EATS

Chuckwagon chef Tom Perini gets some newsstand time this month in both Saveur -- great pic! -- and the Food Network Magazine, which touts his Angus beef hamburger as the best in the state. I judged a beef cookoff with his wife Lisa at the restaurant show this week and she says Tom is one of three chefs from across the country invited to make their burgers on the Today Show. Get up and at 'em on July 9 if you want to catch him.
And if you haven't made the trek to their Perini Ranch Steakhouse in Buffalo Gap (head west on I-20, hang a left at Abilene), get busy.

The Saveur blurb was written by Cheryl and Bill Jamison of Santa Fe, who have a story coming up next week in GuideDaily. Check back Wednesday for that.

Chef Tim Byres (who is wrapping up duties as exec chef of Stephan Pyles and was previously chef de cuisine at the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek) will join with Oak Cliff's Bolsa creators Chris Zielke and Christopher Jeffers to replace Cliff Cafe at Hotel Belmont with a new eatery.

Cliff Cafe will close and undergo interior renovations starting July 6. Fans can still dine at BarBelmont and the hotel lobby until the new restaurant opens in September.

Photos by Courtney Perry: Hotel Belmont's Cliff Cafe and Byres in 2005 at his former Standard Restaurant

I can't wait to get over to Oak Cliff to try the empanadas at Espumoso. Read more here.

Has anybody been?

Nancy Visser had the scoop this morning on the DMN East Dallas blog. Here's her post:

Chapman Chile Kitchen opened five months ago in a space no wider than a snow-cone booth, and owners Fran and Randal Chapman already have plans to expand.

Renovations will begin in the next week or two in the empty storefront next to their business at 515 N. Carroll Ave. near Munger Place. They hope to open the addition by fall, and will have regular seating, evening hours, five beer taps and an expanded menu, including green chili stew, serrano salmon pasta, green gazpacho and chili rellenos. "Stuff we're good at making" is how Randal described the new menu. Fran warned that they're going to have to raise their prices, so if you're frugal, get your fill now.

The expansion is made possible by the success they're enjoying -- despite being tucked a few blocks off Gaston Avenue and having only seating for four on their 10-square-foot patio. People are returning for the bison chili, stuffed jalapenos, wings and burgers.

DMN Photo: David Woo

Go to the jump to read how the Chapmans ended up in East Dallas.

From TINA DANZE:

I had a splendid spaghetti with Bolognese sauce at Urbano Café, which recently re-opened on Fitzhugh, next to Jimmy's Food Store. When our waiter told us that the restaurant has a BYOB policy, I immediately booked a table for the next night. Saturday night's menu didn't include that Bologonese dish - which I would have eaten again in a heartbeat. But that was just as well; I ended up even happier ordering a petite beef tenderloin with cambazola blue cheese and a star anise demi glace.

It was a magical combination of flavors that I'd never considered before. Hats off to chef Ke'o Velazquez for giving star anise its due in a very non-Asian dish. And thank goodness for another BYOB café where the food is worthy of that great wine you've been saving.

Owner Mitch Kauffman says the café's BYOB plan is a permanent one. Since Urbano is tiny - it seats only 30 - he says it "didn't have the space to store a decent wine inventory." If you forget to bring a bottle, just run next door to Jimmy's, which has an impressive selection of Italian wines and stays open until 7:30 p.m.

Urbano Café is at 1410 N. Fitzhugh. Dinner hours are Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 4 to 10 p.m.; lunch is daily, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.. For reservations, call 214-823-8550.

I wanted to check out Mr. Borrego, a taqueria recommended by commenter AC a few months ago, but when I arrived at 4310 Maple, there was no business there. I found a seemingly out-of-business tortilleria with an unclear address, but no Mr. Borrego. The phone number I found online (not from any reliable site) was disconnected. Did Mr. Borrego move? Is he no more?

Instead, I continued on Maple to Rosita's Tex-Mex, where I had brisket tacos (not great) and this chile relleno. I didn't order a cheese enchilada, which got me thinking about whether, as a commenter suggested, that's the thing to order in a Tex-Mex place. They're usually so goopy. As was this chile relleno. Rice and beans were good, which is a whole 'nother story. Anyone who's every made them knows they're not that simple to cook, but they're almost always really good in restaurants.

Any intelligence on Mr. Borrego? Or other taqueria recommendations on or near Maple Ave.? I'm already a fan of La Paisanita.

Opening day for the El Paso-based restaurant chain's new McKinney Avenue location is set for July 11.

In related Uptown news, looks like The Cupcakery is coming along nicely in the former Tempest Tea space close by. The Dallas version of the Frisco bakery (with Vegas roots) had hoped to open in June.

Photo by cwynn

Yep, it's official. Fedora's Brittney O'Daniel says the One Arts Plaza restaurant will (finally) reopen this Thursday at 4 p.m. Look for complimentary cocktails to kick things off, making it a truly happy hour.

Fedora Restaurant and Lounge, 1722 Routh Street, One Arts Plaza, www.fedoradallas.com

Here's the word from Parigi co-chef Janice Provost:

"Beginning on July 3, Parigi will be closed to do our annual refresh, fluff
and stuff. The staff goes on vacation as well to get refreshed.

"On July 10 for dinner, we will re-open. We are so excited to unveil what we
have accomplished, and the neighborhood regulars are excited to have their
kitchen back open for business."

Early Sunday morning, ALO, Taco and Duni Borga's Mexican-Peruvian restaurant, caught fire after what is believed to have been an electrical malfunction, according to their publicist. The kitchen fire resulted in several hundred thousand dollars in damage, and repairs are estimated to take two to three months.

Ironically, executive chef Julia Lopez is in Baltimore, competing with 30 other chefs in the Taste of Elegance National Pork Competition with her pork shoulder tacos. It would be sweet for her to win. We'll keep you posted on ALO (www.alodallas.com) and chef Lopez's progress.

Though there are some glimmers of good news, particularly for lower-priced restaurants, overall the Dallas restaurant community continues to slog through one of the worst economic environments in a generation.
That was the consensus of several speakers at the 2009 Southwest Foodservice Expo, which kicked off its three-day run Sunday at the Dallas Convention Center.
Mark Brezinski said that by cutting hours at his Bengal Coast restaurant and boosting marketing, he's been able to reduce -- but not eliminate -- the amount he's had to spend subsidizing operations.
"It's still a struggle," said Brezinski. "Nobody is standing around saying how great things are."
"We're in a business where you have to create reasons for people to come in," he said.
Jeremy Scharf is vice president and co-owner of Maui Foods International, which makes gourmet cookie and muffin batter in a plant in Deep Ellum. His bake-it-yourself mixes are mainly served at hotels -- a segment hit hard by the current downturn.
Still, he said his business has held up well.
When businesses schedule events at hotels, "maybe they're cutting back on full lunches but still having break out sessions with coffee and muffins," he said. "So we're OK."
Mathew Mabel, who moderated a panel on surviving the economic downturn, said he's not looking for significant improvement until late this year or early next year.
As to whether "stay-cations" will mean more eating locally this summer, he said he it's too early to tell

I swung by the epic project at 1921 Henderson near Ross to see just how close PARK is to opening. What I found was definitely a work in progress. The exterior landscaping's just going in (this is the mundane stuff, not the publicized, planned greenery inside), the patio and the lounge are still under construction, although the innnards - including a bar and main dining area - are close to finished. There are already tables stacked together and ready to set up.

The main dining area has a huge window which makes it feel open, and the patio has a fireplace, which we probably won't need for several months. I'm told the lounge will probably open a few weeks after the other rooms. And I don't know where those bocce ball courts are going.

