I can’t say often enough how grateful we are for everyone who reads this blog & the nice comments we get. That’s why I’d never do you guys wrong. No restaurant promo, or freebie, or stack of dollars* could tempt me into writing a review that is more favorable than honest because I don’t want to lead anyone into a culinary sandtrap.

That being said, I should first say that I haven’t actually been to Roots Coffeehouse, but I plan on it. ASAP. On paper the place sounds fantastic: a local, independent coffeehouse with a menu comprised entirely of fair trade & organic coffees. Plus free wi-fi, homebaked sweets, & a special honey vanilla latte that is of particular interest to me. Awesome, right?

Now, if you’re the kind of person who watches a movie & is always jumping ahead of the plot to guess what’s going to happen next, you’re probably wondering: “So why are you talking about a coffee shop before you’ve actually visited?” Well, I’ve got two things to say to you. First, chill out. You should just try to enjoy the movie & let it unfold instead of always trying to guess everything. Second, I’m talking about Roots now instead of later because they are running an amazing promotion that you need to know about right now.

Visit Roots in March & they will give you a free coffee card, which is good for a 12-ounce cup of coffee. EVERY SINGLE DAY IN MARCH. No catches. No stipulations. (Although if you want to keep your “Nice Citizen” badge, you should probably tip that barista who’s pouring your free cup of coffee.)

So I’m planning on heading over to Roots and will definitely write about it when I do. But this week is crazy & I won’t be in that neighborhood for a couple of days. Until then, I don’t want to keep you from missing one precious day of free coffee (’cause I love y’all like that). If you check it out before I get there, let me know what you think—ok?

* Maybe some stacks of dollars. (Sorry.)

Roots Coffeehouse
9101 Highway 26 Ste. 101 | North Richland Hills, Texas 76180
See website for other locations.
817.503.7344

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One of my best friends, Matt, recently moved into a swanky loft with high ceilings, concrete floors, an open kitchen—the whole deal. He’s started a tradition of Sunday night dinners at his new place where everyone is invited to come over, have a few drinks & enjoy whatever’s on his menu de jour. The past few weeks he’s hosted, it’s been a really lovely way to end the week & gear up for the one ahead.

Last night he made an amazing dish from Keller’s ad hoc at home: crispy braised chicken thighs with olives, lemon & fennel. By the time we arrived, Matt had already finished most of the cooking, but there were a few sous chef duties to be done. With the open space, cooking & visiting is effortless. So we finished chopping butternut squash (to roast as a sidedish), added the final seasonings to the sauce & poured drinks. The meal was superb. The meat was so tender it fell of the bone & the skin was perfectly crisped. Served in a white wine sauce with sauteed fennel, garlic, olives & onion—it was a brilliant introduction to what Keller’s book has to offer. And while we were all eating the meal together among family & friends, I thought about how Keller would probably be very proud. It was the philosophy behind his family-style cookbook actually lived out & enjoyed the way he intended it to be. Print this out & make it with your family & friends. Like, now.

Crispy Braised Chicken Thighs with Olives, Lemon & Fennel

3 fennel bulbs
12 chicken thighs
Kosher salt
Canola oil
1 c. coarsely chopped onion
1 tbs. finely chopped garlic
1/4 c. dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc
1 c. Ascolane or other large green olives, such as Cerignola
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
4 fresh (or 2 dried) bay leaves
4 strips lemon zest (removed with a vegetable peeler)
8 thyme sprigs
1 c. chicken stock
1/3 c. flat-leaf parsley leaves

Turn on the broiler, and put the pan under the broiler for a minute or two to crisp and brown the chicken skin. Remove from the oven, and transfer to a serving platter. Garnish with the parsley leaves.

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Lots and lots of good places to eat in Atlanta. However, the two culinary highlights of the weekend were at restaurants belonging to Top Chef contestants. For lunch, we dined at Richard Blais’ Flip Burger Boutique. The upscale burger joint’s menu boasts a long list of delicious-sounding burgers like the Venison Burger with gooseberry relish, toasted pecans, and brie or the Southern Burger with country-fried beef, pimento cheese, and green tomato ketchup. The Southern was rich but delicious, as was the other (somewhat tamer) Turkey Burger I got with avocado & pomegranate ketchup.

