Been really enjoying Boulevard’s Bob’s 47 Oktoberfest beer. I picked some up at CM this past weekend, taking advantage of their Brewtopia sale they had going on. I’ve always enjoyed Boulevard’s various brews and this Fall seasonal is no different. Nothing like a little beer and sunshine to bring an end to your day.

To have a Master Sommelier select his favorite Summer wines, allow you to try them all & build customized pairings based on your menu is an experience that’s likely out of most people’s price range. However, that’s what The Capital Grille is offering this Summer during The Generous Pour Event (& at a price that’s really remarkable.)

Here are the details: Master Sommelier George Miliotes has sorted through nearly a thousand wines worldwide & selected nine of his current favorites. During this event, you can enjoy as many of these by the glass as you would like for just $25 per person with dinner. The staff is very knowledgeable & they can guide you in picking which wines will pair best with your menu selections.

We visited The Capital Grille on Monday to try it for ourselves & had an amazing experience. The food was delicious & slightly more original than the standard steakhouse offerings (ie. Kona-crusted steaks, luxe lobster mac & cheese). But with the wine pairings, dinner became an adventure.

With hors d’oeuvres, we started with a Sparkling Wine from the Loire Valley: Marquis de la Tour, Cremant de Loire Brut. With appetizers, we explored two different Whites: La Cana Albarino, Rias Baixas, Spain, 2010 & Chateau St. Jean, Belle Terre, Sonoma, CA, 2008 (Brian liked the Albarino, while I preferred the Chardonnay.)

A parade of Reds accompanied our steaks & made for some interesting contrasts & comparisons:
Chalk Hill Estate, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma, CA, 2006
Conte Brandolini, Vistorta Merlot, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy, 2006
Freemark Abbey, Cabernet Boshcé, Rutherford 2003 (Brian’s favorite)
Byron Pinot Noir, Santa Barbara, 2009

And with desert, a Port of course: RL Buller, The Portly Gentleman, Australia

For wine aficionados, it’s an opportunity to try some very intriguing wines you don’t always see on wine lists & for those who are just learning, it’s a crash course. Sip an old-world Merlot next to a Napa Cabernet Sauvignon or learn more about what makes a Port a Port. The variety & complexity of the wines Mr. Miliotes has selected makes for a fascinating learning experience. Visit now through September 4 & of course start with a glass of the Marquis de la Tour – my favorite!

P.S. You can send a tweet to Mr. Miliotes @TheWineExpert. Ask a question or tell him your favorite wine! #TCGPour11

Capital Grille
500 Crescent Court #135
Dallas, TX 75201
214.303.0500

Oddfellows is a relatively new restaurant in the Bishop Arts area of Oak Cliff with some notable features that make it quite unique. For instance, their kitchen closes down everyday from 2pm-5pm even though they are still open. I haven’t confirmed this yet, but I’m assuming they turn into a coffee bar during those times, because another feature that sets them apart is their dedication to coffee. They house a $24,000 Italian-made La Marzocco Strada espresso machine which in the world of coffee aficionados is a big deal. I’m not super into coffee so I don’t have much to say on it, but my two cents is that if you like coffee, you owe it to yourself to at least check it out.

Anyway, some friends and I went down to enjoy a nice brunch this morning and we all had a great time. The food was wonderful, the atmosphere was pleasant and the wait was minimal. I’ll definitely be going back because everything on the menu looked good and that was only at brunch. They also serve dinner and lunch, but I think the menus share a lot of items between them. Onto the food!

I’ll eat beignets wherever I can get them. Served with honey and lemon, the perfect compliment to your brunch-time coffee.

Oddfellows Benedict

Wonderful French Toast Bread Pudding. It was extremely rich, basically a bread pudding made from french toast, then reformed into little squares and grilled. Amazing. With the fresh fruit and a bit of whip cream, the syrup wasn’t even neccessary. Some of the best french toast in Dallas.

The biscuits and gravy were excellent. The thick and creamy gravy was spread generously over chunky and crusty buckwheat biscuits. A bit of cracked pepper on top and it was a perfect breakfast.