Meanwhile, I hope Marc Cassel and crew plan to use valet parking because the small parking lot was so clogged with worker vehicles that it was impossible to even turn around. So when is PARK opening? Early to mid-July.

The Dallas Business Journal reports July 15 is opening day for the 8,900-square-foot hot spot, which will include a "Rock Shop" of limited-edition merch.

As for memorabilia, I'll be waiting to check out the bubble-gum pink rhinestone cowboy ensemble Madonna wore on the cover of "Music." Hey, Mr. DJ.

Cathy Barber spotted an ad for a new restaurant in the "Taste" pages of the July issue of D magazine. Geisha House, according to the ad, promises sushi, a teppanyaki grill and sake, for lunch, dinner, happy hour, private dining, sake dinners. Attached to the ad is one for Roppongi Bar Tokyo Tavern. Sounds cool! "Live Music. Signature Sips. Late Night Dining," it says. The bottom of the Geisha House ad says "NOW OPEN."

It's not. I drove by the location at Cedar Springs and Routh. It still looks like a construction site. The website doesn't work yet. It doesn't look related to L.A. Geisha House (owned by the Dolce Group); in any case, the logo's different.

Does anyone know anything about it? (Well, I'm sure someone does...but are they reading this?)

On Friday I had a friend visiting from L.A., so we headed out to Ham Orchard. I wanted her to see and taste first-hand that Texas peaches are even better than the best in California. (Of course ice cream cones were involved.) Back on County Road 309 heading for home, she yelled, "Turn around!!!" -- we had just passed a crawfish stand.

Just a wee bit west of Ham, on the opposite side of the highway, there it was: Possum's Place. The sign just says "Crawfish Shrimp." The old clunkers in the grassy parking lot look like they haven't been started in a decade. We ordered a pound of crawfish for $3.75, and the fellow manning the stockpots gave them to us in a brown bag to go. Possum, he explained to us, nodding toward the picnic table, drives out to Louisiana twice a week to bring them back. Possum Blow, it turned out, was the twinkly-eyed gentleman in fedora and plaid shirt sitting at the picnic table.

"How do you eat them?" asked my friend, innocently (remember, we're from California. We have Dungeness crab, but no crawfish...). What she meant, she told me later, was do you squeeze lemon on them or dip them in mayonnaise? OK, go ahead, laugh...we deserve it.

VALERIE JARVIE made it to the opening of Carolina's last night. Her report:

Restaurateur Carolina Galvan-Rodriguez opened her new venture, Carolina's Mexican Cuisine last night, hosting a packed-house party benefiting Rainbow Days Inc.

Galvan-Rodriguez was a co- founder of the MCrowd Restaurant Group, developers of the upscale Tex-Mex Mi Cocina chain. The culinary focus of her new cantina will be toward "more authentic regional Mexican cuisine," she says (although you'll still find plenty of your favorite enchiladas, quesadillas and the like on the menu, along with a killer sangría-ínfused margarita called La Bomba).

Galvan-Rodriguez's company (called the "After All Restaurant Group") has plans for another concept as well: Taco Mundo, a casual nuevo taqueria dishing up brisket and rib eyes tacos, is slated to debut in July in the Preston Royal Shopping Center and Centreport Development in Fort Worth.

Carolina's Mexican Cuisine, 3950 Rosemeade, Dallas; 469-568-0988.

Longtime restaurateurs Phil and Janet Cobb, their son, Blair Black and barbeque expert Chris Andrews have launched a new venture: Cobb Switch Barbeque in Carrollton. Former Dallas Morning News restaurant critic Dotty Griffith will serve as a consultant and investor, Black said.
The new BBQ spot is at 2625 Old Denton Road, Suite 700, just north of the George Bush Highway.
Next Saturday, June 27, the restaurant will mark its official grand opening with live entertainment and specials including $1 fried pies and $1 BBQ sliders from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The restaurant also will be accepting donations for the North Texas Food Bank.
Normal hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Dallas foodies will recognize Phil Cobb as the co-founder of the Black-Eyed Pea chain. Janet Cobb launched Salve in Uptown and Mi Piaci in Addison

... according to restaurant partner Brittney O'Daniel. You'll recall Fedora at One Arts Plaza recently took a break. We'll keep you posted.

Photo by Courtney Perry/DMN Staff

If you're planning to swing by either local outlet of Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers on Sunday better go early. The locations on Campbell Road in Dallas and Hebron Parkway in Lewisville, will close at 3 p.m., eight hours early, for the annual company picnic.
The picnic, a tradition for the company's 13 years, is expected to draw nearly 3,000 workers from the chain's 60-plus company-owned stores.
Next year, workers at the upcoming Plano location will be able to join in. The Plano site, near Park Boulevard and Midway Road, is set to open in September.

NBC's DFW Around Town reports that Reata Restaurant in Fort Worth has promoted Juan Rodriguez to executive chef. Here's the story.

Cribbed/lifted from the Urban Crust Web site:

Urban Crust is a a wood-fired pizza restaurant and bar located at 1006 E. 15th in old downtown Plano.

The restaurant is the latest from Italian-born Chef Salvatore Gisellu of Daddy Jacks Wood Grill in Deep Ellum.

The concept was born out of the wood grill in the kitchen, and the menu is centered around the delicious tastes the mesquite and oak wood grill fires up. The restaurant will feature a rooftop ice bar which will sit at a constant 32-degree temperature, sure to be a hit on hot summer Texas nights.

Sounds like fun, especially that chill bar. The phone number is 972-509-1400.

Pegasus' Teresa Gubbins says so and Sidedish sister Sarah Eveans can't get a return phone call. I'm out of the office and in the middle of a flooding rainstorm so will have to follow up later.

Meanwhile, here's a pic of Fedora owner Gina Campisi that I snapped last year while discussing the eatery.

Developing.

UPDATE:I'm hearing now that Campisi is telling her crew and suppliers that Fedora will reopen on Monday. We'll keep you posted.

Speaking of frozen treats that come out of a machine, Pinkberry -- the frozen yogurt concept that ate Los Angeles -- is going national, and Dallas will be its first store outside of California and New York. It'll be interesting to see whether it's a hit or a miss here. The concept is frozen yogurt in only two flavors, plain and green tea, with a wide variety of fresh fruit and other toppings to choose from. From the company's website, it looks as though they've added another flavor -- pomegranate -- since I last visited.

In L.A., people went crazy over it, and the stores, which kept popping up all over town, had lines out the doors. Until they didn't. Stores started closing. Suddenly it wasn't so hip anymore.

As for the yogurt, it's, well, OK. The plain is tangy, and not too sweet. The green tea has a nice, tangy tea flavor. I could never get excited about it -- any more than I could get about Sprinkles, another L.A. craze -- but for a while there, I was clearly in the minority.

But you be the judge. I'll be curious to hear what y'all think. (Anyone tasted it in California or New York?) The publicist didn't have a date or location nailed down for the opening, but I'm guessing this summer.

Canton farmer J.T. Lemley is legendary among local tomato fans. That's him helping Parigi chef Janice Provost choose tomatoes at his stand at the Dallas Farmers Market. Find out what she does with the tomatoes in Kim Pierce's story. Kim also got four other chefs to share their favorite sources for local ingredients, including the Homestead Gristmill products used at Kent Rathbun's Blue Plate Kitchen.

The Dallas Morning News' Cheryl Hall reports on the passing of Norman Brinker, "the man who changed America's definition of casual dining out." He was the chairman emeritus of Dallas-based Brinker International, Inc., which owns Chili's Grill & Bar, Maggiano's Little Italy and On the Border Mexican Grill & Cantina.

Do you have a memory to share? Leave a comment.

