Caribbean

At an SMU Student's Rape Trial, Glimpses of the School's Secretive Justice System

Last fall, 20-year-old SMU junior Donald Cuba was indicted on charges of raping a fellow student in a dorm room. He was one of two SMU students charged with sexual assault that year (both in the same month, in fact). The other student, J.D. Mahaffey, saw his charges dropped by the state back in Marc ... More >>

Havana Cafe's Ropa Vieja Makes for a Damn Fine Sandwich

Havana Cafe opened on Buckner Road in East Dallas two months ago to an enthusiastic group of diners who have apparently been longing for decent Cuban food in Dallas. According to LDD's post, one weekend evening offered standing-room only in a space that doesn't have a lot of standing room. The aqu ... More >>

Why Won't My Mexican Mom Accept My Gabacha Girlfriend?

Havana Cafe in Casa Linda Plaza is Now Open

A new Cuban restaurant, Havana Café, has opened at 1152 Buckner Blvd. in the Casa Linda Plaza. This small, family run spot affords only enough space for about 10 tables, which is quite unfortunate considering the crowd they're already drawing. Amidst the downpour Saturday night, it was standing roo ... More >>

Good Jerk

With a Little Love from Mom, Island Spot's Spicy Chicken Sings.

Jammin' at Jamaica Gates

Did you know there's a reggae remix of Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On"? Neither did I, until I went to Arlington's Jamaica Gates to eat jerk chicken. The skanked-up Titanic anthem poured out of crackling speakers as I sipped my Jamaican lemonade -- thirst-quenching and not too sweet, it's made ... More >>

Viva la W

DeVry Wants to Train its Caribbean Med Students in Texas Hospitals. But Is That Legal?

If you're like me, you associate DeVry with grainy daytime TV advertisements from the mid-1990s hawking cut-rate degrees in things like medial records and mechanical drafting. But the for-profit college has apparently been moving up in the world, now training not only your stenographer but your doct ... More >>

Travel the World and Stay at Home

The Music in Chico & Rita Has All the Soul Its Lovers Don't

Get To Know Your DOMAXXIII Nominees: Best Indie Act, Best Jazz Act, Best Latin/Tejano Act

​Welcome to our 2011 Dallas Observer Music Awards breakdown, wherein we'll use the weeks leading up to the DOMA showcases on Saturday, October 15 (which is also when voting ends), to explain the nominees in each category Today, we look at the nominees in the Best Indie Act, Best Jazz ... More >>

In Dallas Federal Court, Passengers of AA Flight That Crash-Landed in Jamaica in '09 File Suit

Via.​Perhaps you recall: On the night of December 22, 2009, American Airlines Flight 331 crash-landed in Kingston, Jamaica. The Boeing 737-800, inbound from Miami during a storm, overshot the runaway and came within feet of sinking in the Caribbean. The feds told Channel 8 that "the plane may have ... More >>

Aguas Fail: Tasting Nestle's Aguas Frescas

​Elotes. My new friend. I loved the street food, but it left me thirsty. Thankfully, aguas frescas were available just inside the Oak Lawn grocery store. El Rio Grande Supermercado offered at least 10 versions while I was visiting, ranging from the simple and refreshing lime and cucumber, to a ... More >>

Dallas Reggae Festival: Get Your Munchies

www.dallasreggaefestival.com​The second annual Dallas Reggae Festival at Fair Park Band Shell (1465 First Ave.) takes place on Saturday, July 23, from 3 p.m. until 11 p.m. The festival features live entertainment, arts and crafts and Caribbean food. Local eateries participating in the festival ... More >>

Leonys Martin's Long Ride to Center

The Rangers' newest prospect fled communism in Cuba for center field in Frisco. He won't be there for long.

Asador's Dean James Max: What a Lucky Man

Asador's Dean James Max​Some people just end up doing the things they are meant to do, and the lucky ones end up being successful at it. Dean James Max, concept chef at the new Asador Restaurant in the Renaissance Dallas Hotel, is one of the lucky ones. What he's dreamed up for Asador is what ... More >>

Dallas, You Are Now Free(-ish) to Fly to Cuba

​So says this just-posted AP piece, which notes that U.S. Customs and Border Protection has decided to allow charter flights to Cuba from eight new airports -- among them Baltimore, New Orleans, Atlanta, San Juan ... and Dallas-Fort Worth International! Till now, you could only fly out of New York ... More >>

What Makes Iguana Meat Worth Smuggling?

www.jagendorf.comTastes just like...yeah, you guessed it.​The attempted iguana meat caper that unfolded yesterday at the Laredo border posed a pressing question for food enthusiasts: Just what did those confiscated iguana tamales taste like? U.S. Customs and Border Patrol seized 58 pounds of ... More >>

Tonight, Tonight: Thrift Store Cowboys at Lochrann's, Trey Johnson at The Kessler, Haiti Benefit Concert at The Lyceum and Empress Hotel at Lola's

Pretty busy musical Thursday evening we have here, highlighted by three shows at venues that all begin with the letter "L." What are the odds?

