Comments by FatCap
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Posted on August 23, 2009 at 11:44 a.m.
The meal was good, the desserts bringing back fond memories of Doughmonkey. There were a few chocolate newbies (relatively speaking) at our dinner table and the more experienced folks gently "schooled 'em".
The chocolate cake was a small devil's food round covered (geometrically speaking, dominated) by two ganaches: a layer of sour-cream and Patric 67% ganache thicker than the cake itself, coated by an outer layer of Patric 75% ganache, both reveling in their dried red fruit, fig, and wine notes. These used to be a steal of a value at Doughmonkey.
I also quite liked the DeVries Costa Rican chocolate tarte, its assertive, layered earthy and nutty (specifically, to my palate, the pleasant savory character of pistachio skin) nuances against the "carpaccio" of Costa Rican gold pineapple harboring a melange of aromatics, from cloves to cassia to ginger. Sophisticated in its simplicity.
I found the two chocolate makers to be without guile, just genuine craftsmen who live and breathe their trade and who are generous in sharing their expertise. Their knowledge ranges well beyond the production their superb chocolates (from top of the quality pyramid Costa Rican, Bolivian, and Dominican cacao for DeVries, Madagascan for Patric), as I found out when our conversation flowed to matching of beverages to their specific chocolates, to issues of genetic fidelity of cacao cultivars, to the business side of how they might succeed in the face of such uninformed consumer expectations, to whether or not they can survive selling bars of candy to a few discerning chocolate lovers (their American-made goods are WAY less expensive than comparable European top-line products). I partially resupplied my stash of Patric at the tasting but not so my now-gone supply of DeVries. As of this morning, the DeVries on-line store had no inventory, which, I hope, is just a temporary situation. People, please support these artisans. You'll be treating yourself in the process.
Thanks to the staff at the Milestone.
Big props to the so-unassuming Sander Wolf and dallaschocolate.org for pulling this together!
On Two premiere chocolate producers come to Dallas to share wisdom and chocolate
Posted on March 17, 2008 at 10:17 a.m.
Thanks so much, TG and the Pegasus team.
I did realize it was a simple typo, but somewhat ironic (I'm reminded of the "King of the Hill" episode in which Hank's neighbor reveals his Laotian roots to Hank & friends, who respond, "uh, so is that Chinese or Japanese?", and a little funny, in the same wry slant. Heck, if we can have a boxty quesadilla be the best item on the menu at a supposed Irish restaurant...you get my drift.
Hue cuisine is among the most complex among Viet regional cuisines. I explore it whenever I can. The "banh beo"--named for the way they resemble the drifting weed that feed myriad fish and fowl in the lakes and rivers of SE Asia--appetizer that Donna had is, according to history/legend, one of the 50 dishes that Hue's emperor had declared was worthy of being considered "royal cuisine". They're akin to rice flour blinis and may be steamed in little saucers or in pieces of banana leafs. Making the little indentations in them, to hold the topping, requires careful technique.
But please, don't anybody put up with rude service, which is the polar opposite of the warmth and hospitality we experienced during our travels throughout beautiful, vibrant Viet Nam.
The notion of the food being just like the land is undeniable there.
Posted on March 16, 2008 at 11:17 p.m.
Please correct the title to match the article's recollection of the restaurant name. How you manage to mix Korean and Viet words in the same name...
"Song Huong" means "Perfume River", which is the waterway that the ancient and beautiful city of Hue is built on.
Posted on March 5, 2008 at 7:21 p.m.
To Foodbevlaw: so are you confessing that Mama should have loved you enough to have tried harder?
;-)
On Three Dallas-area burgers make Top 50 Burger List by Restaurants & Institutions magazine
Posted on January 17, 2008 at 4:07 p.m.
Um,I could've sworn today is Thursday, and I did see the meatballs spot on Fox this morning. And it's still Thurs as I read this post, or am I losing it?
Posted on January 15, 2008 at 9:10 a.m.
Like TG sez, there's nowhere to get a steak in Addison, well, except, um, for Houlihan's, and, um, Ounce Prime Steakhouse, and, um, Houston's, and, um, Fogo de Chao, and, um, Canary Cafe at night (chef won the Texas steak cook-off), and, um, BLT Steak, and, um, Ruth's Chris, and, um, Grill on The Alley, and, um, Kenny's Wood Grill. And dat's all dem place to eat steak. I think.
--Bubba Blue
Posted on December 27, 2007 at 9:59 a.m.
Eight ounces of meat? Who halved my patty? And where is the other half?
Posted on December 22, 2007 at 7:37 a.m.
Donna, you are right on to question Kobe beef in Shepherd's pie, which, in fact SHOULD be made with lean beef. Kobe is going to make it greasy, and any taste advantage (such as is event in, say, a burger, made partially from those cuts that can't become steak. Such cuts of American Kobe-style beef, BTW, can cost restaurants less than $12/lb.) would be lost inside such a casserole. I actually had a conversation with some staff from Lochrann's last week, sharing their stories about the preparations for opening. I got a sneak peek at the menu and was struck by one of my other pet peeves: my thought was that the menu, in some ways, is Irish in the same way that the Outback steakhouse menu is "Australian". Sticking an Irish word (e.g. Galway or Donegal) in front of an item name ain't gonna make an item ethnic any more than calling a monkey (which, thankfully, Lochrann's doesn't serve, BTW) Shakespeare will enable it to write Othello. It's a feckin' gimmick. Also, it's quite Irish to rant, so I've been told. I don't share Czar's impression that the menu is "truly tempting", but I will reserve judgment until after sampling the joint. Meanwhile, Teresa can tell Dave McNabb that "silly" actually dissuades me from visiting a restaurant (as if he would care; this avant-garde foodie crowd ain't enough in number to sustain a restaurant). How Dalls/Plano/Frisco indeed.
Posted on December 14, 2007 at 5:43 a.m.
Re: Cafe R&D
Sorry, I'm a bit confused. TG's verbiage says it has opened in Addison, but the address provided in the link indicates Preston Center. Please help me be "green" by not having to do two drive-by to scout the real location?
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Posted on November 4, 2009 at 7:57 a.m.
That description does sound like Samar, but also like Dragonfly (minus the Asian slant), which Moschetti opened with Pyles years ago.
On Jeff Moschetti named executive chef at Sangria Tapas y Bar