After my earlier (somewhat sarcastic) rejection of all of Memphis barbecue, I felt I should probably try somewhere that wasn’t Red, Hot and Blue and aim to be remotely fair. As luck would have it, during a New Year road trip we passed through Memphis for a day (en route…
Stephan Pyles latest concept, Stampede 66 (1717 McKinney), opened in early November as an ode to southwestern cuisine from the creator himself. Pyles also helped create much of the Dallas dining scene with an honor-roll of students that studied in his kitchens; like Tim Byers of Smoke, Jeana Johnson of…
Ellen’s Southern Kitchen and I got off to a great start. Sitting at the bar, I had a nice conversation with what seemed like half the restaurant staff. I drank an ice-cold beer while waiting for my entrees and was alerted to the stuffed jalapeños the kitchen was working on…
I’ve been searching for this for quite some time. One of the greatest beverage combinations in the history of mankind (better than both chocolate added to milk, and beer added to hot sauce), is a nice pint of Guinness doctored with a freshly pulled shot of espresso. The flavor combination…
The Loon is a drinker’s bar. Walk in at noon and there will already be a handful of barflies perched on stools and muscling their way through their first stiff drinks — some may even be on their second. A guy to my right during a recent visit pulled a…
Our resident Englishman stumbled across an article in a popular UK newspaper that aimed some snark at what the paper called current food trends. Gavin, who at his present rate of Americanization will soon own an AR-15 and a pickup, took exception to the article’s outlook. An Open Letter to…
While working on my review of Cook Hall, I kept wondering if the restaurant would draw the consistent crowd that eluded Craft. Craft closed earlier this year because of slow sales and a concept that didn’t really suit the neighborhood. Cook Hall swept in to counter these problems with a…
I did an article about various area chain restaurant options a few months back because I was intrigued, as a stranger to these shores, by all the fanciful and mysterious options available to me. I still go to Waffle House all the time, and I don’t care what people think…
Every once in a very long while I like to make believe I have a little something called willpower. And like most other folks on this planet, I get a surge of confidence in my nonexistent willpower right around January 1. See also: Our Best of 2012 Winners Now, I…
It’s hard to sit at the bar at Cook Hall and not feel at least a little disappointment. On its surface the new restaurant, which slipped into the W Hotel earlier this fall, solved many of the problems of its predecessor. Craft was a beautiful place with stunning food. Through…
Not upscale, not pretentious, no cute food. Rodeo Goat’s tagline fits it quite well, even if it does nothing to describe what the restaurant actually is. The Fort Worth burger joint opened at the end of November at the hand of Sam Wynne, the man behind the Meddlesome Moth and…
When our web editor, Nick Rallo, asked me to put together a list of the best food photos I took this year I jumped on the opportunity. “Piece of cake!” I said to him, or maybe that was in my head, but either way I was stoked. I didn’t realize…
This week, out resident smoke-addicted Englishman Gavin visits Fat Cow BBQ and ends up writing about sex, which we notice is cropping up more and more in his posts. Frankly, we’re getting a little concerned about what all this barbecue-love is doing to him psychologically. Luckily, if he ever returns…
Another busy month has come and gone and with it a handful of restaurants have opened. Read on for the full list and be sure to share tips about new and/or dead restaurants in the comments section below or at dish@dallasobserver.com. Openings: Ascension Coffee (1621 Oak Lawn Ave.): The new…
If you want to eat authentic Mexican food, certain aesthetic concessions may be required. The heart and soul of Mexican cooking is built on ground corn and guts. And while some restaurants put up a quaint facade and a freshly painted dining room, if you want to find the best…
Next to where the old Dave & Busters was laid to rest, lies Nazca Kitchen, a bright and colorful beacon of hope for anyone looking for a taste of healthy, fresh and flavorful foods with South American roots. Walking in, you’ll notice the space’s lightness; there’s even a dining room…
What. A. Year. My most notable closings post was an interesting compilation , but looking at the restaurants that have opened this year is even more illuminating. We’ve gained a lot of great restaurants. (And some not so great ones, too.) Here are some of the more notable spaces. See…
Here is a brief list of five European things that make a good Christmas, but that you might be afraid of. Embrace change, Texas! I have included pictures so you don’t think I’m insane, and links to Amazon where you can still get these things (albeit with now very expensive…
Facing out onto a bleak parking lot and just the right side of the tracks, Baker’s Ribs is in direct competition with Mama Faye’s for the Deep Ellum barbecue coin. Thing is, neither of them seem to be doing particularly good business. Baker’s had but one other family in there…
Way out on Harry Hines Boulevard, just past the bazaar bearing the same name, Continental Liquor makes its business not only selling booze and sodas, but as a landlord too. In 1998 Maria and Roberto Velasquez rented 800 square feet from the owner and set up a small kitchen and…
Apparently you guys celebrate Christmas by eating tamales. No, me neither. I’ve no idea what you’re doing. What screams Christmas about a tamale? I suppose you could take this reductionist argument to any Christmas food (what’s Christmassy about slaughtering a turkey and then roasting it, or, as some people are…
When I reviewed Dalat this summer, I loved the concept of a late-night pho restaurant close to downtown but had problems with the consistency of the food I was served. My pho was salty one day and bland the next, and noodles that were consistently over-cooked would break apart when…
