Dining is Divine at "The Dinner Club with Jim White"

We are so excited to be hosting our next great "Dinner Club with Jim White" special event at Tre Amici, along with our good friends from Centennial Fine Wine and Spirits. The four-course dinner and wine pairing takes place on Wednesday March 31st beginning at 6:30. If you haven't been to Tre Amici you will find that prime steaks are their claim to fame. One of the items featured for our dinner that evening just happens to be a succulent prime beef filet mignon. This hand selected, center cut steak is wet-aged for over 40 days before it is traditionally prepared. We'll be enjoying that along with Italian Sausage Risotto paired with a a Windy Lane Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon 2005. The menu also features Smoked Salmon Bruschetta with Amici Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2007; Beef Carpaccio paired with Angels Landing Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2008; Lobster Bisque with Windy Land Napa Valley Merlot 2005; and for dessert, Chocolate Truffle Cake served with Rocca Cerrina Brachetto, N/V. Should be a delicious evening. Please join us by calling Tre Amici and making your reservation: 972-250-4400.

In case you missed it along the way, the best restaurant deal we have heard of is still going on. While, there may not be a "free lunch". There IS a FREE dinner. At least every Monday at Trece and Villa-O. What's the deal, you ask? It's an email promotion for fans who are on the email list of the two restaurants. They offer a free two-course Mexican or Italian dinner every Monday night. If you're not on the mailing list, call the restaurant of your choice and ask them to put you on the list. In fact, the email I get every week just says "call the restaurant and make a reservation". For Trece phone 214-780-1900. For Villa-O phone 214-780-1880. Don't see any strings attached to this. Just the restaurants' way of attracting customers in a still down economy on a typically slow night. Also a very smart marketing ploy by owner Robert Colombo. Now, I ask you, if you're going for a free dinner, aren't you going to order a couple glasses of wine, likely have dessert and tip your server appropriately? Yep. Me, too. And, that's exactly what they're counting on. Oh, and that you might want to come back in on a Wednesday or a Saturday, of course. Bon appétit!

The folks at Dali Wine Bar and Restaurant in One Arts Plaza have a very special evening coming up on March 24th. In case you missed Chef Joel Harloff's sensational offering at Savor Dallas, you get to try his great food in a four-course, four star pairing with sensational Krupp Brothers, Stagecoach Vineyard from Napa Valley (also at Savor Dallas in case you weren't). The evening starts with a Champagne reception and then the evening progresses through some great vintages from Krupp Brothers. Proprietor Paul Pinnell has put a humdinger together here. It's $100 plus plus. And seating is limited for this (because the restaurant is so delightfully small). Call in a hurry: 469-385-9360 or visit the website for more details on Dali.

If you have a child who is an adventurous diner, then you may want to take advantage of a new promotion from Hibashi Teppan Grill and Sushi Bar. Throughout April, one child per family dines free at Hibashi. Here's the fine print from the restaurant: "one child up to the age of 12 per family of four eats free". They can sample foods from either the Teppan grill or the Sushi bar. The Kids Eat Free promotion does not include gratuity. To make your plans, phone 972-620-3474 or e-mail info@hibashi.com.


Headed to New York? Here's an item we picked up from "Zagat Buzz" about the one the coolest places in Manhattan and one of the world's top chefs. Enjoy.
Everything is slightly magical at ABC Kitchen, Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s organic farm-to-table concept opening tonight on the first floor of the ABC Carpet & Home building in NYC. From the salvaged entry doors covered with distressed mirrors to the antique chandeliers to the bar that contains a little diorama filled with mini crystals, small sprigs and a tiny Ganesh statue – it all feels like a fairy tale come to life. The whimsical boho style is an extension of ABC-founder Paulette Cole’s vision. Read more here.

Cheers! Jim

Smokin' Good Time Coming up at Smoke

Big time wining and dining with Chef Tim Byres

Just ask anyone who has been to the hip and happening Belmont Hotel and you'll likely hear from a fan of Smoke. Tim Byres--formerly executive chef at Stephan Pyles, executive sous chef at the Mansion, and his own restaurant Standard--
certainly knows his way around the kitchen and loves to make great things happen with hardwood and smoke. You have an opportunity to get first-hand experience and a great wine dinner to boot if you join me on Thursday February 25th for the next "Dinner Club with Jim White" special event at Smoke.

