EATS

Over on Metro, our colleague Eric Aasen has the goods on what kind of fried goodies you can expect at this year's State Fair of Texas (only 30 days away now!):

Who will be crowned this year's king or queen of fried fair goodness? Eight items are vying for Monday's fourth annual Big Tex Choice Awards, when the best new foods of the upcoming State Fair of Texas are judged. Just thinking about the new concoctions makes your mouth water and your arteries harden. The State Fair starts Sept. 26 and runs through Oct. 19.

See Eric's story for a complete list of all the Big Tex Choice Awards competitors.

PS: I was invited to help judge this contest, but couldn't because I will be in San Francisco reporting on Slow Food Nation. (All together now: Awwwwww!) But maybe next year... ?

If you think your kitchen is too small to be able to do any decent cooking in it, you need advice from chef Jennifer Schaertl (right).

Today's Taste section has a story about Jennifer and her projects for making "Gourmet Meals in Crappy Little Kitchens." From her website, crappylittlekitchens.com, there's a link to her cooking videos on YouTube, too. Check them out!

(Dallas Morning News photo by G.J. McCarthy)

The whole notion of labeling a store "ethnic" suggests only that it's not MY demographic, and I freely acknowledge that Tom Thumb or Albertson's are just as ethnic to others outside my group.

That said, the following incident reminds me that it's important to ask questions and watch your tongue when you're out of your ethnic element.

I was picking up some items for a quick dinner at Asia World Market in Plano, which I love, and here were two trays of perfectly sliced, stir-fry ready meat in the butcher's case. Signage identified one as pork. No label was over the other.

When I asked the butcher what the difference was between them, he said, "Lengua," as in one tray was pork and the other was lengua. Although he started to take the lengua out for me, I made sure that the pound I got was indeed pork for my stir-fry.

Attention budding and established Dallas cheese heads: Janet Fletcher, author The Cheese Course and Cheese & Wine (among many other books) will be holding a book signing at Molto Formaggio this Saturday, August 30, from 4 to 6 p.m.

Fletcher lives in the Napa Valley and is a staff writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. She pens the weekly "Cheese Course" column for the paper, a job I always envied when we were colleagues (here's a link to the column's archive). This is a chance to meet a generous soul who is wildly knowledgeable about food and who has been observing America's burgeoning interest in cheese (from both commercial and consumer aspects) for years.

Also, if you haven't done so yet, this is of course an ideal enticement to come check out the ever-expanding and ever-varying cheese selection at Molto.

Do you know of or are you looking for a good family restaurant? Eats blog fan Grace Pecson, M.D. of Parker, who is always on the hunt for restaurants she can enjoy with her kids, started childsplate.com this month.

This little jewel of a website shares the daily quest of the Phipps family (Dr. Pecson's married name) for new and rewarding dining experiences with her hubby, 4-year-old Mina and 1 year-old Benjamin, with the goal of blogging about a different restaurant every day for a year.

Sample listing: "Today was Mina's first day of school! So...we decided we would take her to her favorite Italian restaurant, Compari's. Why, you ask, is this her favorite restaurant? Because you can draw on the table, of course."

Check it out, and tell us if you have any local family friendly restaurants to recommend for the Phipps family!

Restaurant Week(s) in Dallas fascinates me: It's a way more popular phenomenon here than in other cities I've lived in, and so many more restaurants participate. And though I avoided participating establishments this week in favor of Tex-Mex and pizza joints for upcoming stories, I was curious this year to see what the hubbub was about.

So I decided to check out Craft in the W Hotel for RW on my own dime. Craft is a restaurant that cooks to my personal taste - yes, it's spendy, it's a splurge for my personal budget, too, but I love their respectful way with salads and vegetables, and I'm very keen on pastry chef Shannon Swindle's dessert aesthetic. How would the RW menu measure up to my numerous "normal" experiences?

Photo of Craft's RW tomato salad by "Ralphie"

A source close to a source tells me that Casey Thompson will be acting as consulting chef over at Central 214 in the Hotel Palomar. I think we'll be hearing more on this from Ms. Thompson and/or the hotel soon.

If you're a fan of Mighty Leaf tea, you'll be glad to know the company is introducing two new flavors in September at Whole Foods Market: Organic Green Dragon and Organic Detox Infusion.

Organic Green Dragon is made with pan-fired Chinese green tea leaves, which is a "nutty and buttery" brew. Organic Detox Infusion is an herbal blend that includes mint and basil.

In December, look for antioxidant-rich Organic African Nectar (African roobios with mango, vanilla and blossoms).

About 60 Restaurant Week participants will extend their specials through Aug. 31. Go to our Restaurant Week package and look for the places marked with orange buttons to see which ones are still offering dining deals.

Did you have a reservation last week or do you have one for this week? Go to the RW blog to leave your review of your meal or read about other diners' experiences.

Photo of Lavendou by Darnell Renee / DMN

Hope you saw the advance story on the cover of Sunday's GuideLive section. If so, you already know the biggest foodie event in America is happening over the long Labor Day weekend, with 50,000 people expected to converge upon Slow Food Nation in San Francisco.

You'll also be reading my live reports from SFN, right here on the Eats blog. This first "Woodstock of food" promises to be fun, fascinating and fraught with the potential for some serious overeating at the open-to-the-public marketplace.

I also plan to be posting photos that I hope will give you an idea of what's happening around town -- and outside the city as well, as I'm taking a "Slow Journey" bus tour Sunday to the Russian River wine country.

So I hope you'll come along for the ride. Please stay tuned to Eats starting Thursday night, when I'll be attending the "Come to the Table" opening dinner, right after we hit town.

