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Post by Ron Howard Voice on Oct 19, 2016 11:47:37 GMT -5
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Post by pairesta on Oct 19, 2016 12:57:18 GMT -5
How long ago was that? A few people have told me he's mellowed out in recent years. I've only met him for ~10 seconds, but he gave me a fist bump and was polite during those 10 seconds. 2012 or 2013 I think. I don't know if carrying on a crusade against the lead dining critic to get her fired is exactly "mellow". He'd been on a downward spiral in my eyes for a while, but him being such a hypercompetitive jerk was the final nail for me. Maybe stabilized? I'm surprised Knife has lasted so long. That's a good point. Definitely in Houston, there is much more of a back-and-forth between the food bloggers (not the major dining critics, but the bloggers) and restaurants. Robb Walsh, whom they cite, is a big example. While yes, he was a critic, he really was much more about understanding and capturing the Houston dining scene. He was very happy to just let a place be itself and write about it. And he had a cadre of other food bloggers that were his proteges, who also then went on to bigger writing gigs. So they all seem to come at it from a point of view of cultivating and promoting the dining scene as a whole. When Raskin's article hit 5 years ago, I really agreed with it, and one of the things I think missing was that food writer/chef relationship. But oh my did the pitchforks come out for her. Nancy Nichols in particular. Lots of "the nerve!" exceptions to what she said, since she'd only been here a few months. She left for "allergy" reasons but I wonder if another reason was the enormous anger and hostility she garnered from that article. |
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Post by Ron Howard Voice on Oct 31, 2016 9:18:35 GMT -5
Random Q: anyone been to Chicken Scratch? Thoughts?
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Post by Ron Howard Voice on Nov 3, 2016 11:03:26 GMT -5
Leslie Brenner has come out against queso
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LazBro
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Post by LazBro on Nov 3, 2016 12:31:42 GMT -5
Leslie Brenner has come out against queso I'm almost inclined to agree. Sure, I've had some good queso. But I'd say it's crap more often than not. |
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Post by pairesta on Nov 3, 2016 12:46:44 GMT -5
Leslie Brenner has come out against queso I'm almost inclined to agree. Sure, I've had some good queso. But I'd say it's crap more often than not. I had a distressing number of quesos in Dallas that were a roux that had just a little cheese melted in at the end. |
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Post by LazBro on Nov 7, 2016 9:05:10 GMT -5
18th and Vine, the Kansas City-style "seated" bbq joint on Maple.
Good, if perhaps not compelling enough to win out over other options on our rare date nights (or more often, date brunches). They were touting their new brunch menu, which included an enticing pulled pork and egg burrito (y'all know how I feel about breakfast tacos and burritos) but since we don't get out much these days, we both had barbecue on the brain. We started with the burnt ends and fried okra. The burnt ends were a highlight of the meal, fall apart tender and rich with fat. Though, I wish they weren't pre-sauced, even though the sauce was good, as I come to burnt ends looking for big bark flavor. The sauced masked it. Fried okra was also good. Instead of fat discs, they fried half spears. No slime, good crunch, good okra flavor.
We both ended up doing a "two-que plate." Brisket and pulled pork for me, brisket and sausage for her. Of everything, the pulled pork was my favorite. Good pull, good amount of fat. The brisket was tasty as well, and very tender, but it wasn't luscious the way the very best of it can be. We both agreed we prefer Pecan Lodge, Lockhart, Hutchins and, of course, what I make at home. Her sausage had a good kick of jalapeno, but was drier. Again, the more famous names in town do it better. Sides were collard greens, which I liked a lot, and jalapeno cheddar grits, which were on the bland side (or, as they were served in a bubbling hot ramekin, were maybe just too hot to taste).
Every table setting comes with two sauces, a spicy-sweet Kansas City style red sauce, and a South Carolina mop sauce. I was excited about the mop sauce in particular. A swirl of the bottle revealed a cloud of coriander, dill seed, mustard seed ... basically, it looked like pickle juice. And it was okay, but it needed more vinegar for my taste. And more spice as well. I mean, if that's the style, that's the style, but I like something more tangy and piquant to play off pulled pork.
