Holiday Weekend Dining Guide

Happy July! We have much to look forward to this weekend: a) July 2 is the midway point of 2020 – we are almost done with this thing; c) HAMILTON is Friday, y’all; and c) America’s 244^th birthday is Saturday. It’s been a doozy of a year, but great food and beverages, and wonderful people make tough times better. I hope you have an abundance of each of them in your lives.  Cheers and happy eating!

Menus

Stocks & Bondy – Chef Joanne Bondy is famous for her bone broth, but she’s also a familiar face at some of the poshest addresses in Dallas where she’s frequently (pre-COVID19) invited to be Chef du their Cuisines for private dinner parties. Her Dallas Farmer’s Market retail outlet offers a fantastic line up of specials for the weekend, each using ingredients sourced locally. Some of the highlights: Jim Beam barrel smoked Wagyu beef brisket, grilled Wagyu fajita style skirt steak (just a heads up, you’ll have to provide your own shredded cheese), and all-beef Wagyu hotdogs, all made from A Bar N Wagyu Gold. Stocks & Bondy also sells seafood risotto, black truffle pecorino grits and the best traditional eggs salad made with Falster Farm eggs. For dessert, there is a Patriotic Cheesecake from La Duni Baking Studio. Please place orders in advance by calling or texting 214.973.9459

Salum – Chef Abraham Salum offers a four-course meal for pick up for those of you in the “it’s too hot to cook” camp. The menu is typical Salum, beautiful flavor combos and a whisper of Middle Eastern flavor.  This menu costs $50 per person plus tax and gratuity and must be ordered by 5 p.m. Friday, July 3. July 4 Menu: Watermelon and Cucumber salad with mint, basil and feta cheese; Chicken fried chicken breast with grilled Texas peach glaze OR Blackstrap molasses braised beef brisket with caramelized onion; spicy potato salad with bacon, cheddar and chives, grilled lemon and garlic broccolini; Apple and berry crisp with crème anglaise and chocolate chip cookie. Place your order online or by calling 214.252.9604.

Our Door 2 Yours – Chef Ty Frazier and his fiancé Denise Harper run a tiny to-go and catering kitchen just a 13 minute drive from Mockingbird and the Tollway that produces mind-blowing soul food. Every Sunday is Soul Food Sunday featuring every kind of deeply flavored, made-with-love southern food you can imagine.  From fried catfish (literally the best I’ve ever tasted) to Chef Ty’s award-winning Shrimp N Gritz to fried chicken, great southern sides and a fluffly, lightly citrus 7Up pound cake, you can order for pick up. The kitchen is located at 2224 Cedar Crest in Dallas, 75203 and is available for delivery by Grub Hub. Call 469.445.5122 to place your order. For the current menus, follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

Haute Sweets Patisserie’s Chef Tida Pichakron picked summer and put it in a tart. Her stunning Peach Blackberry Gallette is made with peaches she picked up on a little birthday excursion there over the weekend. She also has gorgeous red, white and blue cupcakes in chocolate and vanilla and a full array of other magnificent treats you should absolutely indulge in. Shop online and come in to pick up. Haute Sweets Patisserie is closed July 4. 10230 E. Northwest Highway, Dallas. 214.856.0166

Georgie by Curtis Stone launched a Summer Patio Series that runs July 2 – Labor Day every Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. Seating is on the charming patios adjacent to The G Butcher Shop and the main restaurant, which is still not open to guests. Stephan Courseau has made serious and heartfelt public commitment to maintain a safe and healthy restaurant for staff and guests which I have noticed while dining at Georgie’s sister restaurant, Le Bilboquet. There have been some changes in the Georgie kitchen, with Chef Toby Archibald taking his leave and Executive Chef Jason Rohan stepping in. This is cute – Chef Rohan will be joined by Chef Rohan who is Jason’s wife, Alexis, the new Executive Pastry Chef at GBCS. The two L.A. natives came from Curtis Stone’s acclaimed LA eateries Gwen and Maude. I can’t wait to meet them. In the meantime, I look forward to trying the Summer Patio Series menus which will change weekly and will feature summertime favorites such as fresh just-off-the-jet oysters, charcuterie boards, cool melon salads, light pasta dishes and more. Reservations are required and can be made by calling or emailing Edward Goemans at 214.726.5075 or edward@georgiedallas.com.

Bisous Bisous Patisserie is celebrating National Ice Cream Month which, the way things are going might be the best thing to happen in July 2020, by bringing back their popular pint-sized ice cream available in three flavors: Vanilla Shortbread Cookie, Chocolate Caramel Cookie, and Strawberry Cheesecake for $9 each.  There’s also a new addition to their Freezer to Oven Collection with the Waffle Ice Cream Sammies. Bisous’ signature croissant waffle ice cream Sammie Kits are available in any one of Bisous’ flavors and include eight pre-pressed croissant waffles, tosses and toppings. The Croissant Waffle Ice Cream Sammie Kits are available as a four-pack for $22.  To celebrate the new Sammie Kits (and the premier of Hamilton on Disney Plus!!), Bisous will be hosting their own beloved Sammie Day in-store on Friday, July 3, from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Openings

Bullion, the luxurious downtown brasserie, has launched Bullion to Go (BTG), a gourmet market with meal kits, fine foods and beverages, cheese, charcuterie, and caviar available for home delivery.

Ready-to-serve charcuterie boards begin at $40 and serve two to six people. For this weekend, you can get fancy with BTG’s Wagyu Burger Meal Kit which feeds four and includes two pounds of Wagyu ground beef, Bullion’s brioche buns, corn on the cobb, potato salad and all the burger accoutrements for $36.  If you feel a party coming on, you can buy BTG’s Celebration Kits which offer a choice of 8-inch cake or cupcakes with flavors like vanilla, buttercream, lemon meringue, funfetti (which I would expect to be made of edible gold but aren’t) and double chocolate ganache. You can customize with messages balloons and candles. You can place your order at bullionrestaurant.com.

Events

Speaking of Bullion, its Executive Pastry Chef, Ricchi Sanchez, a two-time James Beard semifinalist, is offering Virtual Cooking Classes. Class registration is $45 and includes the delivery of class materials beforehand. Classes will range from how to make Bullion’s famous Gougères au Gruyère to baking the perfect Souffle. Visit the website to review schedule and purchase classes.

Wine geeks can taste their way through France’s different wine regions and learn about their unique history, grapes and techniques with Virtual Passport Wine Classes led by Bullion’s Beverage Director and Sommelier Andrew Schawel. Tastings will be live on YouTube, where viewers can ask questions and taste along with him. Class registration is $45 and includes home delivery of three different wine selections for the virtual tasting. Class times will be announced on BTG’s social media pages which you can follow on Instagram and on Facebook

I hope everyone has a safe and happy July 4 weekend.  Please respect the policies of the establishments you patronize and demonstrate your care and concern for others by wearing a mask when asked.