Flavors From Afar Pizza Dough, pistachio-chocolate crunch cookies from Sicily and Sulmona almonds. From Formaggio, you get a bottle of Tuscan wine and two half-pound pieces of Italian cheese.

Times are 3 to 7 p.m. Friday, 10 to 7 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Go here for information and reservations. Ciao, baby.

Mockingbird Station is celebrating Earth Day this afternoon by (among other things) hosting its first farmers market from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Look for tables of organic goodies from local growers outside of the Angelika. (Even better, the hip shopping center is going to make it a regular thing this spring. Starting next week, stop by each Thursday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. to load up on fresh veggies through the end of May.)

The party continues tonight with a bash from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. that will include live music, a fashion show and sidewalk sales. Score adult refreshments in the form of pomegranate mojitos from Cuba Libre and nibbles by local caterer, Bites by Bill.

I'd say this beats staying home with your TiVo.

"Vive le Coqtail" sounds like a great event, focusing on the contemporary cocktail. It includes tastes of white sangria, a wasabi martini, watermelon gin and tonic, in-house kummel liqueur, truffle-infused Cognac, limoncellini (hopefully made with sommelier Hunter Hammett's house-made limoncello) and more, all matched with small plates - eight courses in all.

It was good enough to make the cut in last Wednesday's print edition of GuideDaily. Unfortunately, the Fairmont Hotel has had to reschedule the Pyramid event from this Wednesday to this Thursday. It's the same program, just postponed a day. The time is 6:30 p.m.; cost is $75. Make reservations at 214-720-5249.

This is lifted from the Salut cover story that ran Thursday: "Jay Jerrier, a partner in Campania Pizza & More, is a Neapolitan-trained pizzaiolo. Last year, he started Il Cane Rosso (The Red Dog), his mobile, wood-fired catering business, because "I wanted to do true, 100-percent Neapolitan pizza." His brick pizza oven was imported from Italy, and he outfitted a custom-built, 10-foot trailer to carry the 4,000-pound behemoth. Jerrier's pizzas adhere to the standards of the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, which means Italian style, with ingredients such as housemade fior di latte (cow's milk mozzarella), fresh basil and San Marzano tomatoes."

Jay says will be at Times Ten Cellars 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, April 30, for a private party. As a thank you to everyone who's been supportive of his concept, he'll be handing out free pizza afterward till he runs out dough, he says. (Clarified per Jay's comment.)

On May 2, he'll be making pizza at Susan G. Komen Night @ North Haven Gardens. "Come by NHG between 6 and 9 p.m. to shop, enjoy the swanky sounds of Shibboleth, local wine from Times Ten Cellars, gourmet pizza by Cane Rosso, Mary Kay makeovers, local arts & crafts, free 15-minute Garden Coach sessions, gardening demos and more!" $10 donation (http://nhg.com/Events.htm).

Josh is the chef at the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center on the UT campus in Austin. At age 31, his resume already includes a stint at exec chef at The Driskill and an appearance on Iron Chef.
Handling food for the conference center is a huge responsibility, but Josh has his eyes on the prize: The Carillon, where he will concentrate of "technique-driven fine dining." Simply put, he likes to play with his food.
At Saturday's Stars Across Texas walk-around during the Hill Country Wine and Food Festival, he dished out a trio of nibbles that actually required instructions. A tiny square of terrine, for example, came nestled in a plastic egg half. The bottom of the egg held a wine pairing, just a sip. The trick: you had to cover a hole in the egg, down the terrine, then uncover the hole and sip the wine out of the bottom. (Yes, I carried my dirty egg around the rest of the evening and I still have it.)
For a seminar and wine-food pairing with Texas wineries, he made a tomato-fennel soup with vodka gelee and emulsified olive oil and cream. Like I said, he likes to play with his food.
The Carillon is open now (lunch is for faculty and staff only), but the "new" version, with chef Watkins doing his thing, is still to come. Here's the best part: Chef Watkins says the restaurant, as part of the university, is "not profit driven," which means you can experience fun fine dining at a fine price.

Trying to find ways to entertain yourself this rainy, post-Easter weekend? There's the Top Chef tour with Tre Wilcox and Casey Thompson, a Dallas Farmers Market Friends forum and mixer, Grapevine's New Vintage Wine and Gallery Trail, a crawfish boil and Pappas Bros.' sommeliers talking about their favorite wines. Find those and more in GuideLive.com's wining and dining events search.

Photo of Casey Thompson and Tre Wilcox by Jason Janik / Special to DMN

First off, it's raining like gangbusters in Austin. Not a good thing for a festival that traditionally celebrates the beauty of spring in the Hill Country. Board president Debbie Sheffield promises that the location of the Sunday Fair -- The Vineyards at the Salt Lick, near the much-loved 'cue spot -- has been groomed and tented and should be in good shape on Sunday. But still. That leaves two days to dodge thunderstorms in and around downtown Austin.

I had dinner last night with Ralf Holdenried, the young (36) winemaker who has taken over at William Hill Estate in Napa. He actually started right before the '07 harvest, so his first vineyard-to-bottle effort isn't on the market yet. He says he wants to move William Hill to a style that's more modern and contemporary: "the new, modern Napa."

This ended up on the cutting-room floor from yesterday's GuideDaily section, but if you're a fan of Australian wines or you'd like to find out what it takes for a wine to score in the mid- to high 90s, this free tasting is too good to miss:

Sigel's in Addison will be tasting 2004 Clarendon Hills wines made by Roman Bratasiuk. Wines up for tasting include Cabernet Sauvignon Brookman (92rp), Grenache Hickinbottom (94st), Grenache Romas (95ws), Syrah Brookman (95rp), Syrah Moritz (95rp) and Astralis (98rp).

The tasting is from 5 to 7 p.m. tonight at Sigel's, 15003 Inwood Road. Just show up.

NeighborsGo's business blog has a list of D-FW places offering dining deals in honor of Tax Day. Check the list for offers such as get a free scoop of ice cream at Maggie Moo's and buy Chick-fil-A today and get free Chick-fil-A later. Cinnabon, TGI Friday's, PF Chang's and Papa John's also have deals listed.

Know of any others? I think Chipotle usually does a buy now, get freebie later thing. Any local places offering deals?

