June Naylor

Our first Dallas food tour was a smash-hit. Within our intimate group were Linda and Michael, a couple from New Jersey, visiting Texas for the first time. Texas Toast showed them a thing or two about food and hospitality in the Lone Star State. They’d asked ahead of time if we could please not stuff them solely with chicken-fried steak. We assured them that while we love our CFS, we do know how to do other things well.

Our entertaining friends Sarah, Wes and Michael from Fort Worth joined us, giving the New Jersey folks an ample dose of Texas humor. We began in late morning; at our first stop, the original Zodiac Room at the flagship Neiman Marcus in downtown Dallas,  we gathered around a sunny table and told stories from our earliest memories in that room. While we sipped the signature chicken consomme and noshed on fresh, steaming-hot popovers with strawberry butter (see recipes below), we listened as executive chef Kevin Garvin shared tales about the legendary Zodiac Room and Stanley Marcus. We talked a little about Helen Corbitt, the first food director for NM, who put Dallas on the culinary map more than a half-century ago, before anyone had yet heard of Julia Child.

From Neiman’s, we headed over to the Dallas Farmers Market .Although it’s only January, a few farmers were there with some gorgeous produce. They gave us samples of tomatoes, mangos, tangerines, pineapple and peanuts. From the roasted corn stand, we bought a cup of elotes, a mixture of corn – hot and fresh from the cob – mixed with grated cheese and mayonnaise, with chile powder sprinkled on top. Believe us, it’s really good. Inside the enclosed shed, we perused tables of fresh, locally made pastas, a booth selling locally made candles and a sausage stand.

Next, we headed to Deep Ellum to visit Paula Lambert at the Mozzarella Co. , that famous artisan cheese company. Paula took us on a tour of her business, which makes about 1,000 pounds of cheese daily. We sampled a number of her products, pictured here, made from cow’s or goat’s milk, and wound up leaving with sacks full of cheese and cookbook purchases.

Then we zipped over to Jimmy’s Food Store , a wonderful rarity in Dallas. Our New Jersey friends thought it hilarious that we’d take them to a corner Italian grocery, but we explained what a singularly special jewel it is for us, as there’s no real Italian heritage to speak of around these parts. They were impressed with all the special fresh pastas available, as well as Henry’s Homemade Ice Cream, sold here but made in Plano. Best of all, we happened by just when Michael Weinstein, the Dreadhead Chef , pictured below, was offering samples of his dessert chips (chocolate chip, yum) and sweet salsas (pineapple-banana-macadamia nut, double yum). Jimmy’s never fails to impress me with the racks and racks of Prosecco choices, many for just $9.99.

Finally, we wrapped up our day with a leisurely, late lunch at the Mansion on Turtle Creek. Chef Bruno Davaillon (he arrived at the Mansion recently from Mix in Las Vegas) prepared a lovely menu for us, and here it is:

Grilled Salmon Filet, Celery Root Puree, Blood Orange and Celery Salad, pictured here

Pork Tenderloin, White Cheddar Grits, Wild Mushrooms and Peas

Roasted Eggplant and Goat Cheese Ravioli, Preserved Summer Tomatoes, and Basil Salad

Wines:
V. Laurenz Gruner Veltliner “Singing,” Austria ‘07
Dow’s, Vale do Bomfim, Douro Reserva, Portugal ‘06

Desserts:
Tropical Vacherine, with Citrus and Vanilla Sorbets

Mansion Candy Bar, Brownie, Peanut Croquant, Chocolate Mousse, Lime Coconut Sorbet
Ice Cream Sampler: Chocolate, Vanilla Bean, Fleur de Sel Caramel

During lunch, Chef Bruno stopped by to make sure we were happy with our food. As a bonus, we were regaled with entertaining stories about the Mansion’s early history (the historic home, when it was a residence) by the delightful Duncan Graham, an Englishman who serves as the Mansion’s general manager.

What a great way to spend a Friday in Dallas, with nary a chicken-fried steak. You should join us next time. Until then, here’s how to make the popovers and strawberry butter. Many thanks to the Neiman Marcus Cookbook (2003, Clarkson Potter).

