Consumer Non-Cyclicals

Texas Lawmakers Vote to Lift Restrictions on Craft Breweries

On Friday afternoon, at 4:07 p.m., a round of applause and cheers wafted down from the balcony seats in House of Representatives as a five-pack of craft beer bills were passed with five thick slams of the gavel. It was technically the second vote of three, and the third, as a matter of formality, sh ... More >>

Your Guide to American Craft Beer Week in Dallas (Updated)

It's American Craft Beer Week. For many of you, this means it's business as usual. For some of you, it's an excuse to imbibe in some craft beers all week long. The Brewers Association, a national non-profit group, created this "Mother of all Beer Weeks" to advance the beer culture and give beer geek ... More >>

New Chip's to Join Matt's and The Mecca on La Vista Drive

The cluster of restaurants around the intersection of La Vista Drive and Skillman Street is about to get a new addition. A second Chip's Old Fashioned Hamburgers is slated to open there by the end of this summer. If you've ever exited the Dallas North Tollway at Lovers Lane you've definitely seen t ... More >>

State Senate Passes Craft Brewing Bills That Would Allow Expanded Sales

Earlier this week, the Texas Senate approved a family of bills dear to the heart of Texas craft brewers. The legislation lets brewpubs sell a limited amount of beer through distributors, while craft breweries will get to sell their products to consumers on-site. See also: - Public Hearing Set for C ... More >>

Could Craft Cider Join The Craft Beer Movement In Dallas?

It's already started. Joel Malone is well on his way to open up a cidery right in the heart of the Bishop Arts District. His brewing operations and storefront, which he expects to open in May, will be right next to Cretia's on Bishop Street behind Lockhart Smokehouse. Malone tells me he's working t ... More >>

Craft Brewers Say People Really Like Craft Brews. Especially Canadian People.

Beer-drinkers across the globe are growing ever more thirsty for American craft brews, and more craft breweries are opening as a result, according to two not-remotely-unbiased reports from a craft-brew trade group. On Monday, the Brewers Association, which represents small and independent crafter b ... More >>

Craft Beer Bills On Their Way to Senate Floor, The Good and The Bad

Craft brewers had one week to reach a compromise with the Wholesale Beer Distributors of Texas (WBDT) regarding five pieces of legislation recently introduced through Senate Committee on Business and Commerce. Senate bills 515, 516, 517 and 518 were a set of bills carefully crafted after a year of w ... More >>

Senator John Carona's Bill Could Raise Cost of Beer Across State

On Tuesday morning the Business and Commerce Committee convened at the capitol in Austin to discuss, among other things, the future of beer in the state of Texas. In the front of the room, some of Texas' most powerful state senators sat behind their nameplates at a long curved table. Facing them in ... More >>

State Senator John Carona is Walking Back His Support for Craft Brewers

Dallas Republican state Senator John Carona wormed his way into beer lovers' good graces two weeks ago when he cosponsored a quartet of bills aimed at making things easier on craft brewers in Texas. The legislation, which has the support of both an impressive roster of lawmakers from both sides of ... More >>

Sen. John Carona Responds to Backlash; Didn't Bring Up Craft Beer Issue to Craft Beer Group

On Friday, when we wrote about a bill introduced by Dallas state Senator John Carona that would prohibit breweries from earning money by selling distribution rights to wholesalers -- undercutting an important source of revenue for the state's fledgling craft breweries -- his office jumped into our c ... More >>

Dallas Senator John Carona Files Bill that Would Close a Tap for Craft Brewers

Recently we wrote about four bills Republican state Senator Kevin Eltife of Tyler introduced that would open new revenue opportunities for craft breweries around the state. As the law stands now, Texas requires a clear separation between those who make, distribute and retail beer in Texas. None of t ... More >>

A Texas Lawmaker Filed Four Bills Yesterday to Make Life Easier on the State's Craft Brewers

State senator Kevin Eltife, a Republican from Tyler, filed four bills yesterday that could breath new life into the craft beer industry in Texas. The legislation "will modernize laws that unfairly advantage out-of-state beer producers over Texas' small businesses of the beer industry -- craft brewer ... More >>

A Chat with the Matt Leff of The Dallas Winter Warmer Beer Festival

Tapping into the burgeoning local craft beer scene, The Dallas Winter Warmer is a one-day craft beer festival on December 15 featuring some local and national craft brewers. See also: - The Dallas Craft Beer Guide - Rise of the DFW Brew Today I spoke with the architect of this event, Matt Leff of ... More >>

From Silverware Theft to Fights in Bars, The Legal Low-Down for Restaurant Owners

OK team, huddle 'round and take a knee. We realize we cover a lot of topics pertaining to burgers, beer and tacos here at the City of Ate. And that's all fun and games until someone gets an eye poked out. And by that we mean jabbed in the eye socket with a lawsuit. Suppose an errant knife or deep- ... More >>

The Rise of the DFW Brew

Free from the hangover of the '90s craft beer bust, Dallas' small brewers cheer another round of growth.

