Here’s the truth as I see it. If Deep Sushi were anywhere else in the metroplex, say on the corner of MacArthur & 635, people would probably never bring it up. But, in this case it’s all about location, location, location. Deep Sushi is in the heart of Deep Ellum & is pretty much your only bet for sushi in the neighborhood. Friends have asked me on several occasions if I could recommend it & I’ve always had to respond I really didn’t know. I went there years ago before going to a show at Trees. (That will give you some idea of how long it’s been.) I really couldn’t recall a thing about the experience. After dining there with a friend this week, I know why.

It’s not amazing sushi, but it’s definitely not bad. It is sushi that just IS. I talked with some other friends about their experiences & they concurred. Good lunch & happy hours specials are enticing, but otherwise it is a straightforward, non-offensive but un-groundbreaking sushi stop in Deep Ellum. The fish was fresh, the rolls were well-made & the ambiance wouldn’t be a bad place to meet up for a casual date. The one highlight that caught my interest was the use of sriracha on a few of their specialty rolls. I like that heat more than the expected wasabi-based sauces, so it was a nice touch.

Deep Sushi
2624 Elm St.
Dallas, TX
214.651.1177

The Grape’s burger really needs no introduction. Last year, Texas Monthly announced it as their #1 burger in Texas. I’m a little ashamed of myself that it’s taken me so long to get over there and taste one, but the fact that it’s only available on Sundays and now Mondays lends a bit of credibility to my tardiness. I’m not sure if its exclusivity had any baring on Texas Monthly’s outcome—everyone knows that the harder it is to get something, the more you want it. Although it didn’t end up being my favorite burger in Texas, I’m happy to report it’s definitely in the top 5. If you consider yourself interested at all in hamburgers, I recommend you clear your schedule next Sunday or Monday (you can get it in the bar along with their happy hour specials), and head over to The Grape. You can thank me later.

The burger is built with the freshest ingredients. The tomatoes were the reddest and tastiest I’ve had in quite some time. Fat cut, dill pickles added a bit of crunch, along with a few slices of sizzling off-the-grill bacon and gooey cheddar cheese. The bun is done just right, toasted enough to not get soggy, but still soft and squishable so you can fit the giant burger in your mouth.

For the most part, all the hype has been well-deserved. I only knock it for the flavor of the beef. While I ordered it medium, it wasn’t as juicy as I had hoped for and I feel like it could have had a bit more flavor. I need to go back again to make another judgement, so definitely don’t let this discourage you from trying it.

While it’s pretty impossible to choose the #1 burger in Texas, let alone even Dallas, this one definitely sits quite high in my regards and I couldn’t recommend it enough. Although, it’s not like The Grape needs to extra press. For the two hours we ate and drank at the bar, I heard at least five other people come in and order it. The word is definitely out, so get in on it.

The Grape
2808 Greenville Ave.
Dallas, TX 75206
214.828.1981

Are you interested in a mussel cook off? Do you enjoy stuffing your mouth full of crepes? Is France a place you’d like to visit soon? Do you want to celebrate Bastille Day?

If so, there’s a great event happening this evening in Oak Cliff that should be able to satisfy you. Check out GoOakCliff for more info, but it sounds like a wonderful way to spend a summer evening. The little dish will be there taking photos and eating some food, so if you see us, say hi.

the little dish has been on a bit of a Summer vacation recently. This basically means we’ve been drinking more than we’ve been eating, so you haven’t missed out on much. I kid. I kid. But seriously, we did take a little break from our various projects to unwind. We’re sleeping, not dead.

