Eating out on Valentine’s Day is like the fun house at a traveling carnival — all smoke and mirrors and unmet expectations. The bar is set too high, the pressure to perform too much, and in the end everyone feels duped. Yet every year when it rolls back through town,…
A couple weeks ago we met Abraham Bebell, the bar manager at Oak in the Design District. At the end of the interview, I asked Abe who in the local restaurant and bar scene I should meet next. He told me about Rich Allison, bar manager at the very popular…
Marie Tedei created Eden’s Organic Garden Center and CSA farm for several reasons. One was self-fulfilling: She’s a studied horticulturist and has a passion for living clean and healthy off the land. But the primary reason was to have a place where the local community and farmers can create a…
Johnny’s Pizza House has opened its first North Texas location in Addison, at the northwest corner of Belt Line and Midway. Johnny’s is originally out of Monroe, Louisiana, where they have a fairly devout following. Their thick crusts are loaded with gooey cheese, and piling on the toppings is encouraged…
Out on the eastern edge of Dallas yesterday, I punched my location into my Dive-Burger Finder App and Bell’s Better Burger popped up. Bless those satellites orbiting the Earth finding burgers for me. Bell’s Better Burger, at 2610 Peachtree Road in Mesquite, is strictly a drive-in. There are two large…
Tom Vincent of Texas Coffee School takes the business of grinding beans to a new level. And, yes, he actually has a school in Arlington. But he also regularly holds class at places like Oddfellows and The Original Pancake House in Addison. He got into the brew business several years…
In 1981, Laura and Oscar Sanchez opened La Calle Doce in small house in Oak Cliff. Now, more than 30 years later, with the recent addition of a new bar and patio, it stands as a staple for Mexican seafood in Dallas. Raised in Monterrey, Mexico, Laura’s father instilled in…
The first bit of news here is that Gloria’s is expanding its Salvadorian food empire yet again. The restaurant’s website confirms they are scheduled to open their first place in Houston this spring, which would make 14 altogether, including one in Austin. The second bit of news is that, according…
Central Market’s annual chocolate festival starts today and lasts through February 14. Some of the best chocolatiers from around the world will make appearances over the next few days and, as always, there are some interesting back stories. If you can fight through the crowds, don’t take lightly the opportunity…
Yes, it’s another post about Il Cane Rosso. Yes, I’m conflicted about the amount of real estate devoted to the Deep Ellum pizza maker. But this time it’s about a badass catcher, so it’s a must. Dallas Morning News sports writer Evan Grant recently bellied up to the pizza bar…
The new Oak at 1628 Oak Lawn in the Design District, which was previously only open for dinner, announced today that they are now open for lunch. For starters the lunch menu includes hummus, foie gras and celery root and apple soup. For sandwiches they have a lamb bacon BLT,…
With the Super Bowl out of the way, our attention now turns to the next excuse to eat, drink and be gluttonous: Mardi Gras. The non-profit organization Go Oak Cliff is hosting the third annual Mardi Gras Oak Cliff February 18 and 19 with several different events planned. Dash for…
As previously mentioned, last Wednesday evening I received my first box of local, organic veggies and fruits from Greenling. Problem was, I was a little skeptic at being able to work through the whole box over the weekend, particularly with requisite lard-laced Super Bowl festivities planned. Then Scott Reitz called…
Yesterday, the Department of State Health Services hosted a meeting in Austin on the proposed new labeling rules for the Texas Cottage Food law, which have bakers in an uproar. And if this video wasn’t a clear indication of how the city of Plano feels about the newfound freedom of…
Lately we’ve talked a lot about how the Dallas food scene is moving past plates of melted cheese. But let this stand as a warning to the fancy-pants chefs in this town: Melted cheese will always have a place here. You hear that? Always. And that’s how I justify the…
Union Bear in the West Village is set to open tonight. Just across from the Magnolia Theatre, the space is split between a street level, which has a large retractable windows and a bar (technically opening next week), and an underground level where there are several distinct dining areas, another…
Greenling is a company out of Austin that just started delivering farm-fresh produce and other foods to customers in an around Dallas. The concept is to bridge the gap between those who want to eat organic and local but don’t have the time or wherewithal to attain it. And since…
So, did you say you were planning a trip to New Orleans for Mardi Gras? And wanted to take back roads? Figured. It can be a really beautiful drive. Weaving in and out of the tall pine trees on nearly desolate soft rolling two-lane highways. Ahh … take a deep…
Anastacia Quiñones is just one week into her new job as chef at the modern Mexican cuisine spot Komali. The Dallas native attended the Culinary Institute of America in New York, then fell in love with San Francisco after just several hours visiting. After working there for a few years,…
Vietnam in East Dallas is the quintessential hole-in-the-wall spot that serves up amazing, traditional pho. And when Chef Matt McCallister mentioned this 16-year-old eatery as one of his favorites in a recent interview, it was time to revisit. The particular pho in the photo above is No. 79 from Vietnam’s…
My extent of beer knowledge is limited. I know that I like it on occasion. I know that Jesse Hughey knows a lot. I know that there is new stuff popping up all the time. And I know that if you want to be a brew master, you should grow…
City of Ate reported recently that the Texas Department of State Health Services had proposed new rules for the Cottage Food Law that passed last year, designed to make it easier for home bakers to peddle their deliciousness. The law required DSHS to establish specific rules for the home-baker business…
