FOOD CZAR TOP TEN NEIGHBORHOOD GEMS OF 2009

Question: If you're dining out on a Friday or Saturday, where do you go if you're suddenly flush with cash? A Destination Restaurant? Perhaps. Breaking bread at these palaces certainly can make for some memorable evenings, plus they are good for stretching our palates. But what about Sunday through Thursday nights, or anytime your pockets are not bulging with bread? Where do you eat if you want to go out? Well, many of us turn to our favorite places close to home, the joints where the waitresses call you Honey (especially if they are old-school Texas establishments), or at least the waiter will recognize you and maybe even have your noshing habits memorized. During the past year, my lovely wife the Rock Star and I have been privileged to dine at many such places, sometimes by invitation, most often on our own dime. If we've had stellar experiences, then it is unimportant who pays. I'm going to write about it. If not, I won't. It's as simple as that. So, without furthur ado, here are the Food Czar Top Ten Neighborhood Gems (and honorable mentions) of 2009:

ZORBA'S GREEK CAFE (Jan)

Classic Greek dishes delivered in a lovely gem of a location, served by perpetually happy people. Plus Zorba's is BYOB. What's not to love?

RED'S PATIO GRILL (Mar)

From the Cowboy Meatloaf to the Montana Legend beef burgers to the Double Cheese Potato Cakes, Red's defines comfort food for 2009. As a bonus, they serve some of the best margaritas in town, not to mention tequila flights.

FINO'S ITALIAN BISTRO (Apr)

Every neighborhood should have at least one New Jersey or New York-style Italian joint, don't you think? Finos ups the ante with fast free delivery, and they are BYOB as well.

SCREEN DOOR RESTAURANT (May)

Speaking of upscale, Screen Door is all about Southern comfort food with class. The free-range chicken and lamb shank were marvelous, but the grits and black-eyed peas stole the show. Plus, the milk and cookies dessert is a wonderful twist on an old standby.

MATT'S RANCHO MARTINEZ (May)

Although he recently passed away, the spirit of Matt lives on in the Bob Armstrong Dip, famous chiles rellenos, and excellent Chicken Fried Steak Tampequeno Style served at his lovely Lakewood establishment.

FIN SUSHI & SAKE BAR (Sep)

The sushi is fresh and most beautifully plated, the space is gorgeous, and the staff is marvellously welcoming and attentive. Don't forget to try the sake boxes.

CAFE AMORE (Oct)

Another American Italian gem. My sister-in-law the Wild Thing has lived all over this great nation, and chooses BYOB Cafe Amore as her location for special celebrations.

EL RANCHITO (Oct)

Many places in Dallas tout top-notch Tex-Mex, but El Ranchito delivers, with savory caldo de res and substantial milanesa. This gem is one of the shining stars of the venerable Oak Cliff Mexican scene that deserves more support if it is to thrive and survive.

ALAMO SPRINGS CAFE (Nov)

Ten miles south of Fredericksburg and smack in the middle of nowhere, this tiny cafe offers one of the best cheeseburgers ever devised by the hand of Man. Don't believe me? Texas Monthly voted it the third-best cheeseburger in the entire state in their August 2009 issue.

MAGUIRES (Nov)

French bistros were some of the original neighborhood gems, and Maguire's chef was classically trained in La Belle France. As in all great French establishments, the beef at Maguires is treated with loving care, and at a price far less than many of the nearby steakhouses.


2009 Honorable Mentions Worthy of Mention:

-El Fogon (July)

-McSwiggans Irish Pub (Nov)


One final note: This list only covers establishments I've written about on this blog in 2009.
Needless to say, I'll be compiling a list of Top Ten Restaurants for 2009 very soon. Support your own neighborhood gems soon, and remember:

LIFE IS TOO SHORT FOR MEDIOCRE FOOD!!!

