That’s right, bring out the costumes and dress up your dog! Join the fun on October 30th from 6 – 8pm with a Costume Contest complete with Celebrity judges and drink specials (hello margaritas)! It’s already a winning situation the minute you and your mutt step in the gate! Can’t wait to see you there and remember, be creative!

Mutt’s Canine Cantina

2889 Cityplace West Blvd.
Dallas, Texas 75204

MAX’S gluten friendly Fried Chicken is made with a blend of gluten free flour and dried cauliflower fibers, which create a fried-like coating, and is served with mashed potatoes and collard greens. In order to maintain a high level of quality, the gluten friendly Fried Chicken is fried in a separate fryer and prepared in an independent area, where exposure to gluten is less likely to occur.

I know what you’re thinking, “Where’s the fat free fried chicken so that I can chow down endlessly on my favorite southern cooking and maintain my summer body?!”. Friends, Dallasites, lend me your ear…baby steps. For now, head over to Max’s and get your fried chicken and gluten-friendly fried chicken on.

In addition to the gluten friendly Fried Chicken and gluten friendly “MAX’s Classic” Pulled Pork Stuff Piquillo Peppers, Executive Chef of MAX’s Wine Dive Dallas, Patrick Russell, also created a variety of gluten friendly items on his recently debuted summer menu. Menu items include The Standard with pan-roasted half chicken served with golden raisins and pickled, roasted and pureed cauliflower; Yellow Squash Soup with creamy squash scented with saffron; and Bigeye Tuna with seared #1 Bigeye tuna, stone fruit jam, fingerling confit and salsa verde.

Don’t let this be you!

Let’s not be hasty this year, guys. I’m about to let you in on a little known secret that is sure to serve you well this year: Plan.Ahead.

That’s right, whether it’s church in the morning and brunch in the afternoon or a backyard get together with the ones you love…nothing will get you through the day we owe to mom this year like a little planning. I’m giving you 6 of my best bets to impress mom and the rest of the family this year. Sometimes, the best gift you can give is the one of gathering around the table for the gift of great food. Find the menus and details on my picks this year below!

The Arboretum, Klyde Warren Park and Bishop Arts District will be perfect for a day time stroll to work off Brunch, too.

…PLAN!

I know what you’re thinking. Why do I need to know all of this? As a Dallasite, why is this important to me? Great question. It’s important for reasons like the fact that when you go to a bar and see the towering list of Scotch Whiskey brands to choose from, and the echoes of past bad experiences ring in where you went for ice, water, soda or some other mixer. The fear that sets in amongst younger generations of imbibers when the sight of Scotch Whiskey comes around is one we should try to remove. So let’s take a lesson from Ludo shall we? He says to “don’t fear it because of the many choices, instead find the right flavors of an added beverage that will allow you to enjoy it slowly.” Grant’s blended whisky is a honeyed, sweet and woody flavor. It’s a step back from the varietals that have overwhelmingly smoky profiles that remind you of sitting with Uncle Joe on Christmas or Thanksgiving, as he puffs a cigar in your face and chugs his scotch. No, Grant’s has a taste that beckons a raised eyebrow for the interesting and intriguing notes, tastes and aromas.

Recently, Grant’s bottled 100 coveted taste of the families battle cry ‘Stand Fast’ that dates back to 1912. While the original couldn’t be replicated to a ‘t’, this stuff will remind you that the craftsmanship and trade of blending scotch whisky is a true talent. Master Blender, Brian Kinsman, took old records of the recipes to create what those 100 lucky owners taste when they crack open a bottle of ‘Stand Fast’ and sip. While the bottles won’t be sold, they stand testament to the brand and history.

Bars like The Standard Pour and The Establishment will beckon you with barkeeps knowledge of the many ways Grant’s can be enjoyed. The U.S. is only privy to enjoy the Family Reserve version as of now, but that’s just fine with me. So go, try something new or visit your class. A taste of history and true blenders expertise can be found in a glass of Grant’s.

Executive Chef Gareth Dickey has a reputable background in the Dallas restaurant scene after working with Pyles, at Dragonfly and Consilient Restaurants (The Porch & Hibiscus). Chef Dickey knows his way around the kitchen as he masterfully directs an orchestra of sous and pastry chefs during our visit in to Dish.

The cocktail list is refreshingly updated with seasonal ingredients as they become available and the Orange Blossom Spritz (Premium Vermouth & Cointreau w/ citrus & orange flower water carbonated together in an old fashioned soda siphon) is just the kick of sunshine I need to balance my palate before dinner.

