Dining With Delia Jo

Photo courtesy of Gringo Bandito I'm pretty much obsessed with most anything spicy. I'm talking serious addiction here, like, can't go a day without eating spicy food. So you can imagine my excitement upon receiving an email from a hot sauce company, "YES! SEND ME THOSE SAMPLES!" -Pretty much an exact copy of my quick reply to  Gringo Bandito's  PR guy, Bob.  When my hot sauce care package arrived, I knew instantly the perfect pairings with which to taste my new goodies. Dinner that night? Tacos and elotes (street corn). I couldn't wait to sink my taste buds into their three versions of hot sauce: your familiar Original Red sauce,  Green sauce, and a Super Hot red. What I found upon sampling each of the flavors was a great balance of heat and flavor. It's easy for heat to sometimes overpower the flavor of hot sauce. Not so with Gringo  Bandito . Perfect, spicy, balance of flavor. Gringo Bandito  was founded in 2004 by The Offspring lead si

Steak and Eggs "Ding dong." Me again.  Last time I wrote about Next Door , I knocked, so I thought it only fitting I ring the bell this time. I like to keep you guessing. This time the bell is for their new "Proper Brunch", something I think you're going to simply adore. Y'all know here in Dallas, we 💜  us some brunch, am I right? I didn't fully appreciate brunch until moving here 9 years ago, and now I am fully immersed in the weekend sport we all know as "brunching". In 2016 I visited Next Door for dinner. (You can read my recap here .) I fell in love with several menu items and even included one on my list of Delia Jo's 100 Best Bites of 2016.  So you know I was just tickled pink to receive an invitation to try out the amazing Chef Paul Niekrasz' new morning time menu.  Served only on Sundays, this "Proper Brunch" has all your basic staples like Bloody Marys and Mimosas and eggs benny. But wait, t

One of Dallas' coolest dive bars is celebrating National Beer Can Appreciation Day tomorrow, and you get to reap the benefits. On Tuesday, January 24th, join the folks at The Ivy Tavern for $1 cans of PBR and $2 cans of craft beer (like like Deep Ellum IPA, Wild Acre Soul Pleasure, Robert Earl Keen Honey Pils and Community Texas Heles). The humble beer can has changed the world. It has transformed the way we drink. It protects your sweet nectar from light, air, and clumsiness. And has made drinking easily portable, while also being non-breakable, and is a welcome guest at beaches, pools, and tailgates. How about a proper, "thank you" to said beer cans, next time you find yourself sipping from one? Too far? That's okay. Grab a bud and head down to the Ivy Tavern tomorrow to throw back a can and celebrate in a more lighthearted fashion. The festivities are taking place from 5-9pm, so mark your calendar, and we’ll see you there

 Click here to buy your tickets now!  Food, art, and music lovers, gather round. I have a really cool event for all of you! Join us at Tutta's in Dallas on Saturday, January 21st for a charitable evening of entertainment to all of your senses.  The 'Taste of Sound' event will benefit The Mohawk Militia Charity, which provides non-GMO food & recipes to underprivileged families. A specialty 4-course menu crafted just for this event (shown below) by Celebrity Chef Patrick Stark & Tutta's Owner Jeremy Scott. Big thanks to the special companies sponsoring this event: SweetBeat Vodka, Cadillac, SALT Tequila, Askari OH LLC, PCV VRM Seeds Of Hope, Sysco Corporation, Community Beer Company, Melinda's Original Habanero Pepper Sauce, Crest Cadillac, & Chefs' Produce Company. The details to your all-inclusive evening are as follows... $75 TICKET INCLUDES: Pre-show Happy Hour with specialty drinks from sponsors, 4-course dinner paired with cock

When: January 20th at 5pm Where: Goodfriend Beer Garden, 1154 Peavy Rd Greenville Avenue Pizza Company's highly anticipated second location is in the works, and this Friday, January 20th, the new pizza spot's sign is going up. To commemorate this occasion, the team at GAPCo will be across the street at Goodfriend Beer Garden, where they will be passing out 100 free T-shirts to those who like them on Facebook, featuring that new signage. This is the first of three sign varietals and with each new sign there will be new shirts, so fans will want to collect all three.  Soon, this popular corner will be home to East Dallas's new hotspot for pizza, sandwiches, wings and those addicting "crack fries". So until that day comes, swing by Goodfriend on Friday, have a cold beer, color your wardrobe with a few fun shirts, and join in the excitement as GAPCo gears up for their new location. Head to their FB page here to like them to qualify for the free swag:  https://

