tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63816972551391337532024-03-13T12:38:24.433-07:00Denton County FareAll about eating out in and around Denton, TexasHere's my creds.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17094772973551424361noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6381697255139133753.post-91307936599116099722011-03-31T19:04:00.000-07:002011-03-31T19:04:14.290-07:00Love Shack Denton, Denton, TX<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: 13px;"><span><b></b></span></span><br />
<span><b><h2 class="vitstoryheadline" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 7px; margin-right: 7px; margin-top: 4px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="vitstoryheadline" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 25px; left: -8px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: relative; right: 25px; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">Love, actually</span></h2></b></span><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: 13px;"><span><span class="vitstorydeck" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 16px;">The man, the myth, the menu promise to make dining on the Square a while lot juicier</span></span></span><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: 13px;"><span><b><h5 class="vitstorydate" style="background-color: #f2f2f2; color: black; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 15px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: relative; right: 1px; width: 240px;"><span class="vitstorydate" style="background-color: #f2f2f2; color: black; position: relative; right: 1px; width: 240px;">01:32 PM CDT on Thursday, March 31, 2011</span></h5></b></span></span><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: 13px;"><span><b><span class="vitstorybyline">By Ellen Ritscher Sackett / Staff Writer</span></b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: 13px;"><span class="vitstorybody" style="margin-top: 5px;"><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Chef Tim Love is running behind. His executive assistant calls to say he will be 20 minutes late. He’s on his way from Fort Worth to talk about Love Shack Denton, his latest restaurant about to open just east of the Square. For months, passers-by have peered through the windows, observing the building’s transition from barbershop to burger joint. It’s almost ready — but not quite.</div><div id="newsnow"><div class="biimage" style="display: inline; float: right; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 8px; margin-right: 8px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 3px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 3px; position: relative; top: 5px; width: 250px;"><img border="0" height="16" src="http://www.dentonrc.com/bi/images/clikEnlarge.gif" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px;" title="Click image for a larger version" width="80" /><img alt="DMN file photo" src="http://www.dentonrc.com/s/dws/img/drc/03-11/0331love.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px;" title="Tim Love, pictured in 2007 just before the opening of his first Love Shack at the Fort Worth Stockyards, is preparing to open the burger joint’s third location, in Denton." width="250" /><div class="bithumbcaption" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9px; font-weight: bold;"><div class="bithumbcredit" style="font-weight: normal; padding-right: 4px; text-align: right;">DMN file photo</div>Tim Love, pictured in 2007 just before the opening of his first Love Shack at the Fort Worth Stockyards, is preparing to open the burger joint’s third location, in Denton.</div></div></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The 2007 <i>Iron Chef America</i> winner, instantly recognizable for his many television appearances on cooking and morning shows, walks through the front door without his crisp chef’s coat and signature white Stetson. Despite his busy morning, he appears relaxed in faded jeans, cowboy boots and a worn T-shirt that reveals a tattoo inked on a buff upper arm. He sits down and leans back in his chair as construction workers keep the place hopping, with sparks flying and the sound of drills and saws buzzing, and hammers pounding away.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">This will be Love’s third gourmet hamburger establishment by the same name, Tim Love’s Love Shack, one of several restaurants he has owned over the years that run the gamut from casual to fine dining. But this one is special. It’s Love’s first venture in his hometown.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“My mom wanted me to do a restaurant in Denton — that’s the main reason I’m here. She’s excited,” says the 39-year-old culinary rock star who spent the first 18 years of his life here.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“I wanted to bring something back.”</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Long before Love became a celebrity chef, he spent summers in Tennessee working on his father’s farm.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“I’ve raised almost every vegetable under the sun growing up as a kid, and same with animals,” Love says. “I raised chickens and rabbits and lambs and goats and steers.”</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">After Love graduated from Denton High School, he went back to Tennessee to earn double degrees in finance and marketing at the University of Knoxville. While making a little cash in various restaurant jobs, he found his calling.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“I fell in love with it,” he says. “I wanted to cook for a living.”</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Love never went to culinary school, but he gained a solid foundation based on experience.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“You learn from every ingredient you touch.”</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Love spent his mid-20s in Colorado, snowboarding when he wasn’t cooking for crowds. He scooped up the Taste of Breckenridge Grand Award three times and the Taste of the Mountains Award, four. He met his wife, Emilie, at the Uptown Bistro in Frisco, Colo., where he was chef. Eventually the two moved back to Texas, making their home in Fort Worth, where they now raise their three children.</div><div class="biblockmore" style="background-color: rgb(242, 242, 242) !important; background-image: url(http://www.dentonrc.com/images/ice3/biblockmore_bg.gif) !important; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; border-bottom-color: rgb(167, 167, 167) !important; border-bottom-style: solid !important; border-bottom-width: 1px !important; border-left-color: rgb(167, 167, 167) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 1px !important; border-right-color: rgb(167, 167, 167) !important; border-right-style: solid !important; border-right-width: 1px !important; border-top-color: rgb(167, 167, 167) !important; border-top-style: solid !important; border-top-width: 1px !important; clear: right; float: right; left: 2px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 8px; margin-top: 3px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: relative; top: 5px; width: 250px;"><b><a class="bilabel" href="" style="background-color: transparent !important; border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px !important; border-color: initial !important; border-left-width: 0px !important; border-right-width: 0px !important; border-style: initial !important; border-top-width: 0px !important; color: rgb(66, 65, 71) !important; display: block; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif !important; font-size: 12px !important; font-weight: bold !important; height: 20px !important; line-height: 18px !important; padding-bottom: 1px; padding-left: 12px !important; padding-right: 2px; padding-top: 1px; text-align: left !important; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px;">LOVE SHACK DENTON</a></b><div class="biblockheads" style="background-color: rgb(242, 242, 242) !important; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 3px !important; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 0px !important;"><div style="background-position: 0px 3px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: rgb(40, 55, 88) !important; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;"><b>• Address:</b> 115 E. Hickory St.<br />
<b>• Phone:</b> 940-442-6834<br />
<b>• Hours:</b> 11 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday;<br />
11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday<br />
<b>• Opening date:</b> early April<br />
<b>• On the Web:</b><a href="http://www.shakeyourloveshack.com/" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; text-decoration: none;">www.shakeyourloveshack.com</a></div></div></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">In 2000, Love opened Lonesome Dove in Cowtown’s historic downtown Stockyards district, once the Grand Central Station of livestock, where visitors can still witness daily cattle drives. Love, who calls himself a “huge meat guy,” made his mark serving what he calls “urban Western cuisine” — not only traditional high-end steaks, but rabbit, elk, rattlesnake, wild boar and even kangaroo.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Love says people often try out-of-the-ordinary meat just to say they did it.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“But can I take it and turn it into something people really like?” he says. “That’s the challenge.”</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">More than a decade since opening, Lonesome Dove is packed and critics rave; in fact, just last week The Dallas Morning News published a four-star review of Love’s upscale restaurant.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Just around the corner from Lonesome Dove is the original Love Shack — all 140 square feet of it — next door to the White Elephant Saloon, which is also owned by Love. The second Love Shack is located near Fort Worth’s Trinity Park and the museum district.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“We’re a different breed,” Love says. “We’re not a fast-food joint. We’re a really cool, hip, burger spot.”</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The concept was born out a “what the heck” situation, he says. Love wanted to offer food to White Elephant Saloon customers, and he also needed to find a way to use the leftover trim from Lonesome Dove’s popular garlic-stuffed beef tenderloin.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“We have a lot of it,” Love says. “It’s expensive meat to just throw away.”</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">It took about five months for Love to develop the perfect grind and mix for his unique burger.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“We do 50 percent prime brisket and then 50 percent of tenderloin,” Love says. The combination makes a “tremendous meat patty.”</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The Love burger itself is simple.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“It’s not like we have all these crazy things on the burger,” he explains. “It’s not a burger made with foie gras and blueberries or whatever.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“It’s made from really top-notch, high-quality ingredients that are all house-made,” including the pickles and the ketchup and mayonnaise that go into Love’s special Love Sauce.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The Dirty Love Burger “gets a little more exciting,” topped with wild boar bacon and a quail egg. “It’s a beautiful thing,” he says. “It’s even better with a fried portobello on it. We call that the Love and the Boom Boom. It’s awesome. It’s what I eat.”</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The next order of business was developing fries that are “not like anybody else’s,” Love says. “We do a thin, plain french fry that gets pretty crispy. They’re different.”</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Love devotes a huge amount of time creating the perfect eating experience, down to the width of the tomato slice.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“All of it involves the texture of one bite,” he says. “It’s hard to develop a burger where [when] you bite into it, it still tastes the same all the way around.”</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The three Love Shack menus vary. The Denton menu will include chicken, fish, hot dogs, soups and salads in addition to burgers, fries and onion rings. The Denton location is the only one that will serve grilled, cured pickles. Every Love Shack serves root beer on tap and milkshakes, too.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“We don’t have five shakes on the menu, we have today’s shake,” Love says. “And today’s shake could be anything.”</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The same fare will be served from opening to close. The lunchtime crowd will order at the counter and seat themselves, whereas after 5 p.m. diners will be served by waitstaff, and to-go orders will be available for pickup at a window on the west side.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Bartenders will man a full bar and pour “fun, funky cocktails,” he says, and there will be a daily happy hour from 4 to 7 p.m. Several flat-screen TVs are mounted overhead on nearly every wall.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“I’m a big sports guy. I don’t like missing any sports,” he says.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">But the main focal point will be the stage flanking the east wall.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“You should be able to see the music from anywhere in the restaurant,” he says. Love says he’s a big proponent of live music, and the bands will “run the gamut.”</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">He says he wants his restaurant “to get heavily involved in the Denton music scene.”</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“It’s such a great music town.”</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Love envisioned the building to have “a spacious feel” with lots of windows and two 30-foot glass garage doors.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“The place is created to feel like you’re outside all the time,” he says.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The walls are constructed from reclaimed farm wood from South Texas. Patio seating with two giant maple trees will shade the north side, and diners can play outdoor pingpong, washers or cornhole. Love wants to create a relaxed atmosphere where customers will want to hang out for a few hours.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“The Love Shack is all about having fun,” he says.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Looking around on a recent afternoon, one can see there’s still plenty to do. Construction is not quite complete. The tables and chairs are stacked on top of each other. The staff has yet to learn the art of the food preparation and will be trained by Love himself. The city still has to give its stamp of approval, and is in the process of ensuring that the building is up to code and the health department is satisfied. So when does it open? Early April, Love says, but there’s no firm commitment yet as to an exact date.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">“It’s got to be perfect,” he says. “My goal is for the food to be perfect, the service to be perfect, and whenever those things come together, that’s when we open.”</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><i>ELLEN RITSCHER SACKETT can be reached at 940-566-6845. Her e-mail address is <a href="mailto:esackett@dentonrc.com" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; text-decoration: none;">esackett@dentonrc.com</a> </i>.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
