​My first run-in with Private Social came just after the restaurant, helmed by Top Chef alum Tiffany Derry released its lunch menu. I noticed the noodles right away. Leslie Brenner and I had been begging Dallas for a proper Japanese noodle house, but it has never materialized. Perhaps a decent hot bowl of ramen for lunch would make for a decent consultation prize?

Noodles are serious business in Japan. There's ramen, the long, thin noodles made from wheat flour; udon, which are thick and plump; darker soba noodles, made from buckwheat flour; and others, too. Cooks stage for months just to get the chance to work with noodle masters, and then only work with a certain type. There's a compelling scene in David Chang's Momofuko cookbook where the young chef travels to Japan to learn ramen but accidentally ends up in a soba noodle house. Chang asks if he could also learn other noodles and the request drew the master's ire. "There is only soba," Chang is told. And then he's shown the door.

More >>

Texas Coffee School

Oddfellows' Cupping Class

​Tom Vincent of Texas Coffee School takes the business of grinding beans to a new level. And, yes, he actually has a school in Arlington. But he also regularly holds class at places like Oddfellows and The Original Pancake House in Addison.

He got into the brew business several years ago while working in Charlotte, where he attended a class at Counter Culture Coffee. For the next two years, he attended almost every event the shop held, then in 2008 he moved to Texas and began working as a coffee consultant. He and his coffee school were recently featured in the Arlington Citizen-Journal, if you're interested in the complete story.

More >>

​Giving your sweetheart a box of assorted chocolates for Valentine's Day is a great way to say "I really don't know all that much about you." A fine beer, on the other hand, is a bold move all but guaranteed to impress. And if it's not appreciated? Well, better to have learned that he or she isn't a beer lover before the relationship gets too serious.

Deep Ellum Brewing Company is offering a very limited run of hand-bottled Cherry Chocolate Double Brown Stout, a sexed-up version of the brewery's already-alluring Baltic porter, 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday at Bolsa Mercado. According to SideDish, there'll be 300 bottles and when they're gone, they're gone. Owner John Reardon adds in the comments section that each 22-ounce bottle will probably retail at $14.99 (!) and that the batch is made with Patric Chocolate cocoa nibs and cherry puree from Oregon.

More >>

This rich beefy broth is amped up with fresh cliantro and a lot of lime juice.

​When we got notice of a new taco shop opening, we immediately considered our lunch plans solidified. Taco Stop, the new taco stand that opened this Monday in the Design District (1900 Irving), has a lot going for it with respect to Observer employees. For one, it serves tacos, which we've been known to indulge with great enthusiasm in the past, but more important, it's close to our office. Proximity is everything when you need a quick lunch. That it treats your previous evening's excess is an added bonus that seems perfectly tailored for City of Ate.

Hangover Helper is a warm cup of sustenance. Owner Emilia Flores cooks down beef shanks to make the rich broth, which she dresses up with freshly chopped cilantro and a big hit of lime juice. Its only fault is the tiny cup in which it's served. I wanted to take home a thermos with me. In fact, I'd bathe in that broth should a suitable vessel be made available.

More >>

Laura and Silka Sanchez

​In 1981, Laura and Oscar Sanchez opened La Calle Doce in small house in Oak Cliff. Now, more than 30 years later, with the recent addition of a new bar and patio, it stands as a staple for Mexican seafood in Dallas.

Raised in Monterrey, Mexico, Laura's father instilled in her the importance of an education, which drove her to excel in school, eventually earning her a full academic scholarship to Warren Wilson College in North Carolina. She says the most distinctive measure of her American education was its directive to think for herself.

Laura works closely with her daughter Silka, who was essentially raised in this wood frame restaurant on 12th Street. Together they, along with many other family members, run La Calle Doce in Oak Cliff and in Lakewood, as well as El Ranchito. The conversation, part of our ongoing series of chef interviews, begins with Silka.

You grew up in the restaurant business.
Yes, I was 3 years old in 1981 when they first opened the restaurant.

What are some of your earliest memories here?
We were just always here. But it was so much different then -- so much smaller. My brother and I would watch TV back in the office and peek out every now and then, but mostly we just stayed in the back and watched TV.

More >>

Whataburger.com

​This is strange. An oddity, or meaty Halley's comet, if you will:

Whataburger's introducing a new chicken fajita taco that has (as you can see above) a whole chicken breast inside its flour tortilla, with onions, poblano and red bell peppers. Sounds kinda great? Well, here's the surprising part: it's sorta kinda not that terrible for you.

Served as is, the taco weighs in at 420 calories, 11 grams of fat, and 29 grams of protein. Using their fancy nutritional chart, I knocked off the oils and brought it down to 360 calories. Not too shabby.

Unfortunately, just one damn taco is 1,262 mg of sodium. But hey, it could be much, much worse.

I know you've been there. It's late on a Tuesday and your boss has just handed you your ass on your last project. You're tired. You're stressed. You need a drink. And despite having a few bottles of wine on hand you don't have a corkscrew to open any of them.

I found this handy video on YouTube, and my office door jam in an attempt to release the nectar of the gods. It went poorly. I'm guessing I need a firmer surface?

Houston.Culturemap.com

​The first bit of news here is that Gloria's is expanding its Salvadorian food empire yet again. The restaurant's website confirms they are scheduled to open their first place in Houston this spring, which would make 14 altogether, including one in Austin.

The second bit of news is that, according to CultureMap.com of Houston, MILFs are the most discerning feature at Gloria's. "The Dallas restaurant invasion heats up: MILF-loved Tex-Mex heading to Midtown," the site reports.

Huh?

More >>

photo by foodbitch

​The first time you look up at Mason Bar, located at 2701 Guillot St., you might not even realize what you're seeing. In what looks like an old, abandoned brownstone from the outside, Mason, led by underground Chef David Anthony Temple (yeah, DAT one) is open and comfortable on the inside. Featuring rich black paneling, extremely high white ceilings, beautiful cathedral windows, high-style framed posters, colorful art and gilded mirrors, this spot screams high class.

More >>

Central Market

​Central Market's annual chocolate festival starts today and lasts through February 14. Some of the best chocolatiers from around the world will make appearances over the next few days and, as always, there are some interesting back stories. If you can fight through the crowds, don't take lightly the opportunity to learn about their beans and how their cocoa is cultivated, processed and paired with other flavors. Then, of course, sample. And sample. And sample.

Looking at the schedule, I've a devised a plan to hit some of the big names and avoid the insane crowds that will descend upon the demos this weekend.

Our own local girl Andrea Pedraza of Oak Cliff's CocoAndré will be in the Dallas store Thursday, February 9, from 4 to 6 p.m. Pedraza made the special shoe molds for the Jean Paul Gaultier exhibit at the DMA. She cut her teeth at Rex Morgens making European-style truffles, but has had her own shop since 2009. She's a local chocolate gem.

More >>