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.

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.

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.

Needing to feed a crowd, I stopped by Baker's Ribs (the Greenville Ave. location) and picked up a lot of ribs and brisket, plus a variety of sides. The smell in the car on the way home was pretty outrageously good. A real appetite-whetter.

I have to say, the barbecue was pretty great. The ribs were big and very meaty, nicely smoky, nicely seasoned. They didn't really need sauce, but the sauce was good: tangy and a little spicy. But the surprise hit was the brisket: really moist, juicy, meltingly tender, incredibly flavorful. It needed a little salt. But this was good stuff. My crowd went crazy for it.

I know there are many of you out there who don't take Baker's Ribs seriously. But if this is barbecue that isn't even the best around, I think I'm in for a real treat as I plumb the barbecue depths of Big D and environs.

Thoughts about Baker's?

My dad got a tip from a farmer in Weatherford, who said not all the peaches had been wiped out. The guy advised anyone interested in Parker County peaches to ply the highway between Weatherford and Mineral Wells (U.S. 80). He said that there should be several farmers with roadside stands on that route well into August. If you've been, or if you go, please report back!

Paul Wackym, who started making cookies under the Baker Man name has transitioned to using his own name, and henceforth is selling his popular sweets under his Wackym's Kitchen label. He's at the Dallas Farmers Market every Saturday and Sunday, where he includes his newest flavor, the Mojito made with fresh mint, lime and amber rum. Check him out.

It's back! We're thrilled to announce the return of the Best in DFW series. It starts right now, with the best places to take out-of-towners, from a food-lovers perspective, of course.

The series will work a little differently than it did last go-around. This time, I'll present a story that offers my choices in a dining category; the story will go up on the web that Wednesday night -- along with a boffo slide show -- and it will be published in The Guide (print edition) on Friday morning.

It's still just as important to us to include your favorites too, and now they'll be published in a separate story two weeks after my story runs.

We'll be publishing installments about once a month, but we won't adhere to a strict schedule. We're very excited about this, and we hope you are too.

So...what are your favorite places to take visiting food-lovers in and around Dallas? Tell us here, in a comment. We'll compile selections from your picks, focusing on places that weren't mentioned in the original story, and publish them in a story in Guide (and on our online Restaurants page, of course) on July 10.

Photo by Nathan Hunsinger/DMN

• Best in DFW: Places to Take Out-of-Towners
• See The Best in DFW slideshow

OK, that's it -- I've been here four months, and now I need to know: Where can I find great barbecue? People keep telling me there is no good barbecue in Dallas. Can that really be true? I don't -- and won't -- believe it.

A few people have recommended Baker's, on Greenville near Lover's Lane; I'll definitely head over there. I've been to Dickey's -- do-able in a pinch. Of course there's Sonny Bryan's Smokehouse. I've been to one downtown (meh) and had their barbecue at the Mesquite Championship Rodeo (loved the rodeo; hated the barbecue). Is a stop at the original worthwhile? I saw a place that looked great in Wylie, and a few that looked compelling in Mesquite, but haven't had a chance to check 'em out. Is there anything in town? Anything nearer than, say, Clark's Outpost in Tioga? The delicious photo isn't from around here -- it's Smitty's Market in Lockhart.

I'm starting to get really hungry for it!

Photo by Nathan Hunsinger/DMN

It's getting late for greens from the farmers markets, but I bought the prettiest large-size baggie full of frilly mustard greens from Coppell Farmers Market recently and married them with one of the 15 types of bacon you can now find on Central Market's new bacon menu in the meat department.

I got a couple pieces (can't remember the name) that were double-smoked, chopped them up and more or less followed Rachel Ray's recipe for braised mustard greens. For whole recipe, keep reading.

J.T. Lemley just called to let me know that the tomatoes are rolling in. He sold out last Sunday at the Dallas Farmers Market (Shed No. 1 stall), but thinks he'll have plenty from here on out. "They can have all they want," he says. This doesn't include the canning tomatoes which he will sell by the bushel, but those are coming soon. "I've been having to deliver a load of peaches and tomatoes [to the market] every day."

He will also be at the wholesale market tonight with 200 boxes of peaches. This is the weekday night at the market when many area farmers sell wholesale quantities to local restaurateurs. They arrive between 10 p.m. and midnight and sell through the wee hours.

J.T. lives in Canton in East Texas, so you can take his news as a bellwether for the rest of the region. He's also into his freestone peaches (as opposed to the earlier-season clings), so chances are that's what you'll find at other markets, too. Find a farmers market near you here.

I stopped by the Original Market Diner -- had to see what all the fuss is about. I loved the place. OK, what I ate (meatloaf on the blue plate special) wasn't great, just OK. I thought maybe I'd return for breakfast, but according to my waitress, there's no real butter in the house. I can't imagine breakfast without butter somehow being involved.

But the place is so much fun, the wait staff so warm and friendly, I'm sure I'll be back.

There's a sign above the kitchen that says "Pie fixes everything." I asked the waitress (not one of the two pictured, but I love the picture) if pie could fix the economy. "My manager says pie fixes everything," she said, "except diabetes."

Photo by Melanie Burford/DMN

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.

Last night, I had dinner with couple who had just been on the farm tour to Velduizen Farms in Dublin and they brought a couple chunks of cheese with them.

OMG, were we in cheese heaven with the Texas Gold, an intense, sharp cheddar, and Bosque Blue, a thick, rich, almost gooey-in-a-brie-way blue cheese. There were six of us, and we didn't even bother with crackers. (Why sully the cheesy goodness by diluting it with carbs?)

I'm sorry to say I don't know where you can buy Veldhuizen Farms cheese in Dallas, but I plan to find out. If you know, let me know. (Their Web site is down, and no one is answering the phone.)

The rest of the meal was great, too: a salad of microgreens from Tom Spicer and arugula from the hosts' yard, slow-roasted pork and roasted artichokes with - gasp - aioli. At least, I think it was aioli.

P.S. I forgot to add the wonderful bolognese course we had at that dinner. Simple food, done well.

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.

Like the previous post says, it will be the early birds who get J.T. Lemley's first field tomatoes. He plans to be up and selling Saturday at 7:30 a.m. in his stall in Shed No. 1.

Here are a couple other reasons to be there early tomorrow: The Lightseys are the only ones with Texas apricots. And Susan Zidlicky tells me that Birch Creek Farms sells out fast every weekend: They're the ones who have Yukon gold and red Pontiac potatoes, purple-top beets, mustard greens, radishes and yellow squash.

At Coppell Farmers Market: Gene Holmes promises his first organic field tomatoes from Oak Ridge Valley Farms tomorrow. They will sell out fast. Trust me.

When you get a chance, check out the Dallas Farmers Market's new, revamped Web site. It tells you all about the farmers and farm merchants, the sheds, what to ask a farmer and so on. It's at www.dallasfarmersmarket.org.

I just got off the phone with J.T. Lemley, who tells me he will at be market at 7:30 a.m. Saturday with his first big batch of field tomatoes. I had called him to find out how the monsoon affected him, and he said he got 2 inches. "It fell real nice. It was really good for us." You know what that means: more great tomatoes. Mr. Lemley was featured in my story recently about favorite local chef picks. Check it out here.

Also, about Noonday onions: There is only one certified grower at the Dallas Farmers Market, and that's Coopers Organic Farm. Some farm merchants buy Noondays and bring them to the market, too. Deal with farmers and farm merchants you trust. I ate the last of my Noondays in an omelet this morning. They really are the sweetest onions I've ever eaten.

I've never been a fan of frozen margaritas -- I like mine on the rocks, with salt, made with good tequila, fresh lime and orange liqueur, not a mix. I don't love brain freeze. But I understand that the frozen margarita is a real Dallas thing. And rumor has it that it's about to get very hot around here.

