Subject:

Leslie Brenner

  • Blogs

    April 26, 2013

    Farmers Markets Ceviche Bars and Colorful Barbecue: This Week In Dallas Dining

    I think this might be the best spring I have ever encountered. There have been a few cold snaps here and there, but I find them invigorating. And these sunny days that are mixed in here and there are amazing. It's great weather for a vacation, which I intend to indulge in shortly after publishing t ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 12, 2013

    Road Trips, Bowling Alleys and Brisket: This Week In Dallas Dining

    There is so much good stuff on CoA this week I'm having trouble figuring out how to wrap it all up. We're going to need some grade A, organic jumbo lettuce leaves to get this all taken care of, but I promise it's worth it. Have a look for yourself. This week I reviewed Bowl & Barrel, a Park Lane bo ... More >>

  • Blogs

    March 22, 2013

    South American Food, Accomplished Writers and Feathery Duck: This Week In Dallas Dining

    It's Friday if you haven't noticed. Hopefully you have some weekend plans? If you're still looking be sure to check out Lauren's events guide, but don't run out the door just yet. Let's wrap this week up, first. This week I reviewed Joyce and Gigi's, the new South American restaurant in East Dalla ... More >>

  • Blogs

    February 8, 2013

    20 Feet, Dead Twinkies And The Greek: This Week In Dallas Dining

    This weather is just odd. I find myself craving things like morel mushrooms, asparagus and spring peas as of late, even though I've not nearly gotten my fill of braised lamb and other hearty winter dishes. I wonder if the recent warm weather indicates anything about the coming summer. If it does I a ... More >>

  • Blogs

    January 18, 2013

    Mextopia, the Ricardo Avila Spot on Greenville, Has Closed

    The Dallas Observer's 2010 Readers' Pick for Best New Restaurant, Mextopia, has closed. Leslie Brenner got the details in a voice mail from owner Ricardo Avila. The plan is to reopen somewhere else with a new concept. Avila cited road construction near his restaurant as part of the problem.

  • Blogs

    January 18, 2013

    Stampedes, Crickets, Mango Cookies: This Week in Dallas Dining

    Observer food critic Scott Reitz is off work being a good son this weekend, so I'll wrap it up for the week. Stephan Pyles' new restaurant Stampede 66 was the subject of this week's review. Scott was disappointed cricket tacos weren't on the menu, despite the how comical those little legs are if ... More >>

  • Blogs

    January 8, 2013

    New Uptown Cocktail Den Boasts 3,000-Year-Old Ice

    Yesterday on the Eats Blog, Leslie Brenner published a blog post about an yet-to-be named bar to be opened by Michael Martensen and Brian Williams, who own Cedars Social. The duo made news last October when they announced a new oyster bar, dubbed the Establishment, which was slated to open this past ... More >>

  • Blogs

    January 4, 2013

    Cracker Barrel, Rodeo Goats and Tofu Porn: This Week in Dallas Dining

    It's over. All those special occasion dishes, all the festive cocktails, they're all gone. It's that time of year when were forced to come back to our desks and actually work, even if our desk tops have been pushed a little further away from our faces by a growing holiday midsection. You'd think we' ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 28, 2012

    Dim Sum, Drunk Cows and Tex-Meh: This Week In Dallas Dining

    Have your weekend plans locked in yet? It's your last chance to party like it's 2012. I'm willing to bet most of you have already ducked out of your office this Friday, but for those of you who are still tethered to your desks, here's your weekly wrap-up. This week I reviewed Barbacoa Estillo Hidal ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 14, 2012

    Meso Maya, Tesaring and Tamales: This Week In Dallas Dining

    It may look rather gloomy right now, but the weather man says we've got a great weekend ahead of us. If you've been reading CoA all week you should have plenty of plans, but just in case you tuned out... here's what you missed. This week I reviewed everything. There are scores of dishes in this wee ... More >>

  • Blogs

    October 24, 2012

    How To Navigate The Menu At Boulevardier Like a Champ

    Boulevardier, the subject of this week's review, has received nothing but gushing press until Leslie Brenner reviewed the restaurant for The Dallas Morning News last week. For the most part, I agree with Leslie's review, but I think there are some great things to focus on should you pay Oak Cliff's ... More >>

  • Blogs

    October 17, 2012

    Dallas Morning News Critic Leslie Brenner Really Hates Queso

    Leslie Brenner laid down the gauntlet today publishing a blog post that promises to inflame an entire state. "Queso is awful," writes Brenner saying she's ready to come out of the queso closet. She goes on to defend queso fundido, which often makes use of higher quality cheese, but that Velveeta bas ... More >>

  • Blogs

    October 8, 2012

    Meddlesome Moth Chef Moves To Cafe Pacific; Chef Dave McMillan Steps in at the Moth