As you may have heard, Carolina Galvan-Rodriguez, who helped launch Mi Cocina with her former husband, Mico Rodriguez (he has since left M Crowd) is set to open her own Mexican food eateries this summer.

There are two concepts with multiple locations.

Carolina's Mexican Cuisine will debut at Rosemeade Parkway near George Bush mid-June with a second location coming at the end of the month at I-75 and W. Parker Road.

The trendier-sounding Taco Mundo (or "world") will debut mid-July at the southeast corner of Preston Royal Shopping Center. Expect a mod, late '60s design vibe from Dallas-based firm Zero 3 with sleek banquettes and a smattering of white Eames "Eiffel" chairs. A second Taco Mundo will debut late July at Highway 360 and Trinity Boulevard.

I just caught up with Kristen Kauffman, co-owner (with husband Mitch) of Urbano Cafe, which opened yesterday for lunch. "Dinners will start next week," she said, "and we're super excited." She's hoping Thursday will be the dinner debut. Then she blurted out, "We've got roasted garlic mayo. It's not aioli." Ha! That goes on the Urbano Club, one of their new sandwiches.

No aioli in the joint? "It's virtually aioli-free," says Kauffman. "I can't guarantee you there won't be aioli on the dinner menu." But if there is, she says, "it will be an aioli, not a mayo."

Christopher Wynn had the scoop early on. Anyone been?

Urbano Cafe, 1410 N. Fitzhugh, 214-823-8550, www.urbanodallas.com

It isn't every day that a press release lists the landscape specialist at a new restaurant, but there it is for PARK, a concept opening "early summer" on Henderson Avenue.

Jason Pautz did the 'scaping where Marc Cassel will be serving "collision cuisine" (that what it says) in five rooms that range from the Garden to the Bocce Bar (two full-size Bocce courts). Heavy on native flora (the landscaping, that is), PARK aspires to be a neighborhood gathering spot.

But here's what piques my interest: A wine-biz buddy, presumably working with Cassel on the wine list, was talking up the concept about a month ago without explaining what it was. Either he's really excited about it, or he's one convincing spin doc. I think it's probably the former, and if he has anything to do with the wine list, it will be terrific.

PARK is at 1921 Henderson; the Web site is www.parkhenderson.com (nothing up yet).

In its July issue, Consumer Reports -- known for ranking everything from cars to detergent -- takes on the restaurant trade. Results for the home teams were mixed.
The publication looks at more than 100 restaurant chains nationwide, grouped in nine categories.
Cheddar's Casual Café, founded in 1978 near Six Flags Arlington, took the top post in the "pubstyle or grill" category. That put it 15 spots ahead of Dallas-based Chili's Grill & Bar, one of the largest chains in the nation and 19 spots ahead of TGI Friday's, based in Carrollton.
Chili's corporate cousins - Maggiano's Little Italy and Romano's Macaroni Grill - came in fourth and fifth, respectively, in the Italian category. Chili's and Maggiano's are owned by Dallas-based Brinker International Inc., which has a minority stake in Mac Grill.
Abuelo's, based in Lubbock, and On the Border Mexican Grill & Cantina, another Brinker concept, took first and second place, respectively, in the Mexican category.
Best "family" restaurant we wish we had? First Watch, the breakfast/sandwich chain that lists no outlets in Texas, though you can check it out if you're headed toward Tulsa.
A bite-sized portion of the article is available here. The July issue is on newsstands.

Lazare, the West Village restaurant focusing on local, sustainable, farm-to-table ingredients when it opened in March, is now serving...frozen drinks! Woo-hoo!

Today at Side Dish, Nancy Nichols posted her ill-fated review of the place. She only had the benefit of visiting the restaurant when David Gilbert was the chef, and she describes her state when she found out Gilbert was out as "mad as a wet hen." In the course of relating the story she writes that Lazare owner Russell Hayward talked to me and told me Ryan Carbery was the new chef; in fact, that's not quite right, so I wrote a comment on her post setting the record straight. (Who cares, you're wondering? Maybe no one, but we journalists have an irresistible urge to correct errors.)

I called both Bill Hutchinson, Lazare's investment partner, whom Nancy quoted in her post and Hayward, Lazare's operating partner, to get from the horse's mouths what their intentions are at Lazare. Are they really thinking of "doing something completely different" as Nancy's post suggests? They both said no, and then proceeded to tell me that the restaurant is evolving, like all restaurants do, and that they're simply adding a few more bar food items.

Oh, yeah, and they've added frozen bar drinks. "We're just tweaking our concept," Hutchinson told me. Hutchinson, who backed Alberto Lombardi at the erstwhile Pescabar in the same space, explained it this way: "Pescabar was the wrong concept for this location because West Village is a lot more youth-oriented and people like to see and be seen, mingle, drink and eat younger food and bar food, and this is exactly what Russell put together for me."

Well, not exactly.

Just noticed that one of the new tenants in Preston Center is Texas de Brazil Express. I don't know what that means, but I can guess it doesn't mean servers slicing off meaty bits at your table. This could be a good thing. We don't have a quickie-steakie place in Preston Center. Of course, once it's open, it's only going to exacerbate the tight parking situation.

The American Institute of Architects L.A. chapter's annual restaurant design competition has been opened up to establishments outside of L.A. for this first time this year, and among the 16 finalists, one from China, one from Brazil, one from Denver, a couple from San Francisco and 9 from L.A., there's one from Dallas -- Five Sixty. Another Texas spot, La Condesa in Austin, also made it to the finals.

Want to weigh in? AIA/LA is also hosting a "People's Choice" Award. Click here, and you can vote on your favorite restaurant design among the finalists. People's Choice and Jury winners will be announced on June 26.

Which begs the question: We have some spectacular-looking restaurants here in Dallas besides Five Sixty. Which Dallas restaurant do you feel is best designed? Do tell!

Photo by Carter Rose

Remember WiWi Kitchen, the fast-food Asian fusion spot that opened, oh, like ten seconds ago on Mockingbird Lane near SMU? Well, they've changed their name to Wai Wai Kitchen. I stopped in to ask why. The young woman behind the counter explained that customers were pronouncing it "wee-wee," and apparently the management didn't like that. They intended it to be "way-way." "why-why." So they changed it to WaiWai Kitchen. Got that?

Photo by Wylie Peremarti

Following up on my previous chat with Mitch Kauffman, he confirms that they are "99.9 percent sure" that Urbano Cafe will open next Wednesday. The final inspections happen this week.

The new pint-sized version of the couple's former Urbano panini and pasta eatery will start with lunch service from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The following week, look for dinner hours to be added on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.

Word up: Urbano Cafe will be B.Y.O.B.. but you can always pop next door to Jimmy's for a bottle of red.

Urbano Cafe, 1410 N. Fitzhugh, 214-823-8550, www.urbanodallas.com

Photos by cwynn: Mitch Kauffman at Urbano Cafe, mid-construction

Bob Sambol, owner of Bob's Steak and Chop House, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Karen Robinson-Jacobs has the story.

I just got the scoop (no one really says that at newspapers) from Ildefonzo Jimenez on Si Tapas Restaurant and Bar, which officially opened today in the former Watel's space in the State-Allen neighborhood (basically Uptown).

Although he kept some holdovers from his Hola menu, "It's more of a full-course menu with a big tapas selection," he says. Where he had some 30 tapas at Hola, he's making between 50 and 55 here, he says, plus "entrees, salads and soups - a full Spanish restaurant."

There's patio seating front and back, and you can park yourself or valet Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. At lunch, he says, feel free to park in the old 2900 restaurant lot. And you may also park in the school lot at the end of the street when no one's there.

