After 17 Years, Garth Brooks is Finally Coming Back to Dallas

We were getting a little bit testy. Last winter, country mega star Garth Brooks announced that he was finally heading out on the road after a 15-years hiatus from touring. Except there weren’t any dates in Dallas. Then he changed his mind and came to Dallas anyway — but only…

Dear Palmiers at Village Baking Company, We Love You The Most

There are plain old boring cookies, and then there are palmiers. Palmiers don’t even really qualify as cookies — they’re not made with the kind of dough that you’re used to, but the shape is similar enough for us to toss it in the cookie bin without much further consideration…

The Dallas Observer Guide To Bastille On Bishop

For most Americans, Bastille Day is just July 14. Few of us take any time to celebrate the French Revolution, largely because we just don’t think that it has really anything to do with us. But for Francophiles, Bastille Day is a time where you can safely indulge in all…

Seven Free & Fun Ideas For Summer Date Nights (Or Days)

These days, going on a date is expensive. Even if you’re doing something boring like having dinner and going to a movie, you’re looking at well over $100 if you’re going to have even a remotely good time. Even if you’re just getting your relationship going, in this economy, no…

Shuggie Otis Was the Real Truth at Club Dada Last Night

Shuggie Otis With Larry g(EE) Club Dada, Dallas Sunday, July 12, 2015 We live in a weird world, musically. What is old is new again, what is new is influenced by the old, and we are seeing more musical diversity than ever before. Yet we seem perennially stuck in our…

6 Fancy, Fruity Cocktails That Will Help You Survive Summer

Fruity drinks don’t exactly have the best reputation with bartenders. For years, the inclusion of “fruit” in a cocktail meant pouring a pre-mixed, bottled syrup into a shaker for a mai tai or boozy lemonade or whiskey smash.The craft cocktail renaissance has meant that fresh juices are practically a requirement…

Dallas Is Now Breadstick Nation, Olive Garden Says. Lucky Us.

Just when you thought that Olive Garden, that bastion of vaguely Italian-ish cuisine beloved by aunts everywhere, couldn’t get any better, they prove you wrong. In support of their new Signature Breadstick Sandwiches (capitalization theirs), the OG is taking their Alfredo-slathered show on the road, and they arrived in Dallas…

5 Stops To Make On Saturday at Dallas Gallery Day

Dallas Gallery Day is an art fanatic’s dream. Organized by The Public Trust’s Brian Gibb in 2012, Gallery Day is a sort of organized welcome mat that encourages the public to visit an impressive assortment of the city’s best art galleries. If you’re not really dedicated to the art scene,…

Hunker Down, Dallas Restaurant Week Is Coming in August

Depending on how you approach going out to dinner, Restaurant Week is either a blessing or a curse. Everyone in town appreciates that the yearly fundraiser helps raise money for some of the area’s most crucial charities, among them the North Texas Food Bank, but the reality of Restaurant Week…

A Community-Backed Brewery Is Opening In Lake Highlands

The explosion of craft beer in Dallas is probably an unlikely success, but we’re pretty damn grateful for it anyway. Plenty of places are around to pick up a growler or six-pack of something freshly brewed locally, and we may very well be on our way to just about every…

5 Events To Beat The Heat This Week

After the long weekend, it’s likely that the thought of spending one solitary second outside in this rotisserie oven that we call a city makes you want to puke. The heat is no joke, and we haven’t even reached the hottest point of the year yet. As such, free air…

Rapscallions Brooks and Bradley Anderson Grow a Restaurant Empire

Sometimes new restaurants just strike gold. For all the hard work that goes into opening a restaurant, some are luckier than others. In Dallas, Boulevardier in Bishop Arts has quickly developed a reputation for serving incredible food, mixing great cocktails and shucking the freshest $1 oysters in town. Now, brothers…

John Tesar Has Yet Another Job, at El Bolero

Just when you think John Tesar is planning to keep quiet and stay out of the news for a while, he somehow manages to make an appearance. After the restaurant shuffle that took place earlier this year — closing Spoon and taking over the kitchen at Oak — Tesar has,…

5 Free & Cheap Events This Week

As important as it is to support the local arts scene, it’s also important that you have a damn good time while doing it. If you’re still working out whether you’re more into experimental theater or visual art, it can be difficult to drop a bunch of cash on something…