So I'm wondering: Who makes a really good frozen margarita? Meaning not made with a mix -- fresh ingredients only -- and preferably whirred up in a blender, not put through one of those slurpee machines. I'd like to become a convert.

Anyone?

Photo by Juan Garcia/DMN

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.

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 peach-killing freeze that got a lot of Northwest Texas and the Hill Country missed the Red River Peach Orchard, a 1,000-tree, pick-your-own orchard near Gainesville. "We have a large crop of peaches this year," reports orchard master Norman Miner. (I've never heard of an orchard master.)

The orchard is open for picking 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday through Saturday starting June 18 (next Thursday) through mid-August. Miner and crew will provide the buckets for picking and sacks and boxes for taking the peaches home. They also offer free lemonade, peach ice cream for $2 a dish, peach jams and such, plus six shaded picnic tables. Check it out at www.RedRiverPeachOrchard.com.

Or find a different pick-your-own (blueberries, peaches, etc.) at www.picktexas.com or www.pickyourown.org.

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 thought I was getting to the Coppell Farmers Market soooo early because I was there at 9 a.m. Already, Gene Holmes' field tomatoes - the first he's picked this season - were gone from his all-organic Oak Ridge Valley Farms table.

But not his heirloom Japanese cucumber (pictured). "They're not pretty," he said, "but they sure do taste good." Of course I got some, and they ARE good. This is critic-fooling food: It tastes a lot like cucumber and looks like it, but it's different - a little sweeter, a little waxier, with a long aftertaste.

Gene says he will definitely have more tomatoes next weekend.

Meanwhile, I also bought some other field tomatoes and dainty mustard greens, mozzarella, raw-milk cheddar cheese, pattypan squash (from Gene) and basil. The Coppell market now has gauzy, reusable produce bags so you don't have to use plastic.

Can you guess what I'm going to do with the mozzarella, tomatoes and basil? Make a garden-fresh Caprese salad.

I am so hungry. I just skimmed through Saveur magazine's July issue -- The Texas Issue -- which landed in our mailbox this morning. It's filled with gorgeous pictures of barbecue and okra and salsa, and a recipe for slow-smoked brisket that looks fantastic. The Houston Press' Robb Walsh played a big part in putting it together, and the issue kicks off with his terrific story about chicken fried steak. (I learned so much!) Texas Monthly's Patricia Sharpe profiles six Texas tastemakers (hmmm...Dean Fearing is the only one from Dallas), and she also has a piece about New Zion Barbecue that made me swoon, including a great "Know your Texas barbecue" sidebar. And hey -- Stephan Pyles is one of the "Twenty-four reasons why we love Texas."

The issue also celebrates Texas cheeses and Texas cookbooks and Texas home cooks and "the best beef on earth."

I wish I lived in Texas. Wait...I do!

Blueberry prices plunged from last week to this week as Texas blueberries started arriving in quantity. I saw this at Whole Foods Market, where a half-pint was $2.99 a week ago and a pint was $3.99 yesterday.

Marilyn Horton reports that at the Coppell Farmers Market on Saturday, you'll be able to find Texas blueberries, strawberries (still!), cantaloupe, peaches, apricots (local?), plums and blackberries.

I'm intrigued by the apricots. Until now, the only local apricots I had seen were on a single tree in Highland Park. As with peaches, there's no shipped-in apricot that's worthy of the name. But Richard at Ham Orchards east of Dallas reports that he's got some from the family orchards there. Has anyone checked this out?

I decided to see for myself today what's shakin' in Shed No. 1 at the Dallas Farmers Market, and it was definitely filled with farmers, a few ranchers, the Texas Honeybee Guild (in costume) and more. Roundrock Honey is just outside Shed No. 3, and don't forget Texas Meats (they've got cheese) over in Shed No. 2.

J.T. Lemley has just begun picking his cherry tomatoes - he gave me two to try, one is a sweeter, juicier tomato, the other has a meatier tomato flavor. He's also got his eight-ball squash. Other producers also had a few vine-ripe field tomatoes, but give them about 10 days to really get in the swing.

Onions of all stripes were everywhere, also lots of zucchini and yellow squash, a fair assortment of peaches, red potatoes, green beans, some white potatoes, a few herbs, green plums, lots of peas (shelled, thank you), eggs and some Texas cantaloupe.

New to farmers market shopping? Here's a tip: Anyone hawking their wares - "Peaches, here! Green beans! Tomatoes! - is almost certainly not a farmer or farm merchant (they carry in produce from nearby farms). You might buy lemons or bananas from them, but those peaches they're selling aren't likely to be as good as the ones from the farmers who grew their own.

If you're in the farmers market swing, you know pickler cucumbers are getting ready to come off their vines. Maybe you'd like to know what to do if you buy a bunch?

I just got a fun tweet on Twitter linking to Houston Press food writer Robb Walsh's easy method for making Kosher pickles on the HP blog. He's got pics and all that show how he brined and fermented the cukes into pickles - there's no cooking or boiling is involved. Check it out here.

In other locavore news, I saw my first Pecos cantaloupes earlier this week at Whole Foods Market. Too bad I managed to pick a not-very-good one. I'm hit-and-miss on melon selecting. Anybody got a surefire method for picking a good one?

Dallas Farmers Market farm and resource coordinator Susan Zidlicky sent an e-mail to say that she has filled up Shed No. 1 with local growers and purveyors on Saturdays, with many spilling over to Friday and Sunday, too.

This Saturday, you can find organic vegetables at Good Earth Organics, Texas Honeybee Guild zip-code honey and several pastured meat producers. (Don't forget Texas Meats in Shed No. 2, the first pastured meat producers at the market.) Birch Creek Farms will have purple-top turnips and local Yukon Gold potatoes. J.T. Lemley will have eight-ball squash.

Among the local vegetables and fruit, you'll find peaches, blackberries, all kinds of onions, squash (yellow and zucchini), green beans, peas, lettuces, radishes, mustard greens, beets. Tomatoes are coming.

If you can't make it to the Dallas Farmers Market, find a farmers market near you here.

I don't know how this place had escaped my notice, but I stopped by Chapman Chile Kitchen, an adorable little spot in East Dallas, for a bowl of bison chile. I ordered the "original spicy," which the owner told me was a particularly spicy batch, and it was fantastic, nicely tomatoey, with a wonderful depth of flavor that comes from hand-grinding whole dried chiles, and just a touch of garlic.

Oh, it was spicy, all right. Every so often I had to take a bite of stuffed jalapenos to cool down my mouth. Those were pretty good too, filled with chicken and cheese, coated with panko crumbs and baked.

Have you been? What did you think?

Chapman Chile Kitchen, 515 N. Carroll Ave.; 214-887-8872; www.chapmanchile.com

Tom Spicer, who supplies chefs and the rest of us out of his F-M 1410 on Fitzhugh, has a bunch of new items to crow about.

Out back, he's growing snow peas - he picks 'em and they are $20 a pound, you pick 'em and they're $5 a pound. Let's see: $20 vs. $5. I think I'll pick my own. Spicer also has micro-greens and sprouts, including Bulls Blood beet greens, pepper cress, micro cilantro, micro arugula, and more.

Also from local farmers, he's got baby mixed head lettuces, fresh herbs and fresh shelled purple hull and creamer peas, spring onions and spring garlic.

From afar, he has Arizona desert figs, wild desert celery (hollow stalks make great straws), jumbo French white asparagus, ramps, fiddlehead ferns and a whole bunch of 'shrooms, from porcinis to morels.

So many veggies. So little time. Check it out. Make him play his kalimbass for you.

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.