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</div></span></span>Here's my creds.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17094772973551424361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6381697255139133753.post-75808614950335130162011-01-13T16:23:00.000-08:002011-01-13T16:23:02.556-08:00Soup's On ~ Soups in DentonSOME LIKE IT HOT: A little spice, a lot of warmth served up in local soup <br />
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Published in the Denton Record-Chronicle, Thursday, January 13, 2011<br />
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Text and photos by Ellen Ritscher Sackett <br />
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What better way to stave off the wintry chills than a piping hot bowl of homemade soup? Almost every Denton restaurant offers at least one soup on its menu, and many have revolving selections that change daily. Narrowing down this list was a challenge, but here are a few you can count on to warm you up when the temperatures drop. <br />
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Mr. Chopsticks <br />
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$7.25 for a large bowl. <br />
1663 Scripture St. 940-566-5671. <br />
Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. <br />
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This slightly sweet, slightly spicy Vietnamese rice noodle soup makes more than a meal. Pho lovers can add chicken or beef to Mr. Chopstick’s version, which is made from a chicken-based broth rather than the more traditional beef stock. According to owner Chai Tamprateep, the quality of the broth is “crucial.” <br />
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“To have good soup, you have to have good broth,” he said. <br />
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His pho is steeped with onion, garlic and spices, which include anise, cinnamon stick, cardamom and fresh ginger. Limes, bean sprouts, jalapeno slices, cilantro and plum sauce sides come served on a plate covering the bowl, ensuring the soup will be hot when it arrives at the table. Other condiments, such as soy sauce and chili paste, are already on the table available for additional soup doctoring. <br />
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This 25-year-old Asian restaurant, which moved from Hickory Street to its current location north of the University of North Texas campus, features Chinese, Thai and Japanese cuisines. Other best-sellers? “We sell a lot of hot and sour and egg drop soup,” Tamprateep said. <br />
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Los Toreros <br />
$5.99. <br />
2900 Wind River Lane, Suite 134. 940-390-7693. <br />
Open 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday. <br />
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Those who live on the south side of town can indulge in this healthy pick from Unicorn Lake’s new upscale Mexican restaurant, Los Toreros, which took its recipe from its big sister restaurant, El Matador. <br />
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The two versions are virtually identical. They both start with chicken cooked in a tomato-based broth chock full of vegetables, including corn, carrots, celery, onion and red and green peppers. Each is topped with crispy tortilla strips and avocado. <br />
The only difference? The cheese. El Matador’s version is laden with mozzarella, while Los Toreros comes with a slice of queso fresco. Los Toreros’ portion is for smaller appetites, but it also comes with a side of Spanish rice. Either way, you can’t go wrong. <br />
Banter <br />
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Cup $4, bowl $5. <br />
219 W. Oak St. 940-565-1638. <br />
Open 10 a.m. to midnight daily. <br />
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Tomato basil ranks right up there as the most popular soup in town, if the number of restaurants that boast a recipe is any indication. <br />
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Banter’s won this feature spot for being the most unique, with low-fat cream cheese blended with crushed tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic, salt, pepper and extra virgin olive oil. The recipe came from Michelle Kuzov, who sold the restaurant to Stephen Johnson and Ellen Ryfle in January. <br />
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Ryfle said Banter lovers need not worry; the atmosphere of the artsy downtown hangout will not change. It will still offer live music, feature local artists and continue the Thursday open mic night, one of the few left in the area. The menu will undergo a slight revision in February, but favorite dishes, including the tomato basil soup, will remain. <br />
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Try these other deserving tomato basil soups when you’re out and about town: Bochy’s, for its superb garlic infusion, Hannah’s Off the Square, for its heavy, cream-based, don’t-start-your-diet-today concoction; and Round Belly Cafe inside the Antique Experience of Denton, for one unnamed ingredient that chef Baldemar Rivera says keeps customers coming back for more. <br />
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Ramen Republic Noodle House <br />
Regular $5, large $6.50, monster $8<br />
210 E. Hickory St. 940-387-3757. <br />
Open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. <br />
This is not the curly, compact, low-budget ramen that goes on sale at the grocery store in packages of 10 for $1. These are long, thin, elegant noodles that swim in broth hot off the stove. <br />
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First-time customers to Ramen Republic are walked through the five-step process of building their noodle dishes. Picking the bowl size is the first big decision — big, bigger, biggest — followed by selecting an all-natural, low-sodium vegetable, garlic beef or ginger chicken broth. <br />
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Next, choose from one of four types of noodles and add the protein, either tofu, plain or sesame ginger chicken, slow-roasted pulled pork or Asian beef mini-meatballs. Tenderloin tips or the salmon filet are available for an additional charge as well as extras such as baby spinach, fresh basil, edamame or egg. <br />
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Lastly, a small bowl filled with your choice of veggies from the complimentary bar can be tossed into the mix while your soup is prepared behind the counter. In minutes, the meal is complete. <br />
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Ramen Republic is a place where strict vegans and shameless carnivores sit side by side, where the bland meets spicy, and hot meets cold. Owner Charlie Foster, who opened the Asian-inspired restaurant near the Industrial Street area last June, said, “There are over 1 million different bowl combinations available.” A meat-eater’s suggestion: Try the pork. <br />
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International Foods of Denton <br />
$3.99 <br />
609 Sunset St. 940-383-2051. <br />
Open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from noon to 8 p.m. Sunday. <br />
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For a simple soup that’s good and good for you, try the lentil soup from International Foods of Denton, one block south of University Drive. This restaurant, which opened its doors to Denton over 16 years ago, specializes in Mediterranean, Persian, Greek and Middle Eastern cuisine. <br />
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The lentil soup is “very healthy,” said Kim Pourmorshed, who owns and operates the restaurant with her husband, Ali. <br />
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“It’s good for your stomach, your body and your hormones,” she said. In addition to crushed lentils, the soup contains a blend of carrots and onions, herbs and some secret spices that make it special, Pourmorshed said. <br />
The ingredients are blended into a thin, smooth soup that goes down easily, a good choice for a sensitive tummy, and reheats well. Customers can ask for a side of pita bread as well, perfect for scraping the bowl to get every last drop. <br />
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The Abbey Inn Restaurant and Pub <br />
Cup $3.99, bowl $5.99. <br />
101 W. Hickory St. 940-566-5483. <br />
Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday and 11 a.m. to midnight Thursday through Saturday. <br />
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The Abbey Inn’s French onion soup is made with beef and chicken stock added to a sweet onion, sherry and butter reduction. But what makes this version memorable is the homemade croutons — soppy-soft bite-sized pillows made from sourdough, wheatberry, pumpernickel and marble rye breads — covered by a thin layer of melted Harvarti cheese, which holds in the heat and contains the flavors. <br />
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Next time you’re in the neighborhood, stop by and check out the recent renovations in the lower level of the restaurant on the southeast corner of the downtown Square. What was once the Boiler Room, dedicated to live music, is now the Abbey Underground. <br />
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Co-owner Tim Trawick said they have added seating and are “trying to create a cozy pub environment,” which will feature 99 bottles of beer on the back wall of the bar. For now, the menu will be the same upstairs as down, so either way you can have your soup and eat it too. <br />
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Good Eats Grill <br />
Cup $2.99, bowl $3.99, add-on to a meal $1.49. <br />
5812 N. Interstate 35. 940-387-3500. Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. <br />
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It’s winter, so think summer, as in Indian Summer Soup — one of three of Good Eats’ soup offerings, which also include a daily special and tomato basil. <br />
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“It’s our best-selling soup,” said kitchen manager Eric Wright. The golden yellow comfort food looks as warm as it tastes, made with melted American cheese, chicken, onion, margarine, garlic, mushrooms and corn with an ever-so-slight kick from poblano pepper. <br />
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Denton is fortunate to be home to one of only three Good Eats restaurants left in Texas from a chain serving ranch-style food that started off with a bang in 1986 by E. Gene Street. Street also began the Black-eyed Pea country-style chain and several other successful Dallas-based restaurants and became a founder of Consolidated Restaurant Operations Inc., which oversees the operations of successful chains in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, such as El Chico, Cantina Laredo and III Forks as well as Good Eats. <br />
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Unlike other repeateries whose menu items are often at least partially premade, Good Eats uses all fresh produce and creates all of its recipes in-house from scratch, which makes its ranch-style meals particularly mmm, mmm good.Here's my creds.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17094772973551424361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6381697255139133753.post-36866654218010058872010-09-29T08:59:00.000-07:002010-10-05T08:19:28.943-07:00Freebirds World Burrito, Denton, TX<div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 13px;"><b></b></span></div><b></b><br />
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<b><h2 class="vitstoryheadline" style="display: inline !important; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 7px; margin-right: 7px; margin-top: 4px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="vitstoryheadline" style="left: -8px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: relative; right: 25px; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Freebirds’ barrage on the senses has flavor</span></span></span></h2></b></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><b><h2 class="vitstoryheadline" style="display: inline !important; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 7px; margin-right: 7px; margin-top: 4px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="vitstoryheadline" style="left: -8px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: relative; right: 25px; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"></span></span></span></h2></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 13px;"><b><h5 class="vitstorydate" style="background-color: #f2f2f2; color: black; display: inline !important; line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 15px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: relative; right: 1px; width: 240px;"><span class="vitstorydate" style="background-color: #f2f2f2; color: black; position: relative; right: 1px; width: 240px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">A version of this article was published in the Denton Record-Chronicle on Thursday, September 16, 2010</span></span></span></span></h5></b></span></div><br />
<div style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 13px;"><b><span class="vitstorybyline"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">By Ellen Ritscher Sackett / Staff Writer</span></span></span></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="vitstorybody" style="margin-top: 5px;"></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: 13px;"><span class="vitstorybody" style="margin-top: 5px;"></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: 13px;"><span class="vitstorybody" style="margin-top: 5px;"></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: 13px;"><span class="vitstorybody" style="margin-top: 5px;"></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: 13px;"><span class="vitstorybody" style="margin-top: 5px;"><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Over the last 20 years, Freebirds World Burrito’s Texas-focused chain has developed something of a cult following.</span></span></div></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Freebirds fanatics are those willing to drive for miles to get their fill of the restaurant’s burritos, tacos, nachos and the like. They hotly debate the merits of Freebirds over its national competitor, Chipotle, and describe in detail their favorite combinations from a choice of 3 trillion possibilities. They fill up “fanatic cards” with stamps, redeemable toward rewards based on accumulated purchases.</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 13px;"></span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Now, fortunately, local fanatics won’t have to fill up their gas tanks to get to the closest Freebirds. As of today, Denton has one of its own.</span></span></div></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Earlier this week, Freebirds Denton opened its doors in two days of mock trial runs, which doubled as benefits for its two local causes: the University of North Texas College of Music and the Denton State Supported Living Center. For a $5 donation, customers were invited to chow down on a custom-made meal and to experience the Freebirds culture. From its start as the joint venture between two college roommates to its more recent corporate expansion, Freebirds’ philanthropic, “change the world,” be-yourself attitude appeals largely to the college crowd and the ever-optimistic — a perfect fit for Denton.