The best deal on a wine list I've spotted in a long, long time can be found on the "Clarets" page at the Chesterfield. I didn't have the space (you know, in the print edition) to elaborate on it in the review, but it's definitely worth dwelling on.

Responsible for the Chesterfield's eclectic, fun, reasonably priced list is Jennifer Jaco, the sommelier at Bailey's Prime Plus Park Lane. But her pricing on a Champagne -- a nonvintage Marc Hébrart Cuvée de Reserve -- is beyond reasonable -- it's a crazy bargain at $50. Why crazy? Its retail price is about $46. Put that in your flute and drink it.

Photo of the Chesterfield's baby artichokes barigoule by Brandon Wade/Special Contributor

This is straight out of the press release. ' Sounds like Matt McCallister is stepping back:

Chef Josh Black has been named executive chef at Campo Modern Country Bistro. Black, whose culinary experience includes The Cedar Social and Stephan Pyles is a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu.

"Josh has been an essential part of the development team," says John Paul Valverde, co-owner of Campo and Coevál Studio. "Our menu is always evolving to focus on the freshest ingredients available and Josh's attention to detail is reflected throughout the Campo menu."

Black opened with Campo in November 2011 as sous chef and has been involved in developing the menu along with consulting chef McCallister, who will continue to advise on the Campo concept as needed.

Campo A.M. is set to open early March with a full weekend brunch menu and will launch a series of monthly dinners showcasing guest chefs.

Snazzy kale salads are the subject of the latest Table Talk column. Have you had one? Graham Dodds, who's featuring one on his menu at Central 214, told me in a phone interview that he likes the avocado-kale salad at Whole Foods. My friend Greg has been loving the one on the salad bar at Central Market.

All winter, I've been buying the mix of baby kale they sell at from Earthbound Farms at Whole Foods and making kale salads at home. One of my recent favorites was tossed with diced roasted sweet potato, roasted cauliflower florets, toasted pecans, strips of smoked ham and a toasted pecan oil- sherry vinaigrette. The roasted sweet potato and roasted cauliflower were leftovers (I always try to make extra, as they're both so good in salads the next day.)

But chefs have gotten into the act, too. Read all about it -- and please add your own two-cents in a comment, if you care to.

Photo of Central 214's kale salad by Brad Loper/Staff Photographer

Kim Pierce reported on Chicken Scratch and the Foundry, the big new project from the Bolsa-Smoke team, back in December. I just checked in with Tim Byres for an update. He tells me the Foundry, which had a "kick the tires" run last weekend, will open in earnest tomorrow at 4. On offer will be a bar menu of "classics such as cheese burgers, fries, wings, tacos and meat pies until the whole project is complete." He hopes to have Chicken Scratch ready in early March, and plans a "grand opening extravaganza" with food, drinks and live music.

For this week's review, I visited the Chesterfield, Eddie "Lucky" Campbell's snazzy downtown cocktail bar and bistro. And Mark Vamos reviewed Matador Tapas on Lower Greenville. We would love to know what you think, natch' -- please let us know in a comment.

The Chesterfield: 3 stars
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Matador Tapas: 2 stars
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Photo of the Chesterfield by Brandon Wade/Special Contributor

The Fairmont Hotel hosts the Duchman Family Winery 2010 White Wine Roadshow Thursday, 5 to 8 p.m.

This is a big deal in Texas wines because Duchman in Driftwood is working with three Italian grapes that show great promise in the state - pinot grigio, trebbiano and vermentino - and these will all be part of the release tasting. So, too, what's proving to be the warhorse Texas white, viognier.

The wines will be paired with Fairmont Executive Chef Andre Natera's appetizers. Yummy, matched bites, in other words. It's $30 a person; for reservations, contact Lisa Elliott at events@duchmanwines.com or call her at 512-858-1470 extension 107.

I don't usually just post a press release, but in this case, it states the information so clearly that I'm thinking, "Why rewrite?" (OK, I did lowercase the screaming caps, and I want to draw your attention to the pop-up farmers market that's buried toward the bottom of the release.) Here's the skinny, both on the cocktail competition (free, but RSVP) and the Chefs for Farmers event, where the winning cocktail will be served.

Join five of Dallas' top barmen on March 21 from 6 to 8 p.m. for a high-stakes cocktail competition at The Chesterfield in downtown Dallas. Eddie "Lucky" Campbell (pictured) of The Chesterfield, Jason Kosmas of Marquee, Kyle Hilla of Bolsa, Brad Hensarling of Fort Worth's The Usual and Abe Bedell of Oak will create a handcrafted cocktail for the occasion, which will be judged by those in attendance. The winning libation will be the signature drink featured at Chefs for Farmers' Mixin' It Up on the Boulevard May 6 in Lee Park.

"The Mix-off Battle" is a free event, but attendance is limited. RSVP is required by March 10 at im@chefsforfarmers.com. Light bites by Chesterfield executive chef Michael Ehlert provided. Complimentary valet parking available.