J.T. Lemley just told me that he and his crew are picking peaches today at his farm near Canton and will bring them to the Dallas Farmers Market to his stall in Shed No. 1 tomorrow.

He also is harvesting new potatoes and onions and says that his blackberries are about a week away from being ripe. (There are already some other local growers bringing in blackberries.) He says his field tomatoes are "still 15 days away. We're talkin' to 'em and prayin' over 'em" to hurry them along.

Like so many area farmers, he had to replant his tomatoes after the April freeze.

Following up on my unexpectedly lively post on Hico's Koffee Kup, reader Michael asked this question: "Isn't Dublin, Texas also known for selling Dr Pepper made with sugar instead of corn syrup?"

Michael, you're absolutely right. And, of course, we had to stop by the oldest Dr Pepper bottling plant in the world, where they still make the original soda formula with Imperial Pure Cane Sugar. (You can buy Dublin Dr Pepper locally now, but this is still an interesting visit. Plus, there's not much else going on here.)

Above is a snap from Doc's Soda Shop beside the downtown plant. What's the featured item? A Dublin Dr Pepper float, of course, made with Texas Blue Bell ice cream.

105 E. Elm, Dublin, TX, 888-398-1024

Photo by cwynn

For those of you who can't wait to get the first, fresh Texas peach in your mouth, Ham Orchards east of Dallas will open for the 2009 season Friday. "We've got the best crop we've had in 30 years," says Richard Strange, son-in-law to Dale and Judy Ham. This is especially good news given the bleak outlook for the Hill Country peach crop.

This year, he says, the Ham family is growing a new, early cling variety that has more flavor than most early-season peaches. The Hams have managed to dodge the freeze bullet, he says, by adopting a different commercial pruning system that allows for more air-flow through the trees.

Ham Orchards is east of Dallas on U.S. 80 between Terrell and Elmo. It's open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week through Aug. 15. The Web site is www.hamorchard.com.

Five years ago, you could barely find a Texas-grown strawberry. We were forced to settle for hard, under-ripe, tasteless orbs grown for their sturdy shipping qualities. Flavor? Meh.

Today, during a limited window, you can find red, ripe, juicy locally grown strawbs at farmers markets and at Whole Foods Market, where the Sig-O picked up a quart from Pittsburg in East Texas.

After an exquisite Mother's Day dinner of Calabrian eggplant parmesan and a Caesar salad worthy of the Caesar competition (he used to make the salad tableside at Il Sorrento), he brought out beautiful, red local berries drizzled in 80-year-old balsamic vinegar. Sheer heaven.

If you don't have 80-year-old balsamic sitting around, you can make a balsamic reduction with the cheaper stuff. Let it simmer over low heat till it reduces by about half and thickens. As for the local berries, because they are ripe when picked, you pretty much need to eat them the day you buy them. It's like the difference between local peaches and California baseballs, I mean, peaches. Hope you get chance to enjoy this rare, seasonal treat.

It's officially farmers market season, kicked off with expanded coverage (my stories) and a list of area markets, what they sell, when and the rest of the 411 in the GuideDaily section. Here are two more that finalized their details too late to be included (but we will add them to the Web list):

CELEBRATION RESTAURANT: Saturdays, 8 a.m. to noon, starting May 30 and continuing at least through the summer. Vendors selling pastured meats, eggs, heirlooms, vegetables and fruit. Celebration will also buy and re-sell Dallas Farmers Market local produce to fill in gaps. In the parking lot, 4515 W. Lovers; 214-351-5681.

NORTH HAVEN GARDENS: First Sunday of every month, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at least through the summer. Spices, eggs, meats, vegetables, sorbet and more; check the Web site for updates. 7700 Northaven; 214-363-5316; www.nhg.com.

As I write this, I am enjoying my first 1015 onion of the season from the Dallas Farmers Market Shed No. 1. All I do is cut off the top and bottom, make a little hollow, add some butter and olive oil, then zap for about five minutes in the microwave. The onion just melts. I add salt and pepper, and it's, "Hello, spring." This would also make an amazing, reduced-fat sauce base because the flavor is so mild.

I also picked up some pastured, local lamb chops for Sunday dinner, Savory Sorbet's triple-lemon sorbet and a huge wad of spinach from Farmersville. J.T. Lemley has tomatoes from West Texas, but they don't yet have the seasonal flavor I lust for in his field-grown East Texas toms.

The farmers market season is just getting under way. And if you missed today's many markets, don't forget that Bolsa, the restaurant in Oak Cliff, has its monthly festival/producers' market tomorrow, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tom Spicer entertains with his kalimbass. BTW, at his F-M 1410 on Fitzhugh near Bryan, he has tons of microgreens and baby lettuces and other stuff growing out back. He has also just had a load of manure dumped out there, which he's going to use to ready his row crops.

P.S. When I nuke the onion, I put it on a dish and cover it loosely w plastic wrap (enough to vent).

Marilyn Horton, who oversees the Coppell Farmers Market, wrote this insightful piece in the market's e-newsletter.

It's called "Farmers market vs. grocery store."

Can't find what you want at the farmers' market?

Ask the farmers about it. That's how you learn to shop at a farmers market - from the farmers. They'll tell you when to expect your favorite fruits and veggies. They'll let you know if they'll be bringing a whole bunch of your fave or just a little. They'll let you know things like the seedlings got frost on them and had to be replanted and therefore delayed (like tomatoes this year). But if you're looking for grapefruit in North Texas, forget it. Go to the grocery store.

Are you sure the produce you are looking for is in season?

It takes a little getting used to, about a year actually, but the succession of ripening produce will eventually make sense. First come the spring onions, lettuces, greens, beets, etc. Farmers help your tomato craving by planting some in the hot house to be available before the field-ripened ones are ready. Strawberries are about ready now, and green beans, squash, red potatoes, cabbage and broccoli are more plentiful. But if you want peaches in April, you're out of luck. Go to the grocery store.

YES! Fresh peach season has begun with Whole Foods Market's organic Mexican peaches. Every year, these peaches surprise me: They're in way ahead of the local season (no wonder, given where they're grown), and they always have wonderful sweetness and texture. The ones I just bought did not disappoint.

Our own peaches can't be far behind, although word is the recent freeze set back the Hill Country crop. More to come on that. For now, just savor these harbingers of summer fruits and vegetables to come.

Roger Heddin, the most recent farmer to be certified local by the Dallas Farmers Market, says that he will have lots of potted tomato plants for those of you thinking of growing your own. These can even be placed on an urban patio, as long as it gets lots of sunlight.

On Saturday, the Baker Man reports that he will have margarita cookies, made with lime and sea salt, and the Berry Patch will have fresh Texas strawberries.

Whatever farmers market you visit, don't look for field tomatoes yet. The freeze and hail earlier this month wiped out a lot of early plantings. So those farmers have had to start over.

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.

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.

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."

A Frito-Lay plant in Irving is one of seven nationwide that next year will begin making SunChips, the popular multigrain snack, in a "fully compostable snack ...bag made from plant-based materials," the company said Thursday.
When the package is 100 percent compostable, it will fully decompose in about 14 weeks when placed in a hot, active compost pile or bin.
The move toward the new packaging begins this month, when the company begins making the outer package layer in its 10.5-ounce size of a plant-based renewable material, called polylactic acid.
The company aims to have all three package layers fully compostable by Earth Day 2010.

I dropped in today at Rathbun's Blue Plate Kitchen to see what all the fuss was about. Kent bent my ear a bit yesterday because he's been getting some blog-flak (not from this blog) about his menu not being more Texas-sourced.