UPDATE: NeighbhorsGo is now reporting that Chick-fil-A's D-FW stores aren't participating in the Tax Day promotion. We apologize for the misunderstanding.

"Top Chef: The Tour 2" stops in Dallas' West Village Sunday for three cooking demonstrations, between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Two local chefs from Season 3 will be in the spotlight: Tre Wilcox and Casey Thompson. Besides the seating for 60 under a canopy, fans can watch the demonstrations outside on a plasma screen. The event is free.

Read on for the details in Bravo's news release:

That's what the Food Network calls Ted Allen, host of FN's Food Detectives and Chopped - a personality. I'd probably call him an expert, but I guess that's not as sexy.

Either way, the former Queer Eye guy is coming to Dallas for Taste Addison, and you've got a chance to have an "experience" with him. Just submit a food or wine question, and the individuals submitting the five best questions, plus a guest, get to attend a private food-and-wine seminar with the man himself. Check out the details at www.discover-wine.com.

The PR person tells me the contest is limited to locals, and the seminar will be at Mercy, A Wine Bar. Ted will use a Q&A format with the small group to "break down just how simple it is to impress others in the kitchen." I can think of worse ways to spend an evening.

Ted stops in to town in his role as spokesman for Robert Mondavi Private Selection wine. He will be with the Robert Mondavi Discover Wine tour, which includes the stop at Taste Addison, May 8-10. Deadline for submitting your question is May 8.

Photo: From TedAllen.net, by Larson and Talbert for Out

Check out our Easter dining guide for info on specials for brunch, lunch and dinner. We've got something for everyone: seated or buffet, waffles or sliced ham, bottomless mimosas or a cookie-decorating station for children. A few places will offer dinner specials, including Charlie Palmer, which will have a prix fixe menu all day – available with or without wine pairings. And Steel will serve a three-course Asian-inspired menu until 10 p.m.

Don't want to fight the crowds at the buffet? Sur la Table will show you how to make a magnificent meal at home during this Saturday's Easter brunch class.

The e-mail on this got to me too late to include in the regular newspaper listings, so I'm including it here because for the $, it's a nice, informative evening - Cafe on the Green's "wine experience" led by the state's newest master sommelier, James Tidwell, 6 to 7 p.m. Friday.

The subject this time is German wines - not just two excellent rieslings, but also a Villa Wolf Pinot Gris, and Kunstler Pinot Noir, served with German bites created by chef de cuisine Katie Natale for the walk-around style reception. I like these events because sommelier and chef know how to go beyond the perfunctory.

Tidwell is passionate about wine and passionate about sharing what he knows. But in the way of great wine communicators, he meets you at your level of expertise. It's $40 a person. Call 972-717-2420 to make a reservation. The Cafe is located in the Four Seasons Resort and Club, 4150 N. MacArthur, Irving.

Want to know where your food really comes from? Robert Kenner will show you in his documentary Food Inc., which covers America's industrial food system from slaughterhouses to fast food joints to processed foods manufacturing to genetically modified vegetables. The film will be shown tonight at 7:30 and tomorrow at 10 p.m. at the Magnolia as part of the AFI Dallas Film Festival.

Read an interview with Kenner by Quick's Hunter Hauk and watch the trailer here.

Night owl Laura Jacobus of our Business department reports:

Louie's restaurant and bar on Henderson was featured last night in a new episode of Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. The episode's a little tricky to find it because the promos on the Web site are wrong -- they say the "Family Favorites" episode includes Massey's in Fort Worth.

The Louie's segment, which has a few shots of Louis Canelakes at the bar but mostly interviews his brother Chris in the kitchen, focuses on the pizza, natch, but also shows them making and serving everything from crab claws to Mulligatawny soup. Watching host Guy Fieri trying to say Mulligatawny was pretty funny. Guy seemed to really like the food. Louie's got the last -- and longest -- segment, and Guy said he wanted to eat a whole pizza himself and might just take one to go.

The Food Network's site says it will re-air on April 17, 18 and 19. Set your Tivos.

We're trying to pin down run dates for all the segments that were filmed locally earlier this year.

This week, the spotlight is on a power burger and a power lunch, free chips and drink specials:

• TILLMAN'S ROADHOUSE (right) Happy hour specials at the bar and on the patio include draft beer for $3 per pint, select wines by the glass for $6 and chips (such as barbecue-potato and Kennebec potato) on the house. Tuesdays through Fridays from 4 to 6 p.m., Saturdays 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. 324 W. Seventh St. 214-942-0988.

• PARK CITIES PRIME The three-course Prime Executive Lunch Menu features entree selections such as grilled North Atlantic salmon and a 6-ounce filet mignon, served with green beans and mashed potatoes. $29. Mondays through Fridays from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. 8411 Preston Road. 214-691-7763.

• MORTON'S, THE STEAKHOUSE The Power Hour promotion at the bar includes the Prime Sirloin Burger with fries for $15. Daily, starting at 5:30 p.m. 501 Elm St. 214-741-2277.

Local nutrition consultant and registered dietitian Robin Plotkin joined the throngs who lined up at celebrity chef Tyler Florence's book signing at Central Market yesterday (she snapped the pic at right). Besides signing copies of Tyler Florence: Dinner at My Place (Meredith Books, $19.95), he talked for about 30 minutes about Sprout, his new organic baby-food line. Not surprisingly, Robin reports that most of the people there were mothers with kids in tow or mothers-to-be.

Robin asked Tyler how often he cooks at home, and he said every night he's not on the road. He told her he takes about eight trips a month. "The poor guy was sweating bullets," Robin writes. "He was wearing a green sweater (in honor of St. Pat's?) and did not take it off."

Sigels Elite hosts an imported beer tasting with many producers on hand to chat about their beer-making techniques, style, ingredients and more, 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday. You'll get a free Import Beer Passport that will entitle you to taste up to 20 of the 28 beers on hand. As each beer is sampled, your passport is stamped.

The only catch is you have to RSVP for the tasting by calling Tommy at 214-739-4012 or emailing him at store01@sigels.com

This is the Sigel's at 5757 Greenville just north of Lovers Lane across from Old Town. Click on the jump for a list of participating breweries.

This week's roundup covers fish, citrusy fare, wine specials and more:

• AW SHUCKS Restaurant (right) marks the Lenten season with a grilled-tilapia special (served with rice and vegetables) for $8.95 (regular price is $10.95) each Friday through April 10 from 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. 3601 Greenville Ave. 214-821-9449.

