Restaurants offer chance to dine and donate; Silver Tray gets Outrageous
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| After 16 years, Tom Beene, left, and Ron Timberlake have renamed their respected Silver Tray Catering business to better capture their sense of adventure and fun. |
For the past nine years, one of the best ways to sample to cuisine at some of the finer restaurants in town and make a difference for those less fortunate is by participating in KRLD Restaurant Week.
Dozens of eateries among them Texas de Brazil, The Grape, Caf? San Miguel, Stephan Pyles even famously pricey Nobu offer prix fixe meals of only $35, with $7 of the bill going to the North Texas Food Bank and Lena Pope Home.
This year, Central Market is helping sweeten the pot even further: Make a purchase at the upscale grocer and receive a coupon for a fourth course at select restaurants.
Restaurant Week starts Aug. 14 and continues through Aug. 20, although many restaurants extend the deals even longer. Remember to mention Restaurant Week when making reservations. Visit KRLD.com for a complete list of participating restaurants.
Silver Tray Catering is undergoing so changes lately. After 13 years in Plano, the purveyors of gourmet food are moving offices back to Dallas. Owners and partners Tom Beene and Ron Timberlake have also decided this is a good time to re-christen the company. It will now be known as Outrageous Affairs Catering.
“We have always had the Outrageous Affairs name [for event planning], so we decided to go with it,” Beene explains. It also better captures the company’s whimsical attitude.
Stephan Pyles is continuing his cooking classes until fall. Approximately every other Saturday, you can learn the secrets of the legendary master of New American Southwest cuisine while helping prepare multi-course meals to enjoy yourself. The cost is $90 per person. The next class is Aug. 19.
Chef Francesco Secchi will demonstrate classic Italian cooking for a wine class at Ferrari’s in Addison on Aug. 26.
Some new restaurant opening recently: Doc Green’s is serving its gourmet salads now at NorthPark Mall. The Bishop Arts District has another merchant with The Soda Gallery, which replaced Ifs Ands & Butts with a collection of kooky-named specialty beverages.
Legendary Dallas restaurateur Alberto Lombardi is continuing to expand in the Knox-Henderson area. A new modern tapas restaurant is set to open in December bringing Spanish to the the same neighborhood as his French-themed Cafe Toulouse and Italian Taverna.
If you’re looking for something a little stronger than pop, there’s much to be had. Pappas Bros.’ latest wine tasting compares eight zinfandels. It takes place Aug. 11.
Monday nights at Amuse help you “unwine’d” with half-priced bottles of featured wines. At Tijuana Bar & Grill, you can take 50 percent off the wines every Wednesday.
The national Uncorked and Unplugged tour combines the music of Sierra Swan and a selection of California wines for a mix of concert and wine tasting. The event comes to Dallas’ Gypsy Tea Room on Aug. 29.
Next month, the city of Grapevine celebrates its 20th annual GrapeFest, highlighting the Texas wine industry with tastings, auctions and competitions. For details about the event, set to being Sept. 7, visit Grapevinetexasusa.com.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition, August 11, 2006.