---

Please Join us Sunday May 13th

---

I’m telling you the God’s honest truth:  I am living my dream today as the Chef Proprietor of Y.O. Ranch Steakhouse in downtown Dallas’ West End.  But that dream didn’t just “happen” because my uncle is Gene Street (the retired CEO of CRO, the company that owns El Chico, Good Eats, The Silver Fox, III Forks, Cool River…to name a few).

Now don’t get me wrong, I know that having Gene as my uncle definitely got me started out on the right foot.  I mean, what 12-year-old gets to cook chicken fried steak in the kitchen of his uncle’s restaurant? (At 13, I finally got a time card and I thought I was a pretty big deal!) Or what kid learns from a guy who’d wake everyone up early in the morning with a full breakfast and already have briskets on the smoker for lunch?  His world revolved around food – and he has been an incredible mentor.

But in the restaurant business, if you don’t know what you’re doing – and if you’re not willing to work hard 7 days a week – you will NOT be successful.  You just won’t.  And I’ve had to put in my time and work hard.  Really hard.  But I’ve had a blast and gotten to do some pretty cool things along the way. 

For example, I’ve gotten to travel around the world working, cooking and sampling foods.  From the Texas Hill Country, to France where I taught Texas-style cooking classes in Dijon, to opening restaurants in Acapulco and London, to Thailand where I deeply entrenched myself in the art of Thai cooking.  I got SO entrenched that I even married a beautiful Thai chef from Pattaya along the coast of Thailand!

All those experiences built one on top of the other to arrive at my dream destination of today.  Here’s one example of what I’m talking about…remember that chicken fried steak I learned to cook at age 12?  Well, exactly 30 years later, the restaurant I taught at in Dijon, France, sold my chicken fried steak for 45 EURO!  Little did that 12-year-old kid know, huh?

People ask me how I’ve lasted so long in this business and maintained the love and passion that I have for it.  The answer is simple: When you get to do WHAT you love, WHERE you love, WITH WHO you love…it doesn’t seem like “work.”  It is my dream taking place in reality every day.

Owning, running and creating delicious food-like-no-other for the customers of Y.O. Ranch Steakhouse (recognized as one of the finest in the country by Food Network)…in the amazing and re-energized Historic West End of Downtown Dallas…with the coolest and BEST people around…

Let’s just say that I am one lucky guy, and I know it.

What dream are your life experiences building up to?  Tell me how you’re livin’ the dream…I’d love to hear your story.  Thanks for letting this kid from Brownwood, TX, share his.

---

Wild game cuisine is an enticing alternative when looking for a dietary change of pace. With wild game there are multiple varieties, flavors and textures to explore! Just to name a few choices there is bison, antelope, venison, wild boar, buffalo, lamb, quail, and the list goes on and on. With options to please almost any palette, wild game is a great menu item to consider when hosting an event in one of Y.O. Ranch Steakhouse’s Dallas meeting rooms.

Not only can wild game add variety to any diet, it also offers added health and wellness benefits, too. Did you know eating wild game is much healthier for you than eating domesticated meats?

Here are a few explanations behind the added benefits of wild game:

Leaner Meat

Wild game meat is leaner because the animals are very active in their own environment. Many people have heard the benefits of “free range” meats, but wild game meats take the practice a step further. Wild animals have the benefit of larger areas to roam, play and forage, which allows them to burn more fat and produce a leaner cut of meat.

Grass Fed

Wild animals enjoy eating their natural food source, which consists mostly of the grasses found in their habitat. A grass-fed diet is healthier than a corn fed diet because corn can lead to a fattier meat. Wild game meat is also high in “good” polyunsaturated fat, which offsets the negative impacts of “bad” saturated fats. The meat also includes high levels of omega-3 fatty acids which support a healthy heart, skin and mind in the human body.

More Protein and Vitamins

Wild game meats are a good source of protein. Because they are lower in fat, there is more protein per ounce in wild game meat than in domesticated meat. Wild game meats also contain a rich amount of vitamins and minerals like iron, zinc, vitamin E, beta-carotene and vitamin C.

Hormone Free and All Natural

One of the most essential added benefits of eating wild game is that the meats do not contain traces of added hormones, antibiotics or other drugs. Without high levels of additives, wild game takes on a much more rich and pure flavor.