Look at this great menu that chef has put together with a selection of outstanding wines from around the world that our friends at Centennial Fine Wine and Spirits has provided:

Cheese Croquette with Grilled Romaine and Tejano Chili Sauce
Villa Rogole Prosecco, N/V
~
Beet Carpaccio with Watercress and Smoked Ricotta Cheese
La Croisade Pinot Noir 2007
~
Pit Smoked Ham with Fresh Honeycomb and Mustard
Cacho Tempranillo 2006
~
Mesquite Grilled Fish, Sweet and Smoky Collards and Leeks
~
Pit Roasted Cabritto with Masa and Tamarind Goats Milk Cejeta
Los Cowboys Malbec 2008
~
Coffee Cured Brisket, Pit Roasted Rib and Smoked Paprika Link
Angels Landing Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
~
Warm Sour Cherry Buckle, Lemon Curd and White Chocolate

I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. Join us if you can. Just call Smoke for a reservation, 214-393-4141, but hurry! Seating is limited. Only 40 seats available and the price is great--just $60 per person (plus tax and gratuity. SMOKE is located in the Belmont Hotel Dallas at 901 Fort Worth Avenue. Dallas, Texas. 75208 (my hometown of Oak Cliff--go Bisons!) just about 3 minutes from downtown Dallas. This will be a great dinner.

A GREAT new seminar has been added to Savor Dallas on March 6th. Savor Dallas and NOKA Chocolate present an indulgent journey into the world of NOKA Chocolate paired with a top flight array of premium wines. Wines to be tasted include Newton Unfiltered Chardonnay, MacMurray Ranch Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, and Louis M. Martini Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. This intensive tasting experience will focus on the delights of world famous NOKA Chocolate, including single-estate dark chocolate truffles and chocolate, and reveal the magic of pairing wines with these different tastes. Saturday March 6, 3 p.m. at Sheraton Dallas Hotel. Tickets are $40. Get them at www.SavorDallas.com or call 214.366.0555.

Of course, this is just part of the Saturday morning and afternoon series of wine tasting seminars offered by Savor Dallas. There's a great wine panel that kicks off the day at 11 a.m. featuring premium wines and insights from Dr. Richard Becker, Becker Vineyards, Seth Box, Moët Hennessy USA, Jim Collins, Frei Brothers Winery, John Concannon, Concannon Vineyards, and Bart O'Brien, O'Brien Estate. You'll learn about a wines from Texas, Sonoma, Napa, Livermore, and more. Michael Flynn, Director of Wine and Beverages for the world-famous Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek moderates the panel.

At 1:30, you can be "a winemaker for a day" (or at least an hour), if you participate in the wildly popular "Puzzle" Blending Seminar" conducted by Newton Vineyard senior brand ambassador Deborah Dean. The Newton Blending Seminar is a study in the selections that may influence a blending of "The Puzzle"; Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. A unique opportunity to understand the philosophy behind this Icon wine.

These seminars are limited to 50 seats and usually fill up quickly. Go to the Savor Dallas website, www.SavorDallas.com, for more information and click on Tasting Seminars.

Cheers! Jim

Learn how a winemaker tastes wine during an exclusive component tasting

Here comes an amazing opportunity for lovers of great Cabernet Sauvignon.
Join "The KRLD Dinner Club with Jim White" on Thursday January 28th at Grill on the Alley in Dallas, when Quintessa Vineyards conducts a special guided component tasting. You'll have a chance to sample three individual Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard block samples from the Quintessa Estate, along with two vintages of the finished wine. This gives you the "before" and "after" perspective on the wines and allows you to update your palate from barrel sample to finished product along the winemaker's journey. Randy Wooldridge from Quintessa will conduct the one hour tasting. Grill on the Alley executive chef Daniel Winans makes sure you don't go hungry during this "strenuous" business of wine appreciation and education. Daniel has a handcrafted a "carte du jour" of delicious heavy appetizer to pair with this exceptional tasting. This limited attendance event can only accommodate 29 tasters. So, hurry please, and make your reservation now by calling Grill on the Alley at 214-459-1601 to assure your place at the table. The tasting starts at 6 p.m. Thanks to our good friends at Centennial Fine Wine and Spirits for staging this incredible wining and dining experience. Oh, it's free to be a member of the "KRLD Dinner Club with Jim White". Just register for the tasting and you're a member. Or, go to the website to sign-up "officially". You'll be the first to hear about all the great events we have coming up--even before the events are announced on the air.