– The special is also available at Big Shucks locations in Dallas and Richardson.

• BLUE MESA GRILL Restaurant's Texas Citrus Festival, featuring dishes made with Texas-grown Meyer lemons, navel oranges, limes and other citrus fruits, begins this Monday, March 16. The menu includes grilled salmon with grapefruit-jalapeño glaze, served with citrus-mango relish, ginger rice and asparagus gremolata, for $15.95. Through April at five area locations during operating hours.

• GO FISH OCEAN CLUB A three-course prix fixe menu features New American recipes. Mondays through Saturdays from 5 to 7 p.m. $29.95 (includes one glass of wine). 5301 Alpha Road. 972-980-1919.

• THE SECOND FLOOR Bistro and bar in the Westin Galleria Dallas offers half-price bottles of wine on Sundays starting at 11 a.m. 13340 Dallas Parkway. 972-450-2978.

Freebie time: Sub-Zero/Wolf executive chef Garth Blackburn will be doing a cooking demo with fins 'n' things from TJ's Seafood, 6 to 8 p.m. March 18 to show off the showroom's high-end, cult appliances.

These include (as you might guess) refrigerator-like cold units and professional-type stoves and cooktops. Even if you don't plan to buy such a unit immediately, this should be a good introduction to the lines - and a chance to learn some fun seafood prep tricks. The Sub-Zero/Wolf Showroom is at 2615 E. Belt Line in Carrollton. RSVP to rosborn@subzero-wolfsc.com.

Celebrity chef Tre Wilcox will lead a chef's tasting Friday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Veritas Wine Room with former Abacus pastry chef Ashley Schultis pouring wines. $20 a person. Make your rez here: 214-841-9463.

I do know it's late notice, but if you've got the means to attend this dinner tonight at 7 p.m., it should be unforgettable. The Rosewood Mansion will host Patrick Mata of Ole Imports, for a wine and culinary tour of Spain. The is a young, innovative company looking for value wines that also reflect their Spanish terroir. Cost is $150 (includes tax and gratuity). Check the jump for the menu. Make reservations at 214-443-4747.

Savor Dallas capped its fifth year with the International Grand Tasting Saturday night. And while the event may not be recession proof - I saw fewer folks this year than last - the sheer numbers who still showed up at the Westin City Center Dallas and Plaza of the Americas suggest it's at least recession-resilient.

As usual, it was a place to stuff yourself: Small plates add up when you're looking at 60-plus purveyors. Attendees also had 150 wines, beers, spirits and other beverages to choose from.

I've heard complaints that the wines being served were low-end. There were plenty of value wines, yes, but it was also easy to taste better ones, even fine ones, and I'll tell you how in a minute.

Without further ado, here are some highlights of the 2009 extravaganza:

Ra Sushi, in The Shops at Legacy in Plano, will celebrate St. Patrick's Day with two specials: the $8 St. Patty's Roll (cashew-topped spicy tuna wrapped with sprouts, cucumber and asparagus in lettuce; pictured) and the $6 Irish Kiss cocktail, a blend of Midori and orange liqueur.

Take your pick, from 99-cent deals to three-course meals for under $25 and bottles of wine at half-price.

• DADDY JACK'S WOOD GRILL A three-course seafood dinner will be offered each Friday in March from 5 to 11 p.m. for $24.95. 2723 Elm St. 214-653-3949.

• DUNKIN' DONUTS The 99-cent Daily Deal promotion features a select menu item each day for 99 cents, such as egg and cheese on an English muffin on Mondays and hash browns on Fridays. Customers will also receive a free travel mug with the purchase of any 99-cent Daily Deal. The Daily Deal promotion is available for a limited time during operating hours at participating area locations.

• FERRARI'S FLIGHT Happy hour specials at the wine and martini bar adjacent to Ferrari's Italian Villa include $5 martinis and house wine and complimentary select appetizers. Mondays through Wednesdays from 4 to 6:30 p.m. 1200 William D. Tate, Grapevine. 817-251-2525.

• 2900 Restaurant offers bottles of wine for half-price on Tuesdays from 5:30 to 10 p.m. 2900 Thomas Ave. 214-303-0400.

It was brisk standing poolside, but the grill was generating plenty of heat at last night's sixth annual foodie-art-fundraiser at Kent and Tracy Rathbun's Dallas home.

This year's event seemed especially mellow, probably a combination of the times and the party's laid back Sunday night time slot. Art was auctioned (saw one man eagerly carrying his painting out to the car), and bites included chicken, beef and chopped brisket sliders, the Ugly Pug Beer Battered Shrimp with green chile-cilantro jelly and Texas gulf blue crab gratin.

UPDATE: Rathbun's camp reports today that more than 220 people attended last night with approximately $16,000 of ticket sales going directly to the March of Dimes. Roughly $10,000 worth of art also changed hands. Impressive.

Photos by Jenn Ackerman

Savor Dallas empresario Jim White hosts a virtual food-and-wine tasting on Facebook at 2 p.m. Tuesday with Dallas chefs David Bull (Bolla), Eric Brandt (Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek), Randy Morgan (Dallas Fish Market), Jason Weaver (French Room) and Tre Wilcox (private chef).

To join in the live discussion about food trends and Dallas' place in the culinary world, log on to Facebook or click here for a link. To learn more about Savor Dallas, which starts Friday, go to www.SavorDallas.com.

Whole Foods Market is expecting at least 800 fans of Tool and Puscifer front man Maynard James Keenan to line up for a bottle signing at its Plano store. The bottles? Wine from his Arizona Stronghold Vineyards. Keenan will be at the store (2201 Preston at Park) from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. March 23 with co-owner and winemaker Eric Glomski (also owner and director of winemaking at Page Springs Cellars).

The key word at the new Whole Foods Market (opening Monday) is "more." The store is about one and a half times the size of the Greenville Avenue location it replaces, so there is more of everything, from wine to bulk bins. I spent a few minutes just looking around, trying to remember the Minyard that used to occupy that building, but this is a total redo, right up to the solar panels that dim the interior lights on sunny days. (Cool!)

The store has all the bells and whistles that other recent-vintage WFMs have. Read on for some highlights.

