I’m definitely too old for this, but it’s hard to shake the temptation. While the phenomenon doesn’t seem quite as prominent in Dallas, Black Wednesday has become a steadfast tradition across the country. It’s easy to understand how it got started. College kids home for the holiday finally have a…
Each week, Justin Bitner goes hunting for DFW’s most interesting sandwiches. Have a sandwich suggestion? Leave it in the comments and he’ll check it out. Venue: Capriotti’s Sandwich: The Bobbie ($8.39) Bread: Hoagie Toppings: Fresh roasted then even more freshly chilled turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mayo The Case: In case…
No, Thanksgiving/Footballsgiving/Foodsgiving/Fightsgiving/Shopsgiving/Bingegiving isn’t a competition, but once I caught wind of the profession of love, adoration and profanity that Alice was going to publicly give my favorite American holiday, I realized I had to come forward with one of my own. So, I fucking love you more, Thanksgiving. Let me…
Before brunch, there was breakfast: an honest, no-frills meal that started the day at home, or at the diner, or, if you were lucky, at the taqueria around the corner. While brunch is all about the hangover cures, sobriety cures and wondering which J Crew shirt to wear, breakfast is…
The flier is fairly self explanatory, but we thought we’d reiterate the details for you. Tonight the Observer is hosting its monthly Tweet Up party, which means you’ll have the opportunity to hang out, listen to music (provided by DJ Pun), win free swag and most importantly, drink cheap booze…
Oh, Thanksgiving. The holiday that recognizes that the only way we can stand to be around family is to emotionally eat ourselves into a tryptophan-induced state of apathy. Boundaries are pushed. Feelings are hurt. There’s no clear-cut etiquette, no collective list of things that could be avoided to make Thanksgiving…
We all have our favorite dish at Thanksgiving. Maybe it’s sweet potato casserole, cheesy mashed potatoes, Jello salad or cornbread dressing. No matter that crazy great-aunt Melba came up with the recipe 47 years ago; if it’s not on the table when the bird is served, then just call the…
Navigating Dallas’ best mac and cheese dishes was hard work. (Editor’s note: He’s a food critic. It’s all relative.) Any dish that leverages an ingredient as great as cheese sufficiently to put it in the title is usually going to be decent, and many of the versions I tried were…
Café Istanbul has been in the Inwood Village Shopping Center on Lovers Lane for over 15 years, but this summer regulars found their go-to Mediterranean spot closed for renovations. When the restaurant reopened in mid-October, customers returned to a more slightly modern vibe, with new dark wood accents around the…
We’ve gobbled about birds and various local sides. But bread is a category all unto itself. Clothes make the man, you say? Well, bread can make or break the feast. We’ve covered the issue extensively here and there. Whether to cradle meat for a sandwich or wipe a plate clean…
The City Tavern is quite direct. “These ain’t poppers,” the menu states of their stuffed jalapeños, arguing that chicken and spices added to the mix of typical cheese makes for an elevated bar snack. And they’re right. The level of attention they’re paying to a seemingly mundane deep-fried appetizer has…
Caught an article over on Adage this morning on Domino’s revamp of their “cheesy bread.” In an attempt to capture what marketing executives must think are idiot foodies, the pizza chain is selling “gourmet” varieties of cheese bread (with spinach and feta and bacon and jalapeño).After blacking out from irritation,…
Want a devastatingly good burger? (Of course you do.) First read this, which teases out literary meat porn over five pages. The article focuses on a New York City meat supplier that provides many of Manhattan’s greatest burgers. It’s great stuff, and re-reading it this morning has solidified my dinner…
It’s a Tuesday night in the O.C., and Mesa is abuzz with a low murmur of conversation. Three couples and a group of four populate the soft brown velour banquettes and chairs; with only 40 seats, four tables is enough for the place to feel alive. We take a seat…
Known: Thanksgiving is one of the best food holidays ever. So, where do the other 99 holidays we could think of rank? We’re so glad you asked. 1. Day After Thanksgiving: All the food, none of the family. Plus you get Leftovers Sandwiches. Choose to deny that this is the…
With Saturday’s Dallas Beer Festival canceled, the opportunity to sample two of the strongest beers ever made, along with a couple of rare Mikkeller brews, at Strangeways seemed a fitting enough way to cap off Dallas Beer Week. Brewdog’s Tactical Nuclear Penguin (32 percent ABV) and Sink the Bismarck! (41…
It’s getting cold out — cold enough to make Thanksgiving seem welcome, but maybe not cold enough for mulled wine on the stove — yet. This week we checked out SWIG, a trendy bar-restaurant on Henderson with a cool bar and ho-hum food. I still think the place warrants a…
Occasionally we identify interesting local folks who are as obsessed with food and restaurants as we are, and share some of their thoughts on Dallas’ dining scene and food in general. This is one of those occasions. Barbara Sudweeks is the Associate Principal Viola player in the Dallas Symphony Orchestra…
Our love of mac and cheese is a deep-rooted affair, grown from a seed planted by our parents with a blue box and neon orange cheese powder. Velveeta upped the pre-fab ante, boxing up cheap pasta with a foil pouch of pre-melted cheese food product that introduced us to a…
Coal Vines: so cliché, with that portrait of a young Frank Sinatra hung beside the bar, his face gazing upward. You might wonder if the moon’s in his eyes, though that’s another another artist that’s equally as shopworn in New York Style Pizza joints. And here that cheesy tune is…
We’ve already talked turkey. Now, let us not delegate lesser attention to the other elements of a proper Thanksgiving feast, many of which you nary have to travel far to find. There are, in fact, many ways to bring a local farm, wine-maker, cheese crafter, coffee roaster and ice-cream churner…
Queen of entertaining and stock maven Martha Stewart will be at the Williams-Sonoma store at Northpark Center today at 1 p.m. to sign copies of her new cookbook, Martha’s Entertaining: A Year of Celebrations. Per the store website: “Space is limited to the first 500 ticketed customers. (…) Martha will…
