Super Chix in North Dallas

Move over, Chick-fil-A, there’s a new chick in town!

Super Chix is bringing flavor back to the traditional chicken sandwich. With the idea that simple is better, Super Chix marinates and hand-breads their chicken in-house daily. With locations in Dallas and Richardson (and soon to be Frisco location!), there’s no excuse to eat a sub-par chicken sandwich ever again. (Not that Chick-fil-A is sub-par … just in case the powers that be see this.  You NEVER want to piss off the CFA wizards.) 

The Super Chix menu features standard fried or grilled chicken sandwiches, as well as some new-to-the-scene, more creative plates … and yes, even salads.  Not to be missed is their extensive sauce selection. You can choose from six sauces–Mississippi Comeback, Alabama White, Nashville Hot, Cucumber Dill Ranch, Signature, and Honey Mustard … all delicious, 

Cordon Bleu Sandwich: swiss cheese, honey mustard, ham, and fried chicken. Served on a buttered potato roll.

Crispy Avocado Sandwich: Avocado half stuffed with Gouda cheese, breaded and fried, then topped with seasoning, garlic mayonnaise, lettuce leaf, and tomato. Served on a buttered potato roll. 

Blackened Cajun Chicken Sandwich: grilled chicken filet tossed in blackened seasoning, topped with garlic mayo, bacon, lettuce lead, tomato, and fried pickles. Served on a buttered potato roll. 

Fear not health-nuts, they also have delicious salads, such as the Southwest Chicken Salad, which features lettuce, tomato, avocado, grilled chicken, and tortilla strips.

As for drinks and desert? Well not only do they offer a bunch of craft sodas on tap, they also have a full custard bar with rotating weekly custard flavors. Find their custard menu here.

Super Chix
superchix.com
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Dallas Location: 14999 Preston Road, Suite 226 | 972-788-0660
Richardson Location: 1551 East Renner Road, Suite 830 | 469-466-1500

Open 11am to 10pm daily

“APERITIVO HOUR” WITH CAMPARI

Written by Andrea McCall

If your Super Bowl weekend was anything like mine, it was full of highs (endless guacamole, Gaga performing at halftime) and lows (Tom Brady winning … again, Beyoncé not performing with Gaga at halftime). So when I was invited to a Campari happy hour at Americano, I knew my week was on the up and up. The restaurant’s already successful happy hour just got happier with the re-introduction of “Aperitivo Hour”,  an event hosted by Campari.

“Aperitivo” in Italian means a low-alcoholic drink consumed prior to a meal, intended to stimulate your appetite … but what I heard in that definition was for me to become as classy and smart as an Italian, I’ve gotta pre-game with my pals before dinner. CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.

This Italian idea of sharing a drink and some snacks with friends before dinner sounds like a win-win, and low ABV drinks from Campari make it an even better sell. Small bites like fried calamari and fried olives (Susie’s favorite) paired with an Aperol Spritz (Campari, grapefruit bitters, prosecco) or the restaurant’s namesake Americano (Rosso Vermouth, Campari, soda) get you prepped for what will certainly be an excellent dinner.

Stop by the downtown hot spot weekdays from 4-7 to cultivate your new favorite Italian tradition.

Bon Aperitivo!

 

Americano
americanodallas.com
@americano_Dallas
1530 Main St. (Downtown)
214.261.4600

 

The Cookery Dallas

As a young child, I took cooking classes with my sister and a few friends, then fancied myself the next Sarah Lee.  There’s nothing like ruining a béchamel, letting pasta water boil over, and adding noodles to a soup too early (effectively making it stew with really fat, gross noodles) to show you that you know a hell of a lot less than you thought.  Needless to say, we could all use a little schooling in the kitchen.

Lucky for Dallas, we have an alternative to the stuffy cooking classes that are BYOB (woof) thanks to The Cookery.  The little school in the Design District offers public and private classes on topics from sushi to tapas and will soon be offering a cocktail class.  Owner, Kelly Huddleston, makes cooking approachable.  And thanks to her experience working as a cooking instructor all around the world, she has mastered many different types of cuisines.

Kelly and her sous chef explain each step of the process from learnings how to pick the best produce, cuts, and ingredients to the correct way to debeard mussels.  (Ew.)  They even add a bit of color commentary as the class progresses … a much more casual approach than other cooking classes.  Adding to the fun of the class, they pair wine, beer, or a cocktail with each course of the meal.  The highlight of this experience, though?  You don’t have to clean up.