Staff Writer Mariana Greene, a longtime Old East Dallas denizen, weighs in:

There is so much curiosity about the new Whole Foods Market opening Monday across the street from Lakewood Country Club that store management had to double the preview tours today and Saturday. But even that didn't satisfy the requests.

"We finally just had to cut it off," says Scott Simons, executive coordinator and director of marketing, himself a former East Dallas boy now based in Austin.

Nine homeowner associations, nonprofit workhorses like the Lakewood library and the Wilkinson Center, local civic groups and just-plain hard-headed longtime customers were invited for the sneak peek. I fall into the latter category, though I was invited as a member of the media. In fact, my Morning News colleagues were warning Simons and other WF tour guides about my stubborn, suspicious mindset as I walked through the doors of the new Lakewood store, which opens to the public Monday morning. The new location, where Gaston Avenue and Abrams intersect, was a Safeway when I settled in old East Dallas. I shopped at the Whole Foods on lower Greenville Avenue when it was still Bluebonnet. I don't like my world to change.

Super H Mart, the glitzy Korean-owned Asian supermarket in Carrollton at Old Denton Road and the George Bush is celebrating its one-year anniversary Friday through Thursday. For those lucky souls born on Feb. 16 - the day Super H Mart opened - the store has a free bottle of wine ($20 value). No kidding. Just show up and present your valid state photo ID to collect.

But wait: There's more.

Attention fans of the "old" Whole Foods Market on Greenville: The store closes for good at 5 p.m. Sunday. Then, at 10 a.m. Monday, check out the new digs at Abrams and Gaston, where the old Minyard store was. Get there early for grand-opening festivities, and watch Eats on Friday for a preview of the new store.

Slow Food Dallas is sponsoring a book-signing and olive oil tasting with Pamela Sheldon Johns at Flavors From Afar on March 19. But both original sessions are already sold out. So the food-loving group has added a third at 3 p.m. the same day.

Sheldon's new book, 50 Great Appetizers, includes recipes ranging from light Orange-Broccoli Salad to heartier Lamb Fritters with Curry Sauce. She's also bringing Pace da Poggio Etrusco extra-virgin organic olive oil from her olive farm in Tuscany (which could have something to do with the keen interest in this event).

Cost is $10 for Slow Food members, $15 for nonmembers. To register for the signing-tasting, call Slow Food at 214-325-1651. Flavors From Afar is at 6712 Snider Plaza.

Park Cities Prime brings in Remy-Martin Louis XIII Cognac brand ambassador Sten Lilja for a series of Friday cocktail clinics starting this Friday, 5 to 9 p.m. Although he's with Remy now, Lilja worked at some of New York's restaurants and bars in his previous life. Come in the second and final Friday of each month through June for insights, instruction and a special bar menu. No reservations needed. Park Cities Prime is at 8411 Preston (at Northwest Highway).

A number of restaurants are hoping to bring in new customers with discounts this week. A survey:
* Dallas IHOPs will offer free pancakes on Fat Tuesday. It's National Pancake Day, of course.
* Free tacos from Jack in the Box Tuesday. Get the coupon here.
* Long John Silver's "Skinny Tuesday" offers entrees for $3.50 on Tuesday.
* Buy one entree, get one free at TGI Fridays with this coupon all week long.
* Free dessert at Greenz all week
* Check out our running list of dining and happy hour specials
* Check out our running list of free food for kids at area restaurants.

What have we missed? Add deals you know about in our comments. Also, follow our deals news on Twitter: www.twitter.com/dallas_sales

El Centro College's culinary arts division is one of Dallas' best-kept secrets, turning out some of the city's most promising chefs. But while the education there is first-rate, the facilities are perhaps a bit less than state-of-the-art (and as a former student, I know of what I speak).

This Sunday (March 1) from 4 to 7 p.m. you can help the college raise funds for its much-needed kitchen renovations while sampling food prepared by some of Dallas' best and brightest — many of whom are El Centro alums. There will be more than 20 tables for your grazing pleasure, featuring dishes from Sharon Hage (York Street), Liz and Jim Baron (Blue Mesa Grill), Dunia Borga (La Duni) and Nikky Phinyawatana (Asian Mint, The Mint), among many others, paired with wines and beers.

Admission is $40 per person; proceeds benefit the Food & Hospitality Institute of El Centro College. The event will be held at the college's downtown campus at 801 Main St. For more information, call 214-860-2716 or 214-358-4971.

From his new restaurant atop Dallas' Reunion Tower to the red carpet in Hollywood, celeb chef Wolfgang Puck certainly knows how to dish it out.

Photo: Wolfgang Puck, right, and Boston celeb chef Lydia Shire at the Oscars. AP Photo/Amy Sancetta

VeeV is a clear spirit made with the acai berry from the Brazilian Amazon, and its Dallas launch is Sunday, Feb. 22. It will debut in 20 restaurants and bars, and you get to be good to the earth when you participate. A tree will planted for every cocktail served that night.

I got a chance to taste it recently, and it has a sweet, dark berry intensity balanced with the savory alcohol. The makers want to tout its healthful properties - the berries contain heart-healthy anthocyanins - but as I understand phytonutrients, those are part of the pigment, and there's no pigment in VeeV.

Still, it's an alluring beverage. Here are the participating spots: The Porch, Villa-O, Lotus, Victor Tangos, Candleroom, Hibuscus, Aura, Cuba Libre, Livingroom, Plush, Hully & Mo's, Dolce, Fedora, Fuse, Fireside Pies, Social House, Bob's Steak & Chop House, Abacus and Nobu.

When you buy a bottle at a liquor store (Buckeye Liquor or Goody Goody), it will cost $35, and $1 goes back into the Sustainable Acai Project.

The James Beard Foundation announced the semifinalists for its prestigious culinary awards today, and they include several Dallas names.

Stephan Pyles made the cut in the Outstanding Chef category.
Tei An is among the Best New Restaurant semifinalists.
David Collier (not a name we hear often) is up for Outstanding Pastry Chef. He's at the Rosewood Mansion Restaurant.
Sharon Hage, with York Street (always a bridesmaid) gets her fifth Best Chef: Southwest nomination
John Tesar (the man without a restaurant) is nominated for Best Chef: Southwest, too.

Keep reading for more Texas semifinalists.