FOOD CZAR TOP TEN WINES OF 2009

Although it may seem premature to start my year-end reflection series, nonetheless I've decided to forge ahead. Looking back, it seems that every year I get to review wines that were better and better than the previous year's crop. My lovely wife and myself still spend most of our days tippling the cheaper quaffs, due to budget considerations, but I'm continually seeking better vinos, pushing the envelope more and more each year. So many wines, so little time. With all this folderol in mind, and without furthur whining, here are my Top Ten Wines of 2009:


PIPER-HEIDSICK BRUT CHAMPAGNE (Jan)

We rang in the New Year with this classic bubbly. One sip and you'll understand why it's been chosen to toast the calendar change year after year.


INWOOD ESTATES TEMPRANILLO-CABERNET (Feb)

For years, the rest of Texas has produced most of the award-winning Lone Star tipples. Now, it's time for the Metroplex to stand up and be counted.


VEUVE CLIQUOT PONSARDIN BRUT CHAMPAGNE (Mar)

Another time-tested sparkler from the first great winery to be run by a woman. If you get a chance, you should read her life story, which proves that determination can and should triumph over unwarranted convention.


MASI PINOT GRIGIO VERDUZZO MASIANCO (Apr)

If you're used to French or California bottles, the world of Italian wine can seem downright bewildering. This food-friendly delight is a great gateway into that world.


CROSS TIMBERS CABERNET SAUVIGNON (May)

While Dallas is just really getting its act together, Grapevine has been quietly producing quality bottles for years. (Yes, Virginia, Grapevine is located in the Cross Timbers region of Texas, while Dallas is in the Blackland Prairie and Fort Worth is in the Grand Prairie. Confused? It's true.)


14 HANDS CABERNET SAUVIGNON (May)

I seem to find many of my memorable wines from restaurant lists these days, which is no surprised since Wine and Spirits Magazine named this cab the fourteenth most popular wine by the glass.


CHALONE VINEYARD ESTATE PINOT NOIR (July)

One usually associates great pinots with the cool Pacific Northwest, rather than California. However, Chalone Vineyards is perched precariously in the Galvan Mountain Range, 1800 feet above the Salinas Valley. Moreover, it's located at the foot of an extinct volcano, which must do wonders for the terroir.


DRY CREEK VINEYARD DRY CHENIN BLANC (Aug)

I'm a product of San Antone and so is Central Market, brainchild of the HEB company that has been selling groceries to Texans since before most of us could walk. Needless to say, I sampled this dry pleaser at a Central Market tasting.


ELSA BIANCHI MALBEC (Sep)

A malbec that goes well with seafood? Really?? Yet, we paired this product with crab dip, shrimp bisque, and Julia Child's beloved sole meuniere, and this spirited red was more than equal to the task at hand.


FUQUA PINOT NOIR (Dec)

The boisterous and magnanamous Lee Foster Fuqua is producing the tipples that have all haute Dallas abuzz from his winery near Love Field.



Honorable Mentions:

-Rutini Trumpeter Mendoza Malbec-Syrah

-Oops Sauvignon Blanc


Again, I know it's early for such a compilation, but I promise that if I encounter any more memorable wines before year's end, I will keep invesitigating them and report any favorable results after the New Year. Start your own investigations soon, and as always:

LIFE IS TOO SHORT FOR MEDIOCRE FOOD!!!

Cellar Selection #7: Fuqua Pinot Noir

Over the years, I've come to realize that many of our most talented and gifted people may be our most down-to-earth. Such is the case with Lee Foster Fuqua. A large, jovial man whose booming voice belies his broadcasting past, Lee Fuqua is currently crafting the wines that has all haute Dallas abuzz, yet he guides you around his Atwell road winery as if you are the only person that matters. Many of his best vinos are sold out at this time, but cellar-quality selections are still available, some at prices that you can afford even if the dove of prosperity has not smiled on you at present. Thankfully, one of his most food-friendly wines is still available for the thrifty shopper, and it just so happens that it's the quaff we are considering in todays post. For the record, I'm talking about the Fuqua Pinot Noir.