Oh, and at 11:00am they had a jazz trio start playing, so we finished up our meal and got the fuck outta there as fast as possible!
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Post by Ron Howard Voice on Nov 7, 2016 14:51:06 GMT -5
Kent Rathbun got badly injured in an ATV accident near Marfa - more broken ribs than I even knew that people have ribs, and a fractured vertebra. Spinal surgery tomorrow.
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Post by LazBro on Dec 8, 2016 2:02:28 GMT -5
Lookin' like we're going to try Sixty Vines this Friday night. We're on a bit of a time limit though, so I'm hoping Mrs. Snape can get there early enough that it's not too much a hassle to get a table. I'm not about to join a paid wine club just to make a reservation.
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Post by Ron Howard Voice on Dec 13, 2016 10:27:27 GMT -5
Lookin' like we're going to try Sixty Vines this Friday night. We're on a bit of a time limit though, so I'm hoping Mrs. Snape can get there early enough that it's not too much a hassle to get a table. I'm not about to join a paid wine club just to make a reservation. Oops, just saw this. How'd it go? |
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Post by LazBro on Dec 13, 2016 11:17:47 GMT -5
Oops, just saw this. How'd it go? Deliciously. This is a really good spot. As you know we're not wine people, but the beer selection was quite respectable (though short on stouts, given the season), and the food consistently scrumptious. We started with the Salumi & Cheese Board, which was very good for what it was, but we both agreed it was a bit normal compared to what we're used to now. Prosciutto, salami... basically a brie... this wasn't Small Brewpub or anything. But tasty is tasty. For mains we shared the whole roasted cauliflower and squash blossom pizza. The crust is divine, and the pizza had loads of goat cheese. It was right up our alley. For dessert, the affogato, which was good, but would have been twice so if they used hot espresso rather than cold brew. (Seriously, the whole point is that the coffee melts the ice cream, so what the hell?) Okay one complaint: this was last Friday, when it was quite cold out, and they sat us right next to the door to that inclosed patio. But the walkway isn't inclosed, so every time it opened, which was frequently, we got full-body blasted by chilly air. As soon as the people next to us left, we asked to move, and they were gracious enough to allow it. Good service. I got knackered and overtipped. We'll be back. |
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Post by Ron Howard Voice on Dec 13, 2016 13:04:48 GMT -5
Yay! Get the burger next time! It is actually worth the $17!
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Post by LazBro on Dec 13, 2016 17:19:31 GMT -5
Yay! Get the burger next time! It is actually worth the $17! Yeah, I'd read both your review and Nick's burger article before we went, and I really thought about it, but we decided to go with something more easily shared. Next time I'm getting that burger though. |
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Post by pairesta on Dec 13, 2016 17:23:35 GMT -5
In other news, both Remedy and Luscher's Red Hots, RIP.
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Post by Ron Howard Voice on Dec 13, 2016 17:51:40 GMT -5
In other news, both Remedy and Luscher's Red Hots, RIP. Yeah. Went to Luscher's Sunday for lunch - their last service. A fellow food writer (Foodbitch) said she felt like she was at a funeral, but the atmosphere was more one of those parties people throw when someone died who wanted everyone to throw a party. Got a red hot and bacon cheese fries. My friend got the Uncle Herky and I've never seen anything so gloriously unhealthy looking - the bun looked tiny on the burger, like a little fez. And so, so much grease. |
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Post by pairesta on Dec 13, 2016 18:18:01 GMT -5
In other news, both Remedy and Luscher's Red Hots, RIP. Yeah. Went to Luscher's Sunday for lunch - their last service. A fellow food writer (Foodbitch) said she felt like she was at a funeral, but the atmosphere was more one of those parties people throw when someone died who wanted everyone to throw a party. Got a red hot and bacon cheese fries. My friend got the Uncle Herky and I've never seen anything so gloriously unhealthy looking - the bun looked tiny on the burger, like a little fez. And so, so much grease. I actually managed to go on a business trip to Dtown a few months back. I regret only getting one hot dog now. Is there a reason why it closed? The articles on Eater and Culturemap don't give a reason and almost imply that it may re-open somewhere else, but that's it. And Remedy I was always intrigued by as well. Interesting that they're similar concepts and closed so close to each other. |
