Amarillo Magazine | February 2011

Special Advertising Sections: Healthy Living and Bridal Profiles

amarillomagonline.com February 2011

Grape Expectations For this winemaker, Texas grapes and a lot of patience are the keys to making the perfect vino.

Budding Romance

Celebrate the rites of marriage by reflecting nature’s beauty in your wedding-day ensemble.

Building Your Nest

Let flora and fauna be your guide as you mix and match garden-inspired pieces.

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contents

On the cover 32 Grape Expectations

The Texas Panhandle usually conjures up images of cattle and canyons – not Cabernet. Texans typically evoke visions of cowboys and cattlemen – not vintners.

But you can find all of these influences at Bar Z Winery.

cover photo by Shannon Richardson

Features 18 Budding Romance

Spring is a time for new beginnings, new life, and most importantly, new love. Celebrate the rites of marriage by reflecting nature’s beauty in your wedding-day ensemble.

28 Building your Nest

Don’t get your feathers ruffled over selecting your postnuptial dinnerware. Let flora and fauna be your guide as you mix and match garden-inspired pieces.

42 Sweets for your Sweetheart Who needs an intimate dinner for two when you can skip right to dessert?

Indulge in these heavenly treats and savor every moment – with your significant other, of course.

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Amarillo Magazine • amarillomagonline.com • February 2011

sections

photo by Davy Knapp

Online Page............................10 Out & About...........................12 The Way I See It....................16 Dress Code..............................18 Home.........................................28 Inspire........................................38

What’s Cooking?..................42 Events........................................55 Let’s Eat!....................................65 Retro Rewind.........................70 Spotlight..................................72

contributors

Shannon Richardson

Davy Knapp

Shannon Richardson has been photographing commercial/advertising work for the past 14 years. His photography has won numerous Addy awards including three best of shows as well as being featured in the Graphis Photo Annual 2001, JPG Magazine and Shots.

He is currently working on a photographic book about Route 66. See Shannon’s work at shannonrichardson.com and route66americanicon.com.

Davy is a destination family and wedding photographer based in Amarillo. He has been a professional photographer for 13 years.

Davy has traveled North and Central America using his camera as a medium to create lasting legacies of family relationships. Davy’s work has been published in numerous magazines including Rangefinder, Professional Photographer, The Texas Wedding Guide and Texas Highways including many cover features. To see Davy’s work, go to davyknapp.com

Donna Alexander

Christa Boyd

Donna, a West Texas native, has lived in Amarillo for 11 years. She received her Associates of Applied Science in Photography from Amarillo College in May 2009. Donna is a member of the Texas Professional Photographers Association and specializes in commercial, real estate, event and portrait photography. She has two daughters, Alex and Krista.

Christa is a freelance makeup artist and stylist who has worked in the field for 13 years. Her portfolio includes runway, photo shoots, and film with a clientele that spans from New York City, Nashville and Austin. She has been married to her husband, Raymond, for 13 years and they have three children.

Jeff Harbin

Beto

Jeff is a husband, father of two little boys, a firefighter with the Amarillo Fire Department and the owner of Life of Riley Photography. He was born and raised in Amarillo and is proud to work in the community. His passion for art and the creative process began as a child and led him to his love of photography. To see Jeff’s work, visit lifeofrileyphotography.com.

Beto has been a hair stylist since 1998. He is a part-time artist, part-time photographer, and a full-time husband and father. He enjoys working with his hands and continuously creating or recreating various projects.

Andy and T Price

Parie Villyard

Andy and T own Real Food Company. The couple have been creating and serving their “made-from-scratch food with a wholesome flare” for more than 10 years.

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Amarillo Magazine • amarillomagonline.com • February 2011

Parie is the owner of Parie Designs, a design firm specializing in florals, weddings and events in Amarillo. Parie moved her shop in June 2010 to Wolflin Square and changed the name of her long-time business, Secret Garden Fine Flowers, to Parie Designs in order to reflect her desire to cover design-oriented, creative opportunities. In business since 1992 in Amarillo, Parie’s love of flowers and design started in Seattle, Washington.

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Publisher

Les Simpson

Editor

Michele McAffrey 806.345.3256 michele.mcaffrey@amarillo.com

Feature Writer

Drew Belle Zerby 806.345.3223 drew.zerby@amarillo.com

Steven Adams

Creative Services Manager Designer

Darren Hendricks

Graphic Artists

Brian Bussey John Earl Tyler Mitchell

VP Advertising/ Revenue Development

Mike Distelhorst

Classified Sales Manager

Cindy Brown

Retail Sales Manager

Jaime Pipkin

Online Sales Manager

Kendra Barrett

Major/National Accounts Manager

Dewey Shanks

Account

Representatives

Kimberly Barclay Laura Collins Sharon Denny Trish Faris Cory Griggs Cindy Ledesma Rick Miller Hailey Morrison Michelle Parsons Natasha Reavis Marcy Weldon

Sales Assistants

Yolanda Navarette Sarena Poor Leasa Salazar

Patrick Ayala

Online Production Manager Programmer

Tosh Lyons

To advertise in Amarillo Magazine, please contact Jaime Pipkin at 806.345.3432 or jaime.pipkin@amarillo.com To advertise on amarillomagonline.com, please contact Kendra Barrett at 806.345.3472 or kendra.barrett@amarillo.com

Production Director Division Controller

Mike O’Connor Mike Clayton

900 S. Harrison St., Amarillo, TX 79101 806.376.4488 • amarillomagonline.com Amarillo Magazine is a monthly publication of Amarillo Globe-News Custom Publishing. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without prior written consent. Letters to the Editor are welcome but may be edited due to space limitations.

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Amarillo Magazine • amarillomagonline.com • February 2011

editor’s letter

A

s we did the legwork for the February issue, I was reminded once again how privileged I am to live and work in a place like Amarillo.

I’ve met and worked with an amazing array of outstanding people during my time at Amarillo Magazine.

One of the last features we worked on this month was the “Dress Code” photo shoot for our yearly bridal focus.

Fashion shoots are always exhausting but still one of my favorite things to do. It’s a blast watching everyday, normal people work outside their comfort zones as “models.” I’m always blown away by their guts and sense of humor while we stand behind the camera and direct them. I can tell you, it’s way easier to do what I do than to have a group of people staring at you, expecting you to perform.

As I watched the team we’d assembled for this month’s shoot, it hit me: I was surrounded by a rare group of people who get to wake up every day and do what they love and it showed on every face. It was wonderful to see. As the photographer, Davy Knapp, captured image after beautiful image, I stood and basked in the creative energy in the studio. It’s awesome, really, to see what began as a seed of an idea become a reality. And it took the resourcefulness of everyone there to pull it off, from set design and florals to hair and makeup and all the details in between. So to each person who took our vision and made it real – Parie, Beto, Christa, Davy, Shirley, Kate, Terri, Jordan and our models, Courtney and Patrick – thank you, you’re the best!

This month, we welcome our new feature writer, Drew Belle Zerby, all the way from Monroe, Louisiana. A capable writer, copy editor, photographer and designer (her list of talents goes on and on), Drew is an asset I’m excited to have on my team. Plus, when you meet her, I think you’ll agree that her Louisiana accent is hard to beat and definitely charming. You’ll enjoy reading the features she’s written this month, especially our cover story, “Grape Expectations” about Monty Dixon and Bar Z Winery.

I think the fact that we love what we do is reflected in the pages of every issue of Amarillo Magazine. I hope you enjoy the fruits of our labor as much as we enjoy bringing it to you. We always like to hear from our readers, so please take a moment to send us a note. Go to amarillomagonline.com/contact/ and let us know how we’re doing.

As always thanks for reading,

online page

amarillomagonline.com Dress Code Extended Photo Gallery Take a look at more photos from our feature, “Budding Romance,” as well as behind-the-scenes footage from the photo shoot.

Online Exclusive: Grape Education

With the help of two of Amarillo’s wine aficionados, you will be well on your way to becoming one as well.

Register to Win

Want to start your new life together in style? Let us help. Submit your name and contact information to amarillomagonline.com/contact this month for a chance to win a $100 gift card to Dillard’s.

Our thoughts…

Check out our blog where Michele and Drew Belle give you the inside scoop on stories, photo shoots and more.

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Amarillo Magazine • amarillomagonline.com • February 2011

We want you!

Want to break into the journalism industry? Then become a part of the AM team and gain invaluable experience that can help jumpstart your career. Summer and fall internships for college students are available.

For more information, visit amarillomagonline.com/internships.

We’re social!

Follow us (AmarilloMag) on Twitter and be a fan of our page on Facebook.

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out & about

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Breakfast with Santa The Don Harrington Discovery Center sponsored Breakfast with Santa on December 11. In addition to eating breakfast and having portraits taken with Santa, parents and children listened to Christmas carolers and participated in arts and crafts. Guests were able to view the Center’s exhibits and demonstrations including North Pole Activities, Space Theater Holiday Light Show and the Science of Ice.

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1. Kaylee Chism, Kristen Ellison, Vanessa Lozano, Blake Wilson, Wil Hall and Gabriel Montesinos, 2. Avery Steward, 3. Cassie and Michael Haney, 4. Matthew, Robin and Mandie Haney, 5. Ryan and Aaron Wright photos by Donna Alexander

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Amarillo Chamber of Commerce Women’s Christmas Luncheon

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The Amarillo Chamber of Commerce hosted the annual Women’s Christmas Luncheon on December 6 at the Amarillo Club in the Chase Tower. The event benefited Martha’s Home, a local women’s shelter. The Chamber also announced its Businesswoman of the Year, Katie Wright.

1. Debbie Woodruff and Brittany Moody, 2. Andrea McClintock and Mary Garcia, 3. Nickie Wood, 4. Sonja Gross and Melissa Hill, 5. Karen Dennis, Susie Hernandez and Vicky Coronado photos by Donna Alexander

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out & about

1

Amarillo Opera Christmas Open House The Amarillo Opera held its Christmas Open House on December 9 at the home of Larry and Sharon Oeschger.

Friends and members of the Opera attended.

1. Dale Buckner and Mark Gonzales, 2. Adair and Dale Buckner, 3. Catherine Winsett, Amelia O’Dell and Rebecca Aguilera, 4. Shirley Benton Hunt and Tony Riepma, 5. Annette and Garry Nall, and Hollisann Hands

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photos by Donna Alexander

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1

2

Panhandle Plains Historical Museum Christmas Open House PPHM teamed up with High Plains Food Bank on December 3-4 to help those in need in the Panhandle.

Guests were required to bring at least one can of food to the Christmas Open House. Volunteers dressed in period clothing and handed out cookies to guests. Children participated in holiday-themed arts and crafts activities, such as making reindeer antlers and ornaments.

Cookie and Gingerbread house decorating demonstrations, adult origami, storytelling and musical entertainment were also offered.

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4

1. Heath, Rachael, Kirklynn, Riley and Avery Patterson, 2. Mel and James Dewey, and Audrey Seal, 3. Ethan, Braxton and Diana Tobar, 4. Anderson, Jennifer and Campbell King, 5. Camdyn and Britten Kraai with Santa Claus photos by Donna Alexander

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Amarillo Magazine • amarillomagonline.com • February 2011

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February 2011 • amarillomagonline.com • Amarillo Magazine

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the way i see it

Jon Mark Beilue

Valentine’s Day for the romantically-challenged

T

here’s a significant day, gentlemen, approaching in right at two weeks. No, it’s not Groundhog Day or even the Super Bowl. As you know, that’s this week. Think middle of February.

Sorry, it’s not Lincoln’s birthday, either, though there’s something to be said about the 202nd birthday of our greatest president. But your wife or girlfriend might get a bit miffed if you recognize Honest Abe and the Gettysburg Address and forget all about another day just 48 hours later.

All of that candy and all of those cards you’ve seen in every store this side of AutoZone aren’t Easter or Halloween. Research has uncovered it’s Valentine’s Day, and rumor has it that it’s been on February 14 since the mid-19th century, which outlives most relationships. So Valentine’s Day shouldn’t come as any great surprise, though judging by those of us bumping into each other at the card section or the florist the day before, it usually is.

My own history of Valentine’s Day is checkered at best. Somehow it began with proposing to my wife on very nearly that day and has deteriorated – if that’s the right word – to cards that are either suggestive or about odorous bodily functions. Something hit the pause button on my romantic gene through the years.

It was on February 13 – 1985 to be exact – that I popped the question to my future wife. It would have been the 14th, cliché or not, but I had to work that night. We had gone to dinner and I was going to be Mr. Romantic afterward.

I asked that Sandy turn off most of the lights in her apartment – not to set the mood, but I was afraid I would start grinning and have trouble getting the words out in a manner that would make her think I was serious.

“I got two questions,” I said, ever so slyly. “How was your salad?”

Knowing something was probably up, she curiously said, “Okay.”

And then I took her hand, and said, “Sandy, would you – ” As if on cue, her dumb cat, Murphy, jumped up in the darkness between us, pawing and purring like the sound of a runaway locomotive.

Eventually, I got the question out, eventually she said yes, but the mood was damaged.

I’ve had rare moments of other romantic inspiration: a scavenger hunt of notes in the house for her to find a birthday present (a pair of boots). A barbershop quartet hired to serenade her in her classroom on a milestone birthday (I’m smart enough not to say

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Amarillo Magazine • amarillomagonline.com • February 2011

the age, but think nifty). And a surprise trip to an unknown destination.

Okay, so it was to Lubbock for Elton John’s first concert there about nine years ago; we both thought it was great.