Today there’s a good reason to get back into the action though. Reservations for KRLD Restaurant Week start today! The participating restaurants will begin filling the time slots for the week of August 16 – 22. This year, some of the restaurants will be extending the dates for an extra week or two so everyone can take advantage of this annual event. This year, 130 DFW restaurants will be participating by offering three-course prix fixe dinners for $35 a person. For every dinner purchased, the restaurants will make a $7 donation to the North Texas Food Bank in Dallas or the Lena Pope Home in Fort Worth. It’s an excellent way to visit a restaurant you may not ordinarily be able to afford. Plus, it’s helping two really great causes. Hurry so you can get the place you want! (Last year we went to Fearing’s and it was amazing.)

Also, today ONLY: Make a $25 or more purchase at Central Market and you’ll get two fourth-course certificates. Check out the official KRLD Restaurant Week site for all the details.

I’ve been obsessed with making short films recently. It’s my new favorite thing. So when we heard about Deep Eddy, a brand new sweet tea vodka from Austin, I decided to make a movie about it.

[Click here iPads and iPad minis]

The recipes are featured are straight from Deep Eddy’s repertoire. Want to try it yourself? Right now it’s available for purchase at Centennial, Majestic, and Goody Goody liquor stores in Dallas.

(If you like this watch my first movie about a sandwich.)

My sister Jen is arguably one of the best bakers in Dallas. I’m biased, but I’m also the boss of this blog so that ruling stands. We were really happy and excited when she agreed to do a guest post, mostly because we got to eat what she baked: S’mores Pie…

Some people claim that the first day of Summer is the “Summer Solstice,” a day in June with the longest period of daylight and shortest period of night. This year it’s June 21, for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern H.? Who even knows. Regardless, this all sounds like a load of celestial frippery. Summer is clearly rolling hard by June 21. Right now kids are out of school, grills are being put to service, temperatures are almost hitting the 100s. It’s on!

To celebrate the (unofficial) beginning of the season, I recently made a wonderful desert that reworks one of the most treasured summer foods, s’mores, into a pie. Pie! I’m pretty sure most people have good memories associated with this classic camp-side staple. I personally remember many vacations to California when a day full of swimming and grilling at the beach would be topped off by several rounds of s’mores by the fire pit. Deeeelicious.

Unfortunately, the magic of s’mores seems to fade in any type of indoor setting. Like cotton candy from the grocery store or Project Runway on Lifetime, somethin’ ain’t right. Microwaves or those little gel flame burners just don’t cut it. I thought I would just wait, as usual, until the right outdoor event to enjoy some of the gooey marshmallow madness. But when my friend Deirdre sent me a link to this recipe, via the ever lovely Smitten Kitchen, I was jazzed! All the elements of a s’more but remixed, in a distinctively indoor-friendly creation.

I followed the recipe exactly (unusual for me!) and used Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chips for some quality chocolate action. The marshmallow topping is fun, I’ve made homemade marshmallows before so I knew the drill, but even if you haven’t it’s super easy. The whole process took a while because there are many steps where the pie needs to chill or rest or something, but everything was pretty simple. The result – ridiculous. Rich and creamy, the decadent chocolate layer balancing perfectly with the sweet and toasty (and slightly crispy – just like camp-side!) marshmallow top. The whole thing disappeared in a flash. Will definitely make again, any season, and I highly encourage you to do the same.

One note of caution: watch out when this thing is in the oven for the final broil. Like a marshmallow dangling over flame on its coat-hanger spit, this baby can get toasty very fast. In fact, I think using a torch would be advisable if you are nervous and want a little more control over the toastiness of the topping.

S’more Pie

(Adapted from Gourmet, November 2006)

[Alternately: Brown the topping with a creme brulee torch, or preferably a decent propane torch.]
Note: Pie (before browning topping) can be chilled up to 1 day.

About a month ago, we attended one of the opening nights at Perry’s Steakhouse—a new import from Houston. We had a good time, a lot to drink, and left feeling pretty positive about the whole experience. And then came the backlash. Not being so steakhouse savvy, I was unaware that since 2001, Dallas has had its own Perry’s. A completely separate company, they were forced to change their name to “The Place at Perry’s” when the Houston-based Perry’s Steakhouse moved in. Got that straight? Not the same.

