Out to Pasture

There's death, taxes and passing the Feed Bag as you buzz along McKinney Avenue toward hipper climes. Ah, but after 15 years of plying inebriates with alcohol-absorbing burgers, the Feed Bag has shut its doors. "The Man wants Uptown money now, and I don't have Uptown sales to afford the asking price," says proprietor Eric Steele. The Uptown joint signed on in 1990 and opened up in a dismal spot surrounded by abandoned Southland buildings, empty fields and less than desirable clubs. But rejuvenation carries a hefty price tag. Properties sitting in the shadow of West Village rent at close to $45 per square foot nowadays. Rader Properties held rates lower for the Feed Bag, but the place struggled to sell enough $4 cheeseburgers to make things worthwhile. Don't expect Steele to relocate. He's through. "Investing in mom-and-pop burger dives is like investing in pay phones," he points out. So now it's just death and taxes again. Oh, and speeding past Baby Doe's.

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Nightlife fixtures Eddie Germann and Adam Salazar have ditched their share of the late night and after-hours lounge and dance club Seven. The pair anted in with majority investors and attorneys Nick Nemeth and Steve Reese when the place reopened after renovation a year ago. Since then, they've attracted crowds of drunken pretty people, drunken strippers, and other less identifiable drunks. Nemeth and Reese now own the entire stake... Mercy Wine Bar in Addison will host the first leg of what Iris owner Susie Priore calls a "Wine Around" on July 31 starting at 6 p.m. The event pairs four courses with a particular varietal, in this case malbec. Iris, Nana and Taste also take turns hosting Wine Around dinners. Contact Priore at Iris for more info...Demolition began on the site of Stephan Pyles' new downtown destination restaurant last week, shortly after he closed on the property. He plans to open in November...PBS chef, food critic and cookbook author Mark Bittman takes on Dallas from an unlikely location--Chipotle in the West End--August 4 at 6 p.m. Yes, it's a book signing thing.

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Poor Taste: The 2005 Taste of the Nation extravaganza hits Dallas Thursday, August 11, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., in the Apparel Mart's Great Hall. More than 20 top chefs signed on to serve up the usual tidbits. David Holben of Del Frisco's hosts the function, part of a busy time for the talented steakhouse chef: He also presides over the Caesar Salad Competition in September. Tickets for Taste of the Nation run $50 in advance, with proceeds benefiting the North Texas Food Bank and Wilkinson Center.