Canary Cafe5100 Belt Line, Addison972-503-7080I seem to remember a time, shortly after engineer-turned-chef Mansour Gorji bought the Canary Cafe space, when he served sushi at lunch.The previous occupant had been a Japanese restaurant and so many of that venue’s regulars dropped by hoping for a raw fish fix, Gorji couldn’t…
Some people insist a diet of fatty foods not only rounds out the waistline, it also invites a series of almost certain future ills. If they’re right, then Blaine Staniford must want to kill us—although with his arsenal of bacon, butter, cream and slabs of richly marbled red meat, ours…
Thanks to a deadline timing fluke largely of my making, this was my birthday dinner: half a bag of supermarket French fries.You know–those freezer burnt sticks one pops in the oven, checks after the recommended 15 minutes to find a batch of glossy, flaccid, half-baked things. So you leave them…
Few people write songs about pizza and beer, chocolate and peanut butter, or gin and juice. Foie gras and Sauternes? Forget it.Yet dozens–just a rough estimate–of hits and near hits have referenced the combination of tooth-decay inducing sugar water and tooth decay-inducing chocolate-covered marshmallow creme-filled cookies that became a Southern…
If Memory Serves chronicles moments from my dining past, perhaps explaining what’s wrong with me.Every year around the holidays, my mom sends a tin of what she calls “Secret Toffee.”Actually, I learned the name of this chocolate-toffee cookie thing just last week, having spent a few decades requesting it by…
A new year, another chance to set things right.It’s why some people announce personal goals this time of year, right? Few carry them through for the entire 12 months, however. In fact, only the easiest resolutions–add more flab, drink cheaper booze, exercise the credit cards–manage to hold our attention more…
We understand City of Ate is an, um, unusual blog.The Dallas market was already well-served, when we started up, by outlets breaking news tidbits, speculating on rumors, providing forums on topics of the day and such. So we conceived of a ‘magazine-style’ blog–a venue for recurring articles, some of which…
Village Burger Bar5700 Legacy Dr., Plano972-801-2772We love our chains, don’t we? Not the fast food giants, but those with a more original feel–Taco Diner, Houston’s, Mi Cocina and Village Burger Bar amongst them.What drives this popularity is a certain level of consistency. People know–hopefully–such places aren’t the best. But at…
Each week in ‘Knockers’ we order from a different delivery restaurant, assessing their efficiency and keeping a running score.Sal’s Pizza2525 Wycliff (Dallas)214-522-1828Second location:5700 Legacy (Plano)972-943-8600Promised delivery time: 30 minutesActual delivery time: 27 minutesScoring Summary:Real ‘guy style’ ordering (an economy of words): 52No-nonsense, no-frills delivery: 25Reputation points: 20’Meat Lovers’ pizza only…
Back in the spring of 2001, I sat with a group of friends in the dining room of Cuba Libra. Just about a year ago, I found myself at almost the same table, looking at a space less crowded but otherwise barely altered. Sometimes it seems nothing much has changed…
That’s right, City of Ate is taking a couple days off to watch college football and maybe (just maybe) have one or two drinks.However you choose to celebrate the new year, have a great time and stay safe.We’ve resolved to become the number one foreign food blog in Bhutan in…
From one decade to another, one year to another, one concept to another…Change is good, right? And so despite economic trials, the few announced restaurant closings in December are–in most cases–merely reworkings. That means some upscale fusion venues will become burger joints, some Greek places turn into global kitchens and…
Best restaurants…so many come to mind that we had to put the brakes on, set up criteria that would, for better or worse, help us whittle the list.Looking back on the past twelve months, it’s not such a chore–not really. Stand-outs include Samar, Park, Lumi, Cadot, Bella and some others…
The ‘Boys host the team without a cool nickname (like “Steel Curtain” or “Doomsday”) on Sunday afternoon. A final “fact” about the only city the Redcoats willingly gave back to George Washington…Eagles linebacker Will Witherspoon adores any rose wine or liquor, especially Franzia, Boone’s Farm and pink Champale.**Source: A guy…
Some people are famous for being famous. No need to elaborate–you know their names, and you probably still shake you head over the source of their popularity.Well, it’s the same in food and nightlife: some places are popular for being popular.There’s no other way to explain it, really. A spot…
You know how it is–nothing to do in Dallas but eat, drink and shop. If only we had a signature bridge…We’ve always had Neiman Marcus for those who want to spend the credit and places like TJ Maxx for us who don’t. In the last ten years, however, food shopping…
The ‘Boys host the silverwings on Sunday afternoon. Another “fact” about the the Main Sewer Line and its team…Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb insists his gazpacho be served piping hot.**Source: From the script of Rocky: The Final Years, where an aging boxer leaves the ring but is lured back into the…
A person’s selection of “favorite bar” may be even more personal than that of their favorite restaurant. Where someone chooses to drink, after all, says more about their appreciation of scene and the sort of people they wish to associate with–the Stella or Goose tastes about the same anywhere, for…
Probably should issue this caveat to start: Unless you’re speaking of Paris Hilton or Tex Cobb, the label of embarrassment implies the person in question possesses some talent.Nobody is perfect, of course. The Rolling Stones recorded Emotional Rescue, Babe Ruth lost half a season due to a “bellyache,” Tony Romo…
The ‘Boys host la fee verte on Sunday afternoon. A “fact” about the team from “foul, fetid, fuming, foggy, filthy Philadelphia”:During road trips, the Eagles play Scrapple–a game where they identify bits of snout, intestine, ear, trotter and tail in their breakfast dish. The first to find something from the…
Tex-Mex establishments usually thrive on the come-as-you-are crowd, drawing from a vast array of jeans and ball caps and, long about brunch on Sunday, ashen faces desperately in need of warmed chips. But there’s a strange vibe at Jorge’s Tex-Mex on opera nights. As I waited near the bar for…
We’re taking a break. We’ll be back next week to finish up the year and hope that at least some of you stick with us.Thanks, and have a great holiday…
