Dallas Chocolate Festival 2019 VIP Dinner – I LOVED IT A CHOCO-LOT

In 2009 the Dallas Chocolate Festival was born.

Last Saturday evening August 17, at 7:00 pm we attended the 10th-Anniversary Dinner for the Dallas Chocolate Festival at the wonderful FAIRMOUNT Hotel in Dallas, Texas. It was a fun and vibrant night, surely one not to be forgotten. We were able to meet two amazing chefs and dine on some fantastic from scratch menu items, all from a five-course dinner menu. All the dishes had a touch of chocolate in them and were extremely creative dishes. At the event, they had various speakers after each course to help explain the ever changing wide world of craft chocolate.

It was an amazing evening.

Fairmont Chef James Phillips

Here’s a little backstory for you folks about the Dallas Chocolate Festival.

“In 2009, DallasChocolate.org’s founder hosted a chocolate-themed dinner celebrating the bean-to-bar makers who had just started bringing craft chocolate to life in the United States. – See more on DallasChocolate.org. From that night of education and deliciousness, the idea for the Dallas Chocolate Festival was born. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of that fateful dinner, and kick-off our the 2019 Dallas Chocolate Festival season, they hosted an exclusive multi-course chocolate dinner in the beautifully restored Venetian ballroom at the Fairmont Hotel. Executive Chef Jared Harms has crafted a five-course meal featuring chocolate flavors in each course from some of today’s leading craft chocolate brands: Dandelion Chocolate from San Francisco, CA; Amano Chocolate from Provo, Utah; French Broad Chocolate from Asheville, NC; and Dallas’s own 5 Mile Chocolate from Oak Cliff will all have their makers on hand to tell the stories of how this chocolate made it from bean to bar to dish. And of course, Fairmont’s amazing Pastry Chef, Cristal Gonzalez, will cap the meal with an array of chocolate desserts.  – See more on dallaschocolate.org and we will see you at the 2019 Dallas Chocolate Festival.

Please see the 1oth Anniversary Dinner Menu and photos below.

Photos – 25 Best BBQ Spots In North Texas On ABC

When anyone says the word “barbecue” it sends most folks in what I like to call the full tilt barbecue boogie. Their minds simply start overloading on the thought of tender, succulent, and flavor-packed proteins that have been cooked to perfection over a fire, in a pit, or in a smoker. Well, at least mine does! Almost everyone loves a good barbecue. It’s one of the most popular foods in the world. As a passionate restauranteur, food expert, chowhound, and barbecue lover, my mind stays in F.T.B.B all day. I love BBQ and I am passionate about the pitmasters and chefs that create these wonderful dishes for all of us to enjoy.

Trey’s Chow Down spent two hours on Victory Plaza in DALLAS with six pit masters on ABC DAYBREAK displaying some of Texas Best BBQ. We had a great time with the Channel 8 DAYBREAK crew slinging some delicious BBQ and creative sides.

The pit masters who joined where some of North Texas very BEST!

Hutchin’s Barbecue

Hurtado Barbecue

Texas Spice On Lamar

Zavala’s Barbecue

Joe Riscky’s Craft Barbecue at Wild Acre Brewing Company

407 Barbecue

We had a fantastic time displaying some of North Texas BEST barbecue and creative sides.

Please see our original blog/article on the TOP 25 BEST BBQ SPOTS In North Texas.

https://treyschowdown.com/25-best-barbecue-spots-in-north-texas-2019/

Enjoy these delicious Barbecue photos.

 

25 Best Barbecue Spots In North Texas for ABC

This isn’t about barbecue I found on the internet or on television… I spent twelve months traveling to various restaurants, barbecues, festivals, and events. I visited 119 barbecue joints and tasted some 280 different items. Of course, I visited some fantastic dedicated barbecue and food festivals like Smoked Dallas, Smoked Fort Worth, Red Dirt Barbecue & Music Festival, Chef For Farmers, Austin Food and Wine Festival, and many others seeking out my mission to find the VERY BEST barbecue for our followers to enjoy in 2019

#IAMSTILLUP

#IAMSTILLUP: Join us for today’s Party on the Plaza! We’re talking all things Texas BBQ this morning!

Posted by News 8 Daybreak on Friday, June 28, 2019

If this is your first time visiting Trey’s Chow Down; HELLO! Welcome, and thank you for stopping by! I highly encourage you to watch one of our television broadcasts, social media episodes and give us a follow on social media.