Neiman Marcus Popovers

Makes 12

3 ½ cups milk

4 cups all purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

6 large eggs, room temp

Place milk in bowl and microwave on High (100 percent power) for 2 minutes, or until warm to the touch.

Sift flour, salt and baking powder together in large mixing bowl. Crack eggs into work bowl of electric mixer fitted with whisk, and beat on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until foamy and pale in color. Turn down mixer to low and add warm milk.

Gradually add flour mixture and beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Turn machine off and let batter rest for 1 hour at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Spray popover tin generously with nonstick spray. Fill popover cups almost to the top with batter and place popover tin on cookie sheet. Transfer to oven and bake for 15 minutes. Turn down oven temperature to 375 F and bake for 30 to 35 minutes longer, until popovers are deep golden brown outside and airy inside.

Turn out popovers and serve hot with strawberry butter, recipe below.

Strawberry Butter

Makes 2 ½ cups
1 1/2 cups butter, at room temperature
1 cup good-quality strawberry preserves
Place the butter in the work bowl of an electric mixer and beat on high until light and fluffy. Add the preserves and beat until well combined. To serve, spoon or pipe the flavored butter into 2-tablespoon ramekins or onto side plates.

Put on your hat and boots and head over to the historic Fort Worth Stockyards district next Tuesday evening, January 12. Texas Toast Culinary Tours will get you fired up for the annual rodeo and stock show, starting in Cowtown on January 16, with another of our Feeding Frenzy evenings, filled with great food and drink that’s guaranteed to put some giddy-up in your new year.

This delicious tour kicks off at 6:30 p.m. with a first course at the H3 Ranch, where Feeding Frenzy folks will sample appetizers paired with Fort Worth’s own Rahr Buffalo Butt Beer.

For the second course, you’ll mosey a few doors down North Main Street for dinner and wine with Tim Love at his Lonesome Dove Western Bistro. For the third course, you’ll walk around the corner to the Love Shack and White Elephant Saloon for an adult ice cream float and some boot-scootin’ music, too. Dessert’s never been like this before!

At each stop, you’ll get to know the creators of all this food and drink and talk about what makes good food and beverage pairings. It’s a lot of food and fun for $75, including tax and tip – and an experience only with Texas Toast!

Sign up at our website, Texas Toast Culinary Tours, or give us a jingle at 817-239-1634 or 817-228-5220. You don’t want to miss a good time like this.

Friends are generously buying our new cookbook, Cooking the Cowboy Way, to give to family and friends as holiday gifts. So when somebody asked me what to put in a Texas gift basket with the cookbook, I said, “Easy as pie.”

You can find dozens of locally made goodies for the culinarian on your list. Here are a few of my favorite Fort Worth destinations for hometown products:

Pendery’s, on Eighth Avenue, near the medical district, makes and sells every kind of chile powder and spice you can think of, and plenty that have never occurred to you. Lots of sauces, candies and cooking supplies fill the shelves, too.

Vending Nut Company , near the Cultural District, will make you feel like Bubba Blue in Forrest Gump when you start reciting the varieties of almonds, pecans, peanuts and other nuts roasted and packaged on site. The dried fruits and snacks are hard to do without, too.

Among salsas, you’re hard-pressed to do better than those made in Fort Worth by Joe T. Garcia’s and Mrs. Renfro’s. Joe T’s offers mild, medium and hot editions, and Mrs. R makes hers in black bean, chipotle corn, peach, raspberry chipotle, green and many more. Find these at almost any grocery store.

From Artisan Baking Company in Fort Worth, you can find exceptional biscotti, scones, cookies, granola and breads from baking genius Gwin Grimes. Put those with Fort Worth-made Aduro Bean Coffee – also sold at Gwin’s bakery – and breakfast is boffo.

Add beverages to your basket, too. I think your best bets are Ugly Pug, a fabulous black lager from Fort Worth’s Rahr Brewery, and the food-friendly 2006 Sangiovese from Times Ten Cellars, new in Fort Worth in the West Seventh area.

