EATS

Quick's Lesley Tellez chats with mixologist Michael Martensen, whose inventive cocktail creations are raising the bar at the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek. Read more here.

I had the pleasure of speaking with food and wine expert Ted Allen on Wednesday morning. He was in Puerto Rico where he's filming the final episodes of Top Chef (and trying to squeeze in some vacation time). He discussed his Sunday appearance at Taste Addison and talked a little about what's coming on Top Chef. His not-exactly-a-spoiler: "Whatever you may think or however you might want to handicap it, remember it doesn't matter who the best chef is. There are front-runners in this cast. But it doesn't matter." You can read the rest of my Q&A with him here.

He had a lot to say – as you can imagine if you've seen him on Top Chef, Iron Chef America or Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. And there wasn't enough room in the paper. So I'm sharing some leftovers. Click below to read more about his advice for aspiring oenophiles and his love-hate relationship with his Top Chef blog on BravoTV.com.

Slow Foodies and Food Roots combined forces for a "Cheese, Burgers & Viognier" tour recently, visiting three local producers southwest of here. You might not want to make a day of it like they did, but all three are day-trip-friendly. Here's a little taste of the tour, courtesy of Mary Kimbrough, who's got her feet in both camps (Slow Food and Food Roots):

First stop: The Burgundy Boucherie in Grandview, the area's only grass-fed butcher shop, where Jon and Wendy Taggert dry-age, cut, and sell their pasture-raised meats. They also serve burgers made with their beef. Yum.

I told Neal Newsom when I visited him and Janice earlier this year that if Nowhere had a middle, where they live in West Texas would be it. To reach Newsom Vineyards outside Plains, I had to fly in to Lubbock, then drive across 60 miles of West Texas flatland: red soil, tumbleweeds, oil derricks, fallow cotton fields.

Along with Neal's mother, Neal and Janice grow some of the best grapes in Texas and earn vineyard designation on many wines. (They don't make wine; they just grow grapes.) Not that it hasn't come at a cost: Only after I had completed the story - which starts out with a devastating hail storm - did I learn from Fredericksburg Winery that when Neal's dad died in 2000, it was in a harvesting accident.

Dues have been paid, but the wine gods also have smiled on this small-town family, which is helping to shape Texas' nascent wine industry. Check out the story here.

If you're collecting the full set of Flying Saucer commemorative glasses, you won't want to miss next Wednesday's annual Beer Knurd glass (see left), which the bartenders will start filling at 7 p.m. There's a small charge for the glass, plus the beer in it. If you've just got to have it, get there early; we're told they go fast. The Flying Saucer is at 14999 Montfort Drive in Addison.

Dallas ex-pat Kathryn Hall (how could anyone leave Dallas for Napa Valley?) leads the discussion and previews new HALL Winery vintages at an Abacus wine dinner May 13 at 6:30 p.m.

Kent Rathbun and crew will be pouring the 2007 sauvignon blanc, 2005 merlot, and the 2004 and 2005 cabs with courses that include quail-foie-gras-stuffed mushrooms, grilled elk medallions and pan-seared scallops wtih braised spinach. It's a great chance to see the new digs, too.

The dinner is $130 a person plus tax and 20 percent gratuity. For reservations, e-mail here. For more info, call 469-867-3681.

Ted Allen of Top Chef, Iron Chef America and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy will conduct a cooking demo at Taste Addison this Sunday at 2 p.m. with the Robert Mondavi Special Selection Discover Wine exhibit.

Mr. Allen, who is as easy to talk to as he seems on TV, has been working with the Napa Valley winery as an educational spokesman for about four years. "I have no intention of perpetuating wine snobbery," he said. He prefers talking to people who are not experts, people who just want to enjoy wine and be more comfortable buying and serving it.

His advice is to "taste, taste, taste" in wine shops, restaurants and at festivals like Taste Addison and don't be afraid to ask for help at a retail store or restaurant.

Mr. Allen is excited to be working with the Mondavi winery because of Robert Mondavi's history and contribution of wine in America. The Discover Wine exhibit is a way to bring the excitement of harvest time, or the "crush," to people who don't live in wine country. The winery road show has an exhibit showing how wine is made, a tasting bar and a demo kitchen where Mr. Allen will be on Sunday.

