The holiday that must not be named is next week. You want to buy sparkling wine. But sparkling wine, being sparkling wine, is expensive and confusing.

Not to worry. I am on the job, as always, looking out for everyone caught between bubbly’s rock and hard place. The Bertrand ($15, sample) is sparkling wine from France that isn’t made in Champagne, which is why it’s one-third the price of entry-level Champagne. Better yet, it has much more than one-third of the quality, and is a tremendous value.

It’s made using the same method as Champagne, and it uses more or less the same grapes (including pinot noir, which is not common in sparkling wine made in France outside of Champagne). That’s one reason why it delivers so much value; its grapes are grown in the Limoux region in the Languedoc, where land is a fraction of the price of Champagne.

This is not as simple a wine as its price would indicate; the pinot noir gives it an edge that others don’t have. Look for very crisp apple fruit and an impressively long finish (lemon zest, maybe?). And you can impress everyone with your bubbly knowledge: If the wine says Cremant on the label, as this does, that means it’s sparkling wine made in the traditional method but not in Champagne. Highly recommended, and sure to impress whoever needs impressing next week.

Adam Bazaldua announced on the 303 Bar and Grill facebook page that he is no longer chef there. Bazaldua, formerly of Rathburn’s Blue Plate Kitchen, posted this message Sunday morning:

“I would like to start off by saying thanks for all the support you have shown me with the new restaurant. Unfortunately, I am no longer the chef at 303 Bar and Grill, due to a constant concept battle between the owner and myself. I am now no longer affiliated with the food that comes out of its kitchen, other than them using the menu that I designed and created. I will be on to bigger and better things soon, and I hope to have yalls support with my next venture. Thanks! Talk to you all soon!”

For some reason, another post on the 303 facebook page asks fans to add a different page. This is why people hire social media managers.

White wines from France’s Rhone region aren’t particularly well known and, at least in this country, don’t get all that much respect. You don’t see many of them on store shelves or restaurant wine lists, and you don’t see many of them reviewed, for that matter.

Which is a shame, given that white Rhones are usually different and interesting, and that’s something I’m always looking for. The Belleruche ($12, purchased, available at Spec’s), from one of the Rhone’s largest producers, has always been one of my favorite wines for just that reason. When I can find it, of course.

This is a previous vintage, and the extra year of bottle age has given the wine, a blend of grenache blanc, clairette and bourboulenc, a little more character. There is lots of white pepper, some oiliness and just a hint of a green fruit, like lime or apple. This is a not a white wine for people who need something fruit forward, like sauvignon blanc or chardonnay, but it’s not supposed to be.

And don’t worry that you haven’t heard of the grapes used to make it — almost no one who isn’t in the wine business has heard of them, either. Which is another reason why the wine is so interesting, and that’s three more grapes for your Wine Century Club effort. Chill this and drink it on its own or with something like goat cheese; roast pork with apples would be terrific, too.

Greenling, the web-based organic grocery delivery company recently launched operations in the Dallas area. The company, which started in Austin and also serves San Antonio, has a new warehouse in Allen.

The company sells local and organic produce, bread, meat and dairy, as well as “sustainably produced” groceries and sundry items and delivers to homes and offices.

Greenling threw a launch party Saturday at Bolsa Mercado, inviting local growers, including Oak Cliff Organics and the Texas Honeybee Guild, for snacks and sips.

At this bistro, presentation is key. Chef Matt McAllister studied art before becoming part of the Dallas culinary scene.

Bolsa’s sister market concept, Bolsa Mercado, is now open in the former Kemp Garage space on West Davis.

Don’t dismiss a wine just because it doesn’t have a cork. Screwcap, Tetrapak, box … The type of closure is no longer a reflection of quality. These wines show just that.

Most old-time Cliffites recall Red Bryan’s as one of the neighborhood’s most recognizable restaurants. And they would be right.

This restaurant in a renovated old house at West Davis and Madison, behind the new Gloria’s, opened this past weekend.

I popped in for drinks with my bestie Saturday afternoon. Problem is, she’s pregnant and I’m on a weight-loss diet that forbids alcohol, sugar and simple carbohydrates. We’re about as much fun as watching educational childbirth videos on a Greyhound trip. OK, slightly more fun than that, but still, I ordered iced tea and stirred in a packet of Splenda. The mom-to-be ordered water.

The 303 has a pretty good beer selection. All the usual suspects, you know, Dos Equis and whatnot, plus a few craft brews. The rocks margaritas our server brought to the next table looked delightful.

The menu is interesting. It’s like typical bar food with a little something extra. Seafood mac and cheese is a starter. There are about 10 sandwiches, including one with pulled-pork and several burgers. And they all come with fries that are tossed in duck fat. I’m so having that once I’m not eating like a Kardashian.

Instead, I ordered Kale Fries. Kale fries is pieces of kale that are thrown in a deep fryer and then seasoned with salt, pepper and spices. It tasted pretty good for fried kale, but I couldn’t help feeling like I was in a Woody Allen movie, like, I’ll just be over here eating my fried kale.

Pregs ordered seafood croquettes, which came three two an order. I didn’t taste them because I’m too Hollywood for you people now, but she didn’t seem all that jazzed about them.

It looks like they are going for a modern pub menu. The service was great, and the space is lovely.

First, the building is painted this serene shade of green. The patio wraps around two sides of the building, and French doors open the whole place up to outdoors. We sat outside near the fireplace. Check out these pictures from the 303 Bar and Grill Facebook page:

(more…)

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Oak Cliff recently unveiled a new vision, mission statement and creed. Read them on the UU Oak Cliff website.

The church recently screened “Exit Through the Gift Shop,” and there are a couple of events coming up.

The first meeting of the “Oak Cliff Ethicurians” is at noon Sunday, Jan. 15. They will “discuss and act upon how to gain access to healthy, tasty and budget-conscious food in Oak Cliff.” The group will cover topics from recipes to labor concerns with coffee growers, says they church’s publicist, Kelley O’Conan.

A concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21 will feature activist and composer Jim Scott. Tickets are $10.