Food Blogging In Dallas

I keep thinking about what a great community of food bloggers we have around these parts.  Too bad we don’t all know each other.  So, would it be possible to put together an informal bloggers event where we all kind of meet up some place?  Is that just too complicated to be managed?  I’m not talking about actually renting a place.  But, maybe, anyone who wants to show up for brunch at a designated spot and some kind of sign we could recognize each other by…  ?  Is that just stupid?  There are so many fun Dallas-area food bloggers that I’d love to meet.  I don’t know…  what do you guys think?  I’m probably biting off more than I can chew here because I’m not the best organizer in the world.  But, are you?  Anyone have any brilliant ideas?

Chicken Fried Bacon

Well, right off the bat, I’d say, “share it”.  I thought it was a bit too much to just sit there and eat.  They give you four or five pieces.  My second thought was, “where’s the cream gravy?”  Ranch dressing was OK.  But, I really couldn’t think of using the honey mustard.  They also need to cook bigger batches.  They’d cook up a batch.  Serve five or six people.  Cook up another batch.  Serve five or six people.  It was kind of a tedious wait.  S said it would have been good in small hunks over a Caesar salad.  I have to agree with him.  The big old honkin’ pieces were a little over the top.

The Great State Fair of Texas

Tomorrow.  It’s finally here. 

I’m sorry that I’m such a dweeb about the Fair.  It’s something I always look forward to…  Opening Day.  We have friends in town to stay with us and it’s one person’s first time to visit the Great State Fair of Texas. 

I’ll stand in line for Fried Bacon if that’s what it takes.  I don’t stand in line for just anything.  I feel that it’s my duty to report back on the evil morsels. 

Opening Day.  Hubbard made that something special for me.  He’s good at making things special.  It’s our tradition.  We used to always stroll by Big Tex on the hour.  We told all our friends to do the same.  Of course, no one ever does it every hour.  But, if you’re in the general vacinity on the hour, you might want to circle Big Tex and see if you run into any of your friends.  Then you might as well go into the food building and get a BW Beer.  Maybe a Shiner.  Check out the Charmin Restrooms before you leave.  One of the nicer Fair-potty experiences, for sure.

Tomorrow is Opening Day.  I’m going after work.  Hub and our guests will already be there.  I’ve been there at 10:00 a.m. many times.  But, I’m looking forward to still being able to walk after the sun sets.  The Fair is a beautiful place after dark.  Most of the time I miss that part of it because I’m so worn out from walking in the sun all day.  OK, and maybe a few BW Beers might have something to do with it, too.  Maybe.

Anyway.  I’m going. 

20 ounce Coke product gets you in tomorrow for $4.00 and the proceeds go to the North Texas Food Bank. 

Come on and go.  It’s for a good cause, right?  Don’t you deserve a warm Belgian Waffle with sliced strawberries and whipped cream?

And walk by Big Tex on the hour.  You might see a friend of yours.

EatGreenDFW.com

Look at this!  I just saw it on Eats blog and I’m really excited.  It’s EatGreenDFW.com.  Of course, I’ve got a thousand things pulling me away from ordering this week.  But, it’s definitely on my list.  I have the hardest time making it to farmer’s markets.  And every time I have actually shown up, there’s always a crowd around the people I want to see.  I’m dying to try some beef, pork, poultry, whatever, raised locally.  But, I have a very low tolerance for standing around waiting when it’s 90 degrees outside.  This just might be my ticket!

Mexican Buffet

I want to have a little party soon.  Maybe opening weekend of the Great State Fair of Texas!  I’m thinking King Ranch Chicken, using grilled chicken for that yummy smokey flavor, Mexican shrimp cocktail, chips, salsa… but what else?  Maybe buying a Tres Leches cake from Cheesecake Royale.  They are just fabulous.  But, what else?  I’m really having a hard time deciding on what could round out the menu.  Any ideas?

Desperados for Lunch

After seeing the Dallas Morning News Best Tex-Mex article in the Guide, Hubbard realized there was only one restaurant on the list in Dallas that he had not visited.  Our lunch choice was clear.  Desperados has been in the same spot on Greenville Avenue for over 30 years.  We have lived within a 15 minute drive of Desperados for the last 20 years.  Don’t ask me why we never ate there.  Maybe it’s the hokey name.  Let’s just say we were remiss for skipping it.

They have a cute little patio with a shaded area and a view of the parking lot.  We sat inside.  As you walk in the door, on the right, there’s a narrow room with three booths.  We called it the “grown-up” room.  The ceiling is high in this area and it’s nicely decorated.  Doesn’t really lend itself to highchairs.  Perfect for us.  In general, the restaurant is very kid friendly. 

We were barely seated before the chips and salsa arrived.  Always a good sign.  We started with a couple of “La Margaritas”.  I’ve never had a margarita in a parfait glass before.  But, it sure beat a rootbeer float.  Hubbard mentioned that the color of the drink was a good indication that it actually contained some tequila.  Very tasty.  In fact, it’s one of those margaritas that you shouldn’t drink if you’re particularly thirsty or it will be gone in a heartbeat.  We munched on some Queso Bandito while we waited for our meal.  The queso itself was a little bland, almost needing salt.  Thankfully, the taco meat and pico de gallo on top made it into something interesting.  I don’t think I’d order the queso without the “Bandito”. 

I chose the chile relleno.  I’ve done this for years.  The first time I visit a Mexican restaurant I’m very likely to try the relleno.  I never order beef because it’s almost always ground beef.  Desperados only offers a beef relleno.  Theirs is shredded beef.  Big difference.  The relleno consist of the shredded brisket, raisins and toasted almond slivers, topped with ranchero sauce and melted jack cheese.  Very good. 

