out with the old...?

*Photo by Mallory Hill

Last night, we ventured to a new gastropub in the Dallas Design District, and it will be difficult to describe in words just how fantastic it was. Meddlesome Moth is a take on Britain's gastropub phenomenon--a fancied-up, pub-like atmosphere with high-quality, four-star cuisine (not to mention a myriad beers from around the world on tap). My sister and her boyfriend joined The Husband and myself in a cozy booth overlooking the entire restaurant. I noticed the stained-glass windows tilting into the room immediately--relics from my childhood when they were on display in the now-demolished Hard Rock Cafe in uptown. Before we even tasted anything, I was already impressed by this detail. I decided to try a beer flight (above) rather than trying to take on the 140 different ales, lagers, wheats, IPAs, etc. on the menu. I chose "Hop Head" because, well, I like hops. The food was an adventure too since most of the menu is meant to be shared. We ordered and (I kid you not) polished off all the following: hummus and olive spread, shrimp and grits, pork belly with pancakes and syrup, cornbread and collard greens, sweet corn, seared ahi tuna, pumpkin pie, and an apple tart. It was all incredible, but next time, I think I will stick with a traditional English meat pie, just for ol' times sake.

On a sad and somewhat related note, one of my favorite foodie spots in Dallas, York Street, has closed. It was a tiny place with about 10 tables in Lakewood, but my-oh-my was it good. I hope Sharon Hage, the owner and chef, opens a new place soon.

obsession of the month: jarlsberg

I'd heard of jarlsberg cheese long before I saw it in the cheese section at Whole Foods. I'd heard it mentioned in movies (Devil Wears Prada) and seen it on menus in restaurants. But then I tried it. Oh. My. Goodness. It's the best cheese in the universe. I learned it is a Norwegian cheese, and it was first produced in the early 19th century. Who knew?! It has that sweet, nutty flavor that I love in cheeses, and it just begs for an accompanying glass of Malbec. MmmMmm.

food. food. food.

In my very glamorous life as a SAHM and freelancer (ahem), I'd almost forgotten about one of my favorite local blogs. In fact, I hadn't read it in so long that I feel behind the times. The folks over at D magazine have a blog called SideDish, and if you're a lover of all gastronomy and a foodie at heart and you live in Dallas, then it's the blog for you. Check it out. Yum.

lemony heaven

I am officially now head-over-heels for Haagen-Daz's "Zesty Lemon" sorbet. I seriously can't stop eating it, and the tiny pints are $3+ each! Not only do they contain zero grams of fat, but the calorie count isn't bad either. This new addiction can't be good for my pocket book, but perhaps this treat will help me lose baby weight?

autumn, here we come

While I wait (impatiently) for the arrival of my baby, I keep reminding myself to stop and smell the roses. (We don't have any roses, but I digress.) I'm sensing the arrival of fall, my favorite time of year, which officially begins tomorrow. Nevermind that the temperature is still in the 80s. Somewhere, somehow there is a green leaf slowly changing to crimson, and it makes me giddy. I took the above photograph a couple of years ago, and decided to post it because, well, I love gourds. I just love them. Pumpkins of all shapes, sizes, and colors are on sale at Whole Foods already. Call me silly, but I live for autumn.

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My Autumn Top 10:

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10) Cooler temps. We don't get much of a break between summer and winter in Texas, and I cherish all three weeks of it. I adore breezy temps in the 60s.

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9) Halloween. This was my favorite holiday as a child. My elementary school would have a Halloween carnival, and it made the night so much more festive. I don't dress up now, but I never miss a chance to give out candy to the neighborhood little ones.

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8) Thanksgiving. As a young adult, my favorite holiday morphed into Thanksgiving, and my mouth still waters thinking about my Nana's turkey and dressing with the sounds of a football game in the background.

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7) Pumpkin bread. There is a tradition in my family of clove-and-nutmeg-enriched, pumpkin-bread-making in the fall. We are not allowed to begin until October 1, and all baking must cease by January 1. It keeps it special.

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6) Colorful leaves. Lest you begin to think that my entire list is food related, worry no more. I once made a pilgrimage to New England in October just to leaf-peek. I'm a weirdo. In Dallas, we only have a brief show, but it makes me happy.

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5) Football. I'm from Texas. It's a prerequisite.

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4) Charlie Brown's "The Great Pumpkin". Don't laugh. You know you love it, too.

