The Brad's Adventures in Food

Moonlighting.

While Nancy Nichols tromps around Belgium, she asked me and a couple other Dallas food bloggers to pitch in and post some stuff on the D Magazine SideDish blog.  I was tryin' not to slack, so I posted this item: The Tesar Interview.

Three Musketeers: JT, B-Rad, Teach @ Nobu for Eguchi's omakase.

(BTW: this is not the meal I posted here, you'll see THIS meal featured as part of a multi-chapter exploration of Omakase...)

Get Served.

Nick Badovinus really got this one right. Neighborhood Services pretty much rocks. Great vibe, cool space, satisfying food - and a packed house. I have been trying to get back there and add more snaps to this post - but here is the meal I had a couple months ago:

Had to get here pretty early - you rarely see the place this empty. I'm all up in the new St. Germain liqueur, so I ordered this thing: the Beauty School Dropout - yeah - it's a Chick Drink for sure... a bit much for me - dang.... "the wine list, please?"

^ Roasted Green Chile Crab Dip - terrific - and the accompanying Salsa was REALLY good as well. And the Crabmeat and Avocado Salad.

^ Berkshire Bacon & Over EZ Egg w/ Brioche Toast, and my half the Butchers Block Burger (Niman ground chuck & brisket). And I was ALL about the side of "Secret Sauce."

 

From the daily "Iconic Fresh Noodles," Chicken Piccata over Pappardelle - delicious. Then they hit ya with the bill, and some Junior Mints!

I want to get back and start trying the "Nightly Plates," not available as of my last visit. There is considerable buzz about this joint - and it delivers. I really dig it. Great concept, and yummy food. If it was so easy, everybody would be doing it.

Hep me! I'm gonna 'splode!

Ah, c'mon... It was the Super Bowl - what better time to pile on an inter-web phenom and make one of those damned Bacon Explosion deals? It was kinda fun, if somewhat nauseating at times, to prepare. I started by heading out to Central Market - one plan was to jazz up the recipe with pancetta, and specialty sausages - but I decided to stick with the original concept of the dish for this attempt.

^ Apple-wood Smoked Bacon; check out my bitchin' weave.

^ Feeling nostalgic (and curious of their foray into commercialization) I tried Salt Lick Dry Rub. The recipe then calls for Italian Sausage - so I went with a mild bulk sausage, and added my own Jalapenos, in the spirit of the whole BBQ thing.

^ Here we are with the sausage topped with cooked crumbled Bacon, Jalapenos and drizzled with half Salt Lick Chipotle BBQ Sauce and half Rufus Teague Made Some Sauce Touch o' Heat. Then you roll it up and into the smoker. (I used indirect heat in my gas grill with trays of Mesquite wood chips creating smoke for about 2.5 hrs.)

You are supposed to glaze it with more BBQ sauce, but I skipped that for the pics. I dunno - it tastes pretty good! I'll have to go on strict Atkins and finish it off!