Well, diligent readers and fans of “the original” Perry’s were up in arms and insisted we pay a visit to the first Perry’s. And what’s the fuss about? So there’s a new restaurant in town that makes the local guy change his name? Why should we automatically vilify the bigger restaurant, just because they’re big? After all, they’re family-owned and Texan too! So this weekend, we visited The Place at Perry’s and it didn’t take long for me to realize why so many people had rallied behind it. This is a really special place in Dallas—a destination worth getting a little defensive over.

Dinner was impeccable. We hardly ever mention our servers, but Levi was the best of the best. He was kind, considerate, really knowledgeable, and offered some spot-on menu recommendations. Case in point? The crab cakes: plump crab meat, ever-so-lightly breaded, and served in a peppery sauce that was equal parts spicy and tangy. That was all his idea.

The blue cheese wedge salad—a steakhouse standard—was better than average, but what we really loved was the mozzarella, heirloom tomato, and basil salad. Perry’s uses a lot of local ingredients, including farm-grown tomatoes and mozzarella from the The Mozzarella Co. in Deep Ellum. The cheese was undeniably the highlight of the salad. Probably some of the creamiest mozzarella I’ve had. The The Mozzarella Co. actually offers tastings and hands-on classes, which I definitely want to look into now.

When it comes to steak, The Place at Perry’s is really impressive. They are the only restaurant in Dallas that exclusively serves naturally and humanely raised steaks from Niman Ranch. The filet was melt-in-your-mouth tender. I’m rather an amateur when it comes to cooking steak, but I can tell you this was the most uniformly cooked steak I’ve ever had. At medium-rare, the outside was perfectly seared, while the inside was juicy, red, and just slightly warm.

They offer a long list of sauces to accompany your steak. Choose anything from a creamy tarragon béarnaise, to a rosemary demi-glace, or a roasted shallot au jus. Try one or even two. It’s nice because the sauces are served on the side. They’re a great addition, but not a necessary one. The naked steak, with just a little pepper, was perfect as is.

As far as sides go, I was told ahead of time that I needed to try their mac & cheese. No wonder. It’s the most sinfully delicious incarnation since… well, maybe ever. (And I’ve made Barefoot Contessa’s recipe which involves a stick of butter and about 6 cups of cheese.) The sides are served family style, so there’s definitely enough to share.

Dessert ended the evening on a ridiculously high note with another recommendation from Levi: their apple pie, individually cooked in brown paper bags. I’m not sure if it was just the quality of the crust or the brown bag technique, but it was so crunchy and amazing. To be honest, I think it even trumped the steaks. And of course, they didn’t serve it with just any ice cream. Vanilla ice cream from Henry’s Homemade Ice Cream in Plano was the finishing touch.

I left The Place at Perry’s happy, very full, and completely understanding of the loyalty their customers have shown. It’s a fantastic restaurant with a refined charm that didn’t once strike me as gimmicky or over-thought. I left rooting for them too, but you know what? There are a ton of steakhouses in Dallas. The new one in town with a similar name might make googling a little more complicated, but beyond that The Place at Perry’s shouldn’t have a worry in their mind. They stand apart perfectly on their own.

Visit their site to check out their full menus including affordable lunch options, happy hour specials, and their new Sunday brunch. A great option for a date night would be their Summer Performing Arts Menu featuring a prix fixe three-course dinner for two. For $50 a couple, dinner includes soup or salad, two entrees from a daily menu, and a dessert to share. It’s served early enough (4-6 PM daily) so you can go from there to a show with no problem. (P.S. Get the apple pie.)

The Place at Perry’s
2911 Routh St.
Dallas, TX
214.871.9991

This week the top ten American Idol finalists (including this season’s kinda dreamy winner, Lee Dewyze) performed in New York… inside of a giant pretzel M&M. 