</span></span></div></div></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.dentonrc.com/s/dws/img/drc/09-10/0916freebird.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><img alt="DRC file photo/" border="0" height="240" src="http://www.dentonrc.com/s/dws/img/drc/09-10/0916freebird.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: move;" title="Holding a burrito high, “Libby” sits on a custom chopper at Freebirds World Burrito. The Denton location of the Texas-centric chain is now open at Rayzor Ranch Marketplace." width="320" /></span></span></a></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 13px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">DRC file photo/</span></span></i></span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; line-height: 13px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Holding a burrito high, “Libby” sits on a custom chopper at Freebirds World Burrito. The Denton location of the Texas-centric chain is now open at Rayzor Ranch Marketplace.</span></span></i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Earlier this week, Freebirds Denton opened its doors in two days of mock trial runs, which doubled as benefits for its two local causes: the University of North Texas College of Music and the Denton State Supported Living Center. For a $5 donation, customers were invited to chow down on a custom-made meal and to experience the Freebirds culture. From its start as the joint venture between two college roommates to its more </span></span></div></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Until Monday, I was among the uninitiated. Peeking through the glass windows, I could see the Statue of “Libby” suspended from the ceiling, busting through the Berlin Wall on a Voodoo custom chopper. (Later I learned this representation of freedom is found in every Freebirds restaurant.) As soon as I walked through the door, I was hit with a barrage of rock ’n’ roll and greetings from more-than-helpful employees.</span></span></div></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A young, nose-ringed gentleman loudly suggested over the music that I try the famous burrito. He led me to the cafeteria-style fresh food line where I was introduced to Miyaka, a friendly employee with a movie-star smile who made recommendations from the freebies, extras and sauces as we went along.</span></span></div></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Our completed collaboration was a foil-wrapped cylindrical creation stuffed inside a spinach tortilla, made with grilled chicken, black beans, rice, guacamole, lots of cilantro, red onion, roasted corn, salsa and who knows what else I agreed to. Common sense aside, I also agreed to chips and queso. Fortunately, I was starving.</span></span></div></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">As I properly unpeeled the foil, I began a lengthy journey toward the other end of the burrito. I didn’t quite make it through the seismic Tex-Mex portion. (I did, however, in spite of my big eyes and stuffed stomach, find some room for the creamy white cheese queso.)</span></span></div></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">My husband went with the more manageable carnita tacos, slow roasted since morning and slightly spicy. He gave the Sweet Leaf Tea the thumbs up, and I washed down my meal with a soda (no Coke, Pepsi). Maybe next time we’d go for a beer or try a frozen margarita. At meal’s end, we opted to throw out our used foil rather than add to the restaurant’s decor, as suggested, with artistic expressions. The new restaurant was already dotted with odd-shaped animals and shiny aluminum-foil sculptures.</span></span></div></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The eager employees all wanted to know how we liked our first visit. We liked it. Was it, as one Facebook fanatic described, “the most bodaciously epic masticating flavorful adventure of the taste buds”?</span></span></div></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Well, that statement might be a bit over the top, but then, "over the top" would describe Freebirds perfectly.</span></span></div></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">ELLEN RITSCHER SACKETT can be reached at 940-566-6845. Her e-mail address is </span></span><a href="mailto:esackett@dentonrc.com" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">esackett@dentonrc.com</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">.</span></span></div></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Freebirds</span></span></b></div></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">World Burrito</span></span></b></div></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2700 W. University Drive at Rayzor Ranch Marketplace. 940-565-5400. $.</span></span></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></b></div></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></div></span></span></span>Here's my creds.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17094772973551424361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6381697255139133753.post-70500974859581771172010-04-17T08:49:00.000-07:002010-04-22T08:42:35.109-07:00Hannah's Off the Square, 100-mile Meal, April 20, 2010<div style="color: #1a1a18; font: 11.7px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">MILES TO GO BEFORE WE EAT</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">By Ellen "EJ" Sackett</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Originally published in the Denton Record-Chronicle, DentonTime, April 15, 2010</span></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span> </i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Nine summers ago, Sheena Croft arrived in Denton with nothing but her cat, her car and a small overnight bag. Excited to start a new life in Texas, her boyfriend, now husband, was about to begin graduate studies in art at the University of North Texas, while Croft, a trained chef, planned to travel around Texas to learn about its cuisine. </span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div><div style="color: #1a1a18; font: 11.7px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">They packed all of their belongings in a huge Ryder truck and drove in tandem from southern Georgia, stopping to spend the night in New Orleans. The next morning, they woke up to find their truck gone.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OKWXSxEy8cE/S9BuVwggA8I/AAAAAAAAAVE/dF6qWV-ocvw/s1600/Sheena1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OKWXSxEy8cE/S9BuVwggA8I/AAAAAAAAAVE/dF6qWV-ocvw/s320/Sheena1.jpg" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">They did, however, have an apartment ready and waiting. The property management company provided them with towels and tooth- brushes. Croft’s aunt sent a care package of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 9px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">clothes and helped them with immediate expenses. But the stress of starting over in a new place took its toll. At a shopping excursion at Sears, the couple had a minor melt- down. It got the attention of a clerk, who called in the store manager, who listened to their story and offered them a line of credit at zero percent interest. The Sears manager also handed Croft a section of the </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Denton Record-Chronicle</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> with an article about a new “Tex-French” restaurant that was opening in two weeks, called “Hannah’s Off the Square.”</span></span></span></div></div><div style="color: #1a1a18; font: 9.6px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="color: #1a1a18; font: 9.6px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">“I put on clothes from my aunt and drove to Hannah’s,” Croft said.</span></span></div><div style="color: #1a1a18; font: 9.6px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">She was determined to convince the then-owner, Eric Hill, that she was the perfect person to be chef. Unfortunately, he already had hired someone else, but Croft didn’t give up. She told him: “I know this cuisine. I know your customer base. I worked at a restaurant just like this for three years. Let me create a menu.” </span></span></div><div style="color: #1a1a18; font: 9.6px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Almost a decade later, Croft is still creating menus as the restaurant’s executive chef, never leaving her Southern roots far behind. “We didn’t have fast food,” said Croft,</span></span></div><div style="color: #1a1a18; font: 9.6px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">referring to her years growing up in southern Georgia and northern Florida. Instead, her family ate what was readily available to them. “My chicken was shark tail, alligator, snapping turtle — they were all mystery white meats,” Croft said. “We’d get mussels from the river, go down to the creek and get crawfish, go deep-sea fishing where the Suwannee River enters the Gulf of Mexico. We were down there every other weekend, bring back whatever, fishing in the river behind our house, getting mullet, smoking the mullet, gathering hickory nuts for the fire, drying sassafras leaves from the tree in the backyard for gumbo filé.” Even now when Croft goes home for Christmas, she can count on being served either quail or squirrel. “My mom gets her .22 out and goes into the front yard,” she said.</span></span></div><div style="color: #1a1a18; font: 9.6px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Croft became particularly mindful of using fresh, local ingredients a few years ago when she read the book </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Plenty: Eating Locally on the 100-Mile Diet</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, by Alisa Smith and J.B. Mackinnon. The book inspired her to create a meal served family-style for Hannah’s patrons using only ingredients found within a 100-mile radius of Denton — all the way down to the salt. The 100-mile meal has now grown into a biannual event. Previous such meals were held in the fall, when fresh, local produce is abun- dant. However, Hannah’s upcoming 100-mile meal is the first to be held during the spring. “There’s not as much in the spring as in the fall,” Croft said. She called it “a challenge. I just want to see if I can do it.”</span></span><br />
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</span> </div><div style="color: #1a1a18; font: 9.6px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The 100-mile-diet concept is related to the Slow Food movement, whose focus, in part, is reducing the environmental impact of how food is brought from farm to table. “It’s also the way of preparing food — the idea of things being cooked simply within their season, as fresh as possible,” Croft said.</span></span></div><div style="color: #1a1a18; font: 9.6px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="color: #1a1a18; font: 9.6px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The dishes served Tuesday night will be based on what produce is available “right then,” Croft said. “The food really does dictate the recipes.”</span></span></div><div style="color: #1a1a18; font: 9.6px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The menu will include soup; simple salads; sauteed greens; roasted and braised meats including beef, pork and chicken; egg dishes; and fresh strawberries and whipped cream for dessert. The meal will be accompanied by local wines selected by wine steward Jason Lastovica.</span></span><br />
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</span> </div><div style="color: #1a1a18; font: 9.6px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">“My large food vendors have contracts with local farmers. I can order through my regular supply,” Croft said. She will also get some specialty items from small farms “at the last second.” She’ll use herbs grown in her own garden, a stash from her larder of canned goods and red wine vinegar from other seasons and 100-mile meals past, and produce from local growers through the Denton Community Market and The Cupboard Natural Foods. In addition, she has been promised amaranth (Chinese spinach) from the community garden at Bowling Green Park. “I have a plot there,” Croft said. “I put in tomatoes, lemon cucumbers, chili peppers, all kinds of stuff. I’m really excited to be able to get some things from there for the next [100-mile meal] in the fall."</span></span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">$$$ </span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Hannah's Off the Square Restaurant</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">111 W. Mulberry St. Denton, TX </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">940-566-1110</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">$75 per person, limited seating</span></div><div style="color: #1a1a18; font: 9.6px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div>Here's my creds.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17094772973551424361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6381697255139133753.post-38426735094673888902010-04-02T02:10:00.000-07:002010-04-02T02:17:32.012-07:00Eating Out(side) in Denton<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: 13px;"></span><br />
<div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">By Ellen "EJ" Sackett</span></div></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">Finally, it’s safe to sit outside. Winter is over, so you can dine in the open air without wishing you hadn’t.</div></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">I can’t name all the Denton-area eating establishments with outdoor seating, but here are several.</div></div><div id="newsnow"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.dentonrc.com/s/dws/img/drc/04-10/0401patio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Denton Record-Chronicle/Ellen Sackett" border="0" height="320" onclick="return clickedImage(this);" onmouseover=" " src="http://www.dentonrc.com/s/dws/img/drc/04-10/0401patio.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px;" title="Patrons Jana and Jim Lampe enjoy medium-sized cups of coffee on the patio at Zera Coffee Co. on East McKinney Street." width="240" /></a></div><div class="biimage" style="display: inline; float: right; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 8px; margin-right: 8px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 3px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 3px; position: relative; top: 5px; width: 175px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="16" src="http://www.dentonrc.com/bi/images/clikEnlarge.gif" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px;" title="Click image for a larger version" width="80" /></div></div><div class="bithumbcaption" style="font-family: Verdana; font-weight: bold;"><div class="bithumbcredit" style="font-weight: normal; padding-right: 4px; text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;">Denton Record-Chronicle/Ellen Sackett</div></div><div style="text-align: left;">Patrons Jana and Jim Lampe enjoy medium-sized cups of coffee on the patio at Zera Coffee Co. on East McKinney Street.</div></div></div></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">On the downtown Square, enjoy a cosmic cup of coffee in front of Jupiter House, savor specialty ice cream at Beth Marie’s, or devour a typical English meal with a cold brew at Abbey Inn — that is, if you can find an empty chair.</div></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">One block south, locals and college students go to Sweetwater Grill & Tavern’s enclosed patio for the feel of outdoor eating year round. Rooster’s Roadhouse and Fuzzy’s Taco Shop on Industrial Street offer picnic tables in front and more outdoor seating in the back, and if you crave drinks and live music, head down a few doors to Dan’s Silverleaf.