Stefano Secchi Made a Movie….And We Got A Fabulous Dinner

Butter poached lobster on burrata.

Several months ago I did a post about our friend, Stefano Secchi, asking for support of  his movie which was then in the fund-raising stage through Kickstarter.  Though he is an incredibly talented, Culinary Institute of America trained chef who also received his undergraduate degree from SMU and worked on Wall Street, he wants to make movies.

Chef Stefano Secchi

He followed this desire last summer to film his first screenplay on location in Sardinia and New York.  Inspired by his father and uncle and their Sardinian heritage, Shilo, An Italian Immigrant’s Debt to America  wrapped filming early last fall and since then Stefano has been in Dallas, once again cooking at his family restaurant, Ferrari’s Italian Villa in Grapevine, and editing the film.   To help with funding the film Stefano included incentives at various donation levels, including everything from his dad’s secret Linguine with Clams recipe, to Associate Producer and Executive Producer credits, to a multi course tasting dinner in Dallas or LA.

Grant Stinchfield For U.S. Congress

Grant and Amy at our Harvest Dinner last fall.

Gary and I don’t really talk politics…probably because we don’t always agree; one thing we unanimously agree on though, is supporting our friends.

For many years Gary hosted Good Morning Texas with the lovely and dynamic Amy Vanderoef.  We love Amy and her hubby, Grant Stinchfield.  In originally getting to know Grant it became obvious he was a passionate, knowledgable and determined hard news guy, then reporting for KXAS-TV.  Grant left the news world about a year ago to become a small business owner, allowing him to spend more time with his beautiful family, and pursue the opportunity to become the next U.S. Congressman for Texas District 24.  In the May 29th Primary Grant will run against Republican incumbent Kenny Marchant.

If you are a part of the district take a look at Grant’s website and learn a little about him, why he wants to be a part of the political world after so much time in news, his goals and changes he hopes to make when he makes it to Washington.  Best of luck Grant!

Dallas Uncorked Annual Harvest Dinner

Last week we held our annual harvest dinner at The Grape Restaurant on Greenville.  Fully packed into the charming back room of The Grape we sipped incredible 2006 and 2007 Hidden Ridge Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon and noshed on Chef Brian Luscher’s perfectly paired menu:

First

Sauteed Gnocchi, chef’s italian sausage, chanterelles, and oven dried-tomatoes

Main

Kobe Flank Steak Roulade, roasted Barking Cat Farm’s peppers, manchego

creamy polenta, red wine-balsamic jus

Final

Baby Belletoile, plum-ginger-port jam, Tassione spicy mustard greens

Gary with Hidden Ridge Vineyards owner Casidy Ward

A festive celebration of local produce paired with hearty, rich and intense mountain fruit packed Cabernet from Sonoma County.  The night was a wonderful success, with proceeds benefiting The Stewpot.

The Stewpot is a not for profit organization started by The First Presbyterian Church on the edge of downtown Dallas with a goal to help our cities homeless by giving them hot meals, in coordination with The Bridge, medical and job assistance, child assistance and help in getting homeless back on their feet on their own.  We will be giving a $500 donation to The Stewpot.  Thanks to everyone who joined us!

We Enjoyed: Cafe San Miguel

This past weekend we had a final dinner at a Henderson Avenue spot that Gary and I both loved, though admittedly hadn’t visited in a while. Cafe San Miguel opened their doors on lower Henderson Ave. about 6 years ago, when the neighborhood had really just started changing, and old haunts like Louie’s still packed in the locals for strong drinks and tasty pizza.  At the time, owner Hugo Galvan wanted to create an authentic Mexican restaurant bringing distinct and flavorful Latin and Mexican influenced food to the area.  When it opened it was one of the fanciest spots around.  Now, the area has become over run with trendy bars and night spots, hectic parking, and boozy crowds, making it hard for this family friendly spot to exist.  And so, with sadness, Hugo and his sweet wife said good-bye to loyal customers and old friends who popped in over the weekend to enjoy bowls of their amazing guacamole with house made corn tortillas and sip strong margaritas and Pomeritas one last time.

Though in our own hood, Gary and I hadn’t been there for a few years, but when hearing of their closing we wanted to say a farewell and a thank you, and enjoy one last meal at Cafe San Miguel.

Creamy, spicy, rich, made to order guacamole started us off, paired with a top shelf Margarita that Gary asked our server to create….and indeed she did, since we later learned the bartender had already said his goodbyes, while I had a lush, citrus filled, medium bodied Natura Organic Chilean Chardonnay. Over dinner we sipped a Mexican wine…when in Rome afterall, called Casa Madero Casa Grande Gran Reserva Estate Grown Cabernet Sauvignon.  A good food wine, filled with lots of bold red fruit, spice and leather notes, which we both were impressed with especially when pairing it with our spicy dinner.

Chicostillas

Chicostillas for Gary – slow cooked pork spareribs in a smokey guajillo sauce; and a steamy bowl of arroz con pollo (chicken and rice) soup with lots of kick from spicy salsa verde. Everything was delicious, fresh and healthy, with smiling service and thankful hosts.  So sad to see this neighborhood treasure leave us.

The up side, Hugo does have another spot in Fort Worth near University called Hacienda San Miguel, which he says is doing very well…..we may have to take a road trip to Fort Worth.

We’re Enjoying: Date Night…Parigi Style

Gary and I love Parigi, the charming Parisian bistro on Oak Lawn owned by our friend Chef Janice Provost and her partner, Chef Chad Houser.  The duo are champions of using local produce and products in their constantly changing, seasonal menus, ensuring that their happy guests are able to enjoy farm fresh flavors with a French and Italian influence.

Parigi Nightly Risotto with Blackened Chicken and Fontina

We stopped by late the other night after an event and settled into a cozy table for two looking into the kitchen, so we could enjoy the action, and ordered a bottle of  Carbella Pinot Noir “Plowbuster” from Williamette Valley.  Gary and I love Oregon Pinot and this was a new one for us, so we gave it a shot.  Just the right amount of earthiness with bold, rich flavors of ripe cherry, cola and blackberry….slightly more fruit forward than I am used to from Oregon Pinot, but lush, approachable and a great food wine with our entrees.

One thing I love about Parigi is that every day their menu options change on a few key things…their nightly fish, soup and risotto.  I don’t know any restaurant in town with rotating risotto, except Parigi, and it is always fun to hear the nightly description…one time it was a “3 little pigs” risotto with pork tenderloin, bacon and pancetta I think….mainly Janice likes to have fun with the combinations.  Tonight’s risotto was Gary’s pick…spicy blackened chicken with ripe grape tomatoes, fresh spinach and lots of fontina cheese.

Parigi salad with Lemley Tomatoes and Grilled Salmon

For me, a plate of farm to table fun with a twist. I was just going to do a salad, but their nightly fish special was salmon, and it just put me in the mood….so I doctored up a salad (as I often do) adding grilled salmon to their fresh greens with toasted pine nuts and a balsamic vinaigrette.  Additionally, a few of Mr. Lemley’s local, ripe tomatoes were requested, and some sweet and creamy goat cheese from Caprino Royale….can it get any better?  Simply stunning and delicious, just as we expect on any given evening at Parigi.