EATS

This just in from Tina Danze:

Cutting-edge Spanish cuisine is hard to find in Dallas, but not this weekend at Sangria Tapas y Bar on Cole Avenue. A trio of visiting Valencian chefs will join Mariano Fernandez - Dallas' only Spanish chef, and a Valencia native - in preparing a contemporary Spanish, fixed-price menu.

Fernandez, formerly of Café Madrid and Parigi, joined Sangria as executive chef last month. The other three chefs are in town for the opening of the Valencia House, a showcase of Valencian design and fashion in Preston Hollow at 6443 Lakehurst. (It's open to the public 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and starting at noon on Sunday; free.)

Sangria's Valencian-inspired, five-course menu is impressive - and a bargain at just $45 per person.

Well, this woke me right up on a Friday morning. There's a new magazine releasing its debut issue the first week of December called Culture: The World of Cheese. (Its other subtitle: "The Magazine for Cheese Lovers.") It's a scary time to launch a magazine, but, as it says on the online media kit, "the time is ripe." Cheese guru Janet Fletcher wrote one of the first articles, which can be viewed here.

I'll give you a fuller report when I get my mitts on a copy.

The Pastry Club at Le Cordon Bleu Institute of Culinary Arts - Dallas is making pies for Thanksgiving. The aspiring chefs will be making bourbon pecan pies for $12 and pumpkin pies for $10.

But the hitch is you have to place your order by Friday (as in today). You pick up your pies from the school on Wednesday between 12:30 and 4 p.m., and pay by cash or check.

To order your pie(s), contact Chef Hooton at shooton@dallasculinary.com or call 214-347-8221. There are also order forms at the front desk at Le Cordon Bleu, 11830 Webb Chapel at LBJ Freeway (I-635).

The Pastry Club does this pie-baking pirouette to raise money to send culinary students to competitions, underwrite field trips and fund participation in educational demos. I can eat pie for that.

I capped off my tour of Union Station's renovated event space with a luscious mango coconut pudding concocted by Wolfgang Puck Catering. It was one of the many goodies (penne pasta with chicken and pesto, short ribs, salmon) dished up by the W. P. crew at a sneak peek preceding this afternoon's official opening of the newly renovated event space at historic Union Station, which will be operated by Wolfgang Puck Catering. Also learned today (after I got back to the office with my mind still on the sweet stuff) that we can expect a January opening of a Wolfgang Puck restaurant at Reunion Tower, which is under renovation.

With a recent stop at Shine's Mediterranean Market on Belt Line, I was reminded that the store's frozen, house-made empanadas are a lifesaver for holiday entertaining.

Paint with an egg wash (egg and water) before baking, and voila! You can serve them piping hot from the oven. Flavors include beef and olive, chicken, spinach and sauce, corn, and potatoes and cheese. If you'd like to make your own, Shine's also carries the rounds of pastry dough.

And if you're so inclined, you can augment your party spread with Shine's parsley-intense tabbouleh, hummus, grilled eggplant dip, dolmas, falafel, pitas and more. Shine's is just east of Preston. The Web site is www.shinesmarket.com.

See's Candy has swooped into North Texas for its annual holiday foray at area malls as well as a new location in West Village offering more perks than the mall outposts. The location carries not only the familiar pre-packaged candy, but also corporate gift items, and it has bulk-purchase discounts. It's on McKinney between Ralph Lauren Polo and Ann Taylor Loft.

As for the other locations, I've found them so far at Galleria Dallas, Stonebriar Center in Frisco, Vista Ridge Mall in Lewisville, and Collin Creek Mall in Plano. All locations close after Dec. 26. If you know of others, let me know.

My fondest childhood memories of See's revolve around the caramel suckers that were kind of a buttery, upscale version of Slo Pokes and the dark-chocolate-covered, crunchy molasses sticks. I can still remember how good they tasted.

In this week's New Yorker, Calvin Trillin writes about his trip to Texas to check out Snow's BBQ in Lexington, which Texas Monthly named numero uno in the state this year. It's a great read, full of Trillin's observant humor. It's not really so much about Snow's barbecue as it is about its rise from obscurity. (If you're an impatient reader, skip to the sweet ending.)