PEI WEI Bento Box Deliciousness!

Trey w/Chef J Pei Wei

Trey’s Chow Down got invited to the roll out of the new PEI WEI Benton Boxes. I had time to visit with Chef J about Pei Wei’s new Bento Boxes and the new Clean-Label Initiative, The Wei Forward™ program. I was thrilled to hear about the program, and that Pei Wei has created some incredible new Benton Boxes packed with big bold flavors and freshness. I really enjoyed the NEW BENTO BOXES they where really delicious. I also loved the new Cauliflower Rice option which is now on the menu and it may be substituted in the Bento Boxes for rice. There are so many NEW options and everything is prepared fresh to order at each Pei Wei location.

Please read about the Bento Boxes and the Clean-Label Initiative, The Wei Forward™ program. 

Hello Bento. Hello Options. Longing for more variety? Don’t settle. Indulge in the variety you crave at a price you’ll love with Pei Wei’s new customizable Bento Box for just $9.99*.

Beginning April 17, Pei Wei Asian fast-causal brand started offering handcrafted variety with customizable Bento Boxes perfect for a fresh and delicious meal.

“We couldn’t be more excited to offer customizable Bento Boxes to guests that are as visually stimulating as they are delicious,” said Chef J. Sullivan, Pei Wei’s Director of Culinary Innovation. “We’ve brought Japanese tradition to the fast-casual space with Pan-Asian options and even cauliflower rice. The idea behind the Bento Box was that we wanted to highlight a variety of dishes that Pei Wei guests love and allow them to tailor their box to fit their own personal taste and preference.”

Trey’s Chow Down LIVE w/John Tesar #115

Grilled Cheese Heaven In TEXAS!

GOOD DAY CHOW HOUNDS,

The History of the Grilled Cheese Sandwich, posted by “How Stuff Works”, will tell you some three-quarters of people who buy sliced cheese make at least one grilled cheese a month. Similar grilled cheese recipes are even mentioned Ancient Roman texts—and, let’s face it, the French have been making their famous croquet-monsieurs since the early 1900s. TODAY’S common notion of the grilled cheese is traced back to the 1920s. During this time, an Iowa man now considered “the father of sliced bread”, invented a bread slicer that made distributing white bread easy and affordable. Shortly before that, James L. Kraft had patented processed cheese — you recognize the name, of course! Kraft’s entrepreneurship pursuit revolutionized the pasteurizing process and ensured that cheese wouldn’t spoil, even when transported long distances. By 1914, J.L. Kraft & Bros. Company (the precursor to Kraft Foods) opened its first plant in Illinois. Factory cheese was disparagingly termed “rattrap cheese” or “rat cheese” by the fiercely proud English folks who were proud of their cheddars. It was not considered a delicacy. To them, it was simply a cheap, nutritious, and scalable product.

Gas Monkey Grilled Cheese Photo/ Chef Hollister

you’re reading this article on “”Grilled Cheese Heaven”, then I’m guessing you love grilled cheese sandwiches just as much as I do… or more. I’ll be honest; I’ve been eating grilled cheese sandwiches since I could walk! In the summer months of my childhood, I always loved to seek out a delicious grill cheese for lunch. I remember going to the old time drug store, sitting at the bar and ordering a grilled cheese. I would ask for extra cheese because the cheesier, the better. I mean, dripping with cheese. The way to go is with thick buttered bread toasted to a golden brown perfection, over a flat grill or cast iron skillet. Now that… Is a grilled cheese.

Today, I’m still the same. Possibly worse! When I order a grilled cheese, I ask how many cheeses they have in the kitchen, and/or how many types they offer. Depending on the server’s answer, I ask for ALL of it. Sometimes it’s three cheese, sometimes it’s four, and maybe even five! There can never been too much cheese. In my opinion (on the amount of cheese in a sandwich), the more the merrier. The perfection also lies in the toasted and soaked-in-butter bread. I love butter! What is a grilled cheese without the buttery toast and loads of melted cheese running down?

Many chefs have gotten extremely creative in the art of grilled cheese making. Basically, they are taking the traditional sandwich to a whole new level. I like to call this “CRAFT grilled cheeses”. There is a variety of choices to add in from the type bread, house-made bacons, meats, tomatoes, house sauces, etc. The modernized grilled cheese is unbelievably delicious and wonderful to look at.