As for February 14 itself, nothing really stands out. I say that knowing I’m in pretty good company for those my age. There are only about six expensive gift-buying romantic men in the world, and they’re all 6-foot-3 and appear in the “He-went-to-Jared’s” commercials during Christmas.

So what happened? Well, for one thing, we became increasingly poorer. And then there were the kids. So that meant no matter how lavish Valentine’s Day was, especially if it were during the week, Valentine’s Night was going to be falling asleep watching late-night Sports Center and not the hoped-for, well, you know.

Plus, I’m not so sure Valentine’s Day isn’t perpetuated for Hallmark, Russell Stover’s candy, Outback Steakhouse and F.T.D., and not so much for a martyred saint in ancient Rome. But while it may sometimes have a forced, manufactured feel to it, it doesn’t to women.

So as humorist Dave Barry wrote, on Valentine’s Day millions of men give millions of women flowers, cards and candy as the heartfelt expression that motivates men to observe anniversaries and birthdays: fear.

Well, that’s probably half-true. Let’s toss in a bit of dutiful love too. I can do better on Valentine’s Day. So can you. Here’s the least we can do.

Buy a card or flowers. If you want to do both, knock yourself out.

Doesn’t matter what kind. But don’t just initial it and then put “Love” at the top. Give it some thought. Give it your best, meaningful, romantic two sentences.

Take her out to eat, and make it look like where was her decision.

With a little bit of angling, you should be able to gently steer her to a place you both like – and that, of course, takes coupons.

Don’t forget the entertainment, which for most, is a movie. This should go without saying, but probably not something along the lines of “Terminator Salvation” or “G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra” either. Take one for the team. Let it be a romantic comedy, something with Owen Wilson or Jennifer Aniston in it. You’ll live. You might even laugh.

And should you want to get her a gift that says those three little words, by all means. I haven’t met a woman yet that didn’t long to hear, “Never needs ironing.” am Jon Mark Beilue is a columnist for the Amarillo Globe-News.

He can be reached at jon.beilue@amarillo.com or 345.3318.

Young Adults

in the New Year

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February 2011 • amarillomagonline.com • Amarillo Magazine

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dress code

Budding Romance S

pring is a time for new beginnings, new life, and most importantly, new relationships. With the season approaching, celebrate the rites of marriage by reflecting nature’s beauty in your wedding-day attire and accessories.

Wake up from winter’s slumber by watching this real-life couple’s budding romance blossom into a fruitful future.

photos by Davy Knapp set design, location and florals courtesy of Parie Designs hair by Beto, Ugly Press Hairdressing makeup by Christa Boyd models: Courtney Nickles and Patrick Moran

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dress code

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edding dreams bring visions of spring splendor

Previous page: 18kt white gold cross necklace with 4 ct TW and hand etching on surrounding sides, price upon request, Graham Brothers Jewelers Vendela rose hair bloom by Parie Designs At Left: Strapless gown with sweetheart neckline, crystal and rhinestone band at the drop waist, bouffant ball gown skirt of soutache swirls and gathered organza and chapel train $1575, Brides 18kt white gold diamond bangle bracelet, price upon request; 18kt white gold emerald and round-cut diamond earrings, price upon request; 18kt white gold colored sapphire, amethyst, sapphire and diamond linkstyle necklace, price upon request, Graham Brothers Jewelers White parrot tulip, white rose and acacia bouquet and hair bloom by Parie Designs At Right: 14kt white gold diamond tennis bracelet (14 ct TW), price upon request, Graham Brothers Jewelers Paperwhite Narcissus and acacia bouquet by Parie Designs Bottom:

By Steve Madden “Minnii” sling-back heels $129, Dillard’s

February 2011 • amarillomagonline.com • Amarillo Magazine

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D

ress to impress with wedding-day glitters

Top: Salamander cuff $39; floral cuff $53; rose cuff $32, The Secret Place Left: Donald J. Pliner “Masha” sandals $235, Dillard’s Far Left: Multi-colored pearl strand with 18kt yellow gold and semi-precious stone clasp, price upon request, Graham Brothers Jewelers At Right: Satin and feather head band $80, Brides

18kt white gold drop pendant, price upon request, Graham Brothers Jewelers Yves Piaget garden rose, vendelia rose, acacia and peony bouquet by Parie Designs

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dress code

T

rue love and a great pair of heels shoo away cold feet.

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Amarillo Magazine • amarillomagonline.com • February 2011

Left Page: Jessica Simpson “Bravo” peeptoe heels $79, Dillard’s Top Left: Floral necklace $67; large pearl necklace $35, The Secret Place Susan G. Williams Designs pearl and crystal necklace $100, Brides Top Right: Diamond flower ring 14kt white gold with 4.19 ct TW, price upon request, Graham Brothers Jewelers Bottom Left: Nina “Clorele” heels $99, Dillard’s Bottom Right: Vince Camuto “Wonder” sandals $110, Dillard’s Net veil $75, Brides Next Page: Steve Madden “Glitsi” heels $99, Dillard’s

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T

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he perfect pair go hand-inhand toward a bright future.

Amarillo Magazine • amarillomagonline.com • February 2011

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home

Building your Nest Don’t get your feathers ruffled over selecting your postnuptial dinnerware. Let flora and fauna be your guide as you mix and match garden-inspired pieces. Serve up the spirit of spring and commemorate your commitment to each other with every meal. photos by Shannon Richardson

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3

2

6

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4 (1) Nature’s Garden flower bowl $9, Dillard’s (2) Herend “Rothschild Garden” saucer $45 and tea cup $90, Little Brown House (3) Herend “Rothschild Garden” dinner plate $130 and accent plate $145, Little Brown House (4) Embroidered linen napkin $33; silk lettuce-edge napkin $24; frog napkin ring $36, Et Cetera (5) Platter $24.95, Pier 1 Imports

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(6) Embroidered table runner $34.95, Pier 1 Imports (7) Jay Strongwater leaf napkin rings $175/pair, Et Cetera

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(8) Lenox Simply Fine “Chirp” bowl $30, Dillard’s (9) Nature’s Garden salt and pepper set $18, Dillard’s (10) Anna Weatherley Designs handpainted soup tureen $1160, Little Brown House (11) Goblets $8 each, Pier 1 Imports (12) Lenox Simply Fine “Chirp” square accent plate $25 and dinner plate $27, Dillard’s

February 2011 • amarillomagonline.com • Amarillo Magazine

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Sunset Art Gallery of Amarillo "Friendliest Gallery in Texas"

Jim Ward

First Friday Artwalk February 4, 2011 5-9 p.m.

Cathey Delisle James Roybal Cecy Turner Pat Dagnon Guido Frick Ramon Kelley Charles Bunnell

Sculptors L' Deane Trueblood Bev Steigerwald Painters Anita Louise West Nelda Sheets Benjamin Kelley Bonnie Williams Richard Alan Nichols

Jim Gilmore Don Webster V. Noe Bud Heiss Wes Hyde Rick Howell Carl J. Smith

Fine Art and Sculptures 3701 Plains Blvd. #122 Amarillo, Texas (806)353-5700 (806) 352-2706 www.sunsetartgalleryofamarillo.com ***Voted Best Gallery in Amarillo! - Thank You Art Lovers*** 30

Amarillo Magazine • amarillomagonline.com • February 2011

Crouch Fine Art

3701 Plains Blvd. #121 (806)353 5700 (806)352 2706 Monday - Saturday 10-6 Sunday 1-5

cover story

Grape Expectations For this winemaker, Texas grapes and a lot of patience are the keys to making the perfect vino.

by Drew Belle Zerby photos by Shannon Richardson

T

he Texas Panhandle usually conjures up images of cattle and canyons – not Cabernet. Texans typically evoke visions of cowboys and cattlemen – not vintners. But you can find all of these influences at Bar Z Winery. Monty Dixon’s estate overlooks endless prairies and a stunning canyon instead of vast vineyards. His hands are not stained red and purple from grapes, but rather are the rugged hands of a working cattleman. There is no snobbish air about him; he greets you with a warm handshake and Texas-size hospitality. At his winery near Canyon, you may not be far and away, but you’ll instantly feel transported to a slower, more relaxed state-of-mind.

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“

Our goal [at Bar Z] is to not rush things

just because you can. We’re going to make the best wines that we can. It takes time to

”

get those wines where you want them.

I

n Texas you don’t just brand your cattle – you brand your wine too. Or at least that’s the case for Monty Dixon, owner of Bar Z Winery.

Monty and his winery have stayed true to their Texas roots. Named after his family’s cattle brand, every bottle of Bar Z wine is labeled with a spin on the old saying: “Trust everyone but brand your cattle.”

When asked where he grew up, Monty coolly replies, “On a horse,” with a mischievous grin. He actually was raised in Morse, Texas, but spent time all over the country on his family’s ranches, from Texas and New Mexico to Colorado and Arkansas. But in 2005, the fair-skinned rancher chose to move his career indoors out of the harsh Texas sun and devoted himself entirely to the wine-making business.

“I tried to do both when I first got into [wine] commercially,” he said. “I was trying to juggle both deals, and both of them are just alike when you really have to do something all the time.”

By almost any standard, Monty runs a small winery. But that’s the way he likes it.

“I always want to make it where I’m making the amount of wine where I can concentrate on quality, not quantity,” he says. “That’s one of the reasons I don’t ever make too many different varieties. It’s very hard to focus on your quality. It’s like the old Texas saying, ‘Too many irons in the fire, none of ’em get hot.’ It’s the same thing.”

Located near Canyon, down a bumpy gravel road off South Washington Street, Dixon’s Quonset winery overlooks a seemingly endless canyon of gorges and ravines, so silent and still you’d believe it was a painting. The cerulean exterior of the winery blends in with the sky, a blue panel lightly scattered with brush strokes of white. But when the sun begins to set behind the gullies, a curtain of golden light covers the silver panels of the patio ceiling and the plains glimmer as they sway with the winds of the Panhandle.

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“

It’s all about what you like.

”

If it’s something you like, well, then that’s a good wine.

One of the advantages of operating a small winery is you can take your time. And for Monty, time is vital to making a good wine. Bar Z currently stocks a Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and a Chenin Blanc, but has several other varietals in the pipeline, Monty says. While the Tempranillo could take nearly a year, the Malbec and Mouvèdre could take two to three years.

“It takes time,” he says. “They’re drinkable now. It’s just not what I want it to be. I want it to be a more aged, structured king of wine. Our goal [at Bar Z] is to not rush things just because you can. We’re going to make the best wines that we can. It takes time to get those wines where you want them.”

While Texas may not be synonymous with wine, or even good wine, Monty disagrees.

“A lot of people will go out and try a Texas wine and for some reason people tend to judge our entire industry on that one Texas wine they had,” he says. “Hopefully it was good. But if it was an inferiorquality product, all of a sudden the Texas wine industry is bad.”

Monty attributes critics’ dissatisfaction to the grapes some Texas wineries use. People may hear through the grapevine that all Texas wineries use California grapes, but that’s not true, he says.

“The real sad part about it is, in most cases, the wine they had that

they didn’t like wasn’t even Texas grapes,” he admits with a slight shrug. “The biggest problem we have right now is our vineyards are trying to catch up to the amount of Texas wineries. The smaller Texas wineries are trying to dedicate themselves to Texas grapes … We just need more grapes in Texas.”

And Bar Z Winery is one of the latter. From Cabernet to Chenin Blanc, Monty only uses grapes from the Texas High Plains American Viticultural Area, which he considers superior to other Texas grapes.

“It’s like if you chewed up an aspirin,” he says of tasting a High Plains grape. “It’s in the finish and that’s the soil. Every wine that I make you can taste the soil, you can taste that sand,” he adds as he rubs an imaginary substance between his thumb and index finger.

While Monty is a wine connoisseur, he is not one to impose his knowledge upon you. For him, the rules of wine are made to be broken and even forgotten. And you can tell Monty is a rule-breaker from way back.

“I don’t like to go into ‘You should detect this and you should smell that and you should do this,’” he says. “Wine is subjective. I think it should be up to you what you smell.”

Monty discourages wine drinkers from sticking to the “white wine with white meat, red wine with red meat” rule of thumb. While it may February 2011 • amarillomagonline.com • Amarillo Magazine

35

“

there’s something about wine that

”

intrigues me. It’s a living entity.

be a good guideline to follow for some, it doesn’t apply to everyone, he says. He personally likes to pair Chenin Blanc with lamb, which he boasts is his specialty dish.

“It’s all about what you like. If it’s something you like, well, then that’s a good wine. The most important thing is how it feels in your mouth, how it tastes and how it smells.”

Monty keeps his opinions to himself, unless you ask of course.

While pouring his 2009 Chenin Blanc into one of Bar Z’s signature glasses, he adds, “I will tell you that this wine is clean, it’s crisp and it’s refreshing. You don’t have any off flavors; you don’t have a bitter finish.

It’s pleasant on your palette and pleasing to your nose, and that’s what a wine should be.”

To make Bar Z’s wines what they should be, Monty follows an intricate process that can take two to three weeks. By hand, he turns the grapes into mush using a paddle-like crusher, appropriately named Lucy, after the well-known “I Love Lucy” grape-stomping episode. Using a machine, he takes the solids (stems, seeds and skins) and places the mixture into aluminum vessels. Every four hours, he and his assistant, Greg, alternate pushing the mixture around, a method called hand cap management, in order to achieve the ideal color, flavor and aroma. For Monty, fermentation is the most vital part of the wine-making process.