</div></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">For a more upscale dining experience, listen to the gurgling fountain on the backyard terrace at Hannah’s Off the Square, enjoy a cool breeze on the patio at the Greenhouse Restaurant or relax with a glass of fine Italian wine behind the renovated Victorian-style home that is Giuseppe’s Italian Restaurant.</div></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">For outdoor Tex-Mex, think On the Border Mexican Grill and Cantina off Interstate 35E, or stop in at Mig’s Beer Garden at Miguelito’s on East McKinney Street at Bell Avenue, then go next door for some Mexican hot chocolate at Zera Coffee Co.</div></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">Want someplace scenic? For a wide open vista of North Texas spaces, head for WildHorse Grill at Robson Ranch near Ponder, or look beyond Interstate 35 from the west porch of Good Eats at North Loop 288. End the day by going to the Pourhouse Sports Grill patio to watch the sunset over Unicorn Lake.</div></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">Don’t let spring showers put a damper on your outdoor dining. Don your raincoat, dodge the drops, don’t wait and don’t forget — it’s Texas, after all.</div></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">The weather is sure to change, and 100-degree heat is just around the corner.</div></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Originally written for Denton Record-Chronicle, DentonTime, April 1, 2010</i></div></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div>Here's my creds.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17094772973551424361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6381697255139133753.post-61040295583032260382010-03-08T18:59:00.001-08:002010-03-09T08:33:48.279-08:00Buffet King Chinese Cuisine, Mongolian Grill & Sushi, Denton, TX<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Times-Roman;">ALL YOU CAN EAT CHINESE AND MORE<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times-Roman;">By Ellen "EJ" Sackett<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times-Roman;">If eating out at a Chinese buffet is your thing, you're not alone. Buffet King, Denton's newest such restaurant has only been open a few months, yet it's drawing the crowds. Easily accessible near the southeast intersection of I-35 and Loop 288 near the Golden Triangle Mall, expect a wait on a Friday and Saturday night, but not for long. The line moves quickly. The dining room seats hundreds at a time and the serve-yourself style lends itself to an almost fast-food experience. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times-Roman;">While not exactly cheap dining, customers certainly get their money's worth. The fixed-price buffet has an extraordinary amount of options from which to choose--over 200, in fact. You'll find what you expect at a Chinese buffet, like Sweet and Sour Chicken, Pepper Steak and Lo Mein. But this restaurant also offers a sushi bar with several kinds of Nigiri and Japanese-style rolls as well as a Mongolian grill station, where customers choose from variety of meats and veggies that are cooked on a large circular grill while you wait. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times-Roman;">Oftentimes quantity affects quality in buffet-style dining, but here the food doesn't have a chance to dry out or get cold. The meat dishes are flavorful but not too spicy, and the vegetables aren't overcooked. The food tastes fresh, the way it often looks at a buffet, but rarely is. Seafood lovers can chow down on unlimited amounts of crab legs, shrimp and mussels. Don't forget to try the tasty pork potstickers, found near the hot and sour and egg drop soups, and make a point to try the green beans that have just the right amount of crisp to them. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times-Roman;">Children have options too. There's pizza and chicken drumsticks, and rows of desserts to tempt the sweetest sweettooths. Fortunately, for those who are trying to watch their weight, there's a little hope, as fresh fruit, such as cantaloupe and grapes, are available in addition to the puddings, cakes, soft-serve ice cream and other sugary delights. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times-Roman;">While most customers clammer for the buffet, diners can also order off the menu. Lunch specials and combinations plates offer good values and can be made to suits one's taste, be it mild, medium or hot. Take out is also available. The restaurant is cheery and clean with bright chandeliers, neon signs and flat-screen TVs, the service is friendly, and the food, while not exceptional, caters to the hungry. For large parties, quick business lunches, and family nights out, Buffet King rules.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times-Roman;">$-$$<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times-Roman;">Buffet King<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times-Roman;">2251 S. Loop 288, Denton, TX<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times-Roman;">940-387-0888<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times-Roman;">Hours:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times-Roman;">Lunch ~ Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times-Roman;">Dinner ~ Monday through Thursday, 3:31 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 3:31 p.m. through 10 p.m.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times-Roman;">Sunday ~ All day dinner buffet from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times-Roman;"><i>Also posted on www.goodtastebuds.com .</i></span><span style="font-family: Times-Roman;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Here's my creds.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17094772973551424361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6381697255139133753.post-35633181037857644682010-03-06T21:09:00.000-08:002010-03-06T21:59:17.064-08:00Vercelli's Pasta and Pizza, Krum, Texas<div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">WE ALL SCREAM FOR POUTINE!</div></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">By Ellen "EJ" Sackett</div></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Earlier this week we bid a sad adieu to the 2010 Winter Olympics held in Vancouver, British Columbia. Some of us will miss duking it out with our northern neighbor, but I, for one, found myself rooting for the Canadians as well. Not only did they snag most the gold medals won at any Winter Olympic Games, they were true sportsmen and women, and good-humored, gracious hosts. Canada has lots of reasons to be proud.</div></div><div class="biimg" style="float: right; font-size: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 4px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 3px; position: relative; width: 268px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="For the Denton Record-Chronicle/Scott Sackett" altsrc="/s/dws/img/drc/03-10/0304poutinela.jpg" onclick="clickedImg(this);" src="http://www.dentonrc.com/s/dws/img/drc/03-10/0304poutinesm.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: pointer;" title="Authentic poutine is on the menu at Vercelli’s Pasta and Pizza in downtown Krum." width="268" /></div><div class="biimgcaption" style="background-color: #d0d3dc; border-bottom-color: rgb(167, 167, 167); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(167, 167, 167); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(167, 167, 167); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(167, 167, 167); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 3px; padding-top: 0px; width: 255px;"><div class="biimgcredit" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9px; font-weight: normal; padding-right: 4px; text-align: right;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">For the Denton Record-Chronicle/Scott Sackett</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Authentic poutine is on the menu at Vercelli’s Pasta and Pizza in downtown Krum, Texas. </div></div></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">In their honor, I say we chow down on a Canadian favorite: poutine — French fries topped with white cheese curds, covered in a beef-based brown gravy. Its origins aren’t precisely known; however, most agree the poutine craze began in Quebec in the 1960s. Now it’s served up in greasy spoons and fast-food chains throughout the country. Even women’s figuring skating bronze medalist Joannie Rochette is known to indulge. Canada’s quintessential comfort food is also referred to as one of Canada’s guiltiest pleasures — and is another source of national pride.</div></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Fortunately, we don’t have to travel to the Great White North to find it — in fact, we don’t even have to cross the county line. Authentic poutine is on the menu at Vercelli’s Pasta and Pizza in downtown Krum.</div></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Why is a French-Canadian dish available at an Italian restaurant in a small North Texas town? Jane Flores, who owns the restaurant with her mother is originally from Quebec, and they brought the recipe with them.</div></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Their basic poutine is made from hand-cut French fries. The poutine gravy is imported from Quebec and the white cheddar cheese curds are shipped overnight from Wisconsin. The rubbery cheese has to be squeaky. (Squeaky? That’s the sound the curds make when you bite into them. It means they are extremely fresh.)</div></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Vercelli’s also offers an Italian poutine, which substitutes a rich, tomatoey meat sauce for the gravy. You can also try frites sauce or frites italienne, versions of the two recipes without the cheese. (But then it’s not really poutine.)</div></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">By the way, while you’re at Vercelli’s, don’t forget to congratulate the Italians. They might not have won big at the Olympics, but they sure take the prize for lasagna.</div></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">$</div></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Vercelli’s Pasta and Pizza, 208 W. McCart St., Krum, TX 940-482-6051.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">A version was originally published in Denton Record-Chronicle, March 4, 2010</span></div><div><i><br />
</i></div></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></div>Here's my creds.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17094772973551424361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6381697255139133753.post-80371375518991064872010-02-18T20:28:00.000-08:002010-02-20T07:07:15.900-08:00Siam Off the Square Thai Restaurant, Denton, TX<div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">FLAVORS AS BOLD AS THE COLORS</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OKWXSxEy8cE/S3_6gZKY42I/AAAAAAAAAUU/xtPdM80V3Z4/s1600-h/0218siamsm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OKWXSxEy8cE/S3_6gZKY42I/AAAAAAAAAUU/xtPdM80V3Z4/s320/0218siamsm.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">By Ellen "EJ" Sackett</span></div></div>Walk into the vestibule of Siam Off the Square Thai Restaurant, and you’ll be greeted by Monique the mannequin, who on any given day may sport a traditional Thai dress, football jersey or cowboy hat.<br />
<br />
“She’s even worn lingerie,” says Russel Mills, who owns the restaurant with his wife, Noon, the restaurant’s chef. Without cracking a smile, he adds, “It’s too cold for that this time of year.”<br />
<div><br />
Noon Mills laughs. Today Monique has on Mardi Gras beads, “for the Saints,” Noon Mills explains, referring to New Orleans’ recent Super Bowl win.<br />
<br />
Next to Monique is a ceramic lime-green Buddha with a grin as wide as Noon’s. He matches the color of the top half of the restaurant’s walls perfectly, in contrast to the orange below and the purple tablecloths. His presence foreshadows what customers can expect to find at Siam Off the Square — it’s “full of happy energy,” Noon Mills said.<br />
<br />
Finding the restaurant isn’t easy if you don’t know where to look. Its physical address is Hickory Street, but it’s actually on the corner of Cedar and Walnut streets. The space was once part of Russell’s Department Store and has been home to several restaurants, including the original Hannah’s Off the Square, hence the similar name.<br />
<br />
While Hannah’s expanded when it moved to Mulberry Street, Siam Off the Square downsized from its 17-year home in Carriage Square.<br />
<br />
“We love our new location,” Noon Mills said. “The Square is a community within a community.”<br />
<br />
Russel Mills said businesses on the Square have supported them.<br />
<br />
“We brought our clientele with us, which in turn supports other businesses on the Square,” he said.<br />
<br />
Customers will find the same quality food at the new location as they did the old. The menu includes a variety of appetizers, curries, stir-fry dishes and pad thai. Noon Mills’ mother, from Phuket Island in southern Thailand, provides the curry paste. She is an important influence on her daughter’s cooking, as is Noon Mill’s Chinese heritage.<br />
<br />
“Not all dishes are spicy,” she said, “but you can expect them to be tasty.”<br />
<br />
The menu changes with the seasons. The Millses buy locally and use fresh ingredients as much as possible. Their daily specials feature what is plentiful. They love their restaurant and customers, many of whom have become friends over the years.<br />
<br />
“Come out and see us,” said Russel Mills. His wife added, “We love to make people happy.”<br />
<br />
$-$$<br />
<br />
Siam Off the Square Thai Restaurant<br />
209 W. Hickory Street, Suite 104.<br />
940-382-5118.<br />
Hours: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday,<br />
and 5 to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday.<br />
www.siamoffthesquare.com .<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 30px;"><i>Originally published in Denton Record-Chronicle, February 18, 2010</i></span></div>Here's my creds.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17094772973551424361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6381697255139133753.post-43968168806326245442010-02-11T16:02:00.000-08:002010-02-13T11:16:37.344-08:00Frilly's Seafood Bayou Kitchen, Denton, TX<span class="vitstorybody"><span class="vitstorybody">THE OTHER WHITE MEATS<br />
<br />
By Ellen "EJ" Sackett<br />
<br />
Forgive me. I might be the only person in North Texas who didn’t watch the Super Bowl. I know, I heard. That wasn’t the game to miss. It wasn’t just good, it was great. <br />
</span></span><br />
<div class="biimg" style="width: 268px;"><span class="vitstorybody"><span class="vitstorybody"><img alt="DRC/Ellen Sackett" altsrc="/s/dws/img/drc/02-10/0211frillyla.jpg" onclick="clickedImg(this);" src="http://www.dentonrc.com/s/dws/img/drc/02-10/0211frillysm.jpg" title="Frilly’s Seafood Bayou Kitchen boasts frog legs and alligator on the menu." width="268" /> </span></span><br />
<div class="biimgcaption" style="width: 255px;"><div class="biimgcredit"><span class="vitstorybody"><span class="vitstorybody">DRC/Ellen Sackett </span></span></div><span class="vitstorybody"><span class="vitstorybody">Frilly’s Seafood Bayou Kitchen boasts frog legs and alligator on the menu.</span></span><br />
<br />
