Bird's Eye Meal

Outstanding in the Field dining tour is back with Dallas chef Misti Norris

The Outstanding in the Field dinner series returns to Texas.

Photo by Ilana Freddye

A pricey foodie event is returning to the Dallas area — sortof — with a top chef behind the wheel: Outstanding in the Field, featuring dinners staged at communal tables that snake through actual fields, will make four stops in Texas including Shadow Creek in Bowie where it will feature Misti Norris, owner of Petra and the Beast.

Bowie is 95 miles northwest of Dallas, a bit of a hike, closer to Wichita Falls, really. On the plus side, the events start at 3 pm. Hopefully they'll have coffee on the menu for the nearly two-hour drive home.

Bowie represents a departure from the past two years when the event was held at Bonton Farms.

Outstanding in the Field was founded by Jim Denevan in 1999 as an alternative to the conventional dining experience with the idea that, rather than bringing ingredients to a restaurant, the restaurant is brought to the source of the ingredients. Local chefs are drafted to create a four- or five-course menu, using local ingredients. Meals are served family style.

The event used to be quite the foodie favorite but in recent years, its popularity and frequency has ebbed and flowed.

Nonetheless, here it is, back again, having roped in chef Misti as well as a new round of unwitting diners willing to foot the always-expensive price, which this year is $385 to $395 per ticket, depending on location.

The full lineup of Texas stops includes:

Dallas, September 28: Shadow Creek Ranch in Bowie, with guest chef Misti Norris of Petra and the Beast. Alta Marfa Winery & Vineyard joins as the guest winery.
Houston, September 29: Whitehurst Farm in Brenham, with guest chefs Evelyn Garcia of Jūn and Jane Wild of Jane Wild Studios. Soto Vino joins as the guest winery.
Austin, October 5: Boggy Creek Farm in Austin, with guest chef Rick Lopez of La Condesa. Mountain Valley Spring Water joins as the guest beverage producer.
Fredericksburg, October 6: William Chris Vineyards in Hye, with guest chef Amanda Turner of Olamaie. Vista Brewing joins as the guest brewery.

Despite the price, the dinners are selling, according to the booking website.

dinner chefs nature farmers wine hill country

Bagel News

Cute shop Saved by the Bagel to bring hand-rolled bagels to Plano

Saved By the Bagel

There’s a new bagel shop rolling into Plano soon: Called Saved by the Bagel, it’s going into the former JuiceTime Cafe at 6921 Independence Pkwy. #170, where it will open on December 21.

Saved By the Bagel is a family-owned shop from Altrim Vinca, who co-owns the shop with his sister and brother-in-law, Fortesa and Thomas DiFonzo, and childhood friend Veton Hani.

The shop, which is inspired by New York City hand-rolled bagels, boasts an assortment of handmade bagels, bagel spreads, and breakfast and lunch sandwiches.

Though this is their first food shop that they’ve owned, Vinca says they previously worked in restaurants. The inspiration behind opening a bagel shop came from a desire for more family-owned bagels and variety in the Dallas area.

“We have always loved bagels,” Vinca says. “We started making our own bagels at home for our family to enjoy, and they loved it and encouraged us to bring our bagels to the public.”

Menu items include the tuna melt, the reuben with pastrami and Russian dressing, lox, bacon, egg, and cheese, and the avocado smash. For the spreads, they offer house-made plain, strawberry, scallion, honey almond, lox, veggie, and vegan.

"We grew up watching reruns of Saved by the Bell as kids, so it’s super nostalgic for our generation," Vinca says. "While we were brainstorming ideas, we had a random episode playing in the background and my brother-in-law said, “I got it— Saved by the Bagel.'"

Sandwiches typically range from $9 - $13, but they also have a couple of lox sandwiches that are about $19. For the bagel lovers who crave more than a couple bagels, a half dozen goes for $12.50 and a dozen goes for $21.

They'll also offer a selection of espresso, drip coffee, and soft drinks to wash down those bagels.

As far as the atmosphere of the shop goes, it's designed to have a "nostalgic, 90s-inspired vibe that brings back the 90s with a modern twist."

"We have many friends who live in and own businesses in Plano, so we know the area well," Vinca says. "Our goal is to not only offer a new, quick-serve breakfast spot for families to enjoy, but also to bring back memories of childhood with every bite of our bagels."

breakfast openings