In our class we were walked through “An Evening in Paris” where we made Garlic and White Wine Steamed Mussels with Gougères, Steak au Poivre with a Brandy Cream Reduction, and a Dark Chocolate Soufflé.  Everyone seemed surprised how easy each dish was thanks to the tips and tricks from Kelly, and every dish turned out incredibly well.  (We didn’t ruin a single thing!)

Peruse the classes available on their website, all ringing in around $95.  Since they keep classes to 14 or less students, make sure to plan ahead and make reservations in advance.  Since the school offers private parties, check with Kelly if you have an occasion coming up and she’ll organize something just for your group.

¡Bon appétit!

THE COOKERY
thecookerydallas.com
1130 Dragon St #180 (Design District)

True Food Kitchen – Truly Good Food

Eating healthy is hard. There are so many unhealthy options that are way easier (and let’s face it, way tastier) to fit into our busy schedules. Have no fear, friend! True Food Kitchen is making it easy and delicious to eat good-for-you food. This anti-inflammatory diet based restaurant has tons of options to help keep you on that health track … deliciously. The chef graciously explained to me that processed foods cause inflammation, which prevents the body from absorbing all the good nutrients it needs. This can lead to a plethora of unwanted things such as Alzheimer’s, rheumatoid arthritis, and even cancer. Because of this, True Food Kitchen doesn’t focus on calories. Instead, they focus on pure, simple, and delicious food that is hormone-free and antibiotic-free to help the body process nutrients better.

After a complimentary Corepower Yoga class, I tasted some of their brunch options, which are sure to give you the perfect kickstart to your day.

Garden Scramble: Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, organic eggs, and smoked gouda

Quinoa Johnny Cakes: banana and quinoa (these taste nothing like quinoa and everything like normal pancakes)

They also have Gluten Free Blueberry Muffins, Banana Espresso Muffins & Vegetable Salad on deck for you to nosh on.  They also offer vegan, vegetarian, and gluten free options, all of which are on their regular menu!

True Food Kitchen also serves booze including beer, cider, wine, and cocktails.  Most cocktails are around $10. Because it’s always best to detox and retox at the same time …

True Food Kitchen

truefoodkitchen.com
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8383 Preston Center Plaza #100
214-377-3333

Everything the Perfect Home Bar Should Have

Written by a Guest Contributor

When hosting friends or for those quiet nights in, having the perfect home bar set up is a slice of luxury that everyone should have.

We all love getting dressed up and heading out for the night with friends to a plush restaurant or bar, especially on a Friday or Saturday night without the worry of work in the morning. However, every now and then it’s nice to stay in and enjoy a quiet night in or invite guests round for a celebration or casual get-together.

It is for these occasions when a home bar setup comes in handy and is the perfect centrepiece. The best part is, you can stock up your cabinets with the alcohol and liquor of your choosing – if something doesn’t take your fancy, it’s off the menu, and your favourite is always special. Inside the bar, you could also have some traditional bar equipment, such as a jukebox or the best foosball table in the world. That would make the experience even better for guests. Everyone loves having a choice of activities in the bar, so your home bar should be no different. Foosball tables are often a favorite, so make sure to try and find one of them.


Proper Furniture
The first thing is to ensure you have the proper furniture for your home bar, a specialised and dedicated cabinet and/or sideboard is a must. Your bar must not have any other use; it should be exclusively kept for a drink – i.e. kept clear of children.

You are not going to want something too big, or anything too small that you cannot fit all of your drink and barware. Consider what you will be including in your home bar – what types of liquor and how much? Also, take into consideration the size of bottles you will be stored as such items should be stored safely; otherwise, you run the risk of shattered glass along the floor. All great bars would be incomplete without leather furniture. If you’re looking to maintain your leather seating, see here to learn about cleaning bonded leather.


Stock – Pick your Favourites
Once you have decided on your furniture and know exactly how much room you have to play with, it is time to stock up your home bar with your personal preferences. If you are planning to invite friends round from time to time, it might be worth investing in popular favourites, even if they might not be your personal preference.

For beer lovers, a mini-fridge to store bottles or cans is ideal – after all, the best way to serve beer is cold – and wine connoisseurs might look to install a rack in a cool and dry area behind the bar. If your taste is for something a little stronger, gins and spirits are easily stored in a cabinet and served with ice.

With a home bar, you can take the opportunity to experiment with mixing drinks – a popular talent for any barman, especially when impressing guests.

Barware
With your favourite tipple of choice in stock, the correct barware is an essential finishing touch – the correct glass must be used depending on the drink. You simply would not serve wine in a pint beer glass.

Glasses do not have to cost the earth and can be bought for a reasonably price; popular bar favourites include LSA glassware which is handmade for an extra classy look. If your bar focuses predominantly on wine then the glasses you buy must match the types of wines – believe it or not, the shape of the glass does have an effect on the taste of the drink.