First, the menu looks terrific and homey and comforting in an upscale way. This isn't a diner blue plate, but the price points are considerably below Abacus and Jasper's, his other restaurants. I did see local, seasonal greens and cheese (also local beer: Rahr and Sons' Ugly Pug black lager), and tempting-sounding dishes like Tasso ham-roasted corn biscuits, ahi-tuna sliders, cauliflower-Brie gratin and a special that seemed like an oxymoron, prime rib quesadillas.

Growing up, my holiday chocolate bunnies and eggs were always of the hollow, drugstore variety. No more, baby. No more.

Dallas-based Noka Chocolate is offering their first collection of solid, deep milk chocolate bunnies and eggs. Not only do they taste better than anything we ever had as kids, but they come in stylish boxed dressed in a purple satin ribbon for gifting.

Pricing? You're going to be pleasantly surprised. Noka may be famed as a luxury chocolatier, but this collection is designed for immediate gratification in tough times. Prices range from $2.75 for a dark chocolate solid egg to just $39.50 for a 16-piece mixed box.

I'm forwarding this to my mother.

Order online or in person at the Noka boutique at NorthPark Center, 8687 N. Central Expressway, 214-295-4560

Check it out, that is, on video here. EatGreenDFW.com hosted its first Sunday farmers market with several local producers at North Haven Gardens Sunday. 'Looks like they had a good turnout and plan to do the same thing on the first Sunday of every month. That's great for consumers, who can't always make it to markets on Saturday, the big day for FMs in general. EatGreenDFW.com, by the way, is an online network that links local producers and consumers. You can order online and get the good stuff delivered to your front door.

It's not often that I start drinking straight from the half-and-half container in the fridge (actually that would be never - until now). But I just finished sampling a few Picolos Texas Gourmet "Picolo Reds" from the Corsicana pickle-maker, and after the tears started flowing, I had to find something to beat back the chile heat - fast. While the gulp of dairy helped, my mouth is still aglow. I'm a total addict for Picolos basic bread-and-butter pickles, and the "Reds" are one of the newer spin-off varieties. Excuse me, I have to blow my nose now.

While I was checking out the Spiceman's garden, I went next door to Jimmy's Food Store, where Mike and Paul DiCarlo were doing big Palm Sunday weekend business. These items aren't new, but in case you've forgotten: You can get frozen, ready-to-use cannoli cream in a pastry bag, new-crop Sicilian dried oregano on the stem, Italian chocolate Easter eggs, Fran's Fryers from Milford, Texas, and lots of Henry's Homemade Ice Cream from Plano. These are in addition to the items you expect to find at Jimmy's, from house-made Italian sausage and Italian creme cake to frozen ravioli imported from New York, olive oil, wine, cheeses, pasta, bread, etc. But the canned cherry tomatoes are once again out of stock.

You'll recall that produce broker/supplier Tom Spicer, who owns the F-M 1410 storefront on Fitzhugh, was going to plant a garden in the empty lot out back. So far, he's still on the periphery, but crops like tomatoes will get planted "very soon."

Right now, his biggest crop is microgreens - they're growing in flats in front of the store as well as on tables out back. These include micro arugula (sold out on Saturday), brilliantly hued lolla rossa, basil, leeks (yes, micro-leeks), chives and more. A little wild arugula is still growing free-form out back. His best row crops so far are baby radishes, pea tendrils and what he thinks will be bluebonnets. He took lupin beans from Jimmy's next door and planted them. No flowers yet.

Inside the store, Spiceman has wonderful mushrooms of every stripe, wild foraged garlic, ramps, wild arugula (sold out on Saturday), baby lettuces, arugula rabe and flowers, yellow hot house tomatoes and bags o' basil.

I made it by the new Newflower Farmers Market on Henderson near Ross tonight, and what an interesting store. On the one hand, it is a store of "better choices" while also catering to shoppers who are on board the sustainable/organic lifestyle. But I don't know what to make of the candy.

I'll explain.

Just about half the store is fresh produce. Artichokes from Mexico were two for $3. Blackberries from Mexico were 69 cents a half pint. Those are "better choices" than processed foods.

There were also whole Rosie chickens - organic and free-range - and Applegate Farms organic uncured hot dogs made from grass-fed cattle. Both are full-bore, sustainable-ag-supporting choices.

But wait, there's more.

Just a quick note to let Dallas Farmers Market shoppers know that The Baker Man will have cookies decorated for Easter there tomorrow.

Saturday, Flavors From Afar is having a pizza party to celebrate five years in business. That means fresh, free pizza from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., presumably while supplies last. Saturday is also free cappuccino day. And it's sale time: Gary and Nancy Krabill are pricing items to move and make room for a new shipment.

On the locavore trail, they'll have Fruth Farms organic, naturally pastel eggs, and they will be taking orders for olive trees from Jim Henry's Texas Olive Oil Ranch. There's one in bloom outside the shop. Lots going on at the Snider Plaza store.

Rita Heep from Grand Prairie writes to tell me there WILL be local produce at the Grand Prairie Farmers Market Saturday, just not from the community garden. Farmers from Montaque, Parker and Bowie counties will be there with tomatoes, sweet potatoes, lettuce, greens, radishes, spinach, green onions and broccoli. I am speculating that the tomatoes are hot-house, like J.T. Lemley's are at the Dallas Farmers Market, because it's too early in the season for toms grown outside. BTW, the Grand Prairie market moves to its new Market Square location this summer. We'll keep you posted.

No surprise. Here is their official statement about it:

"Due to the recent FDA recommendation that consumers should avoid eating pistachio products, Central Market H-E-B is voluntarily removing any product containing pistachio nuts from our stores until further FDA verification has been received.

Central Market H-E-B is removing these products as part of our ongoing commitment to food safety and the safety of our customers."

Per my usual luck, I recently splurged on a $12 bag of pistachios that will now sit on my kitchen counter untouched.

In the New York Times Dining section's lead story this morning (access is free if you register with the site), Henry Alford writes about New York City discovering goat. He acknowledges that when New York magazine identified eating goat as a "trendlet" in the city last year, a reader wrote on the magazine's web site, "Here are white people again!!!! Acting like they invented goat meat." He also writes about his conversion, at a West Village restaurant called Cabrito, "which is named after the baby goat that is pit-barbecued in Texas and Mexico." At Cabrito, it seems, they serve goat tacos.

All of which made me think about cabrito in Dallas, of course. I had lunch recently at El Ranchito in Oak Cliff, and watched in awe and envy as the table next to mine -- a big family -- feasted on the cabrito served family style. I've been meaning to get back there ever since.

Have you had the cabrito at El Ranchito? Is it wonderful? Where else is it great? Do you cook it at home? Do tell!

Photo of El Ranchito's cabrito served family-style by Courtney Perry/DMN

Yes, this past weekend I was on a whirlwind tour (no, make that a straight-line wind like freezing bullets) of the Texas High Plains AVA, which many experts believe is the state's best grape-growing region. With wind chill factors in the teens, Mother Nature was not satisfied with her punishment. She had to add flying grit from the rich, red sandy loam soil. We ate it. We wore it. Our eyes teared to remove it. I still had pants-cuffs full of it when I returned home.

But here's the thing you need to know. Set your crosshairs on a May release of a new wine from Llano Estacado Winery in Lubbock: It's called Viviana, the white counterpart to Llano's Vivano red blend of Newsom Vineyard cabernet sauvignon and sangiovese.

Viviana's ripe, tropical fruit jumps out of the glass (the winery had a few bottles without labels for us to try). One sip, and the fruit reasserts itself with layers of honeyed lime, terrific acidity (makes your mouth water) and a creaminess that does not come from oak. This wine sees only stainless steel. It's made from gewurztraminer, riesling, muscat, chardonnay and viognier - which wine savants will recognize as aromatic varietals. Means they smell good like flowers in bloom. But mostly, this is a cool refresher that anyone can enjoy. I don't know the SRP yet, or even where it will be, but I'll keep you posted on this Texas keeper.