“Fermentation is where you can make or break a wine,” he says.

“There are a lot of things you can do to the wine, good and bad. You can neglect something, let it sit too long. But there are a lot of good things you can do during the fermentation process, little tricks … But if you don’t manage that fermentation, if you don’t have that really good fermentation, from then on you are just trying to make wine out of something that could have been done better.”

After fermentation is complete, the wine is pressed, separating the solids from the mixture, which is called racking. Once the wine has separated, it is placed into a sanitary tank. When the wine is clarified, Monty transfers the wine to his French Oak casks, which tower to the top of the 15-foot ceilings in the barrel room. There, the wine will age until it’s ready to be bottled. The primary function of a barrel is to concentrate the wine, he says. Water is evaporating out of the wood all of the time and as the water leaves, the chemistry stays behind, even after it’s been bottled.

“That grape’s alive,” Monty exclaims, putting a Texan emphasis on the “i.” “You crush the grape and you think of it as fruit that’s dead, that it is no more, but yet it is. The chemistry of it stays alive; it continues to evolve, to change. Even after you put it in a bottle, it’s still evolving.”

But Monty hasn’t always used this tedious system. When he was in high school, he and his friend used wild grapes to make wine. Of course, it didn’t taste like wine, but that wasn’t the point, he chuckled.

Since that first learning experience, Monty has refined his taste and cleansed his palette, now preferring Shiraz grapes from Australia

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Amarillo Magazine • amarillomagonline.com • February 2011

over wild grapes from a friend’s ranch. By researching the inner workings of wine, from wine-making and chemistry books to classes at Grayson County College in Denison, Monty has schooled himself on successfully operating a winery.

“Mostly it’s self-taught; maybe a little luck,” he proudly admits. “But there’s something about wine that intrigues me. It’s a living entity. God meant for grapes to ferment and make wine because if you could ever look through a microscope at yeast and the skin of a grape, you’d realize God invented Velcro.

Those two things are meant to go together.”

Before relocating to Canyon nearly two years ago, Monty ran his operation in Morse, making wine non-commercially. Using grapes from Lubbock and the surrounding areas, he began entering wine competitions, consistently bringing home gold medals. He soon realized it cost about the same amount of money to make it for yourself as it does to turn it into a business and in 2003, he went commercial.

“My goal, even when it was just for me and my family and friends, was to make the best wine I could,” Monty says. “I was experimenting then, working out my method.

I kind of had a leg up on a lot of people who start wineries because they start the winery and then they go ‘Okay, now let’s learn about making wine and experiment with how we’re going to make it.’”

“I’m not a big experimenter now,” Monty says as he tugs at the sleeve of his brown sports jacket, tailor-made for him in a small town in England. “I found the things that I like and the way I like to do things, and I don’t change much. I pretty much stick to a formula.”

And that formula seems to be working out just fine. Monty and his wife, Amber, along with the help of two of their three children, produce nearly 1,500 cases of wine a year and hope to increase that number to 4,000-5,000 within the next decade. But nothing is set in stone yet, he says.

“You can’t set a number. It varies. We’re not a production-line facility,” Monty asserts. “It’s all about the wine.”

And that’s the truth. But Monty doesn’t seem to mind one bit. Despite having to work the occasional 24-hour shift, he’s living his dream: He gets to sample his favorite beverage all while overlooking the vibrant blue skies of the Panhandle in his one-of-a-kind winery.

“This is my life,” he exclaims, with that good-ol’-boy grin of his. “It never ends.” am

“

Every wine that I make you can taste

”

the soil, you can taste that sand,

February 2011 • amarillomagonline.com • Amarillo Magazine

37

inspire

My Incurable Kitchen Crush Kathy Mitchell

What light through yonder window shines?

It is the oven, and the kitchen is my sun!

M

y love affair with kitchens sprouted in my eighth grade Home Economics classroom, the first day a pastry cutter was placed in my hands. I thought it the strangest contraption ever made and failed to see how it could possibly marry that heap of flour, salt and shortening into a three-way union of pea-sized crumbs. But as I began to dig that gizmo into the mixture, it felt so right, so natural. I was ready to don an apron and take up ranks with the June Cleavers of the world at a time when women everywhere were abandoning their spatulas and declaring their freedom from the tyranny of domesticity.

From that moment forward, I have been content to live in a kitchen, never thinking it to be the least bit oppressive. It’s more than a place to eat; it’s a place to create, to play, to learn and to love.

From my early days of kitchen obsession, many females thought me an odd little cupcake. They marveled at my obsession with scratch cooking. Why spend so much time producing a batch of cookies when a Keebler Elf can do it for you? Even my mother embraced ready-made and quick-fix meals, so from-scratch cooking remained somewhat foreign to me when I married. And my inexperience showed.

My husband endured some really bad meals our first six months of marriage. The first time I baked a perfect meatloaf, the savory smell wafted out of the kitchen and excited that poor, emaciated man to the point of giggles – that is until I accidentally splattered the meatloaf, glazed side down, onto the floor just moments before dinner was to be served. I decided I was jinxed as a chef.

As much as I love to cook, it did not come naturally to me. Even Minute Rice presented a challenge that took me five years to overcome.

And to this day, I still occasionally burn, mutilate or otherwise wreck special dishes I make for potlucks, bake sales and other gatherings.

Through the years I’ve sliced my fingers, burned my hands and even been electrocuted by my own oven. But onward I pressed with my love for cooking.

Fortunately, my husband shares this obsession. And fortunately he’s had a learning curve, too. Our grown children can recall with a tone of horror and dismay what he excitedly declared to be our “Summer of

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Amarillo Magazine • amarillomagonline.com • February 2011

Marinades.” Should I wish to see them shudder, all I have to do is ask, “How ’bout that summer of marinades, huh?” Without fail, they will convulse at the tongue-searing memory of those first few concoctions he invented.

Whether we were crazy, determined or equally smitten by an unusual infatuation with our kitchen, we shunned restaurants and kept on cooking until we finally started to create some tasty food. But along the way our kitchen became much more significant than a room where we prepared food and ate. It served as the hub of our family activities.

It became the soul of our home.

In our kitchen, we’ve blown out birthday candles and baked thousands of holiday cookies. Nestled in its warmth, we’ve played board games until 2 a.m., learned about our kids’ adventures over family dinners and recorded their growth spurts on the wall.

Surrounded by its aging cabinetry, we’ve fished hamsters out from under our dishwasher, exploded a few science projects, built Lego cities, made arts and crafts, and partook in fabulous food fights. And in this same kitchen my husband and I toasted amid tears our children’s passage into adulthood after they left us in our empty nest.

As we venture through this next chapter of our lives, our heavilyused and heavily-stained cookbooks rest quietly while our laptop hums happily on our new countertops. We have embraced online cooking demonstrations and we’re determined to learn every culinary trick in the book.

Together, we continue to dice and chop and blanch and sauté, but fabulous meals are no longer our goal. Our love for creating food has taught us that the best things we can cook up in our kitchen are memories. So regardless of how often I allow the Kathy Mitchell Kathy is a human pasta to cascade out of resources director by day, a boiling pot or whether a writer by night and a he invents a chaotic master chef in her dreams. hodgepodge of spices, new memories will await us around every culinary corner in that lovable little room we call our kitchen. am

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806-331-1710 | 10101 Amarillo Blvd. West February 2011 • amarillomagonline.com • Amarillo Magazine

39

inspire

The Millers meet Jackson for the first time.

Then I Knew They Were Mine Jennie Treadway-Miller

I

remember that Sunday quite perfectly. It was Mother’s Day, 2003, and my husband and I were in our second year of reeling from infertility. We longed to adopt a child. We were surrounded by friends who were getting pregnant with ease, and on this particular Sunday we were surrounded by a congregation of mothers at church.

“We want to recognize all of the mothers in this room,” rang the pastor. “So if you’ve had the privilege and joy of being a mother, please stand up!”

The room erupted in applause, but I sat bitterly in the pew with my hands clenched. I couldn’t raise my eyes for nary a second. I choked back tears and steamed with jealous anger.

To be told you cannot conceive a child is something out of this

40

Amarillo Magazine • amarillomagonline.com • February 2011

world. The words come out of the doctor’s mouth and float around the room before stabbing you right in the heart. What once represented hope and anticipation was suddenly a ripping of what should have been natural and easy. You grow up, you get married, you get pregnant and make a family. It felt as if we’d been robbed.

What I didn’t know, as I pouted in the church pew, was that there was a plan already in motion. Unbeknownst to us, our son was growing in his birth mother’s belly, and in early August, we were introduced to her by a mutual friend. By September, she gave birth and placed in our hands a most treasured gift. Finally, I was a mother.

All of the bitterness I held on to for two years was instantly replaced by an immeasurable well of love. I had not carried him

tenderly inside me for nine months, but from the moment I laid eyes on Jeremy’s tiny body, I knew he was mine.

By his fourth month, I had to defend my position as Jeremy’s mother.

He was scheduled for a minor day surgery, and on the early morning of his procedure, we sat in the hospital room filling out all of the standard paperwork. When I arrived at the spot to fill in his social security number, I called for the nurse. We were two months from the adoption being final, so Jeremy didn’t have a number yet. The nurse went across the hall to the physician and my face went flush as I eavesdropped.

“We can’t do this surgery,” said the doctor, “unless we have permission from his real mother.”

Instinctively I stormed into the hallway and before I could censor myself, the words flew out of my mouth for the whole floor to hear: “I am his real mother.”

They stood there in shock before gently explaining their legal dilemma. The solution was an early morning phone call to our lawyer who provided custody documents on our behalf. Though Jeremy’s surgery went about as planned, I fumed for a solid week on the doctor’s tactless slip of the tongue.

Nearly three years later, we were delighted again to receive a second son. This time, instead of having the luxury of four weeks to prepare for a baby, we had 24 hours. We woke on a Saturday morning an oblivious family of three, but by Sunday night we had grown to a family of four.

Even in the rush of his birth, being chosen as his parents and meeting him for the first time, from the moment I saw six-hour-old Jackson through the hospital nursery window, I knew he was mine.

Fast forward seven and four years respectively. Our house is busy, noisy, and, depending on the day, it is a galaxy far, far away, a battlefield for Army men, or a super-speeding race track. It is a place where laughter fixes nearly every problem and table manners may never be achieved. It is place of properly set boundaries, where hugs are given free and clear, and one bite of your vegetables is good enough for now.

It is also where we talk openly about their adoptions, using words like sacrifice, gift, and, above all else, love. It is because of love that you are here.

With Jeremy we’ve reached a pivotal place of starting to answer hard questions, and we agreed a long time ago that we’d always answer them as honestly as possible and with age-appropriate information.

Our conversations are sweet and mostly benign, which confirms that the hardest challenges are yet to come. It is never far from my mind to affirm both boys of their place in our family.

In the quieter moments of this bestowed motherhood, I imagine my boys at an age of rebellion, when they are looking for answers that I cannot give, and it’s then that I imagine the worst. It’s a fear every adoptive parent harbors. There could come a day, when in anger, they might yell at me, “You aren’t my real mother.”

Now, I can’t say for sure what the context of this argument may be, and I can’t say for sure how I will respond as a whole, but if my instincts are correct and my love is still strong, then I’m certain I’ll begin with, “Oh yes I am.” am Jennie Treadway-Miller Jennie is a freelance writer, avid runner and fervent mother of two. Read more of her mischief at jenniecreates.com

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February 2011 • amarillomagonline.com • Amarillo Magazine

41

what’s cooking?

Sweets for your Sweetheart W

ho needs an intimate dinner for two when you can skip right to dessert? Indulge in these heavenly treats and savor every moment – with your significant other, of course. Pop open some bubbly and toast to a night of sweet romance.

photos by Shannon Richardson recipes provided by T and Andy Price, Real Food Company

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Amarillo Magazine • amarillomagonline.com • February 2011

Bittersweet Chocolate Mousse

Raspberry Streusel Bars

Triple Chocolate Bark with Spiced Almonds and Dried Cherries

Orange Crème Caramels

February 2011 • amarillomagonline.com • Amarillo Magazine

43

what’s cooking?

Raspberry Streusel Bars

Bittersweet Chocolate Mousse

2½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour 2/3 cup granulated sugar ½ teaspoon salt 2 sticks softened, unsalted butter plus 2 tablespoons, cut into ½-inch pieces ¼ cup packed brown sugar ½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats ½ cup toasted, chopped walnuts ¾ cup raspberry preserves (8½ ounces) ¾ cup fresh raspberries 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice from 1 lemon

4 large egg yolks ¼ cup sugar Pinch of salt 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate (1/3 cup chips) ¾ cup heavy cream 2 tablespoons brandy ½ teaspoon espresso powder

Adjust oven rack to middle position; preheat to 375 degrees. Spray 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. In food processor, process flour, granulated sugar and salt until combined, about 5 seconds. Scatter 16 tablespoons of butter pieces over flour mixture and pulse until mixture resembles damp sand, about 20 one-second pulses.

Measure 1 ¼ cups flour mixture into medium bowl and set aside; distribute remaining flour mixture evenly in bottom of prepared baking pan. Firmly press mixture into an even layer to form bottom crust. Bake until edges begin to brown, 14 to 18 minutes. While crust is baking, add brown sugar, oats and nuts to reserved flour mixture; toss to combine. Work in remaining 2 tablespoons of butter by rubbing mixture between fingers until butter is fully incorporated.

Pinch mixture with fingers to create hazelnut-sized clumps; set streusel aside.

