The Bite of Life

Megan Wilkes and Mary Gauntt have made a name for themselves in the baking world. The young entrepreneurs have unleashed a frenzy for pie in the Bishop Arts District of Oak Cliff. Emporium Pies is a thing of beauty.

In a simple unassuming cottage on Bishop Street, Megan and Mary offer pie and coffee….that’s it! I suppose they also have Thin Mints if any Girl Scouts have been in the area. No doubt, these confectioners would turn them into an an awesome pie.

the selections change with the seasons

Something that will never change is the sweet philosophy  that a tasty pie is one with no artificial preservatives, hydrogenated oils, dyes, or corn syrup.

take it to go for a midnight snack!

Even the packaging is quirky and clever.

But where do we start? The chocolate pie, The Smooth Operator, jumped right out at us!This French Silk Pie’s secret is a crunchy pretzel crust. This has to be the best chocolate pie ever made!

The Smooth Operator

In our family, coconut always runs a close second to choclate.The Snowball offered at Emporium Pies beats any other coconut pie in town hands down. It’s creamy! It’s Crunchy! It’s everything you want it to be!

The Snowball

Believe it or not we couldn’t stop. Perhaps we were on a pie-high. So we ordered Dr. Love. We weren’t sure we were going to like Dr. Love because of it’s red velvet roots. We’re not big red velvet fans. However, the bohemian twenty something pie monger at the cash register sold us on the chess-like pie with the flavor of red velvet and cream cheese. Believe me, it’s worth it to step out of your box. We were so glad we did. What’s not to love about Dr. Love? NOTHING!!!!

Dr. Love

Who knew that a bakery that only offers pie would be worthy of such acclaim? I do and I’m telling everybody!!!

Travel to the sunny south side of Dallas. Go ahead, cross the Trinity River, and land in pie heaven.

The blogger and his Valentines

The blogger decided to take advantage of the Hallmark holiday by taking his girls to Chef Tim Love’s Woodshed Smokehouse in Ft. Worth. I thought it clever to take the girls to a Tim Love restaurant on “love” day. I know, corny! If you are not familiar with Ft. Worth’s iconic chef then you must not be a fan of Top Chef on Bravo. Chef Love competed twice but didn’t come up a winner.  In 2012, with the opening of Woodshed  Smokehouse, Love’s revolutionary exploration of the potential of wood as a flavoring  agent beyond its conventional use as a fuel source was born. His homage to all things grilled, roasted, braised and slow-cooked, featuring a rotating selection of beef, pork, wild game and vegetables, Woodshed  Smokehouse showcases a variety of woods as a dynamic means to flavoring food,  from creating braising liquids from soaking woodchips to smoking ice for signature  cocktails.

wood pile

Woodshed Smokehouse was named one of Bon Appétit’s “50 Best New  Restaurants” in 2012.

Chef Tim Love in front of Woodshed

Situated on the banks of the Trinity River, the outdoor patio is the perfect spot to laze away the afternoon or welcome the sunset.

the valentine’s day longhorn

                                          After looking around, we settled in to peruse the unusual menu. of course we over ordered. There were just too many good choices. We started with the Texas Radishes Dipped in Pit Master Fat with Pecan Salt. They were served with campfire bread which resembled naan bread.

now that’s a RADISH!!!

We then moved on to the Crispy Brussel Sprouts with Chili Lemon and Pecorino Cheese. The highlight of the appetizer selcetion was the Smoked Whitefish Dip and Fresh Tortilla Chips. This is a must every time you visit.

this is a creamy, smokey version of a Feldman family favorite

Entrees did not dissapoint. I chose the Rib Meat Tamales with Spicy Tomatillo Crema.

served with roastred corn rolled in parmesan

We also shared the Beef Tacos with Kimchi and the Bourbon and Coke Pork Tacos with homemade tortillas. We finished our feed with a ancho cili chocolate merengue pie. Head on over to Cowntown for an incredible dining experience.