The New York Times had an interesting item on the comeback of the original sweet stuff.

"Sugar, the nutritional pariah that dentists and dietitians have long reviled, is enjoying a second act, dressed up as a natural, healthful ingredient." Read the article here.

I've also found myself favoring plain sugar lately instead of the super-processed stuff. Where do you all weigh in on the subject?

It's been a year since Bruce Bagelman opened Green Spot Market & Fuels at Buckner and Northcliff, and it has taken off. The gas/biofuel station has what is probably the only convenience store in the city where you can find Austinuts, Green & Black's organic chocolate bars, Honest Tea and Lucky Layla Farms yogurt and cheese.

Now Bagelman (don't you love his name?) is taking it up a notch with the Green Spot Produce Club. This, with an eye to eventually developing a farmers market for the White Rock area. That's a good idea, because between the Dallas Farmers Market downtown and Eden's Organic Garden Center in Balch Springs, there is nothing. Nada. Unless you count the new Lakewood Whole Foods Market.

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.

Starting next week, you should be able to find fresh, free copies of Edible Dallas & Fort Worth, the newest member of the Edible family of magazines. Here's an excerpt from publisher Karen McCullough's press release:

"Edible Dallas & Fort Worth defines and honors the sustainable lifestyle of buying local. The magazine is brimming with engaging stories and enticing photography and advocates preserving food traditions, savoring food experiences, and pulling back the curtain on where our food comes from and how it gets to you."

The Edibles started in Ojai, Calif., and have spread like mushrooms to cities and areas across the country. Full disclosure: I have two articles in the first issue, including one about a familiar player on the locavore scene: Tom Spicer.

The mags will be available at Whole Foods Market, Newflower Market, North Haven Gardens, Redenta's, Times Ten Cellars, plus other locations. Check it out.

So what if you haven't latched onto a longneck since college? Men.style.com, online home of GQ and Details, is asking people to vote for the Best Blue-Collar Beer.

And, you guys, our National Beer is not doing well. Yuengling, which I have never even heard of, is in first place, followed by Pabst. Lone Star is languishing in sixth out of 14 right now. At least it's ahead of Schaefer, but still.

Click over and give it a thumbs-up before you head home to your swanky imported brew. For old times' sake.

This is hardly news, since this store opened late last year. But I just passed by it for the first time a few days ago: Austinuts, the Austin nut house (had to say that), has a Dallas outpost at 6915 Hillcrest, between Daniel and Lovers. Talking to associate Justin Tcheng, I learned a new word: pralinate.

"We pralinate on premise," he says, which means to add the sugar coating to the nuts; they're dry-roasted in Austin. "We roast different flavors," he says, "like chipotle, cayenne, Mesquite barbecue, onion and peppadew." The latter is a South African pepper, he says, that's "sweet, sour and spicy all in one."

Although this store has bulk Austinuts (Central Market does, too), it's more of a place to buy gifts, including Texas gourmet foods, chocolates and seasonal candies, Tcheng says. He calls it "a grown-up candy shop."

Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Two weeks ago, I blogged about visiting Paula Lambert at the Mozzarella Co. and made a reference to a cottage cheese project she was working on. Paula showed Cathy Barber and me four versions of a new product being developed by her general manager and director of operations, Mitchell Whitley: cottage cheese. But what cottage cheese! It's the first cheese Mitchell has made by herself, and she offered us tastes of all four versions. One was curds finished with cream, the second was finished with creme fraiche, the third with half-cream-half-creme-fraiche, and the fourth was like the third, but with a different amount of salt. Paula explained that she was developing them for a chef -- she wouldn't say for whom, but she told us he chose the fourth (half cream, half creme fraiche), pictured at right.

Who could the chef be, I asked Cathy as we left. "Hmm," she said, and thought for about half a second. "I'll bet it's Kent Rathbun."

Right you are, Cathy! I just spotted on Rathbun's Blue Plate Kitchen's menu online (both the lunch and dinner menus) the dish: Young's Farm "Butter Wedge," Paula's Cottage Cheese, Green Goddess Dressing. It's not available for retail sale to the public yet, but Paula says it will be, once the 90-day "exclusive" she promised Rathbun expires.

Meanwhile, has anyone out there tried the "Butter Wedge" at Blue Plate Kitchen? Do tell!

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.

I hadn't eaten Tex-Mex in about 20 years, so naturally it was high on my list of things to devour soon upon arrival. A few days after a terrific lunch at Casa Blanca, Gina Lara's newish restaurant on Lemmon Ave., I was already craving those flavors again. A friend from California was visiting, and we stopped by and ordered the Casa Blanca platter -- thinking it would just be a little snack. Not so little!

It includes a couple of mini-brisket tacos (fabulous, with roast poblanos and onions inside); crisp flautitas filled with moist, flavorful chicken; nachos and "crazy nachos" -- with ground beef, refried beans and cheese; quesadillas; wonderful, zingy guacamole (fresh and citrussy, with terrific texture) and a vibrant mango pico de gallo. Wow -- so much good food for $11. It makes a very nice lunch for two.

Casa Blanca, 5404 Lemmon Ave., 214-522-2226; www.casablancatexmex.net

Muller Thurgau. Torrontes. Verdejo. If you're still clinging to chardonnay, it's time to move on. Check out these 10 white wines recommended by the wine panel.

The panel hasn't picked a Texas wine in awhile, but this time 2006 McPherson Viognier made the cut.

Confession: I don't like cupcakes. But last night I stopped by the new La Duni Latin Kitchen and Coffee Studio in NorthPark Center and was taken by a vision of this beaut, arranged with its pals on a tiered pastry stand. Isn't she cute? It's a cupcake version of La Duni's famous Quatros Leches cake. Y'all have probably had a million of them, but I had never seen one, and the meringue frosting looked so pretty.

The friendly fellow behind the counter boxed it up for me, and showed me a little container of the fourth leche -- the one that you need to add in -- and a straw. "Poke holes in it," he told me, "and add in some of this."

So I took it home, put it on a plate -- and couldn't resist splitting it open to see what it looked like inside first. Then, using the straw like a pipette, I transferred some of the fourth leche into the cupcake, poking holes as I went along. Then I tasted. Very creamy indeed. Sweet, but not overly sweet. The cake had a tender, lovely crumb. I loved the meringue frosting. If a sweet could ever make a cupcake lover out of me, this would be the one.

Quatro leches cupcake, $3.95, La Duni Latin Kitchen & Coffee Studio, NorthPark Center, 8687 N. Central Expressway #1516, 214-987-2260

I knew I'd fit right in the Lifestyles Department at The Dallas Morning News when my new boss, Cathy Barber, threw me a cheese welcome yesterday, with four snazzy selections she had picked up at Paula Lambert's Mozzarella Company. We spread out the previous day's Guide Daily on my desk and laid out a Blanca Bianca (a cow's milk cheese with a rind washed in red wine), an herbed goat cheese log, a pecan praline mascarpone torta and my hands-down favorite, a queso blanco with epazote and jalapeño. Fresh and milky, nicely salty, with a lovely tang, the Mexican herb and chile gave it a terrific zip of flavor. I tried to imagine what I'd do with such a cheese, and in the meantime, couldn't stop eating it.

