THE CHALK REPORT

Drone shot of the estate, October 2022, photo credit: © Wesley Steffens by Andrew Chalk The wines of perennial favorite Spring Mountain winery Smith-Madrone represent the unyielding convictions of Stuart and Charles Smith about how wines should taste. My insider contact reports (emphasis added): “Greetings from Smith-Madrone! Wildlife report: a litter of coyotes has appeared! Red-tail hawks are also often patrolling the vineyards! Stu and Charlie just celebrated the winery’s

by Andrew Chalk Type “Arche Winery” into the Google search box in your browser and the first entry that pops up in the list is: and that 100% authentic is what you get. Plus, the winemaking is some of the best in the state, often with challenging varieties. One unmissable here is the 2024 Chardonnay. Grown on the estate, just a short drone flight from the Oklahoma state line on a bluff above an imposing U-bend in the Red River. It is made in the New World style of barrel fe

Don't worry about burns. This candle is not real. by Andrew Chalk The proprietors of this fugazi French restaurant must think Dallasites will put up with anything. From the ‘French tat’ design, apparently by a designer whose closest proximity to France was Paris Texas, to the food, wine, and service, it is an underwhelming and too expensive experience. Ironically, ‘French bistro’ is not an oversupplied category in Dallas, where there are some good examples but there could be