Mr. Allen's had a bit of experience with Dallas and Dallasites. He spent nearly a month in Dallas filming three episodes of Queer Eye. He has also judged the work Dallas chefs both on Top Chef and Iron Chef America. He was particularly impressed with the Rathbun brothers, Kent and Kevin, who won against Bobby Flay on Iron Chef America. He noted that it is very hard for a challenger to beat the Iron Chef, but Kent and Kevin had the showmanship for TV and big, bold flavors in their food to impress the judges.

Rebecca Murphy

Not to slobber all over the Rosewood Mansion Restaurant, but these days when I get to attend a special dinner there, I anticipiate that it will in some way push the envelope.

I wasn't disppointed over the weekend when exec chef John Tesar and wine director Michael Flynn devised their wine dinner for Spring Mountain Winery in the Napa Valley. "This is the first time we're doing a wine retrospective of this magnitude," said winemaker Jac Cole, there for commentary. To wit: an 11-year vertical tasting. (Great slide show of the estate here.)

What's a vertical tasting? You taste one wine through several vintages, in this case the Spring Mountain Vineyard Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, later renamed Elivette, from 1993 through 2003. Read on to see what the Mansion duo did with these wonderful wines.

Technically, that's assistant winemaker and heir-apparent-to-the-top-job Ronald Du Preez who stoped in to lunch with trade and press. But you have to believe he's a winemaking wunderkind to follow in the footsteps of Rob Davis at Jordan Winery Estate. (Davis and Du Preez are shown in the vineyards in the pic.)

Before getting to Du Preez's story, which eerily echoes Davis' own, I have to tell you that the Jordan 2006 Russian River Chardonnay (about $35 retail) with The Mansion's half-moon lobster ravioli with uni (sea urchn) butter and American caviar was like a breath of Burgundy. Chardonnay in this classic, Old World style that's so lean and crisp celebrates food. But about this Gen-X winemaker...

Bacon. Shrimp. Grits. Yum.
This month the wine panel paired wines with a doozy of a shrimp and grits dish. Even if you don't drink wine, you will like the food.
The best pairing of the lot was the 2006 Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve Pinot Noir, easy to find and priced at about $20.
Get the recipes and other wine suggestions here.

Photo by Evans Caglage

I went to a wine tasting and buffet dinner last night with premier Italian winemaker Riccardo Cotarella (who had flown in the day before from Russia) and was knocked out by the food, an Italian menu devised to accompany his wonderful wines, including a sassy Italian merlot.

It was all good, but the lasagna bolognese showed why lasagna gained such a huge following in the U.S. the same way pommes frites inspired American French fries. The pasta was thin and delicate, layered with richly meaty sauce but not drowned in it, and the final crowning cheese was just enough to complete the dish, an exercise in extravagant restraint. And a Homer-donut moment, to be sure.

The menu points up why the Food Company is often the catering company of choice for the Park Cities, and why Nonna (reviewed here), its sister restaurant, is so popular with fans of authentic Italian. Here's hoping this dish shows up on the restaurant menu, if it hasn't already.

A gold-medal wine for $10.99? Good deal. What about 3 liters of gold-medal wine for that price? Way better.
The wine in question is Corbett Canyon California Chardonnay NV. Here's what wine writer Rebecca Murphy has to say about it:

If you have resisted buying wine in a box, get over it. Boxed wines have been winning medals for several years, which means the quality is there. And, packaged in a box, the quality lasts longer than it will in a bottle, because the wine is protected from oxygen. This wine is light-bodied with chardonnay's crisp apple, citrus and pear flavors. Enjoy it with light pasta dishes. You can always serve it from a carafe so your guests will never know it came from a box. Available at Beverage City and Sigel's.

To see other winning wines in The Dallas Morning News Wine Competition, check our database.

The annual festival kicks off tonight with Gourmet Cinema -- the gourmet part being a dinner by chef Richard Chamberlain, and the cinema being Sideways. But let's talk about that dinner for a minute. The chef promises goose-fat fries with Parmigiano-Reggiano. Other food too, but it's those fries that tempt.