Is everyone bracing for another arctic blast? Is anyone happy about it?

In our home, comfort foods seem to get us through these miserable interruptions. When the temperature dips below 32 degrees and the winds howl from the north at 20-30 mph we pull together a few simple ingredients to take our mind off of our misery. The comfort food that seems to warm our hearts and our stomachs is Turkey Chili.

Taken from the Pure and Simple Cookbook originally published in 1991, this recipe was formulated by Evy Rappaport of Beverly Hills, CA. Portions of the sale of this cookbook went to Evy’s favorite charity, The Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.

This is not your traditional Texas red. The use of red wine imparts a slight sweetness that balances nicely its’ more traditional ingredients; cumin and chili powder.

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground oregano

1 teaspoon ground basil

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon ground cumin

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon paprika

2 lbs ground turkey

1 onion, chopped

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup dry red wine

1 teaspoon garlic puree

8 oz (1 can) tomato sauce

8 oz (1 bottle) ketchup

salt, to taste

grated cheddar cheese, for garnish

sour cream, for garnish

fritos, just cause

METHOD

Combine chili powder, oregano, basil, pepper flakes, cumin, bay leaves, and paprika. Add ground chili and mix well. Combine turkey mixture with onion. Place in a large saucepan. Add Worcestershire sauce and red wine. Cover and cook over low-medium heat 1 1/2 hours stirring often. Add garlic and stir well. Add tomato sauce and ketchup. Mix well. Season with salt. Cook over low heat for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve hot with cheese, sour cream, and fritos.

How long has it been since you’ve had a big steaming bowl of Neiman Marcus Chili?

Don’t answer that. Just dig in!

Often certain foods evoke memories. Sometimes those memories of food forced on us as children are not so pleasant. This writer chooses to focus on memories of foods from his childhood that are pleasing: ones that are fun, ones that make me smile.Tonight I had such a memory as I recreated LAHALA HOUSE SALAD.

When thinking about what I might make for dinner my mind went back to 1968. It was an August day just like any August day in years prior or in the next 12 years to come. You see, my family would load up in the green Country Squire station wagon with wood paneling and head down US 77 to Corpus Christi for a vacation of fishing, beach, and more fishing. No trip was complete without a trip to The Lahala House Restaurant. The experience was always a special treat that each one of us looked forward to sharing with each other. It might be, perhaps, one of the few outings free of arguments or mishaps.

The Lahala House in Corpus Christi, Texas, circa 1968

Situated at the north end of Corpus Christi beach, entrepreneur Harry Porter shared his South Pacific vision with families looking for not only good food but also for an escape from the worries of the day. The dining experience begins as you walk to your table past the bamboo bar through a parade of bustling barefooted waitresses dressed in sarongs and leis. As you make your way past one aquarium after another you settle in for not just a wonderful evening. Everyone knew to be on good behavior as this was a treat.

One of the best treats and the most memorable is the Lahala House Salad.I make this salad at home because it brings back this comforting memory and because it’s unbelieveable! It’s unbelievable in its’ simplicity.

I don’t know about you but I only enjoy a salad if someone else makes it for me. You see, with all the cleaning and chopping of the ingredients, by the time it’s done I want nothing to do with it. Not so, with the Lahala House salad; there are more ingredients in the LH House Dressing then there are in the LH Salad.

THE SALAD

Ingredients:

1 package of pre-washed heart of Romaine, torn

3 tablespoons of sesame seeds, toasted

1 avocado, cubed

5 green onions, white parts and a few of the green

croutons

THE DRESSING

1/2 cup non-fat plain yogurt

1/2 cup mayo

3 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons water

1 tabelspoon honey

1 teaspoon curry powder

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon frsh ground black pepper

Serve this salad anytime you want a simple departure from the mundane. And certainly serve this salad should you ever have a Polynesian themed party.