Chocoholics Beware: The Chocolate Conference & Festival Comes to Town this Saturday

I've called this emergency meeting of the Dallas Area Chocoholics Anonymous to prepare for the onslaught of chocolate temptation coming our way this Saturday at the Chocolate Conference & Festival.

City Inches Forward With Beer-Friendly Zoning Rules

Wouldn't it be nice if you had a magic wand you could wave and -- voila -- a keg or three of small-batch craft beer from a local microbrewery. The city of Dallas is working on its own version of the trick which, this being the city, happens in slow motion as it requires approval from several layers ... More >>

Try All Five Local Breweries and Support Texas Brewers at March Beer Dinner

​Just days after Texans celebrate the state's Independence Day on March 2, drinkers can support its independent brewers and try offerings from all five of the DFW area's functional breweries. (That number won't be five forever, but more on that later.)Corey Pond at The Common Table says Rahr & ... More >>

Dallas Beer Week Vs. Meddlesome Moth: Drama in the Craft Beer World

​After the first Houston Beer Week last year, Houstonians Cathy Clark and Jay Rascoe (aka Guns and Tacos) decided Dallas needed its own week to celebrate craft beer as well, as we first told you back in February. Since then, the events planned for Dallas Beer Week, November 12 through19, have draw ... More >>

Here's How Dallas is Celebrating American Cheese Month

Most food holidays start with "National." National Tequila Day and National Rum Day have both been marked on City of Ate in recent months. Tomorrow is National Taco Day, and if you're inclined you can refer to this calendar, which demonstrates nearly every day of the year is devoted to a specific fo ... More >>

Brew At The Zoo: Where Else Can You Taste Craft Beers in the Presence of Giant Predators?

​By now you've probably noticed the banners across the top of our blogs or seen the Mixmaster post touting Brew at the Zoo September 10, but perhaps were hesitant to commit to a $30 ticket without knowing just which beers would be available. How about I just tell you that the ticket includes zoo ... More >>

Stomp Then Sip

Calais Winery Launches Recycling Program. Not Convinced? It Involves Free Wine.

​On Saturday, Calais Winery will launch its new wine-bottle recycling program with the first rendition of what will become semi-annual event. From its rustic little shop on Commerce, the winery will accept empty bottles from any Texas winery. In exchange, generous winos will receive free tas ... More >>

Irving T.G.I. Friday's Bites the Dust

​Even restaurants with God in their names aren't immune to the economy. (Or maybe God got shorted on his order of potato skins.) The T.G.I. Friday's chains Irving location at 1001 MacArthur Park has closed. Every piece of T.G.I. Friday's flair and signage has been removed and all that remain ... More >>

Texas Beer Bill Dies With a Whimper, But Saint Arnold Founder Vows to Keep Up the Fight

Daniel KramerLooks like Texas legislators still don't want you bringing souvenirs home from Saint Arnold brewery tours.​Sadly and all too predictably, House Bill 602 was never put to a vote as yesterday's deadline for House bills expired. Texas lawmakers found time to legalize catfish noodling and ... More >>

A Steel of a Deal at Anvil Pub

​Quittin' Time brings you tips on where to spend your happy hour drinking money. Where: Anvil Pub, 2638 Elm St. What: $1 off all liquor, most beer. Service industry Monday, half price food Tuesday, Texas booze Wednesday. When: 4pm-8pm Monday through Friday. Additional discounts all night Mond ... More >>

World Beer Company Bottle Shop Pub and Store Soft-Opens Saturday, and More Local Beer News

No word on whether Obama beer is among the 500 available at World Beer Company Bottle Shop.​A hat tip, along with a couple of corrections, to UrbanDaddy, which scooped us on this beer bar and package store, but must have spent a little too much time coming up with a trademark story-ending zinger t ... More >>

Why Texas' Craft Beer Bills Are Doomed, And Why They Would've Been Baby Steps Anyway

Daniel KramerMaybe it's a good thing HB 602 is doomed. Think how much longer the line for this Saint Arnold tour would be if guests could take beer home.​If you're a passionate beer drinker or state-legislation fetishist, you've probably read by now  that two of the House bills favoring Texas ... More >>

What Would Happen if the Proposed Beer Legislation Becomes Law?