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Post by Ron Howard Voice on Dec 13, 2016 23:49:19 GMT -5
Yeah. Went to Luscher's Sunday for lunch - their last service. A fellow food writer (Foodbitch) said she felt like she was at a funeral, but the atmosphere was more one of those parties people throw when someone died who wanted everyone to throw a party. Got a red hot and bacon cheese fries. My friend got the Uncle Herky and I've never seen anything so gloriously unhealthy looking - the bun looked tiny on the burger, like a little fez. And so, so much grease. I actually managed to go on a business trip to Dtown a few months back. I regret only getting one hot dog now. Is there a reason why it closed? The articles on Eater and Culturemap don't give a reason and almost imply that it may re-open somewhere else, but that's it. And Remedy I was always intrigued by as well. Interesting that they're similar concepts and closed so close to each other. So Remedy sounds like artistic reasons - they bought the place next door and want to expand; Danyele McPherson got a promotion and brought in a new chef who wants to do something different. Luscher's sounds to me like they straight up didn't make it. Might have been that their rent got jacked up, or maybe a different neighborhood would be more receptive to that kind of food? BTW everyone, stay tuned for Misti Norris news. Sounds like she has one or two things up her sleeve (including a new business registered as, I shit you not, The Misti Norris Experience LLC) and my boss is bugging her to spill the beans. |
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Post by Ron Howard Voice on Dec 20, 2016 15:06:23 GMT -5
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Post by pairesta on Jan 4, 2017 10:33:24 GMT -5
Eater gives our own Ron Howard Voice some love, quoting him extensively in their Year-End overview of the Dallas Food Scene. It's kind of gratifying to see everyone on the same page about Luscher's Red Hots closing; I literally yelled "NOOOOO!" when I saw it announced. Also I'd hope RHV finds some vindication in other critics saying that Samar isn't cutting it.
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Post by Ron Howard Voice on Jan 6, 2017 9:42:46 GMT -5
A bar at McKinney & Monticello, at the farthest north end of Uptown, is reopening as Chelsea Corner, its original name from the 70s. The bar menu is designed by Kent Rathbun, but due to that crazy lawsuit from last year, he's still not allowed to use his own name in attachment with any restaurant, because the copyright to his name is owned by his former business partners. So Chelsea Corner is advertising a "menu by Tracy Rathbun's husband" and "chefs trained by Tracy Rathbun's husband," and the D Magazine article credits the kitchen to "#Chefwithnoname". BTW there's a picture of him - with his face blurred out - in the brand-new bar space, so he must be somewhat recovered from his ATV accident. There's a video on his Facebook where he stands (with his wife's support) and says there's a long way to go but he's progressing.  |
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Post by pairesta on Jan 19, 2017 9:34:17 GMT -5
Man, I am needy with the questions today! Ron Howard Voice, any experiences at Sprezza? I apologize for not looking over on Observer, feel free to make a sarcastic post and link me to it. We're in Dallas the first weekend in February. However it's for a wedding, so basically only dinner Saturday night and Sunday brunch are free. We'll probably do Smoke for brunch yet again because we're at the Belmont and it's right there, unless you can think of a better nearby brunch spot. "Nearby"=within reasonable distance of 75/45 downtown. We'd normally go to the Grape, our sentimental favorite place in Dallas, but I was a little underwhelmed when we went there last time, and it feels wasteful not to hit a place that's new. We've always loved Nonna, and Sprezza sounds right up my alley, but I'm willing to entertain any other must-go unique Dallas places. So, you or Snape, hit me up! |
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Post by LazBro on Jan 19, 2017 9:50:23 GMT -5