Combine preserves, raspberries and lemon juice in a small bowl. Mash with fork until combined but a few berry pieces remain.

Finely chop chocolate; reserve. In a double boiler, whisk yolks, sugar, salt and espresso powder until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm to the touch, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and quickly whisk in chopped chocolate until melted, then cocoa until smooth (mixture will be thick).

Cool to room temperature.

In a medium bowl, whip cream until soft peaks form. Whisk half of whipped cream into room-temperature chocolate mixture. Gently fold in remaining whipped cream with a rubber spatula. Divide mousse among four serving dishes. Chill at least two hours and up to one day. Remove mousse from refrigerator 15 minutes before serving. Garnish with shaved chocolate or cocoa sprinkles.

Makes four servings

Spread filling evenly over hot crust; sprinkle streusel topping evenly over filling (do not press streusel into filling). Return pan to oven and bake until topping is deep, golden brown and filling is bubbling, 22 to 25 minutes. Cool to room temperature on wire rack, one to two hours. Cut into squares and serve.

Orange Crème Caramels 4 large navel oranges 1 ¾ cups sugar 3 cups whole milk 3 whole large eggs and 3 large egg yolks Special equipment: 8 (6-ounce) ramekins Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line bottom of a small roasting pan with a folded kitchen towel. Finely grate zest from oranges, then squeeze enough juice to measure 1 cup. Pour juice through a fine sieve into a 2-quart, heavy saucepan, discarding pulp, and stir in 1 cup sugar. Bring to a boil over moderately high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil, without stirring, washing down any sugar crystals with a brush dipped in cold water and skimming froth as necessary until syrup begins to turn golden, about 5 minutes. Continue to boil, swirling pan occasionally, until syrup is a deep, golden caramel. Immediately divide caramel among ramekins, tilting if necessary to coat bottoms.

Bring milk and zest just to a simmer over moderate heat, then remove from heat and let stand, covered, 10 minutes. Whisk together whole eggs, yolks and remaining 3/4 cup sugar in a large bowl, then whisk in warm milk. Pour custard through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing on and discarding solids. Divide custard among ramekins and arrange ramekins in roasting pan. Carefully add enough hot water to pan to reach halfway up sides of ramekins. Bake in middle of oven until custard is just set (but still trembles slightly in center) 1 to 1 ¼ hours.

Run a thin knife around sides of each ramekin to loosen, then transfer ramekins to a rack and cool. Chill, loosely covered, at least 2 hours. To unmold, invert plates over ramekins and invert custards onto plates.

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Amarillo Magazine • amarillomagonline.com • February 2011

Triple Chocolate Bark with Spiced Almonds and Dried Cherries 7 tablespoons butter ½ cup brown sugar 2 cups toasted coarse-chopped almonds Salt Cayenne pepper Pinch of ground nutmeg Pinch of ground cinnamon 1 pound semisweet chocolate, cut into pieces 1 pound milk chocolate, cut into pieces 1 pound white chocolate, cut into pieces 2 cups dried cherries, chopped Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large sauté pan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter. Add the brown sugar and stir until it dissolves and is bubbly. Add the almonds. Season the almonds with salt, cayenne, nutmeg and cinnamon.

Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar starts to caramelize and coats the almonds evenly. Cook for about 4 minutes. Remove the pan from heat and spread the almonds over a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place pan in the oven and roast almonds for about 6 minutes. Remove pan from oven and cool completely. Break the almonds into small pieces.

Fill three small saucepans halfway with water. Place the pans over medium heat, bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. In three separate mixing bowls, add each type of chocolate into the individual bowls. Place the bowls over the saucepans. After about 2 minutes over heat, the chocolate will start to melt. Stir each chocolate until totally melted. Remove chocolate from heat and stir 1 tablespoon of butter into each bowl of chocolate. Pour each one over a large parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle the almonds and cherries over the chocolates. Using a metal spatula, spread mixture evenly back and forth to about a 1/4-inch thick. Place pan in refrigerator or cool at room temperature until set, about a couple of hours. Break the bark into medium pieces and serve.

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February 2011 • amarillomagonline.com • Amarillo Magazine

45

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Amarillo Magazine • amarillomagonline.com • February 2011

ASID Allied Members

Each franchise is independently owned & operated.

BRIDAL PREVIEW

A SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION PRODUCED BY AMARILLO GLOBE-NEWS CUSTOM PUBLISHING

BRIDAL PRE VIE W

2011

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

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BRIDAL PREVIEW

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BRIDAL PREVIEW

Amarillo Laser & Vein Clinic Fine tune your image for your Big Day

I

f cutting-edge is your style, Amarillo Laser & Vein Clinic is for you.

Amarillo Laser & Vein Clinic was established in 2003, under the leadership of board-certified surgeon Dr. Ammar Jarrous. This experienced team of healthcare professionals guarantees the newest, most effective technologies available today.

Many brides, mothers and grandmothers of brides and grooms use Amarillo Laser & Vein Clinic’s services when wedding plans are in the works. The right image is important, and Amarillo Laser & Vein Clinic can help perfect your look.

Choose from facials, massages, Botox, facial fillers including Juvederm and Radiesse, spider vein removal, laser facial resurfacing, laser body slimming and cellulite reduction to prepare for the Big Day. Dr. Ammar Jarrous says that the clinic “has always been the first to incorporate the most advanced laser devices and new technologies in Amarillo.”

They were the first to introduce ZERONA laser body slimming to Amarillo and the only clinic to offer CelluPulse acoustic wave.

They also offer Oro Gold Facials, which contain 24K gold and are typically only available in larger cities.

Visit Amarillo Laser & Vein Clinic in their private, stand-alone clinic with a relaxing, modern interior.

The initial consultation is free and treatment can take place the same day if the appointment is made accordingly.

Most wedding services are completed in one visit, with the exception of cellulite or body slimming, which each take six sessions over 12 days.

Amarillo Laser & Vein Clinic 6810 Plum Creek Drive 806.353.ALVC (355.3022) amarillovein.com

48 BRIDAL PREVIEW

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BRIDAL PREVIEW

Belmar Bakery Offering wedding confections in a variety of sizes, shapes and flavors

A

t Belmar Bakery, you can have your cake and eat it too. Brides and grooms have been relying on Belmar Bakery for wedding-day confections since 1965.

“We are a large, retail bakery with the ability to produce fresh-made cakes at an affordable price,” says owner Deana Zaccardo.

Offering bride’s, groom’s, bridal shower cakes and a variety of party trays for the wedding weekend, Belmar Bakery is a one-stop wedding shop.

“We have seen trends come and go and we make it our goal to stay current,” says Deana.

Since purchasing the bakery in 2002, Deana and Richard Zaccardo have doubled the size of the shop to accommodate more customers and provide better service.

In fact, customer service is the key to their success.

“We offer free wedding consultations,” she says. “This process is highly recommended because we can review our wedding-cake policies and procedures and answer any questions that arise.

We like to keep things simple, including the design choices of our cakes.

Simple and elegant is what we are all about.

The quality of the cake is very important, too,” says Deana.

Belmar Bakery offers a variety of sizes, shapes and flavors. The customer may select from existing designs that can be customized. Belmar Bakery will even recreate a design from a magazine or photograph.

Committed to excellence, Belmar Bakery is limiting the number of wedding cakes they will provide per weekend for 2011 so each bride will receive detailed attention.

“All the more reason to book early,” Deana says.

Belmar Bakery 3325 Bell Street 806.355.0141 belmarbakery.com

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BRIDAL PREVIEW

Brides

A beautiful new location for brides

W

hether you have months or merely days to plan your wedding, whether your ceremony will be a formal affair or quietly simple, Brides is the ultimate place to shop for your wedding gown.

Whether your budget is generous or limited, your figure is full or petite, your groom is tall or short, Brides has answers and suggestions for you.

Whether you’re wearing stiletto heels, red satin sandals or your favorite cowboy boots under your gown, Brides will encourage your uniqueness and help you develop creative ideas of your own.

Shirley Greener and Danilee Kelley are a mother-daughter team who have been devoted to providing fabulous service and personal attention to brides since 1994, in the pretty little blue and white building just west of Paramount and 26th Avenue, and now in a second location at the Soncy entrance to Westgate Mall across from Target.

A visit to Brides is a pleasant and fun-filled experience that offers an inviting display of gowns and spacious fitting rooms.

There is no pressure. The atmosphere is relaxed and casual, offering a calm environment for your happiest time.

No appointment is necessary to try on our beautiful gowns, but you may make one if you like. Store hours are 10 a.m.6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday.

With the help of a knowledgeable and accommodating staff, you will be able to choose from a huge selection of the latest, most stylish gowns, with prices that will be a pleasant surprise.

Purchasing your gown from Brides earns generous discounts on your tiara, veil and bridesmaids dresses. All major credit cards are honored and a free layaway plan easily puts your favorite gown within reach.

You’ll be offered expert, in-house alterations at reasonable prices by Brides’ team of professional seamstresses who specialize in redesign, incorporating your personal taste and ideas for change into your original design.

For 17 years, brides from Amarillo and the surrounding area, both near and far, have walked down the aisle in beautiful gowns from Brides.

“What we hear back from our customers is that they’ve had a wonderful experience working with us,” Shirley and Danilee say. “We’re here to take good care of our brides.”

Don’t even think of buying your wedding gown until you’ve been to Brides.

3211 SW 26th Avenue 806.359.7575

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201 Westgate Parkway

BRIDAL PREVIEW

The Cake Company Offering specialty, one-of-a-kind wedding cakes to Panhandle brides

T

he wedding cake is the focal point of the reception, and it sets a tone for the wedding menu and decór. It’s more than dessert; it’s the much-anticipated final touch for most wedding guests.

Choosing a wedding cake can be daunting, but The Cake Company is prepared to make your decision simple.

“We cater to our clientele, who desire specialty, one-ofa-kind cakes,” says Mandy Williams, owner. “We have more than 35 combined years of decorating experience.”

The Cake Company has cataloged more than 300 pictures of brides’ cakes and 150 pictures of grooms’ cakes for their customers to review before deciding on a cake.

Brides and grooms can secure an appointment with one of The Cake Company’s experienced cake artists where they can sample up to six flavors of cake free of charge. The Cake Company invites brides to bring in pictures they’ve found online, in magazines or even from other bakeries.

“We can replicate almost any cake from simple designs to the most elaborate,” Mandy promises.

“We take tremendous pride in the quality of every single one of our cakes, but our sculpted 3-D cakes display every aspect of our creativity,” she says.

In addition to the bride’s cake, The Cake Company specializes in grooms’ cakes, chocolate-covered strawberries, cream cheese mints and other specialty desserts for the entire wedding weekend.

The Cake Company delivers to most areas in the Panhandle, New Mexico and some parts of Oklahoma.

Located in the heart of Canyon, The Cake Company has been in business for 11 years.

The Cake Company 1502 5th Avenue Canyon, Texas 806.655.8700 cakegirlstexas.com

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

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BRIDAL PREVIEW

Little Brown House Dedicated to helping brides make quality, stress-free selections

L

ittle Brown House has been an icon in Amarillo for more than 80 years. Situated in charming Wolflin Square, Little Brown House offers a variety of lines for local brides to choose from for their wedding registry.

Brides can select dinnerware that will last a lifetime from the array of china, crystal, silver, pottery, glass and pewter.

Freeda Simms, owner of Little Brown House, is experienced in helping brides make decisions with which they will be happy.

“You really want something versatile that you can work with and change up in your everyday dishes, and something that you will love and use for a lifetime in your china pattern,” says Freeda.

Little Brown House has more resources than anyone in town, carrying an exhaustive catalog of brands in everyday dishes, china and flatware. They also offer men’s gifts for the groom or groomsmen, home décor, Jon Hart luggage and a variety of options for hostess gifts and bridesmaid’s gifts.

“We invite all brides to take advantage of our custom invitations, thank you notes, and paper goods. Shower hostesses should definitely stop in to preview our invitations,” she says.

Little Brown House offers paper plates and napkins in a wide variety of prices for hostesses to take advantage of for parties, showers, or luncheons.

Brides can make an appointment for a consultation to make selections.

“The process can take anywhere from two to three hours because we really work with them and pull out products and help them visualize things so they love what they end up with,” says Freeda.

The friendly staff of Little Brown House offers guidance to brides in choosing the best selections for their home. They offer free gift wrap and delivery to showers in Amarillo.

The ladies of Little Brown House are committed to one thing – helping brides make quality, stress-free selections.

“Our whole goal is to make their experience a good experience,” Freeda says.

Little Brown House 2600 Wolflin Avenue 806.352.0321 littlebrownhouseamarillo.com

52 BRIDAL PREVIEW

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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

BRIDAL PREVIEW

Lone Star Diamonds Where customer service, price and location shine

S

electing the perfect engagement and wedding jewelry is one of the most exciting times in a couples’ life. It can also be stressful. But with a customer-driven jeweler like Lone Star Diamonds, the process is painless.

Why Lone Star Diamonds? They prioritize the customer and commit themselves to finding the right diamond in the right budget.

Locally owned and offering a lowest-price guarantee, Lone Star Diamonds is a Panhandle gem in its own right. Offering a large selection of bridal sets, Lone Star Diamonds is a serious contender for your engagement and wedding ring needs.

“We will beat our competition on any product we sell and we promise sources to get any loose diamond, certified or non-certified, by the next day,” says Shobhna Gohel of Lone Star Diamonds.