The wine and food extravaganza that is Savor Dallas returns March 5th through 7th.

Popular events return including the "Arts District Wine Stroll" and the incredible "International Grand Tasting" featuring over 60 great chefs from the Dallas-Fort Worth Area and more than 400 premium wines, spirits and beers from around the world from which to sample. In the interest of responsible consumption, Savor Dallas has created a nifty shuttle service to provide roundtrip transportation to the International Grand Tasting, which will be held at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel. FREE shuttle service is available right now for the Saturday March 6th tasting experience from 5 conveniently located areas around the Metroplex:

• Watters Creek in Allen, from Crú a Wine Bar--serving the US 75/Central Expressway Corridor (McKinney, Allen, etc)
• The Shops at Legacy in Plano, from Crú a Wine Bar, serving the North Dallas Tollway Corridor (Frisco, Plano, etc.)
• Village on the Green in Dallas, from Go Fish Ocean Club, Serving North Dallas
• Lincoln Square in Arlington, from Olenjack's Grille at Collins and the Road to Six Flags, serving Arlington and the mid-Cities
• Ferrari's Villa in Grapevine on Main Street at Highway 114

(Get complete location details at www.SavorDallas.com/shuttle.htm)

Just go to the Savor Dallas website and select the shuttle location that is most convenient for you on the "Buy Tickets" page. Transportation on the "Savor Dallas Shuttle" is free when you buy a ticket to the International Grand Tasting. Your transaction will automatically reserve your seat on one of the comfortable shuttle buses provided by ALT Limos (they provide transportation for the Cowboys and the Mavericks). Savor Dallas will have volunteers on the shuttles who will check you in for the tasting downtown and give you your special Riedel Crystal tasting glass and Savor Dallas program. This means that when the shuttle arrives downtown at the beautiful Sheraton Dallas Hotel, you can walk right into the Lone Star Ballroom and start enjoying the evening; no waiting in line to check-in at the door! Also, you'll save the parking fee at the Sheraton. The "Savor Dallas Shuttle" is a great deal. No driving worries to and from downtown from your pickup point. You save gasoline. No parking fees. And, the transportation is FREE! All part of your ticket to the International Grand Tasting. This community service is sponsored by Centennial Fine Wine and Spirits in the interest of promoting responsible consumption and eco-friendly alternatives. Visit www.SavorDallas.com for all the details and to reserve your spot on the Savor Dallas Shuttle.

Ride FREE, CLEAN and GREEN to the Savor Dallas International Grand Tasting!

Cheers!
Jim

The 35 biggest moments in Big D. Were you there? And New Years Eve offerings.

I call your attention to what may be the coolest edition of D Magazine I have ever seen.

Their 35th Anniversary issue is on newsstands now. It selects the 35 biggest moments in modern Dallas History. That would be the beginning of "D Magazine time" in 1974. Of course, the foodie scene figures prominently in the mix, including: Gene Street and his famous Chicken Fried Steak at Black Eyed Pea, Larry Levine on Chili's serving its first burger, and Chef Stephan Pyles reflecting back on opening Routh Street Café (it changed everything!). The first person narrative is fascinating to read; no reporter filter. D Magazine deserves kudos for pulling this off and for getting these folks to write the articles. Also key business, political, media and social events are chronicled by the people who made the events happen. This is a great, page-turner holiday must read. Get the full story at D Magazine's website.

Revel in the excitement of the new year, as Dallas-Fort Worth's top restaurants regale you with an array of wining and dining options. Here are a select few that have crossed our inbox in the last few days. Happy 2010! Remember: If anybody asks you what you're making for dinner, tell 'em, "RESERVATIONS!" (Especially on New Year's Eve).



Urban Crust

Looking for a place to get delicious food and lively entertainment throughout the night this New Year's Eve? Look no further! Urban Crust is offering their regular menu plus enticing specialty items such as surf and turf, lamb shank and oysters. Celebrate after dinner with a late night party featuring a DJ, dancing, and drinks on all three floors of the restaurant.

New Years Day, they are offering their scrumptous brunch menu from 11am-3pm.