Man, I am needy with the questions today! Ron Howard Voice , any experiences at Sprezza? I apologize for not looking over on Observer, feel free to make a sarcastic post and link me to it. We're in Dallas the first weekend in February. However it's for a wedding, so basically only dinner Saturday night and Sunday brunch are free. We'll probably do Smoke for brunch yet again because we're at the Belmont and it's right there, unless you can think of a better nearby brunch spot. "Nearby"=within reasonable distance of 75/45 downtown. We'd normally go to the Grape, our sentimental favorite place in Dallas, but I was a little underwhelmed when we went there last time, and it feels wasteful not to hit a place that's new. We've always loved Nonna, and Sprezza sounds right up my alley, but I'm willing to entertain any other must-go unique Dallas places. So, you or Snape, hit me up! As often as you're up here, I think you might get to more new places here than I do. Can't remember the last time I went to a cool new place near downtown, though I have been dying to get to that ENORMOUS new beer garden in Deep Ellum. I've heard only terrific things about Sprezza, so I think that's a strong choice. In Plano there is Sixty Vines, which I know we'd both recommend, especially for a wine guy like yourself, but I'm thinking it's outside your area of search. It's the same parking lot as Whiskey Cake. |
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Post by LazBro on Jan 19, 2017 16:23:41 GMT -5
Hey Ron Howard Voice, have you been to Dot's Hop House in Deep Ellum? We're thinking about checking it out this Sunday if the weather's agreeable, since it seems to be a patio kind of joint. We'd be going around opening time, 11am, so this wasn't explicitly an invite or anything, though of course you're welcome to join. |
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Post by Ron Howard Voice on Jan 19, 2017 17:13:25 GMT -5
pairesta I really, really like Sprezza. Reservations may be necessary; it definitely caught on as an In Place. Insert snark here. www.dallasobserver.com/restaurants/sprezza-serves-up-sublime-yet-unpretentious-italian-food-8387203Of course it all depends on what you're keen to try with your Saturday dinner and Sunday brunch. Smoke is awesome, but you could also sneak down the road to Tacos Mariachi for creative shrimp tacos. (Tacos & Sprezza were 1 and 2 on my "best new places 2016".) Super exciting new restaurant openings have slowed down a LOT in the last 9 months, but if you're bouncing around Farmers Branch, hit the new opening SpicyZest, which is the first and only Sri Lankan restaurant in Texas (!). LazBro Dot's is pretty legit! Great in good weather, patio is YUUUUGE, 100 beers, and I love the beer board because it's color coded so, if you're looking for ales for instance, you just look at the red or green or whatever ales are color. Order by # ("I'll have #78" = a pint of Shiner Cheer). Food was pretty normal bar food. GF and I are braising short ribs Sunday evening, we don't really have daytime plans, so...maybe!
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Post by LazBro on Jan 21, 2017 22:31:30 GMT -5
pairesta I really, really like Sprezza. Reservations may be necessary; it definitely caught on as an In Place. Insert snark here. www.dallasobserver.com/restaurants/sprezza-serves-up-sublime-yet-unpretentious-italian-food-8387203Of course it all depends on what you're keen to try with your Saturday dinner and Sunday brunch. Smoke is awesome, but you could also sneak down the road to Tacos Mariachi for creative shrimp tacos. (Tacos & Sprezza were 1 and 2 on my "best new places 2016".) Super exciting new restaurant openings have slowed down a LOT in the last 9 months, but if you're bouncing around Farmers Branch, hit the new opening SpicyZest, which is the first and only Sri Lankan restaurant in Texas (!). LazBro Dot's is pretty legit! Great in good weather, patio is YUUUUGE, 100 beers, and I love the beer board because it's color coded so, if you're looking for ales for instance, you just look at the red or green or whatever ales are color. Order by # ("I'll have #78" = a pint of Shiner Cheer). Food was pretty normal bar food. GF and I are braising short ribs Sunday evening, we don't really have daytime plans, so...maybe! Just an update that the Mrs. and I plan to go to Dot's in the early afternoon. Arrival maybe around 1:00pm. Subject to change if the weather ends up too windy or cold, in which case I'll try to post something as soon as the decision is made. Also MarkInTexas NicoNicoRose roping y'all in. The Snapes plan to go to Dot's Hop House in Deep Ellum tomorrow afternoon around 1pm, give or take however long it takes us to get there. Big outdoor patio type of place, so if it's cold, rainy or crappy, we'll probably cancel. but let me know if you have any interest in meeting up and we can maybe find a replacement spot if that's what happens. |
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Post by MarkInTexas on Jan 22, 2017 11:23:04 GMT -5
