Southern California

Oh Sweet Fancy Moses, Taco Bell is Testing a Waffle Taco

OK, so there are no more jokes to make about Taco Bell pushing the boundaries of hyperbole with their new fast food items. It's done. It's all done. Can we be done? Somewhere in between Idiocracy references, Inception, the Zombie Apolocalypse, and our heads exploding like the guy in Scanners, we're ... More >>

Jeff Hanneman of Slayer is Dead

Slayer's social media outlets are reporting that founding member Jeff Hanneman died Thursday morning at 11am, of liver failure. A constant of the band from his first meeting with Kerry King in 1981 until taking his leave from the band in 2011 due to a case of necrotizing fasciitis potentially contra ... More >>

WaterTower Blows the Dust off Grapes of Wrath, but Was It Made for the Stage?

Mudsmith Coffee Opened, Mextopia Closed and More Restaurant Happenings

Another busy month has come and gone and with it a handful of restaurants have opened and closed. Read on for the full list of restaurants happenings in January, and be sure to share tips about new and/or dead restaurants in the comments section below or at dish@dallasobserver.com. Openings: Suns ... More >>

Sunset is Open (Again) on Ross Avenue

The new, new, old Sunset is back. And this time it has gone tiki-style. Wednesday marked the grand re-reopening of the bar on Ross Avenue, this time with Free Range Concepts owners Josh Sepkowitz and Kyle Noonan and celebutender Lucky Campbell heading up the bar program. According to the bar's swank ... More >>

The Five Best Concerts In DFW This Week, January 22-24

Calexico, Bahamas Tuesday, January 22, at Granada Theater, $18-$29 The last time Calexico rolled through Dallas for their 2008 release, Carried to Dust, they were as effortless as a tumbleweed, but harnessed the power of a sand storm. It's no news that since the mid '90s, Tucson, Arizona's Calexico ... More >>

I'm in a Local Band: How Do We Go National?

Are you a musician? Is your group having issues? Ask Fan Landers! Critic Jessica Hopper has played in and managed bands, toured internationally, booked shows, produced records, worked as a publicist, and is the author of The Girls' Guide to Rocking, a how-to for teen ladies. She is here to help you ... More >>

Of Mice & Men

Tuesday, January 22, at Trees

Team Kerouac

Kristen Stewart and Garrett Hedlund chat about the film version of On the Road

John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats Talks Denton, Taco Bell and Breaking Bad

Over the course of 14 albums and countless cassette-only releases, John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats has become one of the best (and busiest) singer/songwriters around. While his songs can be depressing and dark, Darnielle's sense of exploration is simply remarkable. Whether it's writing about me ... More >>

All Hands On Decks

Five of This Week's Top Show Announcements: Sigur Rós, Bon Jovi and More

Sigur Rós Monday, April 8, at Verizon Theatre, $42.75 In a follow-up to their run of summer festivals, Sigur Rós have announced their largest North American tour to date, set to kick off next spring. Although the Icelandic band put out its most ambient-leaning album, Valtari, earlier this year, t ... More >>

The New Korean Fusion

Bulgogi meets tacos, and nachos, and hot dogs, and more.

The NFL's Game Changer

Chris Kluwe is prying open America's last closet: major-league sports.

Wal-Mart Associates in Dallas Walk Off Job, Protest Suckiness of Working at Wal-Mart

Last week, workers at Wal-Mart stores in Southern California walked off the job in what was, per Salon, the first multi-store strike in the retail giant's history. Today, the protest made its way to Dallas. Workers at nine area Wal-Mart stores walked off the job this morning to demand higher wages ... More >>

Jerry's Wood-Fired Dogs to Open In Late October

Earlier this week, I got a tip from a commenter that another hot dog restaurant is opening soon: Jerry's Wood-Fired Dogs from Orange County, California. See Also: - Hofmann's Hot Dog Restaurant - The Bowery's Bogus Dogs Today I talked to the franchise owner Joe Corcoran, who is originally from D ... More >>

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf to Open This Week, But Why Didn't They Just Name it Nolan Ryan Coffee?

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, a specialty coffee and tea cafe, is set to open at 15250 Dallas North Tollway this Friday, September 28. On Thursday, however, from 4:00 to 7:00 they're hosting an open house and customers can sample the goods for free. The Coffee Bean is originally out of Southern Cali ... More >>

Spraying to Stop West Nile - Is It Safe?

How Can a Gringo get the Equivalent of a Mexican Green Card?

We Few, We Miserable Few: Jim Rallies the Troops With Words Fit for Henry V

Sometimes I think the dumbest people to talk to about the newspaper business are newspaper people, of which I am one, obviously. Is it possible to scream blindness? David Carr, The New York Times's media columnist -- one of the few media reporters on whose word I truly hang, often -- has a piece in ... More >>

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World: The End Can't Come Soon Enough

Why Do Mexicans Paint Murals on Lowriders?

Delta Spirit's Matt Vasquez: "I Will Always Want God To Exist. I Want To Believe There's a Place of Infinite Mercy."

