I have a long and sordid history with lemonade and vodka as a drinker. This classic combination has gotten me through countless college parties, New Year’s Eves and other festive occasions. But I’ve been trying to drink better. I’ve stopped ordering vodka-cranberries at the bar, and I haven’t had any…
You don’t usually think of a place with a take-out fish counter as a fine-dining restaurant, but that’s exactly what TJ’s Seafood Market & Grill in Preston Hollow is. When you walk through the doors, you almost don’t even notice the case full of fresh fish, mussels and clams. Instead,…
When it was announced that Tom Spicer would be losing the retail space at Bryan and Fitzhugh that housed his Spiceman 1410 storefront, everyone knew that the resilient gardening whiz wouldn’t be down for long. Right after Spicer made it known that his storefront would be closing due to plumbing…
All of us should probably just go ahead and make it a priority to see more theater. Theater is good for the brain, and it’s important to support the local scene. These talented actors, directors, stage managers and props-wranglers all make our city’s robust theater scene possible, and the best…
It’s not too often that expertly-pulled Chinese noodles and New York-style pizza come together. When they do, your stomach takes notice. Which is exactly why you need to head to Zoli’s New York Pizza in Bishop Arts tonight. In conjunction with Street Fooder, a “group of pan-Asian cuisine gurus, including…
There is much talk about the trendiness of “macaroons,” those pillowy little cream or jam filled cookies that people are lining up around the corner at Joy Macarons and Rush Patisserie to pay three bucks a piece for. “Macaroons” are the most popular cookie in the world right now. Entire…
Vodka cocktails typically aren’t very nuanced. They’re poured from a well or an overpriced bottle of Grey Goose, then watered down with a squirt of cranberry juice or soda from those disgusting behind-the-bar guns. There is really no sense in making vodka more complicated than it has to be –…
Since opening, Jeana Johnson and Colleen O’Hare’s upscale pho joint Mot Hai Ba has widely been regarded as one of the city’s best places to indulge in a bowl of broth and noodles. Both spent time traveling through Vietnam doing research for the restaurant, and it all seems to have…
It has been said many times before that pastry is very much a neglected part of the culinary world, at least in the United States. Pastry chefs are among the most revered culinarians in France, but folks in the States were perfectly happy to eat grocery store cake for decades…
We’ll say this much about Henderson Avenue Country Club: They’re not bashful. The new venue in the Knox-Henderson neighborhood opened just last month, but they’ve already bestowed themselves with the tag of “Best Honky Tonk and BBQ Bar in Texas.” Yeah, right. That’s stepping into some shoes that are almost…
A few weeks ago, there was actually a decent song playing on country radio during my drive for the first time in what might have been years. I didn’t recognize the track, but I quickly pulled up Shazam on my phone in the middle of traffic to save it for…
For all of the great food in Dallas, we remain well behind other cities in terms of delivery options. Most neighborhoods have a few Thai and Chinese and pizza places that deliver, but in many areas of the city there isn’t much else to call on when you’re too lazy…
If you didn’t know, being asked to cook at the James Beard House is a really, really big deal. As ground zero for the country’s most prestigious culinary awards, each chef that makes the trip to New York City to cook dinner at the Beard House is vying to be…
Chocolates and diamonds are played out, people. It’s 2015, which means that you’re no longer allowed to fall back on your boring laurels. It’s easy to go to whatever grocery store is closest to you and pick up an only semi-wilted bouquet of flowers, but your main squeeze would probably…
Even though we live in 2015, the world is still divided in gendered lines. Male and female artists still get separate categories at nearly all awards shows, which is probably a good thing considering that it is most often men who are casting the votes. Despite this glaring state of…
Thanks to the woeful state of arts education in this country, many of us are entirely unaware of the thriving arts scene that exists around us. There is theatre, dance, art and music every night in this city, but buying tickets to all those concerts and exhibits adds up quickly…
When you think about the word “power,” a lot of things come to mind. Some of us imagine a tough, take-no-shit type of personality, and others recognize the influence and, well, power of a quieter, gentler rule. In Dallas’ dining scene, we have a blend of those personalities when it…
When you’re drinking at a place like Midnight Rambler, you have to make it count. I wandered into the speakeasy-style bar in the basement of the Joule Hotel after dinner with friends, knowing that I was the fool who would soon be parting with her money. It’s hard to find…
It’s 2015 and it’s still hard to be a woman in hip hop. Male rappers on the national scene still far outnumber women in the genre, despite the success of Nicki Minaj and (ugh) Iggy Azalea. Dallas’ own scene is as representative of that as any other city with a…
It’s technically not too early to start thinking about an entire summer of eating delicious crawfish and drinking beer, but most of Dallas’ seafood restaurants have yet to put freshly-boiled bugs on their menu. Crawfish season’s start date is a little fluid, occurring usually between late February and early March,…
Not many chefs can say that their dishes profoundly impact the lives of other people, except for Chad Houser. The veteran chef, who once helmed Dallas institution Parigi, is currently head of one of the country’s most interesting culinary concepts, Cafe Momentum. In his kitchen, you’ll find 37 interns, all…
The life of a talent buyer seems glamorous, but it’s much harder than you think. Wrangling up artists, venues, fans, and the relevant authorities is no easy task, which means that the folks that bring Dallas its best live shows are some of the hardest working people in the music…