If you're one of the folks who got Paul DiCarlo's e-blast this morning for Jimmy's Food Store - stop before you make that reservation for the Cesare Cecchi wine tasting.

Jimmy's tasting is on Tuesday, Feb. 24, at 6:30 p.m. Paul originally said it was Monday, which would have had Cecchi double-booked in East Dallas and Grapevine. Not even a hardy Tuscan was going to pull that off.

So Cecchi at Jimmy's it is on Tuesday. Seven wines, antipasti, pasta and a cheese plate for $39. Email Paul atpaul@jimmysfoodstore.com to make a reservation.

The fourth-generation winemaker will be at Ferrari's Italian Villa in Grapevine for a dinner featuring his wines at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb.23, and at Ferrari's in Addison at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 25. Cost is $65. Here's the Web site.

Here're some tidbits from the grand opening of Five Sixty.

Sunday brunch at Wolfgang Puck's new sky high dining spot, Five Sixty, is set to begin in early March, the restaurant's general manager said Tuesday. But plans for serving weekday lunch atop Reunion Tower are on hold for at least the next few months, Shawn Horne said.
"We want to make sure the dining room is perfect for dinner first," said Horne, as chef Puck chatted nearby with journalists assembled for a media meet and greet.
The restaurant officially opens to the public today, serving dinner Tuesday through Saturday.
Horne said price point and menu details for the brunch are still being worked out.

This is early, early notification on the DIFFA/Dallas Burgers and Burgundy benefit that takes place from 2 to 5 p.m. March 22, for which restaurantless John Tesar is the Style Council Ambassador and Chef.

That afternoon, he and six other chefs - Richard Chamberlain, Scott Romano, Tim Love, Samir Dhurandhar, Yoanne Lardeux, Brian Luscher and Dan Landsberg - put their best burger forward for the charity event. Cost is $75 a person.

Get more information or make reservations by contacting Terri Provencal at terri@provencalconsultinggroup.com or call her at 214-642-1124. The event takes place at a Preston Hollow home.

Hey, can you match the chefs up with their restaurants? Chamberlaln's = no-brainer. Charlie Palmer at the Joule,Lonesome Dove and Love Burger Shack, Nick & Sam's, Toulouse, The Grape and Tillman's Road House. Answer's on the jump.

Want to make Valentine's Day a little sweeter for the kids? Give them a chance to go to town with icing, sprinkles and other toppings as they decorate a large, freshly-baked Valentine's Day cookie from La Duni Latin Kitchen & Coffee Studio at NorthPark Center Saturday from 12 noon to 5 p.m. The cost is $10 -- and the money benefits Bookmarks, that splendid Dallas public library branch in NorthPark Center that the kids should definitely check out after they wash that frosting from their hands.

Attending grown-ups can watch a variety of free cooking demonstrations and sample tastings by participating NorthPark restaurants every hour on the hour starting at 12 noon. Read on for the delectable schedule:

Every Thursday, 6:15 to 7 p.m., starting this week, the bar at the Rosewood Mansion is going to have informal wine tasting/chats with either beverage director Michael Flynn or sommelier Scott Barber. It's $25 a person, and rather than following a strict agenda, Flynn or Barber will "pull some corks and lead a discussion on some very cool wines," says Flynn.

If you're interested in wine, whether you're new to the sport or an old hand, this is a great opportunity to chat with a couple of experts who will meet you where you are on the continuum. Besides being an all-round nice guy, Flynn has an astonishing grasp of monde du vino, if that's not mixing (and fracturing) two languages. I guess we can call these "bar-side chats."

Scardello Artisan Cheese is holding two fondue nights, Feb. 12-13, for Valentine's Day. Dinner includes a three-mountain-cheese fondue (of course) with salamis, bread and fruit for dipping, as well as a salad and dessert. Limited to 12 couples at each seating; $35 per person. It starts at 7 p.m. on the 12th, 8 p.m. on the 13th.

If you'd just like to sample fondue, you can do so anytime on the 14th from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Scardello will have recipe cards and all the cheeses you need to make your own. It's at 3511 Oak Lawn. Call 214-219-1300 for fondue dinner reservations.

When I did a story several years ago on a real fondue with a man who was raised in the shadow of the Alps, it was over-the-top delicious and rich. I'm betting Scardello's will be, too.

Katherine Clapner, owner of Dude! Sweet! Chocolates hosts a tasting of her Dallas-centric goodies from 1 to 3 p.m. Feb. 7 at Flavors From Afar. The pastry chef most recently worked with Stephan Pyles, but she's got a hefty 20 year resume.

This is from her Web site: "Dude! Sweet! Chocolates are made in Dallas, Texas using single-origin Venezuelan, Colombian, and African cocoa beans, along with Lucky Layla Farms Texas butter and Steen's Cane Syrup. Global and local influences abound with Asian citrus, Moroccan, Indian, Peruvian, and Mexican spices, Spanish nuts and locally produced olive oil and herbs. Each piece is sublime combination of flavors both unexpected and exciting."

Samples will include Smoked Cocoa Nib, Thai Ginger Salt, Fleur de Sel Peanut Crunch and Great Depression-Roasted Beet. Box-price ranges from $16 to $25. Flavors From Afar is at 6712 Snider Plaza; the tasting is free. Clapner's chocolates are also sold at Empire Bakery and Scardello Artisan Cheese.

I didn't make it to the SouperBowl challenge this weekend at NorthPark, but PR type Kristen Gibbins shared a copy of the winning recipe: Three Pear Soup, by Debbie Penick.
I say thumbs-up to any recipe that is topped with a whirl of brie and whipping cream.

Check it out.

Can it be Savor Dallas time again already? Not quite - it's March 6-7 - but the event planners and AFI Dallas are presenting a screening of Food Fight at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 9 at the Angelika with WFAA-TV film critic Gary Cogill interviewing director Chris Taylor afterward. It's a free - first come first served for tickets by e-mailing movie@SavorDallas.com.

I caught this flick last year when it premiered at the AFI Dallas International Film Festival. It's a pretty darn good telling of the beginnings of the sustainable and organic food movement, including the pivotal role "our" Wolfgang Puck played in bringing the message to southern California. Of course Chez Panisse' Alice Waters is at the center of the story. Also, unfortunately, Earl Butz, the agriculture secretary responsible for championing industrial agriculture. If you're a foodie, it's required viewing.