Rules
The last thing any good home bar needs is rules that should be obeyed. As already touched upon, the bar should not be used for anything other than drinks – do not allow children to play around the bar due to the number of breakable glass items.

Keep your bar setup neat and tidy, do not allow clutter to gather and never leave dirty glasses on the side. As soon as you are finished with your glasses, get them washed up and put back into their designated space ready for future use.

The perfect home bar setup should not be difficult or expensive to achieve. With these simple steps, you, too, will also be able to enjoy the benefits of your favourite bar in the comfort of your own home.

EDGE Bar at the Four Seasons (Denver, Colorado)

FACT: The hotel bar is coming back. Some of the most iconic and groundbreaking bartenders that not only participated in the craft cocktail movement but started it, were found in hotel bars, and we are glad to say that the trend is swinging back around. My fellow Dallasites have seen this exemplified in Midnight Rambler, Knife, and Dragonfly, but on my last visit to Denver I was delighted to visit EDGE Bar at the Four Seasons and found that it had some of the bartenders upping the cocktail game behind the bar … in a hotel.

While cocktail menus are fantastic, I’ve always enjoyed having conversations with bartenders and having them make me something off the menu. (When it’s not busy, of course. Don’t be that jerk that takes up five minutes on a busy Saturday night.) I was delighted when both of the resulting cocktails were extraordinary.

Their program is innovative thanks to options like a monthly barrel-aged cocktail feature, the use of unique liqueurs and spirits, and knowledgable bar staff. They were also very well-equipped and upon talking to the bartenders, I discovered the reason for this was because they work with the best distributor in the area. According to the staff, when it comes to beverage distribution denver, there is only one winner.

With leadership from their brand new bar manager, James Menkal, we’re sure to see more unique and innovative options from EDGE Bar. Menkal was named one of Eater’s Best Bartenders in Denver last year and one of Zagat Denver’s 30 under 30 in 2014, so we can expect some exciting things from him.

Beyond a fantastic cocktails program, EDGE offers plenty of local beers along with more than 50 wines by the glass. The bar itself is spacious and is a perfect spot for anything from a drink to shake off the work day or to shake it out before heading out. There is plenty of lounge and bar seating and the bar is complete with televisions … if that’s your thing.

After a couple drinks, we were escorted to the dining room for dinner. We started with the Beets and Goat Cheese and they were absolutely on point–a bit earthy and balanced with the light tang of the goat cheese. The highlight of the menu was, without a doubt, the steaks. EDGE smokes their meats with pecan wood and is one of the only places in Colorado using pecan wood. The result was a deliciously smoked meat with a deep flavor that left us wanting more.

To complete the meal, we ordered the Roasted Cauliflower and the Lobster Mac & Cheese. The Roasted Cauliflower was incredible and the entire table agree that we’d all order again; the texture was perfect and the light curry dusting added the perfect zing. The Lobster Mac & Cheese was surprisingly delicate and the cheese was very light.

While we were too full after our meal to have dessert, we were treated to a milk chocolate lollipop in the shape of a cow with a couple drops of white chocolate. It was an incredibly simple but perfect end to a delectable meal.

Overall, the EDGE Bar and Restaurant offered a perfect night without a single misstep. I’ll be back on my next trip to Denver without a doubt to see what Menkal had done with the bar and to have another cut of their pecan-smoked steak.

EDGE Bar at the Four Seasons Hotel Denver
fourseasons.com/denver/dining
1111 14th Street, Denver, Colorado
(303) 389-3000

National Margarita Day 2017

ALL DEALS AVAILABLE FEBRUARY 22 UNLESS OTHERWISE INDICATED.

Stop into Sigel’s on February 22 for their tequila sale with more than 50 tequilas marked down!

ASADOR
Margarita Deal: $5 select margaritas (Flama de Asador, house margarita; The Razzle, raspberry; The Kinky Berry, strawberry basil)
Location: 2222 Stemmons Freeway
Dates: 5-10pm

CANTINA LAREDO
Margarita Deal:$8 Perfect Patrón Rita (Patrón Silver and Patrón Citrónage Orange Liqueur, normally $12.25) 
Location(s): all
Dates: 2/18 – 2/22

CHINO CHINATOWN
Margarita Deal: $5 margaritas, frozen or rocks
Location: Trinity Groves

EL CHICO
Margarita Deal:$4 Cucumber Chili Margarita (spicy blend of Sauza Cucumber Chili Tequila, Cointreau Orange Liqueur and margarita mix, normally $7.50)
Location(s): all
Dates: 2/19 – 2/22

