Food and Drink

If you happen to be one of those readers, those foodie fiends, who have been ogling the window of Salaryman, next to door to Macellaio in the Bishop Arts district, to see when the long-anticipated izakaya and ramen shop from chef Justin Holt might be debuting, there is good news and—well, less good news. The frustrating bit is that we still have to wait. (Though, yes, I know you've seen the light fixtures go in and the bottles of sake arrive and the counter take on its enticing, please-serve-me-a-bowl-of-ramen shape.) The good news is that ramen will be available in pop-up form this Sunday, December 23. Last weekend, Holt popped up at the Dubliner with battleship curry bowls. This Sunday, you'll find Holt's spicy miso ramen at The Libertine, starting at 7 p.m. until bowls run out. The profile includes a chicken-miso broth, pork chasu, egg, bamboo shoots, green onion, cabbage, and a tangle of the alkaline noodles he's been developing for Salaryman. $10 per bowl (ca...

Sometimes I want to make cookies. Okay, I always want to make cookies. I don't know, there's just something about making cookies that makes me happy. Sometimes I even make them when I don't want to eat them. You might think that this isn't a problem because I could easily give my cookies to family and friends, but I have major anxiety about giving away cookies. I'm always worried that they're just saying that they want them but don't really because who knows what's going on in people's lives. Maybe they're on some sort of anti-cookie diet or they're too shy to say they don't like my cookies. I run through various scenarios – usually ones where they think my cookies are horrible – and generally drive myself crazy. I've decided that the best thing to do in cases like this are to not give away cookies. So, we always end up having a lot of cookies hanging around. Sometimes it makes me sad. But it also makes me happy because if I...

Angela Hernandez, opening executive chef at Fine China and the director of culinary operations at the Statler Hotel, will leave Dallas next week and move to Austin to take on a job with McGuire Moorman Hospitality. The group owns several restaurants in Austin and will soon be opening one in Aspen, Colorado. Hernandez, who is from Austin, cites family as a priority. "I've been traveling for 15 years," she says, referring to her time both in New York and in Dallas, where she opened Top Knot in 2016. The eclectic modern Asian spot, where Hernandez brought in her Korean and Latin American backgrounds, earned a spot on my D Magazine Best New Restaurants list that year, and Fine China, her modern Chinese destination for dim sum and Cantonese roast duck, cinched a spot on my list this year, despite some inconsistencies. Since Graham Dodds' departure from the Statler in October, Hernandez has absorbed his responsibilities. Joining a well-established group in Austin as ...

December 19, 2018 The most EPIC appetizer board ever! With an assortment of cheeses, figs, nuts, and pomegranate, this is the must-have holiday recipe! Guys, this is THE holiday appetizer you all need. MY OTHER RECIPES I'm serious. It's beautiful, it's festive, and it has four of my favorite cheeses – brie, manchego, provolone and Pepper Jack. Not to mention, this will be the easiest appetizer you will have to assemble during the holidays. Because guess what? There is absolutely no cooking involved here. Simply slice your cheeses, spread your crackers, crack open your pomegranate, and garnish with fresh rosemary sprigs for that holiday touch. To finish it off, pour the wine. Done. Holiday Cheese Board Yield: 12 servings Prep Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 10 minutes The most EPIC appetizer board ever! With an assortment of cheeses, figs, nuts, and pomegranate, this is the must-have holiday recipe! Ingredients: 8 ...

This week's biggest dining scene news was that following the closing of Smoke, Tim Byres joined Stephan Pyles at the Arts District's Flora Street Café as managing director of Stephan Pyles Concepts. For those who know both Pyles and Byres, it will seem no surprise, in some ways. They will draw lines between both chefs' approaches to regional cooking, the insinuations of smoke, the idea of cooking over live fire. Byres was executive chef at the now-closed Stephan Pyles. (Chefs J Chastain, of The Charles, and Matt McCallister, of now-closed FT-33, have also gone through that kitchen.) He left to open Smoke. But in the recent years, his focus has turned increasingly towards a desire for storytelling with food. Less time on the line, more time curating experiences. Byres has worked on a dude ranch in Montana, creating intimate dining scenarios for 150 guests. These were the experiences he kept coming back to. "I was telling Stephan, we're gonna close [Smoke], and...

Whenever I travel to San Francisco and the East Bay to visit friends I've had since college—who decided to stay and live in the land of levain bread and housing prices you weep about routinely—I stop in at Berkeley's Cheese Board Collective for a sourdough English muffin. I sample the cheeses, of course, and maybe change things up with a Wolverine, filled with dried cherries and pecans. But nowhere have I had such English muffins, springy, tangy, lightly dusted with cornmeal and begging for toasting. I usually bundle at least one up and take it back to Dallas on the plane, though it's never the same. And I considered that nothing could get close, until D's Sourdough's English muffins came into the picture. If you are a fan of sourdough, you probably know the loaves that Debra Piedra makes, hand-crafted and long-fermented, using wild yeast and freshly milled organic flours. There are die-hard fans of her 7-grain, spelt, or einkorn wheat sourdough, her salted rose...