Haute cuisine took on new meaning about sundown Thursday when the general public got to taste the high life at Wolfgang Puck's Five Sixty restaurant atop Reunion Tower.
After hosting friends and family for weeks, Thursday marked the spot's low-key, "soft" opening. The full-blown opening doesn't come 'til February.
Greeted by the celebrity chef, who'd just returned from hanging out with actors Sharon Stone and Forest Whitaker at the presidential inauguration, the eclectic mix of diners blended well with the elegance of the candle lit surroundings.
Sequined hotties in backless dresses breezed by beefy football types in tennis shoes.
Each felt equally at ease as they supped on Asian-inspired entrees and drank in the view--360-degrees worth of neon Dallas, seen from 560 feet in the air.
Chef Dean Fearing, who stopped by to cheer on his buddy, declared: "It's great. I'm in love."
But not enough to leave his own eponymous spot at the Ritz-Carlton and work under Puck.

VIDEO: Wolfgang Puck previews the new restaurant.

The Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek is offering free tickets ($20 value) to the Dallas Art Fair to the first 50 people who make a reservation for lunch or dinner in the Mansion restaurant. The Dallas Art Fair is a show where more than 30 national art dealers will represent artists and their works from 12 cities at the Fashion Industry Gallery on Ross Avenue.

The free tickets entitle the holders to a docent-led our of the exhibit at 11 a.m. on Feb. 6, the first day of the fair. It runs Feb. 6-8, and you can learn more here. To make your Mansion rez, call 214-443-4747.

Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek exec chef John Tesar (left) hosted a preview party last night for the 21st annual Share Our Strength's Taste of the Nation Dallas.

I knew Tesar was local chef chair for this May's event, but found out last night that he's also one of only five chefs in the country appointed to the organization's national culinary council. Impressive.

Also impressive? Some of the other names involved in the event, including Stephan Pyles, Kent Rathbun, Scott Gottlich and Abraham Salum.

Click here for details on the event, which happens Sunday, May 17 at Fashion Industry Gallery on Ross Avenue.

photo by cwynn

Chipotle Mexican Grill will open its Coppell location this Friday (Jan. 16). As part of a pre-opening celebration, the Coppell outpost will offer free food (take your pick of burritos, tacos, burrito bowls and salads; one item per person) until 7 p.m. today, Jan. 14. 104 Denton Tap Road, Coppell. 972-393-2156 .

Who knew Abraham Lincoln liked stewed and scalloped oysters, wild game and apples? Well, evidently the Inaugural Committee folks in charge of the food for President Elect Barack Obama's inauguration meal do.

That's why in honor of President Lincoln, the luncheon appetizer will be seafood stew in puff pastry -- scallops, shrimp, lobster, with a main course of duck breast with sour-cherry chutney and herb-roasted pheasant served with molasses sweet potatoes and winter vegetables and apple cinnamon sponge cake for dessert.

You can read about it here.

After navigating various levels of red tape, Calais Winery in Deep Ellum is now legal to serve samples on premise. That means you can sample winemaker Benjamin Calais' whimsically named cuvees made in the French style he learned in St. Emilion while living in Paris.

He's just on the brink of bottling his Cuvee du Commerce 2006 blending 85 percent cabernet sauvignon with 15 percent syrah.

You can taste all his wines paired with a menu by Daddy Jack's Wood Grill chef-owner Salvatore Gisellu at Daddy Jack's at 7 p.m. Thursday; $45. Make reservations by calling 214-653-3949.

Calais is also starting monthly tastings, beginning at 6;30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 23 with Spanish wines; $10. Make a reservation at 214-453-2548.

In April 2004, the guys at Lakewood's Times Ten Cellars pinned their hopes on land outside Alpine, Texas, where they planted their first grapevines, naming the plot Cathedral Vineyard. On Monday, they throw a release party for their first vintage, the 2007 Cathedral Mountain Vineyard Vino de Tierra Alta Texas Red Wine.

Come on by between 5 and 10 p.m. Monday for a complimentary sample and some Spanish tapas. The wine, they say, is very Spanish in style, made with tempranillo, grenache, syrah, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc.

A reader called me to ask if there are any restaurants that are planning watch parties for the Jan. 20 inauguration of Barack Obama as the nation's 44th president. The lead-in festivities related to the swearing-in ceremony would start around 10:30 a.m. We have a couple of parties, with food, listed in Guide that you have to sign up for in advance.

Does anyone know of any restaurants that have something planned?

Update: Just got a message from Ferrari's Italian Villa --it's giving out a free slice of cheesecake (red, white and blue--strawberries, cheesecake and blueberries), with the purchase of a lunch or dinner entree, on Jan. 20. Lunch is 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., dinner is 5 to 10 p.m. It's at the Addison and Grapevine locations.

Kent Rathbun, of course. The Iron Chef winner was serving up a storm last Thursday at Rolls-Royce Motorcars of Dallas to help introduce the 2009 Phantom Coupé.

And talk about a foodie's car, one of the features on this $400,000 ride (more like $441,000 fully loaded) is a "picnic boot" --- er, tailgate --- that lowers down to make an impromptu table or seating spot.

(top left) Liz Tankersley of Park Place Dealerships and Kent Rathbun
(top right) Rathbun's team serves up mustard-encrusted lamb tenderloin
Photos by cwynn

Flavors From Afar is hosting a tasting of olive oils from Italy this Sunday, Dec. 14. Expect to sample Tutta Toscana's estate-bottled oils made from hand-picked farm-grown olives. There'll also be other labels: Casa Caponetti, which organically produces oils from olives from 500 trees, and Rasna, a producer in central Tuscany. The complimentary tasting begins at 1:30. 6712 Snider Plaza. 214-696-2327.

News about a champagne tasting, the smoking ban and more here.

The foodies were out in force last night for a sneak peek at Shinsei restaurant's new private dining room (above left) and lounge.

What's going on? The eatery's owners, Tracy Rathbun and Lynea Fearing (yes, their celebuchef hubbies Kent and Dean, respectively, were also there) bought the former dry cleaning shop next door and knocked down a wall.

Interior designer Greg O'Neal (more on him here) and architect Jessica Stewart then gave the space the same Asian-glam makeover as the original Shinsei. Now, there's a cozier place than the main building's petite upstairs bar (which shares room with diners) to have drinks and wait for your table.