</div></div><span class="vitstorybody"><span class="vitstorybody">To be honest, I’m only so-so interested in professional football, unless it’s the Dallas Cowboys. I figure Jerry Jones could use one more person telling him how to run his team, and Tony Romo wants to feel the love, especially since Jessica is out of the picture. Otherwise, I root for the team with the finest uniforms. </span></span><br />
<span class="vitstorybody"><span class="vitstorybody"><br />
Since the Cowboys didn’t make it to the Super Bowl, I prayed for New Orleans. I needed the Saints to win. Moreover, I needed a good excuse to write about frog legs and alligators. Some of you are probably thinking I should’ve cheered for the Colts. </span></span><br />
<span class="vitstorybody"><span class="vitstorybody"><br />
Seriously, though, have you tried them? Frog legs and alligator are popular dishes in N’awlins, and when you see one on the menu, you usually find the other. You can find them at both Frilly’s locations in Denton, which specialize in Cajun cuisine. (FYI: The restaurants prepare the food differently as they are owned by different proprietors.)</span></span><br />
<span class="vitstorybody"><span class="vitstorybody"><br />
Usually when I think Cajun, my mouth waters for dishes with andouille sausage, bowls of red jambalaya and shrimp gumbo, and plates piled high with blackened catfish or crawfish etouffee, with dirty rice and jalapeno corn bread. You can get all those good eats at both Frilly’s, too. I was on a mission for frog legs and alligator, however — which, despite their popularity in the South, haven’t quite made it to America’s Top 10 of favorite foods. <br />
<br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="vitstorybody"><span class="vitstorybody">I ordered mine fried from Frilly’s Seafood Bayou Kitchen, with a side of red beans and rice. They came with seafood cocktail sauce and tartar sauce for dipping. I started with the alligator, which, covered in batter, looked a lot like popcorn shrimp. It even had a bit of a chewy, shrimp-like texture but more closely resembled cooked turkey breast. <br />
<br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="vitstorybody"><span class="vitstorybody">The frog legs were surprisingly meaty, despite their tiny drumstick size. I expected them to taste like chicken, but they definitely didn’t. Instead they tasted like — well — frog legs. They were very fresh and somewhat gamey, more flavorful than the alligator. <br />
I can’t say I’m a big fan, but I’m happy for the Saints. By all accounts, they played well and deserved to beat the Colts. But even if they had lost, there’s no way I would’ve tried horse meat.<br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="vitstorybody"><span class="vitstorybody"> <b>$-$$</b><br />
<br />
Frilly’s Seafood Bayou Kitchen <br />
1925 Denison St. 940-243-2126. <br />
<br />
Frilly’s South Cajun Kitchen <br />
2303 S. Interstate 35E. <br />
940-898-1404.<br />
<br />
<span class="vitstorybody"><span class="vitstorybody">Originally published in the Denton Record Chronicle, February 11, 2010.</span></span></span></span>Here's my creds.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17094772973551424361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6381697255139133753.post-88821693411625793812010-01-22T09:20:00.001-08:002010-01-24T09:52:55.319-08:00CAFE DU LUXE, Denton, TexasMUGS AND WINE GLASSES HOBNOB<br />
Cafe serves up fine vintages, fresh joe and bites to savor<br />
<br />
By Ellen "EJ" Sackett (written for Denton Record-Chronicle)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OKWXSxEy8cE/S1yIQe2e-oI/AAAAAAAAAT8/7tkQ_GxK66s/s1600-h/0121luxela.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OKWXSxEy8cE/S1yIQe2e-oI/AAAAAAAAAT8/7tkQ_GxK66s/s320/0121luxela.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a><br />
</div>Cafe Du Luxe isn’t Denton’s best-kept secret. Since it opened five months ago, the word is spreading: It’s a great place to meet friends for conversation and a cup of coffee, a light meal or a glass of fine wine. Owner David Carles describes his cafe as “upscale casual” and says it “provides a choice that raises the quality” in the area. That choice includes freshly roasted coffee beans, both familiar and relatively unknown wines, and healthy yet inexpensive menu items for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. "We appeal to the North Texas business and medical professionals and give them another alternative to Starbucks and coffeehouses that largely appeal to students,” he said.<br />
<br />
Cafe Du Luxe is located in Market Square at Unicorn Lake, where it’s a logical stop for a bite before or after a movie at Cinemark Denton. In addition to convenience, the cafe offers happy hour from 4 to 7 p.m. on weekdays, featuring half-price appetizers and $1 off house beer and wines.<br />
<br />
Commuters can whip into the drive-through for a specialty coffee fix, brewed “the old-fashioned way,” Carles said. “We use authentic Italian espresso equipment. We grind and dose and tamp and pull the shots by hand. None of it is automated.”<br />
<br />
The coffees are designed around a music theme, named after the voices in a choir — the lighter the roast, the higher the voice. The beans come to the cafe extremely fresh.<br />
<br />
“We order our coffee from our roaster on Monday; they roast for us on Tuesday; our coffee arrives here Wednesday or Thursday,” Carles said.<br />
<br />
Cafe Du Luxe specializes in some “high-quality but relatively unknown” Chilean wines that can’t be purchased at the local grocery, Carles said. The wine list offers a variety and appeals to those who lean toward the familiar as well as aficionados who are more adventurous. Beer drinkers shouldn’t feel left out: Domestic and imported brews are available, too.<br />
<br />
Food and drink aren’t the only reasons to come to Cafe Du Luxe; another is the atmosphere. One wall is dedicated to displaying work by regional artists. The exhibit changes monthly, with an artist’s reception every third Sunday. On Saturday evenings, Bill Metzger and Perrin Grace perform light jazz on electric guitar and upright bass. Book clubs, church groups and writers meet regularly to exchange information and ideas.<br />
<br />
People can “come in jeans or come in a suit, either way,” Carles said.<br />
<br />
It took four years from conception to completion to create Cafe Du Luxe, and it came out almost exactly as Carles envisioned it.<br />
<br />
“People are still trying to figure out who we are and what we do,” he said. “We want the word to get out [because] we have something unique to offer.”<br />
<br />
$<br />
<br />
CAFE DU LUXE<br />
3101 Unicorn Lake Blvd.<br />
940-382-7070<br />
Hours: Monday through Thursday ~ 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday, 5:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday, 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., Sunday, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.<br />
www.cafeduluxe.com<br />
<br />
<i>Originally published in Denton Record-Chronicle, DentonTime, January 21, 2010.</i>Here's my creds.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17094772973551424361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6381697255139133753.post-63718644764440289342010-01-13T18:48:00.000-08:002010-01-13T18:50:43.056-08:00FARE SQUARE - Dohl-sot Bibim BopRoyal East Asian Cuisine, Dohl-sot Bibim Bop<br />
<br />
Korean Rice Dish Bops!<br />
<br />
By Ellen "EJ" Sackett<br />
<br />
Try a food that’s as fun to order it is to eat! “Bibim Bop (BEE-bim-bahp) served in a Hot Stone Bowl” is a traditional Korean all-in-one meal, and it’s also Royal East Asian Cuisine restaurant’s most popular dish. It’s more accurately called Dohl-sot Bibim Bop—not to be confused with Bibim Bop—which is not served in a hot stone bowl.<br />
<br />
There’s lots of ways to spell it: Dohl-sot, dolsot, bibimbap, bibimbab, bibimbob, bibimbop--even b-bop, for short! It’s all the same thing. Literally translated, “dohl-sot” means “stone pot” and “bibim bop” means “mixed rice”. Even though there are as many ways to make it, the basic recipe includes three main ingredients: rice, vegetables and meat.<br />
<br />
Royal East’s stone bowl arrives at the table too hot to touch. White rice is mixed with thin shreds of bulgogi (beef marinated in soy sauce), carrots, potato, spinach, soybean sprouts and the root of royal fern. All this has been added to sizzling sesame oil that carmelizes with the rice along the bottom of the bowl and turns it a crispy brown. On top sits a fried egg, over-easy. (Some versions use a raw egg.) The server breaks the yolk and combines the ingredients, still cooking away inside the hot stone bowl. He adds red chili sauce for spiciness, and I add a little soy sauce for flavor.<br />
<br />
But that’s not all. Dohl-sot Bibim Bop also comes with banchan, typical Korean side dishes served at every meal, especially Kimchi, Korea’s famous pickled cabbage with a kick, and often times Cucumber Kimchi, another variation on that theme, as well as other seasoned vegetables.<br />
<br />
Dohl-sot Bibim Bop, priced at $10.95 at dinner ($8.95 at lunch), doesn’t come with a money-back guarantee, but no worries. Even the pickiest eaters will come back for more of this warm and wondrous Korean comfort food. <br />
<br />
Royal East Asian Cuisine (Korean, Sushi, Japanese)<br />
1622-A W. University Drive, Denton<br />
(940) 383-7633<br />
Hours: Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. <br />
<br />
Published Denton Record-Chronicle, January 14, 2010<br />
Also published on www.goodtastebuds.com.Here's my creds.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17094772973551424361noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6381697255139133753.post-38862079624703969722009-11-24T20:36:00.000-08:002009-11-25T04:44:56.786-08:00FARE SQUARE ~ The Night Before Thanksgiving<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large; line-height: 14px;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span></b></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OKWXSxEy8cE/Sw0mA1kVP4I/AAAAAAAAATQ/5Ka1uZm9IC4/s1600/13596599.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OKWXSxEy8cE/Sw0mA1kVP4I/AAAAAAAAATQ/5Ka1uZm9IC4/s320/13596599.jpg" /></a>Everybody knows what's for dinner the day after Thanksgiving--turkey leftovers! But what do Americans eat the night before? Take a guess. Give up?<br />
</div><div><br />
Pizza! According to Pizza Marketplace, Thanksgiving eve is one of the top three nights during the year for pizza delivery. (The other two are Super Bowl Sunday and Halloween.) It makes perfect sense. After a long day of menu planning and pre-holiday preparations, who the heck wants to cook?<br />
<br />
Since Denton is a two-college town, finding decent pizza is a piece of...well...pie. There are plenty of places that deliver, but if you wait until you're hungry to pick up the phone, you may be sorry. While these restaurants will do their best to handle the volume of orders, expect a longer wait than usual for your pizza to show up at your door. Even so, be nice to the delivery person and give him or her some love--in the form of dollar bills, if course. (Delivery drivers have to eat too, y'know.)<br />
<br />
</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OKWXSxEy8cE/Sw0k5TT-J3I/AAAAAAAAATA/ajXb2_DDZQ0/s1600/41721d07e36650b0.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OKWXSxEy8cE/Sw0k5TT-J3I/AAAAAAAAATA/ajXb2_DDZQ0/s200/41721d07e36650b0.jpeg" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OKWXSxEy8cE/Sw0k5TT-J3I/AAAAAAAAATA/ajXb2_DDZQ0/s1600/41721d07e36650b0.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
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</a><br />
</div></div><div>You can find a complete listing of local pizzerias in the Yellow Pages, so I won't list them here. However, for your convenience, here's a few favorites, listed in no particular order:<br />
</div><div><br />
<b>J & J's Pizza On the Square</b><br />
118 W Oak St, Denton, TX<br />
(940) 382-7769<br />
Chicago-style crust ~ Voted Best Pizza by University of North Texas Daily<br />
<br />
<b>Fera's Pasta & Pizza</b><br />
1407 W Oak St, Denton, TX<br />
(940) 382-9577<br />
Formerly Bari's ~ Located near the UNT campus<br />
</div><div><br />
<b>Hotbox Pizza</b><br />
214 E Hickory St, Denton, TX<br />
(940) 387-5800<br />
New to Denton ~ Offers whole-grain pizza crust, pesto as an optional sauce<br />
<br />
<b>Vercelli's Pizza and Pasta</b><br />
208 W. McCart Street, Krum, Texas<br />
(940) 482-6051<br />
Features lunchtime pizza buffet as well as evening delivery<br />
<br />
<b>TJ's Pizza Wings and Things</b><br />
420 South Carroll #102, Denton, TX<br />
(940) 382-8777<br />
In Denton since 1991<br />
<br />
<b>Olive Branch Pizza</b><br />
1776 Teasley Lane, Denton, TX<br />
(940) 566-2239<br />
Locally-owned ~ 24 years<br />
<br />
<b>Double Dave's Pizzaworks</b><br />
220 W University Dr, Denton, TX<br />
(940) 243-3283<br />
Features deep-dish pizza, Offers daily buffet. Order online at www.doubledaves.com<br />
<br />
$-$$<br />
<div><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 11px;"><br />
</span></span><br />
</div></div>Here's my creds.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17094772973551424361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6381697255139133753.post-73387172507344008942009-11-20T13:29:00.000-08:002009-11-21T05:39:05.062-08:00Ravelin Bakery, Denton, TX<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Hi, I'm EJ, and I'm a breadaholic. This is why I have to force myself to drive past Ravelin Bakery when I'm in the neighborhood. But occasionally I do stop to partake in whatever slice of yumminess jumps out at me through the glass-covered cases. Usually it's one of any number of muffins, which are my true downfall, although I'm really, really partial to the Russian Tea Cookies. Ravelin's lemon bars are most excellent too and give me a jolt in my jaw, if you know what I mean. There are so many choices, I rarely get out of there without an assortment.<br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">So anyway, Thanksgiving is coming, and Ravelin gears up for the big occasion, focusing all its attention on baking pies and breads and some other baked goods to have on hand when family comes for a visit. So here's the skinny (yes, that's supposed to be funny!) about the best bakery in North Texas, also posted on www.goodtastebuds.com.<br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Eat slowly and carry a big fork,<br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">~ ej<br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">AS EASY AS PIE!<br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Take One Home for Thanksgiving<br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">By Ellen "EJ" Sackett<br />