Photo courtesy of R Bar & Grill Chef Isaac Walker has been named the new Executive Chef at R Bar & Grill and the Hilton Arlington. The new chef brings with him a versatile 20+ years of culinary experience in fine dining, hotel service, and high-volume quick service restaurants. Walker’s resume boasts culinary roles at many esteemed hotels and restaurants, including The Driskill Hotel in Austin, TX, Fairmont Hotel in Dallas, TX, Doubletree Campbell Center in Dallas, TX,  Kona Grill, and Pickles BBQ & Ice House. A Michigan-native, Walker adopted Texas as his home state many years ago. He currently resides in Plano, TX where on his downtown he enjoys spending time with his four children, reading cookbooks, playing pool and hunting during open season. Executive Chef Isaac Walker has perfected a menu at  that puts an elegant spin on regional foods from Texas, and the South. Walker will continue to feature ingredients from local purveyors and dishes influenced by cuisine

Photo by Campisi's Fancy yourself a pizza expert? Cooking it, I mean, not just eating. ;) Campisi's is now accepting online submissions for their "Create Your Own Pizza" contest, thru February 1. From the familiar to the far-fetched, share your favorite recipe for a chance at free food and even a temporary spot on Campisi's iconic menu! Just go to http://www.campisis.us/create-your-own-pizza to submit your perfect pizza recipe. Submissions will be judged based on taste, creativity, and ready availability of ingredients. All recipes must be made on Campisi's famous homemade dough (gluten free is optional). Throw in a photo of your pizza with your submission and you might even end up on their social media channels. The team at Campisi's will narrow the entries down to five finalists that will be submitted to an independent panel of expert judges, who will select winners on February 9 (National Pizza Pie Day) to receive the following prizes: ·

Photo courtesy of Kenny's East Coast Pizza In a lunch rut? Sometimes lunch in Plano can get expensive. I've been on the lookout for places to dine for less than 10 bucks. Yes, that means usually drinking water with a meal, but hey, we all have to rehydrate sometimes. This one falls just under that 10 dollar mark, just before tax and tip.  Kenny's East Coast Pizza has added a new lunch special for $9.99, which includes 2 slices of pizza and a salad. Pizza selection for the special will vary daily. Designed to help the busiest working diners, the deal also joins their signature Wine Down Wednesday featuring all wines by the glass for $5. We'll call it a "working lunch", okay? About Kenny's: Kenny’s East Coast Pizza offers an array of pizzas in a style more reminiscent of New York than Naples, choosing to prepare pies in a classic Bakers Pride Deck Oven.  In addition to a selection of 14” pizzas, the restaurant offers a selection of classic

Mussels (Photo Courtesy of Sea Breeze) Have you vowed to eat healthier in 2017? If you have, you might be growing tired of grilled chicken and veggies. How about a chance to learn from the pros how to perfectly cook seafood dishes? That's where Sea Breeze Plano comes in. Not only is Sea Breeze a restaurant, but it's also a fresh fish market, where you can purchase fresh, never frozen, top quality seafood to cook at your own home. Each month, guests rush to sign up for the coveted Sea Breeze seafood cooking classes, which make cooking fresh seafood at home a breeze!  For 2017, Sea Breeze will only be offering one cooking class per month – so spaces will fill up quickly.  February’s cooking class will be Sunday, February 19 from 3-4:30 p.m.   Guests in the classes will learn 3-4 seafood recipes, taste all recipes, and enjoy wine pairings as well, all for $50 per person. Class size is very limited, and reservations are required.  Reservations can be made by calling

Inspired by the Rocky Mountains and the rustic lodge-surrounded, outdoorsy lifestyle that comes along with it, founder Chris Simms envisioned his restaurant to be a very different type of place. More than a restaurant. More than a place to just eat and go home. He created it as an oasis from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. And Lord knows, in a place as busy as Dallas, we can all use a little oasis now and again. Insert Lazy Dog Restaurant, new-to-Texas brand with location in Addison, Plano, and now Euless.  The Dirty Dog  When I first heard about  Lazy Dog Restaurant , I thought, "Oh cool! A dog friendly patio!" Which it is. But what I didn't know at the time was Lazy Dog's attention to quality when it came to their food menu. And their dedication to hospitality. They truly want you to feel like part of the family. I've been pleasantly surprised to learn more and more over the last few months, and even was pleased to meet aforementioned founder