Venezuela

Taco Bell Does Chipotle: Cantina Steak Burrito Lacks "Dorito-ness"

It appears Taco Bell has a bit of an identity crisis these days. They are trying to turn our eyes into slot machine wheels by making tacos out of Doritos shells, then having the gall to dare Doritos to make an Inception-inspired chip that tastes like a taco that tastes like a chip. At the same tim ... More >>

When Venezuelans Need Guns, It Seems, They Turn to a Parking Lot in Mesquite

You can't buy a gun in Venezuela. It's illegal, and has been since the government of Hugo Chavez banned the private sale of firearms earlier this year as part of an effort to tackle the country's sky-high murder rate: 19,336 last year, more than in Mexico, which is in the midst of a drug war and has ... More >>

Updated: Promoter Wars: Dallas Concert Promoter Sued by South American Concert Promoter

People in South America love them some hair metal. But not enough to keep a Dallas promoter out of court. This morning, Courthouse News reported Dallas rock star-turned-attorney-turned-international concert promoter Gabe Reed (Gabe Reed Productions) is being sued for $270,000 over a canceled stadium ... More >>

Hollywood Records' John Nicholson Knows How To Make Pyrotechnics Out of Tomato Juice Cans and Gunpowder

Welcome to Local Music 'Mericans, where we get to know the people behind the scenes in Dallas/Fort Worth music. Lima, Peru, native John Nicholson has helped out a lot of DFW musicians over the years. His early gigs included Sound Warehouse, Bill's Records and label promotion for Polygram, A&M and V ... More >>

DOMAXXIII: Announcing Your 2011 Dallas Observer Music Awards Winners...

Stephen MaskerErykah Badu headlined last night's DOMAXXIII. More photos in our slideshow: Scenes from the 2011 Music Awards ​Another year, another Dallas Observer Music Awards season down the drain. Gotta say, though, this year's season felt especially epic. Many thanks to the Toadies, the Old 97' ... More >>

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 >>

Mark Bittman: A Minimalist with Maximalist Appeal

Mark Bittman​I first spied and became a closet fan of New Yawk's home cook supreme, Mark Bittman, when I wandered over to his video segments on The New York Times website. OK, technically speaking, I first fell for Bittman's totally unprepossessing way with words and ingredients in his "minima ... More >>

Can WikiLeaks info dump of state secrets make for a more just society? Well, that's what Russell Fish thinks.

Legendary Dallas Skateboarders, Rebuffed By The City In Their Efforts To Build A Public Skatepark, Go Underground And Build Their Own.

Zaguán Latin Café & Bakery's Known For Food, But The Coffee's Damn Good Too

Photos By Daniel Rodrigue​This morning, after hearing very good things about the coffee and espresso at Zaguán Latin Café & Bakery from several of the folks around the bullpen at Observer HQ who regularly visit the establishment, Roasted finally headed across the street for an early-morning ... More >>

Oak Cliff's Chango Botanica Believes Its Folk Remedies Are Good For What Ails You. But What's Ailing The Botanica May Have No Cure.

Manufacturing Dissent: Bush Institute's Cyber Dissidents Panel Gathers Friends of the Freedom Agenda

Patrick MichelsPresident Bush opens his institute's Conference on Cyber Dissidents: "The Bush Institute is going to be involved in the freedom movement."​The George W. Bush Presidential Center at Southern Methodist University won't be breaking ground till November, but its policy arm, the Bush Ins ... More >>

"Cyber Dissidents" at Dubya Institute, Wrong-Way Tickets and a $100,000 Dare

Terry Dorsey ... for now​A few news and notes with which to end your red-flag Tuesday:The Bush Institute on the SMU campus today announced its very first "human freedom" event, scheduled for April 19 at the James M. Collins Executive Education Center: The Conference on Cyber Dissidents: Global Suc ... 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 >>

SEC Says Texas Financier Sir Allen Stanford Swindled Investors Out of Billions.

It didn't have to happen.

10 Questions: Taco Borga

Taco Borga (right) and familyAs if opening one highly acclaimed restaurant wasn't enough, Espartaco ("Taco") Borga and his wife, Dunia, now run four--three versions of La Duni and the new Mexican-Peruvian place on Central Expressway called Alo.La Duni, named one of the nation's best new restaurants ... More >>

The Dark (And Semi-Sweet) Side

Katherine ClapnerDude!Sweet! chocolates is playful from its name on down. The local, independent chocolatier owned and operated by pastry chef Karen Clapner, recently hit the scene with fun flavors like Curried Banana (yellow curry, banana, African dark chocolate), Black and Blue (Guiness and black ... More >>

You Could Use Some ... Baseball?

Has there ever been a better team player in the history of Metroplex sports?Approximately 5,000 fans braved freezing temperatures and decades of losing at Saturday's Rangers Fan Fest in Arlington. I was one of them. The highlights: *General manager Jon Daniels says he's recently tal ... More >>

Texas Rangers: Hot Stove or Cold Shoulder?

Give the Rangers credit. They are trying. With the Cowboys imploding and the Mavs and Stars wallowing in mediocrity, our local baseball team has a prime opportunity to earn some much-needed love this winter. Texas hasn't done diddly-poo as far as free agency, bringing in only reliever Derek Turnbow ... More >>

Brown Christmas

Latin groups ring in the season

Review: Zaguan Bakery Y Cafe

We know little of Venezuela, but know we dig Zaguan's food.

In Faraway Dallas This Afternoon, An Anti-Hugo Chavez Protest

You Don't Have to Head to SXSW to Find a Festival This Week

Dallas has something for all tastes in town

Global Drama

Joy to the World

DFW International offers a Feliz Navidad

Artless

A residency program for artists fades quietly

Dang! Good

Prowling the cat walk at Station 4

Painted Wings

Migrate to the gardens

A Day at the Races

Plus: D-Day at the DMN; Dirty Deed

Best Use of Humidity

The Dallas World Aquarium

Lighten Up

Tres Méridas offers a sensible form of global fusion

Reality TV

A populist leader triumphs in Venezuela, and it's all on film

Fin Fight

The hunt for lunkers lands two Amazon touring companies in court

Mix A Lot

Kid 606 separates the beats from the crap

Tempo Tagalong

Kernel Flips

Zaguán fare is cheesy and corny--and that's a good thing

Jeremy Shorr

Titan Comics

Tortured Souls

Horribly abused children of the Hare Krishna movement seek justice--and peace--through a multimillion-dollar lawsuit

Good to Go

Café Venezuela lives up to its not-so-bold claims

Best Homestyle Restaurant

La Duni Latin Café

Latin Homestyle

La Duni Café serves up comfort food from down south ... way, way down south

Love & Rockets

Andrew Beal spent $200 million trying to launch rockets without Uncle Sam's help. His dream went down in flames

Colombo Pause

Reasons to drink

Taking It to the Street

Want to get elected to city council in southern Dallas? Forget the race card and patch that pothole.

Do over

Todd Van Poppel doesn't have to be great anymore, just good enough

Events for the week

From a shiver to a whimper

Teatro Dallas' Lamia could use a few more screams

Bordered by ballads and folksongs

John and Alan Lomax, groundbreaking musicologists

Fusion fireworks

Anzu proves anew that whatever works, works

Joe Bob Briggs

Drive-In Movie Critic of Grapevine, TX