I’m over super-sized onion rings. They first made their appearance at steakhouses and burger joints but have become increasingly popular at bars everywhere. Often stacked like a tower to the heavens, they arrive precariously ready to topple and litter your table in shards of fried breading. Katy Trail Ice House…
While skimming through Eater’s news feed this morning an item caught my eye: “More Pie Fives On Order; Northeast Pumpkin Shortage”. The pumpkin shortage stuck out because I thought I remembered seeing it last year. I switched from canned to fresh pumpkin a few years back for my annual pumpkin…
Last night the Winspear Opera House played host to Kathleen Edwards, a Canadian folk and country singer, and Bon Iver. The opera house, a marvel of modern architectural and sound design, makes for a life-shifting experience when the music is good. I wish I could say the same for the…
Early last month, the CBS-11 announced a friendly competition to crown the area’s Most Valuable Bloggers. Categories include local affairs, sports, lifestyle, entertainment and dining, among others. Contestants are entered into the event through a nomination process in which anyone can participate. Currently 17 blogs have entered the food fray…
I try and eat something interesting for lunch every day I can. Zaguan is a great Latin bakery across the street from the Observer HQ that serves a decent arepas. I covet Reina Pepiada: a salad of pulled chicken and avocado. Nosh, up the street, composes some beautiful plates at…
Some burger town. I’ve probably had 20 or so since I got here, and I’ve noticed an alarming trend. Almost all of my burgers have arrived over-cooked. In fact of all the burgers I’ve had, only two or so (thanks, Grape and NHS) were cooked as ordered. The rest? Woefully…
Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip… That all went down at Al Biernat’s with a lot of big, fake tits. Ah, KRLD Restaurant Week, a time when those of us who only think we belong on Most Eligible Dallas get to…
A writer for UK’s Guardian takes on a topic today that’s near and dear to my probably-clogged heart: the writing down of orders. You see it all the time, at restaurants of various levels of sophistication: the Penless Server. No matter how many people are in your party, no matter…
Picture this. You’ve just sat down at one of Dallas’ fine dining establishments. Your date looks stunning. The service is cordial. Wine is delivered. And then a sumptuous basket of bread. You use a butter knife to shave some beautifully salted butter and … “Hey hey mama say that way…
Earlier this week I mentioned a few Tex-Mex joints that are serving up some pretty sub-par guac. Ever ready to jump into the fray, a few Aters chimed in, saying I’d simply gone to the wrong restaurants. But the thing is, there’s no excuse for bad guacamole. Ever. If you…
Ahh, codeine cough syrup. It started off innocently enough, as a remedy for a sore throat. However, if it can get you high, people will use it to get high. And, if it gets you high, someone will at some point write a song about it. However, this classy beverage…
Leslie Brenner’s new Best of Guide touts Dallas’ top cocktails, complete with a swanky photo spread. One of the shots mirrors an experience I’ve had enough of. A high ball glass filled with glistening ice and dotted with kumquat slices is topped with not just a sprig of lavender, but…
When I got home last night, my son asked if I went to the next-door 7-Eleven for my free Slurpee. I told him, sorry, I forgot about the giveaway. He didn’t: ‘Round 4 yesterday he and my wife stopped by the Preston Forest location, only to find they were all…
Peter Bjorn & John had already released a pair of marginally-successful albums and were even beginning to gain a small amount of notoriety as being one of Sweden’s most promising young pop bands by the time 2006 rolled around. But it was their third album, Writer’s Block, that really put…
This probably won’t be a very popular sentiment in the Top Chef blogosphere, but we aren’t exactly all aboard the Richard Blais bandwagon. Sure, Blais is a true Jedi in the kitchen, and he has an affable personality that shines through both on his happier Top Chef days and his…
This Super Bowl weekend, Dallas restaurants are going crazy with deals and drink specials. And some of these restaurants have actually lost their minds if they think we’re gonna pay their outrageous prices. (We’re sure someone will pay– it just won’t be us.) Here’s a list of five Super Bowl…
Green Bay Packers cornerback Charles Woodson has been making the rounds this week, sharing his winery’s TwentyFour Cabernet Sauvignon with Dallas drinkers. Woodson’s already appeared at Ocean Prime, Veritas and Kenichi. Celebrity wines aren’t unusual: Martha Stewart, Lil Jon, Peggy Fleming and Vince Neil are among the many stars who’ve…
I am good at working for free. That is not to say I am good at volunteer work. For one thing, I get bored bagging groceries at the Food Pantry. It’s hard to feel good about what I’m doing when we run out of supplies and have nothing to give…
Scarrots. Apparently, they’re not a joke. I heard of them recently and thought that my friend was just making up some cutesy word for carrots. But, Scarrots really exist. Turns out, “A Bunch of Carrot Farmers” (led by Bolthouse Farms) are trying to trick kids into eating carrots this Halloween…
Hanna Raskin focuses this week’s Dish on Horne & Dekker, and the sweet (flavor), cutesy fun (as well as a Duck Goat Pizza) they have therein: Horne & Dekker Strives for Cutesy. Turns out, they could use a little less cloying cuteness, and little more flavor punch. Read the review,…
We didn’t exactly love the Common Table, as Hanna Raskin points out in her Dish Column, but it sure is a good place to drink some beer. In their well-curated selection you can find a bottle-conditioned Maudite (priced at $89) and American micro-brews like Dogfish Head and Dale’s. Read Hanna’s…
City of Ate’s inbox is typically crammed with messages from eager publicists, hopeful restaurant owners and aggrieved diners, who’ve often found the Better Business Bureau unresponsive to their complaints about grimy bathrooms and surly bartenders. Since we can’t do much for our woeful correspondents either, we’re turning their troubles over…