No reservations are taken except for large parties. Hours are Sunday-Thursday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. (bar till midnight), Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to midnight (bar till 2 a.m.). The address is 2207 Allen; phone is 214-720-0324.

If you loved Ildefonso Jimenez's Hola! on McKinney, which closed last year, or Cafe Madrid, which he helped found, you'll be glad to hear that he's up and running again with a new restaurant called Si. We can hope it's an evolution of the tapas/small plates concepts he helped develop in Dallas.

It's in the old Watel's location at 2207 Allen St., which means it has a gorgeous green space out back that's part of the power company's right-of-way.

Now, here's my problem: My information comes from good enough sources to make the announcement of the current soft opening. But I cannot find a phone number for either Jimenez or Si. Anybody got some details on how to reach the person or the place?

Blair Black and Chris Andrews soft-opened Cobb Switch BBQ in Carrollton on Monday. The press release says that in addition to smoked meats, they're also serving house-made desserts including fried cherry or apricot pies and banana-butterscotch pudding. The grand opening is planned for June 6.

Has anyone been? What did you think?

Cobb Switch BBQ, 2625 Old Denton Road, Carrollton; 214-483-3600

Kim Pierce had it right -- Zymology did close. I sent an email to the link on the website and received the following response from owner Ben Verdooren:

"I did close. I closed this past Monday. I closed due to lack of funds. Also I was under the impression that the area was going to improve when I signed the lease, but it never did due to the economy. And my establishment was not for the people who hung out in that area. I needed a lot of marketing to let people know where I was and a lot of people never thought that there was a nice place to go on Lowest Greenville. "

Ben, best of luck in whatever your next venture may be.

Randall Copeland, the chef -- or should I say co-chef -- of AVA, a new restaurant in Rockwall, just gave me a buzz to make sure AVA's on my radar. I didn't tell him this, but I've already been -- it's a stylish and warm dining room, where he's featuring produce from local farms. Or should I say he and his co-chef are featuring produce from local farms. Chef means "chief" or "boss," so it's very unusual for a kitchen to be headed up equally by two people, but Copeland and his co-chef Nathan Tate get equal billing. They're co-owners as well.

All I had to do was ask Copeland what's on his mind right now, and he started talking produce. "We just saw the first peaches from Canton," he said excitedly. "And dewberries. We're going to put those into a cobbler." Fruit desserts -- that's definitely something to get excited about.

He chattered about creamer peas -- "I was thinking about putting them on sweetbreads, or maybe a foie dish," and purple hull peas, "and we're getting some beautiful favas from Barking Cat Farm in Heath."

He's rolling out a new menu next week, though he pointed out that he changes up a couple dishes every week. "Sugar snap peas have been real good," he said. "Alaskan halibut came in a couple weeks ago; we've been doing that with sugar snap peas and an heirloom tomato emulsion." Next week he'll have soft shell crab, "and the Copper River salmon has arrived," he said. "I'm just waiting for the price to come down a little."

So are we.

Restaurant AVA, 108 S. Goliad, Rockwall; 469-698-9920; www.restaurantava.com

I've got plenty to say about the new Burguesa Burger from Genghis Grill and Which Wich founder Jeff Sinelli (above). However, I think I'll just let this eye-popping exterior and mouth-watering food shot do the talking for right now.

If you can't wait for me to get off deadline to tell you more, then take your own trip to the Mexican burger eatery next to the original Sonny Bryan's Smokehouse at 2222 Inwood.

FYI ... Mexican pesos are accepted in addition to U.S. dollars.

Food shot: The signature "La Monumental" burger loaded with beef, cheese, slice of ham, avocado, crunchy tostada, refried beans, lettuce, tomato and secret sauce served on a Bimbo sesame seed bun and speared with a whole jalapeno pepper. Bonus: The shake straws are topped with a mini-donut and the Mexican fountain drinks are made with cane sugar. I know, right?

Cadot opened its doors today for the first time in the former Positano spot. 'Don't have a lot of details except that it's French and the chef/namesake is Jean Marie Cadot, who worked previously with restaurateur Alberto Lombardi. Cadot is at 18111 Preston (at Frankford); phone number 972-267-5700.

In other namesake restaurant news, Rick Stein who most recently ran his namesake-now-closed restaurant in North Dallas, joins Screen Door in One Arts Plaza as general manager.

Side Dish reported last week that Craft Dallas' chef Anthony Zapolla is moving to Los Angeles and that Jeff Harris, who was executive sous chef in Dallas, has been promoted to executive chef. Here's more news on that front: Laurel Wimberg, who was assistant pastry chef, is now pastry chef. And actually, Harris' new title is chef de cuisine, which is the top chef position at all the Crafts (Tom Colicchio is executive chef). Harris' former position was sous chef.

According to Craft's publicist Elizabeth Matthews, Harris will not be introducing a new menu -- not anytime soon, anyway. "I think there will be a few dishes he'll probably change," she says, "but nothing immediately."

A Dallas News employee sent this along to me:

Just passing this along...I'm in the Facebook group for Zymology and got this message this morning:

The place didn't even make it 6 months...wow.

The phone still has the recording on. The Web site's still up. I'll try to find out what happened to this promising Lower Greenville gastropub. Although, we all probably know: The economy happened.

The Lombardi family has opened their third Penne Pomodoro, in the former Kitchen 1924 space in Lakewood Shopping Center. Anna Lombardi Daigle oversees the Italian bistro concept, with additional locations in Snider Plaza and at Preston-Forest.

Nancy Nichols reported on Side Dish this morning that John Tesar has left Fishtail by David Burke in New York, and will be returning to Texas to open Tesar's Modern Steak and Sustainable Seafood in The Woodlands, Texas.

Nancy quotes Tesar as saying that his move had nothing to do with New York Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni's one-star review of Fishtail. "I wasn't even employed at the restaurant when Bruni ate there," Tesar told her. Hmmm. How could he possibly know that? And it also seems unlikely that the New York Times sat on the review that long. Normally, when a chef is replaced, if a newspaper has a review in the works, they'll hold it until the critic can assess the new chef's cooking.

Anyway, good work, Nancy. Here's the link.

Sincere apologies to anyone who showed up last night for La Calle Doce's grand re-opening. We had received a press release with the wrong date on it, and never received an update from the restaurant's publicist, who apologizes for any inconvenience. The new date for the grand re-opening is next Wednesday, May 20. The corrected release follows after the jump.

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

It didn't take long for Lazare owner Russell Hayward to replace David Gilbert, whose departure was blogged Saturday on Side Dish, and picked up here. Drumroll, please....

Ryan Carbery, who was Gilbert's sous chef when the restaurant opened less than a month and a half ago, is taking over as executive chef. Like Gilbert, Carbery recently moved to Dallas from L.A., where he was chef de tournant at Fraiche, chef Jason Travi's well-respected bistro. "Travi is by far the greatest chef I've ever worked for in my life," says Carbery, who also says Lazare's chef change does not mean a change in concept. "We're primarily sticking with American comfort food, and still supporting the local farms. I was with David when we were developing all these relationships in the beginning, so I was ready to carry on."

Carbery is changing the menu, though. "There are some changes that will be made today," he says, adding that a number of the dishes were already his. "David was very fair to me when we were developing the menu," he says, "and let me put on a lot of things that were mine. There will be changes to about 40 percent of the menu."

So what happened? I couldn't immediately reach Hayward or Gilbert. "David was moving on," says Carbery, "and I don't know what else to say." More to come as Hayward and Gilbert are reached.

The formerly ungentrified end of Henderson Avenue continues to get, well, gentrified.

I guess that's why four-year-old Café San Miguel decided it was time to spiff things up and build a front patio. We got a first look at the design (above) that was just approved this week.