EL FENIX
Margarita Deal: $2.99 house margaritas (rocks or frozen)
Location(s): All
Dates: 2/17 – 2/26

GEMMA
Margarita Deal: $6 Blood Orange Margaritas
Location: Knox/Henderson
Dates: 10:40pm-1am

HENRY’S MAJESTIC
Margarita Deal: $7 Watermelon Tajin Margaritas (watermelon, tequila, triple sec, lime, honey, Tajin)
Location(s): Uptown
Dates: 2/17 – 2/26

HIGH FIVES
Margarita Deal: $2 margaritas
Location: Knox/Henderson

LA VENTANA
Margarita Deal: free margarita samples, $2 el Jimador margaritas and $2 Chambord swirls
Perks: Luchador appearance
Location(s): Addison location, 3-5pm; Downtown, 5-7pm

MEXICAN SUGAR
Margarita Deal: $14 margarita flight (Hibiscus/Smoked Pineapple/Classic)
Location(s): Plano

PILIKIA
Margarita Deal: $6 apple/pear or strawberry/kiwi margaritas
Location(s): East Dallas

SIGEL’S
Margarita Deal: free tastings of Sauza Hornitos Black and Silver
Location: 5757 Greenville Ave. & 3209 N.Fitzhugh ONLY
Dates: 5-8pm

SNUFFER’S
Margarita Deal: $3 house margaritas (rocks or frozen)
Location(s): all
Dates: 2/20 – 2/26

SOCIAL HOUSE
Margarita Deal: $3 off margaritas
Location: Uptown, Addison
Dates: 4-7pm

T. BLANCO’S MEXICAN CANTINA
Margarita Deal: FREEEEEEEEEE 5-7pm along with light bites
Perks: GRAND OPENING DAY! DJ, raffle
Location: 15207 Addison Road (Addison)
Dates: 5-7pm

TACO HEADS
Margarita Deal: $5 margaritas
Location: Fort Worth

URBAN TACO
Margarita Deal: $5 hibiscus, acapulquena, or de oro margaritas
Location: 5757 Greenville Ave. & 3209 N.Fitzhugh ONLY
Dates: 5-8pm

WOODSHED SMOKEHOUSE
Margarita Deal: $5 margaritas, frozen or rocks
Location: Fort Worth

Savor to Partner with Angel’s Envy Whiskey for Pairing Dinner

Savor Gastropub will be teaming up with Angel’s Envy Whiskey later this month to offer a five-course pairing dinner.  Lucky for us, it lands on Fat Tuesday, just in time for us to spoil ourselves one last time before the masochism that is Lent.

The pairings were brilliantly and thoughtfully developed by Angel’s Envy and the chefs at Savor with some original plates and some currently offered by Savor.  Angel’s Envy out of Louisville, Kentucky offers several expressions including a bourbon, rye, port finish, rum finish, and cask strength.  These pairings include cocktails featuring their bourbon and rye expressions, each prepared creatively and well-matched to each course.

First Course: Savor Wedge Salad, Truffle Maple Glazed Bacon, Chicken Fried Pickle Red Onion with A Creamy Buttermilk Dressing
Paired Cocktail: “Parkside Angelito”, Angel’s Envy Bourbon, lemon, maple syrup, ginger, rosemary

Second Course: Rabbit And Pork Dumplings, Sesame Soy Broth, Scallions
Paired Cocktail: “Social Currency” (Angel’s Envy Bourbon, China China liqueur, Curacao, cherry shrub, pickled cherry)

Third Course: Crispy Pork Belly Fennel, Green Apple, Miso Caramel
Paired Cocktail: “A Different Kind of Sazerac” (Angel’s Envy Rye, barrel aged Peychauds, absinthe)

Fourth Course: Beef Tenderloin, Cast Iron Seared Beef Tenderloin, Ragout Of Wild Mushrooms, Creamy Grits, Port Wine Jus
Paired Cocktail: “The Path of Envy” (Angel’s Envy Bourbon, Ruby Port, Amaro Nonino, pink peppercorn, thyme)

Dessert: Nutella Torte, Red Beet and Mascarpone Cremeux, Orange, Candied Hazelnut Nougat
Paired Spirit: Angel’s Envy Rye, neat

The dinner will take place on Tuesday, February 28 at 6:30pm.  To reserve a spot, call Savor (214.740.7228) soon as seating is limited.  $80 will get attendees five incredible dishes and five chances to taste the versatility of Angel’s Envy.

Savor Gastropub
savorgastropub.com
2000 Woodall Rodgers
214.740.7228

Complimentary valet for diners.