Pat’s Pick
Jaden’s
Jaden’s
Jaden’s formula for success involves equal parts style and sustenance. Totally of the moment, this new Dallas restaurant sports the obligatory slick fifties motifs set off by exposed ductwork and oversized hanging lamp shades. Some nice original art—like the sinuous copper-wire-and-stainless-steel sculpture near the entrance—adds to the equation. As for the food, I like the eclectic experimentation of chef James Pitzer’s menu; it reminds me of the Green Room, where he was a sous chef. Case in point: If you’re not in the mood for the hedonistic beef short ribs in a sprightly stout-based broth jazzed with lemon and thyme, try the tender, Indian-inspired grilled lamb loin dusted with turmeric. Some things need attention, like the runny and oddly seasoned sumac-flavored raita that came with the lamb. But on balance, Pitzer juggles the familiar and the exotic with aplomb. PATRICIA SHARPE
Liquid Assets
The Sipping News
Give these splashy spring cocktails a spin.
THE KISS
Dragonfly, Hotel ZaZa, Dallas
Layers are fashionable in cocktails too.
2 ounces Stolichnaya Razberi vodka
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
1 ounce simple syrup (2 parts sugar briefly boiled in 1 part water and then cooled)
1 ounce Chambord liqueur, or to taste
slice of lemon or sugared lemon twist for garnish (optional)
Shake first 3 ingredients with ice until shaker frosts over, then strain into a chilled, sugar-rimmed cocktail glass. Pour Chambord carefully down side of glass; it will sink to the bottom, creating a purple layer. Garnish with lemon. Makes 1 drink.
MANGOTINI
Four Seasons Hotel, Austin
The sunset-hued Mangotini is jazzy drizzled with mint or prickly pear purée.
1 ounce simple syrup (optional; see the Kiss, above, for recipe)
10 mint leaves (optional)
2 ½ ounces vodka
½ ounce sour-apple liqueur (available in liquor stores)
1 ounce fresh lime juice
2 ounces mango purée
prickly pear purée (optional, available from amazon.com)
slice of mango or lime for garnish (optional)
To prepare mint purée, an optional garnish, first make a simple syrup. Blanch mint leaves in hot water for a few seconds; plunge into ice bath to preserve color. In a blender, purée simple syrup and leaves.
Shake vodka, liqueur, lime juice, and mango purée with ice until shaker frosts over, then strain into a chilled martini glass. Drizzle with mint or prickly pear purée and garnish glass with slice of mango or lime. Makes 1 drink.
SPRING ELIXIR COCKTAIL
T’afia, Houston
Fans of T’afia’s unusual ratafia cocktails value both the drinks’ nutritional and entertainment value.
¼ cup sugar (T’afia suggests using all organic ingredients)
¼ cup premium vodka, such as Tito’s (made in Austin)
1 bottle dry white wine
about 1 cup roughly chopped celery stalks, base cut off but leaves left
on; save several small leafy stalks for garnish
about 1 cup pecan halves, lightly smashed with a mallet
1 whole vanilla bean, cut open
Pimm’s No. 1
parsley-cucumber ice cubes (recipe below)
To prepare ratafia, dissolve sugar in vodka and wine. Add celery, pecans, and vanilla bean and stir briefly. Refrigerate for 3 to 4 weeks in a sealed container. (To reduce infusing time to a week, add ½ cup celery juice—use a juicer—to the ingredients.) Strain juice and discard solids. Yields about 4 cups ratafia.
Shake about 5 ounces of ratafia, a dash of Pimm’s No. 1, and ice in a shaker until shaker frosts over. Strain into a chilled champagne flute and garnish with parsley-cucumber ice cubes and a celery stalk. Batch makes about 6 drinks.
PARSLEY-CUCUMBER ICE CUBES
2 handfuls fresh flat-leaf parsley
4 cucumbers, unpeeled,
halved lengthwise
Put both ingredients through a juicer (put parsley in first and use cucumbers as pushers). Freeze juice in trays that make star-shaped ice cubes.
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