Oh, and who is the little guy pictured above between Tracy (left) and Lynae (right)? That would be Lynae's nephew Mason. Hey, this is a family affair.

Mercury Grill executive chef/partner Chris Ward joins FOX & Friends on cable Thursday morning to share recipes and techniques during Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade.

During two eight-minute segments, he'll show how to brine a turkey (it's probably a little late for that), as well as make green bean casserole, braised rosemary sweet potatoes, cornbread dressing, cranberry sauce, gravy, pumpkin Cognac cheesecake, braised veal rack, pomme mousseline, Asian pear and Gorgonzola salad, caramel-apple pie and bone-in rib roast.

Even if he only flies through the demonstrations, that's still a lot of food and food prep - which no doubt will provide a tasty after-show, on-set nosh for the staff and hosts. FOX & Friends starts at 8 a.m.; check your local listings for the channel.

This just in from Tina Danze:

Cutting-edge Spanish cuisine is hard to find in Dallas, but not this weekend at Sangria Tapas y Bar on Cole Avenue. A trio of visiting Valencian chefs will join Mariano Fernandez - Dallas' only Spanish chef, and a Valencia native - in preparing a contemporary Spanish, fixed-price menu.

Fernandez, formerly of Café Madrid and Parigi, joined Sangria as executive chef last month. The other three chefs are in town for the opening of the Valencia House, a showcase of Valencian design and fashion in Preston Hollow at 6443 Lakehurst. (It's open to the public 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, noon to 4 p.m. Sunday and Friday (Nov. 28) and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Nov. 29; free.)

Sangria's Valencian-inspired, five-course menu is impressive - and a bargain at just $45 per person.

I capped off my tour of Union Station's renovated event space with a luscious mango coconut pudding concocted by Wolfgang Puck Catering. It was one of the many goodies (penne pasta with chicken and pesto, short ribs, salmon) dished up by the W. P. crew at a sneak peek preceding this afternoon's official opening of the newly renovated event space at historic Union Station, which will be operated by Wolfgang Puck Catering. Also learned today (after I got back to the office with my mind still on the sweet stuff) that we can expect a January opening of a Wolfgang Puck restaurant at Reunion Tower, which is under renovation.

Remember fabulous chef George Brown of the former George Restaurant on Inwood? His catering company is still going strong and they were handling an event last night at the Allan Knight showroom.

I loved the presentation on this passing round of applewood bacon crisps on-a-stick and snapped a pic. Talk about minimalist chic.

Check out the first week of our Thanksgiving dining guide for almost two dozen places offering Turkey Day dining specials. Take your pick of brunch, lunch or dinner and traditional, modern or ethnic. Turkey? Check. Made-to-order omelets? Check. Asian-inspired entrees? Also check.

We'll be adding to the list, so come back for even more specials later.

Friday, Nov. 21, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sarah Fioroni will be handing out samples of her Italian estate's freshly pressed olive oil at Flavors From Afar. That's a view from Fattoria Poggio Alloro (at left) with San Gimignano way off on the hilltop to the left.

Every year, Fioroni spends Thanksgiving in the Austin-San Antonio area, where she has customers and friends. This year, she's making a special day trip to Dallas with her Fattoria Poggio Alloro Olive Oil.

Fioroni's estate is an agriturismo in Tuscany, where the family also has vineyards and raises cattle. When Flavors owners Gary and Nancy Krabill take their tour groups to Italy, they often stop at the farm. Don't know about agriturismos? They're a great way to visit Italy: working farms where you can lodge for a lot less than a hotel. Here's a link to Fattoria Poggio Alloro in case you want to learn more.

Nobody works a crowd like Dean Fearing. The affable Dallas celebuchef was in top form at last night's Signature Chefs of Dallas Auction at the Fairmont Dallas, which raised funds for the local March of Dimes.

Beyond dishing it out at the event (along with lead chef Kent Rathbun and 18 others), Fearing was also among those who donated a gift package for auction. His treat? A foodie tour of Chicago (home base, the Ritz), where Fearing and pal Charlie Trotter will cook for the winner at Trotter's revered restaurant.

Talk about dinner out.

Photos by Carter Rose

A group of Francophiles was both charmed and challenged last night at Chateau Wine Merchant's Bodega Bar by Alexandre Martin and his introduction to Le Nez du Vin, Jean Lenoir's French method for codifying and understanding the aromas in wine.

Think of it, Martin began by saying, as a wine vocabulary. Martin is not only wise in the ways of wine (he started his career at the Paris Wine Museum), he also translated Le Nez into Russian - and spoke to us in perfect if accented English. So this guy was running on a few more cyclinders than most of us.

We were huddled around a long table in the wine cellar, when Martin started with a PowerPoint overview of AOCs (appellations) in France, noting that there are underlying aromas common to the wines from each one. We were told that there are three classifications of aromas: primary, from the grapes themselves; secondary, from the oak barrels; and tertiary, from storage (aged wine vs. young).

Whoa, was there going to be test later? 'Turns out, yes, sort of.

Not too long ago, I read about New York chef Wylie Dufresne at WD-50 making noodles out of scallops - a classic example of deconstruction, wherein a chef takes the essential ingredients of a dish and reinterprets them, sometimes in wild and unexpected ways.

Last night at the 9th Annual Stephan Pyles Celebrity Chef Dinner, which benefits the culinary scholarship in the chef's name, Jason Ferraro from Seventeen Seventeen at the Dallas Museum of Art, did a witty riff on pad Thai, with "noodles" made out of prawns and an "all-natural protein glue." The dish also featured wild salmon sashimi "flashed with smoking hot oil" to barely sear the outer edges. It was quite a dish, though not my favorite.

The Farmers Market Hoedown at Fair Park's Food & Fiber Pavilion last night was such a rush that I wish I could say something about every producer, wine maker and merchant there. But you'd probably kill me since there were something close to 90.

A few highlights:

The first workshop at Chateau Wine Market with Alexandre Martin that will concentrate on how to describe smells with words and remember them is already sold out. The second, 8:30 to 10 p.m. Monday, still has some spaces. A shout-out goes to J Dorian Chocolatier for alerting us to this because I'm betting some eats blog readers will want to do this.