Out come the starters which consist of Fire Roasted Shishito Peppers, Fried Baby Artichoke Hearts and Black Truffle & Smoked Trout Deviled Eggs. The peppers are the right amount of charred, sweet and spice that melts into the tongue without the intense heat expected. Artichoke hearts are nicely breaded and when paired with the accompanied herb aioli settles the grease factor. Deviled Eggs never tasted so good and when they include black truffle shaved on top, you can’t help but lift the plate to lick.  Forego that move out of class, please.

Next, a seasonal ceviche made up of Tuna, Scallops and cantaloupe in a citrus sauce. This was quite possibly my favorite thing on the menu, as the pairing of tuna, cantaloupe and the citrus meet on a crispy tostada. Bite perfection. Paired with the second course was a Angry Greek Salad with French Feta, Heirloom Tomatoes and a spicy oregano-red wine vinaigrette. Delightfully light.

Mains come and transform the table into a feast.  A beautifully plated Bourbon Marinated Pork Chop is moist and tender when paired with the apples, bacon and pearl onions. It is quite a large plate of food but every bite a pleasure. A lighter main, the seasonal Pacific Coast Petrale Sole with Yuzu-Almond Brown butter is flavor infused and filling enough to save room for dessert!

Dish also offers Brunch on Sundays (Drag Brunch on last Sunday of every month) and is open for dinner every night except Monday. Stop in and visit this gem!

Dish Dining

4123 Cedar Springs Rd

214.522.DISH (3474)

 http://www.dish-dallas.com

You’re a tough guy? You’re the chick that lifts with the boys? Drop your cool and head over to Origin off of McKinney Ave where owners Russell Aldrege and Jessica ‘Jess’ Myers are providing grounds and grub that will fuel your day to health. I recently sat down with the two owners to get the grind.

Whats the origin of Origin? “Both of us really love healthy food and love cooking good food so we decided to take the plunge and do it ourselves. What makes us different is that our food is completely chef-prepared. Our Chef has a background in healthy and locally/sustainably sourced cooking. We want to change the concept of prepared and package food, and show how elegant and gourmet it can be.  We actually care about the ingredients that go into each dish. Our Chicken is from Windy-Meadows farm, beef from Burgundy Beef and eggs are farm fresh.” Says Jess, who seems to have a passionate tear in her eye.

How do you get new healthy eaters into this joint and how do you keep the prices low? “I think when something tastes really good and they can trust it, they’re willing to go that extra step. We just took a lot of time and looked at everything that we are putting into it. We started thinking about this last July. Uptown is a great location, where we eat and hangout.”

How do you encoprate paleo into Origin: “All of our food is dairy free, gluten-free and paleo friendly without pigeonholing. We’re real food that happens to be paleo. That’s once of the biggest things, a lot of restaurant use canola oil. You might be as paleo as possible but we take it one step further. Coconut oil and olive oil, oh and pumpkin oil on our salmon. When they see that O for Origin, we want them to know that its grass-fed beef and as local as possible.

So how do indulgences like Chocolate cake work? (Laughs) “We have Paleo chocolate muffin by Paleo by Diana!”

Tell me about the coffee end of things: “We’re taking an artisan approach to coffee. V60, Chemex…it’s a process.  We want to blend to coffee with health and fitness. Even our baristas are getting into it! We also have bulk tea for sale as well from Sterling Tea out of Rockwall.”

Salmon Salad

So how’s the food? The salmon salad was a hit with fresh spinach, grapefruit, walnuts and passionfruit dressing. The chocolate paleo muffin tasted sinful and when warmed for 10 seconds did the trick and hit my sweet tooth right.

You can feel the passion coming out of this duo. The artisan food and coffee and the welcoming, comfortable atmosphere that really invites healthy eater and not to come in, grab a cup of joe and breakfast in the morning at 6:30 am when they open and stop by on their way home to grab a pumpkin crusted salmon and Brussels sprouts for dinner.  In the Dallas area, local and healthy alternatives to the norm of fast food is a sight and taste to love.