HolidayWineDownDec5

Hey, it’s time for another of our Texas Toast Feeding Frenzy outings! This Saturday afternoon, we’re having a Holiday Wine Down in Fort Worth, visiting three fabulous wine destinations, Put A Cork In It, WineStyles Montgomery Plaza and Times Ten Cellars. We’ll be enjoying prime party noshes from Park Hill Cafe and Lambert’s Restaurant, too.

Join us – you’ll get plenty of food and wine, recipes, entertaining ideas, food and wine pairing inspiration for holiday dinners and cocktail parties, with shopping on the side. Each of our wine hosts will send you home with a little gift, too. We have a few places left, so hope on board. You can register at our website, Texas Toast Culinary Tours.

I have pie on the brain, which means an extra 30 minutes at the gym daily, now through December 24. I’m a sucker for a good pecan pie, and I’ve yet to find one I like more than the one made by New Orleans restaurateur-chef Frank Brigsten.

If the very idea of a great pie makes you swoon, see the current issue of 360 West magazine, and go to page 52! That’s where you’ll see my ode to pie. If you’re a pie person, you’ll totally get it. You cake people, I just don’t know. Sometimes I think we come from different planets – but that’s not to say I don’t love a good, rich chocolate carrot cake. Or the caramel cake I’m making for Thanksgiving next week to go with a buttermilk pie and a fudge pecan pie.

What’s on your pie plate for Thanksgiving?

(That’s Dutch Meyer, above center, who put TCU on the map long before there was an ESPN.)

The big ESPN circus hits town today and we better be ready.

The arrival of ESPN GameDay’s crew on the TCU campus today, continuing with the hoopla that surrounds the set tomorrow and the downright insanity that takes place before and during Saturday morning’s broadcast and lasts through Saturday night’s game, brings attention to Fort Worth unlike anything we’ve witnessed here.

Yes, we get national press here for the Colonial. Trust me, this isn’t like the PGA. I’ve been to the ESPN GameDay set in Austin before a UT game and in Tuscaloosa before an Alabama-LSU contest. This is a whole new level of crazy.

Not only will the nation’s football fans be watching us, so will everyone else who wonders, “What the heck is a Horned Frog? And how did that little ol’ team get so hot? And where are they again?” Most of all, big companies like ESPN will be watching our humble Cowtown to see what we, the people, bring of interest.

Remember, ESPN and a lot of other very big, attractive fish are studying our environs right now to decide where to camp during the 2011 Super Bowl, which is a mere 14 months away. So yes, we need to wear purple on Friday, as Mayor Moncrief asks. And we need to be excited about the Frogs’ new uniforms, making a national debut Saturday as part of Nike’s new Pro Combat line.

And, of course, we need to show up Saturday morning and look like we deserve to be at the big show. On top of all that, we need to show ESPN how much fun Fort Worth is, and for a lot of those folks, the fun starts with where to eat and drink.

So here’s where the ESPN folks – and everyone else, from the BCS, Super Bowl, Pasadena, Sugar Bowl and other important committees – should be spending their food and beverage bucks today through Sunday. These aren’t the fanciest places in town, but they’re in easy reach of TCU and offer a lot in the way of Fort Worth personality. See if you agree with me.

Fuzzy’s: This dive open from early until late, and it’s usually a great for tempura-fried shrimp tacos and shredded garlic beef tortas. There’s beer here, but I’d skip the icky margaritas here and go to Old Rip’s , just behind Fuzzy’s, for drinks and socializing in the company of fabulous artwork.

Dutch’s:  The burgers are astoundingly good (get the bacon-blue cheese), the fries are addictive and the beer’s cold. Plus there’s all that great TCU lore inside, free Wi-Fi, and plenty of sports on TV.

Silver Fox: Yes, the steaks are probably better at Del’s, but the Fox does a lovely NY strip and all the sides are included, including great smashed potatoes and a good veggie platter. The bartenders there make a terrific dry martini, too.

Pour House: Just reopened in new digs on Seventh Street, here’s a rocking bar with loads of food and live music. Tortilla-crusted shrimp and deluxe nachos make good starters, and the barbecued pulled pork is a good sandwich. King Ranch chicken is a favorite lunch special, and the plate of migas enchiladas holds good hangover-busting properties.

