The FDA is under scrutiny in The New York Times this week. Looks like the serving sizes listed on nutrition labels may be getting a new look and Observer Editor Joe Tone will have a new and legitimate excuse to Hoover down ice cream by the pint. I wonder how…
Elotes. My new friend. I loved the street food, but it left me thirsty. Thankfully, aguas frescas were available just inside the Oak Lawn grocery store. El Rio Grande Supermercado offered at least 10 versions while I was visiting, ranging from the simple and refreshing lime and cucumber, to a…
The hatch chiles are coming! Although a little late this year, and possibly at a higher price. The heat and drought that continue to plague the region have significantly affected the crop of chiles so popular in Tex-Mex cooking and at festivals around Dallas. The lack of rain has caused…
While I was here for my job interview a while back the heat had me on the lam. I was holed up in my hotel, trying to avoid a stroke, and found an article in D discussing Dallas’ Ethiopian restaurants and how the volume here compares to New York and…
If you’re an Ethiopian-food novice, you might find yourself drawn to one of the shiny new restaurants serving it around Dallas. They’re sleek, almost trendy places, serving a training-wheeled version of that nation’s robust cuisine on clean white plates. They even trim their injera, the country’s signature spongy bread, into…
Bloggers be crazy. Myself included. Pegasus threw up a headline yesterday announcing that the much-hyped Velvet Taco restaurant (destined to become a soul-sucking chain) is open. The story itself says the restaurant will open this weekend, and links to a series of other stories drinking the PR Kool-aid (OMG TACOS…
Yesterday I offered some thoughts on the term “gastro pub”, sparking a debate on the term. It also drew commenter BigJonDaniel to lay some Chain Restaurant smack down: Ok – Let me lay this out for you. Most restaurants in Dallas do not start because the owners love food. Oh…
When I first came to Dallas I was looking for a delivery option in Oak Lawn. I needed a quick meal amongst a sea of unpacked boxes. Someone suggested Zini’s over Twitter, so I tried it. I’ll hold off on forming my official position on that local delivery chain, but…
Grant Morgan is easing into his new job this week at Bailey’s Prime Plus, the local chain of upscale steakhouses. Carrying the title of executive chef at not one but three locations has the toque busy learning the names and strengths of new employees as well as new customers. I…
If you haven’t noticed it’s hot outside. Highs are expected to top 110 this weekend, according to my Google skills. I’ve never experienced 110. I have no idea what that feels like. I imagine it sucks, and I imagine it’s affecting other people’s food choices as well. Eater reports today…
I wasn’t excited. It was early afternoon, the temperature was already 100, I was hungover and I was hungry. My invitation arrived by text: “Want to get elotes with us in 30 mins? There’s a place up on Maple.” I’d seen a version of this snack back in DC. Street…
Dallas has another gastropub headed its way. According to its website and a Facebook page, the Mad Tavern promises a concept featuring 32 different beers on tap, 100 different beers in the bar, loads of TVs for loads of sports and an August 26 open date. Its arrival has me…
I’m wrapping up my second week in Dallas. It’s been a little booze-y, I’ll admit. I’ve been dipping in and out of every bar and pub that grabs my eye, an attempt to find something that I fear might elude me. Certainly as long as I keep things framed as…
Oh, Aters. Twenty-nine days of bliss have passed us by and we haven’t lead you to a single wiener. We haven’t photographed one tubesteak, nor have we grilled a single frankfurter. July is hot dog month and we haven’t offered the slightest coverage. We’ve let you down. We’ve let down…
“Have you ever tried a pickle back?” I knew I was in for a long night as soon as I heard the question. We’d just strolled into the Double Wide to let off a little steam. Pickle backs (or pickle shots), for the uninitiated, refer to the pairing of whiskey…
Tuesday night, sometime after 10. Charlie Papaceno, sporting vintage specs, was working the bar of the Windmill Lounge, a little dive on Maple. A couple huddled in the corner, and two more pairs sat at the bar. It was my first time. I saw Brooklyn lager on tap and I…
It’s a hard and fast rule of scenesterism, regardless of which sect you belong to: No matter how far you live from the ocean, stylish sushi must be in your dining rotation. Whether it’s Deep Ellum hipsters, Uptown collar-poppers (they still do that, right?) or people who are trendy simply…
Veracruz, a thin and wrinkly shaped state on the Gulf, wasn’t the most loved state in Mexico. The Spanish used the region as a gateway to the New World, trouncing local tribes in search of gold. But they also brought along olives, capers, almonds and other treasures from home, imprinting…
Some balls. A brand new food critic, strolling into town from far away, daring to review a Mexican restaurant in his debut? Even worse: I hail from up north, where most restaurants serve bastardized Tex-Mex produced by industrious El Salvadorians. But Mesa fell into my lap and ended up being…
Wednesday is Arts and Life and Style Day at the nation’s newspapers, which, believe it or not, still contain no small amount of interesting food news. Our Wednesday Feed highlights the best of it. Tim Carman at The Washington Post illuminates the faltered economy may not be so stagnant –…
Last week, using your wisdom as my guide, I set out to discover Dallas’ most authentic Buffalo-style chicken wings. And it worked. You lead me to Bryan Street, and Bryan Street led me to saucy contentment. So this week, dear Aters, a new mission, should your lunchtime hunger pangs choose…
I’m still new to Dallas, but I’m not new to Restaurant Week. Most cities indulge a version of the pimped out dining orgy. In the past I’ve heard some complaints about the promotion. Some think the $30 price tag provides a lame, watered-down version of high-class dining. They complain that…
