Hi, SideDish readers, I’m the new online assistant dining editor.
If you’re reading this, then I assume that you care about dining in Dallas. Let me assure you, I love food. I love learning about it. I love experimenting with it in the kitchen. I love photographing it. And, first and foremost, I love eating it.
My father has worked in the food industry since before I was born and my mother donned an apron in the kitchen most nights of the week (my personal favorite was her magenta Pepé Le Pew number — although, the one I recently got her from the Design District Market is pretty nice). As a result, I was taught to appreciate a good home-cooked meal at an early age. But it wasn’t until a couple of years ago that my culinary awakening started to really take shape after a colleague slipped Jeffrey Steingarten’s “It Must’ve Been Something I Ate” into my hands. Until then, the marvels of exotic sea salts, bluefin tuna and coq au vin were foreign to me. Flipping through the pages of the renowned Vogue food critic’s work sparked a hunger inside of me. And not just the kind that caused my stomach to grumble. I wanted to learn everything I could about food and cooking. After a recommendation from a bartender at Bolsa, I nabbed a copy of “The Flavor Bible.” I’ve been dog-earing pages in Harold McGee’s “On Food and Cooking.” And up until about a week ago, I was regularly borrowing my previous Art Director’s copies of New York Magazine and drooling, sometimes literally, over the food coverage.
For the past few years, I’ve been exploring, photographing and writing about Dallas’ dining scene. I shot the photos for the Dallas Observer‘s Dish column each week, in which I had the opportunity to step into the kitchen with some of the cities most dynamic chefs. And while I’ve started playing around with the notion of cooking, I’ve suffered a few abysmal defeats (did you know that you can actually burn rice?). So, I prefer dining out.
So, what do I like to eat? Would you believe me if I told you everything?
I favor savory to sweet, but I never turn down gourmet ice cream. I have intense cravings for Tex-Mex at least once a week. I love a crisp brut rosé but am equally happy to sip on a frothy milk stout or a finely crafted Vieux Carré. Sandwiches are my favorite comfort food, but only if somebody else makes them for me (they really do taste better that way). And my favorite snack is thinly sliced, salted French breakfast radishes on a toasted baguette that’s been slathered with butter.
Oh, and cheese. I really love cheese.
If there’s something new or worth checking out — from high-back banquettes to rickety barstools and cold cuts to chia seeds — then you can bet I’ll be there. You can send any news tips, recipes and recommendations my way. Also, feel free to follow me on Twitter and Instagram.
Now, who’s hungry?