The eye behind the new project is realtor and branding guru John Paul Valverde, owner of Dallas-based Coevál Real Estate and Coevál Studio, and the design force behind the new Lumi in Uptown.

Valverde says the new San Miguel patio is intended to act "as a visual volume and to separate it from the existing patios on Henderson. Although there are really nice patios, we would like to counter the norm of wood decks and wood posts."

Color selections and materials are still pending, but expect the final result to feel upscale. Should be an ideal perch to enjoy a frozen Pomerita.

Café San Miguel, 1907 N. Henderson Ave., 214-370-9815, www.cafesanmigueldallas.com

Quick's Farah Fleurima has the story here. I will miss the Lakewood tavern's fish and chips, spirited football-watching parties and those fabulous "snugs" -- the partially enclosed booths.

So, what did you for Mother's Day? We took mom for a road trip to Dublin, Texas (more on that later) where my late grandmother lived. After paying our respects, we cruised through nearby Hico and had lunch at the famed Koffee Kup family restaurant.

Loved it, such a page out of small town Texas. We had a starter of hand-battered onion rings and then I moved on to chicken-fried chicken with gravy, broccoli, buttered corn, hot rolls and a slice of homemade chocolate meringue pie for dessert. (Followed by collapsing in the car.)

If you make ever make it out to visit, don't forget to check out Wiseman House Chocolates across the parking lot.

Koffee Kup, Highway 6 & Highway 281, Hico, TX, 254-796-4839

Photos by cwynn

What does a mad, wet hen look like? I think I know what one sounds like. Check out Nancy Nichols' livid entry on SideDish, where she excoriates chef David Gilbert and Lazare owner Russell Hayward for not telling her a parting of the ways was imminent.

'Seems she is maddest because the June issue of D magazine was going to press - with a review of the restaurant in it that both knew about. And then, according to her account, when she asked why Gilbert was leaving, she just got the runaround from both parties.

Lazare is re-concepting. Or not re-concepting, depending on who you talk to, according to Nancy's report. Either way, this promises to be a sticky regrouping, given all the local producers Gilbert had lined up to supply his kitchen. And once again, Gilbert is without a restaurant.

I just got back from Stephan Pyles, where the man himself showed me some of the floor plans and renderings for Samar. It uses the palette of India, with golds and reds giving way to turquoise and purple.

I particularly liked the drawings of the wall behind the teardrop-shaped bar, which will include urns and other objects in a bronze-red spectrum inset in niches of back-lit gold. Elsewhere, floaty light fixtures look like turquoise-and-purple fabric boxes dangling from the ceiling with the light shining out the bottom.

But then, the chairs are simple, curve-backed and contemporary, harkening back to the '60s and signaling that this will be a more casual dining spot. With seating only for 70, it also will also have a more intimate feel - at least from the drawings. Stephan's also thinking of going the no-reservation route because it is so small, a first for the Dallas chef.

Next Wednesday, May 13, La Calle Doce, the Mexican seafood restaurant closed after a fire last summer, is set to reopen in Lakewood. The mayor will be there for the ribbon-cutting and grand re-opening fiesta from 5 to 8 p.m. Free margaritas! Free hors d'ouevres! The release comes after the jump.

I was going to check out this new Asian fusion restaurant today at lunch, and there was a hand-lettered sign on the door that said it was closed to due fire. A call to ROCC's phone number yields only a recorded message that says, "Sorry, you can't leave a message now." I guess the Thai basil rice will have to wit.o

The Ocean Prime chain is opening a location of its "modern American supper club" in a new building called Rosewood Court at Cedar Springs Road and Pearl Street. Business reporter Steve Brown has the full scoop here.

Ocean Prime has three locations in Florida and one each in Detroit and Phoenix. Have you been to one of these? What did you think?

Just judging from the Web site, I gotta say it sounds an awful lot like Oceanaire in both menu and atmosphere. But I am intrigued by the Orlando menu's truffled deviled eggs and jalapeno au gratin.

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.

At least, that's what it felt like on Saturday when we stopped by the famed diner for a quick lunch. I went to pay at the front counter and their debit/credit card machine was running in slow motion. Soon, there were almost ten of us standing around to pay and a few folks just went back to their tables.

The problem? Somebody in the back office was sending a fax and tying up the diner's internet connection. So much for technology.

Original Market Diner, 4434 Harry Hines Blvd., 214-521-0992

Photo by Tom Fox: Longtime Market Diner server and cashier Natalie Woodley

As Nancy Nichols has reported over on SideDish, the chef for Samar, Stephan Pyles' new restaurant, will be Vijay Sadhu, who worked at Clay Pit in Addison and put together the wonderful food at Bukhara Grille in Richardson (see Bill Addison's review here).

Stephan just told me that he's looking at a Sept. 1 opening date. The construction on the restaurant at 2100 Ross at Jacinto is going to start in a couple of weeks.

Here's what he told Nancy about Samar's menu: "We'll be doing Middle Eastern, Lebanese, Turkish, Moroccan, Spanish and South American small plates. The space will have incredible views and a patio with a hookah lounge."

If that's hard to imagine, think of it as exotic dishes seen through the interpretive lens or palate of an American chef. "This food is exotic, not rarified," Stephan says. "It's peasant food. It's of the earth. It's comfort and robust flavors that embrace you."

A loyal Sushi on McKinney fan e-mailed to tell me that it's back - one block south from the original location. "They have all my old favorites," she writes, "and their new digs are very attractive."

But here's the rub: There's no phone listing. So I can't verify. Still, unless this fan is living in a parallel universe, she's been there, seen it. Anybody got a phone number? Anybody wanna go for sushi?

Just got word from the peeps at Bliss Raw Cafe that they are pushing their public opening to this Friday.

The new raw and vegan spot was supposed to open today, but yesterday's thunderstorm caused a few leaks that need repair first.

Look for daily hours starting on Friday of 3:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., with lunch service to be added soon.

6855 Greenville Ave, 214-987-0204, www.blissrawcafe.com

A friend, driving by the new Twisted Root in Richardson, snapped this photo. The restaurant closed for the day because the Food Network show "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" is filming for tonight's episode, "A Burger, a Bowl and a Slice."

I just got off the phone with a very excited Khoa Nguyen, owner of the about-to-open Lemongrass on Elm Street in Deep Ellum. "I should get my certificate of occupancy today, and we should open on Thursday," he says. Tuyet Davis is the chef; her last gig was as owner of East Wind on Routh Street. "She came out of retirment to help me," says Nguyen. Of his chosen location, he says, "Nobody believes in Deep Ellum anymore, and we took it as a challenge."

Nguyen describes the food they'll be serving as "refined Vietnamese cooking," though clearly there's some fusion happening too. Dishes will include sugar cane shrimp spring rolls; seared steak spring rolls; Peking duck quesadillas; something called ancient shrimp beignets (Nguyen says that appetizer includes sweet potato); French-style Vietnamese crepes with shrimp, scallops, onions and mung beans; fried catfish with corn rice and pork tenderloin saute with black bean sauce and scallions.

Sounds intriguing. They're working on a website. The restaurant will be open for lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday, closed Sundays.

Lemongrass, 2711 Elm St.; 214-745-0001

Joining fast-food vendors such as Subway, Carrollton-based TGI Friday's Monday announced a limited time offer: salads and sandwiches for $5.
Get the details on the dallasnews.com business page.

There's a new pizza franchise in town, and it's called HotBox Pizza, based out of Indianapolis. This is the first HotBox outside of Indiana, and it sounds just right for a college town with pizzas like the Hot Chick, the Big Cheese and Porky the Pie.

