Veritas Supper Club

Earlier this week, the first ever Veritas Supper Club was held. I enjoyed it so much. Chef Randall Copeland of Restaurant Ava in Rockwall prepared the food at Veritas. Since Veritas does not have a kitchen, he prepared all of it on portable burners. And the food was amazing. Veritas offered by the glass and bottle discounts for the event. I opted for BTG. I am not sure I have the menu exactly right, but it's pretty close. I could go on and on about each course, but let me just say that every single bite of everything was lick-your-plate delicious - so much so that I am going out to Rockwall for dinner Tuesday night. (And I rarely break the 635 bubble.)
First Course
Granny Smith apple and Prairie Breeze white cheddar fritter with Tassione Farms mixed greens, apple fennel salad and house made apple butter. Bradley recommended the Kung Fu Girl Riesling, which was a good match.
Second Course
Scallop with malted butternut squash, lardons, mushrooms - I think there was some black truffle and some brussels sprouts leaves going on here too. I can't eat scallops, so Chef made me a plate with all the other stuff and it was great. I paired my standby Louis Perdrier Brut.
Third Course
Pan seared beef tenderloin that was unbelievably tender. I cannot believe I can recall the sauce. I had a French red with the beef.
Fourth Course
Lemon Honey Cake with berries and ginger ice cream, paired with a tawny port. I think it was Taylor Fladgate 10 year old. (If I am going to start blogging again, I guess I need to pay better attention.)
It was really, ridiculously good. I am so glad to have attended the inaugural event and look forward to future ones. I also highly recommend Chef Copeland's food. I look forward to checking it out at Restaurant Ava.

The Silver Lining

I am really tired. That so-exhausted-I-am-kinda-weepy tired. Despite not feeling very well, I have had business dinners the past two nights. Thankfully they were with very nice people. The silver lining - I got to eat at two restaurants I have wanted to try on someone else's dime. And, boy, were they good.

Last night we ate at Hattie's in the Bishop Arts District in the OC. First, the area is pretty groovy. I want to go down there when everything is open and check it all out. Second, the space is chic and clean but not cold. I loved the hutch with the old trophies and such. Finally, the food is the center of attention as it should be. It is the kind of food at which my brother (the chef) excels - sophisticated Southern food is what I would call it. I think he calls it contemporary Southern cuisine. Whatever you call it, Hattie's does it well. The tender pork was on a bed of some of the best grits I have ever eaten - and I have eaten a lot of grits! And the greens were sauteed to perfection. Everything about the experience was very nice. (My only quibble was the host / front door guy was quite aloof - such a turn off.)

Tonight we ate at Dallas Fish Market. You should go there. The space was nice and the service was absolutely flawless. Heck, even the valets were nice. Bon Appetit has just named DFM the fifth best seafood restaurant in the country! VERY impressive. The shellfish allergy limited me from the first two courses that came to the table - an amuse bouche of lobster corn bisque and pan fried oysters that looked and smelled so good they made me want to risk the allergic reaction. There were two bubblies by the glass, one from France and from Argentina. We had the Argentinian Brut. It was very good. I wish I had written down the name because it is not on the wine list on their website. We had a difficult time deciding on our entrees. The choices looked fab. Ultimately, PD got the skate mentioned in Bon Appetit piece and I got the swordfish. They were nice pieces of fish, and every flavor and accompaniment accenting them were so complimentary and delicious. We were very pleased. And we saved a little room for dessert. The figs with the cinnamon mascarpone are amazing (I nabbed a bite from PD). I had a lovely coconut lemongrass sorbet.

Now, this tired gal has finished off the bottle of Mylanta by the bed and is going to sleep!

Bon appetit!

T'anta - Soon to be on the Dallas Food Scene

I just read some exciting Dallas foodie news. We are to get the first U.S. outpost of T'anta early next year. I have never been to T'anta, which is in Lima, Peru. But it sounds like a very nice addition to the Dallas food scene. The new Food & Wine magazine calls it a "restaurant / take-out store that resembles a South American-themed Dean & Deluca." Intriguing. I have linked some reviews.

T'anta is one of many establishments owned by Peruvian chef Gaston Acurio. He is a celebrity chef in South America who has more than a dozen restaurants in Peru alone. His story is interesting. His father was Peru's prime minister. He quit law school in Madrid in his third year and secretly went to cooking school. (Your author now drifts off wistfully, considering the road her life could have taken. Okay, I'm back. Kinda.)

I won't repeat the whole Food & Wine piece, but pick up the November issue. It has lots of good stuff in it, as November food magazines usually do. I guess November is to food magazines what September is to fashion magazines. (Like I read fashion mags. Is September correct, Elle, my fashionable friend?)

BYOB Dallas

As a public service, I am providing links to all of the lists of BYOB restaurants in Dallas that I know about. My dear friend CE has compiled a list also. I will add it when I can find it.
People who really like wine and saving money need to know these things!!

http://www.localwineevents.com/Dallas-FW-Wine/BYOB-restaurants.html

http://www.gaylistdaily.com/dallas/entries/you_can_take_it_with_you/

http://www.slowfooddallas.com/Local_Picks.html#SECTION_IV:_GOOD_TO_KNOW

Also check out all of the above websites - good stuff throughout!