So head over to Oddfellows for brunch, lunch, breakfast, dinner or even just a coffee. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Oddfellows
316 West 7th Street
Dallas, TX 75208
(214) 944-5958

We’re back! We took a break from posting to go on vacation to Tokyo. We had an amazing time & made it back safely. The food there is delicious, especially the wide variety of hot ramen dishes. But the best culinary experience while we were in Tokyo had very little at all to do with food. We went to the legendary Star Bar in the high-end Ginza district & had an amazing time. Click here to check out the full review on tumblr & thanks for reading!

This week we had dinner at Del Frisco’s & what’s remarkable is that at 8:30 on a weeknight, they were packed. Beribboned bottles of wine & gift bags were on a few of the tables, but from how well the staff worked together I could tell that this level of busyness wasn’t just because of the holidays. The food was excellent, but while I’m on the topic of the staff I’d like to mention how amazing they were. Beyond just executing dinner service, they’ve mastered the art of hospitality. Our server Andrea was so genuine & friendly, it felt like we were having dinner at her home.

We started dinner off with cocktails:”The VIP” Del Frisco’s signature drink. When you walk into the restaurant a large decanter of pineapple-infused vodka sits on a table, which is he main ingredient for the cocktail. Served in a martini glass for this signature drink, it’s light & refreshing without being too sweet.

The crab cake wasn’t really a cake at all. Without a lot of breading, it would more accurately be called a “molded crab dome with spicy remoulade.” That, however isn’t very romantic sounding & doesn’t do the dish’s tastiness justice, so crab cake will suffice.

On special was one of the most interesting tomato & mozzarella salads I’ve ever had. The traditional ingredients were boosted with field greens, crumbled bacon, a buttermilk ranch dressing & pesto. Quite impressive.

For the main, we went with steak. How could you not? My filet was everything you would expect from Del Frisco’s because of their great reputation. Juicy, perfectly cooked, tender… Alongside it I had a bearnaise sauce, which is my favorite right now because I just learned how to make an amazing one at home. I tried a bite of the New York Strip from across the table. Covered in black peppercorn sauce, it was spi-cy! The crunch of the peppercorns created a nice difference in texture & I loved the bite or two that I had, but think it’s best for diehard pepper fans. When we ordered it, our server did mention that it’s completely coated in peppercorns & sauce, so no one could stumble upon it unaware.

Sides are served family-style. Spinach supreme was my first pick & the amazingly nice manager, Gina wisely advised us to not miss out on the seasonal offering: sweet potato puree with candied pecans. Spinach was supreme because of the bacon & cream, but it was the sweet potato puree that really shined. Gina mentioned that you really don’t think of sweet potato & steak as being complimentary components, but they are!

As far as desserts are concerned, Del Frisco’s has a lot more options than I would expect from a steakhouse. Traditional offerings of cheesecake & mousse are enhanced by enticing options like lemon layer cake, dessert martinis & a white chocolate cinnamon creme brulee. I’ve had variations of creme brulee, including white chocolate, but never with cinnamon before. Paired with a dark cup of coffee, it was delightfully rich (but not too rich) finish to the meal that left me perfectly content. Del Frisco’s is lovely & excels at all the things you should expect it to, but what I thought was the nicest part is how surprisingly effortless they make it seem. It’s warm, not stuffy. After all, how great can fine dining be when you’re not at ease enough to enjoy it?

Del Friscos
5251 Spring Valley Road
Dallas, TX 75254
972.490.9000

Kavala had been on my lists of restaurants to eat at for so long, I missed it. Despite the great reviews, it closed & I lost my opportunity. So when Nova moved into the same space, I made sure I didn’t make the same mistake twice.

Nova is one of the latest developments in the Kessler X+ neighborhood. Former Kavala chef, Kelly Hightower (also from Hattie’s & The Mansion), is back with an eclectic menu that changes weekly, seasonly, even nightly with revolving specials like seafood curry & brick oven pizzas.

The space itself is really well done with a vintage ’60s vibe. The fact that it’s a renovated Dairy Queen speaks to their creativity & ingenuity because you would have never guessed. It’s relaxed, but very chic.

A round of cocktails started the night. I had a gin martini with some other aromatics in it but I hate to say I can’t remember the specifics. What I do remember is that the chalkboard cocktail list had several enticing options.

We started with a fancy-fied version of the tailgating favorite, potato skins topped with smoked salmon & a horseradish creme fraiche. While they were good, I would have loved to tast more of the horseradish flavor. (I like things with spice!)

