The other night I stopped into the brand spanking new Tate’s on McKinney Avenue in Uptown. Once inside I saw dark wood and masculine décor plus shiny glass containers full of liquor, fruits and liquored-up fruits. Then I met Kirsten and JW, two adorable bartenders in mismatched (in a good…
We’re all guilty of occasionally getting blinded by the relentless shininess of Dallas’ hospitality scene — by the craft beers, the farm-to-table restaurants, the chefs building their latest pantheon to the gourmet grilled cheese. Overexposure to these things sometimes makes me forget that I live in Texas, the southern Midwest,…
A while back Wilonsky told you that El Fenix honcho Mike Karns and the Firebird Restaurant Group LLC were gobbling up the old Luna’s Tortilla factory. Conventional wisdom was that another El Fenix outpost would slide into the spot, but it turns out Karns has another concept in mind for…
Prospective diners could learn everything they need to know about Nick and Sam’s by walking through the parking lot. Valets squeeze in freshly detailed Mercedes, Audis and Bimmers and more — every luxury brand is represented. On weekend evenings limousines of various shapes and sizes park out front on Maple…
Each week, the Cheap Bastard goes looking for a new place to eat a meal for less than nine million dollars. This week, she haunts Raul’s Corral, 200 Corinth St., 214-428-4500. Her mind wasn’t blown by the food, but it was kind of nicely felt up. Times I wondered if…
Draft Picks Sports Bar and Grill, which opened in late September, sits less than a half-mile south of the American Airlines Center, right where Victory Avenue ends. Naturally, as with all sports bars, they have a few TVs, although how many is purely arbitrary. Ten or 20 used to be…
The saying goes that friends are the family you get to choose. There’s truth in the words, however cliché, but we don’t have as much control choosing the fixtures in our lives as we believe. Some friends are lifelong companions we can rely on, and others serve a different purpose,…
Each week, we browse local food blogs to find the most jaw-unhingingly tasty photos for you gastro deviants out there. Have a suggestion? Leave it in the comments and we’ll check it out. Here are some of this week’s best images…
Company Café’s second location is open, in a renovated building tucked behind Texas de Brazil alongside the Katy Trail. Its modern design is coupled with vintage flare where patchwork walls made from old barn wood contrasts with contemporary pieces, like metal chairs and bar stools. The warm lighting and natural…
Thai-Rrific closed its longstanding North Dallas location and opened its doors on Cedar Springs last month, where Hung Dinger used to live. The first thing I noticed walking into the restaurant was a refrigerated case full of multicolored cakes. The green tea and “rainbow” cake caught my eye before I…
There’s so much goodness happening on this plate it’s painful to recount. This brunch item from The Meddlesome Moth has gravy made with a jalapeño puree over creamy peppered grits, while two silky poached eggs rest atop tender fried chicken tenderloins. The best approach with this dish is to carefully…
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: Cavalli Sandwich: Prosciutto Panini Bread: Pizza dough Toppings: Prosciutto, basil, tomatoes, “fresh” mozzarella, olive oil The Case: ‘Wich Trials goes stripping once again this…
Each week, the Cheap Bastard goes looking for a new place to eat a meal for less than nine million dollars. This week, she rolls the dice at Royal Wok, 2560 Royal Lane, 972-488-8282, and doesn’t crap out. At least not right away. Massage parlors nearby count: 18 Waterfall mural…
November was a busy month for restaurant owners in Dallas, with several spots opening and a few closing their doors. Read on for the full slate, and be sure to share tips about restaurant openings or closings in the comments section below or at dish@dallasobserver.com. Openings: Del Frisco’s Grille (3232…
In Happy Endings, foodbitch goes on the hunt for Dallas’ unsung and unsurpassed desserts. Today: the ice creams at La Duni. La Duni may be famous for its intensely beautiful and equally delicious cakes, but, at least for me, the restaurant’s simple, homemade ice cream is where it’s at. Recently,…
Eric Brandt, executive chef of Highland Park’s Bistro 31, never attended culinary school. Instead, the self-taught chef ditched his computer science degree to study directly with top-end toques. He worked under Fabio Trabocchi at the celebrated Maestro, a posh Italian restaurant in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. The restaurant, known…
Don’t you hate it when the waiter at the Mexican food restaurant gets pissy when you ask for a take home box of 30-40 hot tortillas? Or when you ask your neighbor to make you some like she did in the old country and she gets all judgemental and is…
There’s a fairly standard lunch routine here at Observer headquarters: meander around staffers offices and cubicle like brain-hungry zombies until a restaurant decision is made. Often, it’s tacos. Even more frequent: the consumption of meat (Sorry Anna). Hell, it’s usually around lunchtime when our hunger overrides our visual accuity and…
The Venue: If Chef Tiffany Derry at Private Social needs to borrow a cup a’ sugar from a neighbor, the new uptown Del Frisco’s Grille would probably be her best bet. The two modern glass-heavy storefronts split the remodeled section of One McKinney Plaza with Del Frisco’s Grille taking up…
I’m partial to Cajun and Creole food. I like their rich and crazy approach to meals, both in terms of flavors and attitude. So, with high hopes, last Saturday night we had dinner at The Free Man Cajun Café in Deep Ellum. The atmosphere was lively and original. They don’t…
Each week, the Cheap Bastard goes looking for a new place to eat a meal for less than nine million dollars. This week, she finds the man of her dreams at La Victoria, 1605 N Haskell Ave., 214-827-0101. Dinosaur toy guarding the barbed wire fence count: 1 Times I’ve driven…
Local, the sleek little restaurant in Deep Ellum, opened late in the winter of 2003. It was met with tempered praise from this newspaper, which lauded the elevated simplicity of chef-owner Tracy Miller’s modern American cooking, touting her brilliance with fish and gently spooning other praise on a “restaurant unsullied…