The robe of the Fuqua Pinot Noir is a rich, jewel-like magenta garnet. The nose is subtle and complex with spices such as cardamon and white pepper at the forefront. Luscious maraschino and Bing cherries and currants wash playfully over the palate, finishing crisply with light citrus. This wine is simply a joy to pair, and worked beautifully with both our New Jersey Italian entrees. This pinot had enough subtle spice to go with my orecchietta pasta with zucchini, broccoli, and sausage, yet also stood up well with my wife's simple dish of chicken parmigiana. Lee calls it his "cross-dresser" wine, and since his shop is located just a stone's throw from Oak Lawn, such a designation is quite appropriate. Website is http://www.fuquawines.com/, and if you come on by for a free tasting, he might just let you taste some of his over-the-top wildcat chardonnay, which if he bottles it will leave all other chards in shards. Discover your own haute wine soon, and remember:

LIFE IS TOO SHORT FOR MEDIOCRE FOOD!!!

FOOD CZAR ROAD TRIP 9, PART II: NAVAJO GRILL, FREDERICKSBURG, TX

One of Fredericksburg's endless list of charms is the fact that, for a small town, they certainly do have an impressive roster of big city amenities. These include an excellent live music scene, a wonderful, walkable downtown filled with people and action, and a burgeoning fine dining scene, with some establishments worthy of much larger places such as Dallas. In fact, we had need for just such an establishment, because we were celebrating yet another birthday (in our family, birthday season runs from August through December), and since we have long wanted to try the Navajo Grill, my lovely wife the Rock Star and I made the short trek from our bed and breakfast to the other end of Main Street one starry, starry night.

If you like a homey establishment, then it's virtually guaranteed that you will love Navajo Grill, which must have been a private residence in a prior incarnation. Three distinct dining rooms with wooden floors and wrought metal tables and chairs. Two separate patios, including a new covered one. An elegant, rambling structure where one room seems to lead naturally to the next. In short, the whole effect resembles nothing so much as Santa Fe in the Hill Country, if that makes any sense. We were seated immediately, and a very good waiter took charge of us almost at once.

These days, I often start my meals with soup, because I've learned that in fine dining establishments, most chefs take special pride in their potage. Accordingly, my bride and I began our repast with corn soup, a sinfully rich concoction of corn, pepper jack cheese, and tortilla chips. The quality of the soup told us immediately that our night of dining would be memorable. Indeed, such proved to be the case. My wife was in the mood for something fishy and the special that night happened to be trout, so she made her choice accordingly. To me, trout is one of the most underrated and frequently forgotten eating fish, and Navajo Grill's nutty yet buttery preparation showed that it deserves to regain popularity. The accompanying white cheddar grits and side greens pleased her as well, a simply elegant dish. My own choice was the filet mignon, perfectly prepared medium rare, stuffed with bleu cheese and served with excellent mashed potatoes and toothsome asparagus. I was also determined that we should enjoy Texas wine on this occasion and the Becker Claret matched very well with both our selections. All too soon, it was time to split a chocolate dessert souffle, and we took our satisfied leave.

In the previous sentence, I may have implied that service was rushed. Instead, the pace was Hill Country casual, which is typical of these parts, a welcome change from hectic Dallas. Website is http://www.navajogrill.com/, where you can learn about the history of this establishment and the charming family that runs it.

In sum, a most delightful experience, and I believe that Navajo Grill can hold its own with virtually any restaurant in Dallas. Visit soon, and remember:

LIFE IS TOO SHORT FOR MEDIOCRE FOOD!!!

FOOD CZAR ROAD TRIP 9, PART I: ALAMO SPRINGS CAFE, FREDERICKSBURG, TEXAS

Over the years, Texas Monthly magazine has helped my food writing more than any other source, plus given me hours of reading pleasure. Like all subscribers, I eagerly devour their Best Of issues, confident in the knowledge that they have really done their homework and have put together a quality list of delectable eateries. Their most recent such issue featured the best hamburgers in the entire Nation of Texas, and scanning the selections, I noted that one of their top choices was Alamo Springs Cafe, located near Fredericksburg, one of our favorite vacation spots. What's more, we were booked for a stay at our favorite bed and breakfast in town, and surely we could locate this place and find out for ourselves what all the fuss is about. So, after due consultation with my lovely wife the Rock Star, we made the drive ten miles south of Fredericksburg, near the Old Tunnel Wildlife Management Area where flying bats do play.