Flip to the jump for info on the main event.

If you want to attend the 2012 Buffalo Gap Wine & Food Summit, you best purchase your tickets now. Even though the event doesn't take place until April 20-22, the tickets go flying out the door in February, just after the go sale.

This year, the theme is Italian varieties, some of which are Texas' most promising grapes. The panels typically include California producers, Texas producers and guests from the international region, this time Italy. Damian Mandola is doing lunch on Saturday. Cheese whiz Laura Merlin is a big guest, too.

How to explain Buffalo Gap (named for the tiny town near Abilene)? It is by choice kept small. It doesn't grow from year to year. Stephan Pyles, long committed to the cause, does an outlandish dinner Friday night - but 160 and 160 only. You can attend one event, such as the dinner or the gala walk-around tasting under the stars (pictured), or seminars on wine grapes.

There is a commitment to education, a commitment to fun, and a commitment to keeping it real. To me, it's like a Jerry Jeff Walker vision of Texas blessed by the wine gods. I know I will be there. Check the website for ticket information.

Eater Dallas picked up the story from Central Track and ran with it: Baker's Ribs will soon have a new location in Deep Ellum.

Staff file photo

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Two years and three months ago I realized I needed to lose 20 pounds, so I created -- and put myself on -- the Restaurant Critic's Diet. Using an iPhone app called Lose It! to keep careful track of every calorie I was consuming and every calorie spent exercising, I embarked on a program in which I'd lose a pound a week for 20 weeks. It worked brilliantly. I lost the 20 -- then kept on losing, for a grand total of 28 pounds.

I probably bounced back up three pounds pretty quickly, but stayed slim, despite the demands of my job.

And then, somehow, a few more pounds crept on. I'd stopped weighing myself every day, which in retrospect was a huge mistake. I was still watching what I ate -- and exercising, though not with anything like the intensity with which I worked out when I lost all those pounds. And then about a month ago I got on the scale and realized with horror that I'd gained 9.8 pounds from my lowest weight. My "skinny" clothes still fit, thank goodness, with the exception of a beautiful skirt my husband bought me for my birthday the year I lost all that weight.

Remember Bar 828, Michael Martensen's pop-up bar in Oak Cliff? Well, Martensen's at it again. Tonight at 8 p.m. he and Brian McCullough launch Hid In 2612 in the new room at Cane Rosso. Food will be available from Cane Rosso and other nearby restaurants.

Yesterday Martensen told me he's trying to do these pop-bars bi-monthly, "to keep things fresh in Dallas." McCullough, he says, will be showcasing some drinks he'll be featuring in his upcoming Standard Pour in Uptown.

The cocktails are bound to be interesting. KingZuluBong designed the space. Martensen says a portion of proceeds will go to Deep Ellum Community Association.

Four nights only: tonight and tomorrow night, then Thursday (Feb. 9) and Friday (Feb. 10). From 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Cash only.

Hid In 2612, 2612 Commerce St., Dallas

A reader just wrote me with the best subject line in an email I've seen all year: "Duck legs."

She wants to make confit, and would like to know where to buy them. Seems she can find them during the holidays, but not after. Can anyone help her? I would love to know, too, because I love to roast 'em. She lives in Plano, but answers from anywhere in the area would be appreciated.

Staff file photo of duck legs confit at Toulouse

What's better than a glass of single malt Scotch? A glass of single malt Scotch and warm, crisp house-made potato chips tricked out with Maytag blue. In my review of Jasper's, I mentioned the combo. The chips may not have been as crisp as I'd have liked, but I did like the price of the Laphroaig 10-year old Scotch I had with it: $11.

Do you like single malt Scotch as much as I do? If so, Laphroaig is a handy Scotch to think of when you're dining out. It's wonderfully peaty and smoky, and it's very well priced compared to other single malts of similar quality. Sigel's Fine Wines and Great Spirits sells it for $49.99 the bottle.

At Nana, one of the most expensive restaurants in town, Laphroaig 10 is on the list for a very reasonable $12; same at Al Biernat's. At the Second Floor Bistro and Bar, which has an absolutely amazing Scotch list, it's $15. But here's something very weird about the pricing of spirits in Dallas restaurants. I've noticed that in some restaurants, when you ask for a Scotch neat, you get charged $2 more than the price on the list. So, for instance, if you order a Laphroaig 10 served neat at Al Biernat's, you'll be charged $14, even though the menu says $12.

Union Bear, the West Village nanobrewery from the brothers Spillers (Matt, Shane and Zach), opens tonight in just under an hour at 5 p.m. Trust me on this. From the outside, next to Taco Diner, it looks like an unfinished construction site - and it is. The first floor won't really be up and running until next week.