The workshop description says, "This... workshop will revolve around three wines and is an introduction to the art of detecting aromas in wine utilizing a system designed and made famous in France." It says Martin got his training at the University of Montpelier and in 2001 started his career at the Paris Wine Museum. He then joined wine specialist Jean Lenoir's team and helped develop Le Nez du Vin sensory training systems.

The workshop is $45; call 214-528-9463 to sign up.

The legendary expert on Mexican cuisine will be among the first guests at Plano's new independent bookstore, Legacy Books. She's plugging the new edition of her classic, The Art of Mexican Cooking.
Stop by at noon for a sample of appetizers from the book, and check out the demonstration kitchen.
At 3 p.m., Fort Worth chef Grady Spears will be there promoting his book, The Texas Cowboy Kitchen. He'll also be dishing samples.
The store is at 7300 Dallas Parkway in Plano. Click here for more details.

The bites and bubbles were plentiful at Kent Rathbun's house last Thursday for the March of Dimes 13th Annual Signature Chefs of Dallas auction preview. The last time I was at the chef's house (for his famed Art Party), a server fell into the swimming pool out back. No such drama this time, but a good crowd for a good cause none the less.

The event was a teaser for this year's 13th annual foodie-fueled fundraiser (themed Carnival da Esperança, Portuguese for Carnival of Hope), coming up Nov. 12 in the Fairmont Hotel Regency Ballroom.

Rathbun will lead a culinary dream team there of 19, including Dean Fearing, John Tesar of the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, David Bull of Bolla, Anthony Bombaci of Nana and Suze's Gilbert Garza - better known since his wife's Food Network turn as Mr. Lisa Garza.

Read more about the upcoming event here. Tickets start at $300, call 972-669-3463 or email ksperry@marchofdimes.com

Photo by Jason Wynn

All dressed up with no place to go? Urban Taco in Mockingbird Station is giving away free chips and Halloween-inspired salsas to anyone wearing a costume tonight. Those 21 and up can also score free Halloween margaritas. Other holiday-themed food items will be available for purchase. The restaurant is open till 10 p.m.

Ryan Eason, who heads up the Dallas Farmers Market Friends executive board, asked me to post this so anyone who's passionate about local food sourcing could get in on the event.

It's the 14th annual Dallas Farmers Market Hoedown at the Food and Fiber Pavilion at Dallas' Fair Park from 6:30 to p.m. Nov. 6 (the Thursday after the election). It's hosted in partnership with the Texas Department of Agriculture's GO TEXAN program. Texas farmers will donate ingredients, and local chefs will create dishes for participants to enjoy along with Texas wines.

It's a chance to meet producers and purveyors as well as see some local chefs and restaurant folk who are walking the walk when it comes to local sourcing. Although the Dallas market still has some distance to go, I am more heartened than I've been in a long time about its future. Here's a great chance to show support and have a little fun, too.

Tickets are $45 for Friends members, $55 for nonmembers. Purchase them on the Dallas Friends Web site at www.dfmfriends.org. Or call 972-943-4622.

We're not so much about events at the Eats blog, but this one is all about supporting Texas culinary students. Proceeds from the Stephan Pyles Celebrity Chef Dinner go to fund one of the largest culinary scholarships in the country. After applications are reviewed by Pyles and others, the finalists are invited to compete, Iron Chef style using Texas foods, to earn the $15,000 scholarship.

The dinner, meanwhile, is at 6 p.m. Nov. 9 and, in addition to last year's winning student Amol Thanky (now a graduate of Texas Culinary Academy, Austin), includes a celebrity lineup: Pyles, Jonathan Eismann (chef-owner Pacific Time, Miami), Jason Ferraro (executive chef, Dallas Museum of Art), jW Foster (Pyramid Restaurant & Bar) and Pedreaux Cuellar (chef, Coco Chocolate Lounge & Bistro, San Antonio).

Matching wines are poured with all the courses, and there's a short wine auction. I've been to these before, and it's always exciting to see what the chefs come up with as they compete among themselves. (I'm betting on something molecular from Ferraro.)

Go to the Wine and Food Foundation Web site here to learn more and to register, or call 512-327-7555. Cost is $175 (including tax and gratuity). It's at Stephan Pyles' restaurant downtown.

Flavors From Afar, which held its first miracle fruit tasting in June (see my account here), has another one scheduled at 6:30 p.m. Saturday. There are still a handful of places left, and owner Nancy Krabill says they'll schedule a Sunday tasting, too, if they get enough interest.

Miracle fruit is the little berry that alters sweet perception. It makes even lemons taste sweet, one of the most dramatic demonstrations of its effect. I found the experience fascinating. Every foodie should do this at least once. To register, you can go online here or call the store at 214-696-2327. It's $15.

Mike Friend, most recently the wine director at Sigel's Elite on Fitzhugh, died unexpectedly on Friday in Kansas City, where he was helping his brother open a bistro. Mike's wife Debra said he died from internal bleeding related to an old surgery.

Mike, who was 56, touched many lives through his work, from the people to whom he introduced the joys of wine to the winemakers and distributors with whom he did business. He was just a good guy who loved wine.

Adam Lee of Texas-sired Siduri Wines wrote this on Mark Squire's bulletin board at RobertParker.com: "If you've ever spent any time drinking wine in Dallas you have probably come across Mike Friend. He's been a legendary figure in the business for many years at numerous restaurants and retail stores. He's the person that stopped me from getting out of the business back in the early 1990s when I was very frustrated with the whole thing. He's the person that got Dianna into the business, and he was one of the first people to find out that we were dating (it was a big secret at the time)...." BTW, Robert Parker calls Adam and Dianna Lee's Siduri one of California's top pinot noir producers. 'Glad Mike was there to encourage.

Read more remembrances and get the details on a celebration of Mike Friend's life Friday night and a memorial service Saturday.

OK, you Tarrant County freebie seekers, this one's for you.

The new Dunkin' Donuts at 1661 Precinct Line Rd. in Hurst just opened for business on Monday -- but Wednesday, Oct. 22, is their official grand opening day, with good giveaways for early birds. The first 200 people in the store will get free DD coffee cups and 2-ounce samples of DD's popular coffee.

In addition, 20 percent of the day's sales at the Hurst store (and also at the first Tarrant DD store, at 9629 White Settlement Rd.) will be donated to to the Tarrant affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, in recognition of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.