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3) Autumn at the Dallas Arboretum. I begin to lose consciousness (not really) when I think about how, this year, I will have a little one to take to the Arboretum, snuggle her up against some pumpkins, and take a picture. Sigh.

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2) Gourds. Green ones, white ones, striped ones... I'm addicted. It's no coincidence that Cinderella's pumpkin turned into a magic coach to take her to the ball. Gourds are magical. And they don't taste bad, either. Bake a butternut squash with some cinnamon, and you'll be addicted, too.

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1) The State Fair of Texas. This is, hands down, the best thing about fall in Dallas. The fair begins this Friday and ends October 18. I've only missed it once my entire life, and I look forward to it every year. I'm beginning to salivate right now. But it's about more than the fried food; it's the ferris wheel, the livestock, the giant talking cowboy in Wrangler jeans, the tradition of attending a fair that's more than a century old. It's beyond explanation.

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Well, did I leave something out?

cup of goodness

Remember my gushing over Pinkberry? My longing for REAL frozen yogurt in Dallas? Enter OrangeCup. Same concept as Pinkberry, just much closer to home. I simply love this place. The Husband and I have been there about three times in the last week and a half. The chic modern decor and green philsophy aside, I can get my ice cream craving satisfied here for less than 200 calories and no fat. It's real frozen yogurt, actual yogurt that is frozen. Not ice-cream-frozen-yogurt. I think I need to buy some stock in this place...

summer parfait

For my mom's recent birthday party, I whipped up this chocolate-strawberry parfait. It was pretty darn tasty. My sister wanted seconds before we had finished serving everyone. It's incredibly easy and provides a nice, cool dessert for summer. Here's the recipe!

Chocolate-Strawberry Parfait

1 box dark chocolate cake

1 large tub of Cool Whip

1 large can of strawberry pie filling

Fresh strawberries

Prepare cake according to package instructions. Let cool completely. Cut cake into mini squares and place one layer on the bottom of a glass serving dish. Cover this layer with half of the strawberry pie filling. Then put down a layer of Cool Whip. Repeat layers. On top, garnish with fresh cut strawberries. (You will most likely have leftover chocolate cake.) Refrigerate parfait for about two hours before serving.

fiz

With my cravings ebbing and flowing like Lake Michigan lately, I have a new obsession: Izze sparkling fruit drinks. You can buy them at Whole Foods or (surprise!) Super Target. I'm smitten for the mandarin and grapefruit flavors, but they have blueberry and other offerings as well. The can says "pure fruit juice and sparkling water made with natural ingredients and fortified with vitamins." They are about 70% fruit juice with no refined sugars or preservatives, something that Welches surely can't boast. On top of all this goodness, the Izze Beverage Co. seems likes a hip place to work!

nyc adventures, vol. 2

My best meal in New York City this time around? Easy. Aquavit--a Scandinavian fine dining restaurant in Midtown that we tackled for lunch in order to save some moolah. We opted for the "cafe" part of the restaurant, which was decked in a very Euro-mod style and much cheaper than the "dining room." A $24 two-course lunch seemed kind of over-the-top, but why not? We were in New York City, after all. Ahem. First course was a steaming bowl of butternut squash soup, perhaps the best damn soup made of ghord I'd ever had. Resting on top were four marshmellows that slowly melted and blended into the soup for a sweet-buttery effect. God, it was good. Main course for me was roasted chicken with some kind of mash and crispy green beans. Jen had a very colorful salmon with a Scandinavian fruit medly I can't recall the name of. I enjoyed my meal with a $7 cup of chamomile tea. (I had these images of a man hiking into the Alps to pick fresh chamomile to deliver it to my cup; hence the high price.)

nyc adventures, vol. 1

While in New York City, Jen and I managed to twice escape frigid morning temperatures on Broadway inside a Europa Cafe for egg sandwiches and coffee. I like mine with egg and cheese only on an English muffin. In my mind, there's no better place for an egg sandwich than New York City. I've tried to make my own, but nothing compares to the NYC egg sandwich. Nothing.

an evening of celebrities, dallas style

Last night I ventured out into the too-warm-for-December air to dine at Nick Badovinus' new restaurant, Neighborhood Services, where I was to meet my old friends Renee and Jason. At the urging of Renee that we MUST arrive early (because this restaurant is apparently the new IT place), I pulled up to a valet line that wrapped around the curb and onto Lovers Lane at 5:50 p.m. Surely, all this excitement couldn't be over a restaurant, could it? Before 6 o'clock? But what was I thinking? This is Dallas, a place where local chefs are gods and people flock to their latest offerings like pidgeons on stale bread.