The Modern Asian urban setting of Mot Hai Ba

In Old East Dallas the Skillman-Live Oak Center has been rejuvinated. Joining La Calle Dolce, relocating icons Matt’s Rancho Martinez and The Mecca welcome an establishment named by the Dallas Observer as one of the top 5 best new retaurants in Dallas for 2013, Mot Hai Ba. This creation of Chef’s Jeana Johnson and Colleen O’Hare was born of a trip to Vietnam.

The creators of Good 2 Go Tacos traveled to North Vietnam for a motorcycle adventure. Motorcycling through muddy back roads was certainly exciting but the food changed them forever. Jeana and Colleen decided they would do everything they could to honor the food of North Vietnam back home by opening a straightforward little restaurant serving the dishes they loved most.

The English translation of Mot Hai Ba is 1, 2, 3. It’s helpful to know this prior to arrival at the restaurant. I say this because the signage is confusing. Located in the former York Street Pub “123” signage is perched above the front door. Nowhere do you se Mot Hai Ba.

1- MOT-The Service

The hostess welcomes you with a genuine sense that she is glad you have joined them for the evening. She escorts you to your communal style table where a very competant, equally warm waitress settles you in for a dining experience like none you’ve ever had before!

communal tables

Our server acted more like a guide, a docent if you will, taking us through the back streets that Johnson and O’Hare traveled while in Northern Vietnam. Knowlegeable yet unpretentious, you could tell that the young lady was proud of the food she was serving.  As an amusing aside, the waitress informed us that we were welcome to leave a dolar bill if we wanted to “buy the kitchen guys a beer”.

2- HAI-The Food

You might ask what distinguishes Northern Vietnamese cuisine? Being in a colder climb, fewer spices are used. Black pepper is used in place of chili oil. Food is simple in look but rich in flavor. It is considered one of the healthiest cuisines worldwide. North Vietnam has a strong Chinese influence. It is admired for its minimal use of oil and relies on herbs and fresh vegetables. The focus in all preparations is a harmonious balance of five elements; spicy, sour, bitter, salty, and sweet. Aromatic ingredients like fish sauce, shrimp paste, soy sauce, lemongrass, ginger, bird’s eye chili, and lime compliment fresh greens and herbs like leaf lettuce Thai basil, opal basil, spicy corriander, cilantro, spearmint, peppermint, spinach, and bean sprouts.

a garden of herbs to compliment your meal

Noodles are a staple in the North while rice is favored in southern Vietnam. Because North Vietnam is the most widely pouplated many of the cuisines’ signature dishes were created here and carried to other parts of vietnam and the world.

Not one thing on the menu disappointed us. None of the offerings were things you find in your average Vietnamese restaurant. I’m told that the ever popular Pho and Bahn Mi sandwiches are offered at lunch but not found on the dinner menu. The following shots are of the appetizers and entrees we sampled.

Sizzling Cakes

housemade chili sauce

Made with rice flour and tumeric the Banh Xeo were filled with shrimp and scallions and fried in Coconut Oil. We gingerly folded them into green leaf lettuce cups filled with the bounty of fresh herbs mentioned above. A sauce predominately composed of fish sauce and a housemade chili sauce were on hand for dipping.

Imperial Roll- Cha Gio

There is no doubt why this is said to be the best version of green papaya salad served in Dallas. The tangy, salty, sweet fruit is studded with fried shallots and housemade dried beef. This dish alone dictates a return visit.

Chili Lime Grilled Prawns

make your own dipping sauce for the shrimp

3-BA-The Dining Experience

memorable flavors…..memorable interiors…….memorable service……

If you are thinking about simply going out to eat this is not the place for you. If you are looking for a dining expeience like no other, make the trip to Old East Dallas and try Mot Hai Ba (1,2,3). It’s as close to Vietnam as any of us would like to be. Here, “Unami”  induces salivation and a sensation of furriness on the tongue, stimulating the throat,the roof and the back of the mouth.

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Mot

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