​Three bills bouncing around the Texas Legislature are being trumpeted as game-changers for the state's beer industry. In quick review: HB 660 would permit brewpubs to sell directly to wholesalers and distributors; HB 2436 would allow small breweries to sell their product for on- or off-site c ... More >>

Details On Two Beer Fests, Tactical Tasting, Stone Brewing Co. Events And More Beer Quick Hits

​Lots of Brews News and Brews Clues to drink in after the jump.For starters, Flying Saucer on the Lake has announced the lineup for its spring beer festival as well as an opportunity to taste Brewdog Tactical Nuclear Penguin. There's a beer festival a-brewin' in Plano. The Common Table is tapping ... More >>

Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Czar Hunter Rose Has The Coolest Job: Handing Out Free Cones

​If a mega-tornado strikes Oak Lawn or zombies take over the city, there's one thing we here at the Observer won't have to worry about while we're barricaded in the break room: a food shortage. Not only do we have enough of those neon orange crackers to feed everyone for three days, we also g ... More >>

Sigel's Discounts Mysterious Cheap Wines

Sigel's is readying to put its 90 Cellars wines on sale, making the label Time recently described as a "magical combo" of good wine and cheap prices an even better deal. ​90 Cellars, the subject of a feature story in The Boston Globe this week, has been garnering attention for its unique bu ... More >>

Miss Turkey and The Top Five Shameless Carl's Jr. Ads

Carl's Jr - YouTube"To help you remember we put Miss Turkey in a bikini": Carl's Jr. new ad for their turkey burger.​Carl's Jr., which opened a new spot in Dallas late last year, has added a new entry to their weird, not funny food-meets-porn marketing strategy. The commercial popped up on Eater t ... More >>

Texas Craft Liquor Makers Belly Up to the Bar to Challenge Kentucky Bourbon.

Texas Wineries Ask "What Do Hispanic Wine Drinkers Want?"

​Hispanics represent a growing share of Texas' wine drinking population, but wineries are still grappling with how to pitch their products to them. "No information is available about the Hispanic wine market," Natalia Kolyesnikova, assistant director of the Texas Wine Marketing Research Insti ... More >>

Texas Wine Industry Considers Identifying Best of the Bunch

​Texas wine enthusiasts seeking a better way to convey to consumers which local wines deserve their attentions are broaching the possibility of creating a wine quality program. Russ Kane, a wine writer who's moderating a panel on wine quality at this week's Texas Wine and Grape Growers Associ ... More >>

Beef Producers Tout Veal's Charms

This was not the meat conference. ​Veal producers who worried their meat was bound to go the way of once-fashionable dishes like turtle soup say the future's suddenly looking brighter for the embattled protein. The veal industry, which made a point of being omnipresent at the 2011 Meat Confer ... More >>

Houston Beer Lovers Plan Dallas Extravaganza

​The organizers of Dallas' first-ever Beer Week say the city's lack of microbreweries has proven to be a selling point in luring leading craft brewers here for the November event. "Because there aren't a lot of local breweries here, other breweries stand a chance," Cathy Clark explains. "Brew ... More >>

Bake Sale Bandits

Local Movement Fights for Cottage Food Bill.

Peticolas Brewing Company Sets Sights On Dallas Location

​Deep Ellum Brewing Company looks to be on pace to be the city's first non-brewpub microbrewery, but it may not be the only one for long. Attorney and homebrewer Michael Peticolas was looking into investing in a new brewery in another city. Yet the more he investigated, the more he wondered why Da ... More >>

Nation, Grab Your Spoons and Go to Ben & Jerry's

​Four years ago, Stephen Colbert and Ben & Jerry's teamed up to create a new ice cream flavor, Americone Dream, and today the flavor is available at all Ben & Jerry's locations. Today you can get two-for-one scoops of Americone Dream, vanilla ice cream blended with caramel and bits of fudge-c ... More >>

If You Think It Sucks Dallas Can't Buy Liquor on Sundays (And Especially This Sunday) ...

Via.​... imagine how the people who sell it feel. Actually, no need to imagine it: The D.C.-based Distilled Spirits Council of the United States issued a press release today demanding the state of Texas drop its "outdated law banning Sunday liquor sales," especially considering the many millions i ... More >>

Southern Cheeses Snubbed at Good Food Awards

The cows certainly are happy in California.​Southern cheesemakers were shut out of the Good Food Awards, a new initiative to recognize the best-tasting artisan edibles made in accordance with sustainable principles. In a weekend ceremony hosted by Alice Waters, eight awards were given in the c ... More >>

Get Epically Stoned Tonight At The Common Table, Meet Jim Koch Friday At Ginger Man

​Paul Hightower at Dallas Craft Beer Examiner has a good round-up of the month's beer events on his January Craft Beer Calendar, and Brian Brown of Plano Craft Beer Examiner has a more thorough run-down of the week's area beer events. Both of them mention something I've had penciled on my calendar ... More >>

Enchanted Rock: Not Just a State Park Near Fredericksburg Anymore

​Another Texas vodka has reached the Dallas market, although an owner of Rebecca Creek Distillery says his spirits company won't confine itself to vodka for long. "These are the first two products," Brian Lowrance says of Enchanted Rock vodka and a single malt barley whiskey set for release n ... More >>

Slaughterhouse Ban Could Hurt
Small-Scale Producers

Just your typical suburbanites, enjoying the "country" life of Collin County.​Small-scale meat producers say a proposal to limit slaughterhouse construction could harm farm-to-table eating statewide. According to a front-page story in today's Dallas Morning News, State Representative Jodie La ... More >>

Rathbun Leveraged

Sour Grapes

At Tony's Wine Warehouse, there's a sucker born every minute

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