On Saturday, May 2, the first 100 customers will receive free pizza for a year. That translates to one pizza a month for 12 months. Hours are Sunday-ThursdayTuesday 11 a.m. to midnight, Wednesday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 4 a.m. The restaurant is at 214 E. Hickory. You can start lining up now.

The finish-out work continues on Dallas' new spot for raw and vegan fare, but Bliss Raw Cafe and Elixir Bar still plans to open to the public next Tuesday, April 28. Find them on Upper Greenville near Park Lane.

Dallas Vegan blog founder Eddie Garza had a chance to do an early sampling and wrote about it recently for the Dallas Observer's City of Ate. (Lots of intermingling blogs here today.)

UPDATE: Here's one more. Lisa Petty was with Eddie G. on his original outing and has her own detailed take on Bliss Raw Cafe over on Dallas Eats.

Hearty eaters start your engines. Dallas-area McDonald's restaurants plan to launch a 1/3-pound Angus beef burger this summer - just as you were trying to fit into a swim suit.
"We're going to have the product in June," said Dallas restaurateur Ed Bailey, who owns 63 local McDonald's.
In test for years, an expanded roll-out of the premium-beef burger has been stalled by equipment issues, he said.
Bailey said the burger, made from a more expensive cut of beef than other McDonald's sandwiches, will be "the most expensive burger on the menu," though he he has not yet decided on a price. In other test markets, including New York and Southern California, the Angus burger has sold for about $4.00.
Even with the nation still in the maw of a stubborn recession, Bailey thinks the burger will sell.
"I think there's a consumer who wants a larger portion," said Bailey. "The results in other [test] markets have been very positive. There seems to be consumer demand for it."
A McDonald's spokeswoman declined to say whether the Dallas offering will be an expansion of the previous test markets or the beginning of a national roll-out.

Chili's is following a number of casual dining chains, including Friday's, in offering smaller portions for less money. The chain's "10 under $7" program is just one of the many attempts restaurateurs are making to get consumers to part with their money. Check out the details in the dallasnews.com business section.

Over on D Magazine's Side Dish blog, Nancy Nichols offers a look at a place called Roaster's at Preston and LBJ. Which I have not been to (how in the world did I miss this?), but I can vouch for its lineage. The first Roasters & Toasters restaurant is a couple of miles from where I grew up in SFlorida. That location, where I have stood in line many times, is a Real Deal, New York style deli. From Nancy's description (and the Roasters website) it looks like they're bringing the whole schmear to Dallas. If they have, it will be a welcome addition to a small list of good local delis. I'll report back if they've successfully done the transfer.

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.

Remember The Brad? He's one of our savvy local food bloggers, and he's got a first look at Yutaka Yamato's Sharaku Sake Lounge, two doors down from Yutaka Sushi Bistro on McKinney. Check it out here. I just want to know: What is "pressed sushi"?

There's a new online service that helps you find BYO-friendly restaurants in Dallas: www.GoBYO.com. The company that runs the Web site, DiningInfo, says BYOB is a growing trend, and the site does a good job with ferreting out BYOB spots in Dallas.

But here's the rub: It's more complicated than that in Texas.

Looking to prove to your dinner guests that you can serve food that tastes like it was prepared by a celebrity chef?
Good timing. Fearing's Restaurant in the Ritz-Carlton Dallas is now offering off-site catering, the restaurant and swanky hotel said Wednesday.
While the restaurant has catered gatherings in its private dining rooms since it opened in 2007, this is described as the first time it's offered its "award-winning service and culinary creativity to off-premise locations" in DFW.
Now Fearing's food can be transported for parties, weddings, corporate gatherings and other soirees.
At the helm as the project ramps up is Bradley Bandfield, off-premise catering coordinator, who also serves as a captain in Fearing's dining room.
No word yet on how much cash Fearing's hopes to generate with the new venture.

According to the Dallas Business Journal, Tei An at One Artz Plaza is the only local restaurant to make Travel + Leisure magazine's list of the top 50 Best New U.S. Restaurants 2009.

The chic soba spot from chef-owner Teiichi Sakurai (above) came in at No. 37 while the top four eateries were all in Chicago. (Hmm, interesting.) The mag cites Tei An's soba with grilled scallions and duck as a favorite.

Photos by Carter Rose

Local barbecue blogger Daniel Vaughn did a little investigative barbecue journalism that uncovered a most interesting story about a judgment in Illinois and its link to Cowboys Barbecue & Ribs, a new barbecue place in Colleyville, where there was an arrest on April 3 for "unlawful carrying a weapon on alcohol premises." I won't spoil Vaughn's blog post here, but I will say we all need to give Cowboys a fresh chance. Nice work, Daniel.

General Joe's Chopstick was a fixture for so many years in the Mockingbird strip at Airline next to SMU. Good, cheap Chinese. I still miss the chicken salad with ginger dressing and the ever-reliable dumplings.

Recently, I saw that WiWi Kitchen has opened in its place - a sort of next-generation Gen. Joe's. It's Asian fusion but largely Thai, and Thai-owned, with dishes like tulip dumplings, satay, curries and rice. The place is still a casual, order-at-the-counter affair. Anybody tried it?

I stopped by Cretia's new location, which opened on March 13 on McKinney Ave. The decor is Victorian, with a stamped tin ceiling, wooden tables, brocade upholstery on wooden chairs and high wooden banquette. Israel Fearon, formerly of Scene and the Cape Hotel, is chef -- for the moment, anyway. When I called to inquire, a manager referred to him as "interim chef," but then referred to him as chef. "Is he staying?" I asked. "Presently, yes," he said. "Let's just put him down as chef." OK, he's down as chef.

The menu online is not what you'll get in the restaurant, where it's much more abbreviated (for the moment, anyway) -- at lunch a couple of pizzas, a burger, a sandwich, a few salads. At dinner, mostly comfort food: a daily pot pie, Cajun meatloaf, grilled wild salmon with roasted tomato butter sauce and fennel salad, pork tenderloin with maple Bourbon butter sauce, a couple of pizzas...

Have you stopped by yet? What did you think?

Cretia's, 4900 McKinney Ave., 214-780-0200; www.cretias.com/mckinney

I'm so thrilled to report a little good news. Just got the following email from Elizabeth Sanchez-Hightower, chef Kelly's wife.

"Christopher, we did close Saturday night thinking it would be our last, but we have reopened as of today. For now, we are BYOB until we renew our liquor license. Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. Please let everyone know we are open. Thank you all for your continued support."

Mystery solved, folks. I say we all pick up a bottle of wine and go welcome Kavala back tonight in style.

Kavala, 1417 W Davis, 214-942-8100

Photo by Juan Garcia: The Greek island fish stew with monkfish, shrimp, and mussels in a tomato fennel broth.

In our conversation about Kavala, reader DM says: "On a related note, I heard that 2900 closed last week ... any news on this?"

I checked, the website is down and the phone has been temporarily disconnected. 2900 is/was the upscale sister eatery to Thomas Avenue Beverage Co. (better known as TABC) in Uptown.

A coworker reports hearing that Kavala, chef Kelly Hightower's cozy little Mediterranean spot on West Davis, closed Saturday night. The news allegedly came from an employee of the restaurant.

I've called and emailed, but can't get a confirmation either way.

Anyone out there know anything?

UPDATE: Still nothing official from Hightower's camp, but readers have offered a variety of answers:

1. Anonymous writes: "Definitely closed. I was there Saturday night and they told everyone it was their last night to be open."

2. RestaurantLover says "JUST HEARD THAT KAVALA IS REOPENING!!!! DALLASITES (O.C. PEOPLE) LET'S NOT TAKE THIS PLACE FOR GRANTED."