Hub had their signature Desperado Tacos.  The menu claims this is the most ordered dish on the menu since 1976.  They fry flour tortillas into taco shells and stuff them with, in this case, beef fajita meat, pico and a slice of avocado on top of the filling.  Hubbard loved them.  He said, “If this is what you were craving, Desperados would be the only place to come”.  The unusual fried flour tortilla taco shell held together perfectly, unlike a lot of corn tortilla shells.  The meat was tender and flavorful. 

Desperados also serves breakfast on the weekend from 11:00 to 3:00.  I bet we’ll be going back for that soon.  Overall, I really enjoyed the atmosphere and the food.  The service was efficient and friendly.  Funny how a little gem can be right there in front of you for twenty years before you go and check it out.  Thanks for the heads up, DMNews!

Wednesday is Half Priced Food at Meridian!

Told you I’d remind you.

The Ugly Spoon

When we got married, about 100 years ago, one of our wedding gifts was a spice caddy with some plastic utensils in the center.  The spice caddy is long gone.  But, I still keep grabbing that ugly plastic spoon.  It used to have a decal down the handle with some orange and yellow flowers on it.  First the flowers faded.  Then the decal fell off.  It actually looks a little better without the decoration.  But, it’s pretty ugly.

I have some beautifull kitchen untensils.  Costly and unique.  Somehow, that spoon just keeps on being what I need.  It doesn’t scratch the enamel on my Le Crueset.  It has a flat edge that makes it great for scraping the bottom of a stew pot.  The handle is plastic, so it doesn’t get too hot.  Frankly, I just can’t get rid of it, no matter how ugly it is.

Am I crazy?  Should I force myself to toss it out and start using some of those spoons I just had to have, despite the high price tags?  Why did I buy those things if I’m not going to use them as much as the world’s tackiest utensil?  It’s a mystery that may never be solved.  Like I always say, if there’s a utensil out there that I don’t need, it’s because I already have it!

The Recipe Nest

Look what I just got! 

I’m really excited about this.  If you’re anything like me you are always printing recipes off the internet.  I tried to get organized a few years ago and now what I’ve got is this…

I don’t know what ever happened to my three-hole punch.  So, I just started shoving pages into this notebook.  What a mess.  When I started going through it I found that I have printed 4 or 5 different copies of some of the recipes I love the most because I couldn’t find the pages when I went to look for them.  My Recipe Nest is going to change all that. 

My first discovery is that I need more than one Recipe Nest.  I decided that the best solution for now is to use the one I have for main dishes.  I labled the six dividers inside at Chicken, Fish, Stews & Soups, Beef, Pork and Other.  There are extra little labels in case you mess up.  I did.  Instead of fighting with the three ring binder thing, you just lay the recipe pages in the box under the proper divider.  Cool, huh?

That front flap is magnetized.  So, it stays neatly closed.  It also has a stand on the back that you can use if you want to clip your recipe to the front while you cook.  Looks like it will be easy to wipe spatters off, too.  It’s just a nifty little thing.  Now, I need one more to be able to organize my veggies, salads, desserts, etc.

You can only get these through the Recipe Nest  website, right now.  It’s a great site and fully illustrates the product.  It comes in several colors.  I think I might go for the Green Olive next time.  Check it out.

Cuquita’s for Breakfast

Cuquita’s was recently mentioned as one of the best Tex-Mex places in Dallas on the Guidelive Eats blog.  Hubbard said, “Every time we ate at Capital Pub I kept thinking maybe we should be going across the street to Cuquita’s because people were just pouring in and out of that place”.  He was right. 

We did more talking than eating last night and woke up starving.  Once we remembered that Cuquita’s was open early, that was all it took to steer us away from actually cooking this morning.  Nothing like a good Mexican breakfast.  We started with the queso flameado.  This was a pretty big bowl full of melted white cheese with chorizo mixed in.  I’m not talking about chili con queso.  There was no dipping involved with this stuff.  They serve it with tortillas, two forks and a steak knife.  The knife is used to cut your bite away from the rest of the cheese because it pulls into infinitely long strings if you don’t cut it.  Hubbard said they should have served it with scissors instead.  It is very tasty, wrapped in their homemade corn tortillas with a little salsa for good measure.  The chorizo is mild and doesn’t come with spoonfuls of red grease, like some I’ve had.  The queso would be best to share among four or more people.  No matter how much we ate of it, the bowl never appeared to be any less full. 

Hubbard ordered the chiliquiles con chorizo y papas.  The menu didn’t mention the potatoes.  But, they were glad to add them to the dish.  If you aren’t familiar, chiliquiles consists of scrambled eggs, cheese and tortillas.  Add chorizo and potatoes to the mix and you’ve got a pretty substantial plate of eggs.  Breakfast items are served with refried beans.  I had the huevos con chorizo y papas.  Both our plates were piled high with eggs and beans and neither of us could actually finish our servings.  The egg dishes were perfectly executed.  Not too spicy or greasy.  Just flavorful and satisfying. 

When it’s time for a Mexican breakfast this is where we’ll be going for a while.  They serve breakfast all day long.  The price was right, too.  All that for less than $20.  The dining area is much cuter than it looked like it would be from the outside.  Everyone was very friendly and the crowd was a pretty good ethnic mix, which I always consider to be a sign of an all-around winning restaurant.  I’m excited about going back for dinner or lunch.

And now, a little siesta might be in order…