I’ve been eyeing El Pollo Regio for a while now. So, when I heard that the one on Spring Valley recently got a score of 73 (that’s four points above failing, I’m told) from the health inspector, I got a little sad. Because it’s totally cool if you go into…
Well, actually I’m not sure if it advances or diminishes the cause when McDonald’s gets involved. Anyway, this from one of their commercials for the Angus burger:”The bacon beckons like a springboard to paradise.”‘Nuff said…
Each week, Pairing Off attempts to find just the right bottle of wine to go with ordinary food.Whoever first decided to shatter fried tortillas into wedge shapes and open a jar of salsa was some kind of improvisational genius. In one moment he–or she, but most likely he–gave the art…
On The Range is a weekly exploration of the history and lore of Texas menu items.In Puerto Vallarta, you can enjoy pozole poolside. According to food writer Eduardo Rincon-Gallardo, the only place to enjoy the savory pork and hominy stew in the Mexican seaside resort town in its green incarnation…
Say you wanna open a restaurant. You envision yourself cooking and smiling and rainbows are shining and somewhere in the distance a chorus of angels is singing. Or a chorus of Harleys–depends on what makes you happy.Anyway, you get the idea. We all know it ain’t that easy–but have you…
Each week the Dude Food guys assess the ‘masculinity’ of Dallas area dives. The more fried meat and junk on the walls, the better the rating…Babe’s Chicken Dinner House200 South Main St., Cedar Hill469-272-4500Dude Factor: 9, or Baby Face Nelson on a scale of 1 (Babyface) to 10 (Babe Ruth)While…
August is generally a slow restaurant month and this year was no exception. Aside from KRLD Restaurant Week madness, the surprise revelation about Lola, crowds piling into Marc Cassel’s Park and the buzz about Smoke, it was one lackluster stretch.September should be even more interesting, what with a grand opening…
When we found out about a National Bacon Day, some of us fell into a near fugue state. Finally–a nation fixed on celebrating, oh, labor and presidents and fat elves and the greeting card/chocolates industry found something worthwhile to honor.No need to rhapsodize about bacon. Nature’s most perfect food translates…
A lot of people ask me where they can get some good vegan Tex-Mex around town. I usually guide them to Monica’s, where vegans can get the best enchiladas in Dallas, but I understand that driving down to Deep Ellum isn’t always practical…especially if you’re on the wrong other side…
How are the hard-working folks who can make or break a restaurant meal cared for at the end (or beginning) of a long shift? Do they send out for pizza?Used to be, in the family-run restaurants of yore, the staff would sit down to a communal meal together each day,…
Chefs from 10 of the top kitchens in Dallas vied for top honors in the Sunday night’s Caesar salad competition, vying for diners’ votes with salads dressed up with merguez sausage, scallop ceviche or brisket tacos, or restyled as carrot-wrapped salad sticks, romaine gazpacho topped with Caesar sorbet, or stuffed…
Each week in ‘Knockers’ we order from a different delivery restaurant, assessing their efficiency and keeping a running score.Mango Thai Cuisine4448 Lovers Lane214-265-9996Promised delivery time: about 45 minutesActual delivery time: 48 minutesFriendliness of the guy on the phone: 11Ease of personalizing an entree: 25Reading back my order to ensure accuracy:…
Central 2145680 N. Central Expy214-443-9339My waitress claims that in all those months of filming for “The Naughty Kitchen,” Oxygen’s culinary reality show featuring chef Blythe Beck, there was only one moment of real drama. Seems a female guest recoiled from the cameras because she was on a date–though not with…
Somewhere in between this weekend’s soccer games, F1 coverage from the greatest racetrack in the world and MotoGP at Indy, I managed to fit in a few restaurant visits…um, which makes it seem like I spend half my life in front of a television.Kinda pathetic, I guess. And it only…
Our respect for the SMU student body knows few bounds. So this little exchange from a couple of undergrads sitting at the next table made us proud.Boy, explaining that his taste in food has expanded: “I’m diversifying.”Girl: “Is that a word?”…
Much to our delight, the mini-burger craze has hit a bump in the road. Hey, don’t get us wrong–we’ve got nothing against two-biters. They’re cute and small and often even feature fancy meats. It’s just the “s-word” that grosses us out. But whatever you wanna call ’em, there seems to…
The comfort food trend strikes again. Chefs Scott Gottlich and J Chastain have updated the menu at The Second Floor to focus more on contemporary comfort food along with its signature bistro items. But this being the place that claims to have the largest Scotch selection in Dallas, they needed…
In the week that brought a spirited City of Ate debate over the merits of eating in the Dallas suburbs, even if you live in the city, we covered plenty of other reasons to try new things. This week saw looks at ultra-pure water, soul food for the fancy, and…
A notice pops up in my email just about every day announcing the arrival of some new fro-yo stand. Is there really a demand for all this? If so, what’s driving it? And what the hell’s wrong with ice cream?In other words, how many of these places will make it?Results…
So we could have awarded just about everyone posting comments to Eddie Garza’s piece this week on the waterborne controversy at Bliss. Just a few examples: bc: “In unrelated news, I’m going to live in a hyperbaric chamber filled with angel farts. Living angel farts.”Handsome Lance Manion: “Ever since they…
Years ago I took a glass tasting course from Riedel–which I’m sure you understand means I sampled wine from Riedel stemware.It’s an extraordinary thing: wine poured into a normal red or white wine glass tastes very different when served in one designed for the specific grape. In fact, the change…
In this week’s paper, Dave gives Lola a hello, goodbye as the decade-old Uptown spot prepares to shutter later this fall. The full set of photos from our photographer’s trip to the restaurant are here in this week’s Dish Extra slideshow.The Lola photo set caps off a fine month in…