Having arrived first, I trotted inside and was greeted by at least 50 eager patrons, most of whom seemed at least 20 years older than me. I pushed my way toward the host stand, where I nervously glanced at a list that covered almost an entire legal pad. "How long is the wait?" I asked timidly. "Well," replied the well-dressed host, "I am about to seat the dining room, and then they have to EAT. Then we can seat you. So... probably an hour." I said "okay" and gave him my name and party number. I found Renee, second to arrive, in the same valet predicament I had just escaped from. "One hour," I mouthed.

Once we were both inside among the throngs, Renee and I planted ourselves two feet from the bar and peered at two women who appeared to be readying themselves to be seated. We were right, and before long, we had shimmied our way into a comfy post at the bar, where I ordered a "Beauty School Dropout"--St. Germain Hanger One mandarin blossom vodka, elderflower syrup, and crushed raspberry rose champagne. A tiny, plastic monkey was hanging from the edge of the martini class. I started to like this place.

Jason arrived, and we were seated sooner than expected. For the next hour and a half, we munched on food that rivals Badovinus' other Dallas restaurants, The Porch and Hibiscus, and marveled at the large number of over-40s that filled the dining room. At one point, we noticed Nick himself, dressed in jeans and a white apron, his blond surfer hair flowing freely, chatting with the four-top sitting next to us. It wasn't until we were getting up to leave that Jason noticed that one of the diners on the four-top was no other than Cowboys great Roger Staubach. I stared at him and his steak for a moment before vacating the place. For the people-watching and cocktails, I highly recommend Neighborhood Services. The concept of the place and the food, of course, are nicely done too. The waitstaff are dressed in ivy league-style sweaters, and the dimly lit atmosphere reminds me of what a bar near Harvard University might look like or Greenwich Village in New York City--it's long and narrow with lots of wood accents. I also love the storefront, which is styled in a very mid-century mod kind of way.

But I must plead with Mr. Badovinus: Please start opening larger restaurants.

Photo by Carter Rose, DMN.

visions of sugar plums

There's nothing like a bit of girl bonding time while making Christmas goodies. Yet another great memory of my childhood is eating raw cookie dough until my stomach hurt. The kids would eat so much there would barely be enough for the cookies. My sister, my mom, and my Nana got together recently to make our famous sugar cookies. (And yes, we ate more dough than cookies.) We even made powdered-sugar icing to coat the already sugar-laden morsals. I'm starting to wonder how much sugar I've consumed this season. It seems that everyday brings a new batch of candy, cookies, or cake...

pumpkin bread batch #1

My first batch of pumpkin bread this season was a success, and I can thank my Kichen Aide Mixer. I love it straight out of the oven with it's warm and fluffy inside and crunchy, sugary outside. However, I do have a fondness for the day-old-pumpkin-bread snack. After it's been wrapped in foil overnight, it morphs into a cool, moist dessert--especially with a dollop of whipped cream. (I've even been known to grab a slice for breakfast as I'm running out the door each morning.) Pumpkin bread is, I've decided, in my top 10 list of favorite things about the holidays.

howdy folks...

Since toddlerdom, I've missed the State Fair of Texas only once--the year I lived in London, England (1999). And you better believe I thought about how I was missing it the entire month of October. Yesterday, The Husband and I made our yearly pilgrimmage to the land of corny dogs, livestsock shows, midway rides, and Big Tex. I had an interesting conversation in Austin last weekend with Liz about Big Tex and how Dallasites view him as a normal part of Texas life. If you're from the area, you think it's perfectly normal for a giant, Wrangler-wearing cowboy to be set up in the middle of Fair Park every year. He waves and talks, his motorized jaw awkwardly moving up and down. But take an out-of-towner to the fair to witness this site, and their jaws drop almost as awkwardly. Regardless, it's one of my favorite things about Texas, and D magazine recently took a poll that ended with Dallas voting the fair as the best thing about Dallas. It's true. We love our state fair.

Per usual, we ate several fried items yesterday. One of the best things about the fair is the fried food, and they add a new ridiculous one every year, like fried peanut butter, jelly, and banana sandwiches, fried oreos, and fried nutter butters. This year they had chicken fried bacon, and my carnivore husband just had to try it. They gave us a rather large basket of them, so I forced myself to take a bite. I was not pleased. It felt like a bomb of animal fat and grease had exploded in my mouth. Never again. Justin ended up with a stomach ache. Each year, I never miss the Fletcher's corny dog and a cinnamon roll from the Food Pavilion. But I also nibbled on fried green tomatoes and a fried s'more, which was in-cred-ib-le. Fried marshmellow, chocolate, and graham cracker? Yes, please.

