Chef Secrets

Watch this local chef show home cooks how to slice steak like a pro

In this episode of Chef Secrets, we went behind the line with executive chef Kirstyn Brewer of Victor Tangos in Dallas, who shows us the proper way to slice meat.

She demonstrates using the restaurant’s sliced hanger steak with barbecue lentils (a twist on barbecue beans) and tomatillo salsa verde. First, once the steak is cooked to the desired temperature, she suggests you cover it with foil to keep it warm and let it rest, so the juices redistribute and don’t run out when you slice it.

Sounds obvious, but the right tool also is key, namely a very sharp knife.

She slices against the grain, creating shorter striations of muscle, so that it’s not tough. Because she’s right-handed, she likes to start away from her left hand and slice toward it.

“When I do that I find that the meat falls in a more natural way, and I have a little more control over it,” she says.

To see the whole process, watch the video.

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Wine News

Wondrous wine shop in Fort Worth's Sundance Square salutes the ladies

Wine From A Broad

fortworth.culturemap.com

Pretty pink couches at Wine From A Broad.

A new wine spot has opened in Fort Worth’s Sundance Square – one with the ladies in mind. Called Wines From A Broad, it's from popular Fort Worth chef-restaurateur Dena Shaskan, and features wines made entirely by women winemakers. The shop just opened at 317 Houston St., in a cute storefront that was prevously occupied by a location of the Willow House boutique chain.

Shaskan, who also co-owns Fort Worth bakery-market 3rd Street Kitchen and her fun boozy snack bar Hopscotch, says she's always thought about opening a wine bar, but wanted to find a unique angle in DFW, which already had many.

That angle: to uplift women in the industry by featuring women-owned or women-made brands: women winemakers, owners, CEOs, grape growers, and enologists. It's a growing niche, and she was thrilled to find nearly 200 brands (all of which she sampled!). She features 150 in her store.

Wines From A Broad offers wine by-the-glass, as well as champagne cocktails like Aperol Spritz and Hugo Spritz. She also offers zero-proof options such as the alcohol-free women-owned Mixoloshe seltzer.

The shop has food: a delectable Shaskan menu of small bites and snacks such as a cheese plate with dried fruit, nuts, honey, and and sourdough; chicken liver plate, with prunes and sourdough bread; and pickled shrimp with bay laurel, jalapeño, and lemon.

Sweets are woman-made, as well: a sampler of chocolates by Katherine Clapner of Dude, Sweet Chocolate from Dallas.

And extra points for her eco-friendly stance, with food served on bamboo plates and cutlery.

The space features a femme-friendly decor, with pretty-in-pink velvet tufted couches and seating, and walls bedecked with artwork by women artists, often featuring female subjects such as a pop-art-style portrait of Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz.

The playlist consists of anything from Taylor Swift to Tina Turner, says Shaskan.

“My husband Trent Shaskan is my business partner, but I usually tell him to get out because he likes to change the music,” Shaskan says, jokingly.

Though all genders are more than welcome, Shaskan says she hopes Wines From A Broad will be a space where women can come have a girls’ night out, as well as a place for events like bachelorette parties and baby showers. They're open Wednesday-Sunday from 3-11 pm.

“We’re very laid back,” she says. “It's not, for lack of a better word, snooty. It's about learning about the fantastic wines that are made by female leadership.”

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