Whenever I travel to San Francisco and the East Bay to visit friends I've had since college—who decided to stay and live in the land of levain bread and housing prices you weep about routinely—I stop in at Berkeley's Cheese Board Collective for a sourdough English muffin. I sample the cheeses, of course, and maybe change things up with a Wolverine, filled with dried cherries and pecans. But nowhere have I had such English muffins, springy, tangy, lightly dusted with cornmeal and begging for toasting. I usually bundle at least one up and take it back to Dallas on the plane, though it's never the same. And I considered that nothing could get close, until D's Sourdough's English muffins came into the picture. If you are a fan of sourdough, you probably know the loaves that Debra Piedra makes, hand-crafted and long-fermented, using wild yeast and freshly milled organic flours. There are die-hard fans of her 7-grain, spelt, or einkorn wheat sourdough, her salted rose...

Artist Vhils is the latest to design a label for Hennessy's Very Special Limited Bottle series. The Cognac company Hennessy has announced its annual artist collaboration for its limited edition bottle, which will be available in July. The urban artist Alexandre Farto, better known as Vhils, has created a highly textural design that hints at his multimedia, street-influenced process. Vhils, who became known for his tag around his native Portugal and then beyond, has become an in-demand artist who uses chiseling, etching and other unusual techniques to create his murals and works. Obviously, it's not advisable to chisel into a bottle of Cognac, so Vhils' Hennessy bottle and gift box merely evoke his techniques; still, the effect is stunning. The bottles, which go on sale for $32 (retail for 750 ml) nationwide in the U.S. in July, will surely sell out quickly, so we suggest to start stalking your neighborhood liquor store. Past Hennessy "Very Special Limited Edition ...

Sorry kids, these popsicles are for adults only. The aunt and nephew duo behind Ice Kitchen are back with their second book,  Poptails,  the one stop shop for all your frozen boozy cravings. Expect everything from creative combinations you wished you thought of first and twists on classics, like these dark and stormy mojito popsicles. Here, our made-up Mojito is a Jamaican twist on the "Dark & Stormy" cocktail. The spicy mix of hibiscus, ginger, lime and rum creates a poptail that conjures up tropical heat; in Jamaica, they often pair red hibiscus with ginger. These poptails are intense, so make them in small moulds. Dipping them in rum is optional. Reprinted with permission from  Ice Kitchen Poptails -

Sue Williams is our local practicing physician turned chocolatier, who for years now has wielded dark chocolate and organic ingredients for good, helping us coax virtue from a vice. She's interested in the values of dark chocolate, the antioxidant properties we all love to tout, and at her Dr. Sue's Chocolate in Grapevine, she makes small-batch, artisanal indulgences with natural, fresh ingredients, no refined sugar, and an emphasis on health benefits. They include candied orange peel coated in dark chocolate (the adorable "orangettes") and antioxidant-powered blueberry and ancho chile bark. Her original bark pairs dried cherries with native Texas pecans spiced with ancho chile powder, for a profile that's sweet and spicy. There's warmth in her bark with ginger and dried fig. For the holidays, Williams dreamed up a s'mores-inspired bark that piles Belgian dark chocolate, organic graham crackers, and toasted house-made marshmallows into a rough, rusti...

Rolling in with a quickie: a triple decker cranberry and brie grilled cheese. I love cranberries and brie together. There's something ultra festive about cranberries and brie together. I think it might be because the very first time I ever had brie was at a Christmas party. I'm not entirely sure because it's kind of a fuzzy memory but I do remember a cheese platter and how someone got upset at my uncle for stealing the "nose" of the cheese and also eating only the insides, leaving the rind. Luckily I managed to get a bite of brie before it was all gone. It definitely felt very fancy and grown up to me, especially since most of my cheese exposure as a kid was Kraft singles. That first taste of brie started a lifelong obsession for me. Brie is silky smooth creaminess. It's mild and melty and so, so good. Here it pairs up with sweet-tart cranberry sauce for a perfectly festive red and white sandwich. Personally, I think Santa mike like it more than cookie...