3. On D's Sidedish blog, Annie suggests "It is closed - I went Saturday night and they told us as soon as we came in that they had limited food and free liquor as it was their last night to be open," but TexasKatey says "I drove by on my way home from the office -- a sign on the door says 'Kavala is on vacation. See you soon.'"

So, basically I'm more confused than ever.

Looking for a really cheap lunch Thursday? How's "free" sound? Pollo Campero, the popular Latin American chicken chain will give away free fried and grilled chicken sandwiches on Thursday to promote the launch of its new sandwich line.
The sandwiches will be given out, one per customer, until supplies run out.
The chain, which specializes in marinated and breaded chicken, has its U.S. headquarters in Dallas, but only four of the nation's 49 oulets are here.
Is there one near you? Click here.

Alas, the Web site lists a Rowlett location that has closed, the company said. If you head to that one, you'll leave hungry.

Remember Mitch and Kristen Kauffman who shuttered their longtime Urbano Paninoteca back in December?

Well, yesterday I had a fabulous visit with Mitch (above) at the work-in-progress location of the couple's newest venture: Urbano Cafe. It is a smaller space, but they will serve the same tasty paninis, pasta and salads they've always been known for.

Yum, but here's the part that makes me laugh.

Mitch asked me to please not reveal the eatery's exact new location in East Dallas just yet. No problem, except that his wife apparently didn't get the memo to keep things on the down low. She tells all to D's Nancy Nichols today on SideDish. (And good for Nichols for getting the scoop.)

I'd say this makes Mitch and Kristen a normal couple. Can't wait for Urbano Cafe to open this spring.

Photos by cwynn

The owner of Bob's Steak & Chop House, the well-known, high-end Dallas steak restaurant, has been indicted for theft.

Bob Sambol (above) could face up to life in prison under the indictment, which was released Thursday. The DMN's Jennifer Emily has the full scoop here.

UPDATE: In a follow-up this weekend, Jennifer Emily writes: "He's a wanted man now, but steaks are wanted, too - and Bob Sambol was still on the job Friday, serving up Texas juiciness at his high-end Bob's Steak & Chop House.

Sambol said that he had made no plans to turn himself in to authorities after being charged with felony theft and accused of swindling an investor out of $300,000. His indictment was made public Thursday.

"No one has told me to so far," said Sambol, 55. "I'm here at the restaurant working. It's business as usual." Read the full story.

Photo by Allison V. Smith

Kent Rathbun (Abacus, Jasper's) is packing them in at Rathbun's Blue Plate Kitchen in Preston Center. The draw is farm-to-table comfort cuisine, hold the sticker shock.

With entrees in the $18 to $27 range, Rathbun team's worked hard to stay local and buy from Texas. And he means it. The chef partnered with the Texas Department of Agriculture to help source everything from micro greens harvested in Dripping Springs and wildflower honey from Round Rock to goat cheese produced in Flower Mound.

Savor the results in a homespun whole wheat pecan waffle starter and a main dish of chicken-fried Texas quail with heirloom corn-chipotle spoonbread. Just don't expect checkered tablecloths. The swank-casual interior is by Jennifer Johanson, who also dressed Wolfgang Puck's Five Sixty.

More trivia: Rathbun loaded the restaurant's Alabama-to-ZZ Top music mix from his own iTunes.

Rathbun's Blue Plate Kitchen, 6130 Luther Lane 214-890-1103, kentrathbun.com

Photo by Carter Rose

Over in Uptown, one of the city's big-deal steakhouses has inspired the more casual spin-off Nick & Sam's Grill. The familiar name paired with high visibility location (the former Strong's) and killer patio has already earned the space full-blown scene status.

Inside, get the white tablecloth treatment on the second floor balcony, or keep things laid-back in the soaring main dining room. Meals start with a tin of house-made potato chips and can take you anywhere from a New York strip steak or Asian salad to a grown-up grilled cheese. Favorite sides include the same deservedly named "damn good fries" served in the original steakhouse.

Behind the curtain here are original Nick & Sam's owners Phil Romano and Joe Palladino, along with exec chef and partner Samir Dhurandhar. The foodie collective also owns Coal Vines and Who's Who Burgers in Highland Park Village.

As for their latest venture, Nick & Sam's Grill has already added a Sunday brunch with waiting-line crowds. Where else can you find Cap'n Crunch- encrusted French toast?

Nick & Sam's Grill, 2816 Fairmount St., 214-303-1880

Photo by Carter Rose

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.

In case you read Kim Harwell's post about Lazare's soft opening tonight and clicked on the link to the restaurant's web site -- actually a blog -- you may have noticed that the restaurant's phone number and address were nowhere in evidence.

No, owner Russell Hayward and chef David Gilbert didn't mean for it to be one of those hipper-than-hip unlisted spots. Providing the vital info just, um, slipped their minds. The grand opening is scheduled for April 1 -- April Fool's Day.

You can find them at:

Lazare, 3699 McKinney Ave. (in West Village), 214-443-6043, www.lazaredallas.com.

The James Beard Foundation has announced the finalists for its 2009 James Beard Awards, and Sharon Hage is in the running for Best Chef: Southwest. Her competition includes Paul Bartolotta (Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare at Wynn in Las Vegas), Ryan Hardy (Montagna at the Little Nell, Aspen, CO), Claude le Tohic (Joël Robuchon at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas) and Andrew Weissman (Le Rêve, San Antonio).

In the category of Outstanding Restaurant, which covers the whole country, Babbo and Jean Georges in New York City were nominated, along with Boulevard (San Francisco), Fore Street (Portland, Maine) and Highlands Bar & Grill (Birmingham, Alabama).

Outstanding Chef finalists include José Andrés, Dan Barber, Tom Colicchio, Suzanne Goin and Paul Kahan.

Winners will be announced on May 4 in New York City.

Find the press release after the jump.

If you've been wondering what chef David Gilbert has been up to since plans for the upscale restaurant Table 18 were scuttled last year, you can find out tonight at the soft opening of Lazare. The new West Village restaurant and bar takes over the former Pescabar space, serving modern American bistro fare.

"It's really reminiscent of old-school New York or Parisian bistros," Gilbert says. "We put a lot of thought into re-imagining classic bistro dishes." That translates into traditional dishes like steak frites made modern with such of-the-moment cooking techniques as sous-vide.

Another hallmark of Lazare's menu is the prevalence of local and sustainable ingredients, from organic coffee and house-bottled Natura water to locally pastured poultry from Dominion Farms in Denison and produce grown specifically for the restaurant by Marie Tedei of Eden's Organic Garden Center in Balch Springs.

"Everything that we've been able to get our hands on locally at this point we're buying," Gilbert says. "Because I spent so much time working with the farmers for Table 18, we've transferred that into this restaurant and continued those relationships."

More details are after the jump.

• Through the end of March, diners who bring a donation of baby items to the Dallas location of Woodlands Grill will receive a free dessert. The goods will be donated to Vogel Alcove, a nonprofit agency assisting homeless children. Items on the wish list include diapers, formula, baby food, bottles, toiletries and infant toys, as well as cash gifts of $10 or more.

• The new Arlington location of BlackFinn American Saloon is open at 4001 Bagpiper Way. The bar and restaurant features live music, booths with private flat-screen TVs, patio dining and happy hour specials.

• Blue Goose Cantina continues its ongoing Quesadilla of the Month promotion at all four area locations. A portion of the proceeds from March's potato and chorizo quesadilla will benefit America Scores, a youth development program that serves nine DISD schools and 288 students through its local branch. The special is available daily for lunch and dinner.