Then today Cathy and I visited Paula at her shop and factory in Deep Ellum, where Paula was deep into a cottage cheese project (more on that later). I asked her about the inspiration for the queso blanco. Rick Bayless was a longtime customer for many years, she told me, and he loved the queso blanco she was making at the time, but it bothered him that it melted, so he asked her to create a new one -- one that didn't melt. Then one day, in a small village near Oaxaca, Paula was served some amazing empanadas. "They were so good," she said, "filled with squash blossoms and epazote and cheese, and cooked on a comal made of clay. So I said I'm just going to put all these things into the cheese."

No, there are no squash blossoms in Mozarella Company's queso blanco, but Paula says it's wonderful to use it to stuff into squash blossoms. Hmm. Sounds irresistible. In the meantime, it'll be great smeared on a crusty baguette, paired with a glass of grassy Sauvignon Blanc. Or a bottle of Bohemia.

That's not really news - Rex's Seafood has been serving lunch for a while - but if you haven't been by recently, it's news to you. The menu is basically the same as the catering menu, with items like crab cakes, soup and salad, fish tacos, a seafood burrito (curious about that), and entrees (with two sides) such as pan-seared yellowfin tuna or scallops and sesame-encrusted Chilean sea bass.

Lunch is normally served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday, but tomorrow, anticipating a Valentine's Day shopping rush, the staff says the menu will be limited to just a few items.

If you do drop by to shop for the big meal, Rex's not only has seafood, but an entire case of locally raised, grass-fed Burgundy Pasture Beef, lobster tails in several sizes and a handful of wines by the bottle. It's at 5200 W. Lovers Lane just west of Inwood.

Soon, very soon, the new restaurant critic, Leslie Brenner, hits town. She's already sketching out where to go for her first batch of reviews. But here's what she needs to know: Where should Leslie Brenner go to get a real feel for how Dallas eats? Not the five-star restaurants, but the places that we go to time and again, the places you have to know about to be any kind of expert on Dallas food.
I'll start the list, you guys keep 'em coming.
The Zodiac, Neiman Marcus downtown, for lunch. Every time I go I am amazed at the lift on those popovers.
Sonny Bryan's, original location. The web site says they open at 10 a.m. weekdays, so that's useful when you're trying to cover a lot of ground.
Snuffer's. Cheese fries, baby! They're the local standard in excess.
Mama's Daughters' Diner. You don't have to eat dessert first but you sure better order it when you get there.
Kalachandji's. A true gem.
And I haven't even mentioned any Tex-Mex. Your turn.

The Pyramid restaurant in downtown's Fairmont Hotel has opened a chef's tasting room showcasing the cuisine of executive chef JW Foster. The elegant room can seat 20 for a personalized custom menu of up to nine courses, plus wine pairings selected by sommelier Hunter Hammett.

I was lucky enough to check it out earlier this week, and much of the seven-course tasting menu blew me away, including a luscious duck confit, black currant and pecan ravioli served atop five-spiced pear jam; salmon carpaccio with ribbons of shaved fennel and huckleberry-stone mustard vinaigrette; and a rhubarb sorbet scented with oranges and honey that was, perhaps, the meal's showstopper.

Robin Ankeny's Cake Ball Company, which Valerie Jarvie wrote about here in The News, is opening its Lake Highlands factory for orders and pick-ups starting tomorrow. Hours will be Monday-Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 10230 E. Northwest Highway at Easton.

All cake balls are made to order and require ordering in advance. The novelty cakes, which are made from a family recipe, come in flavors like red velvet cake, chocolate sake, Irish cream and chocolate-covered strawberry. For the lowdown, go to the Web site at www.cakeballs.com or just drop by.

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.

Or maybe that should be: The Spiceman on dirt. Specifically topsoil. Tom Spicer is starting to make good on his promise to create a garden on the lot outside his backdoor at F-M 1410 on Fitzhugh.

The reason: so he can grow some of the items he sells, such as arugula (he never has enough) and sorrel. This is Tom Spicer reveling in his first load of dirt, one of many to come that he will use to beef up the beds. 'Can't wait till spring when he'll start having something to sell.

Photo: Italian Wine Guy

Brian Cummings reports that his fledgling Web site for ordering local, sustainably produced foods, EatGreenDFW.com, has added winter vegetables to the mix.

"The new offerings are courtesy of Fina Longoria-Johnson, owner of Garden Harvests, an organic garden near Waxahachie. For now, we're offering chard, turnips, salad greens, spinach, beets and collards separately or as part of two specialty packages - a Salad Variety Pack, with mixed greens, romaine and spinach, and a Cooking Vegetable Pack with beets, collard greens and chard."

Items are fresh-picked and shipped overnight in an insulated box. Availability is limited (that's why the romaine is offered only as part of a package) and depends on the weather. Longoria-Johnson ships on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for Wednesday and Thursday delivery.

Learn more at EatGreenDFW.com.

Ouch, ouch ouch. Flavors From Afar owners Nancy and Gary Krabill wasted no time going to Zituna after seeing my Dallas News story and shopping video in which I mention the bargain price for Paesano olive oil.

Those turned out to be fighting words. They bought a bottle of the oil and invite anyone to taste it up against the olive oils they sell. Ouch, ouch, ouch. I wasn't saying it was as good as Jim Henry's Texas Olive Ranch olive oil or any number of Italian imports.

Paesano did win a couple of Los Angeles Fair awards in 2005-2006, and if I'm going to be cooking or sauteing, I'll use an oil like that. But only the high-end stuff goes into salad dressings, sauces, finishing and the like.

Nancy and Gary are unbowed. They are offering an "oil change" program wherein you bring your old or "bargain bin" olive oil and swap it out for a new bottle of one of their extra-virgin olive oils for 10 percent off. Just ask for the "WD-40" discount at the store, 6712 Snider Plaza.

Come spring, Dallas and Fort Worth will have their own "Edible" publication, the locavore concept that started in Ojai, Calif., and now includes some 50 cities across North America. The Edible Dallas & Fort Worth publisher, editor, sales team and photographer (Carole Topalian, who has been with Edible from the beginning) made a whilrwind tour on Friday. (Full disclosure: I'm writing a piece for the first issue, but I would write about a publication like this even if I were not.)

Whilst in Our Fair City yesterday, they managed to visit Tom Spicer at FM1410, Jimmy's Food Store, the Dallas Farmers Market, the Mozzarella Co., Times Ten Cellars, Lucky Layla Dairy, North Haven Gardens, and Holy Ravioli.

Lunch was a stopover at Parigi, where everyone got to sample tiny morels - smaller than the tip of your pinkie - from Italy with huge flavor, and smooth 'n' nubby oatmeal cookie dough ice cream, made especially for Parigi by Henry's Homemade Ice Cream in Plano. Yum.

Having blogged about using Peter Schaar's historical chili recipe with elk here, I'm ready to report the results.

Sublime, baby, just sublime.

Although the cauldron of cooking chili in the photo looks reddish - that might have been right after we added the ancho paste - it ended up a deep brown. The flavors were complex and intense, with the only difference (from Schaar's, made with pastured local beef), slightly denser meat. A squeeze of lime juice added to the complexity.

We paired our chili with Corn-Kits muffins (savory, no sugar added) and the 2006 Lost Angel Petite Sirah, a "heavenly" complement to the chili's beefy, chile flavors. (The wine is about $12 at places like Majestic, Andrew's Fine Beverages, Kindred Spirits and Two Bucks.) The only real problem with the chili - and Schaar warned us about this - is the searing step: makes a mess on your stove. Worth it.

Renaissance chili man Peter Schaar's chili is not your average Texas bowl of red. The Dallas garden designer and retired mathematician decided to research chili's roots and from that developed his own interpretation of authentic chili, which is more like a caldo de res (Mexican beef soup). Not only that, he uses piquin chiles and Mexican oregano from his garden.

Luckily, you can find those ingredients and the others in local stores. Plus, the video with the story shows step-by-step how easy his chili is to make.