Finally, a foodie has made the cast of Dancing With The Stars. Reality show alum Rocco DiSpirito will be among the celebs hoofing it when the new season starts Sept. 22. He'll be paired with Karina Smirnoff.
Imagine how that disco ball trophy will look next to the chef's James Beard award. I'll be watching. Will you?

La Calle Doce on lower Skillman Street in Lakewood has temporarily closed, following a small fire that caused mostly smoke damage early this morning. See the DMN story...

Only two years ago, the Park Cities Neighbors section was going on and on about Tonia Ashworth and Chateau de Fromage, where Tonia produced exquisite artisanal goat cheese.

Tonia told me yesterday that she sold the commercial side of the business two months ago after a competitor made her an offer she couldn't refuse. So you won't see Chateau de Fromage chevre in stores anymore. But you will still find it on high-end menus. She continues to make the cheese for chefs, such as Sharon Hage at York Street.

Her good fortune is our misfortune, but Dallas at last has a good supply of other local artisanal producers. And if you want to stop by and chat with Tonia -- and get in on her cheese expertise, she's hanging out these days in the cheese department at the Dallas Central Market. She's the Tonia with "Istanbul, Turkey" on her name tag.

For lovers of Bing cherries, Central Market has managed to secure some artisanal, high-altitude beauties from Hood River, Ore. Some of these ripe, sweet, juicy, meaty cherries are nearly as large as a ping-pong ball. Not quite, but almost. Don't take my word for it. They were in the produce entrance area yesterday, and samples are offered. As one shopper said, "These are rockin; good." You will find no prettier cherries this season; they're $6.99 a pound.

Central Market Organics has Hatch green chile tortilla chips. 'Didn't catch the price. Of course, Hatch chiles are everywhere. (If you miss them during the frenzy, last year CM sold them frozen for several weeks after.)

Creminelli Fine Meat salamis: 'Looks like local chefs making their own salumi is raising the bar for everyone. These artisanal salamis are made from natural pork, the same day it is slaughtered, under the direction of Cristiano Creminelli in Piedmont, who was asked in 2000 to instruct aspiring chefs at one of the region's top culinary schools. There's a full line; I got to taste the truffle version - dense, rich and over-the-top with umami. It's about $33 a pound. Restaurant critic Bill Addison wrote about the chef trend in Dallas here.

Columbia River King salmon: Wild King salmon has been in short supply this year and high priced as a result. These pristine fillets were probably 2 inches at their thickest point and only about $17 a pound. A relative value, as they say.

I had a meeting yesterday at Javalato in Preston Center (southwest corner), my first time to check it out, and boy, will I ever be back.

Javalato has always kind of hung in the shadow of Starbucks across the street, but it's so much cooler. Yes, it has coffee - and many teas (blacks, oolongs, greens, rooibos and white). But it also has house-made gelato, breakfast sliders (yeast roll with cheddar cheese, scrambled egg and your choice of ham, smoked turkey, bacon or spicy turkey sausage), and sandwiches and salads for lunch. Even the plain ol' tuna on whole wheat looked fab.

Of course there's wi-fi. Two flat-screen TVs. And when it actually turns cold, there's even a fireplace. But here's where Javalato really takes a leap: There's a small, glass-enclosed conference room with a table where you can set up to meet with folks. Walk in and take your chances on its availability, or call ahead and reserve: 214-361-1145.

Dallas' original Metro Diner closes its doors on Saturday. It's the last chance to get your grub at this location; five other diners will remain open. Read the rest of the story and watch the video, Metro Diner patrons sad to see Dallas eatery closing.

Photo of Metro Diner by Lara Solt / DMN

Fort Worth resident Emily Almaguer has been named one of a dozen finalists in Cooking Light magazine's Ultimate Reader Recipe Contest.

Submissions had to be lower in fat and calories than traditional recipes and had to contain one or more ingredients from contest sponsors. Ms. Almaguer was selected for her entree, Hidden Rainbow Albondigas, her version of a traditional, homestyle Mexican meatballs dish that may be served as a soup or as a casserole.

The 12 contenders will be brought to Cooking Light's HQ in Birmingham, Ala., for a Sept. 18 cook-off in the mag's test kitchens. The grand prize: a cool $20,000, plus $5,000 donated to the charity of your choice. A $5,000 prize also will awarded to each winner in the contest's individual course categories: Starters and Drinks; Entrees; Sides and Salads; and Desserts.

By now you know they're actually wines that restaurants ordered and didn't pick up that Sigel's in Addison wants to move on out. We've got a few spirits this time and half-bottles (including a Ridge '02 cab-merlot) , too. Once again, some nice wines (check out the barbaresco) and some inexpensive bottles priced, well, to walk out the door. We're talking the Sigel's at Belt Line and Inwood. Check 'em out.

What does it mean to be on a budget these days? I'll tell you what it means at my house: eggs. As I wait for those checks that are "in the mail," I've been making do with on-hand ingredients.

For one dish, I cut up many-days-old bread and added it to some eggs beaten with a touch of half-and-half, sauteed onions, grated cheddar and leftover sun-dried tomatoes. 'Baked it for about 10 minutes and voila! A savory bread pudding.

Eggs also were the anchor for Jacques Pepin's Egg and Tomato Gratin (more onions, garlic, canned tomatoes, eggs and cheese). I also regularly make huevos rancheros and breakfast tacos with eggs.

Anyone else finding eggs to be a great fall-back?

On August 1, we listed our critics' picks for the eight best places for seafood in DFW and asked readers to share their favorites. Now it's time to reveal the results.

Visit the Best in DFW page to read the extended critics' picks and find out more about Best in DFW, including upcoming topics.

Read the full list of readers' comments about seafood here.

Photo of a Dallas Fish Market's swordfish steak by Elizabeth M. Claffey / DMN