<br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OKWXSxEy8cE/SwcKb1R33fI/AAAAAAAAAS4/zGdPHwb-OtU/s1600/RavelinPie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OKWXSxEy8cE/SwcKb1R33fI/AAAAAAAAAS4/zGdPHwb-OtU/s320/RavelinPie.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Have I got pies for you! Ravelin Bakery is baking pies, sweet pastries and other doughy delights to order for the holidays. With Thanksgiving less than a week away, make haste while the batter's hot. You'll be sure to impress the family with a crust that's flakier than Grandma's. But don't wait until the last minute to decide; it gets pretty busy in the Ravelin kitchen this time of year. Orders are available for pick-up through Wednesday, November 25 (except Monday when the store is closed).<br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Here's the Thanksgiving Menu:<br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">9" Bread Pudding ~ $32.00<br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">9" Old-fashioned Chocolate Cake ~ $40.95<br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Pecan Pie ~ $20.50<br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Chocolate Pecan Pie ~ $21.50<br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Pumpkin Pie ~ $13.75<br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Sweet Potato Pie ~ $13.75<br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Buttermilk Pie ~ $16.50<br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Key Lime Pie ~ $16.00<br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Apple Pie ~ $18.50<br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Cherry Pie ~ $23.00<br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Apple Almond Tart ~ $23.00<br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Cherry Almond Tart ~ $23.00<br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Cherry Struedel ~ $16.00<br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Apple Struedel ~ $16.00<br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Pumpkin Bread ~ $4.95<br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Mini Croissants (1 dozen) ~ $11.00<br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Cranberry Pecan Bread will also be available on the day before Thanksgiving in addition to Ravelin's fresh artisan breads, made with their own starter. Breads available daily include country sourdough, hearty five-grain, three seed, Bavarian rye, French loaf and baguettes.<br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Be on the lookout after Thanksgiving for Ravelin's holiday table, which will include baked goodies you can give as presents, such as packaged breads and cookies, fruitcake and traditional German Stollen.<br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Even if you don't need help with your holiday meals, stop by Ravelin's sometime for a sumptious breakfast pastry, cookie or coffee cake, and pour yourself a cup of coffee to go with. Ravelin also bakes cakes in a variety of sizes to order with one or two day's notice. While you're there, don't forget to pick up a loaf of one of the specialty breads--the list changes daily.<br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Ravelin Bakery is a not-so-secret secret. Owners Eric and Pamela Helland don't have to advertise, nor do they have a website. Nonetheless, the word is out. Since they opened their doors to Denton eight years ago, they built their success on providing quality baked goods made with whole, all natural ingredients, 100% from scratch. What more need I say?<br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">$$<br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Ravelin Bakery<br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">416 S. Elm Street, Denton, Texas<br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">(940) 382-8561<br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Hours: Tuesday through Saturday ~ 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.<br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Sunday ~ 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.<br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Closed Monday<br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Thanksgiving Hours:<br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Closed Thursday & Friday, November 26 & 27<br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Open regular hours on Saturday & Sunday, November 28 & 29<br />
</div>Here's my creds.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17094772973551424361noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6381697255139133753.post-13523408343647211642009-11-19T08:16:00.000-08:002009-11-19T08:19:43.971-08:00Yesterday evening at Hannah'sLast night I had a leisurely conversation with Chef Sheena Croft at Hannah's Off-the-Square. It was unusual to have her undivided attention as she is typically tied up in the kitchen. But last night she had some free time, so she came out to the table to chat with me and my husband.<br />
<br />
Let me insert that we had a wonderful meal. I had the melt-in-your-mouth buttery sea scallops with the risotto, my favorite kind of comfort food. SS had the vegetarian special--mostly to please me, I think, since I considered that too. Both dishes were out of this world. The vegetarian plate came with mashed potatoes, spinach, and asparagus. I particularly liked the tomato au gratin, and SS was generous to share his with me. (Although I did trade him a scallop.)<br />
<br />
Back to the conversation. One of the most important parts of running a fine-dining restaurant, as opposed to a repeatery, is getting fresh, seasonal produce and consistently high-quality meat and seafood. The problem with a set menu is that diners come to expect their favorite menu items. But what if the sea scallops are too gritty? Sheena has to send them back. She can't serve them if they aren't up to snuff and maintain the integrity of the dish. She told us that when she can't provide a menu item because of a bad food source, she'll get calls and comment card complaints from irate customers. But how can she serve less-than-quality food and keep up the restaurant's reputation?<br />
<br />
Corporate-run repeateries buy their produce seasonally in huge quantities and freeze the ingredients for later use. They hire other companies to build the menu items based on the specifications of that restaurant chain's chief culinary chefs. Those menu items come to each restaurant's back door frozen. The individual repeatery then reheats the food and adds sauces or whatever before it comes to your table. So when you go to Applebee's or Chili's or any other those kinds of restaurants, the food is always the same. This mass-production is also why repeateries can afford to keep costs lower. Not so with a small, privately-run restaurant, that build everything from fresh and from scratch.<br />
<br />
But the problem is, many customers aren't that discriminating, nor do they know to appreciate the differences between the two types of dining experiences. They want value for the buck, they want their expectations surpassed. Most don't want to gamble on their dining experience. It's a tough audience to play to, and the small restaurant business is tough to be in, when every meal is based on variables, especially if you are a true culinary artist as Sheena Croft is.<br />
<br />
Good news. Hannah's new dinner menu is coming soon--maybe as early as next week. I've been informed: the sea scallops made the cut. (Whew!) And Sheena is considering offering the vegetarian plate that SS ordered as a permanent fixture on the menu. I vote yes.<br />
<br />
BTW, the new lunch, brunch and bar menus are already out. I ordered Hermalinda's Chicken Tamale Plate--two chicken tamales with corn masa, made with scrambled eggs, cotija cheese, diced tomatoes and two small red and green salsa sides. That's the menu description, although mine also had black beans and a half of an avocado. I have no idea who Hermalinda is, but her chicken tamales rock! I could've used a lot more salsa, however, because tamales have a tendency to be a little dry. That's not a complaint, mind you. That's just my preference.<br />
<br />
I must tell you something funny, though. Hannah's basic napkin is cream-colored to match their tablecloths, but they leave a cream film on my black pants. I've filled out many-a-comment card with a request that they reconsider the use of these particular napkins, to no avail. Hannah's does have black napkins, and so unbeknownst to me until my conversation with Sheena last night, the servers have been informed to make sure I always have a black napkin. Sure enough, when SS and I arrived, one of the waiters ran over to our table, just as I was about to put that awful cream-colored napkin on my lap. I wasn't paying attention, but he certainly was! I think it's hilarious that I get this special treatment, but more to the point: shouldn't Hannah's just replace the napkins? I can't possibly be the only diner who wears black pants. (Maybe I'm just the only one willing to speak up.)<br />
<br />
I'm currently waiting for FedEx to deliver my new MacBook Pro. I'm already drooling thinking of all the possibilities once I get it in my hot little hands...!<br />
<br />
Here's a photo of Hermalinda's Chicken Tamale plate so you have something to drool over too....<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OKWXSxEy8cE/SwVuwwHuHGI/AAAAAAAAASg/06LuKqN7liM/s1600/Hermalinda%27sTamales1JPG.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OKWXSxEy8cE/SwVuwwHuHGI/AAAAAAAAASg/06LuKqN7liM/s320/Hermalinda%27sTamales1JPG.JPG" /></a><br />
</div>Here's my creds.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17094772973551424361noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6381697255139133753.post-21445089599605247542009-11-16T15:05:00.000-08:002009-11-16T17:36:30.703-08:00FARE SQUARE ~ Hannah's Carrot Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OKWXSxEy8cE/SwCI6Uy05iI/AAAAAAAAAPg/RxGnl0PuEnE/s1600-h/Hannah%27sCarrotCake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OKWXSxEy8cE/SwCI6Uy05iI/AAAAAAAAAPg/RxGnl0PuEnE/s200/Hannah%27sCarrotCake.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>YES, YOU CAN HAVE YOUR CAKE <br />
<br />
By Ellen "EJ" Sackett<br />
<br />
Have you eaten your vegetables today? Call it a serving or call it a religious experience; you can get your daily requirement in one fell swoop by ordering a slice of carrot cake from Hannah's Off-the-Square. Each cake is made with two pounds of carrots (never mind the sugar), sure to improve your eyesight and elevate your mood. It looks as incredible as it tastes, covered with cream cheese icing, spaghetti-length curly-Q strands of fresh carrots and a slice of orange. These aren't just for show. Combine the citrus with the crunchy and the creamy, and you'll have a sensory experience like none other that will leave you giddy for more. It's possible to get more, too. Order a few days ahead, and you can purchase an entire carrot cake to take home for $30 plus tax. (Psssst, the recipe is hush-hush, so don't even ask.)<br />
<br />
Hannah's Off-the Square, 111 West Mulberry, Denton, Texas<br />
(940) 566-1110<br />
www.hannahsoffthesquare.com<br />
Hours:<br />
Lunch - Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.<br />
Brunch - Saturday & Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.<br />
Dinner - Sunday & Monday, 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Tues through Thurs 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday & Saturday, 4:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.<br />
Happy Hour - Monday through Friday, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.<br />
<br />
*Originally posted on <a href="http://www.goodtastebuds.com/">www.goodtastebuds.com</a> (October 26, 2009)Here's my creds.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17094772973551424361noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6381697255139133753.post-75665219434363648302009-11-15T14:55:00.000-08:002009-11-15T22:09:30.422-08:00Pourhouse Sports Grill, Denton, Texas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OKWXSxEy8cE/SwCGvYeusrI/AAAAAAAAAPY/C5ALi3dnKlA/s1600-h/PourhouseBlueBurger.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OKWXSxEy8cE/SwCGvYeusrI/AAAAAAAAAPY/C5ALi3dnKlA/s320/PourhouseBlueBurger.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><br />
SCORE IT BIG AT POURHOUSE SPORTS GRILL<br />
<br />
by Ellen "EJ" Sackett<br />
<br />
You don't have to love sports to love Pourhouse Sports Grill--but it helps. Bright paintings of sports super heroes at their peak and large flat-screen HDTVs surround the spacious main dining room and hang above the bar. You can't ignore the action of a different game on every channel, which can be a bit distracting when you're trying to engage in dinner conversation. But hey, it's a sports bar. That's what it's all about. Almost.<br />
<br />
This isn't the kind of sports bar that's full of rowdy fanatics, screaming obscenities at the televisions (although sometimes there are a few who get pretty excited). No, this is a classy place where you'd comfortable bringing your grandparents for drinks and a pleasant, not too expensive meal. The beer, wine, specialty drink and martini list is impressive, and there are daily happy hour specials. The menu covers the gamut, and the portions would feed a starving football team at the end of a too-close-to-call game. <br />
<br />
You can expect to find typical bar food at Pourhouse, but with a whole lot more variety. Light up your taste buds with the trash can nachos, a serious amount of queso, chili, jalapeños, tomatoes and sour cream piled over red, blue and yellow corn chips. Instead of a plain 'ol burger, have one with a kick, like the Baja Burger made with Jack Cheese and fried jalapeños, or try to wrap your mouth around the bleu burger that comes with a sweet port wine sauce, roasted shallots and a huge hunk of bleu cheese on top. Another good choice is the Pourhouse's version of a club sandwich--the Homerun Grilled Club--cut into quarters, with turkey, ham, applewood smoked bacon, tomatoes, American cheese and barbecue sauce on sourdough bread. Combine it with a side of drippy, mayonnaise-y coleslaw, a big fat helping of big fat French fries or sweet potato fries and a cold, draft Franconia for a perfect sports bar kind of meal. <br />
<br />
If you're looking for something you don't readily find in Texas, order the Classic Cuban sandwich that could pass for German, made with sliced pork and ham and covered with melted Swiss cheese on a grilled ciabatta roll with mustard and a dill pickle. Texans usually have to venture up north for a French Dipped Sandwich, but Pourhouse makes its own version of a pot roast beef sandwich on a French roll with carmelized onions, served au jus. That's French for "with its own juice", but here in North Texas we say, "Good for soppin'."<br />
<br />
The Pourhouse's thin-crusted, wood-fired pizzas stand out for their fresh ingredients. The combinations, such as the BBQ Chicken or the Hawaiian made with ham and pineapple, might a little adventurous for some pallets but are worth a try. My favorite is the Margherita, made with sliced tomatoes and tomato sauce, mozzarella, sprinkled with fresh basil. Customers can also create their custom pizza from a selective list of ingredients. One pizza is plenty to share as an appetizer or will feed a hungry person as a meal.<br />
<br />
Specialty main courses of the Pourhouse include: a chicken fried steak smothered with creamy gravy touted as "The Real Deal"; southern fried shrimp, hand-breaded and comes with cocktail sauce, creole tartar sauce, or spice orange marmalade; a juicy rotisserie chicken, a 12-ounce black Angus rib eye grilled to your liking and the chef's private recipe of shrimp creole, served over spicy rice, which our server from Louisiana said was her favorite dish on the menu. Each of these comes with two vegetable or potato side dishes. <br />
<br />
Healthy-minded diners will go out of their way for the generous salads. The Rotisserie Chicken Chop Salad is an attractive arrangement of roasted chicken, tomatoes, corn, black beans and avocado layered over lettuce. The Country Cobb is equally delicious, made with smoked bacon, smoked turkey, mozzarella, avocado, tomatoes and a hard-boiled egg. Seafood lovers will favor the Seafood Cobb, and you can never go wrong with Chicken Caesar. <br />
<br />
But who wants to be healthy? Finish off the meal with dessert. There's something for everybody's sweet tooth. Tops on my list is the brownie bottom sundae, starting with a chewy pecan brownie topped with vanilla ice cream, homemade chocolate sauce, and for overkill, a dollop of whipped cream. The warm white chocolate bread pudding soaked in a hot buttery rum sauce, is equally rich, and cobbler fans can take a chance on the unusual carmel-covered apple walnut concoction with a scoop of vanilla ice cream atop a hard, square wafer. For a lighter dessert, go for the tangy key lime pie. <br />