Has anyone been to Snow's since the TM piece was published? Google Maps tells me that Lexington is 3 hours and 17 minutes from my doorstep. I may have to make the sojourn down there in the next six weeks ...

This week, Restaurant Critic Bill Addison reviews the renovated Pyramid Restaurant and Bar in the Fairmont Hotel.

Kim Harwell reviews Jorge's Tex-Mex Cafe in One Arts Plaza.

Share your own review of these restaurants. Leave a comment below.

Photo of Pyramid's dry-aged tenderloin by Michael Mulvey / DMN

And its home, The Ritz-Carlton, was named the no. 1 large hotel in the U.S.

Read more from business writer Karen Robinson-Jacobs.

Lubbock-based Texas winemaker Kim McPherson came through town with some new vintages and a new wine line, Hook, Line and Sinker. The white: "This is a blend of chenin blanc, viognier, French colombard and sauvignon blanc," he says, modeled after Australia's Shoofly "Buzz Cut," but made with all-Texas grapes. It's clean, crisp and light with nice honey-tropical notes, a good selection to have on hand for the holidays.

The companion HLS wine, also made from all-Texas grapes, is a dark rose blending cabernet sauvignon, merlot, ruby cabernet and carignan. With a profusion of strawberry-raspberry, it's bright and juicy, made for those who prefer a fruitier wine (and there are plenty in Texas). If that sounds a little like Cap Rock's Blush Royale, McPherson used to be the winemaker at that West Texas winery.

The Hook, Line and Sinker wines are so new they're not even on McPherson's Web site and are available locally at Market Street only for now, about $10 a bottle. But that's expected to change.

McPherson recently completed his renovation of the old Coca-Cola bottling plant in Lubbock, transforming it into his winery. It happens to be just across the street from La Diosa Cellars, his wife's winery and tasting room. Nothing like keeping it all in the family.

This year, J Dorian, one of a handful of artisanal chocolatiers in Dallas, has added chocolate-chunk cookies, good stocking stuffers at $2 each. He's also got Christmas trees with alternating milk and dark chocolate layers in two sizes, as well as a truffle-filled dark chocolate sleigh, and Santa boots in milk or dark chocolate filled with milk-chocolate-coated macadamia nuts.

Also new and interesting in his truffle lineup: merlot truffles, which don't taste wine-y, but amplify the fruit aspect of the wine. When French wine expert Alexandre Martin was in town to lead a tasting I wrote about here, he dropped by and was so impressed with the merlot truffles that he took a box back to France with him. Given the French standards on matters of wine and chocolate, that's a high compliment for our local guy. J Dorian is on Belt Line between the tollway and Preston Road, next door to Houston's.

Speaking of Houston's, I had a righteous grilled artichoke appetizer there before strolling over to JD's. It was cut in half, the thistle removed and the 'choke boiled, then seasoned and grilled to finish. Too bad it was just a special.

A nugget from MSNBC:

Nestlé Prepared Foods Company in Springville, Utah is recalling approximately 879,565 pounds of frozen chicken meals that may contain foreign materials, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service said. The objects were identified as small pieces of hard plastic, which were discovered after the company received consumer complaints and a report of one injury.

The meals are a variety of Lean Cuisines. Details here.

Last week, The News showed how three area chefs deconstructed that Thanksgiving classic, the green bean casserole. You can see the story here online.

Now, two of them have decided to include the dishes they made for The News on their Thanksgiving menus.

Executive chef Anthony Bombaci will feature his version, with its tempura-fried green beans and cream of mushroom mousse, on Nana's evening Thanksgiving menu. Nana is on the 27th floor of the Hilton Anatole. Call 214-761-7470 for reservations.

Over at Screen Door, chef Fitzgerald Dodd has added his version, with its fried tobacco onions and mushroom custard, to his Thanksgiving day menu. Check it out. Screen Door is at 1722 Routh St. Call 214-720-9111 to reserve your spot.

I just finished talking with the two women who are bringing the edible magazine concept to North Texas. Publishers Karen McCullough and Nanci Taylor already have a Web site at www.edibledallasfortworth.com, and they plan to publish the first issue of the quarterly magazine in March.

The edibles celebrate local foods, season by season. Edible Dallas & Forth Worth's mission statement goes, in part, like this: "...We inspire readers to support and celebrate the growers, producers, chefs, winemakers, food artisans and other professionals in our community." It's a little like Slow Food's The Snail, but local.