    When Chad Kelley left The Oceanaire Seafood Room in 2009 to open the Meddlesome Moth he was quickly met by a stiff review from Hanna Raskin here at The Observer. I've dined at the restaurant a bit more than I should (the beer list is very seductive) and felt about the same. And over the past year, I ... More >>

  • Blogs

    September 28, 2012

    Blog Wars, Tacos, And #Fryit: This Week In Dallas Dining

    Ready for opening weekend at the State Fair? Or perhaps you're headed to Greek Fest instead to smash plates and drink Fix beer. Either way there's plenty of excuses to kick back with a cold brew this weekend, but before we get started, I've got a week to wrap up. This week I blissfully reviewed not ... More >>

  • Blogs

    September 26, 2012

    Brenner Lays The Smackdown On CraveDFW's Uchi News

    CraveDFW posted a story yesterday that Uchi, the sushi restaurant in Austin that's earned considerable national attention, would be opening a location in Dallas in six to eight months. The writer was told the news by an unnamed manager after dining in the restaurant. Eater confirmed the story with ... More >>

  • Blogs

    June 4, 2012

    Five Restaurants Where Thrifty Foodniks Should Spend Their Summer

    While the Los Angeles Times continues to bask under star-free skies, the Dallas Morning News and most other major daily publications continue to honor tradition anointing dining establishments with one to four, and sometimes five stars, to indicate the overall level of satisfaction a diner should ex ... More >>

  • Blogs

    May 11, 2012

    Food Trucks And Beer Fests in 3, 2, 1: This Week In Dallas Grubbing

    Ready for the weekend? You should be. With a massive food truck festival to the north, and a big ass beer festival to the west, there are lots of reasons to get out of the house this weekend. We should probably wrap up the week before we start drinking, though. This week I reviewed nothing, opting ... More >>

  • Blogs

    May 4, 2012

    Cinco De Countdown: This Week In Dallas Food News

    Cinco de headache is close. You've got one more evening till you can spend the entirety of Saturday pummeling your liver with bad margaritas and shotgunned Miller Lites while eating your own weight in tortilla chips. Happy hour's calling, but first we've got a week to wrap up. (And make sure you ent ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 26, 2012

    Private Social May Multiply, but Will People Come if Tiffany Derry's Not in the Kitchen?

    Eater dug up a scoop on Uptown's Top Chef destination, Private Social. A post on the restaurant's Facebook page hints at expansion plans, asking applicants to send in their resumes. Chef Tiffany Derry has yet to release any details on what she's planning on doing with her expanded staff, but rumors ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 16, 2012

    Oak Cliff's Mesa Planning Expansion, Including a Patio on Which to Guzzle Its Cocktails

    Changes are coming at Oak Cliff's beloved Mesa. The restaurant opened just before my arrival and was the subject of my very first review. I loved the place, and the very same week Leslie Brenner did too. It went on to become one of the most notable openings of the year. Since my visits a few thing ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 13, 2012

    The Cheap Bastard For The Win: The Week in Unicorn Farts and Dallas Food

    The weekend is here, and it promises to be a good one with the Big Texas Beer Fest offering craft brews for the masses. I'm sure you guys want to get it started as much as I do, but first there's a week to wrap. This week I reviewed Company Cafe. The restaurant has some great qualities and will hop ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 6, 2012

    Pink Slime, Oysters and Gummy Tater Tots: The Week In Dallas' Food Scene

    Baseball is officially here. I ran over to the Katy Trail Ice House to test an iPhone app and snapped this shot while I was there. Rangers fans are out in full force. If any of you find your way to the stadium this weekend, here's some food you might want to check out. I'll talk about that iPhone a ... More >>

  • Blogs

    March 9, 2012

    Bad Sushi, Burgers and Too Much Cheese: This Week In Dallas Grubbing

    Another week has come to a close, this one under a shroud of dark gray clouds. Not really looking that inspiring yet, is it? Maybe this is your last good weekend to stay at home and make a big pot of chili. You could even put beans in it. I promise I won't tell. Before you hit your grocery store to ... More >>

  • Blogs

    November 11, 2011

    Italian Eats, Stackhouse Love, and a Cheap-Ass Sandwich: This Week in Dallas Grubbing

    ​Ugh. On the heels of a massive bowl of Pho with a Dallas Super Yelper (more on that next week), I'm ready for a quiet night at home. I wonder how many minutes I'll last alone on my couch before I get the bug to get out and look for something to interesting to eat. I give myself till 7:30 tops ... More >>

  • Blogs

    October 14, 2011

    Beer, Vietnamese, a Goodbye to Alma and Lots o' Tacos: This Week in the Dallas Food Scene

    ​What a week. I drink too much beer and ate too many spring rolls during my review of My Lan in Garland, and I ended up with some great beer pairings from Matt Quenette over at the meddlesome Moth. Elsewhere in the City of Ate we hated on candy corn and laid out our favorite burgers. Justin ... More >>

  • Blogs

    September 2, 2011

    CBS Is Looking For The Best Food Blogger, Kinda

    ​Early last month, the CBS-11 announced a friendly competition to crown the area's Most Valuable Bloggers. Categories include local affairs, sports, lifestyle, entertainment and dining, among others. Contestants are entered into the event through a nomination process in which anyone can partic ... More >>

  • Blogs

    July 20, 2011

    Plate Hate: Why Is There a Forest In My Drink?