Lone Star Diamonds found its roots in a simple jewelry kiosk in 1987. Since then, the company expanded and is conveniently located in Westgate Mall with a large customer base in Amarillo and the surrounding area. Offering bridal and diamond jewelry since 1993, Lone Star Diamonds is here to stay.

The staff of Lone Star Diamonds is dedicated to helping the bride and groom choose the perfect bridal set for their budget.

They also commit to their customers for the long haul.

“Our customers can bring their bridal set in any time for a free cleaning and we will check the set to ensure the long life of the diamond,” Gohel says. “We also offer trade-ins with upgrades to get the full value back.”

Don’t waste time – visit Lone Star Diamonds today to preview their complete selection of engagement and wedding jewelry.

Lone Star Diamonds 7701 I-40 West, Suite 512 806.356.9590

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

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53

BRIDAL PREVIEW

Classic Events by Rabern Rentals Amarillo’s one-stop party and event shop

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wenty-five years after opening its doors, Rabern Rentals opened another branch of its top-notch rental company – Classic Events. By separating and expanding the company, Rabern Rentals maintains the level of focus its customers expect in every area.

In 2009, Classic Events became Amarillo’s one-stop shop for planning any party or event, from elaborate weddings to simple birthday parties. Its newly-featured addition on Washington Street is an effort to continue providing concentrated personal service.

From the rehearsal dinner to the reception, Rabern Rentals has it all. Its extensive inventory includes beverage fountains, serving pieces, decorative pieces, chocolate fountains, gold and silver dinnerware, canopies and tents, chairs and tables, china, coffee makers, fountains, glassware, gold/brass service, linens, silver service, silverware, wedding accessories and audio/visual equipment. Delivery and pickup service is available at a reasonable rate.

Classic Events also sells a full line of party and wedding napkins, plates, glasses, invitations, candles, favors and plastic flatware.

“Our goal is to relieve every bride and groom that comes into our showroom from any stress or pressure when planning their wedding day,” says Wendy Cain of Classic Events. “Our job is to help with careful planning and scheduling that will enable the bride to relax and truly enjoy every moment.

We want our customers to ‘own the memories and rent everything else,’” she says.

Classic Events by Rabern Rentals 4807 S. Washington Street 806.331.2444 Visit www.rrcclassicevents.com to view a complete listing of rental items. Store hours are 8 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. Saturday.

54 BRIDAL PREVIEW

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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

events February

Featured Event

Amarillo Little Theatre’s “Kiss of the Spider Woman” The Cast Molina: Jeff Jarnagin Valentin: Jason Hudson Aurora/Spider Woman: Camille Medina Esteban: Decker Dyess Marcos: Michael Newman The Warden: Don Shipman Molina’s Mother: Janice Easterday Marta: Amber Burton Prisoners/Aurora’s men: Brandon Bellar Jonny Carr Jason Crespin Ryce Garren Russell Reed Ryan Sustaita Prisoners: Justin Loe Jonathan Mobley

This month, Amarillo Little Theatre presents Tony Award winner “Kiss of the Spider Woman.” The musical received seven Tonys in 1993, including Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book. Based on the novel by Manuel Puig, “Kiss of the Spider Woman” tells the story of two very different men at a Latin American prison, forced to form a relationship with each other to survive.

Luis Alberto Molina, an unabashed homosexual window dresser, is in the third year of his sentence when Marxist revolutionary Valentin Arregui Paz is thrown into his cell. To escape prison life, Molina fanaticizes about his favorite films and movie stars, recreating famous scenes in his head and sharing these dreams with an apathetic Valentin. One of the recurring characters in Molina’s visions is the Spider Woman, who weaves the theme of death throughout the production.

This dark, musical drama punctuated by light, highenergy song and dance numbers is sure to captivate its audience with its unconventional story and compelling characters.

Tickets range from $17-22.

Performances are February 3-5, 10-12, 8 p.m.; February 6, 13, 2:30 p.m.

ALT Adventure Space 2751 Civic Circle 355.9991 amarillolittletheatre.org

To have an event listed on the calendar, e-mail details to michele.mcaffrey@amarillo.com or fax a press release to 806.345.3282.

View an updated listing of events throughout February at amarillomagonline.com

February 2011 • amarillomagonline.com • Amarillo Magazine

55

Arts & Entertainment February 3

Amarillo Little Theatre Presents “Kiss of the Spider Woman” 8 p.m. Amarillo Little Theatre Adventure Space 2751 Civic Circle, 355.9991 West Texas A&M Theatre “The Secret Garden” 7:30 p.m. Branding Iron Theatre, Sybil B. Harrington Fine Arts Complex, Canyon, 651.2804 First Thursday Art Showing the 806 coffee + lounge 2812 SW 6th, 322.1806

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Bustiez Bra Boutique & Apparel 3501 - D 45th (behind Abuelo’s) 1-806-544-0811

February 4

Stephen Fite Concert 10-11 a.m.

Amarillo Civic Center Auditorium 401 S. Buchanan, 378.3096 Amarillo Little Theatre Presents “Kiss of the Spider Woman” 8 p.m. Amarillo Little Theatre Adventure Space 2751 Civic Circle, 355.9991 Amarillo Opera “Lift Every Voice” 7:30 p.m. Featuring Maurice Evans.

Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts 500 S. Buchanan, 378.3096 West Texas A&M Theatre “The Secret Garden” 7:30 p.m. Branding Iron Theatre, Sybil B. Harrington Fine Arts Complex, Canyon, 651.2804

February 5

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Amarillo Little Theatre Presents “Kiss of the Spider Woman” 8 p.m. Amarillo Little Theatre Adventure Space 2751 Civic Circle, 355.9991 West Texas A&M Theatre “The Secret Garden” 7:30 p.m. Branding Iron Theatre, Sybil B. Harrington Fine Arts Complex, Canyon, 651.2804 First Friday Art Walk 5-9 p.m.

The Galleries at Sunset 3701 Plains Blvd., 353.5700

February 6

Amarillo Little Theatre Presents “Kiss of the Spider Woman” 2:30 p.m.

Amarillo Little Theatre Adventure Space 2751 Civic Circle, 355.9991

February 9

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Amarillo Magazine • amarillomagonline.com • February 2011

February 11

Amarillo Little Theatre Presents “Kiss of the Spider Woman” 8 p.m. Amarillo Little Theatre Adventure Space 2751 Civic Circle, 355.9991 West Texas A&M Theatre “The Secret Garden” 7:30 p.m. Branding Iron Theatre, Sybil B. Harrington Fine Arts Complex, Canyon, 651.2804

February 12

Amarillo Little Theatre Presents “Kiss of the Spider Woman” 8 p.m. Amarillo Little Theatre Adventure Space 2751 Civic Circle, 355.9991 West Texas A&M Theatre “The Secret Garden” 7:30 p.m. Branding Iron Theatre, Sybil B. Harrington Fine Arts Complex, Canyon, 651.2804

February 13

Amarillo Little Theatre Presents “Kiss of the Spider Woman” 2:30 p.m.

Amarillo Little Theatre Adventure Space 2751 Civic Circle, 355.9991

February 16

SLAMarillo Monthly Slam, 9 p.m. the 806 coffee + lounge 2812 SW 6th, 322.1806

February 17

Third Thursday 6:30-9 p.m. Amarillo Museum of Art 2200 S. Van Buren, 371.5050

February 18

Amarillo Symphony “European Vacation” 8 p.m. Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts 500 S. Buchanan, 378.3096

February 19

Amarillo Symphony “European Vacation” 8 p.m. Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts 500 S. Buchanan, 378.3096

February 23

Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” 7:30 p.m. Amarillo Civic Center Auditorium 401 S. Buchanan, 378.3096

West Texas A&M Theatre “The Secret Garden” 7:30 p.m. Branding Iron Theatre, Sybil B. Harrington Fine Arts Complex, Canyon, 651.2804

February 24

February 10

February 25

Amarillo Little Theatre Presents “Kiss of the Spider Woman” 8 p.m. Amarillo Little Theatre Adventure Space 2751 Civic Circle, 355.9991 West Texas A&M Theatre “The Secret Garden” 7:30 p.m. Branding Iron Theatre, Sybil B. Harrington Fine Arts Complex, Canyon, 651.2804

Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” 7:30 p.m. Amarillo Civic Center Auditorium 401 S. Buchanan, 378.3096

Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” 7:30 p.m. Amarillo Civic Center Auditorium 401 S. Buchanan, 378.3096 Amarillo Master Chorale “Love” Concert 8 p.m. St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church 1601 S. Georgia, 371.5344

Harrington String Quartet 7:30 p.m. Westminster Presbyterian Church 2525 Wimberly, 359.4781

LD, O E H T H T I OUT W EW! N E R H T H T I E HOME CENTE ID R P T A IN W R E H T TOGE

February 26

George Jones 7:30 p.m. Amarillo Civic Center Auditorium 401 S. Buchanan, 378.3096

LING ID 2011 REMODE

February 28

Abilene Christian University Concert 7:30 p.m.

Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts 500 S. Buchanan, 378.3096

EAS COME

Benefits & Fundraisers February 5

Symphony Ball 2011 “South Pacific” 6:30 p.m.-1 a.m.

Amarillo Civic Center Heritage Room 401 S. Buchanan, 378.3096

February 11

Paramount Baptist Church Banquet 6:30-9 p.m.

Amarillo Civic Center Regency Room 401 S. Buchanan, 378.3096

February 17

March of Dimes Kickoff Luncheon 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Amarillo Civic Center Grand Plaza 401 S. Buchanan, 378.3096

35

03 NE 24T H • 381-00 KEEPER ofof my HEART my 32

Fellowship of Christian Athletes Banquet 6:30-10 p.m. Amarillo Civic Center Heritage Room 401 S. Buchanan, 378.3096

February 26

st th January January 21 21 st -- February February 66 th,, 2011 2011

Mardi Gras Party 7-11 p.m. Family Support Services’ annual fundraiser with dinner, live music, casino games and a silent auction. Guests also have the opportunity to win a trip to New Orleans. The Galleries at Sunset event room 3701 Plains Blvd., 342.2503

KEEPER of myKEEPER HEART of my HEA

Exhibitions

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Achievements in Art 2011:ST The Collector: Treasures from the Texas Panhandle Open through March 20.

Amarillo Museum of Art 2200 THS. Van Buren, 371.5050

JAN 21 , 2011 st th JAN 21ST, 2011 January 21 February 6 2011 st FEB 6 , 2011 Now February 6, 2011 TH January , 21 - February

Sitting Buffaloes: 100 Years of WT Chairs Open through March. Panhandle Plains Historical Museum 2503 4th Ave., Canyon, 651.2244

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Paint-by-Number Event Open through April.

Residents of every age in the Texas Panhandle are invited to work on the world’s largest indoor paint-bynumbers art project during museum hours: ThursdayFriday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 1-5 p.m. AMoA Alliance will supply brushes and paint.

Each numbered section is a $5 donation to the AMoA Alliance. All proceeds benefit the Alliance Education 2ofcolumn x 4"ad • 3¾" x 4" • 8" ad Fund. Amarillo Museum 2 Art 2200 S. Buren, column x Van 4"ad • 3¾" x 4" • 8" ad 371.5050

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Opening the Cabinet Doors: Clothing and Accessories from the American Indian Collection Open through May. Panhandle Plains Historical Museum 2503 4th Ave., Canyon, 651.2244

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People and Places of the Panhandle Open through May. Panhandle Plains Historical Museum, Hazelwood Lecture Hall 2503 4th Ave., Canyon, 651.2244

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January 21 st to February 6 th , 2011 57 st January 21 to February 6 th , February 2011 • amarillomagonline.com • Amarillo Magazine

We Do Not Just Sell Hearing Aids,

We Provide Better Hearing

Not Just for Show: Saddles from the Permanent Collection Open through November. Panhandle Plains Historical Museum 2503 4th Ave., Canyon, 651.2244 From Hell Week to Homecoming: Campus Life at WT, 1953-1971 Ongoing exhibit at Panhandle Plains Historical Museum 2503 4th Ave., Canyon, 651.2244 Hunters of the Sky Ongoing exhibit at Don Harrington Discovery Center 1200 Streit Drive, 355.9547

5501 W. 9th | AMARILLO | (806) 468-4343

February 12

Kyle Park 10:30 p.m. Midnight Rodeo 4400 S. Georgia, 358.7083

February 18

Space Lounge Ongoing exhibit at Don Harrington Discovery Center 1200 Streit Drive, 355.9547

Ink Life Tour 1-11 p.m. Tattoo and music festival that includes live music, contests and raffles, tattooing, art demos, food, custom cars and bikes. Amarillo Civic Center North Exhibit Hall 401 S. Buchanan, 378.3096

The T-Rex Experience Opens February 5 through April. State-of-the-art exhibit featuring robotic dinosaurs. Don Harrington Discovery Center 1200 Streit Drive, 355.9547

Music Andy Chase Cundiff 7 p.m. every Tuesday night. 575 Pizzeria 2803 Civic Circle, 331.3627

February 19

Tommy Gallagher Band 10 p.m. Hoot’s Pub 2424 Hobbs Road, 358.9560

February 20

Ink Life Tour 1-9 p.m. Tattoo and music festival that includes live music, contests and raffles, tattooing, art demos, food, custom cars and bikes. Amarillo Civic Center North Exhibit Hall 401 S. Buchanan, 378.3096

February 23

Open Mic Night 9 p.m. the 806 coffee + lounge 2812 SW 6th, 322.1806

D.J. Gemini 8 p.m. every Wednesday night. Butler’s Martini Lounge 703 S. Polk, 376.8180

February 25

February 4

Texas Blues Rangers 8 p.m. Cattle Call Too 4000 I-40 West, 463.7900

Buster Bledsoe Band 9 p.m. Western Horseman Club 2501 I-40 East, 379.6555 Hard Tymes 9 p.m. Lowery’s Saloon and Dance Hall 609 S. Independence, 467.8500 Average Joes 8 p.m. Cattle Call Too 4000 I-40 West, 463.7900

February 5

Buster Bledsoe Band 9 p.m. Western Horseman Club 2501 I-40 East, 379.6555 Hard Tymes 9 p.m. Lowery’s Saloon and Dance Hall 609 S. Independence, 467.8500

February 9

Open Mic Night 9 p.m. the 806 coffee + lounge 2812 SW 6th, 322.1806

February 11

Six Market Blvd. 8 p.m. Hoot’s Pub 2424 Hobbs Road, 358.9560 Amarillo Magazine • amarillomagonline.com • February 2011

Tennessee Tuckness 8 p.m. Cattle Call Too 4000 I-40 West, 463.7900

AFK 8 p.m. Cattle Call Too 4000 I-40 West, 463.7900

Andy Chase Cundiff 7 p.m. every Wednesday night. Blue Sky 4201 I-40 West, 355.8100

58

Kyle Park 10:30 p.m. Midnight Rodeo 4400 S. Georgia, 358.7083

Amazing Bodies! Ongoing exhibit at Don Harrington Discovery Center 1200 Streit Drive, 355.9547

Planetary Landscapes Ongoing exhibit at Don Harrington Discovery Center 1200 Streit Drive, 355.9547

L to R: Kerry Ormson, Ed.D., Au.D. | Shirley Moore, BC-HIS, A.C.A. Kristi Reed, Au.D., CCC-A | Heather Fuller-Jones, M.S., H.A.S.