While the many health benefits of eating wild game are bonus, one of the greatest benefits of all is the unique taste offered by each type of wild game meat. When planning your next event in one of the Dallas meeting rooms at Y.O. Ranch Steakhouse, consider centering your menu around one of the many mouth watering, wild game entrees prepared by Chef Tony Street. The five-star cuisine coupled with the tranquil feel of the steakhouse is the perfect combination for any event.

---

My love for Texas Cooking

---

Now is the right time of year to begin planning your company or office holiday party and begin looking for a holiday party venue. At Y.O. Steakhouse, we know planning a holiday party for your organization can sometimes be a daunting task. As you look towards the holiday season and begin planning your party at a Dallas event venue, be sure to consider the things on our list below.

• Invitations – Invitations are an important consideration for those planning a holiday party. The first decision you make with your invitations should be whether to send them via email or traditional mail. Email can offer you a more efficient and faster distribution, but traditional mail can give your invitations a personal touch that helps them stand out.
• RSVPs – Setting up an easy way for invitees to RSVP can make your holiday planning much easier. If you’re working with a holiday party venue like ours, with accommodations for both large and small parties, your RSVP list can help you decide what size room and menu will best fit your group.
• Theme – Distinguish your company or office holiday party from the others with a holiday party venue and theme that is both unique and charming. In the case of many of the parties we host at Y.O. Steakhouse around the holidays as a Dallas event venue, a ranch theme fits perfectly. Turn your holiday party venue into a Cowboy Christmas and give your guests ranch-themed invitations and party favors!
• Amenities – Be sure to explore everything that the Dallas event venue you have chosen has to offer in the way of amenities. In the case our party rooms at Y.O. Steakhouse, we have audio/visual equipment that our guests can take advantage of. Putting together a video or slideshow to celebrate the year is a great way to add your company or organizations personal touch to the holiday party venue.

If you’re planning a party this holiday season at a Dallas event venue, the above list should put you well on your way to success. But don’t forget, party planning can be daunting. It can often be a big help to bring in a fully-staffed Dallas event venue like Y.O. Steakhouse, in order to take some of the pressure off.

---

It’s that time again, the holiday seasons are upon us! If you are one of those lucky people who gets to plan the ultimate holiday party, then look no further, the Y.O. Ranch Steakhouse has all of the things you need to have a great party, event, or meeting to remember! With 2 spacious Banquets rooms complete with State of the Art audio/visual systems and a private bar and kitchen, you and your guests will have everything you need to start the holiday season off right!

Need help with decor? We also help you in that department as well including customized or logo imprinted menus, projector screen images and slide shows, LCD TVs, and much more all under one roof. The options are limitless when hosting your event at the Y.O. Ranch Steakhouse! Our rooms seat parties from 20-300 people and private dining menus are available to view complete with pricing on our website. With our truly Authentic Texan decor there’s no mocked up ambiance here, all of our pieces and decor came directly from the Y.O. Ranch itself right outside of Kerrville, Texas. So you and your guests will feel right at home in the heart of Texas with Texas sized meals that can’t be beat!

So whether you’re having a small get together or a large all out party, look no further than your own backyard. Call us, email us or just stop by and see what the Y.O. can do for you and your guests, for all of your holiday party needs.  We have everything you need all right here waiting, all that’s missing is You!

*Special Offer: Book your party by Oct. 1st, 2011 and get 15% off your total cost! Just mention this posting.

Hope to see Ya Soon!

---

Serves 2 to 4 if you are lucky

Prep Time: 1 to 2 hours brine and marinade 24 hours

Now everyone has their Gramma’a favorite and I will never tell you that it is not the best. However, when we look at them and see what they are doing we find that they all do the core things alike and we always seem to miss that part. Hint, it is the chicken rest in brine and marinade, the proper frying without trying to rush it and then letting it rest properly on a rack or elevated to crisp all around and redistribute the juices inside this crispy yummy treat.  A tip or two comes in the use of lard and even the added pork to flavor the fat, and also the cornstarch with really aids in a very crisp barrier rather than just using flour.  Pan fry is the way to go and cast iron is really the key to that.

