Several years ago, in a somewhat disturbing trend, relatively affluent 20-somethings began donning Von Dutch trucker hats and crowding into the contrived environs of places like Double Wide. Downing cans of beer in a staged version of Podunk apparently made privileged urban types feel more real, more down-to-earth—a kind of…
(Enlarged to show texture)Tomorrow night Florida meets Tex…um, those other guys…in college football’s finale. This weekend, the NFL playoffs continue as the clock winds inexorably toward the Super Bowl. In other words, it’s that time of the year when party snacks creep into the food pyramid. Now, most people resort…
Big Al’s Burger Hut3211 S. Hampton Rd. (recently moved from 4950 W. Illinois)214-333-7767The first thing you see walking into Big Al’s Burger Hut is a sign with an illustration of a revolver and the slogan “Warning – I don’t dial 911.” The sign is, of course, intended to caution to…
White, that is, not Stewart.The folks at Martha White have issued a call for entries in the 13th Cornbread Cook-Off. Why care? Well, not only does the winner rake in a cool $5,000–roughly equal to a journalist’s annual salary, so a very exiting prospect in these parts–but the lucky finalists…
Saturday night I tried to elbow my way into Neighborhood Services, the new Nick Badovinus destination.Tried is the key word–staff members promised a wait of up to three hours for a table and well-heeled types already mobbed the bar area, obviously willing to watch the evening slip away in a…
Nandina 5631 Alta Ave. at Greenville Ave. 214-826-6300 Promised delivery time: 45 minutes to an hour Delivered in: 30 minutes The ScoreOnline menu: 0 Ease of phone communication: 10 Delivery speed: 15 Making 3 a.m. sushi delivery possible: 20 Complete and total Basil-o-Rama: 12 Non-traditional menu spelling: 5Credit for delivering…
Two days off, one day at work, then a weekend to recover…For our purposes the new year begins on Monday, when we resume the normal City of Ate schedule of columns, dubious wine pairings and other bits of inspired banality. Today, we close out 2008 with a list of the…
Insanely short straw count: 1 Probably hookers count: 12 Thank you, Sal’s, for being a pizza and pasta place that has more than just pizza-by-the-slice as a lunch special. I’ve got nothing against the slice. The pizza at Sal’s is otherworldly. It’s made from raindrops on roses and whiskers on…
This has been, by any standard, an interesting year. Americans made history by living up to—finally—the “regardless of race, creed or color” principle we ostensibly cherish. That President-elect Barack Obama came from the usually disheveled ranks of that often-pointless party known as “Democrats” makes our national break with the past…
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Taking a break from his duties as radio personality and producer of the popular Bo & Jim morning show on Lone Star 92.5, Randy James found himself in California.Fresno, California.Actually, he is spending the holidays with family there. Yet he still consented to providing City of Ate with a Top…
Just about three years ago, the damn near legendary Dallas Morning News food critic Dotty Griffith decided to hang up the notepad and head down to Austin. Now, the UT grad and unrepentant Texan (who once said “barbecue is the most American of foods; to hell with apple pie”) spent…
We here at the City of Ate are big fans of Fox 4’s Good Day…and not just because the other morning shows wrap up at some unknown but clearly ungodly hour. No, it’s because long about the break of day–8:45 or so–they run a cooking segment.Every weekday some local chef…
Disc jockeys work their asses off. While we’re listening to a song, they’re racking up breaks and answering the phone. While we’re pressing the seek button during commercials, they quickly record and edit contest winner calls before scribbling down log information for the FCC folks. Even when they jabber away…
So good he also posted these on his 97.1 KEGL blog–actually he told us “blahg,” but it pretty much means the same thing. Listed in no particular order. “The white dream is my fav,” he says. CHRISTMAS COSMOPOLITAN ½ oz. Cointreau ½ oz. Cranberry juice 1 tsp. Fresh…
It’s been over two months since Urban Dog Coffee reopened its refurbished doors on Oak Lawn, and the renovated digs are well-worth a visit. The café now includes two rooms of tables, plush chairs and free wireless in a space complete with paintings by local artists and music by local…
I bid farewell to 2008 by, like Ricky Bobby, thanking little baby Jesus for giving us specialty holiday brews. What better way to soothe the white-knuckle stress of shopping, the friction of family gatherings and the frustration of assembling crappy toys than with a high-ABV beer? Jonathan Shikes at our…
If, thanks to Hollywood, one is likely to compare the seeming randomness of destiny to a Whitman’s Sampler, what then stands in for life’s certainties? Perhaps it’s too local to gain large-scale popularity, but I would suggest RJ Mexican Cuisine. When you ask waitresses at this popular and longstanding West…
Looking back on an all too brief year matching wines with everyday foods–you know, things from cans, boxes, fast food joints, and so on–it occurs to me the experts consulted each week performed admirably.Suspiciously so, as if they had already guzzled rose with their Taco Bueno takeaway on several occasions,…
She was highly regarded for her nuanced writing and rare ability to chain smoke through a meal and still understand the flavors. She was 71 and had been hospitalized for about a week.Teresa Gubbins at Pegasus News says it all. Expect a lengthy obituary in tomorrow’s Dallas Morning News.I knew…
People may poke fun at her striking bob, but none disparage Lisa Garza’s skill in the kitchen. This year the sometime singer and sort of restaurateur gained fame nationally as a contestant on The Next Food Network Star and locally through tons of media buzz.Whether she makes it big time…
Make that “Slaughterhouse Nine,” including the once great Rudolf, pictured here in rare form.In one of the more disturbing promotions, Park Cities Prime offers reindeer chops through December 30, or as long as the carcasses of Prancer, Cupid and Blitzen are fit to cook. That’s right–16 ounces of Dancer steak…