Urban Crust
1006 E 15th St
Plano, TX 75074
(972) 509-1400
www.urbancrust.com


Thrive

Celebrate New Years Eve at Thrive Nightclub, as they host "Viva Las Vegas." The party begins New Years Eve at 9 pm in the new Downtown Dallas Crowne Plaza located at 1015 Elm St. Dallas, TX 75202. When not sipping on cocktails or boogying on the dance floor, guests will have the opportunity to play casino games, such as Poker, Roulette, Craps, and Black Jack. Tickets are $25 in advance or $50 at the door.

Interested in bottle service? Thrive is offering a full booth, seating 18 people, for $800 and a single table, seating 6 people, for $500. If you are looking for a little more privacy, Thrive has a VIP room that holds 20 and runs $2,500. The room comes with four bottles of Ed Hardy vodka, two bottles of Moet Champagne, and two bottles of Dom Perignon Champagne. For more information and reservations, call (214) 742-5678 or visit www.thrivenightclub.com.


Cretia's on Mckinney

This New Year's Eve, the party is at Cretia's!
For only $60, you get all the well drinks and domestics you can handle! Plus, enjoy live music, DJ's Ben Brown and Greenspan, a champagne toast, black-eyed peas, and party favors. Advanced tickets are $60 and tickets at the door are $80. Tickets can be purchased at the restaurant or by calling 214-780-0200.

Cretia's on Mckinney
4900 Mckinney Ave
Dallas, TX 75205
www.cretias.com




Patry's Bistro

If an exquisite meal is what you want for New Years Eve, Patry's is where you need to be. Chef Hamid Kalantar will be preparing an exceptional New Year's Four Course meal and Champagne special. Specialty Entrees include Pan Roasted Veal Chop Chasseur with mushroom ragout and thyme sauce for $69, Pan Seared Halibut with Shrimp Scampi served over rice pilaf for $69 and Broiled Australian Lobster Tail (1 lb) with Garlic Buerre Blanc for $79. All entrees are served with your choice of any appetizer, soup and salad, and dessert off the regular menu.

The regular menu will also be available.

Please call for reservations at 214-352-2489.

Patry's Bistro
4601 West Lovers Ln
Dallas, TX 75209
www.patrysbistro.com


Bistro Louise in Fort Worth has multi-choice, four course New Year's eve menu and a "2010 New Years Day Down Home Cooking Brunch.
Visit their website for full details and reservations: www.BistroLouise.com.

There's a New Year's Eve celebration at the Warwick Ballroom and Oak Lawn Terrace in Dallas, featuring entertainment from Aubree-Anna. Lots of food, fun, music, and drinks. Price: $299 inclusive per couple w/ accommodations or $85 per person inclusive no accommodations. Contact: Jacqueline Hickey will be taking all reservations* 214.224.3109, jhickey@warwickhotels.com.

Chef Morris Salerno has a special evening planned at The Grotto in Highland Village: a four-course dinner for $119.50 per couple. Make reservations by calling 972-318-0515 or email kay@thegrottotonight.com.

Ring in the New Year at Pappas Bros. in Dallas. $89.95 per person (excluding alcohol, tax, tip). Call 214-366-2000.

Bring in the New Year with a view at Wolfgang Puck's Five Sixty. Multiple seatings, buffet and dinner menus offered. Call 214-571-5710 for details and reservations, or email reuniontower@wolfgangpuck.com.

Lanny's Alta Cocina Mexicana is offering a four-course celebration dinner for $95 per person. Get reservations at www.LannysKitchen.com.

Bonnell's in Fort Worth invites you to enjoy a four-course feast for $90 per person. 817-738-5489 is the number for reservations or visit www.BonnellsTexas.com.

Margaux's in Dallas offers a festive menu and a New Year's Day Brunch. Call 214-740-1985 or email Kay Agnew, kay@margauxsdallas.com.

Need a ride home? "Occifer, I've only had tee martoonis, and I'm not as drunk as some thinkle peep I am", is only a bad old vaudeville line. Instead, call someone like...

Cowboy Cab
214-428-0202
www.cowboycab.com

Scott Tinkham at Driven DFW
Be transported in the comfort of your own vehicle by a professionally trained driver.
877-257-3289
www.drivendfw.com

Limo George Limo for the Rockstars!!!
214-475-4513
www.limogeorge.com

For intrepid, and loyal readers who have made it this far into the article I offer a reward: you are among the first to know about our next big event for "The Dinner Club with Jim White". We are going to have a great fine wine dinner with Randy Wooldridge and Quintessa Wine Estates at The Grill on the Alley in the Galleria on Thursday January 28th. This special, limited seating event from Centennial Fine Wine and Spirits is priced at a remarkable $50 per person, so it will sell out fast! I urge you to make your reservations quickly by calling 214-459-1601. If you are a procrastinator---NOW is the time for a New Year's resolution!