<br />
The Pourhouse's lunch menu, offered Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., is reasonably priced at $6.49 and includes smaller portions of many dinner menu selections. A kid's menu is available too with the usual child-friendly choices: mac and cheese, corny dog, chicken strips, a kid's burger or a mini- cheese or pepperoni pizza. <br />
<br />
Make sure to check out the theater-style media room, which boasts a gigonormous 110-inch TV/projector flanked by four smaller, but still large flatscreen TVs, and a state-of-the-art sound system. The room seats up to 75 people and is available for parties and business presentations. Semi-private areas for smaller parties from 8 to 18 people can also be reserved ahead of time with the events coordinator. Pourhouse also provides in-house catering. <br />
<br />
But you say you're not a sports fan? You're still in luck. Pourhouse has one of the best outdoor seating areas in this part of Texas, feet away from the banks of Unicorn Lake. You may have to put up with some smoke or a rambunctious table, but the serene view at sunset with a glass of Merlot will take you down a notch. At that point, who cares about the noise or whose team is losing? You're the winner.<br />
<br />
$-$$<br />
<br />
Pourhouse Sports Grill, 3350 Unicorn Lake Blvd, Denton, TX <br />
(940) 484-7455 ~ www.pourhousegrill.com<br />
E-mail: info@pourhousegrill.com<br />
Hours: Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.<br />
Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.<br />
<br />
*Originally posted on <a href="http://www.goodtastebuds.com/">www.goodtastebuds.com</a> (October 20, 2009)Here's my creds.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17094772973551424361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6381697255139133753.post-12325148824969854452009-11-15T14:48:00.000-08:002009-11-15T16:34:13.772-08:00Crickles & Co., Corinith, Texas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OKWXSxEy8cE/SwCFEbn_a0I/AAAAAAAAAPQ/47CidHlM_rE/s1600-h/Cricklesbreakfast.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OKWXSxEy8cE/SwCFEbn_a0I/AAAAAAAAAPQ/47CidHlM_rE/s200/Cricklesbreakfast.JPG" /></a>MAKE IT CRICKLELIOUS!<br />
<br />
by Ellen "EJ" Sackett<br />
<br />
If it weren't for a Facebook post from a friend who lives on the opposite side of Dallas from me, I would have never known about Crickles and Company, a yummy breakfast place, right in my own backyard. It's funny I never heard of Crickles before. There's not many restaurants in Corinth, Texas, and I know them all. Or so I thought.<br />
<br />
But there's a good reason why this particular one missed my radar. Crickles and Co. subleases space in another restaurant, NY Sub Hub, in a strip mall off of Swisher Road, and is only in operation from 6:30 to 10 a.m. Only a free-standing easel in front helps to entice potential customers, and since this is not a heavily trafficked area in the morning, Crickles must rely largely on advertising and word of mouth.<br />
<br />
There's not a lot of atmosphere given that the location is a sub shop, but the good food makes up for the decor. For a to-go-style joint, the breakfast menu was surprisingly extensive. It was hard to choose between the many breakfast taco combinations, which all use eggs and cheddar cheese as their basis. The Breakfast Taco Baskets also come with Rosemary Potatoes and homemade salsa. If you're hungrier, you can create your own ommelette from thirteen ingredients, or if you just want something light to take on the road, the breakfast croissants and sandwiches will do the trick. Pancake and French toast lovers can slather syrup to their heart's content here too.<br />
<br />
I had a South of the Border Burrito without the sausage. The flour tortilla containing egg, cheese, potato, onion, and tomatoes arrived hot, wrapped in foil. For the price, I was disappointed in its size but not the flavor. It came with a side of the salsa, and the owner presented me with a taste of warm peaches and cream. Made with canned peach slices, the idea was better than the execution. <br />
<br />
Still hungry, I went back for little extra something sweet. I was torn between the Sticky Bun and the Cinnamon Roll, tempting me on the counter. I went with the roll, covered with a cream cheese frosting, which melted into the pastry once warmed in the microwave--making it a truly sinful breakfast dessert. I was told by the owner that her daughter is the baker, who has culinary training and has worked at such fine dining restaurants as Craft Restaurant in the W Hotel and The French Room at the Adolphus Hotel in Dallas.<br />
<br />
A glance at the Crickles website gave me more insight. Sweets and pastries are their specialty, and in addition to the menu choices, they also offer cheesecakes, cookies, layer cakes, pies and cobbles, as well as squares and bars.<br />
<br />
Crickles and Co. also caters. Some suggested themed meals are: a barbecue buffet, a gameday spread, an Italian feast, a Mexican fiesta and a Texas Chili buffet. Within each theme are a variety of main course options and side dishes as well as desserts.<br />
<br />
If you're hungry and are on your way north from Dallas to Oklahoma during the early hours, or if you are headed south to Dallas on your morning commute, consider taking the time to exit Swisher Road for a bite at Crickles and Co. It's worth going a little out of your way.<br />
<br />
$<br />
<br />
Crickles and Co.<br />
4271 FM 2181, Suite 308 (Off of Swisher Road in the Albertson's Shopping Area near Radio Shack)<br />
Corinth, TX<br />
Breakfast Served Monday through Saturday, 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.<br />
(214) 476-2568<br />
(940) 497-2530Here's my creds.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17094772973551424361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6381697255139133753.post-86658183020480557922009-11-15T14:42:00.000-08:002009-11-15T22:10:52.806-08:00Burgundy Steak & Seafood Restaurant, Denton, Texas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><br />
LOVE IS AT THE HEART OF BURGUNDY<br />
<br />
By Ellen "EJ" Sackett<br />
<br />
Now that New Years is out of the way, it's time to be thinking ahead to the next big holiday: Valentine's Day. With just over a month away, it's time to make those reservations now to take your sweetie out for an expensive romantic dinner.<br />
<br />
In Denton, Texas, my choice for date night is Burgundy Restaurant, opulent without being pretentious, decorated in rich, warm golds and deep reds as the name suggests. It is located west of the Downtown Square, next to the Campus Theatre. (Unfortunately, the Campus is dark on Valentine's Day this year, but check its Web site at www.campustheatre.com for upcoming events to combine dinner at Burgundy with a live performance.)<br />
<br />
At Burgundy, you'll be greeted by the door by Tony Huda or his wife, Melissa, whose heart and soul touches every aspect of the dining experience. Simply put, they love their restaurant and want you to love it too. <br />
<br />
Before you are seated, cuddle up with a drink on the black leather couch by the entrance. If it's your first date, you may want to sit at the beautiful back-lit bar and chat with Tony or watch a bit of the ballgame on the big screen HDTV. Burgundy has a fine wine list and a full assortment of liquor. Take your time to decide. Dinner awaits, but there's no rush.<br />
<br />
The dining room is cozy, but the tables are far enough apart that you won't be disturbed by neighboring guests. If you are fortunate, first-class jazz guitarist Joseph Gomez will be performing quietly in the corner, or you may hear Frank Sinatra piped in overhead. Kick off your heels under the table, ladies. What's a romantic dinner without a little footsie with your tootsie?<br />
<br />
The servers are friendly, yet professional. They are informed about the menu, offered on a one-page board that isn't extensive, but selective. Burgundy mainly serves seafood and steak, although there is one lamb dish, a duck au poivre, and a chicken entreé as well. The Steak and Lobster Tail combo, rarely offered at Denton restaurants, is an occasional specialty of the house. The Shrimp Tower served over rice is excellent and reliable, and any of the steak cuts (Bone-in Rib-Eye with Peppercorn, New York Strip, and the Filet Mignon) are done to perfection as you like them. The Sea Scallop over spinach is another satisfying choice, and the Seabass In Orange Terragon Beure Blanc over Sauteed Zucchini and Squash never fails to please. <br />
<br />
The portions are not large at Burgundy, so you may want to choose an appetizer or salad before the main course. A plain white bread basket comes with three choices of butter: sweet, fruit and jalapeño, and a sorbet sample comes between courses to cleanse the palette--other nice touches from the Hudas for their guests. Vegetarians may want to choose from the side dishes ala carte, but for $6 each, the amounts are small. <br />
<br />
Follow dinner with dessert with coffee or a port wine, and then hold hands while you take a stroll around the historical Denton Square, lit year-round with twinkly white lights. This completes the perfect romantic evening--or who knows? Perhaps your night out at Burgundy will be the perfect prelude to a romantic evening in.<br />
<br />
$$$<br />
<br />
Burgundy Restaurant, 222 W Hickory Street, Denton, Texas<br />
(940) 384-1800<br />
<br />
Hours:<br />
Open for dinner only, Mondays through Saturdays, 4:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.<br />
Closed on Sundays<br />
<br />
*Originally posted on <a href="http://www.goodtastebuds.com/">www.goodtastebuds.com</a> (January 3, 2009)Here's my creds.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17094772973551424361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6381697255139133753.post-27234249639865636292009-11-15T14:36:00.000-08:002009-11-15T16:36:06.019-08:00Rudy's Country Store and B-B-Q, Denton, Texas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OKWXSxEy8cE/SwCBwOC8fRI/AAAAAAAAAOw/Jy-Nd-w436I/s1600-h/Rudy%27sSign.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OKWXSxEy8cE/SwCBwOC8fRI/AAAAAAAAAOw/Jy-Nd-w436I/s1600-h/Rudy%27sSign.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OKWXSxEy8cE/SwCBwOC8fRI/AAAAAAAAAOw/Jy-Nd-w436I/s320/Rudy%27sSign.JPG" /></a><br />
</div>RUDY'S B-B-Q SAVES THE DAY!<br />
<br />
By Ellen "EJ" Sackett<br />
<br />
It was 10:30 a.m. I had an outdoor party to throw and only a few hours to prepare for it. The guest of honor was a friend visiting from Japan, and we wanted to show him a good ol' Texas time. At first, I planned on going to the supermarket and picking up hamburger fixin's and a few sides from the grocery deli. But then it dawned on me: What could be better than to offer our Japanese guest barbecue? <br />
<br />
I remembered a barbecue joint along the highway I hadn't been to in a while. It was a friendly place, where customers stood in line to place their order, choose their beer from an ice-filled trough, then chose from one of many folding chairs along the rows of tables lined up like a church social. Taking a chance, I stopped in to see if Rudy's could help me at the last minute.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OKWXSxEy8cE/SwCCOXpSUbI/AAAAAAAAAO4/aRjWDBRMej0/s1600-h/Rudy%27sInside.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OKWXSxEy8cE/SwCCOXpSUbI/AAAAAAAAAO4/aRjWDBRMej0/s320/Rudy%27sInside.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><br />
The young woman behind the counter at the front of Rudy's Country Store was an expert in handling to-go orders and catered events. She offered several recommendations and gave me samples to taste. After considering the options, I ended up with a combination of smoked brisket, turkey, sausage, St. Louis ribs and a couple of chickens with sides of creamed corn and coleslaw. The price, on par with what I expected to pay at the grocery store, included one regular and one "sissy" bottle of Rudy's B-B-Q sause [sic], pickles, onions, jalapeños, cutlery, napkins and even a plastic table cloth! I was set. <br />
<br />
For more money, I could've added pork loin and chopped beef, or one of the other sides such as potato salad, pinto beans, green bean salad or corn-on-the-cob. Dessert is another add-on, which includes a choice of banana pudding or peach cobbler, and ice tea, both sweetened and unsweetened, are available. <br />
<br />
I made arrangements to pick up my order at 1 p.m. and it was ready to go when I arrived. Several employees armed with foil tins lined up to carry the food to my car. Each tray was clearly labeled, so unpacking the steaming contents once I arrived at my destination was a cinch. I have never thrown a party with such ease.<br />
<br />
The party was a hit. My guests raved about the tender meat, and one of them even said it was the best barbecue he'd ever had. I could've made a meal on the creamed corn alone. My Japanese friend enjoyed the Texas-style tradition too. The best part? I had time to enjoy myself and my friends. The next time I throw a party, I'll remember Rudy's. <br />
<br />
$-$$<br />
<br />
Rudy's Country Store and B-B-Q<br />
520 South I-35 E, Denton, Texas 76205<br />
(940) 484-7839<br />
(Additional locations in Carlisle and Coors, NM; Norman, OK, as well as Amarillo, Austin, Brownsville, College Station, Corpus Christi, Del Rio, El Paso, Frisco, Laredo, Leon Springs, Lubbock, New Braunfels, Pharr, Round Rock, Sea World, Selma, Spring, Tyler and Waco, TX.)<br />
www.rudysbbq.com<br />
<br />
*Originally posted on <a href="http://www.goodtastebuds.com/">www.goodtastebuds.com</a> (November 19, 2008)Here's my creds.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17094772973551424361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6381697255139133753.post-55945676179119265432009-11-15T14:26:00.000-08:002009-11-15T16:31:51.939-08:00Sweetwater Grill & Tavern, Denton, Texas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>MIND YOUR BELLY<br />
<br />
By Ellen "EJ" Sackett<br />
<br />
Sweetwater Grill & Tavern has that worn-out, but loved-long look about it. This corner pub, one block south of Denton's downtown square, is a haloed hangout. Founded in 1996 by Restauranteur Bob Harmon and Chef Jimmy Meredith, it's overdue for an overhaul but draws a steady following nonetheless. Regulars include the line-the-bar locals, the take-off-your-tie happy hour cronies, and the too-hip-to-be-cool college kids. And then there are those like me, who simply need a Sweetwater fix.<br />
<br />
If it's a nice day (and it almost always is), expect the garage-door style windows to be open to the patio. The air is filled with a mix of conversations bursting with laughter, classic rock playing in the background, and the drone of overhead ceiling fans whose sole purpose is to stir up cigarette smoke.<br />
<br />
At first you might notice the crumbling cement floor beneath you, the weathered wooden tables and chairs, the sticky laminated menus, and wonder how all of this got past the last health inspector. But before long you'll be absorbed in conversation with friends, enjoying a few hours of free time with no responsibility. Forget the dingy surroundings. Instead, look up at the cheery colored lights strung overhead. That's the Tao of Sweetwater.<br />
<br />
