Dining With Delia Jo

It's that time of year, when some of the best Dallas chefs and restaurants band together in an epic weekend experience that is bliss for the epicure: Savor Dallas. The well-loved four day event has already sold out of some of the gatherings, so be sure to head on over to savordallas.com to snag what's left and avoid FOMO.

Savor Dallas, presented by Goody Goody, announces the full 2017 event lineup (see below) and host chefs for its festival on April 6-9, featuring five events over four days. The 13th annual food, wine, and spirits celebration’s gourmet adventures include an opening night kickoff in the Harwood District, a mixology-fueled cocktail party, a supreme grand tasting experience, and a morning-after farmer’s market brunch. Each event promises innovative culinary creations from local talent paired with drink tastings from across the world.

This year, Savor Dallas introduces a team of host chefs, who will preside over the events and curate one-of-a-kind tasting experien…

Cinco Taco Bar, sister restaurant to Cinco Tacos and Tequila in Addison, opened last week in Dallas' Preston Hollow Village. A fast casual concept with nearly 30 handcrafted taco variations, fresh margaritas, and a salsa bar, Cinco Taco Bar is the creation of CEO Mario Letayf and Executive Chef/Operations Director Antonio Marquez. The team wanted to create a fun, laid-back space for taco enthusiasts to nosh on quality tacos and sip on ice cold beer.


The outside patio has a great view of Preston Hollow Village, and is a great spot to snack on chips with queso and guacamole, while kicking back with a fresh margarita.

Moving on to the main event, the tacos: Cinco has 9 different types of breakfast tacos, served until 11am (and 2pm on weekends). The rest of the day you can have hard time deciding between the 20 other tacos on the lunch/dinner menu, including a rotating taco of the week.  My favorite so far was the Pastor Pork Taco ($3.75) which  comes with grilled marinated pork, grill…

I found your Tuesday plans for the foreseeable future.

Every human wants to find the very best value possible for their money, understandably. That's why when I find a food/drink event at a great price that benefits you, as a diner, AND brings well-deserved awareness to a great restaurant, I can't wait to tell you all about it. 
The friendly folks at Antonio Ristorante in Addison Circle invited us to try their Tasting Tuesday a couple weeks back, and to dine with them after the tasting event. Tasting Tuesdays pair three wines with three complementing hors d'oeuvres and, at $20 per person, an absolute must-add to your weekly dining calendar.


I'll start out by saying this wasn't the first time I've dined at Antonio. Antonio was one of the first spots where I became a "regular" after moving to Dallas in 2008. The northern suburbs trapped us for a while, and a couple of years ago we returned to Dallas proper, and have rekindled our love for this romantic…

Put your claws together and celebrate, Dallas, there's a new seafood spot in town, and it already has this girl hooked. It was love at first sight, as the welcoming resort-style interior made me feel instantly island-side. Even better: the food. Each dish stands on its own and has already made me go back for more. 

The new concept by Tracy Rathbun and Lynae Fearing has taken over the former Rex's Seafood space at Inwood and Lovers. This is the second concept by the duo (the first was Shinsei).

Executive Chef Aaron Staudenmaier is captain of the kitchen at the new seafood haven. His menu is full of seafood classics you'd expect with some tasty surprises thrown in. He explained his approach simply; "It's all about starting with a beautiful product and not screwing it up. Do it well and do it every day." 

The seafood on the menu comes from all over the world. Depending on what's freshest, you'll find fish from New Zealand, British Columbia, Honolulu, the Fl…

In Alabama, where I was born and raised, I've always known the letters PDQ to stand for "pretty darned quick". That's initially what I this new (to Texas) restaurant's name meant when they opened their Frisco location, a couple years ago. I learned quickly that this was not the case. PDQ (the restaurant) stands for People Dedicated to Quality, and I'm excited to share with you about their latest quality menu items, made with 100 percent natural, never frozen, angus beef. 
But first, a little about the brand I've come to really enjoy over the last couple of years. 
Nick Reader and Bob Basham opened their first PDQ in Tampa, Florida in 2011. Nick and Bob's journey to open PDQ originally began in 2009 when Bob, looking for new inspiration teamed up with Nick, who wanted to open a fast food spot that he could feel good about serving his children. They found just that in a mom and pop restaurant in North Carolina named Tenders. They struck a deal, and the re…

Tucked away in the historic South Side building, Checkered Past Winery is a relaxed urban wine pub with a refreshingly unpretentious approach to all things wine. A bright and airy space playing ska music when you walk in, Checkered Past is a laid back wine pub named and designed with 'mods and rockers' in mind.



Checkered Past is also a haven for the modern wine lover. After looking for years for the right space to become a part of the community, I think they've settled in to this space perfectly, and after just over a year, have already been named one of the best wine bars in Dallas by D Magazine. 
Don't like wine? Let co-founder, owner, and winemaker Sandro DiSanto suggest something that might change your mind. Sandro is a a human library of information for the oenophile, while also being approachable and explains each type of wine offered very well. We stayed and chatted for hours about his passion and the heartbeat of Checkered Past Winery, the wine of course. 

Che…