When I wrote the story, the Sig-O and I got to taste Schaar's final version, which just knocks you back with layers of beef-and-chile flavor. (Check out the story here.) We also made our own, which is pictured above cooking on the stove, using lean, velvet-textured elk meat from a friend who is a hunter. After giving the chili the requisite 24 hours in the fridge, we're going to break it out tonight. Talk about anticipation.

Photo by Italian Wine Guy

DailyCandy, the chatty lifestyle Web site that sends out daily morsels and tidbits, is taking a moment to single out people "who give us a reason to get out of bed in the morning" with its year-end Sweetest Things Awards.

I love the Dallas nominees, wish there were more: A shout-out to Sarah Momary and Kristyn Smith (Crooked Tree Coffeehouse), Jennifer Garcia and Stepahnie Worsham (CucaLu Cruffles & Cakes) and Nikky Phinyawatana (forThe Mint Asian fusion cafe). Vote for the home girls in the Bite category here until Jan. 16, 2009.

These awards "honor DailyCandy's favorites in each city and nationally. Editors nominate and readers choose the winners in five categories: Advice, Bite, Nest, Pamper, and Style.... Winners will be announced Jan. 29, 2009. DailyCandy's 2008 Sweetest Things Awards celebration will take place in New York City on Wednesday, Jan. 28."

For the holidays, Mama Jeani Wilkinson (Bistro Mama) will be making organic baked goods: apple pies, Dutch apple pies with oatmeal strudel, apple pies with candied pecan topping, classic pecan pies, caramel apple tarts rustica, apple-cranberry tarts rustica, apple steusel coffee cakes, vanilla-pear coffee cakes and pecan praline topped pumpkin pies.

Prices range from $10 for the coffee cakes to $18 to $20 for the pies. Today's the last day to order, with delivery 9 a.m. Dec. 20 at Eden's Organic Gardening Center in Balch Springs. Contact Jeani and learn more at mamajeani@yahoo.com.

Tomorrow's the day when Jim Henry brings his Texas Olive Ranch arbequina olive oil as well as his new flavored olive oils to Flavors From Afar. This is the same stuff Tom Spicer was selling at FM1410 out of a drum before Jim had the labels for his bottles. Every single olive is Texas-grown southwest of San Antonio. Jim's also bringing some olive oil from Arizona made with mazanilla olives. Noon to 4 p.m. Saturday; free.

Then on Sunday at 1:30 p.m., Nancy and Gary Krabill will have three nouveau Tuscan olive oils and their producers in for vertical tasting that will also include the Arizona oil. The Tuscan oils include (quoting Nancy's e-mail here):

Tutto Tuscana - Estate oil from near Pisa. Leccino, frantoio and moraiolo olives. Big, bold taste with bitter aftertaste.
Casa Caponetti - Organic oil from near Rome. Canino olives. Nutty and spicy.
Rasna - Organic oil from near Sinalunga (in Tuscany). Leccino, frantoio, moraiolo and pendolino olives. Fresh grass, strong flavor, dense consistency.

Ice cream may be the farthest thing from your mind with sub-freezing temps, but this is Texas, and we all know that it will be hotter than you-know-what in a few months. Aman Singh messaged to tell me that from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, his family will be handing out samples of their Kaurina's Kulfi Bars at the Dallas Central Market (Lovers at Greenville).

For those who have never had the pleasure, kulfi is India's answer to ice cream. Kaurina's is the local, family-owned Indian food producer that also makes Tarka Masala, which I wrote about here. I also saw their kulfi bars at Whole Foods Market, in flavors like coconut, chocolate, strawberry, mango and kheer.

Dallas haute chocolatier NOKA has opened a store in NorthPark Center between Neiman Marcus and Tiffany & Co. featuring the same single-estate chocolates that earned it a national reputation. It also has tasting sets with Riedel wine glasses. Check out the limited edition Winter Snowflakes boxes (left). (If you have to ask how much any of this stuff costs, you probably can't afford it.)

This Saturday will be the season's last Market Day at Eden's Organic Garden Center. Although you can show up and see what's for sale, the best way to use this market is to pre-order so your goodies are waiting for you.

JuHa Ranch orders must be placed by 3 p.m. Wednesday, and no extra product will be available at the market. This is your source for sustainably raised, free-range chicken, pork and beef, as well as some lamb. You can find a full list of offerings here. Reach out to them at 903-695-2684.

Other purveyors who will be on hand include Cherokee Point Beef and P.O.P. Acres Ranch and Farm, which both raise pastured beef. Mama Bistro is the place for fresh-baked organic breads. In addition to other items, Mama Jeani is baking holiday baguettes: classic Italian, cheddar-pepper flake, Parmesan herb, Kalamata-roasted red pepper, roasted red pepper-Parmesan, sun-dried tomato-rosemary and cheddar-dill. These purveyors will take orders through Thursday.

E-mail Cherokee Point Beef at cherokeepoint2004@yahoo.com. E-mail Mama Jeani at mamajeani@yahoo.com. E-mail P.O.P.'s at popacres@peoplepc.com.

The market takes place Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon, and kids are welcome to meet some of the animals and get a taste of farm life. There may also be producers and farmers who show up to celebrate the last day of the market days' successful second year. Market days will resume in the spring. Eden's is at 4710 Pioneer Road in Balch Springs.

Mick Weisberg, the Dallas guy who created the DazzlePie, will be handing out samples from 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesday at the Lower Greenville Whole Foods Market.

In case you missed the story in GuideSunday, you can read here how Weisberg created a process to make Key lime-like pies in other flavors.

The result is a pie with a ramped-up, fruit-flavored, condensed milk filling that comes with fewer calories. Flavors include tangerine, lemon and pineapple. They're a holiday exclusive at Whole Foods Markets.

Just in time for Thanksgiving, three of the Dallas Farmers Market purveyors who usually come only on Friday and/or Saturday will be on hand Wednesday.

P.O.P. Acres will come from 8 to 11 a.m. with pastured, grass-finished beef, onion chives, cilantro, baby lettuce mix, turnips, turnip greens and tat soi, an Asian green like spinach but peppery. Swiss chard and mustard greens are a possibility, too. Shed No. 1.

JuHa Ranch will be on hand from 8 a.m. to noon with pastured beef, lamb and pork as well as eggs from pastured hens. Shed No. 1.

Texas Meats, the consortium of three East Texas pastured meat producers, is the first purveyor to get their permanent site up and running in Shed No. 2. They will have their pastured meats: beef, lamb and pork. Also eggs from pastured hens. And for this day only, they'll bring larger chickens and a handful of pastured turkeys. The birds are frozen, but you can get a quick course in water-thawing from GuideSunday's story here.

Other vendors will have Texas citrus and pecans as well as the usual refrigerated stuff. The Dallas Farmers Market is at 1010 S. Pearl.

This weekend, the Sig-O and I took an out-of-towner on his first visit to Texas for a taste of Tex-Mex at Tortillas del Rancho y Restaurant in Garland. Amelia Conteras' food just keeps getting better and better, from the soft-fresh corn tortillas to hand-patted gorditas and juicy brisket.

Even better was the discovery of Amelia's Tortillas across the parking lot. Amelia originally opened Tortillas del Rancho y Restaurant as a tortilleria, and the restaurant grew out of demand. But her fresh-off-the-griddle corn tortillas, house-made flour tortillas, gorditas and sopas never stopped being a big draw.

Now you can buy them in bulk and take them home. Also at the tortilleria: cleaned and sliced fresh nopales, a quart-size zip-top plastic bag for $2. And chips, hot sauce and tomatillo sauce.