On Friday, Texas Salute will serve up local and regional foods and wines. Austin-based Treaty Oak Platinum Rum will pour samples of their rum as well as mojitos. You can also sample the latest from Fall Creek Vineyards, McPherson Cellars, Inwood Estates Vineyards and Saint Arnold Brewery, among others. Make a meal out of nibbles from Aurelia's Chorizo, shrimp cocktail from Big Shucks, brisket tacos from Blue Goose, tamales from Texas Tamale, guacamole from Two Chihuahuas, plus hot sauces, desserts and more. Wiseman House from Hico, Texas, will serve truffles, toffee and its decadent sipping chocolate. And yes, I'm "hosting" this one, which merely means I will get up and say HI at some point during the evening.

Saturday is given over to Entertaining With Style, a series of seminars spread out along McKinney just south of Knox. Milestone Culinary Arts Center is ground zero; stop in at 12:30 to taste along with the Taste wine panel. We'll be pairing wines with a killer mac-and-cheese. Also look for a demo by chef John Tesar of the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, along with other chefs from around town.

Sunday is reserved for Taste of the World, with samples from Dallas restaurants paired with award-winning wines. Check the menu here.

Full disclosure: The Dallas Morning News is, once again, a sponsor of the festival.

At Cotes du Coeur Friday night, 13 of Dallas' best chefs lined up to served demi-portions to the hundreds gathered to bid on wines and fancy wine-country tour packages, all to raise $ for the American Heart Assocation. (I'm no math whiz, but I'm betting they reached their $200,000 goal.)

What was on those little plates? Nearly half were bedded on grits or their ITalian cousin,polenta, and if you think this group ate heart-healthy, guess again.

Trapiche, Mendoza, Broquel Bonarda 2004, $13.99

Bonarda is a red grape variety originally from northwestern Italy. It was brought to South America by European immigrants, as were all vinifera grape varieties that are used to make fine wines.

Bonarda has taken well to the foothills of the Andes Mountains in Argentina. Trapiche's vineyards are planted there, around Mendoza, at 1,800 to 3,000 feet. It is believed that grapes grown at this high altitude have more resveratrol, an ingredient in wine that has possible health benefits.

Health tonic or not, this is an amiable, easy-to-drink wine with plump cherry, strawberry fruit, enough acidity to keep it lively and mellow tannins. Try it with another Argentine specialty: a grilled steak. Available at Stoney's Fine Wine and Market.

Rebecca Murphy

Back in mid-December, dining critic Bill Addison asked: Where do you buy bourbon in this town? And several opinions were given.

On Thursday, April 17, bourbon lovers have a chance to indulge at The Palm's Bourbon Dinner. Each course will feature dishes using bourbon as an ingredient, paired with Knob Creek bourbons for tasting. Plus, the Knob Creek "Whiskey Professors" will be there to entertain and educate diners.

The bourbon dinner starts at 7 p.m., and the cost is $125 per person plus tax and gratuity. The Palm is located in the West End of downtown Dallas, at 701 Ross Ave. Call 214-698-0470 for reservations.

For the menu, go to the jump:

Slow Food is sponsoring a "food forage and wine tour" May 3, which will take folks to Burgundy Pasture Beef in Grandview, the Veldhuizen Family Farm in Dublin and Brennan Vineyards in Comanche.

The tour includes transportation, lunch, dinner, tastings and gratuities. Plus, I know this group; it will be a foodie fest on wheels, led by Mary Kimbrough, who left a career at the top of her game to start Food Roots, which is her passion. Mary's also exploring the entrepreneural possibilities beyond the University of Texas Southwestern University Hospitals, where she was director of nutrition and hospitality. You go, girl.

Oops, back to the tour. It starts at 9 a.m., rolls back into town at 10 p.m., costs $150 per person ($140 for Slow Food members). Sign up here, or call 214-455-1782 for more info.

If you've detected a lull in wine events at Jimmy's Food Store, that's because Paul DiCarlo has been in Verona (left) playing with Adelmo Banchetti (Adelmo's) and others at Vin Italy, the Italian wine industry's annaul mega-tasting event. (Think several football fields of wine producers.)