Arbitrarily Grading The Year That Was: A Look Back At The Major Music Happenings of 2010.

Not quite an A . But 2010 was still a pretty good year for music.​If the '00s were dominated by hip-hop, this decade looks as if it's being dominated by electronic music. While electro-pop has had some resurrections over the years, it's now a mainstay of popular music. Look no farther tha ... More >>

North Texas Food Bank's Text Donation Program Falters

​Mobile giving, which was touted in the wake of the Haiti earthquake earlier this year as a high-tech way of invigorating philanthropy, hasn't panned out for the North Texas Food Bank. The hunger relief organization rolled out its text-to-give program this month, and has thus far collected on ... More >>

Coffee, Art or Haiti

The Tacos of the State Fair of Texas

Hello there, crispy taco​Novel and atrocious fried foods aren't the only foodstuffs available at the State Fair of Texas. Among the alternatives are tacos, one of which threw me for a loop. To begin my hunt, I searched the State Fair's Food Finder web page for tacos. With the search results in han ... More >>

Cuban Sandwich Crisis: Taste of Cuba vs. Caribbean Cafe

Photos by Steven DoyleTaste of Cuba was the fairest of them all.​ Many people, when they consider Cuba, think of Fidel, Guantanamo Bay, the Bay of Pigs and cigars. City of Ate thinks sandwiches. Taking their cue from Caribbean, African and Spanish cuisine, Cubans have developed a flavor of t ... More >>

Today In Music News: Gorillaz Come To Dallas, Rihanna Will Sink Your Battleship And 'Clef May Run For Office

Your daily dose of national music news for Wednesday, July 28, 2010...Gorillaz have announced their North American tour date, and guess what? They have a Dallas date.Rihanna is going to star in the movie Battleship... based on the board game.So, Wyclef Jean may run for president of Haiti?

100 Favorite Dishes: Shredded Pork Sandwich at Mojitos

​ As a countdown to the Dallas Observer's "Best of Dallas" 2010, City of Ate is serving up 100 of the favorite dishes we crave, savor and hope to scarf down again soon. These dishes are in no particular order. Some are little known, others celebrated. Some are pricey, others can be eaten on th ... More >>

Remedy for a Jalapeno Overdose: Aguas Frescas

From Wikipedia​Walk into your favorite taqueria or torteria, and chances are good you'll notice a couple of large, beehive-shaped glass jars standing sentinel atop a shelf or counter. Stepping to the counter, you place your food order, then scanning the menu under bebidas (beverages), you notice ... More >>

At Toreria Insurgentes, The Food is No Hit but the Agues Frescas' The Bomb

​In a typical bar, it's not at all uncommon for the drinks to surpass the food in quality. A bartender or mixologist is a true artisan, carefully blending and infusing his potions until he creates a stellar concoction, the best of which will wow his patrons and result in tips aplenty. But if the ... More >>

For an Authentic Cuban Sandwich, Stay Away from Cuba

Flickr user jasonlam​"Original Cuban sandwiches come from Ybor City; everything else is just a sub." This rather controversial statement comes to us courtesy of Andy Huse, Assistant Librarian at the University of South Florida, as quoted in Cigar City Magazine. Immediately, most readers are prob ... More >>

Into the Origins of Carne Deshebrada, the Meat that Makes the Taqueria

Flickr user El Gran DeeTacos de carne deshebradaIn Venezuela, it's called Carne Mechada. In the Caribbean, it's known as Ropa Vieja. The Mexican version goes by the name Carne Deshebrada. In any case, shredded beef is an important component of the cuisines of several south-of-the-border countries. ... More >>

Monday Nite Fights

Monday, January 22, at the Caribbean Grill

Rump Shaker

Carols Caliente

Who says winter has to be cold?

Forget Friday

Check out hip-hop, indie rock and superstar secret shows--all before Hump Day.

Flip It

Farmer's Grill goes out the Backdoor

Little Havoc

Little Havana will drive you to drink

Best Wings

Buffalo Wild Wings

Me'Shell Ndegeocello

Comfort Woman (Maverick)

Rough Road

Noodles Ave. is a trip through Asian fast food with a few bumps along the way

Lovely 'Rita

The neat, clean Margarita Ranch needs to let loose a little

Go West for Wine

There are plenty of surprises at Sapristi!

Nutty Fun

Sometimes you feel like a lawsuit...

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes

And your hair, your clothes, and your skin as the Big Smoke blows through Dallas

Code Red

Caribbean Red

Spreading Herd

Crazy like a steak

Hash Over

A fine mess

Hyper-casual Rockfish rocks

Roadshows

Bungle in the jungle

This tangled tropical adventure might make you turn green

At sea

Clive & Stuart's island cuisine needs a culinary compass or a boardwalk