Sides like smokey jalapeno slaw & tempura-fried rutabaga go way beyond the standard french fries & their shake menu presented the hardest decision of the afternoon. Looking around, the obvious favorite was the Nutella + Burnt Marshmallow Shake. Thinking about this shake now and how far away it is from Dallas makes me want to cry just a little.

All that being said, it was dinner at Kevin Gillespie’s Woodfire Grill that made my trip to ATL complete. Kevin is far and away my favorite Top Chef contestant. After watching him on the show, I decided that if I was ever in Atlanta, I would definitely need to eat at his restaurant. I booked the reservation months in advance, just to be doubly sure that I would be able to eat there while we were in town.

Now I know, that’s a lot of expectations to put on a dinner. And even though I didn’t get to meet Kevin (he was out of town), I was very happy to have had that experience there and eat from his menu. It’s a simplified selection; there were just five main entrees to choose from. I chose the quail: three (sadly, very cute) bobwhite quail atop a roasted turnip and bosc pear puree, served with wood-roasted brussel sprouts and crunchy pieces of bacon brittle.

Here’s what I learned from this dinner: brussel spouts have the ability to be awesome, bacon and toffee do make a good pair, and sometimes the higher expectations you have for something, the more you can actually enjoy it. The whole meal, from the starter roasted celery soup to the finishing mini donuts was just what I had been hoping for.

I’m happy to report to Blais & Gillespie fans that their favorite chefs’ culinary enterprises are running along great—I think even Padma & Tom would approve.

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Can I just brag a little about Kendall, one of our most lovely & loyal readers? She read my last post about the Everyday Food cookbook, went out & bought it & then whipped up this amazing dinner with her boyfriend for Valentine’s Day. On the menu? Chicken in a dijon cream sauce, buttermilk mashed potatoes & lemon-thyme green beans. Delish!

Kendall, if the little dish had some trophies to give out, we would definitely award you one. Maybe someday when the ad revenue kicks in big time… Until then, thank you (to everyone) for reading

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I don’t want to be a cook just on the weekends, because how much of our lives are spent then? I’ll tell you. It’s 2/7ths. So I’m making an attempt to cook simple, healthy meals more often. Otherwise, my someday-future kids are going to have to be convinced that Cheerios are a main course.

I just bought this cookbook to help in my quest: Everyday Food: Great Food Fast. (Initially because of the name, duh!) What I love most about it now is that it is sectioned by seasons, which is really nice. No more flipping through heavy pot roast recipes in June. Also there’s nutritional information for all the recipes in the back. Very helpful. I made my first recipe out of it this week & it was awesome. Recipe will follow soon! (This week’s Biggest Loser was a To Be Continued… so I’m pulling the same stunt too.)

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*drumroll please*

Back from a long vacation, it’s the liiiiiiiittle diiiiiiiiish! Hope you’re all having a nice 2010 so far. Thanks for checking back even though it’s been like a ghost town around here. TUMBLEWEEDS. Like I mentioned last post, we’ve been planning on updating the site and have lots of great things in store, so stay tuned.

In actual food-related news, we just had dinner at probably one of the most popular restaurants in Dallas, La Duni. Unlike many things that are popular, La Duni really deserves the attention. Their modern take on Latin dishes & beautiful desserts have become (in the small handful of times I’ve visited) some of my favorites.

But don’t be tricked into thinking that La Duni is a Mexican restaurant. Yes, they do have tacos, flautas & quesadillas on the menu. However, their flavors go way beyond the Mexican border with additions like Argentinean sausage & Pampero black beans. Here’s a mini-guide to set the record straight & help you brush up on your Latin before your next meal at La Duni…

Chimichurri – (See above) A green sauce originally made in Argentina & Uruguay. Ingredients often include parsley, minced garlic, olive oil, vinegar & red pepper flakes. It can also be used as a marinade for grilled meat.

Plantain – A member of the genus Musa (bananas, basically). They tend to be firmer & not as sweet as the “dessert bananas” that we eat in America & are often used in savory dishes. When sliced & served fried, they’re also called “tajadas” in Honduras, Panama & other parts of South America. (That’s how La Duni serves them!)