Cheers! And, have a safe New Year! Festively yours, Jim

Bubbly memories and a great wining and dining gift deal.

Bubbly and friends for the holidays!

Thanks to all who attended our wonderful Veuve Clicquot tasting at Centennial Fine Wine and Spirits in Addison. The taste treats were divine and we made lots of new friends. We have another wonderful wine dinner in the works with our friends from Centennial coming up in January. Stay tuned for details in this very place.

Virginia, Santa would rather have a great glass of wine and chef cuisine instead of milk and cookies!

The great value of the holiday gift giving season for the person on your list who loves food and wine is the special advance purchase ticket prices offered for Savor Dallas. (OK, let's call it a discount, but I prefer to think of it as a reward for prompt behavior in getting those tickets early and getting Savor Dallas down on your schedule--March 5-7). The deal is only in effect through New Year's Eve. When the ball drops on Times Square it starts the 60 minute countdown in the Central Time Zone before those ticket prices go up to their regular price. Let me put that in perspective for you, though: You can buy a weekend, all-access pass to Savor Dallas for $425 (after January 1--it's $375 now). Tickets to the Aspen Food and Wine Classic in June top $1000 per person! The Festival has no night-time events, and almost no food is offered (other than some cheese, bread, and other munchies at their Grand Tasting--in a tent). You also have the big travel expense and even bigger resort lodging expense for the honor of being in Aspen. By comparison, Savor Dallas offers an early evening and a nighttime event (Arts District Wine Stroll on Friday, and International Grand Tasting on Saturday), featuring great signature cuisine samples from over 60 of Dallas-Fort Worth's top chefs, and a dazzling array of premium wines, spirits and beers from around the world offered in beautiful settings in the Dallas Arts District and the fabulous "new" Sheraton Dallas Hotel (recently renovated to the tune of nearly $100 million). Travel to DFW is easy--thanks to American Airlines--and relatively cheap by comparison to Aspen. There's even FREE transportation if you take the "Savor Dallas Shuttle" to the International Grand Tasting. And, the Sheraton Dallas is offering an exceptional $89 per night Savor Dallas room rate (that's the double occupancy price and the new rooms are beautiful and spacious). Even if your schedule only permits one night of wining and dining, the Savor Dallas International Grand Tasting ticket is only $125 per person ($100 now until January 1). Aspen's grand tasting, as best I can recall, is priced at about $200 per person for the 2 hour event in the afternoon. Did I mention it's in a tent? And, it's often muddy? And, there's barely any food? The beautiful Lone Star Ballroom at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel is the site of next year's Savor Dallas International Grand Tasting. Dress up and join us for a good time. Wonderful wine and lots of good food for half the price. OK, I admit, we have no mountains. But you can make a down payment on the Rockies with the money you save attending Savor Dallas.

Congratulations to Marcus Cascio, new GM of Wolfgang Puck's Five Sixty Restaurant. He's been the General Manager of the Mansion on Turtle Creek for the last two years. Other notable establishments on his résumé include the Delano Hotel and the Astor Hotel in Miami, and White Face Lodge in White Plains New York. The restaurant is about to hit its one year anniversary atop Reunion Tower (described today to someone in Colorado as "God's golfball or the biggest dandelion you've ever seen). Congratulations to Executive Chef Sara Johannes who is planning big things with a view at Five Sixty. Get all the details when you visit www.wolfgangpuck.com or call 214.741.5560.

Scott Romano at Charlie Palmer at the Joule Hotel has the holiday spirit. He's offering Christmas Day Brunch from 11 until 3 for $55 per person (children under 12 dine for $35) and a Christmas Day Dinner from 5 until 9 for $75 ($35 for kids). Get details on their website.

The Catalina on Lemmon Avenue is offering a cool Christmas special: "The Ultimate Christmas Light Tours". They've setup a deal with a limo company where you view the Christmas lights and then dine with them at the Catalina. Very civilized. Very merry. Get details and reservations by calling 214-742-5466. Ask for Alex.

Happy Christmas and Merry New Year! Jim