In addition to eating, we also visited the livestock area and the automobile building and watched The Spirit of the Horse, a show we never miss. All the walking (hopefully) burned some calories.

Photo above: One of the many art deco structures on Fair Park grounds. This one houses the food pavilion during fair time.

tales from austin

Austin is my little getaway. Ask any number of people who witness my thrice-yearly roadtrips to visit. Part of it (well, most of it) is that some of my oldest and dearest friends call the city home. But I also love Austin's vibe. The food isn't bad either, and I'm a sucker for an indie coffee shop that plays an entire Elliott Smith record while I sip my chai latte. The Husband and I booked via Hotwire (we normally stay with friends, but schedules didn't meld well this time) and ended up with a Holiday Inn resort overlooking Town Lake. I was petrified at first, as I'm a (guilty as charged) fanatic for high-thread-count linens, Aveda bathroom products, and mod remodeled bathrooms. But the hotel wasn't so bad. It wouldn't have mattered anyway because we ate and sipped our way through Austin the entire weekend. I can't really count how many eating or drinking establishments that we visited, but in addition to my old favorite The Hotel San Jose, here are some of my favorites from the weekend:

Parkside: an urban hip cafe where everything was incredible, from the cesar salad to the mac and cheese and (lest we forget) the homemade donut holes...

Blue Dahlia: organic and healthy bistro that reminded me of cafes I've visited in Santa Fe, Taos, and San Francisco...

Clementine: perhaps the cutest coffee shop to ever hit Austin's eastside. I was smitten, to say the least...

nanner pancakes

Sunday mornings are the ideal time to whip up some banana pancakes, perhaps my favorite breakfast. I'd almost be willing to eat these babies for dinner. Wait. Scratch that. I would be willing to eat them for dinner. They are best smothered in real maple syrup.

shellin' peas

I spent a recent sunny Sunday afternoon shelling peas with The Husband, my father-in-law, and my grandmother-in-law, who, I'm told, is one of the best pea-shellin' fools in the state. I'd never taken part in this old-fashioned Texas pastime before, and I was surprised at how fun and relaxing it was. Some of the shells were effortlessly easy to open, like pulling apart a shiny, new zipper. Others needed to be forced open, and green bits of pea shell were protruding from my nails. I loved how minty green the peas were, and the smell... don't even get me started. I couldn't wait to eat some. Luckily, we were given a small sandwich bag full of the tiny morsels. I simmered them in hot water for an hour and a half and finished them off with a healthy dose of Worchestershire sauce, sea salt, and pepper. I'm a pea-lovin' maniac now.

garden tomatoes

They may not look as pretty as the tomatoes you buy at the store, but I guarantee they taste better. These lovely crimson and green fruits came from The In-Laws garden, and the flavor just oozes out of them. A tomato's sweetness often gets lost in a salad or cooked dish, overwhelmed by the other flavors. Not these darlings. Oh, I'm drooling right now.

a 30-minute meal

Enthused to try something new, I scoured my Rachel Ray's 30-Minute Meals book until I found something that seemed both interesting and easy. So last night, I prepared Chicken Paillard with Baby Greens. At first, I thought it strange that I was instructed to prepare a roux, cover the bottom of a plate with it, and then place tossed greens on top. (Really? A gravy-type substance with field greens?) But it was a real hit. We both cleaned our plates. Thanks, Rachel Ray.

(Photo courtesy Madeline.)

fresh, summer produce

On Friday afternoon I headed to Rockwall to the Barking Cat Farm "off-the-truck" sale. Each Friday at 2 p.m., they transport a load of their freshly grown items to a random parking lot near the farm and allow the public to purchase directly. A sustainable, all-natural farm, Barking Cat grows fruits and veggies, flowers, and herbs. Depending on the season, you might find tomatoes, onions, radishes, or rosemary, among other produce. They also sell farm eggs, goat cheese, and free-range chicken. I purchased some baby carrots and 2 pounds of new potatoes and baby purple onions. Saturday night, I sauteed the carrots in some olive oil with a bit of sea salt. Not only were they full of flavor, but I felt good knowing I was supporting a local farm that's practically in my backyard.