Origin

4438 Mckinney Ave

Monday – Friday
6:30am – 9:00pm

Saturday
7:30am – 8:00pm

Sunday
7:30am – 6:00pm

We started with a Firemans #4 Blonde Ale, a personal favorite of mine due to the easy drinking and mellowed nature of the brew. Small bites included a deliciously crispy goat sweetbread with hints of lime and butter, goat heart tartare (not for the faint of heart or tongue) with a simply garlic aioli on a Texas Redneck cheddar cracker and a corned goat tongue with creme fraiche and herbs. Of all the three appetizers, the sweetbreads were a table favorite while the tartare suited my weird foods privy.

The seconds course began with sips of Full Moon Pale Ale. This beer used to be the number one brew before Firemans and is silky and tongue friendly. Paired with Tete Du Chèvre or sliced head cheese, with arugala and lemon (also tasted a spice sprinkle of some sort). Yes, the head cheese is what you think it is but for all intents and purposes it was delicious.

Next came a 2012 Vintage Sisyphus Barleywine Ale. The brew was a darker and more bitter sort which paired with a starchy plate of St. Davids Raclette (semi-firm, cow’s milk cheese), a sliced Yukon Gold and Goat Linguisa made of belly, shoulders and legs. The bite was fantastically seasoned with melted cheese and a salty snap from the sausage.

Fourth course: A Lost Gold IPA Blend, even darker but more mellow. Main course was a Hay Braised Goat Shank, trompetti, mocetta and charred onions. Heaven sent and tender and all get out as the shreds of goat tangled with the seasoned pasta. The mocetta, an aged goat leg, was almost proscuitto esque in its shaved and salty nature. I should mention that this goat course was cured goat from Africa.

The final savory course was paired with a Brewhouse Brown Ale. An American, extremely dark and thick brew with strong hop flavoring throughout. Sweet Spiced Goat Tenderloin with beets, turnips and blue roan cheese. Each goat provides two of these tenderloin filets, that means that at our table of 6 we ate the tenderloins of 3 goats. Eye opening fact. The beet and turnips provided a light combative to the dark ale and paired well together.

Dessert course: A Shade Grown Coffee Porter, notes of ethiopian coffee and chocolate infused into this iced coffee tasting beer. I was weirded out by the coffee taste, but grew to enjoy this mock-starbucks brew. Dessert main was BloomBonnett Cajeta Flan with a spic(ed)y brittle cookie. This flan was spectacular. Notes of goats milk carmel sang on my tongue as a sharp kick from the spiced cookie balanced.

Dinners like this one remind us of the importances of relying on our local growers and brewers to stay true to their craft. The nature of the beast is that we forget that the meals we enjoy at our favorite local restaurants, depend on the bounty that our farmer friends tend to daily. Dodds impresses as a continuing proponent of local resources and many chefs in the area do as well. Stay seasonally savvy my friends.

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If you wish to attend the upcoming dinner at Central 214 see details here:

“All You Need is Love” Dinner for the Promise of Peace Community Garden

Central 214′s Chef Graham Dodds and guest Chef Chad Houser (Café Momentum) will be cooking up some love for the Promise of Peace Community Garden at this special five-course dinner with wine.  Guests will also enjoy live music by Bob and Sally Ackerman and a raffle for a variety of luxury prizes.

All proceeds will go to the Promise of Peace Garden in East Dallas, supporting the summer kids’ camps and the building of a new garden at CC Young Retirement Center on Earth Day 2013, in collaboration with Kimpton’s Hotel Palomar Dallas and Central 214.

Price is $85 per person.  Purchase tickets here:  http://promiseofpeaceus.eventbrite.com/#

Last night, I was invited in by the lovely folks at P|S to sample Rocco Milano’s new seasonal cocktail specials and nosh on tastes of Tiffany Derry’s social side sharing plates. If you find yourself craving a libation that dates older than dear old “nana” with a modern twist that will make your brows raise in delight, come to Private|Social. Milano rules the bar and with the help of his skillful barkeeps, he’ll serve you one hell of a happy hour(s)!

Favorites of mine included a Pear Collins (Pear infused Tito’s vodka, hibiscus cherry *housemade* bitters, housemade hops and a splash of soda)

Le Noir (Grey Goose Cherry Noir, citrus juices, housemade grenadine and blueberries and bit of bubbly)

Ginger Mule which replaces the typical vodka with Gin.

Rocco is also easing himself into a set of beer cocktails like the Fall Into A Glass made with Gin, Hum Botanical Spirit, a squeeze of lemon and splash of Franconia Hefeweizen. Yum!

Dont worry, there were snacks as well! The whole social side shared plates menu goes 1/2 from 5-7 as well and the offerings are quite tasty.