Mickey and the Motorcars 8 p.m.

Golden Light Cantina 2908 W. 6th, 374.9237

Johnny Cooper 8 p.m. Midnight Rodeo 4400 S. Georgia, 358.7083

Bakersfield Twang 9 p.m. Lowery’s Saloon and Dance Hall 609 S. Independence, 467.8500

February 26

Bakersfield Twang 9 p.m. Lowery’s Saloon and Dance Hall 609 S. Independence, 467.8500

Nature Snake Feeding 3 p.m. every Saturday in February. Wildcat Bluff Nature Center 2301 N. Soncy, 352.6007

February 5

Create a Landscape Design, two-part series 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (session 1) Class size limited to 15 people. Call the office to reserve your space. Amarillo Botanical Gardens 1400 Streit Drive, 352.6513

7620 Wallace Blvd. • Amarillo,

February 9

Create a Landscape Design, two-part series 7-9:30 p.m. (session 1) Class size limited to 15 people. Call the office to reserve your space. Amarillo Botanical Gardens 1400 Streit Drive, 352.6513

February 19

Create a Landscape Design, two-part series 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (session 2) Class size limited to 15 people. Call the office to reserve your space. Amarillo Botanical Gardens 1400 Streit Drive, 352.6513

February 23

Create a Landscape Design, two-part series 7-9:30 p.m. (session 2) Class size limited to 15 people. Call the office to reserve your space. Amarillo Botanical Gardens 1400 Streit Drive, 352.6513

Special Events February 5

Lone Star Bully Bash Dog Show 12-6 p.m. Amarillo Civic Center Regency Room 401 S. Buchanan, 378.3096 The T-Rex Experience Grand Opening 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. State-of-the-art robotic dinosaur exhibit grand opening.

Don Harrington Discovery Center 1200 Streit Drive, 355.9547

February 10

Amarillo Executive Association Banquet 6-11 p.m. Amarillo Civic Center North Exhibit Hall 401 S. Buchanan, 378.3096 Circus Gatti 7-9 p.m. Amarillo Civic Center Coliseum 401 S. Buchanan, 378.3096

February 11

Circus Gatti 4:15 and 7:30 p.m. Amarillo Civic Center Coliseum 401 S. Buchanan, 378.3096

February 12

Circus Gatti 12, 4 and 7:30 p.m. Amarillo Civic Center Coliseum 401 S. Buchanan, 378.3096 Valentine’s Dinner 7:30-10 p.m. Dinner includes live music. D’Vine Wine 2600 Wolflin Village, 467.9463 Townsquare Media Valentine’s Day Sweetheart Dance 6-11 p.m. Amarillo Civic Center Grand Plaza 401 S. Buchanan, 378.3096

February 13

Circus Gatti 2 and 6 p.m. Amarillo Civic Center Coliseum 401 S. Buchanan, 378.3096

February 15

Go Red for Women Seminar 8 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Amarillo Civic Center 401 S. Buchanan, 378.3096

In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future.

February 17

Amarillo Tea Party Patriots 7-9 p.m.

Featuring Bridgette Gabriel with ACT for America. Amarillo Civic Center Auditorium 401 S. Buchanan, 378.3096

February 19

Journey to the Skies 10 a.m.-12 p.m.

Girls will have the chance to meet with an astronaut and other women in the field of aeronautics who will talk about their careers. Open to girls of all ages.

Amarillo Civic Center Heritage Room 401 S. Buchanan, 378.3096

February 25

Amarillo Women’s Network Monthly Meeting 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. Chase Building, 30th Floor, Sunburst Room 600 S. Tyler, 374.5058

Sports & Recreation February 4

Amarillo Bulls vs. New Mexico Mustangs 7 p.m. Amarillo Civic Center Coliseum 401 S. Buchanan, 378.3096 Kicker Monster Trucks 7:30 p.m.

Presented by Cycle City Promotions.

Amarillo National Center 3301 SE 10th Ave., 376.7767

Thomas J. Hickman, M.D. • Dudley E. Freeman, M.D. Sarah Bergeron, RNC, WHNP • George Barnett, M.D. Cullen Hopkins, M.D. • Gregory A. May, M.D. 7620 Wallace Blvd. • Amarillo, Tx. 79124 • 806-359-5468

February 5

Amarillo Bulls vs. New Mexico Mustangs 7 p.m. Amarillo Civic Center Coliseum 401 S. Buchanan, 378.3096 Kicker Monster Trucks 7:30 p.m.

Presented by Cycle City Promotions.

Amarillo National Center 3301 SE 10th, 376.7767 Lady Buff Basketball vs. Texas A&MKingsville 4 p.m. First United Bank Center, Canyon, 651.4400 Buff Basketball vs. Texas A&MKingsville 6 p.m. First United Bank Center, Canyon, 651.4400

February 8

Buff Baseball vs. Oklahoma Panhandle State University 12 p.m.

Sports Complex, Canyon, 651.4400

February 11

Buff Baseball vs. University of Central Oklahoma 6 p.m. Sports Complex, Canyon, 651.4400

February 12

Buff Baseball vs. University of Central Oklahoma 1 p.m. Sports Complex, Canyon, 651.4400 February 2011 • amarillomagonline.com • Amarillo Magazine

59

Lady Buff Basketball vs. Angelo State 4 p.m. First United Bank Center, Canyon, 651.4400

Lady Buff Softball vs. University of Central Oklahoma 4:00 p.m. Sports Complex, Canyon, 651.4400

Buff Basketball vs. Angelo State University 6 p.m. First United Bank Center, Canyon, 651.4400

February 26

February 18

Texas USA State Wrestling Tournament 12-6 p.m. Amarillo Civic Center Coliseum 401 S. Buchanan, 378.3096 Lady Buff Softball vs. Oklahoma Panhandle State University 11 a.m.

Sports Complex, Canyon, 651.4400 Lady Buff Softball vs. Western New Mexico University 4 p.m. Sports Complex, Canyon, 651.4400

February 19

Texas USA State Wrestling Tournament 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Amarillo Civic Center Coliseum 401 S. Buchanan, 378.3096 Lady Buff Softball vs. Western New Mexico University 1:30 p.m. Sports Complex, Canyon, 651.4400 Lady Buff Softball vs. Oklahoma Panhandle State University 4:00 p.m.

Sports Complex, Canyon, 651.4400 Lady Buff Basketball vs. Midwestern State 4:00 p.m. First United Bank Center, Canyon, 651.4400 Buff Basketball vs. Midwestern State University 6:00 p.m. First United Bank Center, Canyon, 651.4400

February 20

Lady Buff Softball vs. Texas A&M International University 1:30 p.m.

Sports Complex, Canyon, 651.4400 Lady Buff Softball vs. University of Central Oklahoma 4:00 p.m. Sports Complex, Canyon, 651.4400

February 27

Buff Baseball vs. Northwest Missouri State University (DH) 12:00 p.m. Sports Complex, Canyon, 651.4400

Trade Shows February 18

Tri City Sales Forum 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

Amarillo Civic Center Heritage Room 401 S. Buchanan, 378.3096 Continental Antique Show 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Amarillo Civic Center Regency Room 401 S. Buchanan, 378.3096

February 19

Continental Antique Show 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Amarillo Civic Center Regency Room 401 S. Buchanan, 378.3096 Pioneer Gun Show 9 a.m.-6 p.m.

Amarillo Civic Center South Exhibit Hall 401 S. Buchanan, 378.3096

February 22

February 20

February 23

Lady Buff Basketball vs. Incarnate Word 6:00 p.m. First United Bank Center, Canyon, 651.4400 Buff Basketball vs. University of the Incarnate Word 8:00 p.m. First United Bank Center, Canyon, 651.4400

February 25

Amarillo Bulls vs. Corpus Christi Ice Rays 7 p.m. Amarillo Civic Center Coliseum 401 S. Buchanan, 378.3096 Lady Buff Softball vs. Texas A&M International University 11:00 a.m.

Sports Complex, Canyon, 651.4400

Amarillo Magazine • amarillomagonline.com • February 2011

Buff Baseball vs. Northwest Missouri State University (DH) 12:00 p.m. Sports Complex, Canyon, 651.4400

Amarillo Venom vs. Allen Wranglers 3:05 p.m. Amarillo Civic Center Coliseum 401 S. Buchanan, 378.3096

Buff Baseball vs. University of the Southwest (DH) 12:00 p.m. Sports Complex, Canyon, 651.4400

60

Amarillo Bulls vs. Corpus Christi Ice Rays 7 p.m. Amarillo Civic Center Coliseum 401 S. Buchanan, 378.3096

Pioneer Gun Show 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Amarillo Civic Center South Exhibit Hall 401 S. Buchanan, 378.3096 Continental Antique Show 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Amarillo Civic Center Regency Room 401 S. Buchanan, 378.3096

February 26

Remodelers Council Home Improvement Show 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Amarillo Civic Center 401 S. Buchanan, 378.3096

February 27

Remodelers Council Home Improvement Show 12 a.m.-5 p.m.

Amarillo Civic Center 401 S. Buchanan, 378.3096

ealthy Livin

A SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION CREATED BY AMARILLO GLOBE-NEWS CUSTOM PUBLISHING

Healthy Living

2011

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

•

HEALTHY LIVING

61

Healthy Living 2011

The Heart Hospital of Northwest Texas Educating women about heart health

Y

ou may have heard that heart disease is the number one killer of women.

• But did you know that heart disease takes the lives of more women than the next six causes of death combined?

• Did you know that heart disease takes the life of 500,000 women every year?

• Did you know that 43 million American women are living with cardiovascular disease?

• And did you know that one woman dies every minute from this disease in the United States?

The truth is that one in 26 women die from breast cancer while one in 2.4 women die of heart disease. Yet most women still forget about heart health. Cardiovascular disease is no longer a bigger threat to men than to women. Since 1984, more women than men have been killed by heart disease.

Leanna Tijerina, RN, MSN/MHA and Administrative Director of The Heart Hospital of Northwest Texas says the Go Red for Women “Girls Gone Fit” Expo is an opportunity to learn about heart health through education that includes mind, body, food and skin care.

The American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women Campaign is committed to educating women on how to stay healthy and contribute to research to help fight this deadly disease.

Leanna says that while some risk factors are genetic, some can be controlled.

“You can’t change your age, race or family history. But you can control risk factors like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, diabetes and physical inactivity. You can make changes to live a longer, stronger life,” she says.

Make plans to attend the Go Red for Women Expo on February 15 from 9-11 a.m. and 1-2 p.m. in the Heritage Room at the Civic Center.

The annual luncheon will take place from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m., beginning with a survivor fashion show and testimonials from 12 local heart disease survivors.

The Heart Hospital of Northwest Texas 1501 S. Coulter 806.354.1292

Visit nwtexashealthcare.com and goredforwomen.org for more information.

• Information source: American Heart Association.

Physicians are independent practitioners who are not employees or agents of The Heart Hospital of Northwest Texas. The hospital shall not be liable for actions or treatments provided by physicians.

62 HEALTHY LIVING •

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Pictured left to right: Lori Gollihugh, Katherine Ford, Debbie Aylesworth, Karla Coon and Nancy Seliger

Healthy Living 2011

Lee Shuwarger, OD

Unique Vision Care, a family-friendly, community optometric practice

D

r. Lee Shuwarger is all about the patient. Committed to the community, he is available to his patients every day of the week, every hour of the day or night for emergency eye care.

He also makes it a priority to see his patients quickly when they need his attention.

“I really pride myself on seeing patients at their appointment times,” he says. “If they arrive on time, they should be seen on time.”