Once we entered the restaurant, we were heartily entranced by Alamo Springs Cafe and its genu-wine Texas retro decor. In appearance, it resembles a retrofitted wooden private house or small store, with wooden floors, smallish rooms, and plenty of signage featuring pithy sayings. Two employees were on duty that day, our sweet waitress/cashier, and Mike, the genial owner/chef. Warning: If you're in a Dallas hurry, you'd best leave your time anxieties back in the Metroplex and discover the wonder of Hill Country time. Here, people move as slow as they talk, and if you don't find the difference refreshing, then perhaps you're better off vacationing in New York or Houston.

Alamo Springs Cafe features several lunchtime options, and boasts of gourmet specials in the evenings, but we were here on a mission, so menus weren't needed. In due course, we were presented with the justly famous Alamo Springs cheeseburger, which proved every bit as large as the tantalizing Texas Monthly cover. As soon as it was placed down at our table, Mike came over to inspect and pronounced it perfectly medium rare as requested. Indeed it was. In Texas Monthly, Patricia Sharpe lamented the fact that many of the state's top burgers were gourmet, with toppings to match. By contrast, Alamo Springs cheeseburger was classically old-school in flavor and preparation, each bite yielding shards of silken, hearty beef flavor. We split one between the two of us, as it was quite large, and also split a large basket of crispy crunchy homemade potato chips. We paired our repast with very good iced tea, which is the national drink of Texas, and grabbed a couple of German beers from the cooler to enjoy on the patio. (Since Fredericksburg was settled by Germans, brews from the Old Country are widely available here.)

Service was leisurely paced, of course, and Mike came over to tell us a little about the history of his little venture. Seems he opened Alamo Springs as a cafe and general store awhile back, promising a menu that served some upscale dishes in the evenings, along with deli food. Basically, he put the cheeseburgers on the menu to keep the kids happy, but in the first days of operation, he noticed that he sold virtually nothing but burgers, so he instantly junked the deli and general store idea and tripled his order of hamburger meat. Alamo Springs has been successful ever since.

In short, Alamo Springs Cafe serves a cheeseburger well worthy of all the acclaim, and my lovely wife is already badgering me to go back. Discover your cheeseburger paradise soon, and as always:

LIFE IS TOO SHORT FOR MEDIOCRE FOOD!!!

FOOD CZAR REVIEW #59: MAGUIRE'S RESTAURANT

A restaurant entices with intrigueability, perhaps an unusual logo or interesting location, particularly so if it's one you pass by on a regular basis, and when you see it you exclaim, "That place looks interesting; I've always wanted to try it out!" But you continue to motor on, bent on achieving your appointed tasks, until one day curiosity gets the best of you and you determine to investigate. Maguires Restaurant, hard by the Tollway and Restaurant Row in North Dallas, is one such place, because I've always been intrigued by the logo and signage and because I've never been able to successfully figure out what kind of restaurant it is. Steakhouse? Bistro?? Upscale lounge??? Finally, spurred by a positive review from one of my colleagues and driven by the necessity of a birthday celebration. I loaded my lovely wife The Rock Star, her sister The Wild Thing, and their formidable mother The Momma into my conveyance and made the trip up Tollway one recent Saturday eve.

Atmospherically, Maguires is set up on the circular concept: A ring of booths on a sort of raised platform around the perimeter, interspersed with staff areas where waiters conduct their business, bisected by lines of tables and a central aisle. Stylish decor, not overly trendy or stuffy. We were seated by a window in the perimeter, where the energetic Joanie took charge of us.