Here are a couple of events that didn't get into the Taste section calendar:

Alfonso Gagliano from the Campari Group leads a tasting of two whites from Teruzzu & Puthold Wineries in Tuscany and three reds from Sella & Mosca Winery in Sardinia, 6:30 to 7:45 p.m. with antipasto buffet, $19 plus tax. Email here to make a reservation.

Gian Costa with Marenco Wines brings in two frizzante sparklers, Moscato di Asti (white) and Bracheto di Acqui (red) in a meet-and-greet format with desserts by Paul's sister, Mary Francis, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday; $8. Even though it's come and go, email here to let them know you'll be attending.

Jimmy's is at 4901 Bryan at Fitzhugh.
Photo by the Italian Wine Guy.

Speaking of Lidia at Pappas, we are fixin' to get an incredible run of great wine dinners, so brace yourself.

Not the least among them will be the Banfi dinner at Fearing's Restaurant on Wednesday. If you're a fan of brunello, there are two from Castello Banfi on chef Dean Fearing's menu, the 1995 and the 2001.

And - what's this? - the 2001 is paired with coriander-crusted wild boar chops on anise-fennel chutney with braised oxtail in Texas rice with Gorgonzola dolce. (Bill Addison just blogged about oxtail breaking out in Dallas here).

Chef Fearing is doing a foie gras custard with the 2006 rosso di Montalcino. While you savor the food and wine, brand ambassador Philip di Belardino will regale you with stories and anecdotes, which are the soul of Italian wine.

It's $195 (includes tax and gratuity), and starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, 2121 McKinney. Call 214-922-4848 for reservations.

Pappas Bros., the North Dallas steakhouse, is taking reservations for a May 2 dinner with author, restaurateur and Food Network star Lidia Bastianich and her wine-expert son, Joe. The dinner, at 7 p.m., will feature Italian wines produced by the Bastianich family in partnership with star chef Mario Batali.

The menu offers three courses, plus hors d'oeuvres and a cheese course. Cost is $125 per person, plus tax and gratuity, and reservations are required.

Call Samantha Blossom at 214-366-2000 for reservations. For more information, see the Pappas Bros. Dallas website. The restaurant is located at 10477 Lombardy Lane, Dallas.

This Saturday, Crush Wine Shop brings out five wines to taste with cocktail shrimp from TJ's Seafood Market.

Featured wines include Willamette Valley Vineyards Pinot Gris, Sokol Blosser's nine-grape white blend Evolution, 2007 Elk Grove Vineyards Rose, 2006 Elk Grove Riesling and 2006 Elk Grove Pinot Noir.

For 10 bucks, you get to taste each wine and enjoy a glass of the one you like best, plus nosh away on the aforementioned shrimp. 2 to 4 p.m.; Crush is at 3205 Knox.

The last time I paid six bucks for Antinori Santa Cristina was...no time. I do remember when it was $6.99 at the grocery store, maybe 25 years ago. So the "grand opening" sale at Sigel's Elite has got some terrific buys.

It's not really a grand opening, though, so much as a grand remodel. This is still the Sigel's store across from Old Town. It just has a spiffy new look. The wine prices are real enough, though. There's a bunch of Beringer Founder's Estate for $7, several Joel Gotts for $12, also some 2000 La Chablisienne Premier Cru Chablis for $7 ('was more like $30), Ravenswood zin for $6. Not all the wines are cheap; some are just deeply discounted. See the complete list here. Oh, and all Grey Goose vodka is $23.

Are some of these wines getting a little long in the tooth? Is Sigel's making room for new stuff? Whatever the reason, it could be a good time to replenish your stash. The sale is today and tomorrow only at 5757 Greenville, north of Lovers Lane.

Napa Valley has its wine train. And Grapevine has its wine train, which is sure to be a hot ticket at the 16th Annual New Vintage Wine & Gallery Trail.

Climb aboard the Grapevine Vintage Railroad April 18 or 19 at 7 p.m. at the historic Cotton Belt Depot at 705 S. Main St. The Jazz Wine Train includes Texas wines and food, plus live jazz in every car, then pulls back into the