Dallas had been on a hot streak.The scoreboard of restaurant openings vs closings had leaned heavily to the positive all spring and summer. March, for example, recorded a 10-5 result, openings vs closings. In April it was 8-3 in favor–and things continued that way, including a 15-2 July blowout.Not since…
For vegans, the State Fair of Texas can be a hellish experience. All those not-even-close-to-vegan fried concoctions, waddling crowds and poor, enslaved farm animals make us want to punch people in the tundra they carry ’round their waistbands…and we’re not typically violent sorts. Despite all those sad pigs in bins,…
Something came to the office this week that would make a fantastic prize–if only I could remember what it was and where I put it. If I find whatever it was in Wilonsky’s office (where my bag of Oak Cliff Coffee ended up somehow), I’ll be pissed.So, once again, we…
A lot of people give vegans shit about eating fake meats. But should trannies at the Grapevine really talk? Probably not. My friend Sara and I hit the Grapevine Bar last night to celebrate her last two days in Dallas. That meant gettin’ crazy on the court, downing too many…
I walked into Jen’s Place, saw that the daily special was brisket and noted three things: 1) This is a cafeteria, not a BBQ joint. 2) Nobody named Jen makes a good brisket. To make a good brisket, you need a name like Rusty or Dusty or at least a…
There’s a boundary, a set of criteria, something that delineates those who like appetizers from those who quiver at the mention of tapas. Wish I could put my finger on it—though judging from the number of times I heard “Oooh, I love tapas” from women in professional income brackets, I’d…
It always makes me chuckle when I receive e-mails from extreme health-food vegans telling me I should be eating a healthier plant-based diet. The last one I got said, “You are a bad example of the way vegans should eat.” This guy must’ve read all about my sick obsession for…
Pepperidge Farm sent two boxes of crackers to my office. Wilonsky saw them and ran over to Jimmy’s, returning with some cured meat and a hunk of cheese. My desk is now covered by crumbs, two empty boxes, white wrapping paper of the kind you find at, oh, an Italian…
Back when I first went veg, I was living in some douchey apartment in Addison. The place itself was fine, but I couldn’t stand all those McFestivals the town of Addison would hold right outside of my building. I remember fighting crowds just to get into the parking garage, then…
It’s no secret I’ve been A&E Obsessed with gas station taquerias recently. And you know what that means: Exposure therapy! (To clarify, “exposure therapy” doesn’t mean I striptease to Sarah McLachlan’s “Angel” at convenience stores. It does, however, mean that I get to eat a lot of salsa.) So, when…
For some reason I can’t get over the root beer float at Eno’s. I know it’s not a difficult thing to make—unless, of course, you follow my old method of plunging ice cream into a mug of root beer and watching it fizz and boil over the rim. I know…
Omnivores often ask me why I’ve chosen to live a vegan lifestyle in Dallas. They’re always trying to ship me off to some other city like Austin. But why would I wanna leave? I love Dallas. Plus, vegans shouldn’t have to relocate just because another place might seem more fitting…
In a short post-holiday week (as you no doubt remember, last Saturday was National Bacon Day), it takes us a little while to get back in the groove. Not so the City of Ate readership, however.Keep in mind we still want to find a way to award prizes. Just this…
Chocolate–that’s my kryptonite. Nothing makes me weaker in the knees than feasting on a chocolate dessert after dinner! My ancestors sure knew what they were doing by using the magical cacao bean as currency back in the day. But so many Dallas confectioners bastardize their chocolate creations by incorporating dairy,…
There we were, sipping drinks on a lush patio behind some sketchy 7-Eleven when a sudden, sharp spurt of maniacal laughter interrupted our spell. Just another Saturday night in the ‘hood, except in this case, the setting was a well-worn patch of far North Dallas and the commotion began when…
Drove up to Boston Burger totally excited to be magically whisked away to Boston. Would their burgers have baked beans and clam chowder on them? Would they be made of John Kerry and Mitt Romney? The front door of the place is less than inviting, but open it. And once…
Let’s be honest folks–vegan cheese substitutes can be hit or miss. Some of those products you get at Whole Foods might taste alright, but once you nuke ’em they tend to fold instead of melt. Only a handful of vegan cheeses on the market actually do a decent job emulating…
What a great week. We got to talk about bacon, Formula 1 and beer. College football season started and I have chips and salsa left over from the Pairing Off story.All set for the long weekend.Oh–some cool prize material came in this week, too–including a bag of beans from Oak…
Our Lisa Petty likes to poke fun at me about my avoidance of salads. “Do you EVER eat salads?” she snarks. But I do eat my fair share…only I’m not usually happy about it. Allow me to explain where I’m coming from. I was a Golden Corral kid. There was…
In a famous biblical parable, a son takes his family inheritance and wastes it on riotous living in some distant land, returning home with empty pockets and a deep sense of regret—which seems like an appropriate summary of chef Marc Cassel’s professional life, though almost in reverse. Dallas’ prodigal son…
The salsa bar is not to be missed.
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…