At Joanie's insistence, we began our meal with the flatbread appetizer. Crispy sesame lavash with Buffalo chicken and sauce toppings, it was the perfect size for sharing and disappeared quickly. Breaking with convention, The Wild Thing decided to make a meal of starters with the tenderloin crostini, the baked, stuffed artichoke, and Maguires mixed greens salad. She let me try the tenderloin, a filet medallion with bearnaise. The menu promised melt-in-your-mouth goodness, and the crostini delivered, the meats silken bite playing perfectly with the tang of the bearnaise, and the crispness of the crostini. The mixed greens salad proved a delicate blend of bleu cheese, greens, apples, roasted pecans and Maguire's poppyseedish dressing. A nice, light prelude to the repast that followed. The Rock Star adored her massive, double-cut pork chop since it was prepared similar to pork tenderloin and not at all greasy, with excellent Southwest creamed corn, wilted spinach, and an unusual but effective champagne mustard seed gravy. Very nice, and not too dry. The Momma's request for a medium well done filet was rewarded with a medium well done filet. It was prepared to her liking and what more can be said? I love steak au poivre and was presented with a pepper-crusted filet perfectly medium rare as requested, sided by white mashed potatoes, toothsome asparagus spears, and cognac peppercorn sauce. While researching this post, I discovered that chef Brahmi was classically trained in his native France. That fact certainly showed in his beef treatment, as the beef was prepared with loving care. Throughout our lengthy stay, we washed our respective meals down with a good pairing pinot grigio, and very good claret, and an especially good bottle of Layer Cake Shiraz, which we will no doubt purchase for home consumption. Finally, we split a chocolate lava cake and took our leave.

Joanie proved quite attentive throughout the evening, and her enthusiasm was truly infectious.
Website is http://www.maguiresdallas.com/, if you're at all interested in that sort of thing.

Overall, a good time was had by all (there's a classic Texas saying), and we have definitely satisfied our curiosity about Maguires Restaurant and plan to return soon. Satisfy your own curiosity today, and remember:

LIFE IS TOO SHORT FOR MEDIOCRE FOOD!!!

Quickie Review #43: McSwiggans Irish Pub

Irish pubs are some of the best and most fun establishments in the world. They make no bones about what you are there for (to drink, watch sports, and comingle with fellow pubbites) and deliver what you need accordingly. Every neighborhood should have one. My lovely wife the Rock Star and I have been making the drive for years to Lochrann's Irish Pub in downtown Frisco, and the Irish Rover Pub, which is a bit closer, but we not-so-secretly longed that someone would build one in our neighborhood. Well, our wait is finally over, as we now have our very own pub straight from Boston, McSwiggans Irish Pub.

Walking in (taking special care with the extra-heavy door as you enter), you will notice that McSwiggans wears its pub heart proudly on its sleeve with the authentic-looking decor featuring a forest of dark wood, blackboards featuring the numerous Irish beers on tap, and the expected profusion of flat-panel TVs. What you won't see is an excess of sit-down space; McSwiggans may hold 30-40 people tops and you may be hard-pressed to find a place to squat on weekend nights. Still, you may want to go there early for dinner and a pint (or three), as the food is quite good. Bangers and mash feature savory sausages straight from the Old Sod, and Shepherd's Pie is the ultimate comfort food, with warm ground beef and veggies under its whipped potato crust. Most recently, I sampled the Fish and Chips, which consists of Icelandic Haddock filets served in a crispy batter and accompanied by good steak fries, which went well with my Magic Hat and Murphys Irish Red ales, both on tap. (They serve the fish with tartar sauce, but also bring along a condiment caddy including malt vinegar, Tabasco, and Colemans and Dijon mustards.) My lovely wife the Rock Star is a fan of the Kobe sliders, which are served char-grilled to order (if you want pink in the middle, you get pink in the middle) on tiny brioche buns. Service is very accomodating, whether you sit at bar or booth, and McSwiggans opens early on the weekends to serve the Premier League, college, and NFL football fans who care to enter. (Needless to say, they are serious Red Sox and New England Patriot fans.) Website is www.mcswiggansirishpub.com. Discover your own swatch of the Old Sod soon, and remember:

LIFE IS TOO SHORT FOR MEDIOCRE FOOD!!!