|
|||
|
I was really stoked to go to the Dallas Chop House this last weekend. Chef Kenny Mills. replete in 10 Gallon hat, was eager to show us his Himalayan salt lined beef aging cellar. That, sadly, was the highlight of the evening. Chicken vegetable soup was very bland and uninteresting. My main course of ribeye, replete with four chili dry-rub was so salty to be almost inedible. The onion rings & steak fries were also buggered because of the insane amount of salt on them. The Maque Choux corn melange was good, as were the pop-overs. But over-all the ridiculous amount of salt made many dishes inedible. The owner (?) came over and worked the crowd, cruising thru asking if everything was OK. My fellow diners, being genteel folk, said it was all good, but I had to let him know that many dishes were ridiculously salty. He didn’t like this and moved on fast- he looked half-baked. The deserts were ok. The carrot cake got the table in a lather, mostly, I feel, because they have not had a steamed pudding before. The creme brulée was fine but nothing to write home about. I am much more discriminating than most in that I eat out more than most. There are at least five steak houses in Dallas that are much better than this. Perry’s is my current favourite – although Patrys, Lawrys & Ocean Prime have to be right up there. For $175 for two including small amounts of wine it was a very expensive night out for very average quality and service. Management’s behavior made me highly unlikely to visit again. Dallas has too many good steak houses to mess with places that do not revere the customer. Here, for what it’s worth, is the beef aging cabinet.
Spent an all too brief visit at The Hager Ranch, San Saba, TX. Flickr link here.
A bunch of local shooters have been photographing Ft. Worth Ave. attempting to create a record of every block. There are great plans afoot for this corridor and a need to capture it as it is now was realised. We hope to do it again in 10 years, 20 years etc etc. It should be a fun night. Here some blurb… Haley Henman Gallery hosts a two-day exhibit ‘Work Prints’ Commerce Street Bridge to Westmoreland Road; a Time Capsule. It will feature the work of 20 local photographers who each focused on different properties – assigned by lottery – on Fort Worth Ave. Photographers include Les Hall, Kenda North, Howard Milner, Scott Jenke, Charles Reed, Joshua King, John O’Donnell, Ken Smith, Adam Fish, Kent Barker, Dan Piassick, Jeff Baker, Richard Doherty, Manuel Pacina, Larry Travis, Scott Keith, Robin Sachs, Eva Gordon, Mari Hidalgo, and David Lyles. The opening reception is Fri., Feb. 26 from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.; the exhibit will be open for viewing that Friday and Sat. the 27th. There will be a Mexican corn, nachos & hot dog carts parked out front as well as appetizers from Buena Vista restaurant inside along with wine water & soft drinks. A list of delicious local eateries will be available at the door for further exploration of this unique area of Dallas.  Photo by Eva GordonHaley Henman Gallery
My pal Robert. Fat Tuesday 2010, New Orleans.
This was our second Supper Club and although the last outing at Nona was very pleasant, last night’s extravaganza was one of the most fun evenings we’ve had in ages. It was rainy & misty outside which only enhanced the experience of entering Samar. We went to the restaurant’s opening but it was a zoo with over 1,000 guests. Last night with every table full it was just right. There is so much energy in this space, from the myriad staff rushing around and being very attentive, to the beautiful chandeliers picked up (apparantly) in the old Souk’s of the Middle East. Stephan and his designers have created an amazing space that at times, with it’s curtains everywhere, reminded me of the old Starck Club – but much more elegant, and free of models & drugs! You can see the full menu here so I won’t drive you mad with desire as I describe each of the twelve dishes, but here were my favourites. 1. Hummus, Moutabal, Labne, Three Spreads with Naan I can eat good Naan with yummy spreads all night long. Samar’s Naan is so good – has to be made on the premises. It was piping hot and had a softness and freshness that is missing in most Indian restaurants in Dallas. The Moutabal (aka Baba Ghanoush) was the best I ever tried, I don’t really like aubergines, but this variant with its smoky notes was light and delicious. The Hummus was also a really good example of a simple dish prepared perfectly with just the right heft and taste. The mussels were possibly my favourite dish. The shellfish themselves were quite small, but plump & sweet. The sauce was unbelievable with an incredible depth and richness. Slurped up with the Naan you could have wrapped me up in a Persian rug and taken me home after that. The small Kofte were little croquette like mouthfuls with such a unique taste. Paddlefish caviar! Who would have thunk it? Most of the desserts were good, I don’t really like chocolate but the Turkish coffee melange was fabulous with a wonderful crunchy/gritty mouthfeel from the beans. The Stuffed semolina Croquetas were outstanding though. I just Googled Natilla and it is a Spanish custard, which jives with the rich creamy sauce served with the dish. I hate to have a complaint about an amazing evening but I wish D-Mag would have some greeters at these dinners who explain what is going to happen and how we will be seated etc. As it turned out we found a fantastic bunch of folks who had commandeered a small room and kindly invited us to join them, but some people could be seen drifting wondering what was going on. We were lucky though and sat with a table of foodies who were all great fun and as enthused about trying new dishes as we were. This was what we anticipated with Supper Club and last night we were not let down. I knew that Stephan had belly dancers in the restaurant but I didn’t realise how much they would rock and totally change the evening’s atmosphere. When the three dancers came out the music was cranked – this isn’t your old squeaky Middle Eastern oboe drone, this was thumping, heavy disco beated house belly dance music. It was loud & brilliant! The girls weren’t as zaftig as you would expect but they were enchanting, very sensual dancers. One of them got on the floor near our table and did some gyrations with her stomach and flipped and rolled quarters around to make a pyramid! Phew! What a night. I can’t recommend Samar enough for a fantastic change of taste and pace. Stephan et al have made a very magical place. The rain and greyness had depressed me more than I realised. It wasn’t until good weather returned that I realised how bummed I had been, with the attendant lack of blog posts. Yesterday I worked on the patio honing on my mortaring/grouting skills. Today my lower back and thighs are dying from the kneeling and bending over. I think it’s going to work out well though. We walked the dogs along the levy this afternoon and it wasn’t till we were half way thru that I realised how crap I felt. We walked three miles and the bowsers had a lovely muddy time. I took my Lumix LX3 which, thanks to a firmware update from Panasonic, can now shoot in 1:1 ratio which was my favourite crop on my old Ricoh XP100. I really like it.
|
|||
|
Copyright © 2010 snafu snafu - All Rights Reserved |
|||