Arepa – A flat, unleavened cornmeal bread from the northern Andes. Kinda like a tortilla, but thicker. A perfect addition to meat dishes.

Pabellon Criollo – (See also: Heaven) A traditional Venezuelan dish that’s made up of rice, shredded beef & black beans. Often served with fried plantain slices. At La Duni, you also get a slice of queso fresco & arepa.

Queso Fresco – A mild & soft unaged white Spanish cheese (See plate above.)

Patacones – Cooked green plantains that are smashed, crisped & then sprinkled with salt.

Chicharron – 1. super crispy pork rinds. 2. a fun word to say

Pisco – A Peruvian liquor distilled from grapes. The main ingredient in the Pisco Sour. (See above. See also: good times)

La Duni
4620 McKinney Avenue | Dallas, Texas 75205
See website for other locations.
214.520.7300

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Rain, sleet, wintery mix—whatever you call it, leave me out of it. It reminded me of some winter cupcakes I made for some friends & family last week so I thought I’d post the picture. They’re vanilla on vanilla. I thought about making them white chocolate & peppermint, but after having a peppermint martini that was like sipping Scope, I thought better. Individual cupcake boxes from Amazon are a cute way to present them, but prepare for some serious folding. Those little boxes are harder to put together than you’d think!

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So today it was back to work. The holiday’s aren’t really over for me yet; I’m taking off the second-half of this week for New Year’s. Today was just a necessary snap back into reality for a day or two to get some work done. Yesterday we finished the long weekend with a little post-Christmas brunch. What better place to go than Hattie’s? It was beautiful, as always. It such an adorable restaurant—lots of white, an antique tin ceiling, dark wood & simple table arrangements.

(Looking back, you can tell we really love this place.)

On my plate was a slice of banana nut bread to start. Sourdough was the other bread option, but I decided to go sweet over savory. I sipped on a spicy Bloody Mary (the perfect choice for a Sunday morning, if you ask me) & decided I was definitely in the mood for poached eggs. Hattie’s offers their poached eggs atop crab cakes with a spoonful of hollandaise sauce. Sold.

The eggs were poached perfectly. They could have probably won a medal for them. Light & delicate, the crab cakes had just a minimal amount of breading & were really flavorful. As for the hollandaise sauce… ah-mazing. I know I should’ve trusted Hattie’s from the very start, but I was a little nervous about it. I’ve had some really unpleasant hollandaise sauce before: thick, gloopy, yolky, weird… I almost asked for the sauce on the side, but decided (daredevil that I am) to risk it. There was no need to worry. It was rich, but not overpoweringly so. The eggs liked it. The crab cakes liked it. I definitely liked it. On the side I had bacon, which was standard but very crispy (bonus!) & cheesy grits. Health food, basically. No matter. It was definitely worth a little more time at the gym.

Hattie’s
418 Bishop Avenue | Dallas, Texas 75208
214.942.7400

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If you want to dine at The Zodiac downtown, you’ll to have to wait until January rolls around to get a reservation. However, that doesn’t mean you have to rule out a lovely lunch at Neiman Marcus. Across the street there’s the NM Fashion Cafe, which definitely deserves your consideration next time you’re downtown.

I lunched there today with some friends before checking out the store’s windows as a sort of kickoff to the Christmas weekend. While my entree was tasty but unremarkable (Southwest Caesar Salad), what came before & after made lunch really delightful.

To start, the Queso Tortilla Soup is a must. Non-negotiable. If you like traditional tortilla soup, you’ll love this updated version. Instead of the classic red broth with chunks of chicken & veggies, this soup is a cheesy, velvety, yellow cream. Next time, skip the cup; I’m getting a bowl.

After the meal, my friend Eric & I split a slice of the Strawberry Dream Cake, which was so cute it inspired the picture above. Strawberry cake with fluffy white frosting… it was delicious. Half is all you need, because it’s really sweet.

Stop by the Fashion Cafe if you’re downtown for lunch or shopping at Neiman’s or just looking for some cake.

Word to the wise: Get there early. We lunched a little later in the afternoon & by that time they were out of the daily special, as well as the angus burger. How exclusive.

NM Fashion Cafe
1525 Commerce St. | Dallas, TX 75201
214.573.8250

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