LazBro, Thanks for the invite, but I'm busy this afternoon and won't be able to join you. I've been hankering to go back to The Blind Butcher sometime. If you guys want to do a meet-up there sometime, I'm definitely up for it.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 22, 2017 16:43:51 GMT -5
pairesta I really, really like Sprezza. Reservations may be necessary; it definitely caught on as an In Place. Insert snark here. www.dallasobserver.com/restaurants/sprezza-serves-up-sublime-yet-unpretentious-italian-food-8387203Of course it all depends on what you're keen to try with your Saturday dinner and Sunday brunch. Smoke is awesome, but you could also sneak down the road to Tacos Mariachi for creative shrimp tacos. (Tacos & Sprezza were 1 and 2 on my "best new places 2016".) Super exciting new restaurant openings have slowed down a LOT in the last 9 months, but if you're bouncing around Farmers Branch, hit the new opening SpicyZest, which is the first and only Sri Lankan restaurant in Texas (!). LazBro Dot's is pretty legit! Great in good weather, patio is YUUUUGE, 100 beers, and I love the beer board because it's color coded so, if you're looking for ales for instance, you just look at the red or green or whatever ales are color. Order by # ("I'll have #78" = a pint of Shiner Cheer). Food was pretty normal bar food. GF and I are braising short ribs Sunday evening, we don't really have daytime plans, so...maybe! Just an update that the Mrs. and I plan to go to Dot's in the early afternoon. Arrival maybe around 1:00pm. Subject to change if the weather ends up too windy or cold, in which case I'll try to post something as soon as the decision is made. Also MarkInTexas NicoNicoRose roping y'all in. The Snapes plan to go to Dot's Hop House in Deep Ellum tomorrow afternoon around 1pm, give or take however long it takes us to get there. Big outdoor patio type of place, so if it's cold, rainy or crappy, we'll probably cancel. but let me know if you have any interest in meeting up and we can maybe find a replacement spot if that's what happens. Aw crap, I just saw this now. I'd have tried to come had I thought to check in earlier! |
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Post by Ron Howard Voice on Jan 22, 2017 17:15:34 GMT -5
Did you guys get blown over by the wind? There's a nice indoor space too but I was writing and forgot to check TI  |
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Post by LazBro on Jan 23, 2017 8:25:43 GMT -5
LazBro , Thanks for the invite, but I'm busy this afternoon and won't be able to join you. I've been hankering to go back to The Blind Butcher sometime. If you guys want to do a meet-up there sometime, I'm definitely up for it. The Snapes might actually be planning something for The Blind Butcher next month, so be on the lookout. Next time I'll do a proper invite with some warning and time to plan. |
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Post by LazBro on Jan 23, 2017 8:40:59 GMT -5
Did you guys get blown over by the wind? There's a nice indoor space too but I was writing and forgot to check TI The indoor space was much larger than I expected, and even arriving around 1pm the joint was all but empty, so we had no trouble getting a table inside and out of the wind. Man, when the weather is a little nicer, what a killer patio. In fact by the time we left around 4pm, the patio was filling up even with the wind. It looked like a good scene out there. If their share menu had a little more depth in the mid-ground between the deep-fried and the salads, it would be the perfect TI meet-up spot. Maybe this is only coming from a drunken reprobate, but while the 99 (!) beers and cocktails on draft were impressive for sheer variety, the actual selection was just okay. The list is wide, but not deep. For example, yesterday they had 17 IPAs on tap, and I had already had 14 of them. Of the remaining 3, two were session IPAs that don't interest me, and one was a legit new-to-me beer that I was happy to try. Of course, many of those 14 familiar beers are very good - and I ordered some of them. But with 99 beers to choose from, you hope for a few more surprises. We shared the duck fat cheese fries and hog wings. The fries stayed crispy to the end, even at the bottom of the plate where they were drowning in (really flavorful) queso. Hard to imagine that won't be a regular when we go. The hog wings are good, too, with a lot of meat per bone and good spicy-sweet bbq sauce. The corn puree it comes with was a stealth highlight of the meal. By then we were too full to even share an entree, but those didn't look as enticing anyway. We'll definitely be back when the weather is right. |
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