Yeah. That’s right. One big corporate love fest wrapped in a polycarbonate candy shell. While I felt a little embarrassed for everyone involved, I joined the guilty party when I went out and actually bought the new M&M flavor. For $.89 I got some overly crunchy, dry pretzel chunks with not enough chocolate coating. I also got a reminder about the persuasive power of corporate shenanigans. After all, they wouldn’t do it unless it worked. And these M&Ms are going to need all the help they can get.
   

Even though it’s out of step with the season to be roasting root vegetables, I was inspired by this NY Times article to make roasted radishes in a bagna cauda sauce. Radishes are great, perhaps even more so after they’ve been roasted. It takes all the sassy bite out and leaves them sweet and mellow. According to the NY Times, they’re becoming pretty popular around the Big Apple now. In the article, Melissa Clark mentions a dinner party where they were served to her “slathered in an anchovy-and-garlic-laden bagna cauda sauce.” A what?

While researching bagna cauda, the first thing I noticed is how simple the ingredients are. I also realized how serious people get about which ingredients you should use to make the most authentic bagna cauda. It’s got a long history which originates from the Piedmont region of Italy. Peasants would make it and use it as a dip for bread or vegetables. It’s typically kept over a low heat when served, basically like fondue.

Fast forward a bunch of years and you’ve got hot-shot chefs like Michael Chiarello adding pepper flakes and listing anchovies as optional. (Both of these are apparently infuriating. One of the recipe comments mentions their grandfather rolling in his grave.)

Other recipes recommend using a pint of heavy cream, which was sort of terrifying to me because of the calorie count. To my relief, I found more comments online challenging the authenticity of this version. Happy to drop the cream, I found that most of the “respected” recipes for bagna cauda include both olive oil and butter at about a 1/1 ratio.

I whipped it up really quickly and instead of dipping the radishes into the sauce, I coated them with it while roasting and then put a little more on top at the end. (I threw in some potatoes to roast as well. Why not?) The sauce had an excellent flavor—rich, garlicky, and salty. The only thing that bothers me is that I’m not sure if I did it correctly. The recipe talks about the sauce being “creamy.” However that didn’t happen for me. In the sauce pan it stayed the consistency of oil and melted butter. Really, really thin. Part of me wonders how people would ever use this as a dipping sauce. Another part of me feels like it must be that way because this recipe is so simple. There’s not many ways to mess it up. Weird things happen though… Does anyone know about bagna cauda and how it should look?

Bagna Cauda (from Nigella Lawson)

1/2 c. plus 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
4 to 5 cloves garlic, peeled and microplaned or minced
12 anchovies preserved in olive oil, drained and chopped
1/3 to 1/2 cc. unsalted butter, cut into chunks
A variety of raw vegetables, including fennel, cauliflower, Belgian endive, sweet peppers and zucchini (for dipping)

Put the oil in a pan with the garlic and anchovies and cook over low heat, stirring, until you have a melted, muddy mess. Everything should begin to meld together. Whisk in 6 tablespoons of butter, and as soon as it has melted, remove from the heat and give a few more beats of your whisk so that everything is creamy and amalgamated. Taste, and if you feel you want this as a dipping sauce – which is meant to be pungent but not acrid. If you want the sauce a little more mellow, whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Pour into a dish that, ideally, fits over a flame so that it does not get cold at the table. Dip in the crudites and eat.

Stop by my favorite tea store in Dallas, The Cultured Cup, tomorrow to learn more about matcha! All afternoon they’ll be hosting complimentary tastings & demonstrations.

From The Cultured Cup:
Join AIYA America’s Shiro Nobunaga and local potter Ginny Marsh for tastes of matcha in traditional wabi-sabi style bowls. Learn about the many health benefits that allow matcha to aid in the prevention of cancer and improve your complexion.

Saturday, May 22
11 – 5 PM

The Cultured Cup
8312 Preston Center Plaza | Dallas, TX 75225
972.960.1521