Being treated at Unique Vision Care is a positive experience every time. The office is a testament to the Amarillo way – that of family ties and friendly neighbors.

“My daughter’s artwork is displayed throughout the office,” he says. “We’re very close.”

Family is important to Dr. Shuwarger and he says he found an extended family in the Amarillo community.

“The most incredible thing about Amarillo is that the people are the friendliest I’ve ever met in my life,” he says. “I develop really close relationships with my patients. I love the people here – I’ve never encountered a community that is so closely knit and so loving as Amarillo.”

Dr. Shuwarger’s practice, Unique Vision Care, is conveniently located in southwest Amarillo. His full-time staff is like family who welcomes patients happily.

“People really feel like they’re coming into my office to see old friends,” he says. “That’s the type of office I want.”

Unique Vision Care 3130 S. Soncy Road 806.351.1144 uniquevisioncare.com

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

•

HEALTHY LIVING

63

Healthy Living 2011

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Amarillo Breast Center of Excellence Offering outreach and training programs to improve breast health for women

T

exas Tech University Health Sciences Center is a devoted advocate for breast health in the Panhandle, mainly because of their conviction that things really can get better.

Dr. Rakhshanda Rahman, Associate Professor in the Divisions of Surgical Oncology and Breast Health Service, says she focuses on breast health because of the large number of cases in the Panhandle compared to the rest of Texas. “In the Panhandle, we have a much higher incidence rate. We need to do something extraordinary to tackle that problem,” she says.

As the major cause of this discrepancy, she names the poverty level in the Panhandle.

“In some areas of the Panhandle, access to health care is the big issue. Most importantly, we have to identify people who are at risk and put them in a preventive program,” she says.

She insists that health-care programs must take initiative by reaching out to people.

“We instigate community outreach programs and train influential women in the community to carry the message and be proactive in their neighbor’s breast health,” Rahman says.

TTUHSC recently received a Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) grant.

This is state money that is set aside for breast cancer services and research.

“Their grants are highly competitive,” says Dr. Rahman. “Our center, in a combined effort with the Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health, applied and was awarded 1.68 million dollars.”

The grant will allow TTUHSC to increase breast cancer screening rates and preventive care by offering mammograms to women in the under-served populations of West Texas.

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Amarillo Breast Center of Excellence 1400 S. Coulter 806.356.4659 ttuhsc.edu/bce

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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

month or let’s eat!

RESTAURANTS info • FOOD • SPIRITS

let’s eat!

Kabuki Romanza As a young boy, Tadamichi Tayama would gaze across the seas of Japan and watch the boats sail into the harbors.

Decades later, he would bring that picturesque scene to Amarillo with Kabuki Romanza. At the center of the Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi Bar, patrons can board a large, wooden boat and enjoy Asian fare upon teppan tables, punctuated with a light and water show every 45 minutes. photo by Shannon Richardson

Kabuki satisfies appetites with its traditional, Japanese cuisine. At Kabuki, the bottom line is the customer, says Chef Richard Chen. And the customer knows it; readers voted it Best Japanese Restaurant and Best Themed Restaurant in 2010.

This Valentine’s Day, indulge in an enticing, four-course feast perfect for sharing while taking a romantic boat ride on the water.

Kabuki Romanza, 8130 I-40 West, 358.7799, kabukiromanza.com Open Monday through Sunday. Lunch served from 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; dinner served from 5-10 p.m.

PRICING GUIDE $ most entrees under $10 $$ most entrees $11 to $20 $$$ most entrees over $21

RESTAURANT KEY Outdoor Dining ☎ Reservations Recommended T Live Music y

c Full Bar C Beer and/or Wine only ^ Best of Amarillo Winner

NEW New to Let’s Eat! UPDATE

Updated entry

The Let’s Eat! Guide is a reader service compiled by the Amarillo Magazine editorial staff. The magazine does not accept advertising or other compensation in exchange for a listing. The guide is updated regularly. To correct a listing or recommend a restaurant for consideration, contact Michele McAffrey at michele.mcaffrey@amarillo.com.

February 2011 • amarillomagonline.com • Amarillo Magazine

65

575 Pizzeria Toppings runneth over at 575 Pizzeria, not to mention the specials that rotate every month. (Check the board when you walk in.) It’s family-owned and family-friendly, so it’s a great Friday night dinner choice. 2803 Civic Circle, 331.3627, 575pizzeria.com $$ C T ^ Amarillo Legends Amarillo Legends serves up comfort food at its finest. Loosen your belt for old-fashioned favorites like chicken-fried steak, patty melts, pot roast and bacon wrapped chopped sirloin. Generous portions and affordable prices will keep you coming back for more. Plus, breakfast is served all day long, and kids eat free every day. 2909 I-40 West, 322.3663 $ c

Reasonable, Affordable Decór

NEW Cancun Spice At Cancun Spice, you can find an array of Mexican, Salvadoran and American dishes, from burritos and curtido to hamburgers and chickenfried steak. Cancun Spice uses fresh ingredients, including homemade tortillas made daily. Stop by for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

114 SE 9th Avenue, 372.4227 $ y C

B L Bistro The intimate, cozy atmosphere creates the ideal date place, not to mention the food is plated perfection. Note: You might want to leave the kids with a sitter. 2203 S. Austin, 355.7838, blbistro.com $$$ c ☎ y ^

Carolina’s Wood-Fired Italian Despite the small interior, Carolina’s is great for a date or even the whole family. Start your meal off right with a first-rate Caesar salad and garlic bread.

You can’t go wrong with any of the authentic pasta entrees. 2916 Wolflin, 358.2099 $$ C

Belmar Bakery Open since 1965, Belmar Bakery is an Amarillo tradition. Loyal customers abound and each one has a favorite treat they return for again and again (we’re big fans of the thumb print cookies). The café offers a cozy place to meet for early morning coffee and pastries or tasty lunch with friends.

3325 Bell, 355.0141 $ ^ Blue Sky Blue Sky’s burgers and homemade fries are the perfect companions to a Lone Star Beer or an Oreo shake. Be prepared to share the one-size-feeds-a lot cheese fries. 4201 I-40 West, 355.8100, blueskytexas.com $ C y T ^

2479 W. I-40 • Wolflin Square 806-354-2900 • www.realdeals.net

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Thursday • 10 am - 6 pm Saturday • 10 am - 5 pm

Amarillo Magazine • amarillomagonline.com • February 2011

Cactus Bar and Grill When you’re hungry, the larger-thanusual portions at Cactus Bar and Grill satisfy like nothing else. The Grill serves made-from-scratch American dishes, barbecue and burgers in a friendly down-home atmosphere. When you visit, try the chicken-fried rib eye.

1900 SE 34th, 322.0970 $$ c

Arnold’s Burger Arnold’s is the place to visit for a hot, juicy burger. Try a variety of burgers – you name it, Arnold’s probably has it.

You can even order a giant 24” burger.

Just make sure you bring a crew to help you finish it. And for the kids, order the burger with a bun shaped like a teddy bear. 1611 S. Washington, 372.1741, arnoldburgers.com $

Barnaby’s Beanery Visit Barnaby’s on historic Route 66 for classic café food. If you haven’t had the corn bread cheeseburger, you’re missing out. Leave room for homemade fruit cobbler. 3811 6th, 358.6998 $

Especially for your new home!

Buns Over Texas If you’ve ever been to Buns, then you know that “Your buns are up” means dinner’s ready. The made-to-order burgers will fill you up fast. Pair one with some of the best cheese fries around, and you’ll definitely need a nap. Wet your whistle with refreshing iced tea.

3440 Bell, 358.6808 $ UPDATE

Buffalo Wild Wings You can’t go wrong with Buffalo’s hot wings, especially on a Tuesday night. Keep busy with the interactive games and every televised sport under the sun. 5416 S. Coulter, 359.4386, buffalowildwings.com $$ c ^

Celia’s Cocina Celia’s serves some of the best authentic Mexican food in Amarillo. It’s well known for delicious chile rellenos, enchiladas and guacamole. Much of the food is prepared by Celia herself and it’s sure to satisfy. 2917 6th, 491.5632 $$ NEW Cricket’s Casual Dining Cricket’s is owned by Deborah and Gary Hodges who have been serving Amarillo since 1987. Stop in and try appetizers such as beer battered onion rings or hotzzarella cheese sticks. Follow with any of the traditional American favorites like gourmet burgers, hot dogs or a delicious entrée. 3301 Olsen, 358.3812 cricketscasualdining.com $ C Crush Wine Bar & Deli Have you always wished for your very own Cheers? A place where everybody knows your name? Forget the beer and peanuts, Crush Wine Bar & Deli has that beat by a mile. Not sure how to choose from the extensive wine list?

No worries, they’ll school you on their favorites and you can try a smaller pour just to be sure. Give the excellent tapas, sandwiches and desserts a try as well.

701 S. Polk, 418.2011, crushdeli.com $$ C y ^

Dale’s Grand Burger Looking for a quick stop to grab a tasty lunch? Then try locally-owned and operated Dale’s Grand Burger. You can’t miss with the famous Grandburger and homemade onion rings.1900 Bell, 358.8228 $ y Dyer’s Bar-B-Que If you’re a meat lover, Dyer’s is the place for you. The all-you-can-eat lunch special is hard to beat. Wash it all down with sweet tea and finish up with a heaping bowl of hot fruit cobbler.

1619 S. Kentucky, 358.7104 $$ ^ Eat-Rite The food at Eat-Rite isn’t just good for you, it’s delicious as well. Feast on the organic salad bar or choose from a variety of tasty sandwiches.

2441 I-40 West, 353.7476, eat-rite.com $ Eddie’s Napolis Napoli’s has created an oasis in Amarillo that cannot be missed. Indulge yourself in the homemade bread while you browse the ample menu. We gently nudge you towards the Amarillo Special or a personalized New York Style Pizza.

700 S. Taylor, 373.0927, napolisonline.com $$ c ☎ T y ^ El Bracero Mexican Restaurant For 11 years, El Bracero has provided hungry patrons with delicious meals and great, traditional Mexican food.

The Nachos con Carne appetizer and a Michelada are a must. If you have big eaters to feed, try the Parrillada.

3303 Bell 355.0889 / 2116 S. Grand 373.4788 $ c T El Tejavan Authentic Mexican food is definitely on the menu at El Tejavan. We love the homemade guacamole served up thick with onions and cilantro. The Ceviche makes for a great starter or a light meal.

For authentic taste, try the soft corn tortilla chicken tacos. The recipes at El Tejavan have been passed down for generations, so everything’s good.

3801 I-40 East, 372.5250 / 3420 I-40 West, 354.2444 $$ c T Fernando’s Restaurant & Cantina Family-owned and operated, Fernando’s serves up classic Tex-Mex with a twist.

The self-serve salsa bar caters to the tastes of even the most delicate diner.

From spicy to mild, zesty to sweet, there’s something for everyone, even cucumber and chipotle salsa.

2028 Paramount, 356.0342 $ c

Fire Slice Brick Oven Pizzeria You’ll know you’re in for a good time at Fire Slice when you see the menu.

Choose from pizza specialties like “Tommy Boy” and “Hot Momma” or build your own. Each pizza is made fresh in a custom-built pizza oven.

4706 34th, space 10 (behind Chop Chop) 331.2232, fireslice.com $$ C Golden Light Café As the oldest operating restaurant in Amarillo, the Golden Light has been in business since 1947, all in the same location. For a great burger and fries, this is the place to go. 2908 6th, 374.9237, goldenlightcafe.com $CT^ Green Chile Willy’s As the owners say, the way you like it is the way they fix it. Hand-cut grilled steaks, excellent burgers and grilled chicken; you name it, Willy’s has it. And you can’t beat the country atmosphere for a relaxing, good time. 13651 I-27, 622.2200, greenchilewillys.com $$ ^ Hayashi Japanese Restaurant Hayashi offers a fun atmosphere for a night out with friends or family. Cook tables allow diners to watch the chef in action or sit back and relax in the Tatami room with low tables and floor seating.

The cuisine is Japanese-style with a sushi bar. 3401 I-40 West, 790.9316 c $$ Hoffbrau Steakhouse Family-owned Hoffbrau has been serving Texas-style steaks and beer for three decades. We recommend one of the Gr8 Steaks or something from the Hill Country Favorites list upon your first visit. Guaranteed, you’ll go back again.

7203 I-40 West, 358.6595, hoffbrausteaks.com $$ c Hummer’s Sports Café Hang out with friends and eat your fill of Hummer’s great appetizers. Start off with a platter of raw oysters and a bucket of beer. We highly recommend the steak. 2600 Paramount, 353.0723 $$

cy^

NEW Jake’s Bar & Grill Jake’s Bar & Grill offers an upscale, yet casual, atmosphere and the menu has anything from burgers and sandwiches to steak and seafood. The restaurant boasts a pleasant bar area as well as a wine room and delicious cuisine. It’s the perfect setting for an evening out at a reasonable price.

Try the Apricot Chipotle Pork Chop or something simpler such as flat bread pizza. You won’t be disappointed. 3130 Soncy, Suite 100, 358.2222 $$ c

“Loves” Kitchen/ Laundry Remodel

“I

love it!” says Linda McCoy when talking about the remodel of her kitchen and laundry space in her 1950s-era Amarillo home. She and husband, Lynn, selected Big State Remodeling because of past experience with the company. “We picked Big State to do the job because they put our siding on seven years ago and did a wonderful job then,” Linda said.

