In some ways, it’s a wonder how shrimp cocktail ever came off so regal. The most basic of restaurant dishes calls for boiled and peeled shrimp, presented in stemware like a martini with monster arms and paired with ketchup flavored so brazenly with horseradish it obliterates the delicate flavor of…
If the Cock & Bull, the dark bar in Lakewood, had a shortcoming that really stood out, it was the lack of a deep fryer in the kitchen. I’ve gushed on and on about their Rebeun sandwich, but always silently lamented that it wasn’t flanked with a side French fries…
Sad news for Fort Worth sushi fans came out this weekend over Little Lilly’s Twitter feed. Jesus Garcia, head chef for the restaurant that earned a four-star review from the Dallas Morning News, notified followers that he no longer worked for the restaurant. While not employed, Garcia maintained access to…
The Mecca, a diner with more than 75 years of plating greasy eggs and bacon, closed on Sunday after a tumultuous and short run at its location on Live Oak Street in East Dallas. The Mecca had been having financial difficulties since it moved from its long-time location on Harry…
Have you ever noticed the small, vacant building on the triangle of earth framed by Main Street and Exhibition Avenue near Fair Park? It’s been abandoned for years, so for the most part it’s not much to look at, but in a way it does have a bit of character…
First, some backstory: Earlier this week, Pete Wells, the food critic at The New York Times, got his man panties in a bunch over bread service at New York City restaurants. According to Wells, the practice of serving bread as a complimentary act of welcoming has been slowly receding into…
For a long time now, the bar menu at The Libertine Bar has been pretty stagnant — a salty bowl of jalapeño soup, some hog wings, a passable burger, a massive and economical cheese board. The food was good enough that you’d place an order if you were there, maybe…
Life is about to look really good, and I am going to tell you why. Picture yourself sitting on a shaded patio as a stiff breeze rustles the palm leaves that thatch the roof above your head. Picture a cold, sweating bottle of Pacifico in your hand. There is music,…
First, a quick aside. If you come to Palapas Seafood Bar and bury yourself in Tex-Mex you’re doing yourself a huge disservice. Pick up a menu here and you’ll find descriptions of some of the best Mexican seafood to be had in Dallas — a great mix of ceviches, grilled…
There was a big buzz when the second location of TJ’s Seafood Market opened in Highland Park in 2012. For years TJ’s had been a place to pick up a side of salmon, and maybe a few dozen oysters to shuck at home. But when owner Jon Alexis moved into…
Back in March we took a look at why a number of Dallas restaurants were headed off to the ‘burbs to open second locations. Plenty of Plano residents were coming down to Dallas for a visit to Lockhart Smokehouse, Smoke or whatever popular restaurant, so their owners eventually thought why…
There are scores of Vietnamese restaurants dotted throughout Richardson and Garland just outside of the loop, and nearly all of them are poised to sell you the cheapest lunch you’ll ever buy, in the form of banh mi. The sandwich is to Vietnam as pastrami sandwiches are to New York…
This is not the sort of sign you want to see taped to the door of a restaurant where you’ve held a long-awaited reservation for Easter Bunch, but customers who walked up to Mi Piaci’s shiny glass windows expecting drinks and food have been met with locked doors since last…
If you thought the whole “head-sucking” thing with crawfish had too much innuendo, wait until a girl holds her two index fingers parallel about a few inches apart and tells you she’s seen much bigger. That was the image captured in an article published in the Washington Post last week…
Last night the sky above Dallas was draped with thick, dark clouds and the air was cool if not cold. It didn’t rain, but it looked like it might at any second. In short, the weather wasn’t exactly inspiring for an evening of dinner and drinks, though you’d never know…
The Scoop Blog reported moments ago that Club Schmitz, the beloved Dallas dive bar located on Old Denton Road, will close its doors forever on the last day of May. The news will undoubtedly sadden countless barflies and Dallas-style-burger fanatics. Of course, news of the closing does not come as…
It’s been almost three years since I brought a bag of Sichuan peppercorns into the office, and doled them out to an unsuspecting editorial staff. As everyone let the papery husks sit on their tongue they experienced a citrusy electric sensation — almost a buzzing. “That’s disturbing,” said one writer,…
I’m obsessed with this series of YouTube videos titled Build It With Bruce. They feature Bruce Russo, whose design company B.Russo Designs is charged with the build out of Jon Steven’s anticipated Bishop Arts restaurant Stock and Barrel. The last time we checked in, Russo was walking us through the…
The first time you pull up to Gemma, it can be difficult to pin down what you’ve gotten yourself into. While you thumb your wallet for small bills to tip the valet, you’re assured you are most certainly still in East Dallas, but when you step into the dining room,…
In Happy Endings, food critic Scott Reitz travels part of the globe that says “Dallas” in search of great desserts and great places to eat them. This is the sixth in an occasional series. In a few of these Happy Ending columns, I’ve talked about restaurants whose sweet offerings are…
I think it was about a year ago that I played some bocce ball in Klyde Warren Park, setting off a wave of nostalgia for what I think is the greatest drinking sport known to man. In another life, in another city, I was involved in a league and regularly…
Lakewood Brewing Co. has decided to turn over the distribution portion of its business in order to shift its focus solely on the craft of brewing beer. Andrews Distributing announced the new partnership in a news release this morning. If you’ve not heard of Andrews, you’ve almost certainly swilled a…