Edible publications started in Ojai, Calif., and there are something like 50 across the country and Canada, from edible Hawaiian Islands to edible Manhattan, edible Lowcountry to edible Phoenix. Austin has one, of course, and its fall issue includes stories on salt, Whole Foods Market's cheese buyer and a Texas winemaker's return to native grapes. 'Can't wait to see North Texas' first issue.

The Molto Formaggio in Highland Park Village opened today. I swung by yesterday afternoon when they were still organizing, so consider that pic of the sunny space a work-in-progress shot. This completes the trinity of freestanding cheese shops that have opened in Dallas in the last six months. Look for the same comprehensive selection and friendly service at the HP Molto that the original on Preston-Royal has been delivering since July.

As a perpetual crusader for this subject, let me appeal to you: Cheese can be an affordable indulgence. Cut-by-the-order cheese shops are happy to sell you judicious slivers that won't blow your budget. Try samples until you find something that sets your taste buds aflutter. The point is, please go support these independent shops that promote artisan products.

Now that I've made my plea, have I got a splurge for you:

Remember fabulous chef George Brown of the former George Restaurant on Inwood? His catering company is still going strong and they were handling an event last night at the Allan Knight showroom.

I loved the presentation on this passing round of applewood bacon crisps on-a-stick and snapped a pic. Talk about minimalist chic.

Seasonal menu changes aren't something we normally post on the Eats blog, and today is no exception. However, I could not help but notice one winter item on the Rise No. 1 menu that's a must-try for me: foie gras souffle. Yes, I experience brain-splitting dissonance because of possible animal cruelty issues. But I love foie gras.

For that matter, someone shoved a menu in my hand for The new Cafe at Central Market (Dallas store), and a couple of items there caught my eye. Just below the Kobe sliders are Margherita meatball sliders. Doesn't that sound good?

There's also bison chili and "grown-up" mac and cheese. The latter consists of "Italian macaroni with Asiago, Provolone, Fontina, Parmesan, dolce latte Gorgonzola and mascarpone in a white wine cream sauce with pancetta crumb-crust drizzled with white truffle oil." This is a little like having the original Cafe Express back, all updated and trendy.

There have been some good sales at other stores that I haven't posted and, no, Sigel's has no special cache with me. It's just that these restaurant-inventory reduction sales slash prices so low that they're competitive with cheap wines. But they're so much better for your buck.

To wit: Rutz '05 Dutton Ranch Pinot Noir, $9.99 (retail is $49.99), Rutz '05 Russian River Pinot Noir, also $9.99 (retail, $59.99), Novy '05 Unti Syrah ($8.99, regular $29.99), Jeboulet Crozes '99 Hermitage Thalabert ($9.99, regular $49.99). Not every mark-down is that dramatic - and some are much higher-priced wines, such as Spain's Vega Sicilia 2001 Valbuena Five Year ($49.99, from $159.99).

This unadvertised sale is only at the Sigel's at 15003 Inwood Road in Addison. Read on for a list of some of the wines offered.

Check out the first week of our Thanksgiving dining guide for almost two dozen places offering Turkey Day dining specials. Take your pick of brunch, lunch or dinner and traditional, modern or ethnic. Turkey? Check. Made-to-order omelets? Check. Asian-inspired entrees? Also check.

We'll be adding to the list, so come back for even more specials later.

Friday, Nov. 21, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sarah Fioroni will be handing out samples of her Italian estate's freshly pressed olive oil at Flavors From Afar. That's a view from Fattoria Poggio Alloro (at left) with San Gimignano way off on the hilltop to the left.

Every year, Fioroni spends Thanksgiving in the Austin-San Antonio area, where she has customers and friends. This year, she's making a special day trip to Dallas with her Fattoria Poggio Alloro Olive Oil.

Fioroni's estate is an agriturismo in Tuscany, where the family also has vineyards and raises cattle. When Flavors owners Gary and Nancy Krabill take their tour groups to Italy, they often stop at the farm. Don't know about agriturismos? They're a great way to visit Italy: working farms where you can lodge for a lot less than a hotel. Here's a link to Fattoria Poggio Alloro in case you want to learn more.