Steve Buckner, Kitchen and Bath Division Manager at Big State, worked closely with the McCoys. “We had ideas on what we wanted, but Steve’s help was awesome and he had good ideas for the space,” Linda said. The extensive kitchen/ laundry remodel included all new cabinets, countertops, backsplash, ceramic tile flooring, recessed ceiling lights, a microwave over the stove, a deep stainless steel sink with gooseneck faucet and three new windows.

With the laundry space in the kitchen area, cabinets were added on top of the washer and dryer, plus new cabinets were installed on each side of the stove. “Wherever there was a wall, I wanted a cabinet,” Linda said.

Linda also has high praise for the Big State crews and their service. “When they said they would be here at 8 a.m., they were here at 8 a.m. and they cleaned up after themselves.

My only complaint is that they didn’t clean the rest of the house,” Linda jokes. “Everyone who comes over asks us who did the remodel and I tell them to go to Big State.”

For a professional and easy-to-live-with remodeling of your kitchen and bath, call Steve at 358-7419 at Big State Remodeling at 2800 Hobbs Road.

806.358.7419 | 888.771.6303 2800 Hobbs Rd | amaRillo www.BigStateRemodeling.com

February 2011 • amarillomagonline.com • Amarillo Magazine

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Joe Taco Great atmosphere and a variety of southwest favorites make Joe Taco a great place to sit and relax. Especially while enjoying a signature margarita.

7312 Wallace Blvd., 331.8226, joetaco.net $$ c T ☎ y $$ Johnny Carino’s For a taste of Little Italy, we recommend one of the house specialties like Angel Hair with Artichokes and Shrimp and an Italian Margarita. Don’t forget: Cheesecake is the perfect finish to a great meal. 8400 I-40 West, 468.9375, carinos.com $$ c Kabuki Romanza Who says you can’t enjoy fresh sushi aboard a boat in the heart of the Panhandle? Kabuki Romanza serves teppan-style cooking and fresh-sliced sushi in a dining area that resembles a boat, surrounded by special effects that add to the tropical feel. 8130 I-40 West, 353.4242, kabukiromanza.com $$ – $$$

C^ Kolache Café If you like authentic beirox, you’ll be delighted with the Kolache Café. And it doesn’t stop there. Choose from a variety of meat and fruit fillings for a filling breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Everything on the menu is baked fresh daily and so affordable that you can grab a dozen kolaches to go for a quick and tasty meal. 2207 S. Western, Suite B1-90, 322.3279 $ y Leal’s Leal’s serves dishes that blend the traditional flavors of Mexico with a few new twists that will delight you.

Try excellent non-traditional items like quail and salmon along with new sauce combinations and desserts. Let’s not forget about the fresh-squeezed lime margaritas, some of the best margaritas anywhere. 1619 S. Kentucky, 359.5959, lealsmexicanfoods.com $$ c T ^ Logan’s Roadhouse Visit Logan’s Roadhouse for everything from quick lunches, take-out options and party platters to mouth-watering, hand-cut steaks and a variety of entrees for health-conscious diners like Mesquite Wood-Grilled Salmon or a Health Nut Grilled-Chicken Salad.

Everything’s made with the freshest ingredients and served in a casual, upbeat atmosphere. 8310 I-40 West, 467.8015 $$ c Lone Star Bar & Grill Visit Lone Star Bar & Grill for classic American grill-style food including savory steaks, burgers, chicken sandwiches and more, all at an affordable price. You’ll also enjoy down-home friendly service. Lone Star’s guarantee: No hot beer and no small steaks. FM 1151, 622.9827 $$ c

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Amarillo Magazine • amarillomagonline.com • February 2011

Macaroni Joe’s Macaroni Joe’s isn’t just a place to eat a great meal. The Tuscan-inspired rooms are the perfect place for creating memories. Whether for a first date, the start of a new life together, or celebrating important milestones, the restaurant offers excellent service and an exquisite food and wine menu. It’s at the top of our list. 1619 S. Kentucky, Suite 1500, 358.8990, macaronijoes.com $$ $$$ c y ☎ ^ Marty’s Stop by for Marty’s expansive Sunday brunch, and you’ll leave satisfied and ready for an afternoon nap. The madeto-order omelets are definitely worth the trip. If you’re not in the mood for traditional breakfast fare, try the prime rib and Canyon Rose chicken.

2740 Westhaven Village, 353.3523 ^ T Mulligans Sports Pub Mulligans offers an energetic atmosphere, covering every sports game and team imaginable on more than 15 screens so you don’t miss an important play. The Pub also offers live music and daily drink specials. From the great old-fashioned finger foods, to the ice-cold beer, Mulligans has options for everyone’s taste buds. 2511 Paramount, 367.8428 $ OHMS Café & Bar Set in downtown Amarillo, OHMS serves lunch buffet style and dinner in style. The chefs feature specials each week that range from seafood to smoked duck to grilled beef tenderloin.

Excellent cuisine and service make this a delightful place to linger. 619 S. Tyler, 373.3233, ohmscafe.com $$$ ☎ T c ^ Outback Steakhouse Let’s just start with the Bloomin’ Onion.

We could actually end there and be completely satisfied, but what’s a trip to Outback without a Wallaby Darned and Pepper Mill Steak? Speaking of completely satisfied, leave room for the Chocolate Thunder from Down Under.

7101 I-40 West, 352.4032, outback.com $$ c ^ Pacific Rim The Pacific Rim offers a variety of Asian-Fusion cuisine in a unique setting.

One of the best things about this place is the greeting you’ll get from Andy, the owner. But let’s talk food. The lettuce wraps are outstanding. In fact, everything is good. Pacific Rim even offers speedy delivery. 2061 Paramount, 353.9179, pacificrimam.com $ C

Pescaraz Italian Restaurant Come ready to linger when you visit Pescaraz. From the charming décor and impressive bar area to the array of entrees, soups, salads and impressive wine list, you’ll want to take time to savor every bite. Enjoy excellent service and live music in the evenings.

3415-K Bell, 350.5430 $$ c T Pho Van When we say Pho Van is the place in town to find authentic Vietnamese food, we mean it. You’ll find spring rolls, Pho (noodles in Vietnamese), and delectable pork chops in this small hole-in-the-wall restaurant. Owner, Em, stands by his wife’s garlic chicken wings, promising you won’t find their equal anywhere.

5625 Amarillo Blvd. East, 383.6552 $ Rio Grande Grill With food this good, it’s a shame the drive-thru restaurant isn’t open on weekends. The breakfast burritos will give you enough fuel to last until lunch.

If lunch suits you better, the nachos supreme taste like grandma made them from scratch. We are big fans.

909 S. Madison, 372.2950 $

Sakura Choose from an extensive sushi menu that includes Nigiri style, cut rolls, special rolls, spicy rolls, sushi salads and for the beef lover, Texas sushi. At Sakura, get ready to be entertained by chefs who prepare your meal at the table. We wholeheartedly recommend the swordfish. 4000 Soncy, 358.8148, sakuraamarillo.com $$ – $$$ c Saltgrass Steak House Certified Angus Beef + Sidewinders = mouthwatering taste. Saltgrass has plenty of steaks to choose from and you can pair it up with juicy Gulf shrimp or try the Seafood Fondeaux with Shiner Bock Beer Bread. Take our advice: Save room for the Two-Fork Cheesecake.

It’s a piece of heaven that melts in your mouth. 8300 I-40 West, 351.0349 saltgrass.com c $$ ^ Smokey Joe’s A welcoming bar and grill located in the historic antique district on Route 66, Smokey Joe’s is one of Amarillo’s best-kept secrets. With an outside patio and live music on the weekends, this is the place to be. When you visit, ask for the Legendary Spink. You won’t regret it.

2903 6th, 331.6698 $$ c y T

T.G.I. Friday’s T.G.I. Friday’s new right portion, right price menu fills you up even when your wallet’s a little on the light side. Try any of the Jack Daniels glazed steaks, ribs, chicken or shrimp for a juicy, flavorful treat. 3100 I-40 West, 468.8000, tgifridays.com $ – $$ c Tyler’s Barbecue Going back to the basics, Tyler’s Barbecue combines a straightforward menu with a relaxed atmosphere. We suggest the mouth-watering Man-Sized Double Meat Sandwich. But don’t forget to save room for the delicious cobbler before you leave. 2014 Paramount, 331.2271, tylersbarbecue.com $ ^ Village Bakery & Café The Village offers a large selection of handmade European pastries and breads to complement fresh, gourmetstyle breakfasts, lunches and dinners.

The casual bistro setting makes it the perfect place for a special lunch date. 2606 Wolflin Village, 358.1358, villagebakerycafe.com $ ^ y

Willie’s Bayou Grill You’ll be blown away by the aroma of Cajun spices as soon as you step into Willie’s. Have fun with your meal when you choose Peel-um & Eat-um Shrimp, fried alligator or oysters (either baked or on the half shell). Their po’boy sandwiches are sure to fill up the hungriest belly. And of course, classic dishes like Shrimp Creole and Crawfish Etouffee won’t disappoint. 3819 I-40 West, 242.3474, williesbayougrill.com $y Young Sushi Rocks The friendly greeting you’ll receive when you walk into Young’s is your first clue that your experience will be a good one. The helpful staff is always willing to offer suggestions regarding the sushi. If sushi’s not your thing, try the authentic Thai cuisine. 202 SW 10th, 371.7200 $$

C^ NEW Zest Eat & Drinkery The chef at Zest Eat & Drinkery puts a delightful twist on classic dishes.

The menu has everything from duck and lamb, to steaks and seafood. With an array of food options and full bar with daily drink specials, Zest presents a lively atmosphere and upscale dining. Plus, you’ll enjoy an affordable yet excellent wine list. 4000 I-40 West 352.1498 $$ c ☎

taste of the city SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Kabuki Romanza

Kabuki Romanza would like to introduce Wine Dinners at Kabuki, an evening filled with exquisite dining and perfectly balanced wines to compliment. We hope you will join us in the exploration of fine wine and exquisite cuisine at future wine dinners. Each Wine Dinner will feature a unique dining experience balanced with tantalizing wines, perfect for any occasion. Call Carey or Venita at 806.353.4242 ext 6 for more information. Open seven days a week. 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. – 10 p.m.

8130 I-40 West, Amarillo, 353.4242

February 2011 • amarillomagonline.com • Amarillo Magazine

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February

photo courtesy of Amarillo Public Library

retro rewind

Sweets to Go

At Blackburn’s Department Store, customers could not only curb their hunger for the top trends and latest fashions, but also satisfy their sweet tooth. The candy counter at Blackburn’s, built by Gilbert Carter Matthews, owner of Southwestern Store Fixture Company, provided patrons with an array of chocolates and confections. Brothers Walter and C.J. “Jeff” Blackburn opened a men’s clothing shop on Lincoln Street in 1908 before settling at 810 Polk Street in 1930 where the store remained for the next 51 years. The corner of Wolflin and Georgia Streets became Blackburn’s final home until its closing in the late 1990s.

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Amarillo Magazine • amarillomagonline.com • February 2011

t r e a t . p a m p e r. s p o i l .

Yourself

treat. pamper. spoil

Awaken Spa Gift Cards Make the Perfect Valentine’s Day Gift

L A S E R T R E AT M E N T S • S PA S E R V I C E S • S K I N C A R E • B O T O X

1301 S. Coulter, Suite 204 • 354-8600 • www.awakenspa.com

Moonwater Weddings moonwater-weddings.com

Sara Willis Photography

Weddings • Parties • Decorations & Catering Available Have your special event on beautiful grounds west of Amarillo Large custom pergola and 2400 sq. ft. tent Call Marci for consultation 236-1799

spotlight

DeRima Johnson Chocolatier, marriage counselor, mother, cancer survivor

T

hree years ago, DeRima Johnson traded in her calculator for chocolate. After graduating from Caprock High School, DeRima attended West Texas A&M and the University of Texas at Arlington, where she earned her degree in accounting. But after more than 20 years of working as a bookkeeper for local businesses, DeRima and her husband opened Schakolad Chocolate Factory.

“People are definitely happier to see me now than when I was an accountant,” she says.

DeRima not only provides the community with gourmet chocolate, but also an inviting atmosphere that offers good company.

“Customers might come in grumpy, but they leave happy,” she says.

When she is not working or volunteering, DeRima enjoys running in local 5Ks and relaxing in her “dream backyard.” She and her husband, Gary, have four children, Caleb, Kylee, Kaitlin and Brad. am

“My friends and family call me... Dream.”

Q&A When I get in my car, the first thing I listen to is…

Rush Limbaugh or Hannity for talk radio. I’m a talk-show junkie.

My favorite meal to make from scratch is… I don’t like to cook but I do make the best enchiladas and guacamole around.

In an alternate life, I would’ve been a… journalist. I always wanted to write.

One of my favorite childhood toys was…. an air rifle. I would sneak up on my mom, shoot it in the air and she’d get so mad and hide it.

I’d find it and do it again. I only got to play with it a few times, but it still makes me laugh out loud when I think about it.

You may be surprised to know that I… am a breast cancer survivor as of March 2010.

If I had the time, I would… train for and run a marathon.

For the full story, log on to amarillomagonline.com.

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Amarillo Magazine • amarillomagonline.com • February 2011

photo by Jeff Harbin, Life of Riley Photography

The most famous or interesting person I’ve ever met is… Roger Staubach. I saw him walking down the hall and jumped up in the middle of a business meeting to chase him.

Chevy VOLT

CHEVROLET

CADILLAC

I-40 & Coulter • 806-356-5600 • www.westgatechevy.com