Hoffbrau: The low-brow steakhouse still has a little of its original Austin-bred vibe and for a skillet-fried steak – done with plenty of garlic – you probably can’t find better value for the price. Sports can be seen on TV from every seat and those brau chips with ranch for dipping – pure carb heaven.

J&J Oyster Bar : Another of the great Cowtown dives, you better show up at off-hours or cool your heels. Ask the barkeeps to keep your pitcher of Shiner cold and full and they’ll help you out. Fish tacos are the great surprise here, but you’ll be good with oysters on the half-shell, a plate of crawfish sausage, a fried shrimp po-boy and a pile of those fries and hushpuppies.

Grady’s: For a taste of cowboy cooking, this is your go-to spot. (Full disclosure: I wrote two cookbooks with the owner, but I go there anyway, on my own nickel.) Quail tostadas make a good starter and the chicken-fried steak is killer. The wild card you can always bet on is the grits. Yum.

Fred’s Texas Café: Here’s a place with live music on the patio and an owner known as the Outlaw Chef – what more can you say about a place with big personality? The burger has won legions of fans, and rightfully so, particularly if it’s the Diablo version. But don’t overlook the Portobello tacos, either, with guacamole on the side. If a steak in some chile treatment is the evening special, please, please get that. You will thank me.

Railhead Smokehouse: The debate continues about whether this or Angelo’s is really better. Railhead’s a little closer to TCU, so it wins this round – and it’s just insanely good for ribs, fries with onion strings and icy-cold beer.

Hey, check out my friend, Pat Sharpe, above left. You probably know that she’s an executive editor at Texas Monthly and the magazine’s renowned food editor. She’s also a member of the Austin chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier, a group of women in the food arts who are raising money for culinary scholarships with an online auction. Anyone can bid on the fabulous items and I think these make perfect Christmas gifts for the food-lovers on your list.

Please, Santa, get this for me: It’s the Thelma & Louise Weekend at the Gage Hotel in the Big Bend town of Marathon. It includes a stay in the hotel, spa treatments and dinner. I promise I’ll never be naughty and always be nice.

It’s our next Feeding Frenzy: We’re taking y’all on a Seventh Street Shuffle on November 17, visiting three of our favorite Fort Worth restaurants. It’s the latest in an exciting list of food tours from our new company, Texas Toast Culinary Tours.

We’ll be eating and drinking at Eddie V’s Prime Seafood, Saint-Emilion and Lanny’s Alta Cocina Mexicana – and we’ll be visiting with the key people who make everything taste so good at these places.

Click on the link below, read up and register, OK?

It’s yummy, y’all.

http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07e2mkdxm06a859465

Chef Bruno Davaillon will easily handle anything the most meticulous guests at the Mansion on Turtle Creek demand. Whatever celebrities or Highland Park divas (I grew up in The Bubble, I know whereof I speak) throw at him, he will doubtless deal with aplomb.

The new executive chef at the Dallas Rosewood property, Davaillon comes directly from a five-year gig at Mix in Las Vegas, an Alain Ducasse restaurant in The Hotel at Mandalay Bay. A few years ago, I had the pleasure of visiting this destination Vegas restaurant and learned that it wasn’t unusual for a last-minute dinner party of 20 or 30, trailing behind the wife of the Shah of Bahrain, to show up and expect the world at their feet. Reports were consistent that Davaillon, a native of the Loire Valley, always took care of even the trickiest customers without breaking a sweat.

So how’s the food, you ask? How about this: Davaillon earned Mix the coveted Michelin star in 2008 and 2009, which is just the clout the Mansion would dearly like to reclaim. The landmark needs it, too, after chef John Tesar took sudden leave early this year and Dean Fearing left for his own digs more than three years ago. 214-443-4747; www.mansiononturtlecreek.com.

Here’s our first Texas Toast event, and it’s right around the corner. We think it’s a heck of a deal, too. You get a lot of food and drink, plus a signed cookbook and some face time with Cowtown’s original cowboy cook, Grady Spears.

Space is limited, so sign up, you hear?

Call Grady’s at 817-922-9980 or email us at texastoastculinarytours@yahoo.com.