    Scott Reitz​Leslie Brenner's new Best of Guide touts Dallas' top cocktails, complete with a swanky photo spread. One of the shots mirrors an experience I've had enough of. A high ball glass filled with glistening ice and dotted with kumquat slices is topped with not just a sprig of lavender, ... More >>

  • Blogs

    May 5, 2011

    In-N-Out Coming to Dallas Proper "This Month"

    Jonas M. Luster​The Dallas Morning News' Leslie Brenner reported this week that the long-awaited In-N-Out Burgers near Frisco and Allen, the California chain's first foray into the DFW area, is set to open next week. But what about those of us who consider Frisco a bit too near the edge of civ ... More >>

  • Blogs

    February 7, 2011

    Blue Goose's Sopa De Albondigas: Worthy of Any Tex-Mex Best List

    ​Just last week on the The Dallas Morning News' Eats Blog, Leslie Brenner lamented the fact that "Tex-Mex is not Dallas strong suit," and invited readers to submit an acceptable list of establishments. She listed El Ranchito, Cuquitas, Mias, and Mextopia as passing muster. I would have added ... More >>

  • Blogs

    January 7, 2011

    The Week in Food: Lots of Lists,
    Plus Some Cabbage for Roughage

    ​ Dallas blogs spent the week wrapping up 2010 in a series of lists and predicting food trends for 2011. City of Ate Hanna Raskin feels diminutive in the face of a face-sized bland chicken breast at Kenny's Italian Kitchen. Alice Laussade edits four-letter words out of her vocabulary to de ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 30, 2010

    For Local Food Bloggers, It's A Holiday Wrap

    ​Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's is the triathlon of Where To Eat for food blogs. Bloggers have every cuisine covered, from salty duck to eggnog ice cream. On the upside, this should be the last round of Where to Eats until February. Between lists, post-Christmas foodies are reviewing 2 ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 29, 2010

    5 Food Resolutions You Damn Well Won't Keep

    ​We're optimistic that 2011 is going to be the year: The year we discipline ourselves to stop eating just before we feel full; the year we take walks instead of naps after lunch; and the year we admit that not every day is a reason to celebrate (Hey, it's Thesaurus Day! Let's feast!) But it do ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 3, 2010

    Bloggers to Your Computers: Let the Festivities Begin

    The future of Ketchup is upon us.​Now that we're through with Thanksgiving, Dallas food blogs and food writers are warmed up and ready to get going with some serious holiday eating. The party started this week with Chanukah, and we expect it to keep gaining momentum right through New Years. P ... More >>

  • Blogs

    November 12, 2010

    Making a List: Who's Been Naughty
    Or Nice on the Web?

    Gosh, and we wonder why meat-eaters so often make fun of vegans.​As any web editor will tell you, the best way to up the "viewage" is a daily list. People love lists. Five Ways to Hack a McRib and Six Things to Do with Disturbing Halloween Candy proved this theory. My pitch for Top Five Sauces ... More >>

  • Blogs

    November 5, 2010

    Let's Give Thanks For Thanksgiving Food Blogging

    ​The best time of year is when the Halloween decorations come down, the pumpkins get mushy and the candy aisle goes on sale for half-price. We're inching closer to Thanksgiving and the blogosphere is buzzing and roasting and stirring. It's a food-filled, recipe rich, seasons-eatings time of year. ... More >>

  • Blogs

    August 6, 2010

    Attack of The Killer Tacos or Urban Taco Expands

    ​While the alien taco invasion, as Dallas Morning News' restaurant critic Leslie Brenner has called it, bombards Dallas, one taco joint has walked among us for several years. Originating from a land, far, far away (Mexico City) owners Markus Pineyro and John E. Tuma, have successfully integrated U ... More >>

  • Blogs

    August 6, 2010

    Sloppy Seconds: Sweet Foods and Sour Jokes at Horne & Dekker

    See the full Horne & Dekker experience in our slideshow.​This week Dallas food bloggers and critics searched for exotic pizzas, beat the heat with cold beer and colder snow cones, followed the scent to taco stands and learned a lesson in German-to-English translation. Check ... More >>