Ingredients

1/2 cup kosher salt (do not use table salt for brining)
2 quarts cold water
1 three-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces
1 quart buttermilk
1 pound lard
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup country ham pieces, or 1 thick slice country ham cut into 1/2-inch strips
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Procedures

1. To make the brine: Stir kosher salt into cold water until dissolved. Place chicken parts in a non-reactive bowl or pot; add enough brine to cover completely. Refrigerate 8 to 12 hours.

2. Drain the brined chicken and rinse out the bowl it was brined in. Return chicken to the bowl, and pour the buttermilk over. Cover and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours. Drain the chicken on a wire rack, discarding the buttermilk.

3. Meanwhile, prepare the fat for frying by putting the lard, butter and country ham into a heavy skillet or frying pan. Cook over low heat for 30 to 45 minutes, skimming as needed, until the butter ceases to throw off foam and the country ham is browned. Use a slotted spoon to remove the ham carefully from the fat.

4. Just before frying, increase the temperature to medium-high and heat the fat to 335 degrees. Prepare the dredge by blending together the flour, cornstarch, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl or on wax paper. Dredge the drained chicken pieces thoroughly in the flour mixture, then pat well to remove all excess flour.

5. Using tongs, slip some of the chicken pieces, skin side down, into the heated fat. (Do not overcrowd the pan or the cooking fat will cool. Fry in batches, if necessary.) Regulate the fat so it just bubbles, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes on each side, until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through. Drain thoroughly on a wire rack or on crumpled paper towels, and serve.

Fried chicken is delicious eaten hot, warm, at room temperature or cold.

---

In conjunction with The Int’l Association of Business Professionals and The Members of the Dallas West End Association, we will be sponsoring a Huge Charity Swimsuit Fashion Show & Date Auction for The American Diabetes Association in honor of National Physical Fitness & Awareness Month in May!

We are very pleased to help out and help host this event! We support the ADA in all that they do, as diabetes is a well known and life threatening illness that many people have and do not even realize. If we can do any thing to help a charity of this sort we will. And that is why we are proud to announce our involvement of this event.

For more information on this event or for ticket information please visit www.tiabp.com/events.html

Y.O. Ranch Steakhouse takes pride in our food, service and customers, but we take even more pride in the charities that we support in any way that we can. This is what makes us unique, this is what makes us whole, This is what makes us TEXANS!

Join us won’t you?

---

The Y.O. Steakhouse has been on a roll lately and it’s only going to get better! With the warmer temps coming in and our beautiful patio gaining the love and care it deserves, why wouldn’t we be Hot! We’ve got unbeatable promotions and we are spoiling those we love best, which is of course YOU the customers:) If we didn’t then we wouldn’t have a restaurant, so why not appreciate you guys each and every day?

From freshly caught and flown seafood from Honolulu, Hawaii to the Best Game dishes you can buy, Y.O. Steakhouse is the place to Eat! Now I don’t want you to think I tooting my own Horn about us, but if you stop by just tell us about it yourself:) Try a Signature Cactus Margarita, Our prized Buffalo Filet Mignon, or even one of our New tasty Bar Appetizers! As it says we are on a Roll and with deserving customers like you, we will keep it rolling all the way to the next century, So don’t hesitate to stop by for a drink, a meal, or just to say Hi! Hey, you can even have your next party here with us while you are at it. With that being said, keep up the greatness that you are and as always ‘We’d Love to have Ya’!

Cheers ’til next Time!!!

---

Well as they say “This is Texas”:) After a very warm week and a good weekend as well, the cold front just rolled itself right on in! And we are ready as always. This week since we are gonna be in the midst of a cold spell, we are serving up a heap of good ol’ Texas Chuckwagon Chili or if your looking for a more at home meal try our Monday Blue Plate Special of Mom’s Meatloaf, made straight from mom her self;)

You don’t have to be down or upset just because of some bad weather. We know how to make Mondays all better and help you make it to Ahhhh Friday!  So my blog this week is all about warming up and still enjoying this Texas weather as moody as it gets. As a bonus we also just launched our new phone App for Android and Iphones so when you dont wana dine out, just order via phone and pick up and go! See how much we love you!?! ;D

While you’re at it, check out some of my recipes as well, if experimenting in the kitchen is more of your forte on a cold mid-spring day:)

Good Eats, Foodies!