Artist Vhils is the latest to design a label for Hennessy's Very Special Limited Bottle series. The Cognac company Hennessy has announced its annual artist collaboration for its limited edition bottle, which will be available in July. The urban artist Alexandre Farto, better known as Vhils, has created a highly textural design that hints at his multimedia, street-influenced process. Vhils, who became known for his tag around his native Portugal and then beyond, has become an in-demand artist who uses chiseling, etching and other unusual techniques to create his murals and works. Obviously, it's not advisable to chisel into a bottle of Cognac, so Vhils' Hennessy bottle and gift box merely evoke his techniques; still, the effect is stunning. The bottles, which go on sale for $32 (retail for 750 ml) nationwide in the U.S. in July, will surely sell out quickly, so we suggest to start stalking your neighborhood liquor store. Past Hennessy "Very Special Limited Edition ...

When it comes to finding the best meals in far-off places, it pays to know a local. And in southern France's Languedoc, the best locals to know are winemakers. We tapped some of the region's top producers and asked them to give us the rundown on the places where they're eating, drinking and introducing visitors to in this beautiful corner of the country. Among the Vines Out in Faugères, winemakers had long been lacking a good place to take clients for lunch, and so two daughters of local vintners teamed up to open Damejane, a cozy wine shop and restaurant. Open just until the late afternoon, each day the kitchen adds to the homey offerings with a chalkboard special, generally something satisfyingly seasonal like pasta with local asparagus and filet of pork with basil. These and other dishes would pair perfectly with a Clos Fantine Cuvée Tradition AOC Faugères or a Chateau de la Liquière Vielles Vignes AOC Faugères, just two of the appellation's standout wines. Becau...

We're huge fans of grillmaster Steven Raichlen's smoky, meaty cookbooks. His latest work focuses on updating our beloved grilling techniques. Dive into recipes for grilled meats, vegetable sides, desserts and more. These 'hedgehog' hot dogs crisp up on the grill like no other. Try them this summer.  I always feel awkward about including a hot dog recipe in a cookbook. After all, hot dogs are the first food most of us grilled, and you don't need a cookbook to show you how. What special technique could I possibly bring to a food that's essentially ready to eat when it comes out of the package? Hedgehogging dramatically increases the ratio of crisp smoky crust to center meat. Tip o' the hat to Russ Faulk of Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet for this singular scoring technique and the idea of grilling the hot dog buns with mayonnaise and remoulade sauce. He calls his version a "Po' Dog." Amen. Insider Tip : These hot dogs use a technique called...

On Monday, Tom Fleming, the executive chef behind the iconic Crossroads Diner's fluffy biscuits and cinnamon sticky buns, will open a French dip outpost in Plano's Legacy Hall. It is named, appropriately—and with a French flair—Chez Dip. When we published an ode to the morning meal, the 2016 Best Breakfast issue, we turned to Fleming to tell us how to cook the perfect egg. I've spelled out the secrets of the ooey-gooey cinnamon buns in a post. Now we have his sandwiches to look forward to. The menu keeps things extraordinarily simple. Hot roast beef with melted smoked gouda, pickled red onions, roasted garlic aioli, and house beef jus for dipping; or roast turkey with red pepper hummus, tomato-caper relish and beef jus—both on house-baked baguettes, with béarnaise potato salad or chips. Throw in horseradish cream or an extra scoop of béarnaise potato salad as a side. Fountain drinks. C'est tout . On Legacy's Hall's bustling first floor, the spot will end...

Once a barista and bartender in Seattle, Alex Negranza moved to Houston four years ago for a coveted job at Anvil Bar & Refuge and a chance to work under its owner Bobby Heugel, the bar entrepreneur and agave-spirits evangelist who put the city on the drinking-world map. Since then, Negranza has become a driving force in the Houston cocktail scene, becoming the only Houstonian to become an  Eater  Young Gun, in 2016. He now oversees Heugel's downtown bars (Pastry War, Tongue Cut Sparrow and Nightingale Room) as Director of Operations. "A couple things really speak to Texan drinking culture—people forget that there are four very large cities here that account for a lot of people drinking a lot of things," says Negranza. "Houston's always played second fiddle even within the state, to Austin, so we have this thing where we don't have to keep up with the Joneses. Elsewhere there's an impulse to get the next hottest product and put it behind your bar be...

The researchers at Resonance Consultancy, a company that studies data and conducts extensive surveys, annually announces its 10 best large and small cities in America based on their findings. Last year, they let us in on how restaurants and nightlife affect their findings. Yesterday, Resonance dropped its 2018 list, and New York City tops it again. Below are the complete lists, along with a sneak peek at the report and more commentary. America's Top 10 Large Cities (metropolitan areas with more than 1 million population): New York Chicago Los Angeles San Francisco Las Vegas San Diego Houston Miami Seattle Boston America's Top 10 Small Cities (metropolitan areas with more than 200,000 but less than 1 million population): Honolulu Omaha Albuquerque Charleston El Paso Reno Tulsa Madison Myrtle Beach Asheville Pages from Resonance's report naming New York City the best big city in America. So what should we make of Resonance's lists? It...