  • Blogs

    July 23, 2010

    Organic Burgers, Fried butter and Everything in Between

    Photo by Jose Ralat MaldanadoThe Pyramid Restaurant's Andre Natera was this week's media darling.​This week's Dallas foodie coverage is an assortment of organic, frozen and fried foods, dried and proscuitto-wrapped figs at the height of fig season, fancy Finnish foods and a battle at the Pyramid. ... More >>

  • Blogs

    June 25, 2010

    Sloppy Seconds Returns to City of Ate

    City of Aters, this week we are bringing back an old feature that our former web editor-turned-staff writer, Patrick Michels, used to do every Friday afternoon. It's an end of the week wrap-up of sorts featuring restaurant reviews and City of Ate highlights. This time around we decided to include ot ... More >>

  • Blogs

    August 21, 2009

    And The Winner Is...

    It was an unusually frantic week at City of Ate, thanks in part to those [expletive deleted]'s at Lazare, but more to our own tedious blogging software, which one day decided--all on its own--to block all comments.Still, we had a lot to work with. And if we were giving away prizes, these fine folks ... More >>

  • Blogs

    August 14, 2009

    Sloppy Seconds: Underneath The Tropical Sun

    ​When it feels like the rest of the world is out on vacation, daydreams about island living come easily -- and even if a tropical refuge in Bishop Arts doesn't quite give the same effect, sometimes the right table in the right restaurant is vacation enough for now. Plus, there are plenty of "tropi ... More >>

  • Blogs

    July 25, 2009

    Sloppy Seconds: Moving On Up

    ​Some places we covered this week are punching above their weight, for better or for worse, and others are aiming purposefully low. The best of City of Ate this week covers a handful of spots toying with a new social place.The Week in Review(s): Your own Dallas Observer: Dave tries slumming it at ... More >>

  • Blogs

    June 26, 2009

    Sloppy Seconds: Who Got the Hooch?

    Whether driven by an asinine Constitutional amendment, grand notions of urban planning or draconian dietary shackles, folks who find they have to suck it up, tug at their bootstraps and get down to business -- they're the ones who make the real innovations. This week, one way or another, from hooch ... More >>

  • Blogs

    June 19, 2009

    Sloppy Seconds: Blazing A Trail

    Getting of the beaten path and trying new things can be especially rewarding when of comes to food, and this week on City of Ate proved it. From a Hophead excursion to Bonnaroo, to a taste of new gelato flavors for summer, we brought plenty of ways to avoid the same old thing.The Week in Review( ... More >>

  • Blogs

    June 5, 2009

    Sloppy Seconds: Tabletop Showdown

    Nothing spices up a kitchen like the element of competition -- as even a casual Food Network viewer could tell you. Describing a recipe for the camera? Not exciting. Breathily narrating your dish as you race to beat the clock and five other chefs? There's good eating in that.So at the end of a week ... More >>

  • Blogs

    May 29, 2009

    Sloppy Seconds: Twists, Turns and the Dining Double-Cross

    This week's round of local food news proves it: appearances can be deceiving. A fine Japanese spot can be hidden deep in a mess of chain sprawl, a food-lover who relishes subtlety can prove to be a karaoke superstar by night, and an initially disappointing pizza can prove, on a second try, to be jus ... More >>

  • Blogs

    May 22, 2009

    Sloppy Seconds: Hitting the Road

    It's the end of the school year, the start of summer, and the perfect time to start thinking road trip. But before you load up on Red Vines and jerky, it's worth a look at the best of our latest news in local food.The Week in Review(s):Your own Dallas Observer: Agave Tex-Mex, one of the most recent ... More >>

  • Blogs

    May 1, 2009

    Sloppy Seconds: Summertime, and the Living's Easy

    Even these dark, ominous skies looming all around us, don't make it less true: today is May 1, and summer's right around the corner. That means patios, pools and mint juleps (or Cheladas) -- and another week of highlights from City of Ate.The Week in Review(s):Your own Dallas Observer: A few trips t ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 17, 2009

    Sloppy Seconds: Literary Genius and Other Dirty Tricks

    While Dave kills time at a booze-free bar (place hadn't lined up its liquor license yet), we take a culinary expedition with some of the luminaries of the printed page, and other folks whose job it is to make everything a little prettier. Or at least more edible.The Week in Review(s):Your own Dallas ... More >>

  • Blogs

    March 20, 2009

    Sloppy Seconds: Another Week Bites the Dust

    Damn, we're clever. They're springs--get it?Ah, the first day of spring. How better to celebrate than a look back a those long, dreary days of last week--you know, when some holiday kept you away from the computer. Well, here's some of what you missed. And if these are the highlights, the rest must ... More >>

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