But go downstairs and you're in another world, a bar with upscale chow. Matt likes to say it matches the spirit of the 40 changing American craft beers on tap, including beers made in-house. It's like an outdoor picnic area, complete with awnings, modern wooden benches and tables, and plenty of cozy nooks - all underground.

Chef John Kleifgen, a Dallas native and Culinary Institute of America grad who's been cooking in Boston, has returned to design the menu, which is mainly artisan pizza, sandwiches, salads and "snacks."

Among the latter, chef made for me the rosemary and thyme popcorn chicken - crunchy, novel bites of buttermilk-soaked dark meat with house-made mustard sauce for dipping. They had a real tang from the buttermilk, and if you don't know they're dark meat (and you like white meat), you won't even notice. Great to wash down with, oh say, some Moose Drool.

3699 MCKinney Ave., West Village; 214-245-5330; www.unionbear.com

On the banks of the Trinity River in Fort Worth, Tim Love opened his highly anticipated Woodshed Smokehouse last night. The menu starts with a key: four leaves, each representing a particular type of woodsmoke. Each item gets a leaf to indicate whether it's smoked over hickory, oak, pecan or mesquite.

Artichokes, for instance, with lemon and Parmesan are smoked over hickory; a whole cauliflower head is smoked over oak and treated to olive oil, lemon and chile arbol. Bulgogi beef is smoked over pecan and served with house kimchi; redfish en papillote gets oak-smoked. Dishes designed for four to share include "open fire" paella with mussels, clams, shrimp, rabbit-rattlesnake sausage and game birds -- smoked over pecan wood. Wow -- doesn't that sound like a blast?!

Woodshed Smokehouse, 3201 Riverfront Drive, Fort Worth; 817-877-4545

Photo by Mark Rodgers/Special Contributor

This week's review took me to Plano, where I visited Jasper's in the Shops at Legacy. When I wasn't dining there, I was eating seafood at Lefty's, the 16 year-old lobster house in an Addison strip mall. Have you been to either place? We'd love to read about your experience -- and your opinion of the reviews. Please let us know in a comment.

Jasper's: 1 star

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Lefty's Lobster and Chowder House: 3 stars

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Photo of Jasper's rotisserie chicken by Vernon Bryant/Staff Photographer

Karen Robinson-Jacobs has the scoop: Restaurateur Phil Romano and business partner Stuart Fitts have announced plans to bring a "restaurant incubator," along with restaurants, a cooking school, artisan cheesemakers and more to Trinity Groves, a new development near the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge on Singleton Blvd.

Let it be admitted: I am a sucker for bread crumbs. And they seem to be very much in the air these days. Or in the kitchen, anyway.

I've been cooking from Nancy Silverton's new Mozza Cookbook, and recently, when friends came for dinner, I made Silverton's Brussels sprouts with prosciutto bread crumbs. Everyone loved the dish, but I have to confess, I tweaked the recipe somewhat because it called for way more olive oil than it sounded like it needed -- more than a cup for cooking two pounds of Brussels sprouts, plus 1/4 cup in a vinaigrette that goes over them at the end and a couple tablespoons in the breadcrumbs.

Anyway, I'll tell you how to make the Brussels sprouts (which are definitely going into my repertoire) in short order, but first the prosciutto bread crumbs. Silverton's recipe made much more of them than was necessary for the B-sprouts recipe, and I've been using them on a million different things: topping deviled chicken legs with them before sending them into the oven, sprinkling on an Italian salad, tossing some into sauteed rapini. They are definitely a handy thing to have around, as they make everything delicious.

I'm so excited about a cookbook that landed in my mailbox a couple days ago, courtesy of the publisher. Giorgio Locatelli, executive chef at Locanda Locatelli in London, is author of the fat tome, which has not only lots of recipes that are absolutely intriguing, but also beautiful photos (by Lisa Linder) of the dishes and of Sicily. I've spent some time flipping through, stopping to read Locatelli's wonderful stories about the food and the island.

Here's one I loved from the headnote for pasta con le sarde (pasta with sardines):

"There is another version of the dish that is typical of another aspect of Sicilian cooking, which is all about making do with what you have . . . pasta con le sarde a mare means 'pasta with sardines that are in the sea' -- in other words, they had the pine nuts and the raisins and the bread crumbs and all the other ingredients to make the dish, but they didn't have any sardines, so they made it anyway, just without the fish!"

Carrollton's Super H Mart plaza has a new spot for pho -- Pho Doan. It's from the owners of Pho Doan in Garland, but assistant manager Hung Tran says while the Garland location sells a lot of to-go orders, this is more of a sit-down dining room. It quietly opened two months ago, and the menu's in flux -- some new dinner items are being added, and a wine and beer license is expected in a week or so. Till then, it's BYOB. Open Monday-Friday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday-Sunday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Pho Doan, 2625 Old Denton Road (at Trinity Mills Road); Carrollton; 972-323-4999; phodoan.com