The burger was your standard fare and nothing I would come back for, but it seems the menu is constantly changing because their websites says they now feature a Colorado lamb burger, with feta and tatziki sauce. That sounds delicious and I’d definitely head in again to try that.

Blow-torched salmon with a yuzu miso glaze were a hit & a little bit of a miss. I loved the sauce & the citrusy vinaigrette on the bed of shredded veggies, but the texture of the salmon was a little strange. Think: well done on the outside, raw on the inside. I thought it would be more like a seared salmon, but there was something else going on with it. I’m not sure if it was intended or not, but the flavor of the sauce was so good, I’d be willing to try it again & see.

Dessert was the highlight of the night for me. Pumpkin bread pudding, a seasonal addition to the menu, was topped with a rich caramel sauce & toasted hazelnuts. Warm & well spiced, it’s everything I want in a dessert this time of year. Well done Nova & congrats on being named one of D Magazine’s Best New Restaurants in 2010!

Nova
1417 W. Davis St.
Dallas, TX | 75208
214.484.7123

Last night we hung at Bar Celine, host of the official launch party for the newest gin in town: Beefeater 24. Gin is my spirit of choice, so I was pretty excited about trying this one based on the description. It’s a handcrafted blend of botanicals, including Spanish grapefruit, bitter almond, Japanese sencha tea & Chinese green tea.

Sounds amazing on paper, right? The great news is that it didn’t disappoint. I’m not really qualified to talk about liquor in any sort of technical way, but as someone who just enjoys a great gin & soda, I think it’s excellent. It’s a bright & vibrant gin, really well balanced & almost effervescent.

It stood well on its own in the night’s more straight forward cocktails: the 24 Martini (Beefeater, Lillet Blanc, orange bitters) & the traditional gin & tonic updated for the evening with slices of lemon, lime & orange. However, it also proved to be a versatile & inspiring component in the hands of some creative mixologists.

In Shifting Sands (adapted from a recipe by the renowned Sasha Petraske of Milk & Honey) it married with grapefruit & lemon juice, maraschino liqueur & club soda. My favorite of the night was Bar Celine’s house creation, St. Henderson’s 24, which really showcased the gin with Aperol, St. Germain & lemon juice. I hope it will continue to be available at the bar there because it’s really delicious.

Desmond Payne, creator of Beefeater 24 & the world’s most experienced gin distiller, was present to celebrate the launch & made the event feel really special. Also in attendance was Dan Warner, a guy with one of the best jobs in the world. Serving as the international brand ambassador, it appears that he’s required to travel to different cities & drink gin with people…nice. The only thing better than sipping a cocktail is getting paid to do it.

Are you a fan of mint juleps? Or maybe a margarita devotee? Check out these amazing prints from BevShots. They’ve elevated your alcohol problem passion to an art form. The colorful images are taken in a process that starts with crystalizing the drink on a lab slide & then taking a picture of it through a standard light microscope. The polarized light source passes through the crystals & creates an amazing array of patterns & colors. The science behind it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me, but I like the fact that a bloody mary looks as good as it tastes.

Recently a friend & I were having drinks poolside at NYLO Las Colinas & we noticed the servers bringing out bottle after bottle of pink Coronas. We asked about them & learned it’s just Coronoa + a splash of grenadine. Apparently they’re a popular drink (fad?) in some circles (Las Colinas?). Online research (google) legitimates its existence and puts a name to the pink bottle: Candy Corona. We ordered a couple & a few more since then at Lee Harvey’s so more friends could try. If there’s one thing to be said, it’s polarizing. Some thought it was disgusting—a carbonated, sickeningly alcoholic cherry cough syrup. I actually didn’t mind it & thought it was really easy to drink. I mean, is a Corona really that bad of a thing to deface? Ever tried it yourself?

I’ve been obsessed with making short films recently. It’s my new favorite thing. So when we heard about Deep Eddy, a brand new sweet tea vodka from Austin, I decided to make a movie about it.

[Click here iPads and iPad minis]

The recipes are featured are straight from Deep Eddy’s repertoire. Want to try it yourself? Right now it’s available for purchase at Centennial, Majestic, and Goody Goody liquor stores in Dallas.

(If you like this watch my first movie about a sandwich.)