Savor the Flavor with Jim White, The Wining and Dining Guy June 14, 2010

“Any man can be a father.  It takes someone special to be a Dad.”

Not sure to whom goes attribution on that salient message. It hits home, though, no matter who first said the words.  Father’s Day, June 20th, is getting first-class treatment in some top establishments. Here is an interesting, but by no means definitive listing.  We’ll add more as we receive them.

Charlie Palmer at the Joule is doing some tasty sounding pairings made with and paired with beer.  What could be better than a beer and a Brat (as in Bratwurst)?  Bratwurst and braised white beans highlights the appetizers section on the full Dad’s Day menu offered below:

Appetizer Specials

BEEF TARTARE

HERB AIOLI / CELERY CROSTINI

SHINER BOCK BRATWURST

BRAISED WHITE BEANS

Entree Specials

ALASKAN KING CRAB

PAULANER MUSTARD PAN SAUCE

KUROBUTA PORK CHOP

BLACK PEPPER SPAETZLE / FAT TIRE GLAZE

Dessert Specials

GUINNESS CHOCOLATE STOUT

GUINNESS ICE CREAM/ DARK CHOCOLATE CAKE

Featured beer: Estrella Damm 750 L

Charlie Palmer at The Joule
1530 Main Street
Dallas, TX 75201, Tel: 214.261.4600

Rafain Brazilian Steakhouse is offering a “Dad deserves more than one steak” promotion.  Of course, their menu features the multitude of great Churrascaria style meats, as well as pork and chicken treats and the salad bar that goes on for days.  They are featuring a lunch special for $35 and a dinner special on the sumptuous spread for $32 (not valid with gift certificates or other offers).  Limited seating, so call for reservations: 972-733-1110.

Rafain Brazilian Steakhouse
18010 N. Dallas Parkway
Dallas, TX 75287

Master Chef Morris Salerno knows how to make fancy cookin’ taste down home and dazzling all at the same time.  His ever popular The Grotto Restaurant in Highland Village is offering a prime peppered New York Strip with a brandy cream sauce served with asparagus and cottage fries that is making my mouth water just thinking about it!  It’s $22.50 and just one of the Father’s Day specials at the restaurant.

The Grotto

2300 Highland Village Road, Suite 500

Highland Village, TX 75077

Call 972-318-0515

Or, if dad is into Italian, take him to family style Salerno’s in Flower Mound.  One of their Father’s Day specials is a 10 ounce tenderloin with sauteed mushrooms in a Burgundy sauce with veggies and a baked potato for $28.95.

Salerno’s Italian Restaurant
3407 Long Prairie Road
Flower Mound, TX  75077
972-539-9534

Regular menu available at both locations on Father’s Day.

If Dad is a “Beef! It’s what’s for dinner!” at home kinda guy…

Then, the godfather of Texas Cowboy Cookin’, Tom Perini, from Perini Ranch in Buffalo Gap has a solution:  his enormously popular mesquite smoked peppered beef tenderloin.  They’ll deliver dinner to dad’s doorstep.  All you have to do is supply the fixin’s and his beverage of choice.  This product won the Fancy Foods “best of show” category about 15 years ago in New York and put Perini’s on the map.  People all over the world order this tenderloin like it’s going out of style (it isn’t, thankfully).   Tom was chuckwagon choice for the Bush W. White House.  His cookbook “Texas Cowboy Cooking” (with forward by Robert Duvall) is a perennial best seller.  He’s been honored at “Savor Dallas” with the Lone Star “Culinary Award” in 2006.  All the accolades aside, it’s damn good beef.  Check it out online or by phone at the link above, or for the real deal in person:  Visit Perini Ranch Steakhouse in Buffalo Gap.   Named one of America’s “Best Rural Restaurants” by Gourmet Magazine in 2004.  The popular establishment is only about 3 hours west of DFW outside of Abilene.  They’ll bring you all the good peppered tenderloin you want, plus a full menu of steaks and other great entrées.   Plus great country side dishes like Green Chile Hominy, Cowboy Potatoes and Zucchini Perini.  Dine on a working cattle ranch and enjoy a taste of the real West at Perini Ranch.  They even throw a big city style wine and food event every April called the Buffalo Gap Wine and Food Summit. Big names in the industry and lots of hungry, thirsty folks make the annual trek.  We’ve been a few times ourselves.  It’s the best way to have oak with your wine, as the late, great Fess Parker used to say.  Outside under the stars sippin’ wine under the Live Oaks at Perini Ranch.