• Anniversary wishes are in order for two long-running area restaurants. Remington's Seafood Grill is celebrating its 30th year in Addison, while Lower Greenville stalwart St. Martin's Wine Bistro has been turning out its French-American cuisine for 32 years.

• Both area locations of Taverna are now open for brunch on both Saturday and Sunday, offering bottomless bellinis and mimosas for $5 with the purchase of an entree.

The last month or so has seen the opening of a host of new dining opportunities throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

• Southeast Asia meets South America at Lumi Empanada and Dumpling Kitchen. As the name suggests, the Uptown eatery specializes in deep-fried meat- and vegetable-stuffed empanadas and steamed or pan-fried Asian dumplings, though the menu also features such exotic bites as ahi tuna nachos, portobello fries and green tea crème brûlée.

• Saint-Emilion owner Bernard Tronche has expanded his culinary horizons with the opening of Fort Worth's Paco and John Mexican Diner. The casual breakfast and lunch spot is a joint venture between Tronche and one of his longtime employees, Francisco Islas. In addition to tacos, tortas and quesadillas, the menu includes Yucatan-style pork pibil, spicy garlic-marinated shrimp and sautéed calf's liver a la Mexicana.

• Richard Winfield and Joe Tillotson, owners of the SMU-area hangout Barley House, have launched a new restaurant and bar in East Dallas. Bryan Street Tavern takes over the old Thai Lanna space with live music, a full bar and a menu of pizzas, calzones, salads and fried appetizers.

The develolpers of Dallas' Victory Park vow to bring in food options the masses can afford. Check out the details in the Business News Section. Also, get ready for a return visit from the Hard Rock Cafe.

Does this mean they'll be shooting rockets off Reunion Tower?

The new brunch at Five Sixty is described in a press release as "a traditional brunch menu with an Asian-flare created by Executive Chef Sara Johannes." Sounds great to me, but I think that's Asian flair.

Read on, for the entire release, with details on the brunch.

Quick update: I spoke with Urban Taco founder Markus Pineyro and he still hopes to begin construction mid-April on the second outpost of his hip Mockingbird Station eatery. (I guess it's technically the third if you count the mini-Urban Taco he installed at terminal C22 at DFW airport.)

You can't beat the location at the Uptown crossroads of McKinney and Lemmon. Pineyro will build an upgraded "mod-mex" dinning room with an outdoor lounge area.

The menu will get dressed up as well, expanding on the contemporary Mexico City street food of the original Urban Taco to add new dishes that reflect an "Acapulco coastline flavor."

We'll keep you posted.

Look for a rebirth of downtown's Swirll next month. The blend-your-own winery closed in December but is scheduled to reopen April 3 under the new ownership of KC Kronbach. General manager Stephanie Speir, who previously worked at Swirll under founders Peggy and Louis Davion, says the new incarnation will keep the do-it-yourself option but expand the concept to include more of a wine-bar feel, including more Texas wines and bottles from well-known producers, along with cheese and salumi platters.

Arcodoro and Pomodoro's Efisio Farris isn't the only local chef getting some national love. The April issue of Food & Wine magazine spotlights Dali Wine Bar and Cellar in an article titled "Where to Go Next: Wine Bars." The article praises both Paul Pinnell's wine list and the food of executive chef Joel Harloff.

In other Dali news, Harloff will be cooking at the famed James Beard House in New York on June 8. The dinner will also feature wines from Napa Valley's Kathryn Hall Vineyards, owned by Dallas businesswoman and former U.S. ambassador to Austria Kathryn Walt Hall.

Chef Avner Samuel has responded to the economic woes by reducing prices at his luxe Highland Park fine-dining restaurant Aurora. A new $45 three-course prix-fixe dinner option is now available Monday through Thursday, and 75 more affordable wines have been added to the wine list, from producers such as Neyers Vineyards, Groom Winery and Patz and Hall. The dining room also sports a more relaxed vibe: The table linens have been removed and the bar area has been expanded to now offer seating.

Tex-Mex legend Matt Martinez, Jr. passed away Friday after a long battle with cancer.

The celebrated restaurateur was best-known locally for his namesake Matt's Rancho Martinez, with locations in Lakewood and Cedar Hill, as well as his family's long-running Austin restaurant, Matt's El Rancho, which was founded by his parents in 1952.

Martinez co-authored several cookbooks, was inducted into the Texas Restaurant Association Hall of Honor in 2000 and received the Lone Star Award for Culinary Achievement in 2007.

Regular readers of Cooking Light will be seeing a lot of Arcodoro and Pomodoro co-owner Efisio Farris this year. The magazine's March issue prominently features the chef and restaurateur in a feature on Sardinian cooking and how it relates to the longevity of the Italian island's residents. Farris, who came to America from Orosei, Sardinia, more than two decades ago, has also been named to Cooking Light's 2009 Nutrition Advisory Board, a panel of 15 chefs, scientists, dietitians and other culinary experts who will contribute to the magazine's year-long "Nutrition Essentials" series.

David Woodward is no longer executive chef at Ama Lur restaurant in the Gaylord Texan Resort. He left last month after nearly five and a half years at the upscale Southwestern restaurant. The acclaimed chef's résumé reads like a who's who of fine dining in Dallas, stretching back to an early-'80s stint as executive steward at The Mansion on Turtle Creek to sous chef and executive chef gigs at such late, great local icons as The Riviera, Mediterraneo and Star Canyon.

The Gaylord's executive resort chef, Ty Thoren, is now in charge of operations at Ama Lur. He also oversees the sprawling resort's three other restaurants (Old Hickory Steakhouse, Texan Station and Riverwalk Cafe), as well as its Glass Cactus nightclub and banquet operations, though Joanne Bondy still serves as executive chef for Old Hickory.

Matt Martinez Jr., one of Dallas' favorite restaurateurs and heir to one of Texas' great Tex-Mex dynasties, has entered hospice care. He was diagnosed with cancer six years ago, but kept the diagnosis private, said his wife Estella. In June last year, it spread to his brain.

"We are so grateful for every day to be here with him," Estella says.

Matt owns Matt's Rancho Martinez restaurants in Lakewood and Cedar Hill plus restaurants in Austin, where his father founded El Rancho in the early '50s.

For a time in the 1990s, Matt also had Matt's No Place, a restaurant with no sign and no phone number, where he experimented with game. It's also where the fourth-generation chef introduced Julia Child to her first chicken-fried steak in a meeting that blossomed into a friendship. That's one of his favorite memories, says Estella.

"There are so many people who love him," she says. "He's had a wonderful life." The family is grateful, she adds, for the prayers, love and support they have received.

Although people might wish to send him flowers, Estella says Matt would be happier if they made a donation either to Covenant House or St. Jude's Children's Hospital.

Local restaurateurs Jim Baron and Mark Brezinski are teaming up to open Zinsky's Delicatessen and Catering Co. this summer. The new Preston-Royal spot will specialize in New York-style deli standards, including bagels and lox, matzo ball soup and such traditional sandwiches as hand-carved corned beef on rye. Though the men are well-known for Southwestern cuisine (Baron's mini-chain of Blue Mesa Grill restaurants) and Westernized South Asian fare (Brezinski's Bengal Coast), both say that the neighborhood deli played a big part in their formative culinary years. Baron grew up in New York City, and Brezinski is from New Jersey, where his grandfather had a Polish market and butcher shop.

Beginning this week, and running through the end of the month, the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek restaurant is offering free desserts with the purchase of a dinner entrée.

The free sweets are being served up in honor of pastry chef David Collier, who was recently named a James Beard Award semifinalist as outstanding pastry chef. (Think of those as the Oscars for foodies).
To cash in, mention the offer to your server or when making dinner reservations.