Fun in the Kitchen

The big takeaways from MetroCooking Dallas: 5 fave foodie finds and where to buythem

Back to the Roots mushroom kit is fun for kids.
Jelly Queens: jams with attitude.
IttyBittyFoodies
Gourmet Grater proves that old-school tools can survive the technology age.
IttyBittyFoodies
A Fort Worth couple had the bright idea for PotBra.
IttyBittyFoodies
Todd "The Dirt Man" Courtney of Todd's Dirt.
IttyBittyFoodies

More than 150 vendors hit the floor at the first-ever MetroCooking Dallas cooking show headlined by Food Network heavyweights Bobby Flay and Paula Deen. From "dirty" seasonings to a bra for your pot, here's the scoop on five fun foodie products we now can't live without.

The Jelly Queens
Are you ready for this jelly? The sassiest gals in the jellicious biz — Donna Collins, Juliet Mossman, Lori Blackman, Susan Schmidt and Peggy Maxson — get together to make organic jellies and jams packed with personality and Texas punch. Think raspberry chipotle jam with Belgium lambic beer, banana nut bread jam laced with banana beer, or black garlic and rosemary barbecue sauce with red wine. These ain't your granny's jellies. Order Jelly Queens jams, jellies, sauces and baby cakes through the website.

Gourmet Grater
Originally made in Provence, France, more than 50 years ago, Gourmet Grater is proof that old-school inventions can still hold up in our technology age. Hand-made now in Spain, the pretty painted ceramic plates double as useable art in the kitchen. The artisan-crafted ridges can grate anything from garlic to nutmeg to your favorite cheese. They are dishwasher safe, with a five-year warranty on the grating surface. Plus the quality ceramic glaze is guaranteed to keep the design from fading. Each unique set comes with a garlic skin remover and a brush for removing food from the plate. Prices range from $19.75-$21.95, depending on the design.

PotBra
Hey, we could all could use a bit of support during our lifetime, and pots are no exception. The PotBra is a must for every pot luck or tailgating party. The clever invention came about when Fort Worth husband-and-wife team Keith and Sherrie Charles got sick of cleaning up spills in the car whenever they brought their special chili to pot lucks. Made of high-strength, food-grade silicone, the PotBra stretches over slowcookers, pots and casserole dishes with ease, keeping the lids intact. It can be used to transpot hot pots with temperatures up to 400 degrees, and it's dishwasher safe. Available online for $12.95 with free U.S. shipping.

Back to the Roots
This is a tale of two UC Berkeley graduates, Alejandro Velez and Nikhil Arora, who turned down lucrative corporate paths to build an urban mushroom farming business with heart and soul. The sustainable business venture reuses coffee grounds thrown away from local coffee shops to grow delicious oyster mushrooms from kits. The business also aims to encourage kids to make healthier choices — plus it's a fun science project at home and in the classroom. Check out the 1-for-1 Facebook campaign: Back to the Roots will donate a kit and a sustainability curriculum to an elementary school of your choice for every photo posted of your fully grown shrooms. $19.95 from Whole Foods Market and other online retailers.

Todd's Dirt
"Once you go dirty, you wouldn't wanna go any other way," says Todd "The Dirt Man" Courtney. The enigmatic founder of Todd's Dirt spiced things up at MetroCooking Dallas with his line of gourmet seasonings and his entertaining blend of craziness. Check out Dirt TV on his website, where he shows you how to get down and dirty with recipes like ribs or beer-can chicken using his three spice blends: Original Dirt, Crabby Dirt and Bayou Dirt. Todd's Dirt is all-natural and gluten- and MSG-free. And yes, it does look like dirt. Available at Central Market or at Todd's Dirt.

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Lobster Roll News

Famous lobster sandwich shop rolls into Dallas near Victory Park

Mason's

Mason's Famous Lobster Rolls

A restaurant centered on lobster rolls is coming to Dallas: Called Mason’s Famous Lobster Rolls, it's a chain based in Maryland and will open its first location in Dallas in The Union building at 2301 N. Akard St. #260, near Victory Park in a space previously occupied by Creamistry, an ice cream chain.

Mason’s Famous Lobster Rolls was founded in 2014 by Dan Beck, a former restaurant seafood buyer who opened his first location in Anapolis, Maryland. He began franchising in 2016. The chain now has 41 locations, mostly up and down the East Coast, although none actually in New England. There is, however, one in Austin which opened in 2021.

The menu is centered on lobster rolls with five varieties that include both Maine and Connecticut styles:

Maine lobster roll with mayo and lemon butter
Connecticut roll with butter
Lobster salad roll, in which lobster is tossed in mayo with diced celery
Lobster BLT roll, with bacon
Bar Harbor, which has more lobster including a lobster tail

They also do a variety of other seafood rolls such as a crab roll, a crab cake roll, and a shrimp roll — all of which are served in a New England-style hot dog bun whose opening is on top of the bun rather than on the side, providing a better vessel for whatever is ladled into the bun.

Prices range from $17 to $27.

Other menu items include New England clam chowder, lobster bisque, and lobster mac & cheese.

The concept comes to Dallas via franchisee Thu Bui who discovered the concept while visiting the location in Austin.

"Just over a year ago, I tasted my first Mason’s Famous Lobster Roll, and I knew that I needed to bring their freshness and quality back home to Dallas,” Bui says. “It was unlike anything I’d ever tried before with the Mason’s New England Split Top roll and the high-quality lobster. I am excited for the Dallas community to experience their own taste of Maine with all of our delicious menu items whether they’re a lobster lover or they’re trying it for the first time!”

The Dallas location will celebrate a grand opening on December 13 with various giveaways including the opportunity to win free lobster rolls for a year.

One might think that a restaurant chain dedicated entirely to lobster rolls would be a one-of-a-kind deal, but Mason's actually marks the second lobster-roll chain that has come to Dallas: In November, a chain from Phoenix called Angie's opened its first location in Plano.

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