The Lamb Meatballs with spicy marinara, goat cheese and crusted bread were rustic, warm and an amazing pairing.

Don’t miss the Korean BBQ Short ribs with sweet & spicy cucumbers either.

Perfect for after work, escaping the holiday craze or just plain drinks and snacks. Private|Social has you covered.

Grab a seat at the bar or snag a bistro table in the bar lounge area and watch the libations sling. The happy hour ranges from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Monday throught Friday with $3 Texas beers, $2 Lone Star and $5 wines. Oh and the bar snacks, you’ll wanna try these out.

Made to order cast-iron cornbread with mango chutney and hot sauce butter ($4), Candied Oxtail Bao Bun with Fresno chile and creme fraiche ($7) started our table off in perfect harmonious “Yum!”s before we dug into Benton Ham with house-made mustard and fermented ramps and Glazed Goat Ribs paired with sweet, delicious roasted dates.

You’re here to drink though, let’s not forget. If you really wanna up your Happy Hour game, go with one of the specialty drinks. The Corpse River #2 will spike your senses with citrus while you pinky-up sip in the sun lit lounge. Also a winner, the Texas Cosmo made with Tito’s, Cranberry and hint of lime. Refreshing and tart.

Keep in mind that these snack options and drink choices might change with the season, but the originality and taste will stay at full speed with given ingredients.

Do yourself a favor and make a well-rounded and imbibed trip to FT33 and experience a new kind of Happy.

FT33

1617 Hi Line Drive

Dallas, Texas 75207

214.741.2629

www.FT33Dallas.com

The space is fun and inviting with a sense of casual, thoughtful stylistic touches. Warm wood and copper accents, exposed hung lighting and a bar that beckons for a custom crafted cocktail. Most of the interior pieces from the former restaurant, like the industrial wooden blinds, were kept and fit well with the new vibe. The music, and indie mix of both modern and yesterdays classic mellow tunes, lends itself to the diners content during the meal.

The menu reflects the gastropub stylings of former Craft chef, Rick Graff. Small plates for sharing meets playful salads and appetizers, my kind of joint. I could easily see this place being the perfect setting for a first, second or any night of the week date.

We started with a few of the specialty cocktails from the mind of barkeep Kyle Paris. The Grapefruit Cooler (Pauliner Hefe-Weizen, El Jimado Reposado, Grapefruit and Paprika Sea-salt rim) was the perfect citrus infused drink to open the palette and the beer throughout did not over power. The West Side (Hangar One, Lemon and Mint) refreshed and brought a zing with in a classic manner. We were made aware that all of the infusions and syrups are made daily in house, score.

We quickly moved into our choices for dinner, which we were advised to make all at once as the dining experience would be staggered to our pacing. A restaurant who truly cares for quality service and attentively spaced coursing. Point – Cook Hall.

The bases were covered. Creamy and buttery as all get out, the Burrata with Argula pesto and pancetta was gloriously slathered on fresh toasted crostini. The cheese comes courtesy of Paula Lamberts Dallas Mozzarella Company and its craftsmanship shows with each bite.

A Kale Caesar was chosen and although a bit salty, the breaded egg that lent it’s yolk mellowed out the dish. We also tried the caramelized cauliflower; crispy and sweet sided with what seemed to be raisins. Intriguing and tasty.

Next came mains. A flavorful medium Grilled Hanger Steak with Chimichurri was perfection. Juicy and wonderful, no feared chewy or over salted pieces to be found. The chimichurri was a great touch of herb freshness to counteract the protein.

A trio of Pork Belly Sliders with Chili Mayo was spicy and packing a pork punch. Think bbq chopped pork meets sriracha mayo, delightful indulgence.

The Pimento Mac & Cheese is also a winner with a kick to the traditional shells and cheese.

Couldnt escape Cook Hall without allowing myself  a bite of the Strawberry Cream Cheese Layer Cake. Holy Cow, wheel me out. This ice box pie had layer upon layer of fresh berries, fresh whipped cream and a light cake that felt like comfort food on crack. Don’t miss this.

The ‘Cocktail Kit’ is unique to this establishment as well and allows guests to mix and muddle their favorite items into a spirited creation. It’s one of the most fun and interactive experiences that I’ve had at a restaurant in town. Dallas take note, and put Cook Hall at the top of your places to dine list.

Cook Hall

2440 Victory Park Lane

Dallas, Texas 75219