It might take a while for your twenty-something server in tattered jeans and a T-shirt to notice you. In the meantime, you eyeball the menu, equally split between good and bad for you. You contemplate one of Sweetwater's kiss-a** hamburgers—blackened, perhaps? With blue cheese and bacon? Jalapenos or guacamole? But you go with the old standby—Chicken Enchiladas. Your spouse debates getting the Southwest Pasta with grilled shrimp in a rich creamy sauce or the Frito Pie with a bowl of gumbo soup, but he ultimately decides on the 12 ounce Rib Eye. You note one particular line on the menu: ...Fried Bologna Sandwich...$4.99..... W/bottle of DOM...$195.00. Does anybody actually order this, you laugh? Then you remember why you're here.<br />
<br />
Dinner takes a while, but no worries. Look up at the colored lights. Breathe in some of that second-hand smoke. Catch your server as he flies by and order the fried pickles and a frozen margarita, which will come long before the food. Talk over the rev of a motorcycle engine about something innocuous, like the weather or the last movie you saw, or trade jokes with the customers at the next table. Hum along with The Eagles, and squint to see the football scores on the TV inside the next room.<br />
<br />
At last, the meal arrives. As always, the food is pretty much the same. The chicken enchiladas come with black beans and rice on a plate that's way too hot to touch with way more cheese than your diet allows. The rib eye comes medium rather than medium rare, but it's a good enough cut to eat without having to send it back. The mashed potatoes are sufficiently comforting, although the side salad is ho-hum: mostly iceberg lettuce slathered with creamy ranch dressing. It's predictable and familiar. But isn't that the point?<br />
<br />
Peach is the cobbler of the day, but instead you choose the Bread Pudding smothered with hot Whiskey Sauce--worth every lovin' spoonful. You feel grateful to be American just so you can eat decadent desserts in a place like this. After a few minutes, the bread starts to expand in your stomach and you wonder how you're going to make it to the car. Seriously.<br />
<br />
You eyeball a skinny co-ed in short shorts at a neighboring table, spooning the Smoked Shrimp and Scallops marinated in Pico Salsa into her tiny little mouth, and swear you're going to order that or the Grilled Vegetable Plate next time. At least you promise to forgo the Bread Pudding.<br />
<br />
Then you remember why you came.<br />
<br />
$-$$<br />
<br />
Sweetwater Grill and Tavern<br />
115 S. Elm Street<br />
Denton, Texas 76201<br />
(940) 484-2888<br />
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. - 2 a.m.<br />
Sunday and Monday, 11 a.m. - midnight<br />
<br />
*Originally posted on <a href="http://www.goodtastebuds.com/">www.goodtastebuds.com</a> (October 10, 2008) While the menu has since changed slightly and the prices have increased, the atmosphere remains the same.Here's my creds.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17094772973551424361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6381697255139133753.post-77453063829090031812009-11-15T14:04:00.000-08:002009-11-15T22:12:11.382-08:00Miguelito's Mexican Restaurant, Krum, TexasMIGUELITO'S MAKES ITS MARK<br />
<br />
by Ellen "EJ" Sackett<br />
<br />
What’s the mark of a successful restaurant? If it works once, do it again. If two is even better, then why not? Go for three! Three's the charm.<br />
<br />
That’s what Miquelito’s Mexican Restaurant has done. Owners Vinny and Diana Cruz started with “good” in downtown Krum, Texas and it's only getting better. After the Krum location proved successful, the Cruz's built a restaurant and bar in Sanger, easily accessed from Interstate-35 going to or from Oklahoma from Texas. Now Denton, the apex of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, has a Miguelito’s too, with a full-service bar and a large outdoor patio. <br />
<br />
Its customers tend to be partial to whichever location they frequent. My favorite is in Krum. The restaurant itself is nothing fancy, well-worn (well-loved?) and out of the way—that is, unless you’re passing through town. There’s no daily specials, no dress code, no placemats or table cloths on the plain wooden tables. Those who repeatedly come to Mig’s—as it’s affectionately called by those of us who can’t get enough of it—come to eat. <br />
<br />
Mig’s customers tend to be partial to their favorite dishes too, often sticking with one and never venturing beyond. A friend who has been going to Mig’s for years always orders the Number 9 from the lunch menu, which translates as two beef enchiladas with rice and beans. My husband orders the succulent grilled shrimp fajitas or the grilled chicken fajita nachos with added onions. I tend to go for the chicken and spinach quesadillas and add verde (green) sauce. That, with a side of Mig’s guacamole or a bowl of warm chile con queso is, as my husband says, “just about right.” <br />
<br />
Those who love Tex-Mex can always get all of the standard fare: fajitas, nachos, quesadillas, flautas, tacos, enchiladas, chimichangas and huevos rancheros. Those who want more authentic Mexican food should order off the dinner menu and try the Beef Steak a la Mexicana made with filet mignon, or the Shrimp a la Parilla, made with the same butterflied shrimp as the grilled fajitas, but with cheese, zucchini, corn and rice. Where else can you get Nopalitos con Puerco en Chili Rojo: braised port with cactus strips? But hey, if none of that grabs you, order the cheeseburger. Surprise! It’s good too. <br />
<br />
It’s best to scrape off some of the Monterey Jack cheese off of many of their selections, and beware of snarfing too many chips that come with the salsa before the meal, addictive on most days, occasionally too hot on others. Skip the Cheesecake Chimi, but find room for a bite of traditional flan or a warm sopapilla. (That’s Spanish for Mmmm, mmmm, good!) <br />
<br />
<i>Our deepest condolences go to Vinny Cruz, his family, and the Serna family for the passing of our friend, Diana Cruz, on June 12, 2009. She was a wonderful woman and a pillar of the North Texas community. She is greatly missed by all who knew and loved her. <br />
</i><br />
$-$$<br />
<br />
Miguelito’s Restaurants: <br />
241 W. McCart, Krum, TX (940) 482-7007<br />
Hours: Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Closed Monday<br />
<br />
1412 N. Stemmons Blvd., (I-35), Sanger, TX (940) 458-0073<br />
Hours: Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Closed Monday<br />
<br />
420 E. McKinney Ave., Denton, TX (940) 566-1671<br />
Hours: Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.<br />
<br />
*Originally posted on <a href="http://www.goodtastebuds.com/">www.goodtastebuds.com</a> (January 30, 2008)Here's my creds.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17094772973551424361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6381697255139133753.post-52336578193447167022009-11-15T13:58:00.001-08:002009-11-15T13:58:53.345-08:00Chestnut Tree Tea Room, Denton, Texas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OKWXSxEy8cE/SwB5h9dEkHI/AAAAAAAAAOg/A89aOiYleLE/s1600-h/ChestnutTreeTearoom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OKWXSxEy8cE/SwB5h9dEkHI/AAAAAAAAAOg/A89aOiYleLE/s320/ChestnutTreeTearoom.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><span id="goog_1258320096626"></span><span id="goog_1258320096627"></span>CHESTNUT TREE AND TEA FOR ME<br />
<br />
by Ellen "EJ" Sackett<br />
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My blood pressure drops by degrees when I walk through the primrose and ivy-covered arbor into Chestnut Tree Garden Tea Room, on the south side of the square in historical downtown Denton, Texas. The soothing background music calms my soul, as does the soft lighting, the gentle clatter of silverware and dishes, and the murmur of light, friendly conversation. <br />
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I relax and soak up the warmth of the room. I am surrounded by faux greenery that creates the illusion of a garden courtyard. The sunny-yellow walls are the backdrop for a revolving display of paintings and photographs by area artists mixed among floral tapestries. An assortment of miniature chandeliers and standing lamps provide most of the light in the room, and the cheerful white tables are dressed with hunter green cloth napkins and fanciful salt-and-pepper shakers. Above me, grapevines intertwine with tiny white lights, a bouquet of baskets hangs from the ceiling, and birdhouses and butterflies abound. <br />
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I feel a bit like a little girl at a tea party except that I am surrounded by mostly middle-aged-and-older women as well as a few men. Charles, my waiter, brings a napkin-lined basket of mini-muffins to the table and takes my drink order. I choose the passion fruit-flavored tea and pop the irresistible muffins in my mouth, one after another, first smearing them with Chestnut Tree's extravagant honey and strawberry butters. I'm off to a good start. <br />
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It is late and the usual busy lunch crowd is thinning, so Charles has the leisure to spend some time with me. Based on his suggestions, I choose a variation on the tea plate sampler from the menu. We talk about the celebrities who have eaten at Chestnut Tree, including Kathy Bates and Renee Zellweger, as well as the Denton-based rock band, Midlake, that filmed part of their Hometown Texas town video for MTV in the restaurant. Noticing that I've downed another glass while we chatted, Charles brings me black current iced tea this time--his favorite--to sip on until my lunch arrives. I feel like I'm getting the royal treatment, even if I'm not Renee Zellweger or Kathy Bates. <br />
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Let's talk food. Any sandwich on Chestnut Tree's signature beer bread is a winner. While there are seven other bread choices, the beer bread makes an otherwise ordinary ham and swiss or turkey breast sandwich unforgettable. The egg and chicken salads, not too soggy nor dry, are cut above homemade. The chicken and basil quiche is a sure bet, but so are all five varieties of quiche that sell out every day. I could make a meal of the side broccoli salad it's so yummy, but if I wanted a just a salad for lunch, I'd go with the spinach or the Caesar. I suggest you save enough room for Chestnut Tree's most popular dessert—the Strawberry Pretzel, a typical southern dish made from Jell-O, whipped and cream cheese with a pretzel-butter crust. <br />
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Before I leave, Charles brings me a Peach iced tea to go (it is a tea room, after all), and I take a moment to check out the gift shop that I passed on the way in. I thumb through the restaurant's cookbook. If you can't make it to Denton to eat at Chestnut Tree, then order the book, which has many of this lunch spot's best recipes, for $12.95 plus tax and $5.95 shipping by e-mailing chestnuttree@verizon.net. In my opinion, it's worth double the price.<br />
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Try this popular soup recipe from the new Chestnut Tree Tea Room Cookbook, and let me know what you think:<br />
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Chestnut Tree Tea Room's Baked Potato Soup<br />
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4 large baking potatoes<br />
2/3 C. butter or margarine<br />
2/3 C. all-purpose flour<br />
6 C. milk<br />
3/4 tsp. salt<br />
1/2 tsp. pepper<br />
4 green onions, chopped and divided<br />
12 slices bacon, cooked, crumbled, divided<br />
1-1/4 C. shredded Cheddar cheese, divided<br />
1 (8-oz.) carton of sour cream<br />
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Wash potatoes and prick several times with fork; bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour or until done. Let cool. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise; then scoop out pulp. Melt butter in heavy saucepan over low heat; add all-purpose flour, stirring until smooth. Cook 1 minute, sitrring constantly. Gradually add 6 cups milk; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and bubbles. Add potato pulp, salt, pepper, 2 TBS. green onion, 1/2 C. bacon and 1 cup cheese. Cook until thoroughly heated; stir in sour cream. Add extra milk, if necessary, for desired thickness. Serve with remaining onion, bacon and cheese. Yield: 10 cups.<br />
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$-$$<br />
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Chestnut Tree Tea Room <br />
107 W. Hickory Street, Denton, TX (940) 591-9475<br />
Tea Room Hours: Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. <br />
Gift Shop Hours: Monday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.<br />
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Originally posted on www.goodtastebuds.com (January 29, 2008)Here's my creds.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17094772973551424361noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6381697255139133753.post-24558089613188738082009-11-15T13:18:00.000-08:002009-11-16T05:40:34.515-08:00I Love Sushi Restaurant, Denton, Texas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OKWXSxEy8cE/SwBwT7BjE9I/AAAAAAAAAOQ/deLU0Fg54iQ/s1600-h/I+love+Sushi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OKWXSxEy8cE/SwBwT7BjE9I/AAAAAAAAAOQ/deLU0Fg54iQ/s320/I+love+Sushi.jpg" /></a><br />
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I love sushi at I LOVE SUSHI!<br />
<br />
by Ellen "EJ" Sackett<br />
<br />
Good sushi? In TEXAS? Check out I Love Sushi, the Japanese restaurant in Denton, north of Dallas and Fort Worth. The place could use a renovation, and the name and Korean owners have changed several times, but never fear: as of January 2008, I Love Sushi will make you love sushi too. <br />
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To be honest, I like their sushi rolls the best. I just can't get enough of 'em. I ought to know, since I eat here at least four times a week. <br />
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Let me explain: A sushi roll is made for Americans, who tend to like food on the sweet side--it's definitely not a Japanese creation. If you want to eat real Japanese sushi, stick to what's called Nigiri. That's a bite-sized piece of fish, often times raw, draped over a clump of compressed rice with a little wasabi dabbed in between. If you're not sure you like Japanese food, first try the ever-popular California roll, made from (sometimes artificial) crabmeat. It's good. Really!<br />
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My favorite is called the Alaska Roll. (The name changes, depending on the restaurant.) At I Love Sushi, the Alaska roll is a California roll topped with raw salmon and avocado. Delish! I also like the Denton Roll (again, named as such at I Love Sushi) made with raw tuna, avocado and cream cheese. But the best of all is the Spicy Tuna Roll, made with, yep, you guessed it! I like it better than it likes me, if you know what I mean, but doesn't stop me from ordering it every time I go to I Love Sushi.<br />
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If you aren't into raw fish, that's okay. Order the Chicken Teriyaki or the Chicken Yaki Udon for the best chicken noodle soup ever. The tempura is mighty fine too. Order a traditional Bento box for a variety and to save a few pennies. Otherwise, bring plenty of Yen.<br />
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$$-$$$<br />
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I Love Sushi, 917 Sunset Street, Denton, TX (940) 891-6060<br />
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*Originally posted on <a href="http://www.goodtastebuds.com/">www.goodtastebuds.com</a> (January 22, 2008)Here's my creds.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17094772973551424361noreply@blogger.com0