Brooklyn via Southern California band Delta Spirit have certainly spread their wings over the course of three studio albums. Managing to go from the lo-fi, alt-country stylings of their 2008 debut, Ode to Sunshine, to their new, shimmering, self-titled offering while still sounding very much like th ... More >>

Texas' Plan for Rising Sea Levels: Wait Till God Tells Us to Build an Ark

Want to give yourself a good case of the climate-change willies? Go to climatecentral.org, click on their report on sea level rise and look for Texas. We could be in for it worse than California, depending on how you measure. When national media talk about sea-level rises, they tend to focus on New ... More >>

The Death of the Star System

"Wolfgang Puck at Hotel Bel-Air gives the hotel a serious restaurant and the chef an ideal California spot." How many stars is that? The Los Angeles Times recently ditched its star rating system. Russ Parsons, the food editor at the Times, says the system is dated, especially considering the rapi ... More >>

Woody: Another Worthy Taco Truck That Can't Quite Get Rolling in Dallas. But When It Does ...

Lately we've talked a lot about how the Dallas food scene is moving past plates of melted cheese. But let this stand as a warning to the fancy-pants chefs in this town: Melted cheese will always have a place here. You hear that? Always. And that's how I justify the nachos I shared at lunch yesterda ... More >>

Shelby Lynne's Story Time at the Kessler

Shelby Lynne The Kessler Theater Friday, January 27 Shelby Lynne does things her way, and that's how it was Friday at The Kessler. She has a voice that rivals anyone in terms of control, clarity and power, with a honeyed Southern twang used to good effect. She applies that amazing instrument to her ... More >>

From Mi Cocina to Mr. Mesero: Mico Rodriguez's Comeback

The founder of Mi Cocina is back, and his new place feels like home.

Why can't Anglos Pronounce Spanish Words?

And why the love for UT?

North Texas Bets Big on Pumping from Lake Texoma

Environmentalists fear plan will let invasive zebra mussels spread.

We Bought a Zoo: Not for Cynical Beasts

Matt Damon needs your love.

Low-Brow Musical

Colbie Caillat Tells Us How She Went From The Beach To Overcoming Her Stage Fright

Musicians are undoubtedly influenced by the music they listen to. And an artist's musical selection at any given moment can sometimes even foretell what a next album might sound like. So if you've ever wondered what the artists who grace your stereo are getting funky to, here's your chance to find o ... More >>

Why do Mexican business owners use Shrek in advertisements?

Tim Halperin Reaches No. 1 on iTunes, Sly Stone Is Now Homeless and Other News and Notes...

Tim Halperin​Last week we ran a quick item about American Idol contestant, Tim Halperin, and his publicity stunt leading up to the release of his new record, Rise & Fall. He was to sit in a mock jail cell at Plano's Shops At Legacy for 28 hours leading up the expiration of his dreaded American ... More >>

Raised An Army Brat, Jerry Rutherford's Now a Deep Ellum Metalhead Through and Through.

Jerry Rutherford​Within Deep Ellum's metal scene, Jerry Rutherford is everybody's friend. It seems like he's at all the shows, always up to do a shot and let out that rallying, supportive cry-of-the-rocker that barely edges up above the volume of whichever hard rock act is blaring not far in front ... More >>

Mister Heavenly Is More Than a Celebrity Bassist

Legendary Dallas Rapper D.O.C. Starts His Return To The Top

Ocean Prime's Sonny Pache On His Beautiful Dysfunctional Kitchen Family

Ocean Prime Dallas​While Sonny Pache, 29, was studying finance in college in Ohio, he always ended up cooking for his five roommates. Apparently he wasn't half bad, because the roommates were always telling him he should trade in formulas for recipes and go to culinary school. Eventually he listen ... More >>

Chef Scott Gottlich Takes the Long Road Home

Scott Gottlich, chef and co-owner of Bijoux and The Second Floor.​From a bachelor's degree in history at the University of Oklahoma to restaurant owner and chef, Scott Gottlich's career progression may seem odd. But that's the path -- with a few important stops in between -- that led the Dalla ... More >>

Authority Zero's Jason DeVore: "It's About Staying Alive and Just Surviving."

Authority Zero​Arizona's Authority Zero has been making music for going on 20 years -- but not without some roadblocks. Various battles with record companies and management types have resulted in lineup changes that would have permanently crippled most bands. Somehow, though, singer Jason DeVore h ... More >>

Two Local Food Entreprenuers Level the Field Through Social Media

Dan Kim, president and chief executive officer of Red Mango, in a photo from the company's MySpace page.​It's undeniable that social networking has changed the landscape of food. How we eat, view and hear about food has been dramatically altered thanks to websites like Yelp, Twitter and Faceb ... More >>

Electric Daisy Carnival

Saturday, June 18, at Fair Park

Meddlesome Moth's Chad Kelley: It's a Joy to Be Simple

Meddlesome Moth's Chad Kelley at work, pairing food with the restaurant's enormous beer collection.​The problem with bars with food is bar food. But Chad Kelley, 34, executive chef at the Meddlesome Moth, has fixed that problem with choices like meat pies, mothballs, venison tartare, arctic ch ... More >>

Dawes' Taylor Goldsmith Finally Explains Why His SoCal Band Plays Dallas So Frequently...

California folk-rock act Dawes has had a whirlwind couple of years. Since abandoning the more hard-charging rock vibe they boasted before the departure of former co-songwriter Blake Mills, the SoCal act has gained steam, interestingly enough, by becoming more musically laid-back. And there's been pl ... More >>

Mexicans Get a Bad Rap

Don't blame them for hip-hop cliches; also, how to propose in Mexico.

Best Coast Evoke The Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer.

Hash Over

Still fishing; Mixed hash

Hash Over

Chinese slick

P.F. Chang's polishes Chinese fare with an American bistro veneer