Thinking About Writing Again…

That’s just it.  I’m thinking about it.  This site was a fun project.  Eventually I tired of writing about food because it seemed that just about everyone was doing it.  I’m thinking about starting again, though.  I guess we will see what I do…

Whole Foods Lakewood Apple Wood Smoked Bacon

I’m going to go on record and say that the best bacon I’ve purchased in the Dallas area is the Apple Wood Smoked Bacon at Whole Foods in Lakewood.  It’s thick.  It’s delicious.  They told Hubbard that they smoke it in-house.  It tastes like it.  Closest thing to curing your own that I’ve come across.  And I LOVE it!

Hypnotic Donuts at Work

On occasion I have a really good idea.  I’m crazy about Hypnotic Donuts.  I pass the place, just opening up, at 6:30 a.m. on my way to work every day.  And I started thinking how lucky I am that I can just whip in and grab a Canadian Healthcare with no problem at all.

My co-workers live all over the Metroplex.  But, I live down the street from Hypnotic and most of them don’t.  I sent an email to a few people… “I’m going by Hypnotic Donuts on payday.  Do you want anything?  I’ve got to call in the order 24 hours in advance.  So, let me know.”  I included the link to their site.

Only one person didn’t order and he was mad because he was going to be out of the office that day and miss it.  I sent the email to a few more people.  And then a few more.  Around $50 in donuts later, I had my list.  I sent out a confirmation email to everyone that ordered and how much their treats would be.  Before the end of the day everyone had paid up and I called Hypnotic.

When I showed up at 6:40 to pick up the boxes, I said, “You’re sure everything is there, right?  I’ve got a lot of hungry people all excited about this.”  She assured me they were very good at packing up orders and I wouldn’t be disappointed.  She was right.  Every single piece was exactly perfect.  And delicious!!  All day long people kept coming over to my desk and thanking me.  The next day people were still thanking me!  Why?  Because these are some of the best and most unusual donuts you can get.  And they don’t live down the street from Hypnotic Donuts.  But, I do.  Lucky me!

Increase your popularity at work.  Give it a try.

20 Feet Seafood Joint

A while back our lives changed here in East Dallas.  Goodfriend opened and we had drinks and burgers.  There was this rumor that a seafood joint was opening, as well.  But, that would just be too good to be true, wouldn’t it?  15 years of East Dallas living with no decent bars and certainly no seafood left us skeptical.  And then it happened.  Things have never been the same.

20 Feet has received quite a lot of good press.  Rated one of the best seafood places in town.  And I will say that it’s only grown better and better as time has passed.  It’s a very regular spot for us.  Not only is the seafood fantastic, fresh and affordable, we always bring our own beer or wine.  That puts it in the VERY affordable category, which is not where you usually find seafood.

Today, we tried the oyster shooters.  Is that cute or what?  And so delicious!  $2 each?  Seriously?  That’s it?  I didn’t realize you could get something this good for $2 until today.

As usual, we over-ordered.  I had the coconut shiitaki mushroom soup.  Delicious and mild.  An excellent blend of flavors.  It was their special soup of the day.  So, you can’t always get this.  I love trying their soups.  I’ve never had one that wasn’t fantastic.

Hubbard went with the traditional clam chowder that is always on the menu.  I have to admit that I probably had 10 bowls of this in a row before I could bring myself to order any other soup at 20 Feet.  I love this chowder.  The best I’ve ever had.

Another thing I find hard to resist is the Shrimp Scampi over Parmesan grits.  I’m a grits girl.  And the slaw on top with the little crunchy things…  love it!  (I don’t know what the little crunchy things are.  Does it matter?)

Hub, being in that traditional mood today, had the fish and chips.  We searched this town for fish and chips a few years back and never really found any we liked as well as Guthrie’s, which closed a long time ago.  20 Feet has the best fish and chips ever.  Why?  The fish is delicious and perfectly fried every time.  But, those fries.  The fries alone are enough reason to order this dish.  They’re done with rosemary and thyme and cloves of garlic.  I think of the garlic cloves as little presents when I find them nestled between the skinny fries.  I’m not sure if I’ve ever left one for Hubbard.  I like garlic even more than grits.

We didn’t get dessert today.  But, Suzan has got to be the best pie maker in town.  The chocolate cream pie and the key lime are so delicious.  Try to be more sensible than we were today and leave room for pie.  Or the strawberry shortcake which was the special today and I know I’ll be regretting not ordering as soon as I’m hungry again.  Hmmm…  maybe we’ll go back for dinner!

Cilantro Vinaigrette

My friend Cassi bought the same small food processor that I did and asked what she should do with it. I love it for salad dressings. This is a simple and very tasty dressing that I found in a book by Matt Martinez Jr, “Mex Tex”. Here’s the recipe as it is written in the book. I cut it in half because there are only two of us at my house.

1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup cilantro (loosely packed)
1 tablespoon crushed and chopped garlic
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Whirl it in the food processor or a blender for 30 seconds. Pour into a jar and chill.

My half measure of the ingredients above makes about this much. The full measure makes 1 1/2 cups, according to the recipe. 1 1/2 cups is more than I need.