The other great news is Rowlett's gain: Amelia has opened Amelia's Cocina Mexicana at 3801 Lakeview Parkway. I'm hoping it's kitchen is as good as the Garland original. Anyone been who can tell us about it?

P.S. Out-of-town guest has his own blog, and he posted here about Amelia's.

This year, J Dorian, one of a handful of artisanal chocolatiers in Dallas, has added chocolate-chunk cookies, good stocking stuffers at $2 each. He's also got Christmas trees with alternating milk and dark chocolate layers in two sizes, as well as a truffle-filled dark chocolate sleigh, and Santa boots in milk or dark chocolate filled with milk-chocolate-coated macadamia nuts.

Also new and interesting in his truffle lineup: merlot truffles, which don't taste wine-y, but amplify the fruit aspect of the wine. When French wine expert Alexandre Martin was in town to lead a tasting I wrote about here, he dropped by and was so impressed with the merlot truffles that he took a box back to France with him. Given the French standards on matters of wine and chocolate, that's a high compliment for our local guy. J Dorian is on Belt Line between the tollway and Preston Road, next door to Houston's.

Speaking of Houston's, I had a righteous grilled artichoke appetizer there before strolling over to JD's. It was cut in half, the thistle removed and the 'choke boiled, then seasoned and grilled to finish. Too bad it was just a special.

I just finished talking with the two women who are bringing the edible magazine concept to North Texas. Publishers Karen McCullough and Nanci Taylor already have a Web site at www.edibledallasfortworth.com, and they plan to publish the first issue of the quarterly magazine in March.

The edibles celebrate local foods, season by season. Edible Dallas & Forth Worth's mission statement goes, in part, like this: "...We inspire readers to support and celebrate the growers, producers, chefs, winemakers, food artisans and other professionals in our community." It's a little like Slow Food's The Snail, but local.

Edible publications started in Ojai, Calif., and there are something like 50 across the country and Canada, from edible Hawaiian Islands to edible Manhattan, edible Lowcountry to edible Phoenix. Austin has one, of course, and its fall issue includes stories on salt, Whole Foods Market's cheese buyer and a Texas winemaker's return to native grapes. 'Can't wait to see North Texas' first issue.

Back in late August, I was boohooing that the Dallas CM didn't have a salt bar like Southlake's, which I wrote about here. Finally, Dallas has caught up. I noticed a few visits ago that the Dallas CM has installed just such a salt bar in its bulk section.

For Dallas foodies, this is a great addition - and an economical one, too. You can buy the tiniest amount, just what you need, instead of a whole box of a salt you're not sure you'll like. For those of you who pooh-pooh this as hysterics (salt is salt), there are differences, from the shape (rectangular crystals to flakes), which affects how a salt melds into a dish, to flavor nuances provided by trace minerals.

Holiday idea: Buy a good quality unsalted butter, like Falfurrias from East Texas, soften it a bit and blend in some chunky salt crystals. As the butter melts on rolls or potatoes, you get this cool, salty zing in some bites.

BTW, as you go about your holiday cooking, remember that the bulk bin section is a great place to save money. Whether it's a particular spice you're looking for, cornmeal or nuts, you can buy only the amount you need.

Shawn Oliver shot me an e-mail about his family's mail-order biz, Oliver Pecan Co., which was picked by Texas Monthly as one of the best in the state. It's located in San Saba, between Temple-Belton and San Angelo. The Web site at www.oliverpecan.com even includes an update on the 2008 season: not good. Drought contributed to a small crop.

The site has gift tins, various chocolate-covered pecans, chocolate-caramel turtles and such, but also finely ground pecan meal for holiday baking, chewy pecan pralines, pecan butter, Southern pecan coffee beans, pecan pies, the filling for pecan pie, amaretto-peach-pecan preserves and even sugar-free sweet cinnamon pecans.

Line up your holiday treats now.

I just got a catalog in the mail, but anyone can go to the Web site at www.nbsmokehouse.com and see what I see.

Besides the requisite smoked turkeys and hams, my eye drifts to the New Braunfels Smokehouse hickory-smoked pork chops and Comal County bacon (recommended by Cook's Illustrated). This is bacon smoked the way the area's first German settlers smoked it, according to the blurb.

The Smokehouse also makes beef and turkey pet treats, and they carry my favorite sweet-crisp pickle, Picolos. ('Used to be able to find 'em at Tom Thumb, but no more.) The "sausage market" runs from tomato-basil-chicken sausage to venison ring sausage and applewurst sausage links.

Maybe the coolest package (there are many) is the Cowboy Breakfast, which includes 2 pounds of the pork chops, 1 pound of peppered sliced bacon, a package of buttermilk pancake mix, a jar of blackberry syrup, a package of country-style biscuit mix and a jar of peach preserves. I guess all you add is the appetites and the eggs. It's $57.95 plus shipping.

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:

You'll have to wait until at least 2011, and maybe until 2012. So says Dan Garrison, part of the family that owns Garrison Brothers Distillery in Hye, Texas (between Johnson City and Stonewall on U.S. 290).

The nascent operation, believed to be the first legal bourbon distillery in Texas since Prohibition, has just filled its 100th Texas Bourbon barrel. They set up shop and secured the proper permits in 2007. "Just days later we started cooking," Garrison says, "and after six months of testing and tasting, we nailed the recipe" (see photo).

The farmers and purveyors at Coppell Farmers Market will be making special treats for Thanksgiving and holiday shopping:

Great Harvest Breads will add pumpkin swirl bread to its offerings.
Dawn Holden (Wizard of Ahhhs) is making pumpkin custard, walnut-carrot cake and more.
Jill Holden (Dawn's sister) will make fresh yeast rolls and fresh butter. She will also make pomegranate jelly.
Healthy Me Marketplace will have pumpkin-nut bread and more.
Dominion Farms has large pastured chickens (5 to 8 pounds), but you should pre-order now. They also have whole hams, both cured and not cured (fresh). 903-464-0224.
Rehoboth Ranch still has a few pastured, Broad Breasted White turkeys. Pre-order now: 903-450-8145.
Lisa Lucido brings frozen pumpkin ravioli and butternut squash ravioli.
Lets Do Tea will have pumpkin pie, spiced pear and eggnog tea flavors.

These are just a few of the special holiday goodies to be offered. Starting around Friday, the market's Web site, www.coppellfarmersmarket.org, will carry more details and developments. The Coppell market takes place from 8 a.m. to sell-out (noonish to 2 p.m.) Saturdays at the corner of Bethel and S. Coppell Roads.

I just got my flyer in the mail announcing that the new-crop Texas pecans are in at this popular factory outlet.

For bakers, there are small, large and medium pecan pieces as well as halves, plus all kinds of other nuts (honey-roasted cashews to chocolate-covered macadamias) and related gift items (Cajun nut mix, frosted praline pecans, wasabi peas).

New this year: Dried blueberries, blue chocolate-covered blueberries, red chocolate covered cherries, chocolate-caramel pecan patties, dark-chocolate-covered almonds, cashews, cherries and cranberries, French burnt peanuts, Jordan almonds, honey-roasted pecans, hot Cajun corn sticks, chile-lemon pistachios in the shell, dry-roasted salted peanuts and Gems (similar to M&Ms, it says).

Holiday hours are 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Closed Sunday, Thanksgiving Day and Dec. 25-Jan. 4. Limited hours Thanksgiving Eve and Christmas Eve. Texas Pecan Co. is at 2850 Satsuma near Royal and Denton Drive. Get more information on the Web site, www.texaspecanco.com.

Yup, the Remsings tell me their cherry tomatoes are "growing like crazy," and they've also got lettuce at Gnismer Farms pick-your-own in Dalworthington Gardens. Between now and Thanksgiving, they'll also have beets, cabbag