Of course, if you don’t like cilantro this won’t be for you. But, if you do, you’ll be amazed at how delicious it is! Today’s salad is fresh greens from my neighbor’s garden, radish, heirloom tomato and green onion. A few slices of cantaloupe and we’re good to go with some grilled chicken.

Pecan Lodge PR Party

Dude.

That shit is great.  I’m not kidding.  The best smoked meat I’ve ever had.  Anywhere.  Any time.

Last night, Hubbard and I were fortunate enough to be invited the Pecan Lodge’s PR party for their new location in Deep Ellum on Main.  You won’t believe it.  It’s a great space.  Lot’s of room, comfortable environment.  Everything is amazing.

They have a new line waiting for you.  More smokers this time.  Faster line with more meat.  So, you probably won’t have to get there before dawn to queue up.

Let me just say this…

Hubbard looked at me, “This is the best BBQ I’ve ever had.”  I said, “Yes, it is.  I told you.”  He agreed again that it was the absolute best in all eternity.  Look at that smoke ring.  Damn.

If it looks good to you at all, it’s ten times better than you’re thinking.  AND they have a big patio space with live music (check their website), a bar, their own brew, serving dinner on Friday and Saturday.  We’ve landed in Pecan Lodge heaven, kids.  I want to take a sleeping bag and spend the night there until they open on May 23.

Local notables.

Are you happy yet?  You wait.  You just wait until you go.

 

The Whistling Pig Neighborhood Pub

It’s so hard to talk about a place that is brand new.  It’s not just that it’s my first impression of the place.  It’s everyone’s first impression because it didn’t exist until a week or two ago.  It will probably be a totally different bar by the end of the year.

We showed up at  The Whistling Pig on Mother’s Day shortly after noon. Understandably, the place was not packed.  The first pleasant surprise was that, despite the glass exterior walls, it was not brightly lit.  You’re not supposed to feel like you’re in shopping center even if you are in a shopping center.  The brunch menu was not available yet but they were offering $2 Mimosas and $5 Bloody Marys.  That was the second nice surprise.

Asher Stevens from Cock & Bull is the chef at this new pub.  So, we decided to have lunch. We started with Pulled Pork Fried Jalapenos ($9). Packed full of flavor.  Meaty to the max and hotter than hell.  If I ate all five of those myself I would have had to skip the sandwich.  They are a substantial snack.

The house-made pulled pork, which showed up again on the Cuban sandwich ($14), was moist and tender. Very good.  Along with ham, baby Swiss and thinly sliced dill pickles, the sandwich was pressed, toasted and “melty”, just as described.  We opted for “Texas Toothpicks” instead of fries. Strips of onion and jalapeno were battered and deep fried.  Excellent and only mildly spicy.

It makes it worth the 15+ years we lived here with no decent pubs and only chain restaurants to see this kind of new life in East Dallas.  We will be visiting again soon, I’m sure.  Great to meet you, Pig!

Can my husband grill some good looking chicken wings or what?

Goodbye to Club Schmitz

Last Friday Hubbard, myself and few friends made our way to Club Schmitz to pay our final respects.  It’s not gone yet, but May 31 will be it’s final day since it opened in 1946.  Hubbard and I attended the University of Dallas and this was one of the closest spots to get a cheap beer and decent burger, play a little shuffleboard and shoot some pool.  The place was packed.

I suspect it will remain packed until it’s final day.  So, if you want to pay your final respects and gobble up one more patty melt with tater tots, you might want to try and get there early on a week day.  Our friend Bo here prefers the “double double”.  You can just guess what that is.  Strangely enough, I didn’t take any pictures of the food.

It’s the feel of Club Schmitz that we’re going to miss.  The well worn table and time-warp restrooms.  The ripped seats and plastic pitchers of beer.  It’s remembering what it was like to be young and new to beer joints and finding one that you could call your own.  Goodbye Club Schmitz.  We’re going to miss you.

The sign still says open, but not for long.  Don’t forget to grab a T-shirt.

 

Picadillos

Our beloved Matt Martinez Jr of Matt’s Rancho Martinez passed on a while back.  But, we still reference his cookbooks constantly.  This is one of my favorite cheap, quick weeknight meals.  You can add more or less water depending on how thick you want it.  The recipe calls for 4 cups, but I usually just add 3.

3 Tablespoons oil for browning the meat
1 pound ground beef (or any other ground meat you like)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped bell pepper (I like red)
1/4 cup chopped celery
1 and 1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons granulated garlic
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
(I like to add a couple of teaspoons of chili powder, too)
3 Tablespoons flour
4 cups water (or less)
1 (4 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 cups frozen corn
2 cups frozen peas
1 large potato, quartered and sliced thin

Brown the meat in the oil and then drain off extra oil.  Add the onion, celery, bell pepper and seasonings and cook until the vegetables start to get soft.  Add the flour and let it cook for 2 or 3 minutes.  Then add the water, tomato sauce, corn, peas and potatoes.  Cook until the potatoes flake with a fork.  I cook mine a little longer to let it thicken up a bit.  Serve warm with tortillas or chips and salsa.  

I love the stuff!